Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Negima.
Chapter 18
Knowing the Team
Training Ground 12
"This is bullshit," Shu exclaimed, standing to his feet in anger. "You can't do that! We're already full-fledged genin and have completed lots of missions together!"
"And that was with your previous sensei," Kakashi cheerily piped in, "You're in our hands now and we still need to test you guys if you all are ready for us." Pinning the bells to his belt, he placed a hand over his pouch and pulled out a small clock, which he found and placed on a boulder. "You guys have until the clock rings to try and get these bells from us. Shall we begin?"
The genin tensed, preparing for whatever attack came their way.
They weren't prepared for Kakashi to pull out a familiar orange book. Their shock intensified when Sakura pulled out a heavy book on medicine, Sasuke took out a piece of cloth to clean his katana, and Fate took out a teacup and started drinking from it.
Gritting his teeth, Shu dashed towards them. "Don't make fun of us!" He took out a kunai and aimed a stab at Kakashi.
"Too eager, aren't you," he replied, easily dodging the attack and appearing behind Shu, kneeling and his hands in a tiger seal.
Fate twitched at that, remembering what was going to happen next.
Kakashi's eyes gleamed as he moved sharply upward, shouting, "Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ougi: Sennen Goroshi!" He thrusted his hands forward and into Shu's anus.
Everyone was horrified as Shu literally flew into the air and grasping his abused behind. Standing straight, Kakashi turned to the rest of the teams and smiled. "Who's next?"
Kohaku and Ki ran forward, the boy taking out his nunchakus and the girl taking out her tonfas. Kakashi went back to reading his book, much to their ire.
Kohaku went for a leaping kick, shouting, "Dynamic Entry!" Kakashi easily blocked the attack with his free hand. Ki struck from below, aiming for a tonfa uppercut. He let go of Kohaku's leg and moved slightly back to avoid her strike. Then, as he returned to his book, his other hand went down and grabbed the other tonfa that was aimed at his knees. Kohaku followed through with a flurry of nunchaku blows. Kakashi let go of Ki's tonfa and started to dodge each of his flurries. After one such flurry went over his head, the white-haired sensei's hand shot up and grabbed Kohaku's offending arm. He then threw Kohaku over his shoulder where Sakura was waiting to land a kick at his torso. As the Maito male flew to a nearby tree, everyone moved into action.
The first to strike were Shakuren, Maihime, Sorairo, and Akua. The two men clasped their hands in their seals and breathed out flames. The two women helped by conjuring their wind.
"Katon: Gokakyu," yelled Shakuren.
"Katon: Karyudan," shouted Sorairo.
"Futon: Okakeami," roared Maihime.
"Futon: Daitoppa," exclaimed Akua.
The combined inferno burned through the ground beneath and the rocks in its way.
Sasuke and Fate smirked as they moved to retaliate.
"Katon: Zukkoku," Sasuke fired.
"Futon: Atsugai," Fate breathed out.
A tornado came into being between the duo and the approaching blaze. That same tornado caught on fire and rose to be a challenge for the four's combined attack. Within seconds, that challenge had decided a victor as Sasuke and Fate's attack devoured the other in a majestic display of fire. As the fire slowly died out, Shakuren, Maihime, Sorairo, and Akua saw Fate and Sasuke standing so victoriously at the other end of the field.
Then, Fate picked up the teacup that he had left atop a rock and continued drinking from it.
Shakuren's brow twitched. "What's with this kind of training? They're just messing with us."
"That may be so," Sorairo replied, "but they have a right to be. Our attacks were some of our strongest but, even combined, it failed to stand against theirs. I can tell that theirs weren't even their strongest." He smirked and added, "As befitting the last scion of the Uchiha and Jiraiya-sama's apprentice. Akua, cover me!" He pulled off the fuma shuriken from his back, channelled his chakra through it, and flung it at them, exclaiming, "Katon: Yu-en Fuma Shuriken (Fire Release: Flaming Demon Wind Shuriken)! The blades of the shuriken were set aflame as it flew at the duo.
Akua aided him by clapping her hands and chanting, "Futon: Reppusho!" Her clapped hands summoned a strong gale of wind that hastened the flight of Sorairo's flaming shuriken.
Sasuke took out his katana from his cleaning cloth and coated it in lightning. He slashed at the shuriken and collided with a loud clang. The resulting screech didn't bother him as he parried the shuriken up into the air. He then took out three shuriken in his free hand and coated them in lightning as he threw it at the group.
Shakuren took the stage as he formed his seals and said, "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" He let out a number of fireballs that devoured the shuriken and continued their way to Sasuke and Naruto.
His katana whistled in the air as he easily sliced through each fireball. Then, he raised his hand in a one-handed seal and released a fireball at them. A figure flew in from the side and destroyed the attack.
It was Akai who was lowering his fist from his punch on the fireball. He then looked back in the direction he came from and raised his arm to block Sakura's punch to his face. The impact pushed him a few feet backwards and created a small shockwave around them before they separated. Akai pulled his right arm back and went for a punch to Sakura, who ducked under the attack and pushed her fist upward for an uppercut. Akai caught the fist with his other hand and brought down his main elbow down on the pinkette.
Sakura twisted her body upward and blocked that attack with her own elbow. Seishin was way behind Sakura and had just finished her hand seals. Her cheeks bulged before she let out a torrent of water that transformed into a water dragon towards Sakura, "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"
Her green eyes narrowing, Sakura said, "Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu!" The ground beneath her rumbled a bit before she was instantly swallowed by the earth. Akai jumped back as the water dragon crashed to the ground. He then planted both hands into the ground and lifted. The earth cracked and broke as Akai hefted a large chunk of earth and stone over his head. He turned to the fighting Fate and Sasuke and threw it at them.
Both teens looked at the incoming projectile and didn't react as a lightning bolt pierced through it, shattering it to pieces. Far to the side, Kakashi lowered his lightning-infused hands to look at his surrogate brother, who was within striking range with his katana.
He lazily took out a kunai and blocked the sword. Yoruha removed his blade and struck at Kakashi's side. The older silver-haired shinobi blocked it just as easily with his kunai. His leg then shot out and kicked Yoruha away. Kakashi closed his book and used the arm holding it to block Kohaku's kick. Afterwards, he flung the book to Kohaku's face, making him tumble backwards. Ki immediately followed through with her tonfas.
Kakashi's kunai shot out and blocked her first strike and caught and used his book to block the second. Afterwards, he pushed her away and quickly turned around and blocked Yoruha again. His eyes curling upward in amusement, Kakashi said, "You're going to have to try harder than that, otouto."
Yoruha scowled as he jumped back to recover. Then, he ran once more at Kakashi, as a few sparks started to show around his feet. "Ki, Kohaku, let's speed things up!"
Kohaku shook his head free of the slight shock of Kakashi's thrown book and stood up and ran at high speed.
Kakashi easily kept up with their speed. He easily saw and ducked under Kohaku's kick to the head. He easily parried Yoruha's katana aimed for his shoulder. He easily swatted Ki's tonfa from above.
Yoruha's brow twitched at how…casual his surrogate brother acted in the face of their attacks. Their previous four sensei combined had trouble against their combined effort but their new ones were actually better than them. At the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura grab Akai's outstretched arm and flung him towards Seishin, sending both of them into the lake nearby. His instincts alerted him to Kakashi's actions and he turned back to see a leg hitting him square on the face.
As the silver-haired genin stumbled back and nursed his bruised face, his shoulder was grabbed by a feminine hand. Turning, he saw Shinku looking at him in concern. "Shinku," he softly called. She placed a hand over his wounded face, a green glow covering it. He felt the numbness disappear and his broken nose fix itself painfully. "Thank you."
She bowed gracefully and opened her scroll across her lap. She then closed her eyes and clapped her hands.
Yoruha widened his eyes briefly before smirking. He turned back to Kakashi, who held Ki's tonfas in one hand and blocked Kohaku's kick with the other. Yoruha quickly ran to join them and unsheathed his katana. When the small sparks became bigger, his form vanished in the form of a lightning bolt.
Kakashi tensed as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He immediately acted and got off the ground and started spinning. Ki and Kohaku, by extension, spun with him and crumpled to the ground. Raising his head, Kakashi saw the lightning-coated form of his little brother and slammed his hand on the ground, "Doton: Doryuheki!"
The earth wall quickly rose and stood in Yoruha's way. Instead of collided, Yoruha managed to hit the wall, ricochet off the nearby rock and trees, and continue his way to Kakashi. By that time, though, Kakashi had grabbed Yoruha's head with his own lightning-coated hands. With Yoruha's momentum and his head in Kakashi's hand, he was fortunate that the sudden stop didn't sever his spine, courtesy of Kakashi stopping his body with his other hand.
"Raiton: Raio (Lightning Release: Lightning Man)," Kakashi tutored knowingly, "Your strongest technique and one of the highest level of Raiton manipulation I've seen since Sasuke's Kirin. I remember being proud of you for creating such a fearsome jutsu, basing it off of Minato-sensei's Hiraishin no Jutsu. However, that attack takes so much of your chakra and taxes your body so much that you can only do it in short bursts at a time. There's a reason Minato-sensei considered it an A-Rank kinjutsu. I'm surprised he didn't consider it an S-Rank, considering it turned you into literal lightning for that brief period and would tear your body apart for such a massive burst of energy."
Yoruha was gasping for breath as he stared up at Kakashi. "I can almost master it. You know I can, nii-san. You've seen me practice it time and again. I just need to find that sweet spot where I can use the least amount of chakra to power it and it can be used just as effectively."
Kakashi's eyes curled up and he said, "Oh, I know you can. However, your usage of it here isn't really helping you, is it?"
To his surprise, his little brother smirked and said, "Did it not?"
Off to the side, Kakashi heard, "Onmyoji Genjutsu: Kage Shibai (Onmyoji Illusion Technique: Shadow Play)."
Kakashi's entire world turned a blinding paper white and he himself turned pitch black, like a shadow. He looked down and saw what looked like sticks attached to his four limbs and to the ground, even though he himself felt nothing. Looking up, Kakashi spied on a single figure standing far away from him, whose limbs were also connected to sticks from the ground.
Then, the figure burst from its position, two more figures going to the left and the right. Kakashi tensed and looked to each of the three figures approaching him. He moved to uncover his Sharingan but he was forced to stop inches from moving his headband. Something was preventing him from doing wasn't able to think on this as the one running directly at him went for a leaping kick at his face.
Kakashi's locked arm was allowed to block the kick and he raised his other arm to block the punch from his side. He grabbed both offending limbs and spun around before letting go, sending them flying away. The third attacker jumped high and descended with a heel drop. He rolled to avoid it and charged and punched the figure in the gut. Behind him, one of the two opponents charged at him. As he turned around to land a kick to its face, he was shocked when his kick fazed through his head and the figure continued and elbowed Kakashi on the torso.
As Kakashi quickly kicked the first one away, the second fighter followed through and threw some shuriken at him, which he copied. The shurikens clashed and fell to the floor but it threw more shuriken at him. Kakashi did the same again but his weapons phased through his opponent's and through his opponent. The opposing shuriken though continued unhampered to Kakashi.
Taking out a kunai, he moved to block each kunai but was shocked when each shuriken exploded on each block. As he nursed his slightly burnt hand, Kakashi frowned. Those weren't shuriken. Shuriken were proven to be poor replacements for kunai when using explosive notes. Shadow Play…Onymoji Shinku must be throwing off what I see by creating a different shadow from their actual counterparts'. More than that, she managed to stop me from uncovering my Sharingan. Her genjutsu is formidable indeed.
He was about to continue the fight once more when a figure dropped from above and stopped someone in their tracks. The figure, while his form was as shadowy as his own, stared at Kakashi with his glowing red eyes. The black-and-white world shattered like glass and showed Sasuke blocking Yoruha's sword with his own.
"You owe me for this one," Sasuke cockily said before he jumped high into the sky and kicked the incoming Akai in the gut.
"Hai, hai," Kakashi lazily replied, uncovering his Sharingan and taking out his Icha Icha book, "Well, then, shall we try again?" To throw them off, he unhooked the bells from his belt and threw it up in the air.
Akai flew past Ki and Kohaku, both of whom started to run and catch the bells but was blocked by Sakura, who had caught the bells in midair and tied to her belt.
"Lesson one," she exclaimed as she landed before them, punching her fist, "Taijutsu!" She then charged at the duo. Kohaku ran first, taking out his nunchakus and twirling them dangerously at her.
Her eyes moved just as quickly and avoided each strike with ease. Ki jumped over him and landed behind her, crouching low and releasing a sweep kick. Sakura leapt back over her and punched ground beneath her, "Okasho!" The ground cracked and both Maito siblings jumped away to avoid the cracked earth around them.
Landing, they simultaneously unleashed their next taijutsu technique, "Double Dynamic Entry!" Sakura raised her arms and blocked them both, the impact creating a gust of wind and cracking more of the earth around them. They separated and started to double-team Sakura.
The pinkette ducked under Kohaku's nunchaku aimed at her head and blocked Ki's tonfa at her torso. Kohaku's kick at her cheek was also blocked and was pushed away to dodge Ki's second tonfa aimed at the crown of her head. She pushed herself the ground and took to the skies. She then raised her leg high and descended with great velocity, shouting, "Tsutenkyaku!" Ki and Kohaku moved to avoid but Akai joined the fight and tackled Sakura out of the air.
He threw her at the nearby training post but Sakura recovered and landed atop the post. She smirked at Akai rubbing his shoulders. "You're resilient. I'll give you that, Akai-san."
"Thank you, sensei," he gracefully replied, "I've been training nonstop like the Maito twins." Cocking his fist, he ran at Sakura, who did the same and connected fists, creating yet another concussive effect on the area around them. It also managed to untie the bells from her belt and the battle now moved to stop her three opponents from grabbing them. Akai moved first as he was the closest, moving to grab them with his free hand. Sakura's leg shot up and sent the bells high into the air. That same leg changed direction to Akai and kicked him away.
She jumped and grabbed Ki's hand, which were inches away from the bells. Sakura used her other hand and punched her back to the ground as she spun around to grab Kohaku's nunchaku. Kohaku retaliated by kicking Sakura at the side; she didn't even flinch as she grabbed the leg and flung him as well to the ground. He, however, got the figurative last laugh as his other leg shot up and kicked the bells away from her.
A hand was about to grab it when it was sent away by a foot. Another hand moved to grab it and succeeded. It was Sasuke, kicking away Shu with his other leg back towards his sister.
Shinku tended to her brother while said brother glared at the Uchiha. Once she was done, Shu stood up and ran back to Sasuke. He threw smoke bombs a few feet from him and formed his seals. "Onmyoji Genjutsu: Judo Kitsuen (Onmyoji Illusion Technique: Secondhand Smoke)!"
The smoke gathered in front of him seemed to tense before it spread out and covered Sasuke completely. The dark-haired jonin narrowed his eyes at the smoke that blocked his view of his current opponents. Then, dark shadows appeared all around him and Sasuke's Sharingan moved from one to the other as they all moved.
Despite the numbers stacked against him, Sasuke knew that they were anything but. He allowed the first two shadows to pass by him as he nailed the third behind them on the chest. He then spun around and grabbed the next shadow by the scruff of its shirt. He said out loud, "Lesson Two: Genjutsu." His Sharingan eyes widened as he stared at the wide eyes of Shu, putting him under his sway. "You're way too early to fight me in genjutsu."
A hand showed from behind him and touched Shu's shoulder. What was shocking to Sasuke was that the hand was not connected to anything beyond it and was floating in midair. Shinku's voice reached his ears, "Kai."
Shu suddenly grabbed his wrist and said, "Katon: Haijingakure no Jutsu!" He spat out a cloud of ash and smoke at Sasuke's face, making him let go of Shu. He then shouted, "Now, Shinku!"
As one, the Onmyoji twins chanted, "Onmyoji Genjutsu: Ma Kakusei (Onmyoji Genjutsu: True Awakening)!" When Sasuke recovered from having his face spat by ash and smoke, he saw that his surroundings have become a volcanic wasteland, with him standing atop a raised platform of earth.
Across him stood Shu and Shinku, the former staring at him victoriously and the latter calculatingly.
Shu's cheeks bulged and he released a large amount of fire at Sasuke – too large for something of his reserves. Shinku also followed suit and summoned a powerful torrent of wind that amplified the fire technique.
Having no way out, Sasuke seemed to be trapped. However, Sasuke wasn't that easily defeated. His Sharingan flashed as he said, "Magen: Kyo Tenchi-ten."
The genjutsu froze and shattered. Instead, Shu and Shinku watched with wide eyes as Sasuke was carried in the palms of a gigantic, purple apparition. The giant's other arm rose and descended on them with a powerful slam before Sasuke dispelled the illusion.
Shu was lying on the floor, glaring at him, while Shinku had fallen to one knee as she stared at him passively.
Sasuke tensed as a lightning bolt suddenly struck him where he stood. Shu and Shinku were wide-eyed as the bolt vanished and Sasuke was left staggering from the blow. His clothes were slightly singed as everyone turned to look at the source.
Kurama Yakumo sat atop a tree branch far from them, flipping a page of her sketchpad. Her paintbrush started to move once more and finished with a flourish pointed at the air. An orange circle flared into existence around Sasuke and he had the briefest of moments to escape before a pillar of fire erupted from beneath him. Rolling to safety, Sasuke watched as Yakumo drew another portrait and cast her genjutsu on the field.
Sasuke jumped up into the air as the earth shifted to form hooks and almost trapped him. His Sharingan eyes noticed that her form flickered to a dark-skinned, horned entity very briefly after every cast. She's accessing her Kekkei Genkai when casting her genjutsu? Has she already mastered it to the point that she only needs to be in her Ido form at the exact moment she casts the genjutsu before reverting to her old form? He dodged rock senbon that burst from the ground with great speed and dexterity as he descended to the ground. According to Kakashi and the Yondaime, the Kurama Kekkei Genkai, as rare as it surfaces, makes it so that their genjutsu feels so realistic to the target that whatever damage was done to him would be reflected in reality. So, those senbon would have really skewered me if I let them hit. More than that, they said that this kind of genjutsu cannot be discerned, deciphered, or dispelled with anything less than a Mangekyo Sharingan, an inner Bijuu, or a powerful will. Let's see…
Landing on the ground, Sasuke pushed himself off the ground as he ran towards Yakumo. Shu and Shinku stood back up and ran to stop him. The female twin slammed her hand on the ground, causing it to ripple like water, saying, "Doton: Ryusa no Jutsu (Earth Release: Quicksand Technique)."
The ground beneath Sasuke rippled as well and absorbed both his feet, immobilizing him.
Shu followed with a, "Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!"
The numerous, dragon-shaped fireballs burst from his mouth and towards Sasuke, who retaliated with his own fireballs. That brief diversion was enough for Yakumo as the quicksand that Sasuke's feet were buried in slowly turned to cement. The Uchiha struggled to remove his feet but couldn't while the Onmyoji twins continued their run.
Shu attempted a kick at his head but it was easily blocked. His other leg shot up to Sasuke's chin but that too was blocked. Planting his palms on the ground, Shu spun around and started barraging Sasuke with upside-down tornado kicks.
Shinku took the opportunity to extend her hand to the bells of Sasuke's belt. However, inches before she could even touch them, the world froze and shifted.
Sasuke's hands grabbed both Shu's leg and Shinku's arm. Then, he spun around and threw them aside. His feet free from its confines, he suddenly appeared in front of the shocked Yakumo. His Eien Mangekyo Sharingan glowed against the shadow of the tree as he said, "You will be quite a terrifying opponent if you could make me call out my Mangekyo Sharingan just to dispel your genjutsu, Kurama Yakumo. However, right now, you have lost."
Accepting his praise, Yakumo softly smiled and said, "Thank you for the praise, Sasuke-sensei. However, this fight is not yet over." His eyes were then drawn to Yakumo's sketchpad. It featured Sasuke standing over Yakumo, exactly what was currently happening. However, it also featured some small drawing that looked like a flash that originated from Yakumo and a kunai that was pointed at the bells of Sasuke's belt.
His eyes widened as Yakumo's form flickered to her Ido form. Sasuke's eyes were scrunched shut as a powerful flash of light blinded him. He then felt something nick his side and the bells leave his belt. When he opened his eyes and turned, he saw the kunai flying through the air with the bells at its tip.
Shakuren and Maihime saw the glint of the bells and the kunai holding them and moved to catch them but their opponent wouldn't have any of that. There was another glint that collided with the bells and flew past their heads. The duo turned and saw a spoon embedded into the tree and holding the bells by the strings.
As Shakuren turned to face Fate and Maihime turned to face the bells, as a means to distract Fate while moving to grab the bells, they were slightly discouraged when a seal array formed around the spoon and closed around it like a cage. Deciding to both face Fate, they created another collaboration ninjutsu, a tornado of flame that moved closer to Fate, who was still drinking his tea.
The white-haired teen casually raised his hand – the hand holding his tea, no less - in a single seal and caused a powerful gust of wind to gather and clash with the inferno. To the duo's surprise, the inferno was being overpowered by Fate's jutsu.
Behind Fate, Seishin clapped her hands and her cheeks bulged, chanting, "Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!" A torrent of water burst from her mouth and threatened to attack Fate's back.
"Lesson three," he started, "Ninjutsu." A cloud of smoke came to life behind him and another Fate showed up behind him, who also formed a single seal and said, "Doton: Doryuheki." A wall of earth emerged from the ground and blocked the water torrent. Fate jumped over the wall and continued, "Doton: Kokuyoseki Gyo (Earth Release: Obsidian Line)." Seishin started to jump backwards as spikes of earth burst from beneath her one after another.
She jumped over Akua, who was pointing a hand at him, saying, "Raiton: Raishinsen!" Purple lightning course through and body and outward in the direction she was pointing. The lightning destroyed the obsidian spikes and continued towards Fate.
Seishin helped by rapidly flowing through her seals and said, "Suiton: Mizurappa!" Her cheeks bulging, she formed a ring with her fingers and placed it over her mouth and released a massive amount of water that joined with the lightning attack.
The Fate clone looked at the approaching collaboration jutsu with an appraising eye and took a sip of his own tea. Then, he suddenly spat out the tea in the form of water spray, "Suiton: Atsui Ocha Funmu (Water Release: Hot Tea Spray)."
The two attacks collided and the lightning doubled in speed as it reached Fate. Instead of being electrocuted, though, the lightning went straight to the ground and was rendered useless. Afterwards, when the attack fully died, the clone dispelled in a cloud of smoke.
On the other end of the group, Shakuren ran forward and spat out numerous fireballs while Maihime remained and gathered chakra to her fan.
Fate wordlessly used Senjin Kokuyoken and the equally numerous obsidian blades that emerged around him pierced through and destroyed the fireballs Shakuren summoned.
The dark-haired youth widened his eyes as he took out his kunai and started to block them. He, unfortunately, wasn't quick enough to hit them all and more than half either scratched or went past him. Maihime looked nervous at the incoming projectiles but her fears were unfounded when Sorairo ran in front of her and spun his fuma shuriken like a shield, saying, "Fuma Tate Shuriken (Demon Wind Shield Shuriken)!" The chakra around it created an energy shield that stopped the remaining blades in their tracks.
"Thanks," said Maihime as she opened her fan and swung it at Fate, "Futon: Aora Tatsumaki (Wind Release: Fanned Tornado)!" It resulted in a big tornado towards the white-haired teen.
Sorairo jumped out of the way and watched as the tornado reached Fate. The tornado fully devoured the teen and blocked everyone's view of him.
Shakuren and Akua joined in. The boy spat out his Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu while the girl slapped a Raiton: Jibashi.
The clearing was then set alight with a yellow and purple light. The gathered winds sent their hairs and clothes flapping violently against their bodies as they struggled to see what Fate was going to do next.
What he did was literally rip through the attack like paper and destroy it with ease. Fate remained standing, his clothes and hair still proper and clean; even his tea was untouched as he took another sip.
"He's totally broken," Sorairo deadpanned, "It should be illegal." They crouched low in preparation to attack once more when the clock rang, signaling the end of their test. "Damn it."
"And there's the clock," said Fate as he finished his tea – finally. "Shall we reconvene with the others?" As the genin begrudgingly walked back to join with the others, Fate moved to the tree where the bells were impaled and undid the seal that bound it. He joined Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi by the boulder carrying the clock and handed the bells to his former sensei.
"Well, the time's up and none of you have the bells," Kakashi uttered to them, much to their chagrin, "And that means you guys lose."
Shu clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. "What is going to happen now? Are we going to be sent back to the academy?" Everyone was tense, waiting for their answer.
With utmost seriousness, Kakashi said, "You guys…"
The genin teams held their breath.
"…pass." Kakashi's lone eye curved upward in amusement.
"WHAT?!"
Seishin then said, "But we lost, sensei. We didn't take the bells from you."
"That's indeed true."
"However," Sasuke continued for him, "this test was more than just acquiring the bells."
Sakura followed, "If you think of this as a mission, completing it is indeed important."
"But a good thing to remember is how you complete it: as a team," Fate finished.
"With that said," spoke Kakashi, "what this test was meant to determine was your teamwork." He puffed his chest proudly. "In that, I must say that you did wonderfully. You did even better than my previous genin team did." Fate, Sasuke, and Sakura scowled at him. "Nevertheless, consider us your new sensei." The livelier of the teams gave a whoop of joy while the more passive of them gave smiles and nods. "So," he clapped his hands, "return to your homes and prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow, we'll be going to Kumogakure for the Chuunin Exams."
"Seishin-chan," Sakura started, "wanna come with me and talk about medical research I've been working on?"
"Oh, yes!" Seishin was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she joined Sakura in leaving the clearing.
With a grunt, Sasuke said, "Shakuren, Kaa-san invited you to dinner with us again. She's making steak and salad."
Shakuren crossed his arms and huffed childishly as he followed behind Sasuke, "Fine."
Fate offered, "If you would permit, would you like to know more about the boy who influenced my life, Shinku-san?"
Despite Shu's glare at her sensei, Shinku graciously nodded. "I would very much like to know, Fate-sensei."
"Shall I accompany you as well, sensei," Akai asked. "I would like to know some gardening tips from you."
He nodded. "Then, let us be off. Whoever wants to join us is free to do so." Following behind Shinku and Akai were Shu, Yakumo, Maihime, Sorairo, and Akua.
Kakashi took Yoruha's shoulder and said, "Come on, otouto, let's go home. You need to rest."
With a sigh, he replied, "Yeah, yeah."
He also looked at the Maito siblings. "You guys should come too. I'll walk you two home afterwards." He added under his breath. "I'll also have a few words with Gai about your choice of attire."
With Minato
The blond Hokage of the Leaf released a sigh and lounged back on his seat. "Thank you all for coming here. I apologize again for removing you from sensei duty but this is important."
"We understand, Hokage-sama," the toothpick-chewing shinobi replied. "As your elite guard, we are at your exclusive command."
"What about me, Hokage-sama," the shinobi wearing a faceplate asked, "What is my purpose here?"
Nodding, he continued, "I have something particular in mind for you, Tenzo. I know you are aware of Uchiha Sasuke's group's return from a mission and the two men they brought with them." Tenzo nodded. "The first is Hozuki Suigetsu and the second is simply named Juugo. The one I'm wary about is the latter. According to Sasuke and Karin, he is a part of a clan with a Kekkei Genkai that grants him a unique relationship with natural energy."
"What relationship is that?"
"It allows him to passively absorb natural energy without relying on senjutsu."
"Is that even safe? I thought only Sages can access natural energy."
"Unfortunately, it is not safe. It has the unfortunate side-effect of making him mentally unstable, often falling into psychotic rages and feeling the urge to kill. For now, Sasuke's Sharingan is sufficient in curbing those desires, combined with Juugo considering Sasuke his old friend's spiritual successor. However, there may come a time that we won't be able to stop him from going crazy and he may endanger those around him. That's where you come in, Tenzo. Your Mokuton should be able to restrain him and absorb any natural energy he absorbs. He should be of sound mind until Tsunade-sama creates a means for him to stabilize himself while on natural energy."
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
"As for you three," he turned to his elite guards, "Genma, Iwashi, Raido, I have received a missive from Yuki no Kuni's Kazehana Koyuki about a potential weapon that can be used by shinobi and civilian alike. To that end, she requested an audience with the Hokage at our earliest convenience to begin discussion and development."
"So you want us to head over to Yuki no Kuni and bring her to Konoha using the Hiraijin no Jutsu?"
Minato nodded. "Yes. I suggested it to her and she accepted it. We are to meet later today and she should be waiting for you three to arrive. Don't worry. I marked the letter with a Hiraishin seal; you three should have no trouble getting there as quick as you can."
Raido asked, "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, is she aware that you have been reinstated as Hokage and not Tsunade-sama?"
Smiling, he replied, "I'm planning to have Tsunade-sama be the one to meet her and to tell to Koyuki-san the truth once within the Hokage Tower."
"Very good," he said with a bow.
"Also, as part of our alliance with Sunagakure, I asked Koyuki-san if she was willing to have Gaara-san be a part of our talk and she accepted. So, I offered an invitation to Gaara-san and he is on his way here now. After bringing Koyuki-san here, I want you three to meet them halfway and escort them here."
All three saluted. "We will bring them here to the best of our ability, Hokage-sama."
"Thank you. You are dismissed." He then watched as the three of them joined hands in a seal of confrontation and vanished from his office. "Tenzo, you are dismissed as well. Meet with Tsunade-sama at the hospital and help Itachi with Juugo."
He too saluted and said, "Hai, Hokage-sama," before he left the office as well.
With Sakura
Senju Seishin was ecstatic as Sakura brought her to the hospital. I can't wait, she thought to herself. They passed by the lobby and walked up the stairs to a new floor until they stopped by an office. Sakura knocked and they heard someone inside shout out.
"Come in!"
Opening the door, Sakura ushered Seishin in before joining her in the office.
"Hello, Tsunade-sama," she cheerfully exclaimed.
The busty blonde behind the desk looked up, blinked, and asked, "Oh, Sakura, Seishin, what brings you two here?"
Sakura beamed. "I wanted to talk with Seishin about my research."
"I see. Well, help yourselves. I unfortunately can't be of much help right now. Minato is having a few guests coming over and I'm to meet with them soon."
"Hokage-sama is? Who?"
"It's the Kazekage and the Yuki no Kuni daimyo."
"Gaara-sama and Koyuki-sama," Sakura said in surprise. "I wonder what they're coming here for?"
"As of now, it's classified information, Sakura. I can't tell you. I'm sorry." She then stood from her desk and said, "Well, you have the office to yourselves. I'm going over to the High Security Ward. It's soon time for Jugo's therapy session and I need some more blood samples to accurately pinpoint the source of his clan's Kekkei Genkai." She took her medical supplies and clipboard and left the office.
Sighing disappointedly, she replied, "I understand, Tsunade-sama." She immediately perked up and turned to her blue-haired friend. "Well, come on, Seishin-chan! I can't wait to tell you all about my research!"
"Okay, Sakura-nee-san," she exclaimed.
Sakura-nee-san, she thought to herself, That sounds nice.
She sat behind the other desk in the room and took out a folder and opened it. "Well, so my research is about the advantages and disadvantages of using Suiton ninjutsu to amplify the effects of iryo-ninjutsu on physical, external wounds. Since I am part-Suiton user, I can take part in the experiments I devised in order to further it. Now, I want to know if you're willing to help me in them."
"Oh, I'd love to!"
Sakura grinned wide. "Thank you! The very first step is to master mixing iryo-ninjutsu and Suiton ninjutsu, like how elemental chakra Kekkei Genkai users mix two different elemental chakras together to make a unique affinity."
With Sasuke
"Hello, Shakuren-kun," Mikoto greeted with a smile, "How nice of you to join us."
Shakuren's cheeks glowed pink as he replied, "Well, I'd be rude not to. I'm just doing what is politically correct."
She giggled and patted Shakuren on the cheek. "You're so cute when you're in denial."
"Hmph," he huffed.
"Come on in, you two. I'm almost starting dinner. Make yourselves at home."
Sasuke and Shakuren took off their sandals and entered the house, following after Mikoto.
"Do you need some help, Kaa-san," Sasuke asked.
"Oh, no, I'm fine. You boys can just relax," Mikoto cheerily replied from the kitchen.
"Alright, don't hesitate to ask, though."
"Okay, dear."
Sasuke then looked at Shakuren, who was shuffling nervously in his seat. "Don't be so nervous. This is your, what, thirteenth time being invited over. You should make yourself at home."
"I know, I know," Shakuren impatiently replied, "That's easier said than done. I do feel at home here but I am way too used to fending for myself."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I can understand the pain of being an orphan. After all, I was forced to become one for long time. During that time, I was forced to take care of myself until Kaa-san was returned to me. I was so unused to having her being back in my life that I was still doing things by myself until she literally tied me to a chair and forced me to relax while she and I had some heart-to-heart talk."
He sighed. "It's just that…I'm still not used to being treated like this."
"Then let's get that fixed right away!"
Shakuren jumped at the new voice that joined the conversation. It was Mikoto, who was smiling widely at them.
"You should come over for dinner every night!"
Sasuke sighed. "Kaa-san, that's absurd. I'm sure he'd be busy at some point to attend a dinner."
Mikoto pouted and crossed her arms. "What about the other times then? He won't be busy then."
Shakuren coughed uncomfortably. "I appreciate the offer, Mikoto-san. But Sasuke is right. I spend most of my dinners with my friends. But thank you."
Mikoto gave a sad sigh and said, "If that's what you want, then I won't force you." She smiled and said, "I'm about to start on dinner. Perhaps you two can set the table for three? I asked Ita-Karasu," she twitched at her near-blunder, "but he had ANBU business to attend to."
Sasuke and Shakuren stood and went to the kitchen to prepare the table. "Ah, Jugo's on another session?"
As Mikoto went to the kitchen to start cooking, she nodded. "Yes. You're a good man, Sasuke, to have taken in that poor boy," she beamed proudly at him. "I'm truly proud of you."
Sasuke's cheeks pinked slightly as he placed the plates on the table.
With Tsunade
The blonde Senju kept a frown on her face as she put down more notes on her clipboard. Beyond the glass in front of her was her current patient, the one known as Jugo. Currently, he was struggling against his opponent in a form that was truly not normal. His skin became dark, his sclera turned pitch-black, and his eyes were a malevolent amber, the telltale signs of one affected by Orochimaru's juinjutsu.
Based on Jugo's appearance, Tsunade concluded that the man beyond her was the source of Orochimaru's juinjutsu. Tsunade hoped that fully studying Jugo's biological makeup would rid two of her shinobi of their juinjutsu.
Well, hopefully, it would rid one of her shinobi. Uchiha Sasuke's seal was circumvented by Minato mixing his fuinjutsu with the Kyuubi's chakra that was sealed inside him. She wondered why the procedure was successful, considering how her teammate's fuinjutsu was unable to remove it and how the Kyuubi was known to be a hateful being. Nevertheless, Anko refused the procedure, saying that she wanted to be rid of the mark, not change how it works. Therefore, Tsunade resolved to do just that.
A figure slammed into the window in front of her, which immediately jumped into the air to avoid a kick from Itachi.
Speaking of Itachi, he proposed an alternate procedure that would help Anko be rid of Orochimaru's juinjutsu. He theorised that each of the juinjutsu contains a piece of Orochimaru himself, much like how Minato and Kushina sealed a part of themselves into Naruto's seal. To that end, he suggested a method that involved bringing that part of Orochimaru out of Anko's seal so that proper measures could be to remove it.
Minato considered it as a last resort. The risks were too great. For one, one Orochimaru was bad enough. Having another, in Konoha, no less, would be chaotic. For another, it would cause Anko great pain since even channeling chakra to it hurt her. For a third, there was no guarantee that sealing or removing Orochimaru would remove Anko's seal. Itachi relented but insisted on it being an option.
Jugo's rage-filled yell broke Tsunade out of her thoughts as the orange-haired man's arm transformed into some sort of piston-powered fist and moved to strike at Itachi.
In response, Itachi closed his eyes. He snapped them open, revealing his Sharingan eyes, and whispered, "Genjutsu: Sharingan."
The psychotic man froze before he slumped to the floor, unconscious. His features receded and he soon returned to his fair-skinned, human state.
The door to the containment room opened and Tsunade, Tenzo, and Inoichi entered it.
"Efficient as always, Itachi," she praised as she looked at Jugo's fallen form, "How long until he wakes up?"
"He should be waking up soon. It wasn't a fully-powered genjutsu."
Tenzo clapped his hands and caused a wooden stock to emerge from beneath Jugo. The wooden construct bound Jugo's neck and wrists just as the orange-haired man started to stir.
Opening his eyes, he raised his head to see his four 'therapists.' "Ah," he ashamedly asked, "did I go out of control again?"
Itachi replied, "Yes. However, you needn't fear. We are more than capable of stopping any rampages that you might cause."
"The stock is just added precaution," Tenzo added.
"I understand and I fully subject myself to this containment."
"Don't worry," Tsunade confidently spoke, "I will find a way to help you with your Kekkei Genkai and you will soon be able to interact with others without fear of losing control."
"I hope you'll forgive me if I say that I'll believe that when I see it. I spent most of my life losing control that I had lost any hope of curing myself."
"We aren't curing you," Itachi suddenly started, "We are helping you control it. Curing suggests removing an illness from your body. What you have is not an illness. It's a tool and all tools can be controlled with the right amount of training and discipline."
Jugo chuckled humorlessly as he asked, "Who? Who will train me to control it? Who will teach the discipline to contain it?"
Itachi stood tall as he replied, "You consider yourself as Sasuke's shield. You need to harness your full abilities to be the best shield in his arsenal. To that end, I will petition Hokage-sama to leave your training in my care. I myself have no prior experience in the manipulation of natural energy but I am well-versed in calming rage and furthering your potential."
Everyone looked at him in shock. Jugo asked, "Y-You will do that?"
"I am not all-powerful or all-knowing. I will not always be able to fight by Sasuke's side. That's where you come in. If not for your sake, I will do it for his." He closed his eyes. "Sasuke has grown well but he is still my little brother. It is my right as the older brother to ensure his protection." Opening his eyes, his Sharingan regarded Jugo calmly. "Regarding your issue with natural energy, as it stands, I only know of one person who can use natural energy as weapon and that is Jiraiya-sama with his senjutsu but he is not in the village at the moment."
"Jiraiya learned that ability from the toads." She frowned in thought. "Come to think of it, I believe the slugs in the Shikkotsurin also know senjutsu. At some point into our partnership, she offered to teach me senjutsu but I refused since most of my time and resources was taken by the hospital and training in my Byakugo no Jutsu. I can ask Katsuyu for some pointers. In fact, perhaps I can send her with you during your training."
Itachi nodded. "I will accept it and will begin as soon as Hokage-sama accepts my petition."
Jugo couldn't help and he hung his head low while his voice started to waver. "I too will accept this. I will do whatever it takes to control my anger and be a shield worthy of being at Sasuke's side."
He smiled. "For now, though, Inoichi-san will conduct his therapy and Tsunade-sama will need some more blood samples from you. In the meantime, I will go to Hokage-sama and discuss my decision."
Next Day
Standing before Minato were three security teams and the sensei of the four genin teams to be sent to Kumogakure. Seated beside him were Tsunade and eight masked ANBU.
"Good morning to you all," Minato started, "As you all may know, Kumogakure no Sato decided to host a Chuunin Exam in their village and we were among those invited. I have already decided on the teams to be sent with their new sensei. I also chose to send Teams Kushina, Gai, and Kurenai as additional security detail."
"Hai, Hokage-sama," they chorused.
"As a final note to all of you, I want to reiterate a few things to you. First and foremost, I want to emphasize the importance of maintaining secrecy about my return. No one outside of Konoha's ninjas knows of my resurrection and it should remain that way. To that end, I announce Senju Tsunade as the proxy Hokage in my place for the duration of the exams. If you must speak of me, speak of me as 'Hokage-sama.'"
"Hai, Hokage-sama," they repeated.
"The next order of business will be far more serious." His eyes hardened. "As you all may know, Kumoagakure tried three times to kidnap Konoha's kunoichi." Hinata flinched, Kushina twitched, and the others glared at air. "As I do not trust Kumogakure to not try something like that again, I devised a new seal that will prevent anything like that from happening." He took out a seal with the kanji for protection (保護) and placed it on the desk. "This seal is designed to be placed on a person's tongue, an idea that was inspired by Danzo's seal on his ROOT members." Everyone stared at the aforementioned ROOT ANBU members. "This seal has three parts. The first part is to inform the sensei and team leaders of each team if a member was incapacitated in any way, shape, or form. The second part is to disable the sexual organs of the sealed member in the event of any sexual assault. The last part is to record the events that are happening around it visually and aurally. There is also nothing to fear from the seals being detected. I added a failsafe in these seals that would mask their signature when it senses any diagnostic jutsu on them. Thus, if anything happens, this seal can be used to push for legal action against Kumogakure. In that case, leave the details to me and Tsunade-sama for that event."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
Nodding, Minato put his hands together and rested his chin on it. "Now, invite your genin teams inside; I will provide additional instructions that will be given to the others."
"Thank you for waiting," Minato started, "I have a few things I want to inform you twelve."
"Hai, Hokage-sama," they exclaimed.
"First things first, I want you to remember that you are representing Konohagakure in these exams and that any action that would harm Konoha's reputation shall not be received lightly." They nodded. "However, if these actions are to retaliate for any harmful actions done against you by Kumogakure, you have my full authorization to do so. To that end, I ask for your permission to mark you with this seal." She pointed to the seal on the desk. "This is to ensure your protection while in neutral, bordering hostile territory. Kumogakure isn't the…friendliest of villages so this is added insurance. Also, to prevent anyone from seeing it easily, these seals shall go on your tongues. This was something I decided after seeing some select ANBU having similar seals on their tongues. Now, with all of this being told to you, do I have your permission to brand you with these?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama," they agreed.
"You have my thanks." He nodded gratefully at them. "I will have your respective sensei put these on you after this meeting. The second thing is that the exams are more than just about winning or losing or fighting people from other villages. Do not forget that there is more to these exams than mere combat skill."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
"There is one last thing before I release you all. I want to tell you that, regardless of whether you win or lose, whether you are deemed fit to be chuunin or not, know that Konoha is proud of what you all have become and strive to be.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"There is nothing else for me to hold you all from leaving. It is a three-day trip to Kumogakure from here at normal speed." He smiled at them. "You are all free to leave for Kumogakure no Sato and may you stay true to the Will of Fire."
All saluted him and shouted, "Hai, Hokage-sama!"
Unknown Place - Nighttime
Libraries were known to be quiet places, places of silent study and meditation. In the middle of the night, the silence can be truly deafening, borderline creepy. Despite the silence, however, libraries are still held in high regard. One particular library was specifically important as shown by the heavy security that was assigned to it.
Two guards in heavy armor passed by the opening doorway and stopped at the base of the staircase leading to it.
One of them asked, "Think you'll get your own squad after what happened last night?"
"Indeed, I believe so."
Both of them shuffled in their armor to comfort themselves as they looked up at the bright moon. Neither of them noticed a shadow drop from the library roof behind them. Moonlight shone down upon the people and revealed the shadow to be Madara, who ignored the two guards far beyond him. He looked at the doorway in front of him and scoffed. A swirl appeared on his mask's eyehole and swallowed him, only for him to reappear on the other side of the door.
Successfully infiltrating the library, he leapt up and landed silently on top of one of the bookshelves. He then moved to the center of the library, where the librarian's desk was. In front and back of it were stairs leading to the second floor and beside each stair was a pair of stairs leading to the third floor. Hidden where he was, Madara looked around and scanned the library's entirety with his Sharingan.
Guarding the librarian's desk were three guards, with the one wearing the heaviest armor sitting on the librarian's seat. There were also three pairs of guards on the floors above him, two pairs on the second floor and one on the third floor. Smirking, Madara snuck to the stairs and moved to the second and then the third floor.
The two guards were gathering for whiskey and cigars on one of the desks.
One of them then slurred, "H-hey, how old did you say your sister was?"
The other spoke with an equal slur, "Blow off, choffer."
It's almost too perfect. Madara smirked as he enacted his current plan. He raised his hands in a seal and channeled the smallest amount of chakra possible.
The guard who asked for the sister's age stood up suddenly. "I'll be back. I gotta take a piss."
"Whatever, asshole," spoke the other guard before he took a whiff of his cigar.
Within the third floor's toilet, the guard unzipped his pants when he paused. "What the hell? Why do I no longer feel the need to piss?"
"That would be my fault."
Tensing, he spun around to defend himself when a hand was forced onto his mouth and he was lifted onto the air. As he struggled to remove said hand, he fearfully looked at Madara.
"Oh, don't worry," he unconvincingly comforted as a swirl started to form around his eyes, "I'll make sure you're well relieved."
Much later, his companion got impatient and entered the bathroom. "Hey, asshole, you in here," he asked. "Did you fall asleep while taking a shit again?" He heard a flush coming from one of the stalls and moved to it. When nobody seemed to exit, he opened the door and tensed upon seeing Madara casually sitting on the toilet seat.
"You can say that of your friend." Before the guard to utter another word, Madara shot from his seat, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him on the wall behind him, creating a crash. "Oops, you made a noise." His malevolent chuckle increased the fear in the guard's eyes. "It's no problem. I'll deal with them soon enough." Another swirl then appeared and swallowed the guard into his eye.
Two more guards carefully approached the third floor and nervously tightened their grips on their halberds. "Hey, where are you guys? Stay at your post."
"It's probably rats," the other guy nervously excused, "They're into everything."
Up on the chandelier, Madara would have chuckle if it wouldn't give away his position. Another swirl appeared on his eyes. But this time, it didn't take in anything; it gave something out.
On Madara's hands was a cage full of rats, which he eyed sinisterly. It's totally a coincidence that these two speak of rats when I just so happened to have a cage of rats ready. This is a good opportunity for Orochimaru's study in bioterrorism to yield some results. He opened the cage and tipped it over, releasing the rats upon the unsuspecting guards.
Soon, the library was filled with the horrified screams of two guards as the rats that Madara released started to overpower and devour them through their armor, reducing their bodies into skeletons in seconds. Madara saw the other two guards on the second floor and the three guards on the librarian's desk rush up to the third floor to investigate.
Having none of that, Madara dropped onto where the crime scene was and absorbed the remains, the blood, and the rats before he jumped back up onto the chandelier, leaving the scene completely spotless.
The one wearing the heavier armor, the leader, most likely, shouted, "What the hell is going on?! Hey, where are you guys?!" He turned to the other four and roared, "Find them! And get to the bottom of this!"
They simultaneously shouted their agreement and spread out the third floor.
Two guards walked past a corner and swallowed some saliva. "This is getting creepy, man. First, there was that crash. Then, there were the screams. Now, we can't find any of our guys. This is getting too close for a horror movie."
"Shut up! This is not some horror movie or some other made-up story that has some fucked-up ending at the end of it. This is real life. Nothing bad will happen to us."
Just as he said that, they were caught off-guard by arms going under their armpits and locking themselves behind their necks, pinning them with a full nelson.
"What the fuck?! Who is this?! Let us go!"
They can't even move their heads because of the hands pinning their heads. They, however, heard footsteps and a dark voice from their front.
"This may not be a horror movie but what I'm about to do is something, as you said, fucked up at the end." The guards and the one's holding them were then absorbed by his Jikukan ninjutsu.
Moving onto the other guards, Madara took a powerful leap and landed silently behind one of them, who had decided to patrol the area alone. Without any preamble, Madara put one hand on his chin and the other on his head. Before the guard could react, he twisted, creating a nigh inaudible crack. Absorbing his corpse, he moved onto the second-last guard.
Marcus couldn't take it anymore! He had to breathe! He removed his helmet and placed it on the table and took deep breaths.
Something rustling caught his ears and he fearfully took his halberd in his hands. "Who is there? I warn you! I'm armed!" The source of the rustling was a rolled piece of paper that was rolled to his helmet's side. He shakily let go of his halberd, took the paper, and opened it. It simply said, "Good night," before the ink started to glow. It then released a gas straight at his face and he couldn't even waft it away from his face before he fell to the floor.
The leader was getting twitchy. It has been five minutes and nobody has reported back to him. "Hey," he shouted out, "where are all of you?! Report back to me!" At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, people started to approach him.
They moved sluggishly, like zombies.
"What's going on? What happened to you guys?"
Nobody answered. Instead, they raised their heads and stared at the leader.
Raising his halberd, the leader snarled, "This is no laughing matter! Answer me or face termination!"
There was no answer, making him snarl and move to strike at them. However, a hand stopped the halberd and he turned to look at the one who stopped it. A gloved hand held the halberd tight and another found its way into the leader's helmeted head.
He grunted but didn't falter as he returned his glare to his attacker. He pulled on his halberd, dragging him with it. The leader then punched him on the head and the attacker crumpled to the ground.
That was when the others leapt on top of him and pinned him down. He growled as he struggled to move. "Get off me, you fools!"
None answered or did as told. Instead, they remained still on top of them. As the sounds of struggling filled the barren library, the leader soon heard the sound of footsteps approaching him.
"Who's there? Reveal yourself!"
A person walked to his head and knelt down in front of the leader's face.
"Hello," Madara greeted, "I am Madara and I am looking for your books on demonic resurrection."
"Fuck you! I won't tell you anything!"
He chuckled as he harshly removed the leader's helmet, grabbed him by the hair, and forced him to look into his Sharingan. "You don't have much of a choice."
Kumogakure – Days Later
"Welcome to Kumogakure, Konoha ninjas," a dark-skinned kunoichi greeted, "we assume you're here for the Chuunin Exams?" Beside her, a dark-skinned shinobi kept a glare on all of them.
Kushina stiffly nodded. "Yes, we are. Here are our papers," she took out a scroll from her pouch and gave it to the kunoichi.
She opened and looked into the scroll before rolling it and nodding. "Everything seems to be in order. I am Dee and this is my associate, Tee. Tee has orders to escort the security detail to Raikage Tower and meet with A-sama. I, on the other hand, am to escort the chuunin hopefuls and their respective sensei to the hotel we have prepared for them."
Every ninja above the rank of genin narrowed their eyes. Instead of asking, Kushina replied, "Very well, then. Lead the way."
Tee twitched in annoyance at her distrustful tone but didn't do anything else other than turning to the direction of the village and walking further inside.
Dee frowned as the security teams passed by her. Her frown vanished slightly as she turned to face the chuunin hopefuls and said with a forced smile. "Now, if you all will follow me, I will take you to the hotel."
Despite the tenseness he felt, Kakashi's eye curved upward to lighten the mood. "Lead the way, Dee-san."
Line Break
If there was one thing that Kushina truly hated, it was the village of Kumogakure.
If it wasn't for the fact that the village tried to kidnap her and Hinata a long time ago, it was for the fact that Kumo's buildings were so alien to her. Kumo's elevated buildings – high on the mountains and beyond the clouds - was a stark contrast to Konoha's and Uzushio's buildings, the former having buildings firmly planted on the ground and the latter having buildings teetering close to the shores. The sheer sight of the high buildings nauseated her. How much would actually being in the buildings affect her?
And if it wasn't for Kumo's structure, it was for Kumo's arrogant belief that it is the strongest of all five villages. Once upon a time, it was false, during a time when Konoha reigned supreme amongst the five and Suna was second in place; Kumo was a measly bronze player. Also, it may be true as of that moment, considering the amount of tragedies that befell Konoha, and Kumo became number one and Konoha was pushed to second place. However, Konoha hasn't been idle since those tragedies. With the treaties and alliances with Nami no Kuni, Sunagakure, Yuki no Kuni, Takigakure, and more, Kushina was sure that Konoha and Suna would retake their previous spots on the leaderboard in the future.
Regardless, Kumo's belief in its superiority seeped into its people. Even now, Kushina felt Tee's annoyance at having to play escort as he led them to the heart of Kumogakure. Around them, the civilian and ninja populace stared and glared at them upon seeing their Konoha hitai-ite. She could also hear the heated whispers regarding their presence.
She really couldn't care less about their opinion. To her, their opinion had as much impact to her as a stick had to a mountain.
"Kaa-san," Izumi nervously started, "they're making me uncomfortable."
Her eyes softened as she placed an arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, Izumi-chan," she whispered, "I won't let anything bad happen to you." Her eyes flashed crimson. "I'll make sure of it."
They entered through the building known as the Raikage Tower and Kushina's twin daughters were wide-eyed at the height they were reaching the more steps they climbed. Around them, Neji was stone-faced and Hinata was taking deep breaths. Gai, Tenten, and Lee took to nervously looking at Neji and Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino tried to get Hinata to calm down. It was for that reason that Kushina decided to have the two Hyuugas at the very center of the formation.
Tee stopped at a set of massive doors and knocked. A grunt spoke from beyond, "Come in!" Tee opened the door and ushered the group in.
Everyone entered the room and saw the Raikage seated behind his desk. He was a beast of man, towering over most of them with bulging muscles all over his body. His platinum blond hair and mustache did nothing to reduce the image of an impenetrable shield. He was reading a page in front of his face when he had looked at them. He scowled upon seeing the Konoha ninjas. "The last I heard of you, Uzumaki, you got killed fighting against the Kyuubi no Yoko."
"I got better," was her simple reply and she didn't elaborate.
He grunted. "I'll bet you did. I have no idea whether you just came back to life using some tensei ninjutsu or you just fabricated your own death. What matters is that I feel a tad insulted. So you're the security detail that the Hokage sent to reinforce my security? Does she think so lowly of Kumo's security that she felt the need to send four jonin teams to me?"
Kushina's emotionless face complimented her robotic reply. "Hokage-sama only wants to ensure the safety and security of all parties involved. She will sleep easier knowing that the security around your Chuunin Exams is tight."
A scoffed as he put the paper he was perusing on the desk. He crossed his arms. "Word it however you will. To me, the Hokage doesn't trust my security enough to leave well enough alone."
Kiba released a soft growl at the hostile tone the Raikage was donning but he was ignored.
Her face betrayed nothing. "If that's what you believe, I will not change your mind. Regardless, we are here to ensure that nothing undesirable happens on Kumo's grounds."
With a grunt, A stood from his desk to walk to the massive window overlooking his village. "The Chuunin Exams start tomorrow. Your hotel is the same as that of your genin teams, as is the same for others; their genin teams and their…security detail share the same building. You are free to explore Kumo as you wish but you are still beholden to its laws. Break any one of them and your entire group is held responsible."
She didn't reply to that.
"I am expecting some teams from Kirigakure and Iwagakure soon. You are all free to leave. Tee shall escort you to your hotel."
Without uttering words, all of them left the office and the door closed behind them. They were silent as they followed Tee to their hotel.
Once they reached their hotel and Tee left them to their devices, Kiba snarled. "Who does he think he is? We're here as added security to his exams and he finds it insulting?!"
Kushina slowly replied, "Out of all the Five Kage, the Raikage is the most prideful. The fact that Hokage-sama even suggested the idea to him was a blow to his pride as he and the rest of this village believe that their village is the best, in military, economy, and population, of the five."
"Bah, Konoha is way better!"
Smiling at his show of loyalty, Kurenai said, "I appreciate your loyalty to Konoha, Kiba, but we should be these thoughts to ourselves before some Kumo ninja overhears and take great offense to it."
He huffed and crossed his arms. "I can take whatever they throw at me."
"I don't doubt that. But we aren't here to start a fight. We are here to protect our genin teams in their Chuunin Exams. Come on, we should meet up with the others."
They entered the hotel and were met with Team Kakashi lounging on the lobby.
Kakashi raised a hand and said, "Yo, welcome back, Kushina-sempai."
Kushina smiled softly. "Hello, Kakashi, was your trip here eventful?"
He shrugged. "It wasn't. No words were exchanged between us and Dee-san and she immediately left when we got here. We assigned the teams their rooms and sent them there to rest up."
"I see. Thank you, Kakashi." She slumped onto a seat and covered her face with her hands. "The Raikage is insulted by our presence, thinking that the Hokage found their security lacking."
Tenten released a sigh of frustration. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who thought that way of thinking was stupid, right? More security means less possibility of danger, right? Even with his pride, Raikage-sama shouldn't feel insulted."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He then said, "It doesn't matter if he feels insulted. It is ultimately for his benefit. Considering what happened to the last two Chuunin Exams, it should already be assumed that hosting an event like this in these times only invites danger. As it stands, he should be feeling more encouraged since the Hokage decided to reinforce the protection this time around."
That was when everyone noticed that the hotel lounge changed to an all-white plane of existence.
"What's going on," Hinata asked, "Why's this necessary?"
"I used my Genjutsu: Sharingan on Kurenai and asked her to cast a genjutsu on us all to bring you all here. There's something important we need to tell you," said Sasuke.
"Sasuke and I were suspicious about the entire hotel and used our Sharingan to inspect it. True to our paranoia, we found numerous devices that are reminiscent of devices used for video and audio recording."
Everyone not from Team Kakashi tensed.
"I should have guessed as much," Neji spat out, "Old habits die hard."
Fate stepped forward. "Calm yourself, Neji-kun. I know what Kumo did to you but know that your anger will do no one any good here. In fact, it will do more harm than good."
Taking deep breaths, Neji glared at nothing in particular. "What do we do about this?"
"We do nothing," Kushina suddenly spoke up.
"What? Why not," Kiba exclaimed, "This is a violation of our privacy and our basic rights! They can get in big trouble for this!"
"We can use this to our advantage," Shino solemnly stated, "We can feed them false information about our whereabouts and our plans during our stay here."
"It's more than that," Kushina continued, "Remember what Hokage-sama told us. We are in neutral territory now. That's why she had us place seals on our tongues to prevent anything bad from happening to us. The bugging of the entire hotel is a boon for us, beyond the ability to feed false information, as Shino suggested. The fact that we didn't consent to the bugging of our hotel room will make any recording inadmissible in court and, as Kiba said, could get them in big trouble. If Kumo decides to make a move against us and we succeed in stopping it, there's a good chance that the assailants will report to the Raikage and he will use the testimony to take us to court. That's when we bring out our seals and use their own bugs against them at the same time."
Kakashi concluded, "So we bide our time until such a time that they decide to make a big move against us. That's when we counter with our big moves."
She nodded and said, "Exactly. However, we need to inform Hokage-sama about this." She narrowed her eyes. "I expect the Raikage would be watching our mail very closely as well while we stay here. So I suggest sending a double-layered letter to Konoha. The main layer would simply tell Hokage-sama of our safe arrival and our current status. However, hidden beneath the paper is a sequence of characters that can only be deciphered by the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "So you're using the same concept as the Uchiha Stone Tablet."
Kushina nodded. "Yes, I am. You have my gratitude for trusting us with that secret, by the way." Sasuke nodded in return. "So, Kakashi, write a sequence of characters with each of your eye states - regular, Sharingan, and Mangekyo Sharingan – until such a point that the letter can only be readable by the third state." Kakashi nodded. "We'll decide on the hidden message after this discussion. However, I also want you to write the normal letter sometime later. I will be with you to avoid any suspicion, considering how I am the team leader and am privy to any actions performed by the team." He nodded again. "I may not like Kumogakure much but even I find their methods to be too much. If that's how they want to play, then we'll play by their rules, for now."
Kiba smirked. "Hell yeah! Watch out, Kumo! Konoha's going to kick your ass!"
Next Day
Every genin team was gathered in front of Kumogakure's academy. Everyone was to stick to their own teams while they wait for further instructions. The courtyard they were all gathered in soon became a place of noise as everyone spoke to everyone, at least, everyone from one village spoke to everyone from the same village.
"What do you think the exam is going to be like?"
"I hope it won't be too difficult."
"Bring it on! I've been waiting for this!"
These were some of the sentences being thrown to another's ear.
"Let's do our best," Seishin smiled at her friends, "For Konoha."
They were all silenced when they were surrounded by Kumo ninjas. The head Kumo ninja was the only one on the raised podium. He raised his arms wide and exclaimed, "Genin from the villages of the world, we shall begin this year's Chuunin Examinations!"
And that's done!
I really loved writing this chapter. I especially loved the fight scene between the genin team and Team Kakashi. I tried to make the entire thing flow from one part to another instead of just cutting through it.
You see, unlike most of the fight scenes that I wrote and some of the fight scenes I've read, this fight scene featured four groups of people cramped into one place. The four groups were the groups fighting Fate, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. And they were groups primarily focused on ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and jack-of-all-trades, respectively. The main issue that I originally had with this fight scene was how to move from one group to another without using line breaks and instead naturally moving from one perspective to another.
I didn't like cutting a fight without giving it a more natural send off. That's why I used the bells as the scene-changer. By moving the bell from one person to another, I felt it was more natural than just inserting line breaks and putting 'With Sakura/Sasuke/Fate/Kakashi' after every cut.
The second part that I liked was Madara's infiltration of the library. I won't tell you which library it is but I want to put into the spotlight the dialogue between the different pairs of guards. I got them from a favorite video game of mine. If you can tell me where I got them from, you will get my like for knowing such a good game.
Read and Review.