Chapter 18 Deals inside the Forest of Death.
I don't own Naruto. Anything I use from the story is the property of its creator Masashi Kishimoto. Same with anything I use from other stories
(Forest of Death)
With the second test off and running, the fragments of Ido were out and about trying to see what was happening around them. With Naruto not participating, it was her duty to make sure everyone was safe and made it through the exam. True Naruto's seal was there also, but since she didn't know what his seal did, she wanted to be extra safe. Admittedly, most of the teams weren't a big threat to them but she was focused specifically on two teams. The first was the Sound Village team and the second was the team from the Sand Village. As a demonic entity Ido could sense demonic power and she could sense a huge amount coming from the Sand village's red head Gaara. His power reminded her of Naruto's own demonic power and considering the source of that power, she wanted to pay close attention to him. "What do you idiots want?" a voice that Ido knew very well shouted. The fragment closest to the voice made its way towards the voice until it found the culprit. Tayuya and her team were in front of a team of ninja from the Grass Village. The man in the middle had a V-shaped face with smooth black hair and black eyes with a straw hat. On his right, was a guy with a long grey robe with beady eyes and his hair was hidden by the straw hat he wore. The final guy was bald and wore a clay mask that had a fake face.
'What's going on.' The fragment thought to itself. The Grass Village was already on Ido's shit list for what they tried to pull with Karin, and it appeared as though there was more going on.
"We want to know what the fuck happened Tayuya. You guys were supposed to free Kaizen and his team, not kill them." The man complained.
"Not our fault big guy. The boss said they had to go so they went. If those idiots weren't so incompetent maybe they'd still be alive." Tayuya scoffed.
"Bitch!" the bald guy growled.
"Can we go now. We have more important things to worry about." Dosu growled.
"I agree" Kin said with a hint of annoyance.
"How about no" the bald guy growled.
Tayuya simply smiled, "Since you won't let us go by choice, we'll just get rid of you" Tayuya smiled as her neck glowed briefly and marks began to appear from her body.
"What are you doing?" the man in the middle panicked.
Tayuya's marks seemed to converge together and caused her skin to darken along with adding some horns and, "Simply put. I'm doing what Lord Orochimaru was going to do anyway. Kill you losers" Tayuya smiled as she bit her finger and began flipping through hand signs.
"We gotta get out of here." The man in the middle said nervously.
"Too late. SUMMONING" Tayuya said with a dark grin as she slammed her hand on the ground. The fragment watched with terror as 3 massive beasts appeared from the smoke. It didn't take long for the beasts to kill the team of ninja and their execution was swift and ruthless.
'Better tell Yakumo about that.' The fragment said calmly before vanishing. World of Chakra acted like her version of Shadow clones so once it dispelled the information would be relayed to the main body in short order.
(Team 8)
'Looks like things are happening already.' Ido said from inside Yakumo.
Yakumo paused and cracked a smile, 'So what did you find out.'
'Well for one thing Tayuya is pretty freaking dangerous. She's got this powerful mark on her body that increases her chakra big time. Plus she can summon these nasty beasts.'
'Good to know. I'm assuming you haven't found anything on the others.'
'No but getting back to Tayuya. I was able to confirm that the Grass was working with Orochimaru. Tayuya killed some grass ninja who were pissed because they were supposed to rescue Karin's old team.'
'Got it. We'll have to relay that to Naruto. Shame we're locked in here' Yakumo frowned.
'Worry about Naruto later. We've got company.' Ido warned.
"Get ready guys we've got company." Yakumo relayed to her team.
"Byakugan" Hinata shouted and her legendary dojutsu appeared. She quickly spotted 3 people surrounding them. "You can stop trying to hide. I've already found you." Hinata said sternly. Out of nowhere three figures appeared in front of them. Each of the had a very light-yellow onesie with grey buttons along with spiky black hair and a breather over their mouth. Based on their headbands they were from the Hidden Rain Village
"You may have found us. But can you beat us." One of them said.
"That won't be a problem. I can take you guys on my own" Yakumo smiled as she stepped forward.
"Are you sure you can handle it Yakumo."
"Yeah" Yakumo smiled as her skin darkened a bit and her eyes became slightly red similar to Ido's. It was a partial transformation but one that would give her more than enough chakra for what she needed.
"Sorry girlie it's time to die." Another one of the men shouted as the three charged her immediately.
"Actually, the one that's dying is you guys." Yakumo smiled as she began flashing hand signs. "Black Arts: Festival of the Shadow Beasts." Yakumo smiled.
"Hmph that's not very… what the!" the ninja gasped as large animals appeared from Yakumo's shadow causing the three ninja to pause.
"My jutsu creates powerful beasts that can be used to attack. I hope you like them." Yakumo smiled as the beasts charged the ninja.
"Let's get out of here." The three shouted as they moved to escape just to be surrounded by bugs.
"Sorry but you're not going anywhere." Shino smiled as a wall of killer bugs blocked their path.
"It's over. Sic em boys." Yakumo ordered.
"NO!" the ninja screamed as they were mauled by combination of beasts and bugs. It wasn't long before the three were unconscious.
"Well that was easy." Hinata smiled.
"Yeah. Using Shadow Beast festival was a bit much, but I wanted to get this over with. I'm pissed Shino interfered, but I guess it doesn't matter now." Yakumo chuckled.
"Let's see if they have the scroll." Shino replied as he focused more on their opponents instead of their interference. Luckily for them, the rain village team had the right scroll and Team 8 was done.
"Let's go to the tower team." Hinata smiled.
"Yeah" Yakumo and Shino said happily.
(Team 10)
Team 10 was a team of talented shinobi on the surface, but each of them had a crippling weakness. They were absolutely lazy. "This sucks, five days in this stingy forest and all for a stupid scroll." Ino Yamanaka complained. Ino was the type who hated effort of any kind and although she was talented, she didn't work nearly as hard as she could have.
"We don't really need to spend all five days. We just need to get the right scroll and we're fine. The problem is there's no guarantee we'll know who has what scroll. Such a pain." Shikamaru groaned. Shikamaru was the smartest student in their graduating class but he would rather stare at the clouds.
"I'm hungry" Choji whined. Choji was a powerhouse in his own right but he was constantly hungry. That could be blamed in part on his family's constitution, but it meant that he needed to constantly eat.
Despite their complaints, the Forest of Death was both a great place and a horrible place for Team 10 at the same time. All the trees suited Shikamaru perfectly since he had endless shadows to work with. The opposite was true of Choji who really needed open area to fight. It was a mixed bag for Ino since she could use the trees to ambush somebody for a Mind Transfer Jutsu. Of course, she was a sitting duck if she missed.
As they continued to move, they overheard fighting, "Let's go" Shikamaru said quickly deciding that this was their best chance to get a scroll. If they could ambush a team that was weakened or defeated, they could get the scroll without wasting any unnecessary effort something that suited all three of them. The louder the fighting got the slower Team 10 moved until they finally saw the fighting or at least the end of it. The first team was the team from the Sand Village and Gaara had his hand out as he surrounded a ninja with his sand.
"It's over" Gaara said in a nasally voice.
"Oh no!" Choji whimpered having a good idea of what was coming.
"He wouldn't" Ino panicked. It was understood that this was a fight to the death, but she never imagined that someone would actually try and kill a competitor.
"He would and he is." Shikamaru frowned.
"Sand Funeral." Gaara shouted before closing his hand. The sand compressed quickly and as blood appeared from the sand, there was no doubt as to the fate of the other ninja. Looking further the group could see that more blood was on the ground which suggested his recent kill wasn't the only one.
"Oh God!" Ino said in horror.
"We need to get out of here." Shikamaru said quickly. Unfortunately for them, Gaara turned towards them and practically paralyzed them with his gaze.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gaara growled.
"Just great" Shikamaru groaned as he got up and walked out knowing that he had no other choice.
"What are you doing!" Ino yelled.
"Our only option." Shikamaru scowled as he walked towards them.
"Fine" Ino frowned as she joined Shikamaru.
"I don't wanna." Choji pouted.
"Come on!" Ino shouted back.
"Fine" Choji whimpered, and he walked out. The two teams were face to face and one of them was completely confident while the other was panicking.
"Sucks for you guys. Looks like your Gaara's next victim." The boy in the kabuki mask smiled.
"Kankuro be quiet." Gaara scolded before looking at Ino. His expression darkened as he saw her blonde hair, "You aren't the blonde I want."
"Huh" Ino said in confusion.
"That Naruto kid. Gaara wants to fight him pretty bad. We've tried telling him it won't work because he's not in this exam, but oh well." Kankuro frowned. It was no skin off his back either way.
"Bring him to me." Gaara said in a slightly psychotic voice.
"We can't. Naruto's in the village and we have no way to contact him" Shikamaru tried to explain. They were in deep trouble and he knew it.
"Then you're useless." Gaara frowned as his hand moved up. Team 10 watched with horror as Sand came out of the gourd.
"WAIT!" Ino said quickly.
"What" Gaara frowned the sand calming itself.
"I might be able to bring him to you. So will you let us go." Ino said quickly.
Gaara's eyes narrowed, "Do it or else" Gaara said coldly.
"Ino" Shikamaru said nervously.
"It'll be okay Shikamaru" Ino said calmly while internally she was panicking. Gathering herself quickly she tried to channel chakra into the seal that Naruto put on her, 'Come on Naruto. I know we've had our issues, but I need you.' Ino thought to herself. If this didn't work, she was dead. A minute passed and nothing happened
"You lied" Gaara said with a gravely voice but as he reached his hand out. A flash appeared in front of the group and Naruto showed up in his tracksuit.
"Naruto!" Ino said happily. Never in her life had she been happier to see the blonde.
He's here." Shikamaru said in shock.
Naruto stared at Gaara and his team before looking back at Ino, "So what happened that you need me Ino." Naruto smirked.
He got his answer from the Sand Village team, "Gaara wanted to fight you but you up and quit before he had a chance." Kankuro frowned.
"Got it" Naruto groaned before staring at Gaara.
"You will prove my existence now." Gaara smiled as he summoned more sand from his gourd.
"How about no" Naruto frowned as he began flashing through hand signs.
"You fool. None of your attacks will even hit Gaara." Kankuro smiled.
"Uzumaki Secret Art: Chain Prison." Naruto shouted before stomping the ground.
"Hmph that won't-" Kankuro started to say before a series of chains appeared from the ground right under Gaara. Because they were metal the sand was utterly useless. Gaara was quickly surrounded by the powerful chains which coiled around him and trapped him in a box of chains with a pair of chains on the side anchoring him to the ground.
"What the hell." The blonde girl gasped.
"Secret Art: Chain Prison. It allows me to create the legendary Uzumaki chakra chains from the ground and surround my target. You aren't going anywhere Gaara." Naruto smiled. To prove his point, the chains gripped Gaara tighter as he tried to move around.
"AGHH" Gaara grunted in pain.
"No way" Ino gasped.
"Awesome" Choji said happily.
Naruto turned towards Team 10 and smiled, "Get out of here you guys. I'll deal with them" Naruto said happily.
"I owe you one Naruto." Ino smiled before Team 10 departed.
"Damn you" Gaara grunted trying to break free but finding the task impossible.
"You won't be able to break free unless I say so Gaara. So are you going to listen or not?" Naruto said firmly.
"DAMN YOU!" Gaara growled again.
Naruto shrugged before deciding to take things a bit more seriously. With the stunned blonde and Kankuro watching Naruto activated the fox's cloak, "No way! You're" Temari gasped as the fox's cloak formed on Naruto. It was only one tail but Temari knew exactly what it meant.
"That's right." Naruto smiled before he focused on the struggling Gaara. "The bad news is since I withdrew there's no way that I can fight you in the exams properly, though that's probably a good thing in truth. Luckily for you, there's a month-long break after the second exam and before the third one so we can fight then as long as you behave."
"In case you haven't noticed, you have our teammate trapped. The third exam is meaningless to us if we can't pass this." the blonde protested.
"I was always going to do that. Ino summoned me to help her, and I did." Naruto smiled before getting rid of the cloak.
"So… now what?" the blonde said nervously.
"Now I leave and you three finish the exam." Naruto smiled before snapping his fingers as Gaara went free.
Now free, Gaara focused his energy on Naruto "DIE!" Gaara shouted.
"Not today Gaara." Naruto smiled before vanishing in a shunshin. He did his part and now it was time to go.
(Scene Skip)
Team 8 sat inside their assigned room in the tower and with 4 days left to wait their thoughts turned other places, "It looks like Naruto was right to give us those seals after all." Yakumo frowned. The fragment that was watching Gaara noticed, Ino and her team approach his location and realized that the blonde was in big trouble. She quickly dispelled to alert Yakumo's team and they said something. Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw that Ino was on the verge of being attacked by Gaara. Considering what Ido saw earlier, it would've been a disaster for their fellow genin. Luckily, Ino convinced Gaara to let her summon Naruto and he saved the day.
'We were almost down a genin team." Hinata shuddered. There was no doubt in her mind that Ino would be dead if Naruto intervened and Shikamaru and Choji wouldn't have lasted too long after that.
"And I thought Tayuya would be a problem. Gaara is a nightmare." Ido sighed.
"As the only one who actually saw him in action, what do you make of him Ido." Shino wondered.
"The only person amongst the genin who stands a chance against him is Naruto. Everyone else should just forfeit if they see him."
"I see."
"What about Tayuya?" Hinata wondered.
"She'd be a lot more manageable. Orochimaru would be furious if she revealed her curse mark to the public. That means the Doki are the biggest threat but based on what I saw they're not really going to fit in this arena."
"What about the other issue. The fact she wants something from Naruto and he's not here."
"Let me worry about that. For right now, focus on getting some rest." Ido said firmly.
"Why don't you just summon Naruto over. You girls have the same seals Ino did which means you can." Shino said calmly.
"Frankly because Naruto would probably be angry at us. Those seals were for emergencies only" Yakumo acknowledged.
"Alright" Shino frowned.
"Actually Shino has a point. We should summon him to tell him about Tayuya." Ido surmised.
"We already agreed we'd do it later." Yakumo protested.
"I know but I still don't trust her." Ido explained.
"Let's get some breakfast and worry about it later." Hinata suggested.
"Fine" Yakumo nodded.
"Agreed'
Like that, Team 8 made their way downstairs to eat. They had four days till the exam ended and they had a lot to figure out during that time.
(Scene Skip)
Team 10's arrival at the tower was one of very mixed feelings. After the battle with Gaara they were lucky to find an easy team and beat them before making their way to the tower, "We made it. This was such a pain." Shikamaru said with relief.
"Yeah. Now I can get a good meal." Choji groaned hungrily. He needed proper food.
"Yeah" Ino sighed. She still couldn't get over the fact that if Naruto didn't show up, she'd probably be dead. Beating the other team didn't help her mood at all.
Shikamaru noticed his teammates expression and frowned. Looking up, he saw the message and realized what they had to do, "Okay guys let's open the scrolls." Shikamaru said calmly.
"Right" Ino and Choji nodded. Opening the scrolls there was a puff of smoke and their sensei Asuma appeared.
"Well done guys." Asuma smiled.
"Thanks sensei." Ino sighed.
Asuma noticed the lack of enthusiasm and realized something was wrong, "What happened Ino?" Asuma frowned.
Ino winced and Shikamaru decided to take over, "We had a very interesting encounter in the forest." Shikamaru explained. Shikamaru told Asuma what happened and to say their teacher was disturbed was an understatement.
"It appears that I owe Naruto a great debt." Asuma smiled.
"Yeah" Ino sighed.
"But I'll need to talk to Anko about this." Asuma frowned.
"How come, sensei?" Shikamaru asked calmly.
"Technically what he did counts as outside interference. For now you guys are fine but let me get back to you on that." Asuma frowned.
Ino scowled but this was all her doing, "Hey sensei can you do me a favor?" Ino wondered.
"What's that."
"If a punishment happens to the team make sure it only affects me."
Asuma raised his eyes for a moment before cracking a smile, "Based on your story that's probably what's going to happen anyway but I'm glad you said something Ino."
"Okay" Ino smiled.
"Well I'll lead you guys to the rooms and then talk with Anko." Asuma said calmly.
"Ummm can I have a separate room at least for now." Ino asked again.
"That's fine." Asuma smiled and Team 10 made their way to the rooms reserved for those who passed the test.
The rooms were pretty basic with 3 small beds each so a team could stay together. At least there was a shower for the guys and girls. Shikamaru and Choji took one room but Ino took the one next door. "If you need us, we'll be right next door." Shikamaru said calmly.
"I'll be fine Shika." Ino smiled although she was still a bit worn out.
"Alright" Shikamaru said calmly as he closed the door.
Once the door was closed Ino sat on the bed and gathered herself, "Hopefully this works again." Ino said calmly as she focused on the seal on her side. Nothing happened and first and Ino frowned but after about a minute a flash appeared and out popped Naruto, this time he was in his black jacket and black pants.
"This was supposed to be for emergencies only Ino." Naruto frowned. He was actually about to have some fun with Fu when Ino called so he was particularly annoyed right now.
Ino winced a bit but she needed, "I… I can't fight right now."
"Repeat that" Naruto twitched.
"I can't fight right now Naruto. I'm still caught up in what happened."
"Then talk to your team." Naruto frowned.
"I can't." Ino protested.
"Why not?" Naruto said angrily.
"Because they wouldn't understand."
Naruto resisted the urge to face palm, but he also knew arguing was pointless, "They are your teammates Ino. They experienced what you did. and no doubt had similar fears to yours. You're doing them a disservice by suggesting they can't help you." Naruto explained.
"But what will they think of me." Ino protested just for Naruto to slap her in the face.
"Damn it Ino stop worrying about what people think about you! This is not about being popular or being the top girl. This is the real world Ino. Nobody cares how popular you are. All they care about is can you get the job done."
"Easy for you to say. You have that damn fox in your gut." Ino retorted.
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle since Ino clearly needed a reality check, "I may have the fox, but I never use its power outside of recovering from training. You were so focused on being popular that you didn't do any of the things required to be a real kunoichi. Let's be real Ino you're practically useless without Shikamaru and Choji and EVERYBODY knows it." Naruto scolded.
"I…. Damn it." Ino sighed because Naruto was right. If not for Shikamaru her techniques were pretty much useless.
Naruto hated being the bad guy even with somebody like Ino and he tried to be nicer, "Look Ino. Talk to Shikamaru and talk to Choji. They'll know what to do to help you since they know what's going on.
"Thanks Naruto" Ino smiled.
"It's no big deal." Naruto replied before vanishing in a pop.
"I can't believe he used a shadow clone." Ino smiled as she tried to relax just to hear a knock on her door. She walked over and found Shikamaru and Choji standing in front.
"We overheard you talking with Naruto." Shikamaru smiled.
"Want to talk about it" Choji said warmly.
Ino was glad that her teammates had her back, "Yeah" Ino said happily. Team 10 had a tough time in the forest, but this experience may be exactly what they needed.
(Scene Skip)
Ino couldn't hide her nervousness as she was led into a private room inside the tower by a chunin that she didn't recognize. Opening the door she found a small table and Anko Mitarashi on the other side with her trenchcoat closed and a very serious expression on her face, 'Oh crap' Ino said nervously. This was serious Anko and that meant this could end badly for her.
"Sit down Ino." Anko said calmly.
Ino followed instructions and sat down, "Um Miss Anko."
"That's proctor to you right now. I have to admit that I never imagined somebody could cheat in the second exam, but you did it." Anko said with a stern glance. Ino was well aware of Anko's reputation and didn't want to be on her bad side if she could help it.
"I didn't cheat!" Ino protested.
"So getting somebody who wasn't part of the exam to help you wasn't cheating." Anko countered.
Ino winced visibly, "I had no choice. If I didn't use the seal, I would've been killed by that freak. Naruto gave it to me in case of emergencies and that Gaara guy wanted him. I'd say the situation applies." Ino replied.
Anko frowned, "Did you ask Naruto to put the seal on you."
"Of course not. I didn't even know he did it and I had to ask him myself or I wouldn't have known anything in the first place."
"When did he put the seal on and when did you discuss it." Anko asked with her hands curled together.
"He put the seal on me before the first exam and I asked him about it during the test by using the mind transfer jutsu on him." Ino answered.
"So let me get this straight. You used a mind jutsu on Naruto Uzumaki, which I'm pretty sure you were told not to, and he told you about the seal." Anko asked in disbelief.
"Yes! I needed to know what he did to me. When Gaara told me what he wanted I used the seal to summon Naruto. After that we left, and I don't know what happened?"
"I see" Anko frowned.
"If you punish anybody for this punish me. Shikamaru and Choji deserve a chance to be promoted and I don't."
"We'll you did get one thing right Ino." Anko said with an icy expression on her face.
"What's that." Ino frowned.
Anko's expression took a complete 180, "You DEFINITELY don't deserve to be a chunin if you caved so easily."
"Huh?" Ino blinked.
Anko smiled before undoing her coat, "You caved so quickly that it wasn't even funny. I know your old man told you ghost stories about me, but that doesn't mean you give up like that." Anko said with a smile.
"So… so this was all a game." Ino said in shock.
"Yup. I wanted to see how you'd react to everything."
"So… so I'm not in trouble."
"Not at all kiddo. Right after I sent you little brats into the Forest of Death, Naruto met with me and told me about the seals. I didn't expect them to be used for that but oh well." Anko smiled.
Ino frowned because she fell for everything, "I really am useless."
Anko surprised Ino by getting up and patting her on the head, "Nobody is useless kid, but you do have a lot of areas to improve. I suggest you do just that in the next month because you're still in the exam for now." Anko smiled.
"I see" Ino said happily.
"Now get back to your room because I've got Dango to eat." Anko smiled.
"Right!" Ino smiled as she got up. She got lucky, and as she walked back to her room, she swore that she would become a better ninja for her team and for herself.
(Scene Skip)
Tayuya was not in a good mood and she really only had herself to blame. Her plan to escape Orochimaru was compromised big time thanks to Naruto not being in the second part of exam. Orochimaru was going to attack Naruto and his team in order to give Sasuke Uchiha the cursed seal. Her team was supposed to attack afterwards, and she could slip in a means of proper communication to him. With him not around Orochimaru's plan changed completely. Fortunately for her there was another means to contact Naruto, if her instinct was right it was still available to her. Making her way into one of the empty rooms she took a deep breath before making her move, "Yo Hanyuu mask, you're here aren't you." Tayuya shouted. This was merely a guess, but she had no choice. A moment passed and then a flash appeared in the room. It was the Hanyuu masked girl from before.
"Well done. How did you know I was here?" Ido smiled.
"Had an odd feeling during our fight with the Grass ninja and it reminded me of you. Considering your type I figured that you'd keep doing it." Tayuya replied glad her plan worked out.
"Looks like you have the same Uzumaki instincts as Naruto. I don't know whether to be terrified or pleased"
"Yeah, speaking of which, I need to talk with him."
"No"
"Why the fuck not!" Tayuya shouted.
"There are too many unknowns with you Tayuya. Naruto is important to me and I still have too many questions about you" Ido admitted.
Tayuya sighed because she knew this, "Look I need to talk to him, and I won't have a chance until it's too late."
"Too late for what?'
"If you bring him over, you'll find out." Tayuya frowned.
Ido really didn't like this but she had no choice. "Fine but this better be good." Ido frowned as she created a clone that instantly vanished to go find Naruto.
A few minutes passed and nothing happened, "You bitch! Where is he."
"He's occupied dumbass." Ido frowned.
"With what!" Tayuya shouted.
Ido cracked a smile, "More like with who." Ido found Naruto balls deep inside Haku and neither of them were pleased by the interruption.
Tayuya blushed heavily at the implication but before she could respond there was a flash and Naruto appeared in an orange jumpsuit. When he spotted Tayuya he scowled, "Ido care to explain what's going on?"
"She's the one who wanted to talk." Ido spoke from the air.
Naruto focused on Tayuya and frowned, "Alright Tayuya talk!"
Tayuya froze briefly at his fierce gaze but only briefly, "Remember how I told you that if you help free me and Kin, I'll tell you what Orochimaru is planning." Tayuya said firmly.
"I do" Naruto said calmly.
"Well it's time I actually do that but before we do there's one more thing I need to do." Tayuya said calmly as she spun and pointed at the back of her neck and at a mark hidden by her shirt.
"That's where those marks came from." Ido frowned.
"Marks" Naruto said curiously.
"That's right. It's called the Curse mark jutsu and Orochimaru gave it to me a while ago. It gives the person who has it a big power boost but it's some seriously messed up stuff." Tayuya frowned as she spun back to face them.
"How messed up are we talking." Naruto said curiously. He knew Anko had a similar mark, but he never really got into it. Anko HATED discussing it and he respected Anko enough not to bring it up.
"Like messed up enough that Lord Orochimaru could use it to take over our body messed up." Tayuya revealed causing Naruto and Ido to gasp.
"How's that possible!" Naruto asked nervously.
"My guess is Orochimaru puts a fragment of his soul inside the curse mark. Every time you use the mark a bit of his soul seeps into your body."
"Pretty much." Tayuya shrugged.
"How did you figure all of that out about the mark" Naruto wondered.
Tayuya cracked a smiled, "I lived in a place called the Land of Rice Paddies with my mother before it was taken over by Orochimaru. I had a few friends there and one of them was Kin. My mom told me stories about the Uzumaki, and I learned quite a bit about seals before Orochimaru came in and dragged me away."
"I see" Naruto frowned putting the note about Rice Paddies to the side.
"Yeah. I can't get rid of it myself, but I was hoping that you could fix it for me." Tayuya replied.
Naruto didn't have a chance to analyze the seal himself since Anko never talked about hers, "It might take me a day or two to analyze it." Naruto admitted.
"That's fine. As long as we can get started now that's fine." Tayuya said calmly before reaching for her purple belt and unfurling it.
"Wh… why are you stripping." Ido wondered.
"Because I want him to get a good look at the seal." Tayuya smiled before putting the belt to the side and reaching for her tunic. Before long that was gone, leaving Tayuya in a black bra that showed off her B cup breasts and her skin-tight shorts. Naruto had to admit that Tayuya's body wasn't too bad.
"Ido can you go to my room and grab some of the seal paper on my desk." Naruto said calmly.
"Of course" Ido replied before vanishing in a black fog.
Tayuya cracked a smile, "So we have a deal."
"We do but before that there's one thing I have to know about."
"Unfortunately I'm not a virgin." Tayuya said bashfully.
Naruto cracked a smile deciding to put that information to the side, "That's not what I want to know Tayuya. What I want to know is what's next?"
"Huh!?" Tayuya said in confusion.
"The second exam will be officially over in three days. How do you intend to work with me when there's a month until the third exam and you have to return to Orochimaru?"
"Blood clones." Tayuya smiled.
Naruto opened his eyes, "Very well."
"Shame she'll be back soon, or you could properly vet me." Tayuya said in a sultry voice.
"We'll have plenty of time for that later, but we need to keep you alive. You still haven't told me about Orochimaru's plan" Naruto deadpanned.
Tayuya scowled, "Why'd you have to ruin the moment." Tayuya frowned just as Ido returned.
"I got it" Ido replied as she handed Naruto a piece of white paper.
"I'm going to use this to copy the seal and then analyze it at home. It'll be tricky but I have no safer options." Naruto said calmly.
"Got it" Tayuya replied.
Naruto walked over to Tayuya and placed the paper on her neck, "This'll hurt for a bit." Naruto said calmly.
"Got it" Tayuya replied as she braced herself.
Naruto flashed a few hand signs and then pressed the paper against Tayuya's Neck, "Uzumaki Art: Seal Scan." The paper started to glow which indicated that the jutsu was working.
"FUCK!" Tayuya shouted as she felt the seal get pulled into the paper. It hurt like hell, but she endured. Compared to some of the things she dealt with it was nothing. After a minute Naruto pulled away.
"Now I can look over the seal later." Naruto said calmly pocketing the paper.
Tayuya was panting, "Before you go, I should at least tell you what Orochimaru is planning. That way you can stop him even if I'm no longer here" Tayuya said weakly.
"Okay" Naruto said calmly.
"With the help of the Hidden Sand Village, Lord Orochimaru is planning on invading the Leaf Village." Tayuya revealed.
"What!" Naruto and Ido gasped.
"Yup. Me and a team of 3 others are going to isolate him and the old man, but outside of that I don't know much."
"Despite not knowing much, that's plenty." Ido said nervously.
"It is and for that you deserve a reward." Naruto said with a smile as he grabbed Tayuya and pulled her into his arms
"Prince Naru- MPH" Tayuya started to say before Naruto slammed his lips against hers in a fierce kiss.
"Wha-" Ido gasped not expecting that.
Tayuya was caught off guard but when she felt a small sensation on her side. She wasn't certain but she had a feeling that Naruto put a seal on her so he could get to her in case something did happen, 'Thank you Prince Naruto' Tayuya thought to herself before parting her lips so Naruto's tongue could have access to hers. They clashed tongues for a few seconds before Naruto pulled away.
"After I get rid of that seal, we can finish what I just started Tayuya." Naruto smiled.
"Sounds good my prince." Tayuya smiled before walking out of the room and back to her team. Now she had hope.
Once the door was closed Ido stared at Naruto with clear concern in her voice, "Are you sure about this Naruto."
"Depends which part. Tayuya's given me quite a lot to do." Naruto smiled.
"Yep. I'm assuming one of those things is getting back to Haku"
Naruto cracked a smile, "Actually no, I left a few clones for her."
"Lucky her. Given how many teams passed we're probably going to have preliminaries which means i won't have any Naruto time until later" Ido frowned.
"That's how it is sometimes." Naruto smiled before vanishing himself.
"You really are something Naruto, but we need to do something about you and enemy kunoichi." Ido chuckled as she returned to her mist form and made her way back to Yakumo.
(Scene Skip)
The time has finally arrived for the third test and Tayuya and her team were ready to go, "Alright guys we've got 15 minutes until we have to go down and take this fucking test." Tayuya groaned.
"We'll be fine Tayuya. These brats are no match for us." Dosu scoffed.
Tayuya was about to respond but somebody knocked on their door much to her surprise, "Who the fuck could this be." Tayuya groaned. Opening the door she was met by somebody she didn't expect and caused her to freeze with fear.
"Hello there everyone." Orochimaru said with a smile. Orochimaru was dressed in the jonin outfit for the Sound Village which was a gray flak jacket with black long sleeved shirt underneath and gray pants.
"L-Lord Orochimaru!" Tayuya gasped. She certainly didn't expect that he'd visit them himself. The fact that he was disguised as a jonin was not a good thing at all.
Orochimaru smiled before looking at the team, "Dosu please go on ahead. I'd like to have a word with Tayuya and Kin." Orochimaru smiled.
"Of course" Dosu replied and left Tayuya and Kin alone.
With the final member of their team gone Tayuya and Kin tensed up aware that this could end badly, 'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This is the last thing I needed.' Tayuya cursed internally. A part of her very much considered calling Naruto.
"Before you call young Uzumaki, you might want to listen to what I have to say." Orochimaru said with a knowing smile causing Tayuya and Kin's eyes to widen.
"How… did you"
Orochimaru smiled and he walked over to Tayuya and put a hand on her face taking quite a bit of joy out of the look of fear on her face, "I've known about your plans to betray me for some time Tayuya. I indulged in it because I found it amusing and you didn't disappoint me at all. The fact you continued to move even though they withdrew did impress me." Orochimaru smiled. Tayuya forgot that this used to be his training ground and the tower was meant to be an early place for his experiments, so he had hidden cameras set up.
Tayuya paled because she was trapped. She had no idea how Orochimaru knew what she was up to, but she did. "You know how I feel, and you caught me. So do your worst." Tayuya said icily as he stared into the eyes of her twisted master.
Orochimaru smiled because he could appreciate that fire of hers, "Oh I will, but I want to make sure the stakes are clear first."
"Stakes" Tayuya said with a raise eyebrow.
"Yes. You'll learn shortly that there are preliminary matches for the third round. If you win your match, I will allow you and Kin to go free and even remove the curse mark myself. Lose and you two will suffer the consequences." He was originally planning to kill Kin anyway in order to power his special jutsu but now that he had the bodies of the grass ninja, he was feeling a bit lenient. The fact he could replace Tayuya with Kimimaro didn't hurt.
"So I just need to win." Tayuya said curiously.
"Yes, but you cannot use your curse mark since that will expose you. I can assure you that your Doki won't do you much good either because of the size of the arena" Orochimaru cackled.
Tayuya' eye widened before a smile appeared on her face, "So I just need to win." Tayuya said again. She'd been developing a training style for just such an occasion.
"That's right." Orochimaru smiled well aware of what she was planning to do.
"Wait! What's going on." Kin said nervously having just listened to this point.
Tayuya smiled before looking at her friend, "Short version is this. If I win against one of these losers, then you and I are free. If not we're dead." Tayuya said nonchalantly.
Kin frowned, "What about my match" Kin wondered.
Orochimaru smiled, "I'm leaving your fate in Tayuya's hands. Consider it a last gift of sorts." Orochimaru smiled. He was no fool and Kin's style wouldn't work in single combat. Tayuya's secret style would be interesting based on who she fought and that was an experiment worth attempting.
"I see" Kin frowned.
"Given whose there it should be interesting." Tayuya smiled. She saw most of the ninja who arrived the night before and based on Kabuto's information she had some winnable matches.
Orochimaru looked at her boldly and smiled, "Then impress me Tayuya. Give me some entertainment before I destroy everything."
Tayuya smiled back, "If I have my way. You won't destroy anything." Tayuya said defiantly
Orochimaru was thrilled by the defiance and a part of him wanted to see if she would succeed, "Well then let's see what happens." The snake Sannin replied as he left the room.
"Yeah" Tayuya smirked as she and Kin followed. This couldn't have gone better if she planned and now the stage was set to free her and Kin.
That's it for Chapter 18 and yeah this was fun. Next chapter is the preliminaries and things are about to get very interesting.