Normal speech
Thought
Nine-tails/Other big voices
InnerSakura
A/N:
Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. This is merely for my, and hopefully everyone else's, enjoyment. Thank you!
Naruto: WHOO-HOO!!! We got both scrolls… I knew this exam would be easy! *jumping through the trees*
Recap:
Sakura: That was a great plan Sasuke…
Naruto: What was so great about it?! It was just a string of complicated moves that got lucky. There was no point to all of that…
Sasuke: I thought of all of that to compensate for where you might have messed up, idiot! Besides… I was just having a little fun.
Naruto: That wasn't that fun either. I'll tell you what would've been fun… if we had just beat the snot out of those two, no complicated plans or traps. Just mano y mano, face to face, fist to… *stops abruptly*
Team 7 was on their way to the tower, when Naruto got a bad feeling. He tried to warn his teammates, but it was too late…
Surprise Attack
A huge gust of wind blew in and obliterated nearly everything in its path. When it finally subsided, Naruto found himself alone…
Sasuke had taken cover in the bushes, waiting for any sign of anyone. He then heard a rustle behind him, but it was only Sakura. More rustling came and Naruto emerged from the darkness…
Naruto: Oh… There you guys are… I thought I'd never find you. Are you alright?
Sasuke immediately threw a kunai at Naruto, who barely dodged it…
Sakura: Huh!?... Sasuke, why are you attacking Naruto?!!
Sasuke: He isn't Naruto…
Sakura: What are you talking about Sasuke!?
Naruto gave a wide and creepy smile before a cloud of smoke began to envelope him. When the smoke had cleared, the fake Naruto turned out to be the kunoichi from the Grass village…
GrassKunoichi: Impressive that you knew… but how might I ask? How did you know… that I was a fake? Did I not match his vocals well enough…?
Sasuke: As soon as you came through the brush, I could tell that there was something odd about you. At first I thought that Naruto was still shaken up from the unexpected gust, but then you made your mistake… you spoke. Though you sounded just like him… it's what you said that tipped me off. You said that you thought that you would have never found us. There's no reason Naruto would say something like that because of his ability…
: I see… apparently my plan wasn't as fool proof as I thought it was… This will be more fun than I thought…
Naruto wandered his way through the forest, making his way back to his team. As he rounded the bend, he crashed into something. As he looked up, he realized that he was now face to face with a giant monster snake…
Naruto: … Wha… Wha… Uh… Uh…… IT'S HUGE!!!... I… I've never seen a snake so… BIG!! What's up with this forest?!!...
The snake gave Naruto a look as it began to coil itself up, not taking its eyes off of him. In one quick, fluid motion the snake attacked. Naruto jumped out of the way but was wrapped up by the snake's tail. Before he knew it… Naruto was in the belly of the beast, awaiting digestion…
Naruto was now in the snake's stomach trying to figure out what to do. If he didn't make his move soon he would be digested and never see the light of day again.
Naruto: There's no… There's no way I can let it end this way!! I'm not done yet… "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU"!!!
The snake began to quickly inflate as if it were a balloon. When it could take no more… it exploded blasting guts, blood, and Narutos all over the forest.
Naruto: I'm a shinobi who will become Hokage!! I can't be eaten by something lower on the food-chain…!! *picking up as many snake leftovers as he could* … If anything, I'll do the eating around here…!!
Naruto and his clones were off in a flash, on there way to reunite with the rest of his team. Hopefully they alright…
The Grass kunoichi pulled out an "Earth" scroll and shoved it down her throat, swallowing it whole…
Sasuke: What… the hell…?
: You probably don't want my "Earth" scroll, since you already have both… right?
Sakura: She's been watching us since then… That's probably why she chose us as targets because we definitely have the scroll that she needs…
: Well… let's begin… shall we… with our lives on the line…!
She gave them a menacing glare that paralyzed both Sasuke and Sakura. In an instant both saw their gruesome and grotesque deaths… having kunais lodged in their brains, their eyes plucked out, and their throats slowly slit before complete decapitation…
Sasuke: G-… Gen… jutsu…*snapping back, realizing the truth*
Sasuke and Sakura lost control of themselves as they collapsed to the ground, shaking and fidgeting uncontrollably. Unable to keep his composure, Sasuke vomited in great volumes at his knees as the images replayed through his head…
Sasuke: This… This is just fear… the killing intent in her eyes is causing us to see images of death… Who is she?!!
He looked over to his side to see Sakura violently shaking. She appeared to be taking much worse than he was. If they couldn't pull themselves then this would be the end…
: Hehe… you can't even move… I guess I should be a bit merciful and… put you poor things out of your misery…
Sasuke shakily made his way to his feet and activated his Sharingan just in time to see two kunai making a beeline for him and Sakura. If he couldn't get himself together, then images that continued to haunt him would come true…
: … Oh… That's a surprise…
Sakura: What's going on?
Sasuke: … It's…
Naruto stood between his team and their antagonizer…
Naruto: I don't know who the hell you think you are, or what the hell you think you're doing… but there's no way… No Way… I'LL LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!!
: (chuckles)… This is just perfect… You just made things easier for me. I thought that I would have to hunt you down… so that you could share the same fate as…
Naruto: ARE WE GONNA FIGHT, OR ARE YOU JUST GONNA KEEP RUNNING YOUR MOUTH!!?
: (chuckles)… What passion… I like that…
She gave him the same glare that Sasuke and Sakura received. Naruto was shocked as his death was presented to him… but…
Naruto: I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY…!! *ferocious grin*
Naruto's eyes began to turn and his horns began to grow. Seeing this, and after being egged on… the Grass kunoichi charged…
With a straight hand, she attempted to punch through to Naruto's heart. In one slight move, Naruto sidestepped and drove one of his horns into her stomach. Before it could penetrate deep enough however, the Grass kunoichi stopped it.
With a powerful kick, Naruto was forced into the air. The Grass kunoichi continued the assault by wrapping her long tongue around his body… and repeatedly slamming him on the ground…
Naruto: Sasuke…(thud)… Get Sakura…(thud)… and get to safety(thud)…
Sasuke tried to move his body but was still too shook up. Naruto could see this and that Sakura was in even worse shape. He knew he only had one option… Get this freak away from his friends and go all out…!
Using his scaly tail, Naruto slashed at the kunoichi's tongue, forcing her to release him. Naruto winced in pain as he hit the ground. In one of the previous slams, he had heard a crack. He believed it was his one of his ribs.
Even though he knew that he probably couldn't win, he knew that he couldn't give up know. He didn't even want to give up. The entire situation actually excited him a bit… A fight with a strong opponent that hopefully no one would interfere in…
Naruto looked back at his team and then looked at his opponent with a grin on his face…
: What's with that expression…? Are you happy to see me?
Naruto: As a matter of fact… I am. I've been waiting for someone strong to fight and now… here you are. I've been looking for an opportunity to prove how strong I really am… and with this situation… I'll protect my friends and do just that…!! *wings growing out*
Sakura: Naruto…
Sasuke: Na… Naruto… don't be an idiot… She's too strong… *weakly*
Sasuke's words didn't reach as Naruto and the kunoichi charged. Once again the kunoichi tried to take advantage of the length of her tongue. In one flap of his wings, Naruto instantly came to a halt and repositioned himself to the side…
Naruto: "Dragon Wave"!!
Naruto's attack connected and began to drive the kunoichi further into the forest, but thanks to a slip of the tongue… she dragged Naruto along with her.
For a few minutes, Sasuke and Sakura could hear crashes and explosions as the forest was being obliterated in this contest. Suddenly, it all ended…
Blood stained the ground. Sasuke had stabbed himself in order to shake his uneasy feeling and hopefully lend a hand to Naruto.
Moments after things had become eerily quiet, Naruto rushed from the forest and quickly grabbed Sasuke and Sakura and retreated to safety.
They were now hiding behind a giant tree, trying to hide themselves and recuperate.
Sakura: Naruto…! I'm so happy you're ok…! *weakly hugging him, tears forming*
Naruto: Thanks Sakura… that means a lot… *trying to catch his breath*
Sasuke: So what happened to the girl…? *cautiously checking the surroundings*
Naruto: … Oh her… Well…
Sakura: SNAKE…!!
Both she and Sasuke quickly jumped to safety… but Naruto didn't react quick enough. The giant came down, slamming its jaws shut taking Naruto and the tree limb he sat on…
Sakura: NARUTOOO!!!... NOOOO…!!! *tears streaming down her face*
The snake coiled to strike once more. This time, its target was…
Sasuke: NOOO…!! STAY AWAY…!!!!! *hurling a barrage of ninja tools*
Sasuke who freaked out even more and blasted the snake with a barrage of ninja tools, managed to kill it…
They didn't even have a moment to feel safe as the psychotic Grass kunoichi rose from the corpse of the fallen snake…
: You guys shouldn't relax for even one moment. Prey should always be on their guard, ready to run away at a moment's notice… especially… in the presence of a predator…!
Sakura: You monster…! You… that thing ate Naruto…!
: Is that what you think…? No… I took care of him myself back in the forest…
Sakura: Then that means… *appalled*
She just chuckled before making her way for Sasuke, wrapping her body around the branch along the way. She was a slither away when kunai and shuriken impeded her path…
Naruto: … Sorry I'm so late you guys… it took me a while to catch up… *holding side*
: (chuckles)… So you survived… I'm not surprised… but I am curious as to how…
Naruto: … It was a tough battle and even I thought I was done when I was pinned under a couple of trees…
: As did I… I launched a lot of ninja tools and increased their speed by propelling them with wind… the very same technique I used to blow you across the forest the first time…
Naruto: I had no way of avoiding it so, the best thing I could possibly do was cover up. I covered my head and neck with my arms and the rest of my body with my wings. The attack shredded through them like paper, but luckily I escaped with only a few scratches… Because of my torn wings, I had to run all the way here… that, and getting out from under the trees is what took me so long…
His clothes were ripped and tattered and with every tear in his clothing, Naruto had a cut that was still oozing with blood.
Naruto: … So I guess you like picking on the weak! Just like some coward to pick on those that can't protect themselves!! Why don't you pick on someone who can stand up to you?!!!...
Kiba: Where are you going Hinata?! The tower isn't that way…
Team 8 was leaping through the forest at incredible speeds. Kiba and Shino were desperately trying to keep up with a frantic Hinata, who didn't seem to want to slow down if even a little bit. Apparently, there was somewhere they had to be and fast…
Hinata: It's just… I… I have a bad feeling… I hope Naruto is alright…
InnerSakura:Wait, did he call us weak…!?
Sasuke: This is bad… all three of us will be killed… There's no other way… I have to give up here. This isn't worth our lives…
Sasuke deactivated his sharingan and pulled out the "Heaven" scroll. He was willing to give it up without a fight as long as the Grass kunoichi let them be.
: I see… very smart… Sometimes the only way for prey to escape a predator… is for them to offer up something more… enticing…
With that, Sasuke tossed the scroll to their attacker, but it was intercepted by none other than Naruto. With no word, he turned and punched Sasuke, knocking him back to the tree.
Sasuke: … YOU BASTARD!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!! DO EVEN UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION HERE?!!! *holding his face*
Sakura: … Naruto… what are …?
Naruto: What the hell is wrong with you!!? You want to give in to this maniac just because she's strong…!? You can't be Sasuke… Sasuke would never give up that easily…!!
Sasuke: You moron!! I am the real Sasuke…
Naruto: LIAR!!!... There's no way a coward like you… is the Sasuke I know!!! I don't care how strong this guy is but… what guarantee is there that she'll let us go if we give her the scroll?!! You're the one who's too freaked out to understand the situation!!
: Hehehe… Naruto… you are correct!! Since I can… just kill you and take the scroll I desire…
She unveiled a tattoo that wrapped around her arm and bit her thumb. She then slid her bloody thumb across the tattoo and…
: SUMMONING JUTSU!!
Naruto tried to get to her before she could finish, but… another monstrous snake appeared. Immediately, it struck at an attacking Naruto and just barely did he manage to avoid being hit.
Sakura+Sasuke: NARUTO!!!
The snake came again with another attack and Naruto wasn't so fortunate this time. The snake whipped its tail around sending Naruto soaring through the air only to be stopped by a tree. He began to plummet to the earth, body limp and he appeared to be unconscious…
: And I had such high hopes for you Naruto… I was going to have a lot of fun with you… Go ahead and eat him…
As the snake advanced it opened its salivating mouth. As if he could sense the danger, Naruto reopened his eyes…
Naruto: EAT THIS!!!… DRAGON WAVE!!!
The attack entered the snake's mouth and burst through its head, instantly slaying the beast…
: … This kid… No way…
Sakura: Naruto's snapped… but… why all of a sudden…?!
: Those eyes… there's no mistaking it…
Sasuke: That can't be Naruto, even when he goes primal, he doesn't put out this much...!! Is that the real Naruto?!
Sasuke was pulled away from his thoughts as Naruto had been knocked into another tree. To his horror… the Grass-nin was making her way towards him…
: Hehe, this is getting fun!! Now it's your turn Sasuke!! What will you do?!!
Sakura: SASUKE…!!!
He closed his eyes and opened them to the sight of Naruto holding off his psychotic pursuer. He then looked over his shoulder, eyes red as blood, and asked…
Naruto: Hey kid… you alright… scaredy-cat…?
It looked like Naruto, but there was definitely something different about him. For one, he had a crown of horns, six horns, on his head as opposed to the two that were normally there. He also had small spikey scales sticking up on his tail. But that wasn't all… His whisker marks were broader and his eyes, they were red instead of gold… What could this mean?
The forest had been torn apart piece by piece because of Naruto's fight with the kunoichifrom the Grass village. Naruto was sent flying back to the branch where Sasuke stood. He then gave him a glance that sent chills down his spine…
Naruto: … If you're not gonna help, then you should at least get Sakura out of here… And you better protect her with your life!!
As Naruto finished the Grass-nin tried to catch him off guard, but was sent packing by a crushing blow. Naruto then gave pursuit, hoping that he could pull out a victory here or at least stall for time...
As the two continued to brawl, ripping and tearing everything in their path, Sasuke joined Sakura. He tried to get her to come with him, but she refused. There was no way she would leave Naruto alone to battle a sadistic freak alone…
She wearily stood up and vowed that she would do what she could to be of some use to Naruto. As she tried to walk however, she collapsed…
Sasuke: What are you doing? You're in no condition to do anything… This is all hopeless! If we don't run away… we'll all die!!
Sakura: *she looked at Sasuke and was appalled* …Do what you want, but I'm going to help… I know that you're afraid, I am too but… we can't just leave Naruto to die… We have to do something!!...
Naruto then landed right in front of her, the Grass-nin on his tail. Naruto quickly leaped to his feet and pinned her to the branch with his staff. He would take this opportunity to choke the life out of his opponent, but…
A long tongue wrapped itself around Naruto's body and hoisted him into the air, off of the Grass-nin. No matter how hard he tried, Naruto just couldn't seem to break free. The Grass-nin looked Naruto in his slitted red eyes and grabbed a hold of his tail…
In one quick motion… Naruto's tail was brutally ripped from his body. As this happened, Sasuke and Sakura could only watch in horror as Naruto screamed in agony and the sadistically psychotic Grass-nin laughed evilly to herself.
: So… the Nine-tails brat has grown to be such an impressive youngster… When your emotions are heightened… the power of the Nine-tails overflows… Interesting…
She continued to look into Naruto's eyes as they filled with more rage and blood lust. He then lifted his coat and shirt to see a seal on Naruto's belly. He made some hand seals and…
: FIVE PART SEAL!!... *thrusting her hand into Naruto's gut*
Once again Naruto screamed in agony as his eyes returned to normal and he lost consciousness…
Done with him, the Grass-nin tossed him aside like trash. Fearing for Naruto's life, Sakura sprang into action as quickly as she could in her condition. She pinned the falling Naruto to a nearby branch to spare him of certain death… a fall from immeasurable height…
: 12 years since that incident and his and the Nine-tails's chakra are already beginning to fuse… If we had met under different circumstances… I would certainly want to continue "playing" with you, but… my true prize is right before me!
Sakura: … SASUKE!!!... It's true that unlike you, Naruto is clumsy and can get carried away, but… AT LEAST HE'S NOT A COWARD!! *getting up to just collapse to her knees*
These words, this moment, this situation… shook Sasuke's very core. All that he knew, his world, was being turned on its axis. He remembered how his brother mocked him and told him to run for his life like a coward… and that's exactly what he had been trying to do in this fight…
Sasuke: NOOO!!! *activating his sharingan*
Sasuke activated his sharingan once again, but this time… their was an extra tomoe in both eyes. He was ready for the fight of his life…
: The blood of the mighty Uchiha clan is finally beginning to boil… I'll take my time and test your ability… So show me… show me exactly what you're made of… SASUKE!!! *licking her lips*
Both combatants prepared themselves. Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai that he placed in his mouth, shuriken, and even more kunai…
Sasuke: I must survive in order to kill my brother… That's what I always believed, but I was wrong… I was just afraid… If I can't risk my life here, then how can I expect to be able to kill him?
Sasuke jumped down and rained kunai all over the Grass-nin. Only a few hit, piercing her body but she was unfazed. He landed and the two charged, clashing kunai again and again…
Sasuke: I can see!! *jumping and dodging*
They continued with their exchange as Sasuke forced his opponent to jump into the air by throwing a shuriken. Once again he tossed an assortment of ninja tools at his opponent with some finding their mark…
: Not bad… He's reading my movements and going for critical hits…
Sasuke continued to hurl shuriken and kunai at his adversary. It wasn't until it was too late that the Grass-nin noticed that each weapon that was thrown had a string attached to it…
: …This is… the "Sharingan Windmill, Triple Blade"!!... To read all the places I could run and attack from where I couldn't see… *surrounded by wires*
With his opponent entrapped, Sasuke proceeded to make the proper hand seals to unleash…
Sasuke: "DRAGON FIRE JUTSU"!!
Flame traveled from Sasuke's mouth and followed the strings to charbroil the enemy on the other side. It was over…
: To be able to use the Sharingan so well at such a young age… you truly are an Uchiha. Just as I thought… I want you…!! Sasuke…!! *being scorched*
To Sasuke and Sakura's surprise, the Grass kunoichi freed herself. Her face was now melting off his head and dripping to the forest floor. Not sweating over the small stuff, she wiped her head protector revealing that he was in fact from the Sound Village…
"": I had fun testing your powers. You really are his brother… I can sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi… *looking on with a menacing glare*
This very glare froze Sasuke and Sakura in their tracks, leaving them vulnerable to anything…
Sasuke: My-My body… I can't move… Who… Who are you?!
"": I am Orochimaru… If you want to see me again… then survive this exam…
Orochimaru: …Of course, defeating my Sound-nin trio that's on the way will be a different matter…
Sakura: Wha… What are you talking about?!! There's no way that we'd ever come to see you again!!
Orochimaru: (chuckles)… I wasn't talking to you… Sasuke will seek me out… in search of power… *making some hand seals and extending his neck*
It extended so much that he was able to stand in place and bite Sasuke's neck from across a few trees away. He sunk his teeth into Sasuke's neck and left a mark. One bite and he retracted his neck…
Sasuke doubled over in pain as a mark which resembled the one on the "Heaven" scroll formed on his neck, the "Heaven" seal. The pain was so incredible that Sasuke thought he would lose his mind or die from it… whichever one came first.
Sakura: … Sasuke!!! What did you do to him?!!! *looking at Orochimaru*
Orochimaru: … I gave him a present just like I'm going to do to the other one…! I know it's a bit greedy, but…
Orochimaru looked to where Naruto was supposed to still be hanging but saw nothing. He looked all around in outrage that he couldn't "kill two birds with one stone".
Naruto: …… Looking… for me….?
Orochimaru turned around just in time to see an enraged, horned, golden eyed Naruto and his…
Naruto: DRAGON WAVE!!!
Orochimaru was blasted through several trees before he finally came to stop nearly half a a mile away. Luckily for him, he had not been obliterated by the attack. In his current condition Naruto was far too weak to do any severe damage, but… it doesn't mean it didn't hurt…
Naruto helped Sakura carry a still screaming and squirming Sasuke as they made their escape. They moved as fast as they could, but given their physical and mental conditions it wasn't very fast. Naruto could feel an evil presence gaining on them. The only hope that they had was if someone came and saved them…
Orochimaru had inevitably caught up to his weary prey, his agenda… to mark Naruto as he did Sasuke. He used the same glare that originally froze Sasuke and Sakura in their tracks and it worked. He had all the time in the world to do as he pleased…
He did the hand seals again, but was surprised to see that Naruto seemed to not be afflicted like his teammates… but why? He didn't have time to ponder this as Naruto launched another "Dragon Wave". Orochimaru evaded by jumping into the air…
While hovering in the air Orochimaru noticed that the once dim forest was a lot brighter than expected. He looked up and…
Narutos: DRAGON WAAVE!!!
Up in the trees were several horned, golden-eyed Narutos and they had just unloaded a massive amount of chakra on Orochimaru, blasting him a great distance away where they wouldn't have to worry about him for a while…
All of the Naruto clones began dispersing filling the forest with a thick cloud of smoke. Depleted of everything, Naruto collapsed with Sakura breaking his fall. Both he and Sasuke were now unconscious, leaving everything to Sakura…
Sakura: What… What should I do…?!!
Both Naruto and Sasuke are out of commission...
It's up to Sakura to protect them... Is she up to the challenge?
Next Chapter: Many contenders... one huge battle...!