Katon: Gyuki no Jutsu: Jutsu
"Naruto!": Bijuu talk
'Naruto!': Bijuu thoughts
'Naruto!': character thoughts
"Naruto!": Regular speech
[Desperate: adj. feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.]
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long drag from his ivory pipe. Currently he and Danzō were lounging around in his office awaiting news. The silence between the two was comforting to say the least.
Finally, black feathers danced around the room as a rabid crow flew through the opened window and settled down upon Hiruzen's desk. A small piece of paper attached to its ankle.
"It's been three months since Itachi's last report. Let's hope that Uchiha provided us with some useful information this time." Danzō's gruff voice broke the silence as the old war hawk leaned forward upon his cane.
"With how blind you've become Danzō I expect even you to see the blaringly positive news that is Orochimaru gaining more enemies." Hiruzen defended as he unsummoned a scroll from the miniature piece of paper. The Third Hokage's eyes gleamed over the scripture. Shock started to steadily paint onto his wrinkly features. Reading line after line forced Hiruzen to bore an unsteady expression.
"It seems that Itachi has managed to bring useful information to our attention this time?" Danzō mused as he noticed the displacement of the Third Hokage's aura. Slowly but surely Hiruzen placed the scroll down and met Danzō's gaze.
"You remember the tragic debacle that fell upon team seven recently?"
"How could I forget? Hatake and his students were deployed on a simple escort mission only to return with a dead kunoichi and a completed A-rank mission. It seems the curse of team seven has once again carried onto the next generation."
"Well, according to Itachi, Sakura Haruno is not dead. She is well alive and is now currently being molded by the Akatsuki to become their ultimate weapon." The bandages around Danzō's eyebrows shifted upward.
"Well isn't this certainly an interesting turn of events? Now why exactly is this civilian child being mentored by S-class criminals Hiruzen?" Danzō's tone made his question sound more of a demand.
"Turns out Itachi has first handedly witnessed Sakura utilizing a basic level of wood release." Danzō's grip on his cane tightened.
"Blasphemy! Shodai's kekkei genkai belongs to Leaf and only to Leaf. We shall eliminate her immediately!" Danzō slammed his cane on the floor after his declaration to emphasize his point even further.
"Danzō, not only do we lack information on her current whereabouts. But we don't have a sufficient way to silence her. It's too much of a risk to send our troops to assassinate her! The girl would be guarded by ninjas that are S-rank caliber, Danzō…there has to be another way."
"We must force Itachi's hand once again." Danzō responded curtley.
"I refuse to compromise his position." Hiruzen massaged his temple. The old man wracked his brain to find out what exactly he could do in this situation. Danzō was having none of it.
"Nonsense with how talented that boy is he could possibly get away with him he has his orders; he has sacrificed once for this village and he shall do it again. Imagine how badly this would topple the power hierarchy if she develops her wood release to Hashriama's level? This could end up bad for us and possibly the whole five nations!"
"He has sacrificed enough for this village and we shall honor his loyalty. Honestly Danzō you are over exaggerating, what good is a blade in the hands of a child?" Shimura stood up from his seat and left for the door. The old war hawk had heard enough. Hiruzen let out a sigh before he called out to Danzō.
"Will I expect to see you for the preliminary rounds?" Hiruzen calmly asked Danzō's retreating figure.
"Of course I will be there, it will be a perfect showing of Konoha's strength." And with that he left. Walking through the hallways a root agent swiftly appeared by his side. "Gather Fuu and tell him he has a new mission."
"Yes Danzō-sama."
'When that brat was under Orochimaru I could at least have prepared for any setbacks her existence could cause. But now that she's under such unpredictable influence she must be eliminated. Now I regret sending Shino to assist her survival that day. Letting her perish to those stone ninja would have made things so much easier.'
000
Training ground forty-four went by the epithet 'The forest of Death'. True to its name the cursed ecosystem was downright survival of the fittest to its core. Currently all the contestants gathered around Gate one waiting for further instructions.
"Looks like this test is going to be a treasure hunt. What do you think Sasuke?" Naruto absentmindedly tapped his pointer finger on his chin as he questioned his teammate.
"A few nights in this forest shouldn't be that hard for us. After all this isn't our first rodeo with this cursed forest." Memories of Kakashi dumping Gaara, Naruto, and Sasuke himself in the forest came to mind. Gaara and Naruto nodded in agreement.
After that Sasuke started to study the opposing teams, thinking of hundreds of strategies on how to take each squad out.
"Alright fresh meat, open up ya ears because I'm only explaining this once. Shortly you all will be given one scroll that either belongs to Heaven or Earth. The concept is simple, you'll be given five days-." Naruto tuned out the proctor's informative spiel as a bright idea had struck him.
"Aha Shikamaru! Just the Nara I was looking for." Naruto casually announced as he swaggered his way onwards to team ten. If one were to observe from a distance they could tell that Shikarmaru's left eye was twitching irrationally at the mention of his name. Probably due to the annoyance that was Naruto Uzumaki.
"We both know that you're a man of business so let's cut to the chase. Why don't we ally our teams just for this part of the exam?" With a big grin on his face Naruto extended his hand towards Shikimaru.
"Troublesom-" Ino pushed passed Shikamaru as she shoved her face into Naruto's with a begrudging smirk. 'Now wait a minute whiskers! Why should my team even accept your help? You're just baggage that we wil have to carry.." Shikamaru let out a yawn while Choji kept munching on potato chips in the background. Shikamaru wasn't worried that his childhood friend had cut him off, with the relationship between Ino and Naruto an alliance between their two squads were bound to be formed no matter what. Their playful banter was just a show to Shikamaru.
"Ahh come on Ino-chan now even you don't believe that bull-" The Uzumaki was interrupted by a sailing kunai that striked his chest. Instead of a bleeding jinchūriki a puff of smoke poofed from his body.
"Cocky brat, interrupt my advice again why dontcha? Kukuku it's always to the confident ones that die first anyways." Anko had her hands on her hips as she glared towards the falling leaf that had suddenly fallen from a tree branch above. Said leaf puffed into smoke as it revealed to be the true Naruto. Sasuke who was right next to him wasn't surprised either. Naruto is never there, it's always a shadow clone in his place. A decoy in his place as he hides amongst everybody watching from a distance, always in the shadows.
Meanwhile everybody else who had witness Anko basically attempt to murder a contestant reacted with disbelief. Especially Kiba as he did not take so kindly to one of his former classmates being so casually assaulted, be it deadlast or not.
"Hey proctor, what exactly would of happened if that Naruto wasn't a clone?" Kiba asked as he was iching towards his kunai holster.
"He simply would have been forced to continue the exam with a minor flesh wound." Anko responded with a shrug. 'As if that kunai would have really affected that boy. If Lord Kushina was anything to go by then there is no way any holder of the nine tails would be greatly affected by such a superficial stab.'
"You dropped your kunai proctor-san." One of the grass genin stood behind Anko as she leaned over her shoulder. Anko's kunai in the grasps of her wickedly long tongue.
"Ah thanks… Anyways now that everyone has been assigned a gate. I think it's time to begin this whole fiasco. " Anko hid sweat drops behind her hand as she proclaimed loudly. 'I didn't even notice that she snuck up behind me. Might have to keep an eye on this one.'
What happened next was that every genin squad was given a scroll and were sent to a determined starting gate. Commencing the second phase of the chunin exams.
000
Team seven was now currently flying through the forest. Wasting no time at the beginning, Naruto had decided that getting as close to the tower was the best and safest option.
"When we get to the tower we'll set up camp nearby and ambush any team that ventures close." Naruto was using his chakra sense on overdrive to see if they were going to run into an enemy squad. So far they've been unfortunate to encounter any.
"Odds are that any team approaching the tower by the time we get there should have a set of scrolls for the taking." A fox-like grin had spread across Naruto's face. Masking the subtle stress he subtlety exuberated without noticing.
"I never expected you to propose such a coward's plan. This team is way too overqualified to play the waiting game dobe." Sasuke's ridicule, as always, struck Naruto's nerv.
"The waiting game is the safest and most valuable route teme. We're playing it safe, kami knows what will happen here. You should know at this point that any mission we take can go sideways in a blink of an eye." Sasuke broke eye contact with Naruto and stared forward. The Uchiha wouldn't admit it but his jinchuriki teammate wasn't exactly wrong. So instead of responding he chose to stay silent and focus on his surroundings instead.
"KYAHHH!" The shrill screech of a girl forced team seven to halt their swift movements. Twenty feet below them stood a lone girl brandishing a kunai against a bear the size of a truck. Fear evident in her body language as her legs trembled.
"Hmm she might have a scroll on her." Sasuke rested his chin on the cusps of his hand as he watched the scene unfold with indifference.
Withought thinking twice Naruto dive bombed towards the giant mammal. Killing the predator instantly by releasing one of his golden chains towards its cranium from his palm. Blood spattered upon the terrified kunoichi as she watched stunned. The gargantuan bear slumped to the floor not a second later.
"Oi are you alright?" Naruto inquired he shot his hand out in a helping gesture. The girl had red hair and wore round glasses. A yellow sundress was her outfit as a hitai-ate from Kusagakure wrapped snugly around her forehead.
"Ahh.. no I'm not actually.I-I don't have a scroll!" She shot her hands upwards in surrender after noticing exactly how outnumbered she was.
"Ahh what a shame, the name's Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" At the mention of his last name the young girl's expression brightened immensely.
"U-uzumaki? No way.. I thought that I was the last one! Karin Uzumaki, nice to finally meet a family member." Naruto knew his gut feeling about this girl were correct. Her chakra just resonated a very familiar aura. Almost as if it was mimicking his own somewhat.
"Hey guys check it out, I found a cousin!'' Naruto jumped off the bleeding corpse of the bear and went to bear hug Karin with no warning. A soft eep escaped her lips but she nonetheless awkwardly returned his embrace.
"Hugging random girls you find in the woods? Nice." Sasuke's snarky comment immediately caused Naruto to turn around heatedly.
"Can you really blame him Sasuke, he just discovered a long lost relative.'' Gaara said longingly, thinking about how Kankuro and Temari were faring in the forest so far. Ever since he ran into his siblings yesterday the one-tailed jinchūriki really didn't have any time to unpack the distraught feelings that came with their one sided reunion. The weight of knowing that soon he could possibly have his cover blown by either of his siblings dragged him down but as of now he was faring.
Meanwhile Karin was going through a world wind of emotions right now. First she was ecstatic at the realization she's now officially not the only Uzumaki around.
Secondly she felt a bit of butterflies in her stomach because of the presence of her cousin's hot brooding teammate. Third, she wasn't quiet over the fact that she had almost died a minute ago. What was even worse was that her so-called teammates were hiding in the canopy above. Either they were waiting for this Konoha team to attack or they were just waiting for the right time to start an ambush. Their chakra signatures felt warry and intimidated, Shigeri must have witnessed Naruto take down that monster of a bear with ease.
"So Karin-san, where is the rest of your squad?" Gaara casually asked, prompting her to break her out of her silent trance.
"Dead." Karin lied through her teeth with girl did not want any articulation to happen between a family member she had just met and her asshole teammates. It was so unlucky that she had met Naruo in such unfortunate circumstances. Naruto raised his left eyebrow as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Are you sure those aren't your teammates in the branches up there?" Naruto asked in a condescending tone as he looked directly at Shigeri and Daichi. Karin could sense their chakra spike at alarmed levels once they were found out. The next moment the traitorous duo finally revealed themselves. Brandishing their kunai and short blades at the band of leaf genin.
"Karin, not only did you almost get yourself killed but now you outed us to enemy ninja. Tsk you're so useless." Shigeri said as he held his stance, glaring at their possible enemies.
"You say that Karin is useless? Pfft you two were hiding in the trees the whole time while she almost died! That's the definition of no help right there, and I out of all people should know."
How did Naruto know that? These two were pretty decent at stealth so much so that they prided themselves in that skill itself. Karin's mind had run amok at the revelation.
"You were aware of our positions this whole time?" Daichi asked as he lowered his kunai, noticing none of team seven had any hostile stances or ticks.
"I'm a sensor, duh. You know it's kind of funny, both of your chakra levels are so low that I thought you two were just a pack of jaguars waiting to scavenge the bear." Sasuke couldn't contain the small smirk that adorned his features.
"Naruto..doesn't it feel beautiful to view our world in such a way?" Karin said in a dreamlike tone. Finally the girl could relate with somebody who shared her hyper awareness. Naruto replied with a knowing nod. Both squads could visibly see both Uzuumaki's relax as their chakra reached out towards each other. Painting a mosaic of chakra only sensors of their level could see.
"So are you gonna try and take our scrolls now or what?" Daichi was smacked in the head by Shigeri. Shigeri, the team leader, did not approve.
"You idiot don't just provoke the enemy!"
Naruto put his hands on top of his head and started to act like he was thinking.
"Nah We'll let you guys off the hook this one time since you got family with you. But be careful, no other leaf team will be as forgiving as us. Come on guys let's go, I want set camp before sunset." Sasuke and Gaara shot to the trees with Naruto right behind them. Pausing his movements he turned around and stared at Karins eyes with his most sincere gaze.
"Cousin if you don't have a place to call home you can always come find me after the exam, You're always welcomed here. I'll be waiting with open arms." The boy was replaced with a swirl of leaves after he finished talking. Shigeri snorted at the redhead's exit.
"I seriously hope your not entertaining the thought of betraying Kusa. Healer or not I will put you down myself" Daichi spat as he sent a threatening glare her way. Karin stayed silent as she ignored him. Her eyes had interestingly enough found the palms of her hand fascinating.
'A home in the leaf village? That doesn't sound too bad.'
000
*Shink*
The sound of a blade plunging deep into the heart of a genin echoed throughout the woods.
"Damn, that's the second team we've tracked down with an earth scroll." Kiba spat making eye contact with Hinata. He noticed her out of space look as she gazed upon the dead body. Instantly Kiba switched his tone as he tried to change the topic. "Anyways, third time's the charm right Hina-chan?" Kiba had tried his best to ease the depressed thoughts that were undoubtedly floating in Hinata's subconscious.
"Don't worry too much Kiba-kun, Father told me murder is something I need to get over. If this is what we must do to win then it's alright." Hinata uncrossed her arm as she tucked away a stray strand of hair from her eyesight.
Woof!
Kiroumaru jumped into the Hyuga heiress' arms and started to lick her face. Hinata giggled as she started to scratch behind the puppy's ears. Kiba silently let out a sigh of relief, glad that his animal companion also had Hinata's sanity as the best of his interest.
"My kikaichu has already targeted the next team, let's get moving." Shino interrupted Kiba's pondering as he wiped his blade clean.
"Oi don't you think we should be taking a break? If we continue on like this we'll eventually tire out. I don't know about you but this forest is the last place I want to be in with low reserves." Kiba's 'advice' translated to more of a threat with every step he took towards Shino. The undercover root agent simply walked passed Kiba as if he never existed.
"Only teams from Konoha pose a great threat. Everybody else isn't even worth our time." Kiba grabbed Shino's collar and butted heads with him.
"Come on, you actually don't believe that shit! When you witnessed that Kusa woman sneak up on our proctor like it was nothing!" Shino stayed silent as he slapped Kiba's hands off of him.
"I do admit that one team might be worrisome. But that doesn't change the fact that my kikaichu spotted a squad nearby." Hianata activated her byakugan and started to surveil the area.
"I see three people from Sunagakure one mile away. We can catch up to them and probably get the drop on them." Hianata revealed as she walked between her two male teammates.
"Come on you two the faster we get this heaven scroll, the faster we can complete this exam." Kiba and Shino gave each other one final glance before they gave Hinata a nod.
"Lead the way Hime." The three genin then rushed off towards their targets with Hinata leading. They came to an abrupt stop at Hinata's signal; and gathered together.
"It looks like they are discussing something. They've stopped all advancements and set a up a makeshift camp."
"Alright here's the plan: you two rise to the tree tops while me and my ninken ambush them on the ground. I'll do my best to spread them out. But as soon as they scatter you choose your target and stick to them." Shino and Hianata sprung to the canopy as no more words were shared.
"Y'know it's a good thing that the tower is big enough for us to see down here. I paid attention in geography back at the academy but I still felt a little bit lost on our way here. I can't even fathom making it to the center in five days if not for that landmark." Shira observed out loud as he stared off at the tower. Kankuro rolled his eyes at the handicap's words and instead of entertaining his worries he quickly brought up another topic.
"We've been traveling for a while and we still haven't come to any conclusion as to where we put this damn heaven scroll. So I suggest that we hide it in Karasu, any objections sis?" Kankuro suggested dismissively as he waved the scroll in front of his older sister.
"Honestly that's not a bad idea. But everytime you recklessly send that doll of yours into a fight; you'll just be putting our scroll in unnecessary danger." Temari challenged as she raised her eyebrow.
"That might be true but I doubt any of these newbies can even land a hit on Karasu. For now we'll keep the scroll inside him. If we run into any close calls down the line then we'll just hand it over to you sis." Temari and Shira gave a curt nod of agreement.
*Sizzle*
After that all hell broke loose.
The infamous sound of an ignited paper bomb alerted the sand children as they all brought their attention to a kunai falling from the heavens. Plummeting perfectly right in the middle between all three of them. Thankfully Temari's fast instinct kicked in and blew the kunai off course wither battle fan. Said kunai detonating in the distance.
"Getsuga!"
Four separate drills converged on each individual's locations causing them to further separate apart. Kankuro retrieved a kunai to throw against the drill as he ran away from the incoming technique. But the puppet master was quickly cut off by Shino jumping down on top of him. His tanto narrowly missing Kankuro's head as he dived out the way.
"An ambush huh? And to think, you tree huggers are usually all about the front lines. I'll thank your teammates later for the free scroll after I kill ya." Kankuro's attempt to arouse Shino's rage ended in Aburame advanced towards the Kazekages oldest son with agility.
"Not a man of words huh? Come on then!" Kankuro got into a fighting stance as he prepared to engage Shino in close combat. What he didn't expect was for his opponent to start his opening by throwing a wave of shuriken which the puppet user quickly dodged to the side. Moving right into Shino's open, gloveless, purple hands. A devastating right hook landed a shattering punch upon Kankuro. Enough force was packed behind the root member's strike to to send him to the ground.
The undercover root agent watched in confusion as Kankuro casually stood up. As if his rinkaichū beetles had never infected him.
'This must be Kankuro the puppet user, which means I'm most likely fighting his weapon right now.' True to Shinos thoughts, not a second later the wrappings on Kankuro's back exploded revealing the real body of the sand ninja.
"Gross, why am I forced to fight such an atrocious looking bug boy? What a fucking joke Konoha has become. Do me a favor and sit still, I'm giving you the honors to witness Karasu in action." Faint chakra strings were now slightly visible as the puppet launched torwards Shino with ferocious speed. Lifting its left appendage, its whole forearm came out and shot like a bullet. Said forearm disguised as a long blade. "You won't last a second against him "
Shino countered the surprise ttack by deflecting with his tanto. A cloud of kikaichū exploded from his back. The Beatles aimed to jam the joints of Kankuro's toy. Unfortunately his plan wouldn't succeed as Karasu released a giant cloud of smoke to suffocate his insects.
Instead of being blind Shino used to the coverage to his benefit. And moved like one with the shadows. Kankuro's fighting sense sent alarms in his forcing to quickly get out of the smoke. Missing Shino landing directly on his spot. A purple hand ready to grab him.
But Kankuro wasn't safe yet. Shino was right behind him. Hot on his trail. Using his finesse Kankuro flicked his wrist. A large poisonous gas cloud spewed from Karasu's mouth. Completely shrouding the clearing that was between it and its assailant.
Shino with an impressive showing of physical agility, outran the gas cloud. Having honed his reflexes to dodge the hidden round of poisoned senbon that pierced through the cloud. Finally landing on a branch that was right across from Kankuro and his puppet. A golden scroll started to slip out of Karasu's mouth
"I know that you're after this scroll so let's make a compromise. If you tell your whole team off, it's yours." Kankuro negotiated while he caught his breath. Shino's shades brought no ounce of friendliness. Just silence and an ocean of contempt, reflecting in the dark shade of his lense. Shino chose to coldly respond by hurling several shuriken at his foe.
The star-like projecticles instantly being blocked by the hollow body of the puppet. After being used as a literal shield Karasu swung his arms downward,revealing blades protruding from his wrists. Shino's chest was ruthlessly ripped open, only to be deconstructed into dust.
'An earth release clone?' Kankueo's pancik thoughts were cut off bybuzzing from beatles nearby. Twisting his head he was greeted by a swarm about to flank him. In the nick of time Kankuro pumped chakra into his legs and leaped to safety.
Using his peripheral vision Kankuro spotted Shino who was making a b-line straight towards him.
"Well if you're here for my blood then lets not fuck around then yeah!" Karasu shot forward to tangle the bug boy, its ligaments stretching to extraordinary proportions to cover all openings.
Shino, seeing no other options, threw several shuriken that was coated with his own chakra to separate the chakra fibers connected to Kurasu. Kankuro in a fit of panic tried to summon his spiritual energy to create new threads. But Shino wasn't going to allow that; instead the bug boy then orders the several hidden kikaichū amongst Kankuro to simultaneously draw chakra from several vital points of his chakra network.
The puppet user faltered as he lost all control of his movements. Shino rushed the puppet user with his sword. Slashing with all his might at his open target, only to be blindly kicked right in the neck by an unsuspecting kick.
A leg that kicked him hard for not paying attention. To reward him for his troubles Shino was sent careening towards a patch of branches far away from his victim, courtesy from Shira.
"Phew! That was a close one.. are you alright Kankuro?" Before Shira's question could be answered he was quickly overwhelmed by two drops of raining drilling bullets that converged on his location. Two black shadows chased the suna nin away while destroying everything in their path.
Shino got up rubbing his neck as he glared at Kiba. His Inuzuka teammate continued on without missing a beat. Seemingly ignoring his furious gaze.
"He moves silently. Watch out." The canine warrior then proceeded to give chase after Shira, with Akamaru hot on his trail. Performing a whistle, Aoimaru and Kirimaru backed off and retreated to Kiba's side.
Shira carefully landed in an open clearing, choosing to wait for his opponent. Heavy sweat cascaded down his forehead as he digested his surroundings thoroughly. It was then his fanged opponent approached him with an aura full of confidence. Throwing wind to any trap or counter move that awaited him.
"You know not many people know that strength has a stench of its own, and boy do you reek! You must be the strongest amongst your team aren't you?" Shira shifted into a boxer's stance in response to Kiba's questioning.
"I see, you must be something serious if you were placed on the same team as the Kazekage's children. I guess defeating you will prove a point, a point that no one. Not even one of the great five! Will stop me before I kill Kakuzu." Kiba then casually positioned himself into a smooth wide open Inuzuka style stance.
With nothing more to say the two youths shot towards each other. Like magnets aiming to combine. Kiba opened up by trying to slash Shira's temple with his claw. The purple haired youth deflected his first strike easily. Before jumping high into the sky to drop kick Kiba. Kiba smirked as he bent backwards like he was in a limbo contest. Aoimaru and Kirimaru sneaked Shira from behind with a wicked double tackle.
Knocking him right into Kibas position which allowed the Inuzuka to donkey kick Shira right in the face.
"Woof!" Akamaru started barking in the distance.
Grabbing his head and shaking it thoroughly Shira lifted his eyelids to the sight of a paper bomb about to explode. Reacting with instincts, Shira quickly flipped out of the danger zone.
"Arf!" Landing on his two feet, Shira had no time to react as his vision was heavily restricted by the smoke and trembles from the explosion. His brief moment of vulnerability allowed Kiba to swoop in with a roundhouse kick that Shira ducked by throwing himself to the floor. Seeing an opening, Shira shot to Kibas right, only to actually sway to his left. Allowing him to fall right into an perfectly aimed uppercut. Kiba quickly brought both of his arms up as he covered his eye from the glob of bloody spit that left Shira's mouth. Shira then decided to distance himself to catch a breather.
"Arf!"
'There goes that dog's stupid barking again.' And immediately then lost his train of thought as he smashed himself into a nearby tree. Moving in the wrong direction again. Unfortunately this time it costed him his life as Kiba moved in with a kunai in hand.
Suddenly Shira found his whole body forcibly removed from the situation. Chakra threads tightened around his arm swung him to the opposite side of the clearing.
"Get your head in the game Shira!" Kankuro yelled as he backpedaled away from another volley of shuriken.
'What had happened? Why did I get so-'
"Woof!" Instead of moving with his instincts, Shira decided to stand his ground and face his adversary. Kiba blitzes Shira with ferocity by sending a forward jab. His nails, sharp enough to puncture skin.
Shira titled his head slightly dodging his strike. Kiba then followed up by wind wheeling his left arm in a quick motion. Leaning away from the Inuzuka's wild haymaker, strands of his gray-ish hair were cut off.
Shira then aggressively moved into Kiba's workspace to shove him away, hoping to create some distance. The Inuzuka saw his attack coming a mile away and crossed his arms together to cushion the shove. Continuing his counter the dog boy then delivered a spinning kick to Shira's gut but was met with Shira's own raised knee.
A chance to slug Kiba in the face presented itself but irritatingly the taijutsu specialist had to move due to another Getsuga heading towards him.
"Arf!" Instead of performing a chakra enhanced backstep like he planned to, Shira sprinted directly into the path of a spinning Kimimaru. The momentum from Kiba's ninken threw Shira into the branches. It was at that moment Shira felt it. Akamaru's foriegn chakra in his system!
Groaning in pain Shira flushed his chakra pathways with a fresh wave, before giving his opponent a bewildered look. "You taught your dog how to use genjutsu!?" Disbelief evident in his voice crack.
"Amongst other things." Kiba kept his response short and simple while he stalked his prey from a distance. Aoimaru and Kimimaru circling around him. "I have to do whatever it takes to complete my mission. I don't expect ninjas of your caliber to understand." Kiba's announcement made Shira think.
And think he did, so much so that it brought forth a whole new wave of determination. Reinforcing his will, Shira got back onto his feet and glared defiantly at his opponent. Throughout the whole chunin exams and his adventure to Konohagakure, Shira almost forgot why exactly he was here. And why it mattered so much for him to win.
Shira could feel it with each step he took towards the Kage's office. Anxiety and pressure weighed down upon the academy student as he reached closer to his destination. After being unexpectedly personally summoned for an audience with Raasa, Shira couldn't believe it.
Did his hard work finally pay off? Will the Kazekage finally give him a chance for his dream to come true? Or did he want to personally make an example out of him to reinforce his rule about shinobi and the dynamics of chakra? Millions of possibilities ran across the young teenager's mind as he reached the door knob.
Raasa the third Kazekage slouched in his chair as he regarded a very obviously tense Shira. Releasing a sigh the village leader then fixed his posture as his gaze pierced the taijutsu's user's very soul.
"Out of all your peers you managed to rank deadlast this year. Would you like to explain how that came to be?" Raasa questioned Shira as he rested his chin between his interlocked fingers. Shira swallowed the spit that was building in the back of his throat as he steeled his nerves.
"I was unable to perform in the chakra portion Sandaime-sama. Resulting in a score of zero in all categories pertaining to ninjutsu."
"Interesting..yet when I read your file it says here that you scored number one in your class for the physical portion." Shira's shoulders relaxed slightly at his village leader's praise but Raasa was not yet finished.
"But those test results are hardly why you've piqued my interest. It's your creativity that caught my attention. At such a young age you reverse engineered the Eight Gates and reproduced your own version of the kinjutsu. What was it you named it again?"
"The Seven Heavens Breathing Method." The academy student proudly proclaimed his technique. Raasa rose from his chair and approached Shira. Who just stood there alert, waiting with baited breath.
"There is no doubt talent is in your veins, boy. So much talent that I would be a fool to just ignore it." Raasa then retrieved a black headband from his back pocket. And held it infront of him.
"From now on you are now an official genin. Your first mission will be to take part in the future upcoming Chunin exams in Konohagakure. You will be placed on a team with both of my children and I expect you to bring them both to the finals. Failure is not an option Shira, if you return with disappointing results you will be stripped of your rank and barred from all shinobi programs. Do. Not. Disappoint…am I understood?" Shira took a knee as he humbly received his forehead protector.
"Hai Kazekage-sama." Raasa then went to sit back down at his desk.
"Then you are dismissed." Shira then bolted out of his office with glee. Not slowing down at all as he zoomed out of the sandstone building. A rush of dopamine saturated his view of the world as his heart kept pounding. Never before has Shira ever felt this accomplished.
He was given a chance, and nobody will stop him from achieving his dreams.
"Shichi Tenkohō" Kiba watched in amazement as yellow chakra fiercely exploded from his opponents tenketsu. Shira's pupils and iris seemed to disappear into his sclera, turning his eyes into glowing white orbs. "First Activation!"
A feral grin soon adopted Kiba's features as he interlaced his fingers to create a tiger hand seal."Shikyaku no Jutsu" Kiba's chakra seeped into the atmosphere as he physically grew taller. His muscles became more defined as his general image became more feral. He then went on to retrieve four soldier pills from his kunai pouch.
"Looks like we were both holding back." Kiba's voice rumbled at a deep level. Shira's silence spoke a thousand words that Kiba understood clearly. With nothing more to share the two boys shot towards each other. Only to be sweeped in the air by a raging gust of wind. Making them both careen towards two different locations. Kiba ruthlessly crashing into a tree trunk and Shira into Temari's direction, said kunoichi was riding her foldable fan like a surfboard catching a tidal wave.
*Moments earlier*
Hinata hid behind a tree holding back a baited breath. She observed Temari as the blonde kunoichi watched her teammates hold off the rest of team eight. It had seemed like Temari was waiting for the Hyuga to reveal herself. The giant folding fan in her iron grip shaking ever so slightly.
Temari seemed so easy to disarm and disable. Alone and scared.
But Hinata knew better. Temari was a ninjutsu user, a kunoichi who fights from a distance. The worst possible matchup for Hinata. But that didn't matter, Mother and Kurenai-Sensei trained her for these situations.
So she waited for the right time to strike. Patience was a virtue after all. An opening finally presented itself as Temari turned her back towards her pale eyed stalker.
'Now's my chance!'
Surging chakra through her legs Hinata leaped upon her foe, covering a vast amount of distance. She aimed for a palm strike right where Temari's heart was located. Aiming to finish this as fast as possible so she could help her teammates.
But alas it seemed the gods were smiling upon Temari's capabilities as the girl turned around at the last moment. Instead of jyuuken striking Temari's heart. Hinata shoved Temari's left shoulder very roughly. Almost dislocating the blonde's shoulder entirely.
But the attack still caused damage nonetheless. Temari then backpedaled to gain some distance. Quickly sending a powerful gust of wind to Hinata's way using only her right arm. An impressive showing of her wind release, being able to send Hinata flying at least a yard away.
"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want the drop on me!" Temari cockily taunted as she kept her eyes on her sneaky opponent. Not waiting to give Hinata a second chance the blonde girl shot forward and released a barrage of sharp air blades.
Hinata gasped as she dived to the ground. The tree branch she was on was cut into many tiny pieces. Hinata then cleverly retrieved a smoke bomb and threw it towards the ground. Skillfully losing Temari's eyesight once again.
"Like that'll work!" Temari unfolded her fan to show a second moon pattern.
"Futon: Diatoppa!"
A much more powerful draft of wind than her last technique roared from her fan. The bellowing gust managed to entirely remove the cloud of smoke and fog. Instead of revealing a sitting duck Hyuuga, Hinata was nowhere to be seen in the clearing.
An explosion in the distance caught Temari's attention. What she saw made her worry greatly. Kankuro flying out of a blast with his clothes singed. A snarl marred her face as she retrieved her fan and opened it up to reveal three moons.
Hinata chose this time to reveal herself by landing on a tree branch adjacent to Temari.
"I've already lost one brother, you think I'm going to lose another to you Konoha weaklings!" Temari shouted passionately as her chakra surged around her wildly. Hianata flinched but nonetheless got ready for her attack
"I have a younger sibling as well.. I understand your need to protect him but unfortunately I'm not planning to lose this competition."
"Tch as if we are anything similar, now get out of my way!"
"Futon: Nagareru āchi!" Temari let loose a howling wind bullet towards the fatigued Hyuga.
Hinata slowed down her breathing and reached out towards her chakra. Her surroundings had slowed down for just a minute. The incoming wind blast had started to move in slow motion.
'Remember Hinata.. to become one with your chakra you must follow its flow.' Crouching down low, Hinata got into a ready stance. She then coated both of her hands in a defensive layer of chakra. Taking a deep breath, Hinata released her inhale and proceeded to expel half of her reserves through all the tenketsu points in her hands. Dark blue wisps of chakra covered her hands, which immediately took the form of two lionheads.
'Focus!' Hinata's byakugan strained as she tried to pinpoint the congression of chakra in Temari's wind blast.
"Jūho Sōshiken: Hanten!" Timing Temari's attack perfectly Hinata struck out her right hand the chakra lion expanded considerably, eating the wind blast. Twirling on the ball of her feet, Hinata spun around in full 360 rotation and shot back Temari's jutsu. Uprooting trees and branches in the process.
Temari reacted quickly, closing her giant battle fan and using it to tank most of the attack. But it wasn't enough. Cuts littered her body as she flew into the sky. While falling down Temari opened up her fan and started to ride the wave of gales that followed after.
Hinata mustered a proud smile while she was panting heavily 'Kaa-chan I did it!'. Her byakugan was pulsing heavily as she watched everything unfold, tree branches falling to the ground, Temari heavily bleeding as she glided away. Managing to impressively catch both of her teammates. The ferocious tornado approaching behind her… the ferocious tornado approaching from behind her!
Hinata was swept off her feet and was thrown into the shrubs. The Hyuuga heiress saw black for a moment but quickly regained her bearing.
"Hinata!" Kiba landed next to her and helped her to sit up comfortably. Next was Shino who arrived stiffly.
"They all got away but they shouldn't be that far. We can finish them off with ease now that they're wounded." Shio said indifferently.
"Do you not see the condition Hinata is in right now?" Kiba snarled, "We're going to rest before we attempt anymore hunting." Hinata could have sworn she heard angry bussing from Shino. Said Aburame released some of his kikaichu and sat down next to her. Not saying a word.
000
It had only been a short while since team seven departed from Karin's team. They still had yet to run into another enemy squad. Everything was going swell before Naruto stopped cold dead in his tracks.
"We're in trouble." Sasuke and Gaara halted and got into a battle stance. "Everybody secure yourselves to a tree!" Naruto commanded as he used his chains to connect himself to the branch. Gaara did the same but with sand. Sasuke unsheathed his tanto and stabbed the tree trunk all the way to its hilt. Using chakra control on the rest of his body to stick.
Then it happened.
A typhoon of wind and debris assaulted team seven viciously. It took only a matter of thirty seconds for the winds to die down for the gennin to regain their bearings.
"What kind of technique was that?" Sasuke asked as he activated his sharingan. Naruto then sensed the large summoning burrowing itself underground. About to erupt from the surface and devour them.
"Gaara Sasuke twelve o'clock!" Naruto released giant chains as the snake summon erupted from the ground. It's maw forcibly shut closed by the golden chains that wrapped around it. The snake was then fully contained by the waves of sand used to constrict it.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
"Futon: Daitoppa!"
A combination technique from Sasuke and Naruto fried the snake to cinders. A poof of smoke and broken glass was the only thing left to confirm its existence.
"A snake summoning? Either Anko is testing us or.." Naruto's voice died in his throat as he sensed the large chakra source just a few distance away. How could he have missed it up until now was a mystery to the jinchuuriki.
"..Orochimaru."
"Kukuku and to think I worked so hard on this disguise." The female grass genin who snuck up on Anko walked out of the shadows peeling her face. Only to reveal a pale snake-like man towering above team seven. His long glossy black hair glistened with power.
"Alright then show this old relic the results of our future generation. Let's get started shall we?"