I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ITS CHARACTERS, I OWN THIS STORY AND ANY CHARACTERS I CREATE.
Thanks for the reviews, just a warning to the people who like the Chunin exam arc...you may not like my spin on it...just warning you.
Since I'm not big into the first series of Naruto I will be putting the Chunin Exams arc into a single chapter, the next chapter will be the Konoha Crush arc time skip leading to the start of the Shippuden era of Naruto.
Lastly a note for fans of my "A Fresh Start" story, I am working on a chapter but to be honest it's not looking good
Chapter 8: Chunin Exams
Orochimaru arrives
Minato stared at his son with a look mixed of both shock and confusion; he could try and deny it however Naruto was too smart for that so...he decided to be honest "That is highly classified information...how did you get this information?" he asks calmly seeing Naruto's emotions rise
"Not even going to try an deny it!?" the young Genin yells
"Naruto this information is classified to the highest calibre, simply knowing without clearance can land you in the Strict Correctional Facility" he stands up seeing Naruto's eyes widen "How. Do. You. Know?" he says slower but firmer.
"Mom's diary, while I was waiting for you guys to come home I read it" he begins, Minato didn't believe Kushina would write something so dangerous "She made mentions of a Demon Fox so I went to the Library and began reading about the History of Konoha, Madara Uchiha used a Fox Demon to fight The 1st Hokage...it's the same fox right" he explains and Minato sighs flopping into his chair holding his face in his hands.
"Naruto, what gave you the right to go through your mothers things? What gave you the right to believe you are so entitled you should know everything? And what gives you the right to talk down to the Hokage?" each question makes Naruto shrink a little inside. He has never seen this look on his father's face before, a mixture of anger, disappointment and all in all distant.
"Sorry...Hokage" Naruto says in a last act of defiance however Minato quickly responds dowsing that flame.
"Apologies won't fix this, as far as your promotion is concerned, consider it withdrawn and if so much as a word of this leaves this office, I will fire you as an active Shinobi and sentence you to sometime in the Facility...are we clear?" Naruto nods quickly turning to leave
"Would you...have told me eventually?" Naruto finds himself having to ask for a little closure, Minato looks down.
"It's not my burden, so it's not my decision" Minato says and Naruto leaves the room closing the door behind him
What a mess
_The main street_
"Quit picking on the kid" Temari says with a hint of arrogance rather than concern, they where quests in foreign lands and their Village currently had the weakest standing among the others.
"Hey the brat bumped into me and wont apologise" Kankuro retorts holding the kind in the air, "These kids with their warm sunny weather and soft looking village why are they held in such high regard?" he questions as a pebble hits his thumb causing a stinging pain which makes him flinch "ah! Who threw that?" he looks around to see Sasuke approaching with another stone in his hand casually tossing it into the air before catching it.
"Acting tough? You're a long way from home dork" Sasuke says with a confident look "You're here for the Exams so play nice then go back to the sand castle village you call a home" he states.
"You little shit" Kankuro growls gripping his strap over his shoulder preparing to attack before a blast of sand hits the back of his hand.
"Must you?" a new person says, cold eyes locked on Kankuro "You're a disgrace" he says standing in front of his teammates/siblings. "If you faced him...he's crush you, this is Sasuke Uchiha" the red head says suprising Sasuke about knowing his name "I am Gaara, these fools are Kankuro and Temari my siblings" he introduces himself.
"How do you know my name?" he asks and Gaara shows him a book with their names in it "A name sheet for the competing Genin" he says surprised.
"The Kage figured it would ease tension if all the Genin where on a name based relationship" Gaara says "Or to make it interesting if we have to fight to the death" that part sent a chill up Sasukes back.
"This guy is dangerous...nothing like the other two" he thinks seeing Naruto heading towards him with a look that could kill.
"Sakura's meeting us at the Training grounds" he says walking past Gaara as the two shares a glance at the other before he continues on his walk towards the Team 7 Training field.
Sasuke drops the stone he was carrying before heading after Naruto ignoring the glare he got from Kankuro
"So that's the Hokage's son...he doesn't look all that impressive" Temari scoffs, Naruto's actions with the Mizukage had reached even Suna. He was building fame like his father but the boy she just saw was anything but inspiring.
"Be careful...he is likely to be the biggest obstacle in the goal" Kankuro says "Plus you are doing that eyebrow twitch thing you do when you find a cute guy" he smirks and Temari blushes smacking him across the back of his head
"If you two keep it up...I will kill you" Gaara warns ending the sibling squat "Those eyes...are like mine"
The Training field
With Kakashi's help the three each had a new training regimen to follow for the next week and a half before the Chunin Exams started. Soon enough the night before the exams was upon them and Naruto was preparing his pack accordingly, since the instructor told the group of Genin that passing the first 2 exams would mean they wouldn't be home for 5 days.
"Naruto" he turned to see his mother standing in the door way, she had been avoiding him since he learned the truth and figured his dad must have told her about his snooping. "How's the packing going?" she asks trying to see into the bag from the door. She was aware what Naruto would face in the exams, having completed them herself. As furious as she was with Naruto she couldn't let her son head off to face these trails without giving her support.
"Just finished actually" he says returning his gaze to the bag closing it over "Hopefully it will be enough" he says lifting the bag and placing it on his desk. "Dinner ready?" he asks and she shakes her head.
"We haven't talked about you snooping around in my stuff" she says and he pauses "But we will...once the Chunin exams are over, got it?" her tone changed from neutral to full on disappointed parent.
"Yeah..."
The Following morning
Haku and Shisui where getting ready to begin their trip to the site of the future Police branch they would be working/living for the foreseeable future, the short time in the village gave the former rouge ninja some perspective. "Don't worry, you'll be hoping back and forth from here to the new base, so... think of it as an extended vacation" The Uchiha says with a grin.
"I understand, it's safer to have me far from the village in case I turn rouge again" Haku says rather distantly, he now wore to attire of a Konoha Shinobi but deep down he was an outsider.
"My dad doesn't think that way" they see Naruto standing at the gates waiting to see them off "He truly has accepted you into the village, but he believes you owe the people in the Land of Waves for all the bad things you did" he walks towards them taking a piece of fabric from his pocket and handing it to Haku "Earn it" he simply says heading into the village.
Haku looks at the Headband with the Leaf symbol on it and smiles "I will"
_A Few hours later_ (Chunin Exams Start)
Stage 1
The first challenge was a test with 9 difficult questions, it was clear that the actual goal of this challenge was to test Intel gathering, the applicants were meant to cheat to get the answers, however they weren't allowed to be seen cheating otherwise you failed, Sasuke quickly figured out which of the Genin was actually a plant and copied his pen movements using his Sharingan, Sakura being the natural genius she is already knew the answers...which worked out for Ino and her team as she swapped minds with the Pink haired Kunoichi to get the answers for her and her team. Naruto on the other hand was at a disadvantage, he knew a few answers but not them all and he wasn't much for intel-gathering in the first place, sitting beside him was Hinata who was trying to help him but he couldn't look to her without getting caught.
Soon time ran out and Ibiki threw down the gauntlet, many teams had already failed "The final question comes with it's on rule" the scared man begins "Should a member of your team fail to answer this question then the whole team fails, however if you get the question wrong then you are banned from the Chunin exams and will remain Genin for the rest of your life" he says and a few people gasp "For those of you unwilling to risk hear the question then leave the room the exam is over for you and your team" he says, it doesn't take long for the weaker willed members of teams to quit even at the expense of their teammates. Once the heard had been thinned Ibiki smirks "To those who stayed, congratulations you have passed the first round" he says suprising the Genin "The Shinobi life will never offer you a break, those who would abandon a mission and risk their team are not ready to count themselves among the elites of their village, simply choosing to answer means you pass this round.
"Kind of makes the first 9 questions obsolete" Naruto sighs wondering why he was worried at all, he Sasuke and Sakura move so they are sitting beside each other as do the other teams, the three shared a brief nod and smirk with pride passing the first stage
"Make no mistake, from here on out your abilities will be tested, when the next Procter gets here she will" he is cut off by a purple haired woman bursting through the window holding a banner saying "Second stage Procter Anko Mitarashi!" in large writing.
"Congratulations little brats!" she grins brightly, opening her eyes to the stunned room "D-Did I jump the mark?"
Stage 2
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura where deep into the Forest of Death or Forty-Fourth Training Ground, Anko had explained that the goal of this trial was to obtain the opposite scroll they were given at the start titled Earth or Heaven Scroll. Once achieved they needed to make their way to the building located in the center of the forest, this guaranteed at least half of the teams would be eliminated. Rules were simple; you were only to open the scrolls together as opening one on its own meant disqualification, also they had 5 days to complete the task.
"Man had I known we would be in a forest I would have packed a tent" Sakura sighs, while Naruto and Sasuke had packed for combat her pack consisted of food and first aid with very few weapons.
"Sakura you're a medic, leave the fighting to me and Sasuke" Naruto says washing his face in a lake, "Once we have the other scroll we will be heading into the building so best try and only spend the night" he adds standing up. He thought about camping around the building and simply attacking a team heading there but it was likely many teams with the same idea which meant it would be a blind scramble for scrolls, better to simply find teams on the move.
"Yeah, the faster we finish this the more time we have to prepare for the final stage" Sasuke says "I have a feeling the last stage will pit Genin against each other so the more rest we have between stages the better we will be" he throws his bag over his shoulder.
Sakura nodded, she was glad her teammates were so prepared for these exams. Her goal was to apply for an internship at the Konoha hospital but Sasuke and Naruto needed her, but if Sasuke was right then maybe she would be able to dropout with a clear conscience and apply for her internship.
A few hours in an all they had managed to find where teams with the Heaven scroll which were no good, Naruto opted to burn the scrolls to prevent other teams from using them thus eliminating the chances of more teams passing the round.
"So...what scroll do you guys have?" Naruto says searching through the bags of the unconscious team "Shit another Heaven Scroll" he sighs throwing it into the forest.
"Maybe it's an act; maybe all the scrolls are the same" Sasuke jokes taking the food from the other team's bags putting it in his own.
"Our team has an earth scroll" they turn to see a team from the hidden Grass village which was a smaller cousin to the Leaf. The guy in the middle who seems to be the leader regurgitated his teams' scroll which was indeed an Earth scroll.
"You couldn't use a bag like a normal guy huh...honestly don't know if I want it" Naruto says with a cringe face as Sasuke steps forward with his Sharingan active.
"This guy is no Genin" he says suprising his teammates, the Grass ninja laughs as his teammates turn into snakes "Who are you?"
"I am Orochimaru, a former Konoha Shinobi" he says pulling the skin from his face revealing his true appearance.
"You're one of the legendary Sannin...the one who defected" Naruto pulls out a Raijin Kunai "What are you doing here?" he asks taking a defensive stance.
"I am a man who desires learning every Jutsu there is...but in order to accomplish that I need something from you...Sasuke Uchiha" he points to the raven haired teen "Your Sharingan to be exact" he grins. "Long ago I tried to obtain your brothers eyes but those gems are out of my reach but a nursling like you should provide adequate eyes" his grin turns malicious.
"Come and try freak" Sasuke says activating his Sharingan, He and Naruto charge the Sannin while Sakura watches from behind. She had come a long way since the days at the academy but this opponent was out of her league.
However in truth he was out of Naruto and Sasuke's league as well but there was little else to do but fight, however perhaps they could hold him off until one of the ANBU who were patrolling this area could warn Minato. "Indeed you two are no doubt the cream of the crop of this generation, but you are nothing but children with no war experience" The Snake Sannin states while effortlessly countering their attacks. Even Naruto's Flying Raijin was no match for him, another problem was the fact Orochimaru's experienced eyes were beginning to see the blonde's flaws "So unlike Minato your teleportation isn't instantaneous, you need at least 3 seconds to Teleport, while it may be a small gap" he pauses to dodge a Kunai "It makes you predictable" he says driving his fist into the stomach of the reappearing Naruto causing the blonde to cough up blood as he is sent flying into a tree.
"Naruto" his teammates call out as he tries to get back on his feet but he falls back to the ground, Sasuke charges at the Sannin before being knocked back as well however he flips mid air forming the Tiger Hand Sign "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" he exhales the large fire ball shooting it towards the surprised Sannin.
Jumping he dodges the attack "Impressive, as expected from an Uchiha" he comments seeing many wire threaded Shuriken surrounding him before he is forcefully tied to a tree "I can't move" he thinks seeing all the threads lead to a few in Sasukes mouth as he forms the Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger Hand Signs "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu" he exhales another Fire based Jutsu, the flames take on the head of a dragon shooting down the wire like a guide as the engulf Orochimaru.
Suddenly Orochimaru appears behind Sasuke biting down on his neck causing the young Uchiha to scream in agony as a mark appears on his neck "This should keep you from causing a fuss" he says turning to the final member of Team Kakashi.
"What did you do to Sasuke" Sakura pulls out a Kunai from her pouch, her tone was tough and she stood her ground but even a novice could see through her and see her for how terrified she is.
"I placed a curse seal on him, now he is connected to me, and soon all his negative emotions will flare up and he will seek me out to get stronger" he says approaching her. Soon a Kunai lands between them and a second later Minato appears between them.
"How did you know I was here?" Minato hears the Sannin ask, Minato ignored his question seeing his son barely conscious, he also could see the Curse mark on Sasuke "Damn it...I got here too late" he thinks throwing several Kunai at Orochimaru who was surprised by the speed in which the Kunai appeared.
He is thrown back when Minato appears behind him hitting him in the center on his back with a Rasengan "Stay down you damn snake" he says standing over the Sannin as several ANBU appear, however Orochimaru sheds his current form disappearing into the ground.
"What should we do Lord Yondaime?" one of the ANBU ask and Minato sighs
"Gather the Genin, its likely Orochimaru isn't finished with whatever he's planning" he says and ANBU Vanish to round the others up and escort them somewhere safe.
"L-Lord Hokage" he turns to see a teary eyed Sakura looking at him, all her courage abandoned her the moment he appeared through a mixture of relief and worry for her team.
"Don't worry Sakura" he says with a reassuring smile placing his hand on her head, he gathered Sasuke and Naruto and placed them beside Sakura "Hold onto Sasuke" he instructs and she takes a hold of his hand. Next thing she sees is the reception of the Hospital, "Nurse get two beds ready for these two" he instructs
Sakura watched the Doctors get to work; she was amazed by their speed and reaction to the sudden arrival of the Hokage. However her nerves where still shaken and it was pretty obvious, so Minato decided to help cal her by sharing a small story.
"Naruto was two weeks early than expected; I remember every hiccup and sneeze I would come running to this place to the point where I marked it with my Raijin formula to save time" he looks at the young girl who was smiling at the image of the stoic Hokage panicking over a simple sneeze "I've fought in wars yet becoming a father has been the biggest challenge of my life...so rest your fears Sakura, you're life is only getting started" where his words of wisdom to the pink haired girl which surprisingly did calm her down and soon she was doing her best to help the doctors with her comrades.
It didn't take long for Naruto to recover, he had a slight headache but other than that he was fine and sitting across from his dad "Orochimaru killed Genin and took their place didn't he?" Naruto asks and the Hokage nods "Why?"
"Orochimaru was once a candidates to be Yondaime Hokage" Minato states "Once I was chosen over him by lord Third Orochimaru defected from the Village...it wasn't long after that we discovered the heinous experiments he had been doing on children, there are only two survivors known, an ANBU and a Tokubetsu Jonin" he sighs looking out the window "I heard rumours he started his own village called the Sound Village...Jiraiya Sensei has been uncovering details about the village" he pauses "That's why I've cancelled the Chunin exams, it's likely he's brought Shinobi with the plan to invade" he finishes seeing his son analyse the information in his head.
"If that's true then it's likely he's working with another Village" Naruto states suprising Minato "I mean you've only been Hokage like 13 years right? There is no way Orochimaru has established a strong enough village to attack 1 of the 5 major villages" he points out.
"Your son has the right idea lord Hokage" they both see Danzo standing in the door, Minato quickly dismisses his son to return to the hospital to check up on his team, "And he is accurate" the man adds once their alone placing a photo on the table; it was Orochimaru meeting the Kazekage.
"Suna...but Rasa has never been interested in conquest, in fact he has often spoke about forming an alliance with Konoha to strengthen both Villages" Minato comments, he found it hard to believe Rasa would work with a criminal and risk his villages reputation.
"In this world each Village is looking out for their own...it's not something to be held against them" Danzo begins gaining Minato's attention, mainly because it wasn't his usual propaganda "Suna's economy is constantly in danger of dropping, without the land each of the other four nations they would starve...they barely make anything in trade, this is their only option to survive" he states
"Double the ANBU patrols...but don't make a move until Orochimaru plays his hand...because if we're wrong it could lead to another war...and I'd prefer not to be the instigator"
The hospital
Sakura sat beside Sasuke the whole time, even when his parents and brother came. They didn't have the heart to force her out after all she's done to help him, looking in her eyes they could see what Sasuke meant to her. So they all sat around, watching as the unconscious boy's eyes fluttered as he dreamed, and judging by the look he was having a nightmare.
"Damn that snake...I'll kill him for harming my son" Fugaku says with anger, though his face was calm Itachi too intended to hunt Orochimaru down, however Itachi's goal was removing that curse which according to Kushina was only possible if Orochimaru did it.
"S-Sakura" all eyes looked at Sasuke, his hand was reaching out and Sakura took a hold of it which seemed to calm him down.
"Be careful" they hear Naruto say as he stood at the door "I've heard that Curse Mark reacts to Chakra...who knows when it will be set off" he adds turning to Fugaku "The Hokage wanted to speak to you lord Fugaku" he says and the Uchiha clan leader nods "Judging from his expression he wanted you to hurry before he and Danzo got into an argument" he adds and the man smirks leaving the room.
"So you're all better after the encounter?" Mikoto asks and the blonde nods, she smiles at the blonde haired boy "He really is the image of his father...but I can see you in him too Kushina" she smiles.
_The following Morning_
Peaceful commerce continued in the Village Hidden in the Leafs, people talked casually and the overall warm feel made what came next truly a shock. It started with the sound of blades colliding in the air; bodies began dropping in the streets causing panic which soon erupted as a massive explosion took place in the center of the village which a massive three headed snake hissed into action tearing through buildings.
"At last Konoha" Orochimaru says standing atop the Hokage Mountain
"Your end has come"
The End
Once again I am sorry for those who liked the first series of Naruto but I began with Shippuden and only watched the first series to fill in the plot I didn't understand. I hope you enjoyed this chapter none the less...
In the next chapter Konoha Crush and romances begin to blossom
Until Next Time
~DoTheBartMan