Chapter 19 Planning for the Future
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
(Tower)
After a short explanation about the purposes of the chunin exams the competitors learned that there would be a series of preliminary matches before they could have the third exam. The proctor for these exams was Hayate Gekkō, a special jonin with short brown hair and dark colored eyes with bags underneath. The arena for the preliminary's was a simple one with an elevated area for the other competitors and jonin to watch, "Alright everyone, it's time to choose the competitors for the first round." Hayate said calmly and the various competitors looked up at the large wall behind the proctor. At the bottom of the wall was a pair of arms in the ram hand sign with Four square panels surrounding one much larger panel. As one of the screens lit up with various names it stopped on Yoroi Akado and Shino Aburame.
"Here we go" Yoroi said happily while Shino stayed calm. Yoroi was a lightly tanned skinned young man with sunglasses around his eyes and a blue mask which concealed his face. Much like his teammate Kabuto, he wore a purple high-collared vest with a white shirt underneath and purple pants held up by an obi with blue sandals and purple fingerless gloves.
"Yoroi Akado and Shino Aburame please stay right where you are. The rest of you please go up." Hayate announced and the two were ready.
(Scene Skip)
While most of the ninja were focused on the first battle, Tayuya of the Sound Village was focused on something else, 'I may be confident in my secret training, but if I'm gonna free myself I do need a bit of luck' Tayuya thought to herself. She knew that fighting Gaara would be an instant loss. She was good, but against him she was as good as dead. There was also the little matter of the person who had been watching her since she started making her various moves. At first Tayuya assumed it was an ANBU based on the disguise, but when she sensed her in the Forest of Death and the tower she knew otherwise.
"Tayuya is something wrong?" Kin whispered nervously.
"Yeah. I'm thinking about a bunch of things including the person who was watching me. The one who knows Prince Naruto."
"Wait! Are you saying she's competing in the third exams!"
"Yeah, but I don't know who she is." Tayuya frowned. She quickly looked at who was around, and nobody stood out.
'You're not going to find me that easily Tayuya. Wouldn't be much of a disguise otherwise.' Ido taunted.
Tayuya twitched heavily, 'We can play mind games later. I've got other shit to focus on.' Tayuya frowned.
'Very well.' Ido replied before ending their mental link.
With the brief conversation taken care of, Tayuya's focus turned to the match just to find that it was over, "Yoroi lost. That Aburame kid is good." Kin frowned.
"Let's focus on our potential matches Kin. Both of us are going to have a tricky time" Tayuya said sternly.
"Alright" Kin replied calmly, and they turned to the screen to find the next match was up. Tenten Higarashi vs Ino Yamanaka.
(Scene Skip)
"Now that was a beatdown." Tayuya smiled as she watched the two latest competitors walk away from the battle. It was a completely one-sided match with Tenten coming out on top.
"I'm kind of embarrassed for that Ino girl. To only use academy level jutsu in a chunin exam fight was embarrassing." Kin smiled. The fact she lost to only a few actual hits spoke volumes to how weak she was.
"I'd focus on your own fate Kin." Dosu smirked deciding to join his two teammates. Dosu overheard the discussion with Orochimaru and knew that Tayuya was a traitor but considering the situation he didn't act. The only reason he joined them now was so nobody else got suspicious of their village.
"Yeah yeah we know Dosu. Now it's time for the next match." Tayuya rolled her eyes as the next competitor was chosen. When the names were revealed, the reaction was mixed among the Sound Village group.
"Oh hell" Dosu groaned in annoyance while Kin and Tayuya had to do their best to hide their amusement.
"Kabuto Yakushi vs Gaara." Hayate announced.
'It's bad enough that I couldn't withdraw because there were an even amount, of shinobi, but to think I have to fight Gaara of all people. This couldn't have worked out worse if I tried.' Kabuto thought to himself. He was about to say something before a surprising voice spoke up.
"I surrender." Gaara announced in his typical gruff voice.
"What!" the rest of the Sand village team gasped with visible shock coming from their jonin and a hidden Orochimaru.
"Are you sure about this." Hayate said calmly. Hayate was told about Gaara's identity, and his match was one he had to look out for. The fact he was withdrawing was a shock.
"Yes I am. The person I truly wish to fight isn't here and I can tell this one's blood isn't worth spilling" Gaara said in a grave voice.
"But Gaara" his blonde teammate protested.
"Shut up Temari or 'll kill you." Gaara growled again and the now named Temari stayed quiet.
Hayate frowned but there was nothing he could do, "The winner of this match is Kabuto Yakushi."
'Well that's boring' Tayuya thought to herself. She was actually curious how her master's lapdog would do against the beast but now she wouldn't find out. As the next competitors appeared on the screen Tayuya's expression turned from boredom to glee.
'Tayuya vs Choji Akimichi'
'
"Oh yeah!" Choji said happily as he ran down with Tayuya taking her time getting down there.
'This couldn't have worked out better than I tried. Of all the people we researched in the Leaf, the Akimichi work out best with my style.' Tayuya thought to herself as she walked down to the arena and stood in front of her newest opponent.
"Get her Choji." Ino shouted weakly as she watched on. Her battle with Tenten didn't leave her with bad injuries at all but the fact she was beaten down so easily hurt her pride. The worst part was that the villages 'weapon master' didn't even use her weapons to dispatch her. Just pure taijutsu and that spoke volumes to how weak she was.
"Come on big guy. You can do it" Shikamaru said happily.
"You have some good teammates" Tayuya snorted deciding to focus on her opponent.
"They're pretty awesome. I'm surprised your teammates aren't cheering" Choji said with a smile.
"We're not that type of team." Tayuya smiled as she got into her stance.
"Begin" Hayate shouted before jumping out of the way.
Tayuya smiled before flashing hand signs, "I'm just gonna end this right now big guy. Earth Style: Makibishi Bombs" Tayuya shouted before spitting a glob of chakra into the air that got halfway to Choji before breaking apart into small projectiles that surrounded the area but never hit Choji.
"That was pointless 'Expansion jutsu'." Choji smiled.
"You'd think that but don't be so sure." Tayuya smiled her trap already set.
"Don't underestimate that last attack Choji! She did that for a reason" Asuma shouted.
"Right" Choji smiled before jumping into the air, 'Human boulder.' Choji shouted and he charged Tayuya as a spinning ball.
"Bad move buddy." Tayuya smiled as Choji went over one of the areas that was hit by the earlier technique, and it triggered an explosion sending him into the air.
*BOOM
"Choji!" Ino shouted as Choji flew into the air.
"No!" Shikamaru shouted knowing Choji was in trouble.
Tayuya couldn't help but smile as she began flashing hand signs. "Nice knowing you big guy. Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu" Tayuya's mouth expanded as a massive burst of flames went towards a still falling Choji who was in no position to dodge.
"CHOJI!" Shikamaru shouted, but it was too late, and the young man was slammed with the brutal flames.
"AHHH!" Choji screamed in pain as the powerful attack seared his body. The earlier attack messed up his equilibrium and he wasn't able to prepare a substitution and now he was paying for it.
"That should do it" Tayuya smiled as Choji fell to the ground with a thud as the flames dispersed but the damage was already done.
"CHOJI!" Asuma and Shikamaru shouted at once. He was lucky that most of his burns were minor, but he was still in bad shape.
Hayate walked over to check on Choji and confirmed what everyone suspected, "The Winner is Tayuya. Get this kid a medic as soon as possible" Hayate shouted knowing that Choji would need it after those burns.
Tayuya smiled before looking up at a happy Kin and a seething Dosu. "There we go" Tayuya smiled as she walked back up.
(Yakumo P.O.V)
As Tayuya walked up I couldn't help but crack a smile at the ruthless display, 'How about that. She used a completely different style from the forest.' Ido spoke into my head.
'That's obvious Ido. They wouldn't want to expose the curse mark or the Doki. I didn't expect it to be so perfect to fight Choji though.' I replied.
'I imagine Tayuya was thrilled when she realized she was fighting him given what was at stake.' Ido smiled. Ido had been watching Tayuya until just before everyone came down, so she knew about her deal with Orochimaru. Now things were getting very interesting.
'I wonder what she'd do if she fought us.' I mused.
'It doesn't matter now but I wouldn't mind finding out down the road' Ido replied, and we focused on the next battle.
The next battle was Neji vs Tayuya's teammate Dosu and it was a surprisingly tough match for the Hyuuga prodigy. After activating his Byakugan, Neji charged Dosu just for Dosu to use his right arm to hit Neji with a burst of sound just like he did to Kabuto. Neji was disoriented and Dosu nailed him with a roundhouse kick that sent him flying, but that was it. Considering he fought against Lee all the time meant that Neji was used to much stronger attacks. Sure enough, Neji quickly got up and smacked his face before after activating his Byakugan again. Just like before he charged Dosu, but this time Neji wasn't affected by his attack and nailed his right shoulder with the jyuken.
"How come my attack didn't work." Dosu gasped wondering the same thing most of the crowd was.
"When I smacked my face earlier, I plugged my ears with chakra. It's a trick usually use to ignore Gai sensei and Lee when they get going, but this time I used it to stop your attack." Neji said with a smile. Everyone in the village knew how loud Gai and Lee were and that was actually sort of genius. Taking a glance at Lee, I could see that he had an expression like a kicked puppy. Tenten tried to console him, but I could see she was secretly amused also. With his one advantage gone, Dosu was toast and barely a minute later Neji won the match.
The next battle involved Kabuto's last teammate Musumi and Kankuro of the sand village. It was a short battle as Musumi surrounded Kankuro just to fall victim to his puppet. One look at the guy should've made it obvious he was a puppet user but considering the circumstances I wasn't going to complain.
Afterwards was a battle between Hinata, and Neji's teammate Rock Lee which sucked for Hinata. Outside of Naruto, Lee was one of the most dangerous young shinobi in the Leaf and was a rotten matchup for Hinata because of the fact he didn't use chakra. In an intense battle, Lee and Hinata fought to the limit before Hinata fell in defeat. Honestly if she fought anybody else outside of that Gaara guy, possibly Neji, or me, she would've been okay, but she fought Lee. That's the luck of the draw.
With that done my focus turned to the screen because there were four matches left. Me, Tayuya's friend Kin, that Temari girl, and Shikamaru. When the next matchup was revealed. I was surprisingly pleased to see Kin face that Temari girl because it meant I would face Shikamaru. My new techniques mean that Shikamaru doesn't have a chance against me.
Luckily for me, I didn't have to wait long because Temari thrashed that girl Kin almost as easily as Tenten bashed Ino. She used Senbon but Temari had a large war fan and that meant this wouldn't last long.
Now it was time for my match with Shikamaru and I was going to enjoy this.
(Normal P.O.V)
The final battle was on and Yakumo walked down to find Shikamaru looking at him with a dazed expression, "So Yakumo it's you and me huh." Shikamaru said lazily.
"That's right and you drew the short end of the stick with me Shika." Yakumo replied.
"Begin" Hayate smiled and the two got into their stance.
Shikamaru tossed a kunai at Yakumo, and she quickly deflected it but that was the distraction he needed to get into the stance and activated the Nara Clan's signature Shadow possession. Everyone in the room expected Yakumo to dodge but they were shocked when she took the attack and allowed their shadows to connect, "So this is what the Nara clan's shadow possession jutsu fells like. I can see why a lot of people struggle with it" Yakumo smiled.
"What the. Why didn't you dodge." Shikamaru said in confusion. It was a question that others in the room wondered also.
"Because I didn't need to" Yakumo smiled as she made her move.
Shikamaru was about to ask what she meant but stopped when Yakumo's skin tanned a bit and two small white horns appeared from her head. "What the hell!" Shikamaru gasped.
"You can call me Ido Shikamaru. Think of me as an inner Yakumo and one of the reasons you're about to lose." Ido smiled as she began flashing hand signs.
"Impossible. You shouldn't be able to move." Shikamaru gasped.
"You have bigger problems Shika. Secret Art: Shadow Balance" Ido said happily.
'Shadow Balance. What in the world is that?' Shikamaru wondered nervously.
"Look down Shikamaru!" Asuma screamed and as Shikamaru looked down he noticed his shadow had become a large beartrap and one that was poised to attack him.
"Damn!" Shikamaru cursed as the beartrap surrounded him just for Shikamaru to vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Well done, Shika. You got that replacement jutsu up just in time. Anyway, Shadow balance lets me turn your shadow into a beartrap and most of my techniques involve shadows" Ido smiled.
"Well this sucks. If you can control shadows also, I'm screwed." Shikamaru groaned.
'Yup. So be a good boy and surrender." Ido smiled.
Shikamaru hated the smile on Ido's face, but she was right. This battle was over, "I surrender." Shikamaru groaned.
"The winner is Yakumo Kurama. That brings an end to these preliminary matches." Hayate announced.
(Scene Skip)
With the preliminaries over it was time for the pairings for third exam and Hayate had the 9 winners walk down to the stage. Admittedly because of that number things are going to be unique." Hayate said calmly. Next to him was the Third Hokage who had a box in front of him and a small board behind him
"Inside the box are 9 numbers. Due to the uneven numbers we've got a unique setup," the Third explained.
Hayate wrote the setup on the board which revealed the matchups 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4, 5 vs 6, 7 x 8 and with 9 facing the winner of 7 vs 8.
"What the heck. So numbers 7 8 and have an extra match." Tenten complained.
"That is excellent. That means my flames of youth can explode even more." Lee said happily.
"Be quiet Lee." Tenten groaned before punching him on the top of his head.
"Anyway. Please come up one by one." The Third said with a smile.
One by one, the 9 ninja picked their numbers, and soon the matchups were decided.
Shino Aburame 4
Tenten Higarashi 1
Kabuto Yakushi 9
Tayuya 8
Neji Hyuuga 5
Rock Lee 6
Kankuro 3
Temari 2
Yakumo Kurama 7
"The matchups are as followed. Tenten Higarashi vs Temari, Kankuro vs Shino Aburame, Rock Lee vs Neji Hyuuga, Yakumo Kurama vs Tayuya and the winner will face Kabuto Yakushi.
The reactions were mixed from the crowd. Tayuya was furious because she realized that Yakumo was the person watching her this whole and now they were opponents. The worst part was she'd have to face Kabuto next and considering the circumstances he'd be out for blood. Lee was thrilled to be facing Neji and with Tenten competing also it could be an interesting day for Team Guy. Yakumo was amused that she would face Tayuya, and Kabuto scowled because he still had to fight. The fact that the exams couldn't have gone worse for Orochimaru's plans only added to his annoyance.
"We'll reconvene in a month. Until then you are all dismissed." The Third said happily.
(Scene Skip)
Tayuya and a nervous Kin, stood inside their room with Dosu as they waited for their master to arrive. To say things hadn't gone as planned for Orochimaru was an understatement and now it was time for Orochimaru to keep his end of the deal. 'Here we go' Tayuya thought to herself. She won her match and now it was time to see if she would be free. She discreetly looked at her right side where Naruto's seal was hidden, and she wondered if she might need it to escape. "Congratulations Tayuya." Dosu spoke up breaking her from her thought.
"Huh" Tayuya replied absentmindedly.
"You showed yourself as our leader and won your match. I am surprised you hid such a style from all of us this whole time." Dosu said calmly.
Tayuya was shocked that Dosu was that polite and admittedly it caught her flat-footed "Oh… yeah. When Lord Orochimaru told us about his plan, I figured that we might need a different style, so I worked hard to develop it." Tayuya replied.
"Well it worked and now you're in the finals." Dosu smiled.
"You did great Tayuya" Kin smiled trying to play along.
"Thanks I" Tayuya started to say before the door to their room opened. 'Here we go.' Tayuya thought as Orochimaru walked back in.
"How are you all doing?" Orochimaru said calmly. He was furious at the way things played out but as a scientist he knew that sometimes things didn't go as you wanted.
"Fine Lord Orochimaru" Tayuya replied politely.
"That's good. While things didn't quite go as planned, I was very pleased with the results." Orochimaru smiled focusing on Tayuya in particular.
'Pleased. That was a fucking disaster for him.' Tayuya thought in confusion. Gaara is out and Kabuto is in the finals which means his original idea to have him appear in the middle of the village is gone. The fact that she was in was irrelevant because she was about to be a free agent.
Orochimaru smiled before turning towards the members, "Dosu. You lost because your opponent was taught by Might Gai. The man is loud enough that even I have problems with him. The fact he knew how to put chakra in his ears was admittedly rather brilliant and there's nothing you could've done." Orochimaru chuckled.
"Thank you, sir." Dosu said with a bit of surprise.
"What about us." Kin said nervously.
"To be frank my dear I never expected you to win regardless. Your style is ill-suited for singles combat." Orochimaru said bluntly.
"I see" Kin frowned.
Orochimaru couldn't help but smile as he turned towards Tayuya, "As for you Tayuya. You exceeded my expectations. You were up against an Akimichi which certainly helped, but that jutsu was quite formidable. I've seen many Earth style jutsu over the years but never anything that clever. If Iwa had such a technique, things might've been very different for our village."
"Ahh. It was my own creation actually. Earth Style has a lot of Area of Effect jutsu, but most of them are obvious. I wanted to use something invisible since a visible one could've been countered" Tayuya explained nervously.
Orochimaru's eyes widened, "Well I'm proud of you. Of course there's the matter of our deal." Orochimaru smiled.
"What deal." Dosu said with fake outrage.
"You see Dosu, Tayuya has never liked me and although she's gone on missions loyally, she's been planning to betray me for some time. Before we came down, I made a deal with her. If she wins her match, I'll allow her and Kin to leave and even remove her curse mark."
"I see" Dosu scowled. It appeared as though Tayuya would get away with her betrayal and that didn't sit well with him.
"Dosu please head out I'll be joining you shortly." Orochimaru smiled.
"But" Dosu protested.
Orochimaru stared at Dosu coldly, "Don't make me repeat myself." Orochimaru said coldly.
"Fine" Dosu growled as he reluctantly left. Once they were alone Orochimaru looked at Tayuya and Kin who were instantly nervous.
"I'm surprised you're actually keeping your end of the bargain." Tayuya flinched.
"Those who come to serve me fear me and for good reason. You on the other hand never have. You were loyal because you had to be, but all the while prepared to leave. It honestly reminded me of myself as I prepared to leave the Leaf." Orochimaru smiled as he walked over to Tayuya.
Realizing that she had nothing to fear Tayuya pulled off her tunic and exposed the mark, "Get rid of the mark Lord Orochimaru. Then I'll be on my way with Kin."
Orochimaru smiled before flashing some hand signs and putting his hand on Tayuya's Mark, "CURSED SEAL REMOVAL" Orochimaru shouted and Tayuya fell to the floor in pain grabbing the spot where the mark was.
"AHHH!" Tayuya screamed.
"Tayuya!" Kin shouted.
"What… did you do." Tayuya growled as she tried to keep it together.
"Have you forgotten my dear. The cursed seal inserts part of my soul as a medium alongside the nature chakra and other elements. Through that medium, my chakra and a bit of nature chakra is sent into your body every time you use the seal." Orochimaru smiled.
Tayuya's eyes widened at that, "When you removed the seal… your chakra and the nature chakra is no longer recognized as a medium… and now it's fighting against me." Tayuya said through gritted teeth
"Yes and No. The nature chakra is contained within the medium and only released when you use Level 2, so you caught quite the break in that regards. However, my chakra remains. What you're experiencing now is your body trying to fight off the infection that is my chakra and that is quite the massive infection" Orochimaru smiled. Tayuya's massive chakra network usually helped but now it was working against her.
"Bastard!" Tayuya cursed as she tried to gather herself but found the task trickier by the second.
"What's happening to her!" Kin gasped.
"Think of it as Tayuya fighting off a powerful infection. Now if you don't mind, I have to return to my village. I have an invasion to prepare for and thanks to developments I need to alter my plans. Good luck in the meantime Tayuya" Orochimaru smirked as he turned to leave.
"Fuck…You!" Tayuya grunted angrily as Orochimaru left with the Snake Sannin smiling.
Once he was gone Kin ran over to Tayuya, "Is there anything I can do." Kin said nervously.
Tayuya managed to gather herself on sheer grit as she cracked a smile, "Nope. I have exactly what I need to help myself. I just need to get some rest." Tayuya replied as she focused her chakra into the seal. With any luck the seal would still work and now she was free.
"What are you doing." Kin panicked.
"Getting help." Tayuya smiled before collapsing onto the ground.
"Tayuya!" Kin screamed just as a flash appeared in the room and Naruto arrived in his tracksuit.
Naruto saw the downed Tayuya and a nervous Kin, "What happened Kin."
Kin was stunned to see Naruto but that didn't matter "Orochimaru removed the seal and then Tayuya was writhing in pain before she just collapsed." Kin said in a panic.
Naruto was surprised to see that Orochimaru actually took off the cursed seal in the first place. Based on the little bit he knew about the seal he had a good idea what happened. Just in case, he walked over to Tayuya and placed a finger on her neck to check for a pulse. Luckily, he found what he needed. "Tayuya's fine Kin. She's a bit exhausted but fine." Naruto said calmly.
"So what… what do we do."
"Well first we need to get out of here and get both of you somewhere safe. Help get Tayuya on my back and then put your hand on my shoulder" Naruto instructed.
"Okay" Kin said with relief in her voice. Tayuya trusted Naruto so she would follow his instructions for now. After grabbing Tayuya's tunic, she got Tayuya onto Naruto's back and placed her arm on his shoulder.
"Let's get out of here." Naruto said calmly as he left via a shunshin.
(Scene Skip)
Naruto brought Tayuya into his home on the Uzumaki compound and took Tayuya to a spare bedroom. With Kin's help he got her onto the bed and covered her up, "She'll rest here for now and you can stay with her if that makes you feel better." Naruto said calmly.
"Thank you" Kin said in relief.
"Now why don't you tell me what happened since we last spoke. Why would Orochimaru willingly take off the seal of one of his shinobi." Naruto said curiously. Orochimaru didn't strike him as the type to take betrayal very well.
Kin took the chance to explain everything that happened. As Naruto listened, he was surprised that Orochimaru would not only confront her but give her an out of any kind. "Sorry that I can' tell you more but I don't know what's happening." Kin said bashfully.
Naruto smiled, "Luckily for you, I do." Naruto smiled. The seal was based off the concept of jinchuriki hosts but instead of Bijuu, Orochimaru himself was the catalyst. Tayuya's current situation mimicked what would happen to a jinchuriki who lost his host but with a few important differences. Tayuya's coils were already developed when Orochimaru used the seal so even though his chakra was in her system, it wasn't as attached as it would've been normally. Tayuya's current state was because her body needed to focus on riding itself of Orochimaru's chakra. Much to his annoyance he couldn't help since his skill with medical jutsu didn't involve something that intense.
Kin was shocked that Naruto figured it out, "So what do we do about this." Kin said nervously.
"For now we wait. I'm going to make a shadow clone to watch you two for now, but I have other things to do" Naruto said calmly before making said clone.
"See you later Prince Naruto" Kin said with a smile.
"Bye for now." Naruto replied before leaving Kin with his clone and Tayuya. Considering everything going on, this was just another twist.
(Scene Skip)
Naruto made his way to the Hokage's office to talk with the old man about the latest updates. After Tayuya called him the other day, he told the Old Kage about their latest conversation and the bomb she dropped. To say he was displeased was an understatement but as with everything else they let it play out. Arriving at the office, the secretary gave him a smile, "He's waiting for you now." The secretary said warmly.
"Okay" Naruto replied and walked in. The old Kage was by his desk with Neko and the leader of the ANBU Dragon besides him. He couldn't help but notice that Ido was in front in her demon outfit as well.
"Hello Naruto, I wondered when you'd be stopping by." The Kage smiled.
"Things have changed yet again."
"Of course but I knew that the moment I watched my old student watch the exams from the sidelines." The Old Kage smiled.
"Huh!?" Naruto said in confusion.
"Orochimaru was 'disguised' as a jonin from the Sound village and watched the team compete. Since he was overconfident, I was able to observe a few things. One was his reaction to the match between Kabuto and young Gaara. I also saw his reactions to Tayuya's match and there was an intrigue I didn't expect from him." The third said calmly.
"Well I couldn't have known any of that. I couldn't watch the third exams." Naruto smiled.
"I'm surprised you wouldn't watch considering that you spent quite a bit of time in the tower and the Forest of Death for that matter." Neko said sternly.
"Well sorry for looking out for my fellow shinobi." Naruto said calmly.
"Naruto you have nothing to apologize for and in truth it's the opposite. Your actions are the reason that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio is still alive. Each of them owes you a debt that they can never repay and I'm sure their parents will tell you as much when the council reconvenes in the next few days." The Kage smiled. "However that's not why we're here. We're here to discuss what to do about the upcoming invasion." The Kage smiled.
"I'm surprised you're so calm about it, Lord Hokage." Ido admitted.
"When a village you never heard about, asks to send students to your exam, you're going to be suspicious." The Hokage explained.
"So you had your doubts from the start." Naruto smiled.
"Exactly. These events have only confirmed my thoughts."
"So what do we do. The invasion could come at any time." Ido said nervously.
"Actually that's not true. There's only one time that the invasion could come and that's the finals of the chunin exams." Naruto smiled.
The third Hokage Neko and Dragon all glanced at each other with a knowing grin, "What makes you say that Naruto." the third asked. He agreed but he was curious why he said that.
"Because shinobi from other villages want to watch their own compete, you have to allow them in. Plus a lot of high-level shinobi will be watching to see who will join those ranks. Plus there's the aspect of the Kage himself being there."
"Correct but there's another aspect you're missing." Neko said with a smirk.
"You mean that if you had a jinchuriki he could instantly cause damage by transforming around all those people." Naruto smiled.
"I guess you didn't miss that." Neko frowned.
"So short version is he's going to attack during the finals." Ido said calmly.
"Not necessarily. Orochimaru is no fool and because Tayuya is with me he'll know that we're expecting him. That means he has to alter his plan." Naruto said calmly.
"Not as much as you think." The Third said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Naruto wondered.
"Kabuto is a spy for Orochimaru, so he still has somebody in the finals."
"Wait, I thought Kabuto was a leaf ninja." Ido gasped.
"He is technically, but he had mission information on people taking the exams. Even as the Third Hokage, I don't have access to mission data from other villages. The fact he did was a red flag that I spotted early on." The Third revealed. What happened with Karin concerned him and he immediately move to make Ibiki the Proctor for the first exam. Ibiki could and watch everything and if a red flag appeared, he would see it and report back to him. Kabuto revealing his information cards was one such flag.
"So since Kabuto is a spy, what do you want to do with him." Naruto wondered.
"I'll discuss it with Shikaku and other advisors later." The Hokage said calmly.
"Sounds good. I'm assuming we'll discuss the invasion at the next clan heads meeting."
"Yes." the Third smiled.
"Well I'm going to head back home. Things are getting fun for me." Naruto chuckled.
"Yes, they are but you do it to yourself Naruto. Stop seducing enemy kunoichi and maybe things won't be so complicated." Neko teased.
"Yeah yeah" Naruto smirked before vanishing.
"See you later Lord Hokage." Ido smiled before vanishing herself.
"The next month is going to be very interesting." Neko smirked.
"Yes, it will." The Hokage sighed since a lot was happening at once.
(Scene Skip)
It was late at night in the Uzumaki mansion and things were pretty dull. Hinata Yakumo and Tenten were each at home spending time with their families after the exam. Sure the elders might be angry at Hinata's loss, but Hiashi would have her back. Yakumo's family will be thrilled. "Now we wait huh." Naruto chuckled to himself as he sat in his room. Tayuya would be out of commission for at least a day or two. Once she was awake, she could explain more about Orochimaru's plans but until then he was stuck. He was brought from his musing by a knock on the door.
"Prince Naruto may I come in." Kin said quickly.
Naruto was a bit surprised, but he had no reason to refuse her, "Of course" Naruto said calmly. The door to his room opened and Kin walked in, but she was no longer in the clothes she was wearing before. Kin had exchanged her usual outfit for a green sleeveless top that was tight on her body to emphasize her breasts and a black skirt that showed off her legs and a pair of long black socks.
"I never got a chance to thank you for everything Prince Naruto. Without you, I wouldn't be free of Orochimaru right now" Kin said bashfully as she walked towards him and reached for her top.
"Stop right there Kin." Naruto said quickly. He knew where this was going, and he was going to stop it before it got started.
Kin sighed at what happened, "I knew it. I really am useless." Kin said in frustration.
Naruto cursed because he was right and he got off his bed and stared at the young woman, "Tell me Kin, what would you giving yourself to me have actually accomplished?"
Kin looked down bashfully, "I… I just want to be useful to somebody. Orochimaru all but admitted he expected me to lose." Kin said solemnly.
Naruto felt for her, but it was time to chat about some things, "Right now the best thing you can do is stay by Tayuya's side until she wakes"
"But what about afterwards. Tayuya is a clan member of yours and me… I'm just Kin."
Naruto hated this type of conversation, but it clearly had to happen, "You were special enough to Tayuya that she was willing to betray a person like Orochimaru to keep you safe. Tayuya is currently in a new village with people she doesn't know. She'll need a friend to help her. If you want to be useful to me, keep being a friend to Tayuya." Naruto said calmly.
Kin smiled at that, "Thank you Prince Naruto. I think I'm going to go back to Tayuya now." Kin smiled.
"Go ahead." Naruto chuckled and Kin left to go back to her friend. The moment the door closed, the hidden occupant in the room made themselves known.
"I can't tell whether I'm proud or disappointed." Ido chuckled.
"I figured you'd be with Yakumo."
"Oh I am, but I'm using World of Shadows to watch over everyone. There's no way things will be resolved this easily." Ido replied.
"I agree, but the question is what happens next."
"That depends on how much Tayuya can actually tell you when she wakes up."
"Don't you mean if." Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.
"If she's anything like the other Uzumaki I know she'll be fine. Besides if she's still asleep after a few days, I'll step in myself and deal with it."
"Alright" Naruto smiled.
"You now, a lot has happened in the last few days and I'm pretty sure your life is about to get fun."
"No kidding. Between Tayuya Kin and the invasion I'll be busy." Naruto groaned.
"Yup and all of us will be ready to help as best as we can."
"Good to know. Now go back to Yakumo and let me sleep."
"Goodnight, Naruto." Ido said in a teasing voice before leaving.
(Scene Skip)
"AHHH" Ino screamed as she woke up in her bed. Even though she was out of the Forest of Death she still hadn't completely got over what happened with Gaara.
"Ino are you okay?" her father panicked as he rushed into her room. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants and based on his appearance he was ready to fight anybody.
Ino couldn't help but smile at her father's appearance and the fact he had a kunai in his hand ready to deal with anybody who promised her harm, "I'm fine daddy. Just a nightmare about what happened in the Forest."
"I see" Inoichi Yamanaka sighed. Putting the kunai back in the holster on his sweatpants he walked over to his daughter with a solemn expression on his face.
"I told you daddy I'm fine." Ino said quickly.
Inoichi quickly shook his head as he walked over to his daughter, "Ino this isn't the time to be brave. This is the time to be honest. Your first near death experience is never a pleasant one and for us Yamanaka, how our mind works is crucial." Inoichi said with a solemn expression.
"I know daddy it's just. I've been on dangerous missions before but that was different."
"Yes I know Ino. I owe Naruto quite the debt for saving you under the circumstances." Inoichi smiled.
"Yeah. We didn't get along, but he still decided to help me. True he stole a kiss from me to do it but that's a small price to pay." Ino smiled.
"You know, I never did find out how he put that seal on you that you used. I see a kiss was involved" Inoichi smiled. Normally he'd be quite angry but considering what it led to, he would forgive Naruto.
Ino blushed, "Well, Naruto kissed Hinata and Yakumo in front of me and then I heard Sakura got a kiss from Sasuke. So out of jealously, I confronted them and then Naruto said if I wanted one just so say so. I asked him if he could do in on the cheek which he did and during the kiss I felt him use his chakra on me."
"I see." Inoichi sweatdropped.
"So yeah. I confronted him later by using the mind transfer jutsu on him during the exam and he told me about the Hirashin seal"
"You what!" Inoichi raised his voice. He completely missed the fact that Ino was given a Hirashin mark due to that little revelation.
"I needed to know what he did and even if he had passed, I couldn't just walk up to him out of nowhere."
Inoichi was having a hard time hiding his frustration, "I understand that Ino, but I told you to never use it on Naruto."
"I know but I needed answers. I made sure that I could sneak into his mind, but not take over." Ino said calmly as she tried to defend herself
"Regardless that was dangerous." Inoichi scolded.
"Well it wasn't that bad. We were in an open field and outside of seeing me naked, nothing else happened." Ino gasped.
"I see" Inoichi said with an odd expression on his face. The fact he saw her naked bothered him slightly but not as much as the fact that they were in a field.
"Umm, What's wrong daddy." Ino said nervously.
"Nothing" Inoichi said quickly. "Anyway, I'll see about inviting Naruto over for dinner and thank him personally. Hopefully he has time."
"True. He's got his lovers back and I'm sure they missed him." Ino smirked.
"Right…" Inoichi said with a wry smile. Ino still had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. Things for Naruto were about to be hectic to say the least.
"Well daddy. I think I'm gonna go get some water and go back to sleep."
"Alright Ino." Inoichi smiled.
Ino cracked a smile, "You know. You haven't called me princess once during this conversation."
"You competed in the chunin exams. I have to accept that my little girl is all grown up." Inoichi smiled.
Ino was pleased with that, "Hey daddy."
"What is it."
"Can you help me with my training? If I'm going to help my team, I need to get a lot stronger.
"Of course."
"Thanks." Ino said happily.
'Of course… Princess." Inoichi said cheekily.
"Good night dad." Ino pouted.
"Good night, Ino." Inoichi smiled before leaving.
The conversation with her father was refreshing and something she desperately needed under the circumstances.
That's it for Chapter 19 and boy there was a lot in that. In case anybody was wondering Shadow Balance is actually based off of a Yugioh card with the same name. The Makibishi bomb jutsu was based off a ninja tool called Makibishi spikes which is why Asuma was nervous. As for Tayuya, she didn't get off easy but she's free and with Naruto alongside Kin. Next chapter Naruto is caught up in a lot of business and it makes things very interesting for him.