I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Forest of Death
Naruto knelt under the tree, Sasuke and Sakura beside him. They were doing what no other village had the guts to let their genin do one mission out of the academy. They were taking the chunin exams. Naruto grinned thinking about how he got signed up for it in the first place.
"I would like to recommend my entire team for the exam," Kakashi spoke up surprising everyone.
"I'll second that," Minato agreed. "They may be young but they're ready."
"I'll put my team in too," Kurenai stated.
"Me too," Asuma added. "They can handle anything Kakashi's kids can throw at them."
"I think my son will be the one to get furthest," Minato grinned. "Now, you are all dismissed."
Three days later Naruto found himself sitting at a desk with Sasuke and Sakura and with several clones breaking into his father's personal library. Within five minutes all of his questions were answered and his clones had left leaving no trace of ever being there. The others had had a hard time with their questions except a select few who had a special jutsu that allowed them to get answers from the chunin that were placed among them. After a while, the ninja behind Naruto was eliminated along with his team and the instructor suggested that anyone else that didn't think they would pass leave, and several did. then, the rest passed.
A day later, Phase Two began and they were sent into the Forest of Death with either an Earth or Heaven scroll and were told to retrieve the other kind from another team, by any means necessary, including death.
"What kind of scroll do we have again?" Naruto questioned.
"Heaven," Sasuke stated. "Wonder where the nearest Earth Scroll is."
"Let's go find out," Sakura suggested.
"I have to take a leak first," Naruto stated before walking into the bushes.
Sakura sat down to wait and Sasuke glanced at her for a moment before leaning against a tree. After a couple minutes, Naruto walked back out, sighing in relief.
"I didn't realize I needed to go that bad," Naruto sighed. "Alright, let's get-"
Before he could finish, Sasuke smashed his foot into his face sending him flying. When Naruto landed, he wiped some blood from the side of his mouth and drew the kunai from the kunai pouch on his left leg.
"What was that Sasuke?" Sakura questioned.
"Yeah Sasuke, what the hell?" Naruto questioned.
"First, Naruto's right handed, not left," Sasuke snarled. "His kunai pouch is on his right leg. Second, Naruto's kunai aren't the standard variety. They look like this."
He held up the one Naruto had told him to hold onto and Naruto suddenly appeared beside him, wire wrapped around him so tightly it was digging into his skin in some places. Sasuke cut him free and Naruto took the kunai, glaring at the impostor.
"The little fucker caught me while I was taking a leak," Naruto growled. "I'll handle this."
"Will you?" the fake Naruto questioned as smoke covered him.
When it cleared, there was an Amegakure ninja standing before them with a tan bodysuit, a breathing mask, a white cloth over his eyes with eye holes cut out, and spiky brown hair.
"Name's Oboro," the ninja smirked.
"Catch, Oboro" Naruto said throwing his kunai at him.
Oboro leaned out of the way but just as it was passing his head, Naruto appeared in front of him, his fist smashing into Oboro's stomach as Naruto caught his kunai. Oboro flew backward, flipping over and doing a backward handspring and disappearing into the trees.
"I tagged him," Naruto stated. "We'll give him a couple hours then we'll go get our scroll."
"Sounds good," Sasuke grinned.
"How did you do that?" Sakura questioned.
"I'm good," Naruto grinned before tossing her the kunai and handing Sasuke another. "Hold onto these for me."
They nodded and began walking while Sasuke tried to think of a way to avoid impostors again.
"My dad taught me a seal," Naruto stated. "It only appears visible if you channel chakra to it and it doesn't really do anything except look like a tattoo. We could use it to avoid impostors.
"Great idea," Sasuke muttered. "If only you were stupid. Then we could have a massively difficult password."
"Here," Naruto said setting his hand on the side of Sasuke's neck for a moment and placing the seal then doing the same for Sakura.
He placed his own seal on the palm of his hand.
"Now, let's go find a second way to get our scroll before we go after our dear friend Oboro," Naruto smirked.
Just as he said this, the birds, which had somehow been brave enough to venture into the forest and sing, went silent and a low roar began to sound from further into the trees.
"What is that?" Sasuke questioned.
"Not good," Naruto stated.
Suddenly, above-gale-force winds began to explode out of the trees, tearing them up and hurling them. The winds hit Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura and Sasuke grabbed Sakura and threw them both out of the path of the wind while Naruto was blown backward by the jutsu. He plowed up almost a quarter mile of land before finally stopping and the winds died down. He pushed himself up just as a massive snake as big around as the Hokage's office was slithered out of the trees staring at him.
"Ugly piece of shit," Naruto snorted. "You think I'm lunch don't you?"
Just as it lunged forward, Naruto teleported to Sasuke, arriving in time to grab the scroll before he could throw it to a shinobi who was wrapped around a branch like a snake.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Naruto questioned taking his kunai from Sasuke.
"We can't fight him," Sasuke stated.
"We'll see," Naruto grinned as hundreds of teleportation seals spread from his feet, covering the surrounding trees and leaves. "I'll handle this, scaredy cat."
The grass ninja looked around then at Naruto and grinned.
"So, it's the Fourth Hokage's brat is it?" the ninja questioned. "Allow me to introduce myself. Orochimaru."
"I've heard of you," Naruto stated. "One of the three Legendary Sanin of the Hidden Leaf. You deserted because they stopped you from performing monstrous tests to try to unlock immortality. You wanted to learn every jutsu so you tried to sacrifice others to gain immortality. You're a monster."
"I'm honored to be so well known by someone so young," Orochimaru hissed. "Shall we begin?"
"I already did," Naruto stated, suddenly on the underside of the branch Orochimaru was standing on.
Impossible, Orochimaru thought. I didn't even see him move! Don't tell me he actually learned his father's jutsu!
"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted slamming his Rasengan into Orochimaru's stomach after appearing in front of him.
Orochimaru flew away from the explosion, crashing through three trees then crashing to the ground.
"So that's it," Orochimaru growled. "That was almost perfect. Just too weak."
Naruto summoned his training sword then created two clones. Both formed a Rasengan in their left hands and drew their swords then leapt at Orochimaru.
"Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!" Orochimaru shouted holding his arm out.
A dozen dark brown snakes shout out of his sleeve at the Naruto clones. The two spun removing the snakes heads as dozens more shot out of Orochimaru's sleeve then other sleeve as well. This time, most of the snakes restrained the two clones and one of them blasted them with the Rasengan and Naruto's other clone fell toward Orochimaru. A single snake shot out of his sleeve and the clone shoved the Rasengan down its throat then released his jutsu. Orochimaru tore the snake off just as the Rasengan exploded and sent him flying again. This time, when he stood, he glared at Naruto.
"Impressive brat," Orochimaru growled. "But now it's my turn."
He pulled his left sleeve up and wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth, wiping it across the tattoo on his left wrist.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru shouted summoning the same massive snake that had tried to eat Naruto. "Kill him!"
"Gladly," Naruto said creating a perfect Rasengan and leaping at the snake.
The snake shot forward and swallowed Naruto but after a moment, his stomach expanded and continued to grow until the snake finally exploded and Orochimaru stared in shock as Naruto leapt at him. Naruto's eyes were red with slit pupils and he had grown claws. And he in no sense of the word was playing around anymore. Orochimaru moved to retreat but Naruto teleported to a seal in front of him and slashed at him with his claws. Orochimaru managed to avoid it just as a sword planted itself in his chest, tacking him to the branch he was on. Orochimaru suddenly melted into a pile of mud and the real one appeared behind one Naruto and another clone behind the other. Both restrained their Naruto with snakes from their sleeves then made a hand seal and held their other hand by their side as purple flames appeared on their fingertips.
"Five Pronged Seal!" they both said as they drove their hand into his abdomen, adding a second layer to the seal keeping Kurama inside of Naruto.
Both Narutos passed out and the one the clone had restrained blacked out as Orochimaru threw the other away. Sakura tacked him to a tree with his kunai to stop him from falling. Naruto stirred for a moment, seeing Orochimaru moving toward Sasuke.
"If you won't fight...then run...you...coward," Naruto called out to him before passing out again.
"Sad, but true," Orochimaru smiled. "The Uchiha is weaker than the outcast."
Sasuke's eyes widened as his own voice played through his mind, declaring his dream to surpass his brother. Itachi would tear Orochimaru apart. Sasuke knew he had to stop him, even if to protect his friends.
"Fine then," Sasuke muttered activating his Sharingan, now with both eyes sporting two tomoe. "Bring it on!"
Sasuke placed a kunai in his mouth, biting down on the blade and sprinted forward. Orochimaru grinned and readied himself. He sent out a blast of wind to send Sasuke flying but Sasuke leapt over it, hurling kunai at Orochimaru. Orochimaru leaned out of the way, allowing them to sail past and Sasuke landed on a tree then leapt at Orochimaru, beginning with two kicks before flipping over Orochimaru and landing on his feet. They both charged and began to fight in a near blur. Attack after attack they tried to slip past each other's defenses always falling short of their goal. Finally, Orochimaru flipped over him, landing behind him then blurring into motion and vanishing. Sasuke whipped his head around but Orochimaru was already gone. He looked around and saw him zipping through the trees, almost too fast to see, but not quite. Orochimaru suddenly leapt at Sasuke and Sasuke dove out of the way then fired a Fireball Jutsu at him. The result was a column of spiraling raging flames but after a moment, it went out from a massive blast of wind and before the smoke had even cleared, Orochimaru shot toward Sasuke inside the tree, destroying it in a tree then emerging just in time to swipe at Sasuke but Sasuke leapt back taking a steadying breath.
After a moment of them waiting for the other to act, Orochimaru sent a blast of wind at Sasuke again but Sasuke leapt to a branch over them then off of it and past Orochimaru, wrapping his legs around Orochimaru's chest and his arms around his waist then flipping over and driving Orochimaru downward head first. Orochimaru's head split the branch, sending crack spider-webbing along the length of it. Orochimaru's arms spasmed for several seconds before falling limp. Sasuke leapt away from Orochimaru and his legs fell at the knees. Then, Orochimaru turned into mud and kunai began raining out of the trees at Sasuke. He flipped off of the branch and spread some wire, catching himself on a branch and spinning around the tree, landing on another branch and looking around. A second later, Orochimaru appeared running toward him and throwing a punch to his face. Sasuke stumbled back but just as he began to steady himself, another punch hit his face, then a knee, then another punch. Sasuke finally flew backward and landed in a heap and Orochimaru smirked.
"What a disappointment you turned out to be," Orochimaru sighed. "Your ancestors weep. The Uchiha should thank me for killing you. Silly little worm."
Sasuke opened his eyes just as three tiny but powerful explosives he had planted on Orochimaru's clothes exploded making him stumble forward. Sasuke instantly jumped up, flipping past Orochimaru as Orochimaru fell. Sasuke threw several shuriken tired together with wire past Orochimaru, holding the wire in his hands and between his teeth. The shuriken wrapped around Orochimaru and a tree, binding him in place and Sasuke grinned releasing the wires from his hands, holding it tight only with the one in his mouth.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Sasuke thought making the hand seals then sending the flame along the wire in his mouth.
The flame hit Orochimaru and instantly exploded out the far side of the tree. Orochimaru screamed in agony as he burned and Sasuke watched carefully. Finally, the fire died and Orochimaru's head fell forward, the massive hole in the tree still smoking. Sakura ran over as Sasuke bent forward, energy depleted.
"Are you okay?" Sakura questioned. "It's alright, it's all over."
Suddenly, Orochimaru began to walk forward, breaking the wires easily. He made a hand seal and suddenly Sakura and Sasuke couldn't control their bodies. Sakura fell to her knees and Sasuke was only barely resisting the same.
"No," Sasuke growled. "It's impossible."
"Such mastery of the Sharingan, at so young an age," Orochimaru commented, voice changing from a girl's to a man's part way through.
the side of his face was burned off, revealing pale white skin with a purple pigmentation around his eye, the eye itself being yellow with a slit pupil.
"You're a true Uchiha after all," Orochimaru sneered covering the sign on his headband then removing it to reveal a sound note. "Yes, you'll do nicely."
Sasuke struggled to move but couldn't and Orochimaru grinned at his determination.
"You are definitely his brother," Orochimaru sneered. "If anything, your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."
"How do you know Itachi?" Sasuke snapped.
"I've fought him before," Orochimaru stated. "He is a very dangerous individual."
"What do you want?" Sasuke shouted.
Orochimaru laughed, pulling out their Heaven scroll and holding it out then said, "That will have to wait until we meet again. Which won't happen until you finish this test with the best score of all."
Suddenly, green flames began to burn their way out from the scroll.
"The scroll!" Sakura gasped.
"First you'll have to defeat the hidden sound ninja that serve me," Orochimaru sneered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sakura shouted. "But if you've finished why don't you just beat it. If we never meet again it'll be too soon!"
"Oh, he and I will meet again," Orochimaru promised before making a hand seal similar to Tiger but with the middle fingers crossed across the index fingers.
His head suddenly shot into the air, his neck stretching as his head shot over to Sasuke and bit him, placing a seal where he bit him. then, his head returned to his body as Sasuke began to struggling to breath, holding his hand over the seal.
"What did you do to Sasuke?" Sakura shouted.
"I just gave him a little parting gift," Orochimaru hissed. "Very soon, Sasuke will seek me out and desire my power. In the meantime, I enjoyed the demonstration of the powers you already possess."
He then sank into the tree laughing. Then, he was gone, and Sasuke finally passed out.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, hoping he would wake up. "Sasuke's hurt! I need you!"
After a moment, Sakura carefully carried Sasuke down the tree to the ground where the roots held the tree itself in the air a bit with a gap that they could stay in for protection. Then, she retrieved Naruto and lay him beside Sasuke, sitting beside them with her kunai.
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