The Tests of Will

Beware, mentions of rape.

Naruto wasn't sure if he was happy with getting another team anymore. The initial excitement wore off and reality began to set in. Sure, it was an excellent opportunity and his team was an impressive gathering of talent. The thing that bothered him was what his team was going to do. The idea of a mission wasn't what put him off; it was the fact that the mission was basically the same as his only other mission.

As he and his team jumped through the forest towards the bandit camp, Naruto was relieved to notice that they were going in a different direction from where he had gone before. He wasn't quite ready to go back there just yet, if ever.

Normally he'd have tried to talk to his team, but the silence was comforting. That and a lack of distractions allowed him to give his undivided attention to his surroundings. The supposed bandits were reported to be quite far away and rather stupid. That wouldn't cause him to relax though, anything could happen.

"This is going to be your second mission, correct?" Naruto looked over to his side to see that Itachi had moved to join him.

"Yeah, but my first one didn't really end up that great." Itachi stared quietly at Naruto for another few seconds, contemplating how to phrase his next sentence.

"So I heard, you have my sympathy. Unfortunately, this mission will be the first one wherein you will have to kill, will it not?" The thought had crossed his mind before, but hearing Itachi say it out loud made it real. Unwilling to actually say anything out loud, Naruto simply nodded at Itachi who grimaced at the confirmation.

"This mission is going to be hard for you. Taking a person's life is never easy, nor should it be." Both genin feel quiet as Naruto imagined what he would soon have to do.

"I've seen some stuff I already wish I didn't. If I can stomach all that, I should be able to do what I have to." Itachi stared at Naruto with sadness in his eyes. He fully remembered a time when he too thought that seeing death was the same as dealing it. The reality was that nothing could ever prepare you for watching someone's life drain away because of you.

"I despise fighting, but we live in a world that forces us to do just that. Perhaps you would like some advice? No matter how noble you would like to think you are, this world doesn't care. If you are put into a situation where it is kill or be killed, then there is only one option. If you die all of your dreams and ideals die with you. It is a sad truth, but if we are to achieve peace we must be ready to kill. We live in the darkness of this word, to protect those that live in the light."

Naruto stared incredulously at Itachi. He had never expected the silent prodigy to speak so much. Better still, hidden in the words was a level of understanding. Itachi was a kindred spirit, someone who truly understood Naruto.

"It might be a lot to take in, but once you get we get back, I'm sure that you'll be able to accept what I've said." Naruto gave him a slight nod before moving away.

The brightness of day had given way to the darkness of night by the time they reached their destination. A few fires burned away the shadows of the forest, marking the bandit camp. Figures roamed in between the specks of light, reveling in what seemed to be alcohol. The screams coming from inside a tent were evidence of a far more deplorable indulgence.

Naruto couldn't help but hate every single man in who resided at the camp. These were truly the scum of the earth, proof of the depths to which a human might fall. If there was anyone who might deserve death, Naruto believed that these men represented that idea.

"Naruto-kun, come here." His name being called shook him from his thoughts. Turning towards his sensei Naruto moved close beside her. "From what I've been told, you excel in stealth, doubly so in a forest environment. I want you to sneak over to that tent and save the slave inside. Do so quietly. As you do that, Itachi and Atsushi will take up positions on opposite sides of the camp. Be ready to burst out when you hear the call of an owl. You will be the distraction."

Naruto grimaced at his task but nodded in agreement nonetheless. Moving away from his team Naruto began to feel a bit anxious. This was it, he was actually going to have to kill someone. Turning his attention back to the situation at hand, Naruto could once more here those in the tent. In a sick way he was thankful for the screams for they strengthened his resolve far more than any speech could.

Moving with the stealth gained from hundreds of simulations run by his mother, Naruto swiftly got into position right behind the tent. If the screams getting louder weren't bad enough, Naruto could now hear the other's sounds of enjoyment. Even worse still, the smell permeated the entire area and nearly caused him to gag.

Already Naruto knew that he would never wish something so terrible on anyone else. He wasn't sure if this was something a person could recover from. Perhaps death would be a preferable alternative.

When the screams suddenly stopped, Naruto burst into action. Cutting his way into the tent from the back, Naruto saw the form of a man leaning over a woman on a bed. Both were naked but only the man was still moving.

Naruto closed the distance between the bastard and himself in an instant. Naruto was actually thankful when he felt his kunai slide through the man's throat with little resistance. The horror of what he had done quickly set in as his mind cleared.

Allowing the man to fall to the side, Naruto was treated to a sight far worse. How anyone could ever do something like that was beyond reason. Pulling a blanket over the nude woman, Naruto wasn't sure if he should rejoice or feel sad that there was still a pulse. His eyes lingered on the sights before them until he heard the hoot of an owl.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Naruto made his way to the front of the tent. Noticing a spear laying near the front, he picked it up before bursting out. His roar of anger as he emerged from that sick place caught the attention of every single bandit in the camp. He hated every last one of these creatures who pretended to be human.

Naruto set his sights on one that had been coming towards the tent, most likely for his turn. With that thought sending anger burning through his body, Naruto charge towards the man at speeds no mere bandit could hope to achieve. As the spear shank through the man soft flesh, Naruto couldn't help but feel as if this kill was easier.

Not only had the man been prepared, it was also the manner in which Naruto had killed him. A kunai to was much to close and much to personal. A spear however, afforded him more distance and the entire act wasn't as visceral as a result. Staring at the corpse of his second kill Naruto could already hear that his team was finished with the other bandits.

His watched as his sensei moved towards him, congratulating them on completing the mission. Apparently she had been scouting around and found absolutely no bandits outside of the ones in this camp. Upon reaching him, Michiko put a hand on his shoulder and began to steer him away from the camp.

"I think it would be best if you all went back to our camp. Tonight has been a rather unpleasant experience and I think you could all use some rest." Naruto nodded mutely as he and his fellow genin trudged back to the camp in silence. Sleep sounded like a wonderful respite.

Naruto had been silent the entire trip back to Konoha. He needed to think and his teammates seemed to respect that. It seemed as if every shinobi had to go through this at some point in their careers. Of course, it could easily be that they too were disturbed; as there was no way that the screams went unheard by any.

Seeing the massive gates of Konoha come into view, Naruto felt relieved. He was back home, a place were no one's screams went unanswered for so long.

Entering into Konoha Naruto was struck by how it hadn't changed. Everyone was going about their daily business as if nothing had happened today, as if people hadn't been killed. People were still going to the various stores and purchasing groceries. Couples still walked hand in hand down the city streets. Little children still played their innocent games. Nothing had changed and the odd thing was, he was alright with that.

He hated death and thus would do whatever he could to ensure that it never touched the lives of this peaceful village. If an evil person tried to destroy the lives of the innocent, Naruto would be able to take on the burden of killing them. Itachi was right, it really was worth it. If the beautiful sight that was before him was what Naruto saw after every mission, then he would continue to protect it. The horrors of the previous night would never be visited upon this peaceful village.

"Thanks Itachi-san, I think I've finally been able to accept your words." Although spoken softly, Itachi had no trouble hearing Naruto's words.

"It is a wondrous sight is it not? I too can't help but feel a measure of peace whenever I come back." Both fell into a companionable silence as they took in the sights. Naruto reveled in the peace and happiness of the village, experiencing it as if it were his own.

They continued to walk in silence until they parted ways. Naruto decided to continue walking aimlessly around the village before heading back to his house.

"So, do you wish to talk about the mission?" Naruto looked at the concerned faces of his parents before shaking his head.

"No thank you. That mission was terrible but it opened my eyes. I've managed to come to terms with what I've done and what I'll have to do in the future as a shinobi." While his words might offer some comfort, the fact that their son had had to kill someone clearly bothered both the parents. He might have been a shinobi but he was still so young.

"I just wish we lived in a world where I never had a reason to do it again." Naruto walked past both his parents to go out into the compound's training area.

"Minato-kun, why must you push our son so fast?"

"I have to make sure that Itachi gets to the finals so that he might become a chunin. There is already anger at the fact I have yet to promote him, so if for any reason he does not pass this year's exam the Uchiha will be furious. Our son represents the best chance for Itachi's team making it to the final round. Naruto needs this too. It might be sudden but he has been waiting for a while to be back on duty."

"I know, but I can't help remember the last time I was weary of pushing him too fast." Kushina sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. The two parents stood in in silence, watching their son and their daughter.

"Onii-chan, welcome back!" Naruto smiled brightly as he saw his little sister run up to him for a hug. Catching her in his arms he spun her around once, much to her delight, before putting her back on the ground.

"Hey there imouto-chan, it's so good to see you." His little sister was certainly growing up into a spitting image of his mother. Not only did she inherit her mother's look and hair, she also seemed to have inherited her mother's attitude. Masuyo was an excitable child who could be rather stubborn and difficult at times.

"Come see what I've been doing! Tou-san showed me how to throw a shuriken and I'm practicing right now!" Laughing softly to himself, Naruto allowed his sister to drag him over to some targets that had been set up for practice. If their pristine condition was any indication, his sister wasn't having a very good practice.

"I'm not very good right now, I can't seem to hit the targets. Just watch though, one day I'm going to be as good as you!" Looking at her seriously, Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Of course you will be! And your first step towards that goal should be learning how to throw better. Try to flick your wrist more and follow through with the movement." As he explained to her what she had to do, he threw three shuriken that hit to bullseye on each target. His sister was awed at his display and quickly tried to emulate him.

Watching her now, Naruto fervently hoped that she would never become a kunoichi. She didn't need to experience the darker side of life, but he had no right to stop her from doing what she wanted. As she jumped up in down in triumph over having hit the edge of a target Naruto smiled warmly at her. She certainly would become strong sometime in the future.

Naruto had met up with his two teammates at one of the training grounds outside of Konoha to do a bit of teamwork training when the topic that was on all their minds was brought up by Atsushi.

"Do either of you know when the first test is? I haven't heard anything about it. I was thinking that if anyone knew, it'd be two important people like you." While he didn't like being thought of being important for his parents, Naruto did see the logic behind his reasoning. That made it all the weirder that he hadn't heard anything from either of his parents. He was surprised when even Itachi shook his head.

"No, my parents haven't said anything, maybe they're waiting for something?"

"It must be soon, for I have seen many foreign shinobi within our walls. Our sensei will doubtlessly inform us before it begins, we must simply be patient."

"I guess you're right Itachi. If you and Naruto don't know when, do you at least have any idea what the first test might be?" Both boys shook their heads in response.

"I did hear my father mentioning to my mother that he has already planned the entire thing out. Aside from that though, I don't really know anything else." Naruto had tried to listen for more information, but his father stopped talking about it shortly after. The secrecy was getting to be a bit annoying. "You know what? I'm going to go find them and ask them. I'll meet you guys here later."

Naruto took off to find his mother. At the moment his father was working and Naruto really didn't want to barge into his father's office just to ask such a question.

Nearing the gates of Konoha, Naruto's trained eyes alerted him to someone hiding. Quickly changing course, Naruto threw a kunai at the person. Stopping on a tree branch he watched the person sloppily dodge, clearly they hadn't expected to be seen.

As he prepared to throw another kunai, the slightest of sounds was all that alerted to a second presence on the branch with him. Feeling a sharp pain in his neck, Naruto fell forwards as darkness took over his sight.

Naruto awoke and found himself tied to a chair. A beam of light was shining down on him from a single bulb in the ceiling, leaving anything more than five feet away from him enshrouded in darkness. He thought he saw some movement in front of him, but was proven wrong when a voice spoke from behind him.

"Now, Namikaze Naruto, son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato and Namizke Uzumaki Kushina, do you have any idea why you're here?" After managing to calm himself from being startled by how close the person sounded, Naruto responded.

"You've already answered your own question." He certainly sounded braver than he felt.

"Hmm, perhaps I did. That is not the full reason though. Normally by now you would be in Iwa. However, you are needed for something before you are brought all the way."

'Iwa? Oh shit, this is really bad. Those bastards must have snuck in along with the other foreign shinobi.' Noticing the panic building in Naruto's body, the hidden individual smirked.

Iwa and Konoha had never been on the best of terms. The hatred between their villages was deep, as Konoha had beaten them during the last war. The one thing Iwa hated most about Konoha was their leader who had turned the tide of a pivotal battle all by himself. The fact that Naruto was that leader's son put him square on the chopping block.

"Don't worry, it's your father we wish to kill. You, on the other hand, would certainly make good breeding stock. Speaking of good breeding stock, we wish to talk to you about your teammates. Nakamura Atsushi seems to be powerful, if his team is any indication. Uchiha Itachi is who we are truly interested in though. The Sharingan is a powerful tool for any village."

The figure moved towards Naruto's front. As the man was half hidden by the shadows, Naruto couldn't see his face, but he could certainly see the symbol of Iwa on his hitai-ate.

"It would be prudent if you would divulge where exactly your teammates currently are and will be in the near future. In addition, it would be wonderful if you would tell us all about your village. The consequences for not doing so would be rather unpleasant. In fact, if you aid us you will be allowed to live after your seed has been extracted." Naruto's lip curled in disgust at the thought of being used like that.

"That's such a tempting offer, I don't know how I can refuse. I guess I'll just try my bes!" Whatever Naruto was going to say was lost in a scream as a kunai was shoved into his body.

"I'm sorry; did I forget to mention there would be consequences for not cooperating? I could have sworn I told you. Well, at least you know now." The man took immense amusement in mocking and torturing Naruto. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

The sound of wheels reached Naruto's ears, as soon a cart with multiple nasty looking objects on it came into view. Naruto wasn't even sure what most of the objects did, although their general purpose was quite clear. The few things Naruto did recognize were enough to terrify him, he didn't even want to imagine what the unknowns did.

The burning pain from the kunai in his body did not assuage his fears. In fact the constant throbbing was making it hard to think. It brought with it one thought that clouded out all the others. That this was just the beginning, a sample of what was to come. That knowledge was absolutely no comfort to him in the slightest.

Naruto went over the problem in his head. These guys were obviously serious, they would torture him until he confessed. If he only provided them with some information they would stop, although his teammates would suffer.

'Can I sell them out like that? Even worse, I'd be letting them know things about Konoha that they could use to harm innocents. I'm just not sure if I can hold out.' Naruto had never actually trained to resist torture from a trained and determined opponent. Looking down at his blood soaked clothes Naruto couldn't help but remember the bodies of the two bandits that he had killed. Their clothing had been soaked in blood just as his was. He had killed them to protect the innocent, yet now he refused to bear physical pain to do the same thing?

'I have to try and stall for as long as I can, I can't let my teammates be dragged into this. I can't fail my village. Perhaps if I do hold out long enough, my parents will realize I'm missing and send out people to find me.' Even if it was his screams that filled the room, Naruto would not fail those that needed him.

"So, what's your answer?" As the question was asked, the kunai within Naruto was turned slightly before being ripped out, bringing a fresh wave of pain.

"If you think I'd ever tell you anything you must be living in a fantasy world."

"Is that your final answer?" At Naruto's silent glare the Iwa shinobi continued. "Very well. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on passing the first test of the Chunin Exams."

Sorry for being later then I said, forgot to factor in getting shit-faced. That and the subsequent hangover kept me from posting anything last night or when I woke up, almost missed work. Anyways, hope everyone else had a good Saint Patty's day, I know I did. On a related note, gotta stop putting such specific due dates, cuz I always utterly fail to deliver.

Tried to come up with something a little different for the first test, although it's probably not original. Btw the kunai was placed in an area devoid of organs that could thus be easily healed. Didn't want to do the same old written test, which would be really weird considering my story isn't yet within canon time. Plus the first test is annoying, almost always devolves into Naruto knowing right away the true nature of it and being a badass when Kabuto shows up.

Anyways, second test will also be modified, it'll run a little bit more like a mission simulation than a battle royale. I'm starting to write the next chapter right now so it should be out soon, sometime within the next seven-ten days.

hitai-ate is a forehead protector. I prefer the Japanese version as the English one can be confusing seeing as not many people wear it to protect their foreheads.