Last week the second exam ended rather eventfully and the third was set to begin.
Thanks for all the reviews.
Well, about Neji… yeah, he's not my favorite. But… this is an AU fic and there are a few things that are different from "canon". So… just remember what Fugaku said about the situation in the last chapter and keep reading. It's still a few chapters away, but the situation will be resolved.
Man, I wish in the manga Sasuke would hurry up and get to Danzou… and that Madara is pretty sneaky, isn't he? I bet Naruto needs a change of underwear about now (I hope he packed some)… xD
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto
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Chapter 32 – Another Long Day
"You could have returned to Konoha, Lady Mikoto. It's pretty obvious you're upset about missing Sasuke's battle." Emi spoke softly as she poured tea into two dark-green earthenware cups.
Mikoto took a sip of the tea and closed her eyes in resignation, "But then I would have to turn around and come back again in a week and travel through Water country is so difficult that… I hate to say it… but since they're video taping the event it just isn't worth the trouble. But I do feel incredibly guilty about it."
"I see your point…" Emi's voice drifted off as she turned her attention to the open door and the fog shrouded garden beyond. "I should be with Sheeta right now. But at the same time… I should be with Aya… and since I'm already here… Aya wins. It's so hard to choose."
"I just wish I knew where Madara ran off to." Mikoto changed the subject. "Aya wasn't concerned at all, considering her wedding is only a short time away."
Emi bent over the small table and spoke in a low voice, "I don't think she really wants to marry him. There is no warmth between them and he treats her like a kid instead of a fiancé."
"I noticed." Mikoto hadn't told her that Aya actually had no choice in the matter. Madara wanted her for some, as yet unknown reason, and Fugaku had "negotiated" an exchange. If Aya stayed in Mist, then an Uchiha female from that village would be sent to Konoha to marry Sasuke. The short conversation, conducted after the fight with the fake Danzou had probably been Madara's idea in the first place, now that Mikoto thought about it. The man had elevated his deviousness to the level of an art form.
Looking down at her now-empty cup she realized she probably knew exactly where Madara had run off to. After all, he wouldn't want to miss one of the most important days in his son's life.
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The excitement was palpable as nearly a quarter of the village filled the stadium to capacity. Many were carrying blankets, warm coats and thermoses of hot tea, as well as umbrellas in case the overcast gray sky decided to pour rain down on them. It was still too warm to snow – but only by a few degrees.
The large quantity of people attending the final test of the Chuunin exams was attributed solely to the presence of an Uchiha in the competition. The same thing had happened years earlier when Itachi had competed and exaggerated stories of his prowess had been running rampant for the last month as news of Sasuke – who just happened to be that geniuses little brother – spread. The fact that he was the son of the man who became Hokage via coup was also a big draw.
As happened years ago, the entire clan walked as a group to the stadium, this time Itachi led the way with Sheeta walking beside him and Sasuke following close on his heals, trying to hide from the spectators. Fugaku was already at the stadium, along with Sarutobi. Since the Kage from the village hidden in the Sand was also attending they had gone early to meet with him. Naruto had gone with him as well since the boy always felt out of place at clan events, and when he heard Sarutobi was going early he decided he wanted to visit with Konohamaru.
"Big brother?" Sasuke asked quietly.
One of the elder's shushed him with a kind voice before he could say anything else. "Be quiet until we reach the stadium." Luckily it was one of the nice ones and the boy gave the woman an apologetic smile. Most of the elderly members of the clan had decided not to attend the match. Unable to deal with cold temperatures because of assorted ailments caused by their advanced age they had opted to watch the clan photographer's video tape later. Of course, that pleased Sasuke, who was still at odds with several of them.
Itachi sighed in resignation and glanced over at Sheeta who was staring straight ahead and pretending to ignore him. Or perhaps she really was ignoring him. It was hard to tell sometimes. Especially lately. She had been feeling ill in the mornings, which made Itachi feel even worse about what he had done.
The stadium was set apart from the other buildings in the business district, allowing for larger gatherings of people outside its walls before and after events. While it was well known as the final venue of the Chuunin exams, it also played host to a variety of other events, including sports, training and cultural events. Weekends in the summer found it booked solid. However, it was now early December and the only people who regularly used it in the winter were the soccer enthusiasts.
"Okay, Sasuke, what did you want?" Itachi turned to his brother and gave him a hesitant smile as the rest of the clan entered the stadium, including Sheeta who hadn't so much as glanced in his direction as she walked past him.
Sasuke looked up at his brother hesitantly and frowned, "D…dad doesn't think I can pass, does he?"
"How long have you been worrying about this?" Itachi got the feeling this was what had been causing a lot of the introspection he had seen the boy exhibiting over the last few weeks.
"Always. It's just… I really trained hard with Kakashi and you were a big help and Naruto even sparred with me in the evenings. It's not fair. It's like he's already made his mind up. I have gotten stronger."
"I can see that, Sasuke. And so can he. Father… he… he wants you to be strong, but I think… its like he wants to hold you back as well. He's worried about you I guess is what I'm trying to say. "
"The curse mark was sealed. I can use my Sharingan. And Orochimaru hasn't come after me and it's been a month so everything's okay. He doesn't need to worry." Sasuke reached up and placed a hand over the seal on his shoulder as he spoke. It had become a habit that he probably didn't realize he had picked up.
Itachi reached up and removed Sasuke's hand from his shoulder and held it tightly in his grip. "Orochimaru will come for you, Sasuke. That is a given. He's wanted an Uchiha for decades and you have been placed at his doorstep. Father is worried for a reason. He isn't the type of man to waste his time on things that don't matter to him. Remember that Sasuke."
"I know he cares for me. That's not what I'm saying. It's just…"
"You don't think he shows much confidence in you?"
"Yeah."
Itachi released his brother's hand and close his eyes, wishing Mikoto was here to deal with this instead of him. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft and hesitant, as if he were unsure of himself, "He had too much confidence in me. I… don't think it did me any good and he knows it. After the coup and my… attempt at betrayal… he realized a lot of things about how he raised me… I don't know how much of it he actually regrets but… he doesn't want to do the same things to you so… I think he thinks if he just stays away and expects the worst then you'll grow up happy and well-adjusted."
Sasuke was silent for a couple minutes as he watched people file past them into the stadium. The air was filled with the happy chattering of a village expecting a good time. Finally he took a deep breath and expelled it slowly, "He really is messed up, isn't he?"
"Yeah. And he knows it. And I know it. And now you know it. Frankly, it doesn't change anything, does it?"
Blinking his eyes a couple times, Sasuke tried to digest what Itachi had just told him, "I'm not sure what you're talking about… but… I'm going to kick Gaara's ass in an hour and win this tournament anyway. Father and the elders will have to think I'm great then!"
Itachi laughed, "That's right, Sasuke! Stay positive! For what it's worth, I do think you can pass."
"Thanks big brother!" Sasuke took off running towards the participant's entrance.
Turning around, Itachi made his way into the stadium, quickly finding the spot reserved for him next to Sheeta. Reaching over he took her hand and squeezed it lightly.
"So is Sasuke feeling better?" The old woman who had rebuked him earlier asked in worried voice. Several people turned around, concerned about what Itachi was going to say.
"Yeah. He's pretty happy right now, I think." Itachi smiled at them before turning his attention back to Sheeta. "How are you feeling?"
"Better. I had to throw up again after we got here. Luckily the bathrooms are right behind us and I brought my toothpaste and toothbrush." She leaned against him and closed her eyes as Itachi wrapped his arm around her. Nui caught his eye and shook her head helplessly. She had tried to convince her younger sister to remain at home but the stubborn girl insisted that she wanted to see the fights.
Childish laughter made Itachi turn around and he saw the twins Arata and Yori. Both their grandfathers had grabbed one boy each and were tickling them in an effort to distract them from the tedium of having to sit still in a stadium. The four-year-old boys were very active and, finally, learning to talk. They had been split up, each living with one set of grandparents, but as far as Itachi could tell, they spent so much time together that it probably didn't matter.
"May I have your attention?" The proctor for the third exam, Genma Shuranui, yelled across the stadium, forcing everyone to turn their gaze to the Genin lined up in the center of the field.
As the stadium turned silent, Sheeta suddenly jumped up on her chair and waved her arms over her head, "Woooo wooooo! Sasuke! Sasuke! We love you Sasuke!" The stadium suddenly rang out with the shouts of teenage girls yelling the same thing before the proctor finally asked them to save it for the match.
Itachi gave a short laugh and smirked, "That was evil. He's blushing redder than a tomato and Naruto is laughing his head off."
Sheeta shrugged her shoulders non-committaly, "Just wanted him to feel loved."
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"That's quite the little hellion your son snagged. Can't wait to see how the kids turn out." The Kazekage spoke in a deep voice from behind the white cloth that covered his face from the nose down.
"You can say that again." Fugaku mumbled. He wasn't pleased over Sheeta's rather ostentatious display of fandom, but it was amusing nonetheless and he could see Sasuke visibly relax somewhat afterward. Perhaps she had known what she was doing after all. Naruto, on the other hand, didn't seem all that nervous at all. Of course, he had a different set of expectations placed on him. While Fugaku and Mikoto did have a strong desire to see him succeed, their clan loyalties meant they didn't expect him to be as good as Sasuke and Naruto had learned that if he worked just hard enough to trail behind his foster brother he wouldn't get in trouble. However, once the boys became Genin Naruto began to take things much more seriously, making Fugaku wonder if the blond boy was going to grow up to surpass his father. That would definitely be a pleasant surprise.
The fights began. First up was Naruto versus Ji Kim. Facing each other, both boys smiled expectantly at the opportunity to display their month of training. Naruto had spent his time with the frog sage honing his chakra control and learning how to summon frogs while Ji had spent the month with his father and uncle honing his earth jutsus.
Naruto started things off. Running toward Ji he quickly formed hand signs, bringing forth about twenty shadow clones that ran closely behind him. Ji countered by jumping up into the air and sending a surge of chakra into the earth. Rocks shot out of the ground, pelting the clones and making them "pop" out of existence, one after the other. Landing in a crouch, Ji rolled out of the way as Naruto aimed at kick at his head.
"Missed me!" Ji taunted as he stood up and jumped backward until he was fifty feet away from his adversary.
"That's what you…" Naruto didn't get to finish as the earth shook under his feet. Looking down he saw the ground start to undulate, as if it had suddenly turned into ocean waves. Jumping up he saw the entire area under him roiling up and down. It reminded him of the lake in the Uchiha compound during a storm. He started to fall back down to earth when he suddenly saw a large "wave" rise up and engulf him. Unlike water, however, he was still able to breath as the dirt and rocks wrapped securely around his chest.
Naruto growled in frustration as he tried to release his trapped arms. He found he could move his arms slightly and with great effort he moved them until they were directly over his stomach. Grateful that Ji was holding back – he could sense that the jutsu could have easily crushed or at least suffocated him – Naruto formed the hand signs for another shadow clone jutsu, dropping to the ground in a crouch as his opponent was besieged by ten copies of Naruto.
Falling on his back, Ji brought his hands up in preparation for another jutsu but instead found himself flung twenty feet when Naruto's clones grabbed him by the legs, swung him around once to gain momentum and threw him. Naruto himself appeared quickly beside the boy and kicked him in the lower back as Ji attempted to stand up. A short Tai Jutsu battle ensued with both boys easily avoiding each others kicks and jabs.
Growling again, Naruto jumped back and scowled at his opponent. He wasn't getting anywhere. Ji was just too good. Of course, he was a teammate of Shikamaru, who was second only to Sasuke.
'There must be a way to win this.' Naruto thought to himself as he stared down his opponent. Ji wasn't talking, just returning the stare. Naruto remembered the boy telling them that the more your opponent knew about you, the more likely he would find an opening and strike you down. Therefore, silence was crucial in battle.
Glancing over at the uneven and rock strewn ground Naruto played the battle back in his mind. 'He held back. He could have crushed me.' Naruto remembered thinking that as he had moved his arms. 'So he doesn't want to hurt me… which means if I go all out I might be able to knock him out.'
Naruto formed more shadow clones and sent them forward to attack Ji, who repeated the first jutsu he had demonstrated and threw rocks at the clones to dispel them. Meanwhile, Naruto kept forming more and more clones to replace the ones that were destroyed as he moved closer to his opponent.
Ten feet away from Ji, Naruto saw a soft patch of dirt nearby and, too late, found himself pulled into the ground as the "Ji" he had been running toward turned into a small log and the real "Ji" climbed out of the dirt next to Naruto. Smiling he took one step forward, only to open his eyes wide in shock as Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, and he found himself being pulling down into the ground.
Naruto climbed out of the soft dirt and stepped back, looking around and trying to sense for more traps, but apparently the "Ji" he pulled into the dirt was the real deal.
"It looks like I win." Naruto gloated.
"Yeah." Ji finally spoke up, "My uncle is going to kill me."
"It's okay. You just need to quit holding back. You had me, you know."
"I know."
"So that's it?" Genma asked as he stepped closer to the boys.
"Yeah." Ji said quietly. "Can you pull me out, please?"
Genma held up his right hand and yelled, "The winner of the first match is Naruto Uzumaki! The second match will begin in ten minutes." As he turned around to pull Ji out of the ground, Naruto started to jump up in down in glee as the crowd clapped and yelled its approval.
"Ouch!" Ji yelled as a sharp pain radiated through his leg. Dropping to the ground he grasped the appendage and pulled it close to his body.
"Your leg is broken." Genma raised his hand again signally for a medic.
"I'll help you." Naruto bent down and lifted his friend up by the shoulder, draping one of his arms over his own shoulder he moved slowly toward the participant area.
"The next match will be Shikamaru Nara of Konoha and Temari of Sand."
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"Naruto surprised me." Sarutobi stated plainly. "He saw that Ji was holding back and used that to formulate a plan."
Fugaku responded, "Ji was disappointing in that regard. His uncle is the clan chief, as is training the boy to take his place. I expected better of him."
"He has no children of his own?" The Kazekage asked quietly.
"No. Apparently he caught a virus as a teenager that made him sterile." Fugaku answered. It was gossiping, he knew that, but it also wasn't a secret. The Kim clan leader, besieged by questions about his childless status after arriving in Konoha decided the truth was probably the best way to deal with it. He was right, after a couple months no one asked him about it anymore.
The Kazekage shook his head slightly, "Pity. Indeed our lifestyle is fraught with many perils. Wandering around as they once did, his clan probably didn't have access to any healers at the time either. This next match, though, should be better."
"Hmm. Your oldest I believe?"
"Temari is a remarkably intelligent girl. I am quite proud of her."
Fugaku clenched one hand as he contemplated the man's words. He had met the Kazekage many times over the last twenty years and he had never once heard him refer to his children. In fact, the one time he had seen them it had not ended well. The two oldest were playing tag and ran into the reception area of the Kazekage's mansion. Upon seeing their father they had responded with abject, undisguised fear. Yelling for the nanny, he had ordered her to "get those god-damned brats out of my sight".
Something was obviously off. He had met with the Kazekage in person a couple times in the last two years and had detected no change in his attitude towards his children. Why, all of sudden, was he expressing positive feelings towards his daughter?
Turning his attention back to the match he watched closely, impressed greatly by Shikamaru's use of the shadow jutsu to trick Temari. Unfortunately he ended up loosing anyway when he ran out of chakra and forfeited. Glancing back at the man next to him Fugaku waited to see what he would say.
After a couple minutes the Kazekage spoke in a voice that seemed pleased. "Not the best of outcomes, but I am not displeased. Shikamaru is definitely Chuunin material though, in my opinion."
"Agreed." Fugaku and Sarutobi echoed.
Genma yelled out across the stadium, causing the trio to turn their attention back to the proceedings, "There will be a change in the order of the fights. Kankurou of Suna versus Shino Aburame of Konoha will be next, followed by Sakura Haruno of Konoha versus Temari of Suna, and last will be Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha versus Gaara of Suna. The next match will begin in ten minutes."
"Why the change in schedule?" Fugaku looked back at an ANBU standing nearby who nodded and immediately began speaking into a wireless radio strapped to his head.
A minute later the ANBU reported, "There is a problem with Gaara. Temari was able to calm him down, but Genma is threatening to disqualify him if he doesn't pull himself together. He re-arranged the schedule to give Gaara some cooling off time."
"Humph. I guess we can live with it then." Fugaku wasn't going to go back on the proctor's decision anyway, but he was curious.
"Gaara had problems during the second exam as well." Sarutobi stated, "Fortunately he backed off when told to or he wouldn't have made it this far. Hopefully he doesn't get disqualified. I am looking forward to seeing him go up against Sasuke."
The Kazekage responded in a flat voice, "The Uchiha is the only opponent worthy of my Gaara."
This time Fugaku felt a chill run up his spine. He knew for a fact the man hated his youngest child with a passion, although he was unsure as to the exact details, he had heard his wife had died shortly after the boy's birth.
"I withdraw!" A voice called out from the participant's box and all eyes looked across the stadium at a teenage boy in a black jumpsuit who was standing with his hand raised in the air. "I withdraw."
"Kankurou of Suna. Is that your final word?" Genma sighed, suddenly sounding very tired.
"Yeah."
"Then by default Shino Aburame of Konoha moves on to the second round. We will begin the next match… umm…Sakura versus Temari in ten minutes."
"If you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I'm going to go check on a few things." Fugaku stood up slowly and exited the balcony reserved for the Kages. Entering the hallway he stopped and leaned against the wall. Activating his Sharingan in front of the Kazekage could be seen as a sign of hostility so he had no choice but ask someone else to handle it.
He walked out onto a balcony at the back of the stadium that overlooked the village and pulled out a wireless radio. "Itachi, respond."
"Here." The teen spoke quietly so he wouldn't be overheard by too many people.
"Glance up at the Kage box with your Sharingan and tell me what you see."
The line was silent for a couple minutes before Itachi spoke again, "That's the Kazekage? He's got a Genjutsu wrapped around himself. Could be for security. Some high officials do that so they won't be as much of a target."
"True… but he has made some comments that are rather out of character. I want you to pass my concerns on to Kakashi. The next match is starting, I've got to get back now."
"I'll handle it."
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Itachi glanced around the stadium as Sakura and Temari began their fight. He figured it wouldn't be much of a battle since Temari was nearly out of chakra from her previous fight. It was too bad an odd number participants had been drawn for the final exam. That meant one person had to fight twice in the first round.
Using a transportation jutsu Itachi appeared behind Kakashi, who was standing in the aisle next to Gai. They were watching the match closely and Itachi glanced over their shoulders to see Temari jump on her fan and fly over the field, passing directly over the top of Sakura who was standing still with her hands clasped in front of her face.
"She is quite good at Genjutsu." Itachi stated calmly.
"Yes. Temari is short on chakra and unable to break out of it." Kakashi grinned under his mask. "In a couple minutes she'll have to land and Sakura should be able to finish the match easily. So what brings you over here, Itachi?"
"Something is wrong here. The Kazekage has a Genjutsu wrapped around himself and is saying things that are out of character."
"A stand-in perhaps?" Gai offered.
"Yeah. That's the only answer. His three kids are in this exam and the middle one forfeited when he found out his match was moved around."
"He was supposed to go last." Kakashi stated.
"I believe this has something to do with Gaara." Itachi watched as Temari's fan dropped out of the sky and Sakura jumped forward, using tai jutsu to knock the girl unconscious and win the fight.
"Too easy." Kakashi sighed, "Sakura deserved to go up against someone with full chakra." It was quiet for a couple minutes as the trio thought about what Itachi had just said.
Genma called up from the field, "Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha and Gaara of Suna! You may begin!"
The two boys squared off , staring intently at each other. Finally, Sasuke jumped forward, so fast he could hardly be seen. Striking at Gaara, his fist was met with a wall of sand that suddenly appeared in front of him. Jumping back, he continued to run around his opponent, occasionally jumping forward to strike, swerving around clouds of sand that attempted to block him and finally landing a kick that sent Gaara skidding twenty feet across the field.
"That's exactly like Lee's tai jutsu." Gai mumbled in awe. "So that's what you were doing with your student, Kakashi."
"Among other things." Kakashi answered quietly.
"Gaara has to be expending a lot of chakra." Itachi offered. He was watching the match with his Sharingan activated, memorizing the moves and looking for weaknesses. "He's not doing anything out of the ordinary, but I'm sure… something about Gaara…"
There was a collective gasp from the stadium as Gaara drew sand towards himself, enclosing his body completely in a large ball. Sasuke, in a last ditch effort to reach the boy before he the sphere closed up rushed forward, but was stopped a mere inch from Gaara's disappearing face. Spikes, fashioned out of sand, had suddenly appeared in Sasuke's path, forcing him to jump back.
"Kakashi Sensei! You've got the stop the match!" They were pulled out of their thoughts by Naruto who had suddenly run up behind him with Shikamaru and Sakura trailing close behind. "He's not normal! If you let this go on Sasuke will die!"
Itachi clenched his teeth and stared at the field. Sasuke was standing about ten feet away from the sand sphere with his fists clenched. Suddenly he ran towards the wall of the stadium and used chakra to climb halfway up.
Kakashi smiled, "You know, Naruto, Sasuke and I weren't just goofing off for the last month."
"What do you mean, Sensei?" Sakura relaxed a little at the unconcerned look she got from Kakashi.
"You'll see. Keep watching."
Sparks flew out in several directions as a blue ball of chakra accompanied by a high pitched chirping sound filled the stadium. Sasuke stood in place as the ball grew to about a foot in diameter, funneling more and more chakra into the jutsu. His face was bathed in a bluish glow, making the determined look on his face appear very grim.
"Chidori." Gai stated in awe.
"Now you know why I wanted to teach him myself. He's like me."
Itachi snuck a glance at his father but his expressionless face revealed nothing. He turned back just in time to see Sasuke bend over until the Chidori was about a foot off the ground and run forward toward his target. The jutsu easily punched a hole in Gaara's defense making the crowd gasp in surprise. However a moment later a loud, blood-curdling screech came from the sphere.
"Blood! It's my blood!"
The silence that followed was deafening. Itachi nodded once to Kakashi and disappeared, reappearing next to the participant's entrance in the stadium just as large, pale misshapen paw reached out to in an attempt to grab Sasuke, who had extracted his arm and was jumping backwards away from the sphere.
"What the hell was that?" Genma gasped.
His question wasn't answered, however, as Itachi felt a sleep jutsu being cast over the surrounding area and dispelled it before it could control him. He saw Genma and several others nearby do the same. Out on the field Sasuke also felt it and stopped it as well. Looking up into the spectator boxes, they could see the spectators dropping like flies. Only a few Shinobi remained standing.
Genma ran quickly out onto the field. "This match is over. Gaara, back off."
However, Gaara, who had dispelled the sand sphere was seething at the bit and talking to himself. Temari and Kankurou ran across the field and stood between him and Genma in an attempt to calm their brother. Sauske stood panting behind the proctor trying to come to terms with what had just happened.
"What's going on down here?" Fugaku had used a transportation jutsu to appear on the field. "What was that thing that came out of the sand jutsu? It obviously wasn't a summon."
"Third!" An ANBU called out from the roof, and everyone turned to see what was going on. Perched on the roof of one of the spectator boxes was a man in a cream colored robe and purple rope belt had his arm around Sarutobi's neck.
"Orochimaru!" Itachi hissed in anger.
Baki, the Sand team's sensei, appeared on the field and started to yell at Gaara, ordering him to calm down. Sasuke, meanwhile was watching the boy closely, knowing that if he let down his guard and Gaara attacked he would come after him, ignoring all the other people on the field.
"Get him out of here!" Baki yelled as Gaara collapsed. Kankurou threw him over his shoulder and took off, using chakra to climb to the top of the stadium wall and jump over it. After a couple seconds, Temari followed.
Genma growled under his breath before speaking, "Sasuke, you are definitely good enough be a Chuunin in my opinion."
Sasuke smiled devilishly, "What are you saying? Are you telling me to follow him?"
"Don't do anything rash." Genma pulled several shurikens out of his pockets and crouched down, ready to attack if anyone came near Sasuke before he could leave.
As predicted, Baki turned his full attention to Sasuke, "You're not going anywhere." Throwing several kunai at the boy, they were blocked by who also threw kunai. Meanwhile, Sasuke used the same exit route to follow Gaara.
After Sasuke had left Fugaku looked over at Itachi, "I'm going to see what's going on with the Third." He disappeared a second later.
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"I thought you said this was a peaceful village." Zabuza, who had been relaxing a few rows down from where Kakashi was standing was kicking one sand ninja with his leg and punching a second one with his fist.
"I thought so too." Kakahsi answered angrily.
"You got that scroll on you?"
"Yeah. Keep them off me while I pull it out."
"Got it." Zabuza, who was technically not supposed to exert himself for another month had been expecting to have a nice calm day away from the hospital. Still under guard, his request to attend the Chuunin exams had been granted as another opportunity to try to convince the powerful ninja to join the village.
Kakashi bit his finger, and ran the bloodied appendage across a scroll that he had unrolled rather hurriedly on the cement floor. A puff of smoke revealed a very large sword that Zabuza picked up without hesitation. He turned around and threw himself forward, attacking a group of sand shinobi who had just entered from one of the doors at the back.
"Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru." Kakashi turned his attention to the Genin. "I want you to go after Sasuke and make sure he doesn't do something he shouldn't. That Gaara isn't in his right mind."
"Told you so." Naruto yelled, "I said we should have stopped the match!"
"Later Naruto. Right now….Pakkun, I want you to go with them."
"Right!" A small bulldog with a blue cape jumped forward.
"All of you, get going!" Kakashi and Gai struck down several ninjas who tried to stop the kids from leaving.
"They going to be okay?" Zabuza asked.
"I was wondering the same thing." Gai admitted.
"Yeah. They have Pakkun with them and he'll let me know if things get out of hand."
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"Kabuto?" Itachi stared in disbelief at the white-haired teen in front of him. "Why are you here? What are you up to?" Several ninjas had just jumped from the spectator box onto the floor of the stadium, and one of them was Itachi's childhood friend.
Kabuto smiled, "I've finally found my place, Itachi, and it isn't here. Lord Orochimaru gave me a second chance and I decided to take him up on it."
"But why attack Konoha?"
"Ask Orochimaru. If any of you live that long."
Itachi's cold glare was enough to level most people, but not Kabuto. He gazed back with a smirk set firmly on his face. "He broke through the mind-control jutsu that man had placed on me. I still have no memories of anything before Kikyou Pass, but I have my life back. Orochimaru told me I could do anything I wanted now… but my gratitude would not allow me leave such a great man's side."
"Did you kill your father?" Memories flooded through Itachi as he remembered their other friend, Yota Hyuuga, who had killed his own father after the man attacked him. That had been self-defense, and it had broken Yota's spirit, turning him against his clan and the village.
"No. Itachi, I can truthfully say that father died a natural death from cancer. I can also truthfully say that he died without knowing anything that I have done over the years. To him I will always be the prodigal son." Kabuto's smile became friendly and he sighed softly as he finished speaking.
"If you do this… I will have to kill you."
"You are more powerful than me, Itachi. If anyone can kill me, it will be you. However, my death is not in the cards today." Baki yelled out for everyone to withdraw and Kabuto jumped out of the stadium with the other sand ninja's.
Itachi watched with mixed feelings. While he always felt a certain uneasiness around the boy, they had hung out together as children and, a much as he hated to admit it, Kabuto had earned a special place in his heart because of it. Even though they hadn't spoken much in the last few years. He didn't want to have to kill him.
"Aren't you going to go after him?" Genma asked quietly.
Looking around, Itachi shook his head, "Not today. We need to secure the village so no one else…" He was interrupted when a cry rang out from the roof where Sarutobi was fighting Orochimaru.
"The Third's dead! It can't be!"
Genma's face went so pale that Itachi thought for a second that he would pass out and took a step towards the man before stopping himself. He turned his gaze back to the rooftop as the barrier that Orochimaru's henchmen had constructed dropped, revealing a jutsu created forest and, barely in the line of sight, a slumped over body.
Itachi used a transportation jutsu to materialize on the roof and watched as Orochimaru, whose arms were hanging blackened and useless at his sides called for a retreat. He disappeared mere inches from Fugaku's fingers.
Cursing, the clan Lord turned his attention to the ANBU who were kneeling over the fallen form of Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Is he dead?"
"Yes. I'm sorry… we couldn't get through the barrier…" The man lowered his face, exhaling heavily.
"Damn it!" Fugaku yelled.
"Lord Hokage, we are getting reports from various places around the village that the enemies are withdrawing. Any orders?"
"Yes. Clean up this mess. Sarutobi was able to seal part of Orochimaru's jutsu's – you saw the state of his arms – in order to stop the invasion. We need to regroup and take advantage of his sacrifice so it doesn't go to waste."
"Yes my Lord." The ANBU disappeared to pass on the orders.
"Itachi." Fugaku looked firmly at his son.
"Yes father?"
"You let Kabuto escape." It was a statement spoken without any emotion, yet Itachi, who knew his father better than probably anyone else alive understood exactly what the implications of his words meant.
"Yes."
Fugaku turned away from him and walked over to the ANBU who were placing Sarutobi's corpse on a stretcher. Itachi stared at his back, knowing that the next time he ran into his childhood friend, he would have to choose between his father and his memories. He wondered who would win. As he stared into the lifeless eyes of one of the greatest men to ever come out of Konoha he felt nothing but pity for Kabuto and wondered just when he had gone insane.
'Perhaps killing him would be a good thing then.' Itachi thought to himself, 'Perhaps he could finally find peace. But… ' He sighed and closed his eyes in exasperation. Kabuto was found as young child with no memories, the only survivor of the battle of Kikyou Pass. Either before or shortly after that he had been placed under a mind-control jutsu by Sasori and used mercilessly for any number of missions, both before and after the puppeteer had joined Akatsuki. Living in Konoha he was a spy and lived with the threat of capture every day. Itachi had kept his mouth shut, knowing that to reveal Kabuto's double life would be to reveal his own as well. He understood why his old friend would fall for Orochimaru's lies. He wanted out of his double life. He wanted to choose his own path.
'If only he'd come to me.' Itachi lamented. 'I bet somehow we could have figured out how to remove Sasori's jutsu. But… maybe I should have acted on my own. I knew he was miserable.'
"Itachi?" The strong, deep voice made his skin crawl and he turned around slowly, noticing that everyone else had left the roof. "I am disappointed in you. I would have expected better."
The teen didn't move as he gazed directly into Madara's eyes. He felt, rather than saw, his father's chakra coming closer, then stop a few feet away. He could have sworn the man had left with everyone else.
Madara, who wasn't wearing a mask clenched his fists as he gazed down at Itachi. His cold eyes glared banefully but his chakra remained hidden.
"I want you to know, Itachi, and Fugaku as well. I value Sasuke's life higher than either of yours. Everyone else is expendable. Including Mikoto, Sheeta, and Aya and the entire Uchiha clans in both Konoha and Mist."
"How dare you…" Fugaku started to walk forward, but was interrupted when Itachi jumped back and grabbed his father by the arm. The man tensed under his son's grip and gritted his teeth. Itachi feared that his father was a mere hairsbreadth from completely loosing it. If that happened, there was no in the village, save him, that stop him.
Madara spoke again before disappearing, "In three weeks I expect to see both of you and Sasuke in Mist. Otherwise, there will be consequences."
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Next week, the after-effects of Orochimaru's invasion.
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