The three hours passed in silence after Gaara's display, as the three genin considered what they had witnessed. They were ninja, trained to kill, that was part of their skill set, but casual murder of one's own allies, no matter what slights they had done against you, was another thing entirely. Each of the Konoha shinobi had their own thoughts, which they stored away as the sun outside passed the afternoon mark, and slowly began to slide into evening, deepening shadows beyond their hiding place telling them it was time to awaken their comrades.
"Release!" shouted Sakura as she made the handsign, pumping her chakra into the technique, hoping it would be enough to awaken everyone. Luckily, it seemed to, with even Ino, Heero, and Naruto rising from their positions, rubbing at sore shoulders or limbs, getting the muscles to loosen.
"What happened?" asked Ino as she rose to her feet. Having missed most of the battle beforehand, they had to go over everything, while everyone else began to test their bodies. Sakura's technique seemed to have worked for most everyone, with only a few sore spots, rather than broken bones or bruised muscles afflicting them now. During the telling of their tale, they found that Naruto's memories ended at the point where his clones were destroyed, and Heero remembered next to nothing after he began to fight Orochimaru.
"Guy was faster than anything I've ever seen. Normally I can move quick enough that everyone else is just statues, but he wasn't just keeping up, I think he was faster than me," declared the silver haired boy when pressed on it, and that got everyone else to look at each other nervously. They'd seen how fast he was moving, and if Orochimaru really was that quick, then there was little question that he was just toying with them the whole time, and if he'd been fighting for real, they wouldn't be alive.
"We're lucky that Naruto unlocked whatever his Blood Limit was, then. If he hadn't driven him off, I don't see us winning that fight," commented Neji, and everyone else agreed, with the three guards looking towards each other apprehensively. The moment passed though, and they described what happened after everyone was asleep, including pointing towards the piles of what used to be people just kind of laying in the clearing.
"Woah, he really trashed them," commented Kiba as the group finally walked out of their hiding place, Naruto doing his usual clone trick to give the three some of his chakra, so they could keep up with those who had been resting.
"Yes, but it's worse than that. Look at the pile. I don't see a single drop of blood in the whole thing, just a few grains of sand at the mouth and eyes," added Sasuke, his Sharingan moving up and down the bodies, even as Shino walked over to where their packs had fallen. With the help of Neji and Hinata, the kikai-nin was able to disarm a few traps that had been sewn into the bags, before finally pulling out the scrolls they needed, as well as a few others supplies he felt would have just gone to waste being left here.
"So, should we bury them, or what? I mean, no blood means no predators are going to smell them, but just leaving them here to rot feels kind of wrong," commented Heero. The others agreed, but before they could discuss how best to dig holes with their current gear, Sasuke did the entire job for them, making a few handsigns and then slapping his palms on the ground, causing the earth to yawn open for a moment, and suck the remains down into itself, before slamming shut.
"When the heck did you learn that one?" demanded Kiba as he stood there staring at the spot.
"Baka, we were fighting Rock Ninjas when I unlocked my Sharingan. You don't think I saw some of their techniques?" chided Sasuke, and with that, the group made to leave the clearing, the forest turning into a wicked looking place as the sun set. Still, with three dojutsu users in their group, they were prepared for anything, and everyone had techniques readied, just in case they ran into Gaara or Orochimaru again. Of course, the hope was they wouldn't, and could find one more group to take the scroll from, and then rush to the tower so they could tell the jonin their what had transpired.
Their route eventually took them by a clearing where they could see a group of Ame-nin sitting around a small fire, talking of life. The three dojutsu users held the others back from assaulting the obvious targets though, and directed Shino to send a few of his allies into the bushes nearby. When they heard the distinctive thump of bodies hitting the dirt, the three in the clearing turned, only to be attacked from the other side by Tenten, who opened one of her scrolls, and sent a shower of weapons towards them.
The instant the first blade hit home, the ninja in the clearly popped. Not like Naruto's clones, but more like soap bubbles, their bodies turning into foam. The clones, water mixed with acid, hiss and bubbled along the metal, and Tenten, retrieving her blades, tossed many a sword or axe aside, declaring them useless, as she stored the rest back where they belonged. Kiba and Lee, in the meantime, dragged the unconscious bodies of the real Ame-nin out of their hiding place, and with a feral grin, Kiba pulled a heaven scroll from their packs.
"Awesome, now we just need to make it to the tower, right?" he asked, holding the scroll in his arms. This should have been a victorious moment, all the things they needed to pass the second stage of the exam, but everyone looked from that scroll, to the two they'd taken from Gaara's kills, and none of them felt very happy with how things had played out.
"So, what about these three? I don't feel right just leaving them here, not with Gaara and Orochimaru wandering around," commented Sakura, and the others debated for some time what to do, eventually having Shikamaru use his shadow jutsus to hide them much the same way he'd hidden the Thirteen, with Neji leaving a note telling them of the dangers in the woods, and informing them it might be best to head back to the gate. That done, they started for the tower, which proved to be the easiest part of the task, as the door was wide open.
"Hmm, it says to open both scrolls, and put chakra into them. Does that mean we should do it one at a time, or all at once?" asked Kiba as he read the sign in the entry hall. It took a few minutes of discussion, but they decided to go in turns, with the elder team, Lee, Neji, and Tenten, taking the first turn. Opening the scrolls, they set them in the space the wall told them to, and then the three team members say in front of them, Neji in the middle, and they pushed chakra from their hands into the paper. With a bamf sound, and a billowing cloud of chakra smoke, Hizashi appeared, smiling at them.
"Excellent work my young pupils you have...what happened?" the man's smile instantly vanished when he saw the group in front of him. While Sakura's healing had fixed the worst of their injuries, they still had bruises easily visible over most of their bodies, and Hinata and Sasuke's faces were torn in many places. Worse, their clothing had not been repaired, and many a genin among the Thirteen would need to take some time to do some sewing, or just change out of their destroyed garments.
"We ran into some difficulty, Father," was all Neji said to the man, and Hizashi nodded, stepping forward.
"I see, was one of the other teams such a match for the Thirteen?" he asked, hoping this was simply the result of the exam itself, but he knew of no team amongst the participants that could have so injured his son and the others in this manner.
"We do not believe so, but then, only two teams were faced by us, and they fell prey to our skills easily. Still, it would be best if our allies were looked after by the medic-nin. As we are uninjured, Myself, Sakura, and Shikamaru should be the ones you debrief for the moment," said Shino, and there was a bit of bickering from the others, but after looking at them with his Byakugan, Hizashi agreed with the insect-nin, sending the others off to the medics, before bringing the three into a side room, where their jonin, along with other Konoha ninja, waited.
"Hmm, despite your injuries, your teams were the first to make it through the exam, you should be proud of that accomplishment," said Hizashi as they entered the room, and the three following him looked at each other for a moment, before turning to him.
"Gaara and his team haven't arrived yet?" asked Shikamaru, and Hizashi shook his head.
"No, should they have?" asked the Hyuga as he took a seat with the others.
"Indeed, he has both scrolls already, we know this for a fact. If he's still out there, then he's likely hunting others. Perhaps being a jinjuriki he feels the call of battle in his veins?" commented Shino, and that seemed to bring the elders in the room up short, as they looked at him.
"A jinjuriki, in the exam? Why would Suna let someone like that participate?" asked Iruka, and Shikamaru gave a dismissive shrug.
"Well, Konoha let Naruto do it, and he's got the Kyuubi in him," said the pineapple haired boy casually, and once again, the elders were silent as their minds processed what he'd just said. It was Guy who finally coughed, breaking the stillness that had held for some time.
"Perhaps we should allow the youths to tell us their tale, and then we may seek the answers to our questions, and offer the same to them in turn?," he offered, and within a minute, the three were giving their account of the second test, with minimal interruptions from the jonin, who simply listened, even when they were told Orochimaru was the one who had so hurt their young charges. They didn't doubt the youths, or ask them to confirm, instead allowing them to play out the battle with words, followed by quick accounts of what Gaara had done to the Suna-Nin, and finally their easy battle with the Ame-Nin that had given them their final scroll.
"Very disturbing indeed," said Iruka as the tale finished, leaning back in his seat, and the other jonin present, the four team sensei, Hizashi, and the two exam proctors just nodded.
"It would only be worse if Danzo had been the one they ran into. At least Orochimaru is considered a villain. Too many of that man's ROOT still consider him to be their leader, despite his actions," commented Ibiki, and that got a few looks from the children, but when their elders offered nothing more. the merely waited.
"You say the other Thirteen do not yet realize what Naruto is, are you certain of this conclusion?" asked Ibiki, and the three nodded.
"We do not believe it is possible for the others to know. Sensei Guy's team has the intelligence in Neji and Tenten, but lacks the knowledge, given that we believe the lesson on jinjuriki was not normal curriculum for the Academy," said Shino, the question implicit in his phrasing, and Hizashi was the one who responded.
"It is not, and had I known he'd taught that lesson, I would have reported him. Naruto's...condition let us say, is a secret to all in the village, S-Class," said the white eyed man, and that made the eyes of the three genin go wide. Such a secret was the thing they killed over, and they were glad now that they had not spoken of it with their teammates.
"It was decided, after the Fox was sealed in him, that knowledge of his prisoner among the civilian population would have caused a panic, maybe even calls for his execution, and as the details of the technique used by the Fourth wasn't widely known, it was decided that only those who needed to know would be informed. Those of us in this room needed to know, given our positions or links to the Thirteen. In general, however, even the majority of Konoha's ninja are unaware of Naruto's prisoner," explained Ibiki in that dull vice of his, probably the same cadence and tone he used in his interrogations.
"We shall keep this secret then, if that is the Will of Fire, but it is my opinion that Naruto and Heero really should be told...Heero doesn't have a demon or the like inside him, does he?" asked Shikamaru after tapping his fingers on his chin in thought a moment, and Asuma shook his head at the question.
"No, Heero's power is a true Blood Limit, passed down by those of his village for generations before he ended up here. His father and Naruto's were friends, and that is why they were kept together, as dictated by the wills of their fathers. Luckily, unless questioned heavily, few even amongst shinobi have given the pairing more than a passing thought," he answered, and once again, the chamber fell back into silence for several minutes, as the genin and their elders thought on what was said, until Shino finally spoke.
"So, Naruto is the son of the Fourth then. Interesting," was his statement, and that seemed to come as news to both his companions as Shikamaru and Sakura's eyes went wide, even as a few of the adults just swore under their breathe, having hoped the three before them wouldn't put that together.
"He is. Does that change anything?" asked Haizishi.
"The Namikaze estate is his rightful legacy. I assume it will be given to him, when he comes of age?" responded the kikai-nin, and everyone in the room, without even thinking on it, nodded.
"It is known publicly that an heir to the Fourth's line exists, even if there is no knowledge of who it is. As such, his estate and assets are being held by the Village, until such time as the heir comes of age," explained the Hyuga, and that got a nod from the three.
"Then there is no objection. If that is all, I believe we need to rest along with our teams. Though we are uninjured in comparison, we have all been awake since early this morning," so speaking, Shino rose, and the two beside him did likewise, bowing to their sensei and the others, before exiting the room, the elder generation trusting them to find their own way in the tower, as they sat down to discussing this turn amongst themselves.
"Well, that wasn't what I was expecting," said Iruka, and the others in the room stared at him.
"How many here knew of Naruto's parentage before today?" asked Hizashi, and only Ibiki and Kurenai's hands rose, causing the others to look at them in askance. Apparently, not even the Hokage's own son had been deemed worthy of the knowledge.
"I see. I myself was ignorant as well, though with it staring you in the face, it becomes obvious. It seems only you two were trusted, and I believe we can all guess why," said the Hyuga, and that got a nod from the others. Kurenai's link to the two boys was known to everyone in the room, even Anko had learned of it earlier, and likely had been told who they were before she took up the role of their caretaker. Ibiki was Ibiki, and had likely as not learned of it using his own resources.
"Not that that changes anything. The boy's parentage matters less than his prisoner," commented Iruka, and that too got a round of nods, before discussion turned to what to do of Orochimaru and Gaara. It was decided, after less than an hour, to have Kakashi send ANBU teams into the forest. Doubtful they would find the Snake, but still, it was possible they would get lucky, and Naruto's injury had weakened him more than he'd let on. Otherwise, the decision was made to wait, as the moon of the first day began to dip, and the sun of the second began to rise, leaving four tense days of waiting ahead.