New Yet So Old

by Lil Nezumi

New chapters added -See CH 1 for full summary. Yes it's a back in time re-write of events from the Naruto manga and animé, but not an OMG I'm in the past kind of tale. Probably with hints of slash pairings, so far nada.

25. Chapter 25

CH 25

c) Chunin Exam – Phase II

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

Team Ten, which consisted of Ino, Choji and Shikamaru, weren't doing so well. Every encounter that they'd had had left them barely clinging to their own scroll and only because those that they'd encountered were carrying the same one.

"How the hell are we going to get a scroll from a weaker team," Ino complained.

Choji only said, "I'm hungry."

"Tch," Shikamaru pouted. "This is getting us nowhere. There has got to be a team weaker than us."

"Maybe we can find a team that were weak enough to look at their scroll," Choji put out there.

Shikamaru paused and remembered which teams were near their Gate. "Good idea," he said. "I think, I know of a couple that would do just that. Let's go."

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

Team Seventeen (B) flitted through the trees and unfortunately encountered the team from Sound. "Well, well, well," Dosu said. He was the one with the head wrapped up and a hairy over cloak with one arm in a bracer full of holes. "Lookie what we have here. The Sasuke kid we were sent to kill."

"What are you talking about," Sasuke (B) said. "Why would anyone want to kill me?"

"You're just loveable ain't cha?" Naruto (B) asked him with a mock grin. "I can think of a number of people that would want to kill you."

"So who're you and why should I care that you think you can do anything," Sasuke (B) looked at the Dosu.

"Dosu," Kin, the girl of the group said. "We have our orders."

Risa (B) looked up and the girl and knew that they were about to be tested in a different way. "Are you here for our scroll? Because I'm sorry to say that we've lost it."

"Stupid girl," Zaku said. "We're just here to kill you. We don't care about some ridiculous test."

"Very well," Risa (B) sighed and released the wire trap at her feet, where she'd been sitting on the ground.

A huge log dropped down swinging and aiming for the three that jumped to attack the three Bushin. "No problem," Dosu said and sent an explosive force from his hand to destroy the log. "Weak!"

Behind the log, Naruto (B) used a Wind Style to force all log pieces to fly back at the Sound team and Sasuke (B) lit them on fire.

"No way," Zaku said and his team dodged most of the burning bits of wood, but some actually hit them.

"Way," Risa (B) said and then all three poofed out of existence having expended the last of their energy.

"They were all clones?" Kin said. "That's not possible."

"It is possible," Zaku said. "That's what, the fifth set we've come across? Why are you so surprised?"

The Naruto (B) dropped down in the middle of their group and said, "We're done and at the Tower you morons. I suppose you'll just have to take this exam seriously and get there on time with two scrolls." He looked up at the sky and then said, "You've got another two days."

He vanished with a pop as Zaku waved his arms and sent out a blast of wind from his hands. "It looks like we'll actually have to go there and go through with this farce of an exam."

"Pah," Dosu spat on the ground.

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

Naruto giggled at the shocked expressions from the Sound Team, as they realized that they'd have to get to the Tower in order to actually fight with the real thing. "That's five that they've taken down," he told his teammates, as they walked into the tower. "I'm worried though."

"Why," Sasuke said. "Because they had orders to kill me?"

"Yes," Naruto told him honestly.

"Neh, Naruto," Risa looked at him. "If you received orders to kill, would you?"

"Some missions are just that Risa," Naruto said, looking at her. "The higher in rank and skills you are or have, the more difficult a mission can be. We were lucky that the B-Class ones we'd been paid for were only for high-level protection and escort, not killing."

"B-Rank contains killing missions," Risa said, blanching a bit. She gulped and asked, "What about A-Rank?"

"Hm," Naruto said walking up to look at the scroll on the wall, while telling them about mission ranks. "B-Ranks are usually given to 'Special Jounin or Chunin' because the risk factor is greater than C-Rank mission. Usually it's about protective escorts of a higher rank than Tazuna, gathering foreign intelligence and killing other ninja, but not as covertly as expected of A-Ranks. A-Ranks are different and include a lot of liaising between different Shinobi nations, VIP escorts and actual battle type missions or combat situations, but killing orders can be classed as A-Rank too. S-Rank or un-Ranked missions are the most dangerous and can include assassinations, transporting classified documents or materials." (…i…)

Risa gulped and was glad that she'd never been asked to kill anyone. "A Hokage has to know that though," she said. "Don't they?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "He or she also has to trust his Shinobi to be able to carry out those orders. You don't have to go higher in Shinobi rank or re-enlist once your contracted years are up. The choice should always be the one that makes you the most comfortable."

"You claim that you're going to become the Hokage one day," Sasuke said. "You'd actually be willing to give a killing order."

"Yes," Naruto told them in honesty. "The people of my village are important and have a right to live the life they choose to live. A Hokage just makes sure that they can do that in relative peace, by doing everything necessary to protect it." He swallowed and looked away from them, saying, "Even dying for it. Isn't that what the Yondaime did?"

"He did," Risa said. She looked at her teammate and knew that there was a gap in knowledge here that shouldn't exist, but she still accepted him as is. "I'm going to be comfortable with the Chunin rank or level, I think…Only time will tell how far I will actually go, so for now let's solve this mystery."

Sasuke looked at the blond and had come to the same conclusion about the knowledge gap and yet they were nearly at the same levels in terms of experience and skills. "I think the meaning of that is pretty simple," he said looking at the faded scroll on the wall. "If we take Earth to mean our bodies and Heaven to mean our minds or spirits, then there is something that encompasses it as a whole."

"Point," Naruto said. "So, scrolls now?"

Kasumi sckreed and Akoba barked, gaining the attention of their bonded.

"Right," Risa said opening the Heaven scroll.

Sasuke opened the Earth scroll and both dropped them to the ground immediately. "A summons?"

"Hey, kids…!" Umino Iruka said popping up from the combined scrolls. "It's been a while, eh?"

"Iruka-sensei, why are you here," Sasuke asked. "I'd have thought it'd be one of our Jounin instructors."

"The spell was designed to call forth Chunin, since that's the level you three are aspiring to become," he told them. "It was just good luck that I got to be the messenger for the three of you."

"Messenger," Naruto said. "Why'd we need a messenger?"

Iruka looked at them and said, "You're timed and a Chunin is sent to tell how well you did and to let you know that you have to remain in the tower until the full run of the exam's time had been completed. So you three are the fourth team to make into the tower with two days to spare."

"Woohoo," Naruto jumped up. "We did it this time Risa! We did it Sasuke-Teme! We did it!" He jumped up and back flipped a couple of times.

"Yes," Risa said. "But I don't believe that Iruka-sensei was finished."

"Oops," the blond said. Then he came to stand next to his teammates at 'parade rest'. He looked at the man who was looking at all of them.

Iruka came to the conclusion that these three were going to be fine. He didn't quite seem to know them anymore and that was surprising. He couldn't wait to hear about their adventures. "I'll treat the three of you to Ichiraku's Ramen once you're free from the tower. I'd like to hear about all of you."

"Thank you," Risa said for all of them. "Is there more that you need to tell us?"

"Yes," the man said. "That scroll on the wall, what do you think of it?"

"Heaven is our mind and Earth is our bodies," Sasuke told him. "But I don't know what that blank spot should be filled with? You know that part with 'The "(something)" is the secret way that guides us from this place today'. What fills that space?"

"The single character is the same as the one from the summoning scrolls," Iruka-sensei told them. "It's the word 'Jin', meaning one person or all people." (…ii…)

The man then continued to explain what it means to be a Chunin. "The challenge of seeing who survives the five days is part of the exam designed to test the applicants' basic Chunin abilities." He looked at them and smiled. "You all passed with flying colours. Chunin are the unit commander class…Responsible for leading their teams. They can only do so by combining strength and intelligence. It can't be emphasized enough. It must be learned and lived. Believe it from the bottom of your hearts. Keep the Chunin directive foremost in your minds as you move onto the next exam."

They all saluted him and it was truly then that he realized, 'Kakashi, it looks like you and Tokuma understand what these kids can truly handle.'

"Since you're early you've been assigned a suite of rooms in the tower," the man told them. "Here's the key. I'll guide you it."

"Thank you Iruka-sensei," Naruto said.

"Please tell me it's got a shower at the very least," Risa whined and her pup yipped in agreement scratching an itch behind his ear.

"It does," Iruka told them.

"I'm first," the girl told the boys holding a shaking fist in their direction to dare them to complain. They backed away holding up their hands, having long since learned to never get between a girl and a shower.

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

Sarutobi looked from Anko to the ANBU squad that had escorted the block of ice to a cell and they were waiting for Torture and Interrogation Unit to come to the conclusion about the identity of the person inside it. He'd sent out several 'Special' Chunin and Jounin, plus the two ANBU to investigate the three locations within Konoha that young Naruto had written down on a piece of paper.

The Hokage was afraid of what that might mean and why he'd never been able to detect this kind of activity. There was nothing from the intelligence network other than some small rumblings of a coup, but then again the small rumblings were masking the truth. It might actually be hiding war. The questions were always the same, 'Which nation wanted a full scale war and why?"

It only took the 'Special' teams a few hours to find the answer. The places were turned inside out and whatever Kabuto thought he'd hidden, were found. There had even been a missive waiting for him in the form of a small grass snake. The little sucker had been fast and hard to catch, but it had been caught.

The ANBU Bear and Sparrow showed up at the Tower carrying the snake with the message inside it. "So it's true," the Hokage looked at it. "Interesting method of transporting messages. Anko do you feel anything?"

"His anger and frustration," she said clawing at the mark. "It's not that painful anymore."

"The Chunin exams will continue," the Hokage decided. "You two," he told the ANBU in the room. "Bring him to me in the meeting room and do look out for his 'invisible' traps." Bear and Sparrow left the room quickly, knowing exactly whom the old man wanted to see.

"Do we knock or barge in," Bear asked.

The door in front of them opened and revealed a girl of about fourteen. "Knocking is more polite," she told them with a look of impatience. "What do you want?"

"The blond," Sparrow said.

"He's in the shower," the black haired boy told them. "Either come in and wait or stand out there looking like you're on guard duty." The two ANBU came into the room.

"Was it Orochimaru," Sasuke asked them and then noted that they only stared at him. "Guess Naruto was right about that Risa."

"Of course he was right," Risa said, brushing the fur of her companion and looking him over for ticks or other types of buggy infestation. It had to be done, as they'd been in a forest. "He usually is about things like this."

Sasuke only humphed and lay down on the bed he'd been sitting on. He looked up and noticed that Kasumi was looking down at him. He couldn't keep a foul mood whenever he saw her. Then he sighed and asked, "Did you find Kabuto's lair?"

Naruto walked out of the shower room in loose black pants and long sleeve shirt, drying his hair vigorously. "What're you guys talking about," he asked already knowing who was in the room with his teammate. "So what's up?"

"You presence is requested," Sparrow said.

"Ah," the blond said. He put on a pair of clean shoes, tossed the towel onto the back of a chair and walked up to the ANBU. "I'm going to assume that I don't need weapons to go to a meeting, right?"

"Idiot," Risa said, walking up to him and tugging his hair into a small tail at the back of his neck. "You never travel without weapons." She added two long hairpins that were actually fancy senbon needles.

He caught the pair of gloves that were thrown to him by his black haired teammate and put them on. "That'll do," he told them. "I know who's calling for me."

Naruto left the room, as Risa asked, "Who?"

"The Hokage," Sasuke replied, as the door was shut.

"Smart team," Sparrow said.

"Heh," Naruto said. "Don't I know it!"

The Hokage watched the blond appear with his two ANBU escort. He thought about sending them away, but then felt that they should be here for this. "The locations have been investigated," the old man said. "I'd like to know how you found out about them."

Naruto looked at the old man, understanding that he was old, because some things he just wasn't seeing anymore. "The decrease in the number of street people," the blond told him. "They tell me things from time to time and some were missing their friends."

"How did you suspect Kabuto?"

"I saw him," Naruto said. "I was testing a few of the cloth patch things for Akiko. I was dressed and Henged as a starved waif in the streets, but I was hidden from him. I watched as he approached several people and offered them free medical services. They were never seen from again."

"The locations," the old man asked.

"I followed from a large distance," Naruto said. "I even explored one of the buildings, when I knew he'd be away. He's got a routine, so I knew that I'd be safe."

"I see," the Hokage said. He looked at the blond boy and noted the sincerity of his answers. "You didn't mention it to anyone because…"

"Who'd believe me," Naruto looked up at the man. "I'm a Genin now, but I was a prankster. Who'd have believed me and not think that I was doing this only to stir up trouble?"

"The mind of a prankster is that of a strategist," Sarutobi told him. "However you are unfortunately right and it is true. Even I would not have believed you and the street people would not have been believed either. I did not see this coming to my village." He pulled out a mission scroll from his sleeve. He'd just written it up.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sight of it and then he stood at attention, looking into the old man's serious eyes. "If that's an order to kill Kabuto, you should be aware that his body is strange and may prove to be difficult to destroy," the blond said. "Any injuries that I've seen him with, including the recent Sound attack at the beginning of the exam have been completely healed."

"How do you know that," Bear asked.

"He didn't have any difficulties in walking to the second phase of the exam," Naruto said. "There was no twitch, twinge or limp, which he'd made sure to start out with when we left the exam room. No one loses a limp that fast."

"You would," Sparrow said.

"I'm different," Naruto said. He turned to the old man and asked, "Your orders Hokage?"

"Depending on the number of Genin that show up to the Tower," the old man said. "We may or may not be holding a preliminary battle. If any choose to forfeit or leave at that point, they may do so. Not Kabuto! If he chooses to leave the preliminary battle, all the Jounin and ANBU will get everyone out of the way and you're to kill him." He held out the scroll. "By any means necessary!"

Naruto stepped forward, held the scroll, before taking it completely and asked, "So can he come out to play?"

"Yes," the Hokage said. "If you have…"

"One request," Naruto said, taking the scroll and tucking the scroll up his sleeve. "If there are preliminaries, I'll have one request after they are done, will you permit it?"

"Anything," the Hokage told the boy. The blond bowed and left the room with Bear following him to ensure that he didn't engage in battle within the Tower's confines.

"He's different," Sparrow said. "When he's with his teammates…"

"He's a boy," the Hokage said. "When he's tasked as a soldier…we'll just have to see how that turns out."

"Will he graduate," Sparrow asked.

"He's already graduated," the Hokage said. "That's a mission for a 'Special' Chunin and from everything that I've been told, he's lead his team and the rest of the Genins to up to this point by a fine speech that even impressed Ibiki. I'm just letting him fight to display his abilities, as there is still some mystery there to be revealed."

"Understood," Sparrow said with a chuckle and knew not to reveal anything that had been discussed after the boy had left.

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

Naruto was up in the bed reading the scroll that he'd been assigned. 'B-Rank mission,' he thought. 'This will expose a few more of my skills then I'm ready for, but at least Kurama will be able to have some fun.'

(…What was that?…) The Demon Fox asked, perking up having heard that thought. (…What are you planning?…)

(…I'm planning to let you come forward to play…) Naruto told him and then he allowed the fox access to one of his past memories about Kabuto and why it would be difficult to kill him. (…I've orders to do everything in my power to take him down, that includes using you…)

(…Well it might be fun before it's too late to do much more…) The fox said. (…Are you going to offer me a place in the summon scroll?…)

(…I was planning on it, pending a bit more research into that organization I've been telling you about…) The blond said. (…I need to know that if they try to perform an extraction spell it won't pull you out of the contract scroll…)

(…I don't see why it would, the scrolls are other dimensional, whereas you are in the present and I'm in the present here with you…) The fox told him. (…There's no rush. I'd like to see more of my kin show up to be placed within it…)

(…Why…)

(…Because for some strange reason you care about them and that matters to me…) The fox said. (…Now get some sleep and hide that mission from your teammates, unless you want them finding out about it…)

(…Right, 'night…) Naruto told him before withdrawing from his meditative conversation, to find that both his teammates were looking at the scroll with the rank level marked on the outside of it. "Um guys," he said. "It's not a team mission."

"Che," Sasuke noised. "We kind of figured that one out. Can you tell us about it?"

"Remember what we discussed at the entrance of the Tower," the blond told them.

Risa gasped and looked at the scroll like it was going to stand up and bite her. "It's a 'special' mission?"

Sasuke looked at the blond and then knew what had the boy concerned, as he was looking at them for their reactions. The Uchiha then did something that he'd never done before. He bopped the blond on his head just like the blond did to his little 'minions'. "Baka," he said. "We're not going to think less of you for doing what you've been ordered to do. I just hope that the day I'm ordered to do such a thing I'll be able to carry it out well."

"You do know that you and everyone else will be witnessing this," Naruto told them. "Don't you?"

"It's taking place here," Risa asked. She paused and then hugged the blond. "You're going to be the Hokage of Konoha one day, so you have to be able to do this. So what if they're going to witness this part of you so soon. They have to know that orders like this will come to them too, in time."

"I don't want them to be afraid of me," Naruto confessed.

"Dobe," Sasuke said. "It doesn't matter if some of them are afraid. They'll have to understand the true strength it takes to follow such orders, if not during this exam, then maybe after they've had enough time and lived through a few difficult missions. Almost makes me wish that it was me, but then again, I think that I'd rather follow you for a bit longer to see what else I can learn."

"Huh," Naruto said. "What are you talking about? I didn't do that much."

"Chakra control," Sasuke said. "Summons…"

"Taijutsu, Kenjutsu," Risa continued. "There's a lot more, should we continue to list them…"

"Not unless you've disabled the electronic monitoring system," Naruto told them.

"Of course we did," Risa said. "A couple of flicks do the trick." She showed them her fingertips with an electrical current dzinging from them.

"But you still don't have to list anything," Naruto said. "I'm just doing what I can to become the best for my precious people."

"We know," Sasuke said. "You do your best and we'll do ours. We've earned the right to display our skills too, so no holding back."

"Right," Risa said. "Tomorrow we rest and the next day we show them what we're made of."

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

One hundred and twenty hours after the start of the second phase of the exam, twenty-one Genins faced a panel of mixed Chunin and Jounin Ranks, including the venerable Hokage at the front. The students were lined up in rows of three by teams. One Konoha team was actually standing at 'parade rest' while they others were in loose formations, waiting to hear from the second Chief Examiner.

"Congratulations to you all," Anko said. Her voice amplified by the microphone she was wearing. "You've all passed the second exam."

Choji's only thoughts were, 'I'm famished.'

'Sasuke's team made it, yay,' Ino thought.

Shikamaru looked around and thought, 'Still too many competitors. What a pain!'

Meanwhile on the platform (…ii…), one of the Jounin sensei's said, "Your students made an impressive showing! I wonder how much of it was dumb luck…" Maito Gai was saying to Kakashi. "…Not that it matters. My team is bound to throw them out in the next round. At the next level, it will be all about their abilities or lack thereof." He paused and then continued, "Ah, well something being young is about learning to deal with heartbreak, eh, Kakashi?"

"Huh," Kakashi turned to him, not having paid attention to the man, because he was concentrating on his team and how well the looked. Those that had arrived early, had had an opportunity to clean up, but those that had arrived on the last day did not. "I'm sorry," he said turning to look at the man. "Did you say something?"

'Heh…good one,' Gai thought with a clenched fist. 'As annoying as ever Kakashi… You always did try to get under my skin with your aloof act.'

Tenten was looking up there and then thought, 'Wow, so that's Master Gai's archrival…Man, he beats Master Gai hands down in the looks department.'

'None of the other teachers are as cool as master Gai,' Lee thought with a clenched fist of his own. 'He's the man.'

Neji looked around and thought. 'Now only the real players are left. Hmph, even Uchiha Sasuke made it, eh? I wonder what it'll be like to fight him. He doesn't even have his Sharingan.'

Risa looked around discretely and thought, 'I don't like this.'

"Something's up," Sasuke muttered to his team. "It's like they didn't expect this many to come through."

The old man, looked at all of them and thought, 'It's astonishing that so many of them survived and even more astounding that the majority of them were culled from the ranks of the most raw recruits!'

"No wonder their instructors vied for the right to recommend them for this competition…" He mumbled looking back at the Jounin.

Anko then told everyone, "Lord Hokage, himself will explain the third exam. Listen up and take every word he says to heart!" She turned to the old man, saying, "They're all yours, my lord."

"The third examination is about to commence, but before I go into specifics of how it will be conducted let me make one thing perfectly clear!" He paused to see how the Genins were going to take the news. "It pertains to the underlying purpose of the exam…Why do you suppose an examination of this nature is being jointly conducted by the nations of our mutual acquaintance?"

'Some are notably confused, but not Team Seventeen,' the old man thought. He just continued on with his speech. "It is, 'To promote friendship among allied nations and raise the level and standards in the art of the Shinobi…' Be very clear about what those fine-sounding phrases actually mean! This series of so-called examinations is in fact…"

Even the Jounins could sense the direction of the thoughts of the children below…'…so called?…'

"A war-in-miniature between all of our allied lands," the old man said seriously. "If you were to study our recent history and consult a map…It would swiftly become apparent that our alliance is, in fact a temporary and mutually beneficial agreement between a group of geographically contiguous lands, whose pre-existence was one of continual strife…Constantly fighting with one another openly and in secret, for power and the control of resources that were perpetually depleted almost to exhaustion in the struggle…until a better way was devised…The way of the Chunin Journeyman selection exam."

The younger Genins or the Rookies looked at one another wondering if they were the only ones that were confused. However a couple of the teams did not move or look around. It was like they'd heard it all before, including one of the supposedly Rookie teams, Team Seventeen.

"The exam serves as an arena, wherein, for the honour of their respective homelands, young Shinobi may fight, to the death if need be!" The Hokage looked at all of them and continued the explanation that Naruto had told his teammates the day they arrived in the tower.

Dignitaries will come to witness the exam. Resources that a nation gets will be based on who's Shinobi was successful at this mini-war. Who showed the most potential and who failed miserably, would decide which country would gain the commissions for agents or lose the respect of the others?

"The strength of a country is derived from the strength of its village and the village draws strength from the Shinobi who live there," he told them. "The greatest strength of those Shinobi only emerges in the midst of a desperate life and death battle!"

One of the Konoha Genin asked, "But you've always emphasized the concept of 'friendship'…Why?"

"Though my meaning is subtle, I chose my words with care," Sarutobi explained. "To preserve the balance of power at the risk of lives…is the essence of friendship in the world of Shinobi. Let me reiterate before the third exam begins…You are taking no ordinary test. You risk not only your own futures and your dreams, but the dignity and prestige of your home village as well."

"Whatever," Gaara said. He was bored with the talk and explanation. "Could you wrap up the philosophical talk and get down the life-and-death stuff any time soon?"

"Hmph!" The Hokage then said, "So, you insist I explain the third exam?"

A Chunin appeared in between the Genins and the platform. "Forgive my interruption, Lord Hokage, but if you don't mind handing the rest of the proceedings over to me, Gekko Hayate, proctor of the third exam."

"Go ahead," the old man told him.

"Good to meet you everyone," the Chunin said. "I'm Hayate and um…I'm sorry to say this, but we must have some preliminaries to take care of before the main exam."

"Preliminaries," Shikamaru asked, tired of standing. "Like what?"

"We have to reduce the number of applicants who'll proceed to the third exam," Hayate told them. "As mentioned there'll be a number of honoured guests who will be observing you during the third exam, so we must make the exam intense, tight and fast-moving."

The Proctor paused and then said, "So, now that you know something of what it's really all about, anyone who doesn't feel up to the challenge, either physically or mentally, can walk away. Decide soon because the preliminaries will start now."

Naruto waited and watched to see what Kabuto would do. It was at this point in his past life, that something had made the man back out, but this time it looked like no one was going do anything.

'Interesting, Kabuto is staying in,' the blond Jinchuriki thought. 'It looks like my mission is still a go…'

Naruto - New, Yet So Old - Naruto - New, Yet So Old

TBC…

(…i…) See fave web site - www dot leafninja dot com/ mission dot php (change the dots and remove the spaces)

(…ii…) Vol. 8, beginning pg 16 – conversations as always will be used as filler to this story. If it gets to be too much let me know and I'll attempt to tone it down.