The fog cleared and Naruto could see the forest once again. He saw no signs of movement at the edge. Since he had kept his chakra masked, that ruled out the possibility of a sensor detecting his presence.
Which meant someone had seen me inside the barrier or sometime after.
They had also most probably seen the exchange between him and the clone to assess his threat level. It was unlikely that this was an ordinary genin.
I could be dealing with a long-range specialist or he's just cautious. Gotta stay alert in the forest.
Naruto heard a faint whistle as he walked into the forest. His body dodged the arrow even before his brain had fully registered what the projectile was. It lodged into the snow a few feet behind him.
He examined it from where he stood. The arrow was quite long, longer than his ninjato had been, around seventy centimeters. Long arrows would imply a bow whose draw length was longer. These bows were significantly beyond the skillset of most genin.
Definitely a long-range expert. At least seven hundred meters away if he's really averse to fighting up close. He must also be using equipment to allow him to see this far. Not to mention in the dark.
Naruto followed the trajectory of the arrow, to get a general idea of where the user might be. A few sporadic redwood trees in the forest were much taller than the rest.
Ideal vantage points. Must be those enhanced goggles.
A hiss coming from the arrow had him moving away from it in a Shunshin. The explosion itself was not very huge, a grade four tag at best. But deadly should an arrow lodge itself into a target.
You've got to try harder if you want to kill me.
Naruto entered the forest and got behind a tree but did not climb it.
Shinobi who preferred to fight from afar often set up traps along the trails leading to them should their locations be discovered. And his opponent's use of water clones from such a distance would indicate that setting up traps with their help was well within their capabilities.
Since shinobi almost always preferred to move on the trees because it gave them higher ground and allowed them to move faster, his opponent could have rigged them with traps. The ground also made it harder for his opponent to spot him.
He or she could have planned for that and placed a few on the ground as well.
Despite it not being his area of expertise, Naruto was aware of a reasonable number of traps that were designed to have a wider area of impact.
Or this whole thing could be a bluff and he's really good close-up or is leading me into an ambush with his whole squad waiting for me.
Sending a few clones ahead of him would have been the perfect solution but he could not make any more.
I'll take my chances.
He did not need clones to slaughter some of Iwa's finest after all.
But I can't move fast if go straight to him.
Setting off any trap would announce his approach to the target and allow him to relocate. Using the flicker worked on the Iwa Anbu because they did not know who was coming. The archer on the other hand would.
Naruto would have to stay behind cover for as long as possible if he made a beeline for his target.
I could circle him if I can make sure that I don't be seen changing directions.
It was possible that the archer had already lost sight of him as he could have used another exploding arrow to try and get him if he could still see him. But it would be dangerous if he was spotted either when he was going along the forest's edge or while he was cutting through it.
Being seen is more probable if I'm going straight.
But that's assuming he's only looking in that direction.
Still, he would virtually be in the clear if he manages to stay hidden on the edge, which would be the best place to make the archer lose track of him if he was seven hundred meters away anyway.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Naruto moved west without going in any deeper, dashing from one cover to another. Once he was far enough from the place where the arrow landed, he took to the trees and headed towards the archer.
Branches sped past him as he closed the distance between him and his target. Naruto dropped to the ground as he neared the area he had guessed the archer was. He peeked from behind a tree trunk at the redwood trees.
Naruto was not able to be certain that there was no one at the top due to the sheer height of the tree.
I guess I'll have to check. Something loud enough to draw his attention if he's here but not let him know if he's not.
Naruto took out a kunai, channeled some chakra into it, and threw it at another tree. It went through the trunks of two trees, producing a rather loud sound. Naruto kept his ears open for any sound but heard nothing.
He's not there. Should I try and find him from up there?
If his opponent had not moved from his initial position, he was close. If he was keeping an eye on treetops, however, Naruto could be noticed.
It'll be easier to locate him if he shoots me.
Naruto scaled the redwood tree in less than ten seconds. It was an ideal vantage point. Even without any equipment, he could see a part of the waterfall from here.
Someone with the right tools on the highest branch could probably see it from even farther. Naruto's gaze darted from one treetop to another, searching for the archer.
He stopped when he saw a glint of metal in a tree some three hundred meters away.
There.
Purple eyes widened when an arrow came out of that tree, whizzing towards him.
Raiton: Gian!
A long spear of lightning shot out of his mouth, speeding towards the tree his opponent was in.
Naruto got off the branch just as the arrow passed through where his head had been. He slid down the trunk for a few meters and stuck to the branch while keeping his eyes on his target.
Naruto paid no mind to the detonation that took place above him.
His technique blew up the treetop and reduced its height by five feet, but he could see a dark spec jump out before it happened. Blonde eyebrows rose a little when he realized that he let loose another arrow mid-air.
He's good.
Naruto cut the chakra holding him in place, sending him into another descent. He jumped onto a pine tree once he was close enough and rushed towards his opponent's landing spot in a flicker.
Naruto could make out the retreating figure of the archer when he was close. He stepped out of the flicker and gave chase, leaping from branch to branch as fast as he could. He was only five meters away when he heard something coming at him from his left.
They had not even bothered to mask the sound of their footsteps. Each footstep was probably loud enough to be heard for thirty meters at least.
It's fast.
A Kumo shinobi, around eighteen years old charged at him. Naruto realized that it was impossible to dodge and brought his arms up to block. He felt the massive amounts of chakra in the punch, but he was not expecting one of his bracers to break because of it.
Naruto also went through two tree trunks because of the impact.
Thankfully, his bones were still intact. Barely.
Naruto was on his feet even before he fully came to rest and leaped away, narrowly avoiding his new opponent's dropping heel, which left a small but deep crater in the ground and caused the tree to shake.
He had the dark skin that was common among Kumo ninja and black hair. He made eye contact with Naruto and smiled at him as he stood up at full height. He was easily double Naruto's size.
"I wasn't expecting to come across anyone who could block one of my punches at full power and still be able to stand, here of all places. What is your name?"
"Does it matter, Anbu? You're going to try and kill me regardless," Naruto said.
And you're going to die in the process.
"I guess it takes one to know one. I'm Kuse Tadashi by the way," the Kumo-nin said with a laugh.
So I guessed right.
"Where are your teammates? Or do you think you'll suffice?" Naruto asked.
"I fight better alone. And I'll admit our teamwork isn't the best at the moment. Don't worry, kid. I'll make it painless," he said as he cracked his knuckles, which had callouses that were thick enough to be visible despite his skin tone.
A close-range specialist? One mid-range ninjutsu expert and it's an ideal team.
Naruto rushed at him, keen on taking the initiative. Tadashi tried to punch Naruto once again, but he leaned away from it and buried his fist in the guts of the man.
Naruto was accustomed to sending most people flying with his punches. Or sending them back by a few feet. Tadashi only took three steps back, however.
He also recovered instantly and blocked Naruto's spinning kick with relative ease. But that was not all. Tadashi also grabbed Naruto's shin and threw him away as if he weighed nothing.
Naruto crashed into a tree for a second time within the span of two minutes. Something that he hoped was only in the days of the past by now.
Falling back and using his vast arsenal of ninjutsu was the obvious way to go.
But that would mean me admitting that he's better than me at taijutsu.
That was something that Naruto did not want to do. He was well aware that there were shinobi who were far superior to him in most if not all departments. And due to his condition, some of them would always be better than him no matter his effort.
Naruto could accept that because he knew that he would beat them using his strengths.
But accepting that a Kumogakure Anbu, barely A rank in his opinion was one of those shinobi was something that was out of the question. He would only use ninjutsu after showing him his place.
Chakra enhancement isn't ninjutsu.
His opponent had an advantage in reach and power.
Gotta make up for it with speed.
Naruto called forth enough chakra to constitute the reserves of an average jounin and fed it into his muscles. He had only done this once as a part of Danzo's test after the seal was altered.
The Kumo-nin paused for a brief second, probably sensing the amount of chakra the blond was using before he tried to corner Naruto. Tadashi's foot struck the trunk of the tree behind him when he ducked.
Naruto pushed off the ground as he drew his hand back and struck the man on his chest. He smirked when Tadashi was pushed back by more than just a few feet. While he did not lose his footing, the crunch that accompanied his punch more than made up for it.
Naruto held the snake seal and slammed it on the ground.
Doton: Tsuchi nami no jutsu!
The earth rose in a wave and spread in a circle around Naruto, the wave's height increasing as it got farther from him. The technique on its own was not much. But his opponent's state and the amount of chakra in the technique were enough to allow Naruto to knee Tadashi in the face.
An arrow pierced his shoulder the next instant, its approach concealed the sound of his enemy's nose breaking. He landed on his foot, but his vision was blurry.
Poison.
It also gave Tadashi the chance to wrap his hand around his neck which he took without hesitation, choking him. Naruto was unable to make sense of whatever he was saying as he was too occupied trying to loosen his grip.
He was partially successful and breathed.
I don't want to do that. That is insulting.
But he had already gone against Danzo's principles enough to earn a few one-on-one sessions with a torture specialist.
A potent chakra flowed out of the seal, into his chakra system and body, burning the poison away. Tadashi's grin disappeared. Naruto gathered all the bijju's chakra that he could and shoved it into Tadashi's hand.
All of Tadashi's muscles relaxed, including the muscles of his face and his grip around Naruto's neck. Naruto tore away Tadashi's hand and fell to his knees. The Kumo nin staggered back and crashed in a heap, writing in pain.
"What did you do?"
"I poisoned you."
"With what?" Tadashi asked as he coughed once.
"Chakra," Naruto said.
"What are you?"
I am supposed to be the best.
Drops of blood escaped out of his mouth as he started coughing violently.
"A jinchuuriki," Naruto said.
The Kumo-nin gasped and stopped breathing.
Naruto could feel the bijju chakra corroding Tadashi's chakra pathways, seeping into his muscles, breaking them down.
His hand reached out and caught the arrow that was meant for his head as he watched the Kumogakure shinobi's body disintegrating.
It's faster and the angle is steeper. He's close.
Naruto threw the arrow without even checking for the explosive tag and was about to take off in search of his original target when he sensed a very short burst of chakra.
A chakra trail.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he bent his back and dodged a fist with the momentum of a jackhammer that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
Naruto planted one hand on the ground and torqued his body into a spin. He extended his leg and his sandal implanted itself into the jaw of his adversary.
His assailant crashed into a tree in a spray of woodchips but the archer took another shot at Naruto before he could end the fight.
The Kumo nin was back on his feet by the time Naruto was out of the explosion tag's range. If not for the rage spilling out of his eyes, his enemy's face was the perfect example of an Anbu operative during a mission.
His attire was quite similar to one as well. Just watered down a little. But the handle of the ninjato gave it away. More than half a decade's experience with weapons made the quality of the weapon that the man was trying to conceal clear as day to Naruto.
"Is avenging the life of your teammate something that is worth throwing away your life for?" Naruto asked as he stood upright. He held back the sigh that threatened to escape from his mouth.
"How is it throwing away my life if I win? Your life was forfeit the moment I became aware of your presence, jinchuuriki. A dirty trick like using bijju chakra only worked on my brother because he didn't know."
To think that Konoha would resort to sending someone like you here. I will kill you to make the Hokage understand that he had crossed a line that he shouldn't have."
"He will not even hear your name since I am obligated to kill you now that you are aware of that information, Kuse," Naruto said.
He's a sensor and probably has good chakra control. His reserves aren't small either.
"Your head is mine, jinchuuriki," Kuse said and sped through five hand seals.
It's something big.
Four large pillars of stone jutted out of the earth around Naruto. Big bolts of electricity arced from the top of one pillar to the other.
Electricity prevents me from leaving.
While knuckling through was an option, staying in would be much more effective in crushing his opponent's confidence. Then, Kuse pumped even more chakra into the technique, amping up the current that the technique was releasing.
Naruto's hand reached for the Raijin no Ken.
'A sword is only as deadly as the man who wields it.'
'The man who trained me will be appalled that I had to use this against the likes of you'
He brought his hands together.
This is going to hurt. Raiton: Jibashi!
The glare from the current that dashed out of the construct around him blinded him even as he poured a sizeable chunk of his reserves into his jutsu.
Naruto withheld a scream as he felt the heat that was released by the clash of lightning techniques vaporize parts of his clothes. Wisps of smoke also escaped from his armor.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the air around him.
The shower of lightning stopped after twenty seconds, and his vision cleared slowly.
The pillars had already crumbled by then. The fact that his opponent was panting and had lost roughly half of the chakra he had when he showed up let Naruto push the pain aside and smirk once more.
The sight of another arrow speeding towards him made the smirk vanish, however.
Naruto moved to the side and was forced to block a kick to the face. His metal bracer bending and breaking probably had more to do with its exposure to significant heat for a few seconds than the power behind the kick.
Naruto caught Kuse's next punch and hurled him away. He brought his arm up and the arrow that was intended for his head lodged itself into his other armguard.
While his opponent had not completely recovered, Naruto had to remove the steel plate on his forearm to save his arm.
But this isn't all bad.
Naruto tossed the piece of armor at Kuse.
The Kum nin in leaped away from it. He also blazed through a sequence of seals and multiple bolts of lightning shot out of his hands.
Naruto brought his own hands together for a ninjutsu.
Tiger-snake-rat-snake-tiger. Suiton: Suijinheki.
Water appeared around Naruto and swirled around him like a tornado. The electricity first flowed into the water and then into the ground. Cracks appeared on the ground and some of the water evaporated due to the amount of energy that the current possessed.
Once all the electricity was discharged, Naruto clapped his hands together and the water started swirling once more.
Suiton: Suishōha!
The wave that Naruto created loomed over Kuse and blocked him from Naruto's view. He strained his ears for any sound of a projectile but found none.
He's waiting for a chance to end this.
And using more arrows would only make it easier for Naruto to stay aware of his presence.
Lighting split the wave of water in two.
They've been trained well.
Lightning chakra flowed out of Naruto fist, coating it in lightning, not unlike the technique that Kakashi had invented. He then rammed his hand into the ground.
The cracking of the ground was accompanied by a violent shockwave and made Kuse lose his footing.
Naruto closed the distance between them in an instant and lashed out with a mule kick to Kuse's chin.
Naruto pushed off the ground, pulled his arms back, and slammed them into his opponent's airborne form. Kuse cratered in the ground. Naruto was about to pounce on him when he finally saw an arrow. A kunai took care of it but the trajectory of the arrow and the speed suggested that the archer was very close now.
Less than a hundred meters.
Kuse was on him with his sword drawn now. But his chakra reserves were virtually empty. Without significant chakra enhancement, his speed was greatly reduced.
Too many high-level jutsu in quick succession.
Naruto palmed a kunai and blocked Kuse's vertical slash. He was also able to push his sword away despite his much smaller blade.
Naruto's ears picked up the sound of the arrow even as his foot was going towards Kuse's stomach.
I have to end this now. It's too fast for me to do anything about it anyway.
His sandal buried itself into Kuse's stomach as the arrow pierced his thigh, just above the knee. Naruto estimated the archer's position for the angle of the arrow piercing his skin.
Kuse's head rolled on the ground a second later.
Naruto picked the Kumo nin's sword up and was meters away from the archer when the arrow exploded, taking a good chunk of his leg with it. There was also something foreign in his torso, on the right, just above the hip bone.
He barely noticed the pain as the sword went through his target's neck and they both crashed to the ground.
Naruto let out a scream as he tried to stand up.
He went through with it after another yell. There was a kunai sticking out of him as well. His vision darkened as he yanked it out. Crimson liquid gushed out of the wound. His femur was exposed to the air. There was also a slightly ticklish sensation that was so overshadowed by the pain that he wondered if it was even there.
Even amidst all this, he noticed the gleam of Kuse's katana in the moonlight. He picked it up, grunting as he went through the task. While the weapon itself was a little long for his taste, it would serve as a viable temporary replacement to his ninjato.
It would be unwise to use the Raijin no Ken all the time.
Naruto then dropped the sword and fell on his good knee. He tried hard but only managed a see a few feet up ahead, despite being able to see perfectly a few moments earlier. He also coughed out some blood.
Get up. You can't faint here. Someone will find you and kill you.
And that could not happen. The last of one of the greatest clans of the elemental nations could not die in a place like this. His clan had already borne the names of many who were unable to live up to the expectation placed on them. There was no way he was going to be one of them.
The Yondaime did not sacrifice his life for Naruto to die here. He was one of Konoha's trump cards alongside Itachi and the others.
And I haven't even caught up to him yet.
He was not going to die without fulfilling a promise.
"It's alright, boss," he heard a voice say as everything faded to black.
XxX
He's in trouble. Everyone else is too far away.
The clone that Naruto created using the Doton: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu stopped concealing his presence from his marks.
The blond girl was the first to sense him. The other two were astute enough to pick up on her reaction and they all fell into a defensive formation with the Akimichi in front and the other two behind him.
A shadow crept up to him and tried to lock him in place. The Akimichi's fist, as big as a battering ram was ready to crush him if he had been a few seconds slower.
There was still too great a margin to make much of a difference.
Their teamwork isn't too bad I guess.
Naruto moved behind them in a burst of speed.
"What do you want us to do?" Shikamaru asked after sighing.
At least his head is working.
"Boss is in trouble. And I've been ordered to keep you three safe. So, you three will have to come with me," Naruto said.
"Boss? Who the hell is boss? And why the hell do we have to come with you?" Ino asked.
"If we assume he's a clone, then he's referring to the original. Although I'm not aware of a clone technique that can create clones that can operate independently," Shikamaru said.
"That's all well and good but, we need to hurry," Naruto said.
"You still didn't answer the second question, Shikamaru. Why do we need to go with him?" Ino asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Guys, can we not fight amongst ourselves?" Chouji said, trying to placate Ino.
"Because we haven't encountered any threat that we haven't been able to handle relatively easily in this place where we're meant to run into trouble. That is a statistical anomaly. He's most probably saved our lives a few times by now."
"Bullshit," Ino said.
"Do you want me to show you the bodies?" Naruto asked.
"That will not be necessary. We will come with you. But I'm expecting you to keep us safe for the rest of this stage," Shikamaru said.
"That is part of my mission anyway," Naruto said.
The clone took a few steps toward where Naruto was and turned back. Shikamaru and Chouji had moved while Ino had not.
She and Shikamaru exchanged a look. Ino seemed to be apprehensive, with her arms folded while Shikamaru's shoulders sagged, and he sighed. That seemed to be enough to make her comply.
The genin followed Naruto as he took off in the direction of the original. The pace he set was certainly faster than what the genin were accustomed to but with prime in trouble, it could not be helped.
"There's a team up ahead," Ino said as they were around two hundred meters away. Naruto stepped into a flicker and got rid of the three Kiri teenagers that were waiting for them.
He heard Team ten gag at the sight but did not let them stop.
They soon came to spot where prime lay on the ground, bleeding. As the clone knelt beside him, he also noticed the burns. His skin had turned into a patch work of red and black at many places.
There was also the wound on his leg. He tore away the armor and let out a sigh when he saw the seal. He placed his hands on the body of the original and could feel the Kyuubi's chakra healing the blond from within.
"What happened to him?" Ino yelled as Team ten gathered around the form of Naruto.
"He got into a fight," the clone said as he hefted the blond on his shoulders and carried him closer to a tree.
"He looks like he's going to die," Shikmaru said, earning him a smack from the Yamanaka.
"He's going to be alright," the clone said after setting Naruto down.
The gash had already closed up and the burns were almost gone as well. The leg would still take a few minutes.
Creating new tissue is no mean feat.
Soon the genin noticed what was happening.
"Is he, healing?" Ino asked.
"Maybe some kind of pill?" Chouji suggested.
"Or a bloodline? It also probably has something to do with that," Shikamaru said, pointing at the seal on Naruto's stomach.
The clone said nothing and merely kept checking on the flow of the Kyuubi's chakra into Naruto's chakra system.
Suddenly Ino took a few steps away from Naruto.
"That chakra. It's not human," she said.
"What?" the other two asked.
"Can we please keep it down?" the clone said as he stood up. He walked to where Kuse's katana was lying on the ground and placed it next to Naruto.
"Feel free to express any concerns you might have to your sensei as soon as we are out of this place. As long as you're inside, please follow any and all instructions if you do not want to die."
He's almost completely healed. But he's out of chakra.
"I'm going to dispel myself. He'll be waking up in a few minutes. Please be vigilant until then," the clone said and made the ram seal.
XxX
"You can't do that!" Ino yelled as the clone turned to mud and all that was left was a puddle on the ground.
What the hell is that?
Ino found herself asking that question way too many times in the last hour.
She turned to the boy laying under the tree while her teammates were trying to keep watch.
All his injuries had vanished. His clothes were still burnt and torn at multiple places.
Wasn't he bleeding like crazy a few minutes ago?
Naruto looked perfectly normal now.
Wait, was he?
Ino sighed and rubbed her forehead with her palm. She could notice the layer of muscle from under his armor.
I couldn't make it out with the vest.
It was certainly more muscle definition than anyone her age, including Sasuke could boast of. Not to mention the rather brutal aftermath that the clone had left on their way to the original. And the technique that he used to save her from crashing into the lake's surface. There was also the high-level clone technique.
Skills and techniques no one our age is even close to possessing. Just who is this guy?
He's kind of hot too.
Ino blinked at the thought.
This is a bad idea. I know nothing about this guy except his name. And that chakra. It was vile.
While she had only begun to hone her chakra sensing capabilities, Team ten had had enough run ins with missing nin for her to be able to discern the hostility in the chakra of their enemies. And nothing even came remotely close to the hate that was in that chakra.
But that isn't the only chakra in him.
Ino sensed his chakra again and she once more could feel two sources of chakra from within him. One was inhuman, while the other was human. Although it was far more potent that anything she had sensed before. The amount of that chakra flowing in him was also greater than Asuma's.
How can there be two sources of chakra in one body? And just what is with the potency and amount of chakra?
Naruto stirred before anymore questions could form in her mind.
Ino started at how fast his eyes opened and his body shot upright. He was on his feet in less than a second.
She too stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder as he was looking around, deep purple eyes searching for something and body coiled, like a spring, ready to react at a moment's notice.
"Easy, Naruto-kun. It's okay," she said.
Naruto's eyes met hers and she nearly flinched at the intensity she could see in them. It was gone the next second, leaving his eyes completely blank. He relaxed but only slightly and exhaled.
"How long has my clone been gone?" Naruto asked as Shikamaru and Chouji gathered around them.
"A few minutes, I guess," Shikamaru said with a shrug.
Naruto then flared his chakra once and they all bristled and took a few steps away from him.
"I mean you no harm. My mission is to make sure that you survive this round," Naruto said.
"You know it's kind of hard to trust someone who's way too skilled for his age and whom you know next to nothing about," Shikamaru said.
"Not to mention that you looked like you were going to die minutes back but you're standing now as if nothing happened," Ino said.
Naruto then turned to Chouji, but the Akimichi said nothing and looked away. He let out a sigh.
"As I said earlier, my name is Naruto and I'm Nohara Rin's student," Naruto said.
"That's not really helping. We have no proof that Naruto is your real name and it's also hard to believe that the only reason you're here is to protect us," Shikamaru added.
He's got a point there. I guess what they say about Shikaku's son is true for the most part.
"Look, keeping you safe isn't the only reason I'm here but, I'm going to need you to have faith in me. I could've killed you multiple times if I wanted to. And before you say anything about us being competitors, c'mon. You know better now," Naruto said.
"What did you just say?" Ino asked.
Who does he think he is?
"He's right, Ino. Fine. It's not like I have a better idea at this point," Shikamaru said.
Ino glared at him to which he just shrugged.
Isn't Shika right though? We're no match for the genin here and he just slaughtered two teams on his own.
"Alright. But remember, you have to keep us safe," Ino said, locking eyes with Naruto.
"Yes ma'am," Naruto said with a small smile and bow.
The blond girl could not stop the smile that showed on her face despite the raised eyebrow.
But don't lower your guard too much. We still don't know what that chakra is or how his injuries were healed like that.
Ino just hoped they got out of this place as soon as possible.
XxX
Naruto moved his limbs a few times.
Looks like everything is alright now. But I can't afford to get into too many fights like that.
Naruto was lucky his clone and Team ten were inside the barrier. He surveyed his surroundings for any presence. He could detect no chakra signatures in their immediate vicinity.
Their second task was to wipe out all teams inside the barrier. While he had been trained in tracking, it would be difficult for him do that with Team ten to look out for.
A clone?
But a regular shadow clone could only do so much and the chakra that a Doton: Kage Bunshin needed was too much given his current chakra levels.
Should I take some from him?
No. I haven't done that since the seal was altered and that much of his chakra will be felt by every contestant.
Team ten had to stay with him. At least for the moment. No one could withdraw unless they had an injured teammate. He regarded the three genin.
Wait, she's a sensor. And those two…
Maybe, just maybe they'll be useful.
"You're a sensor, right? Can you sense anyone around us?" Naruto asked.
"I'll try but, I've only started learning how to sense chakra around me for a few months," Ino said as she made the ram seal and closed her eyes.
"That amount of training should be enough to detect genin," Naruto said.
She opened her eyes a few seconds later.
"One team is about five hundred meters east of our position. They aren't moving so, they either set up a trap or are resting. Another team is two thousand meters to our north-west and moving towards us. At their current speed they should be here in one minute."
There's also two signatures one thousand meters to our south. Once again stationary," Ino said.
Naruto's lips quirked upward. Not bad.
"Let me guess. You want to ambush them. After dealing with the ones heading our way," Shikamaru said.
Chouji paled.
"B-But isn't that dangerous?" he asked.
"And sitting waiting for someone isn't?" Naruto asked.
"I don't think it's dangerous as long as we plan it right. At least as long as he's here and it's not like setting up traps has always worked out," Shikamaru said, looking at Naruto.
"Position yourselves behind me and hide. Do not come until you hear me say the word 'Raijin'."
Team ten complied within a few seconds.
XxX
Shikamaru and Ino had each scaled a tree while Chouji was behind a boulder. The Nara had a clear view of Naruto's back from the branch he was crouching on.
Naruto picked up the katana on the ground and swung it a few times. He also channeled some chakra into it. The flow ceased suddenly, and a boulder was hurtling at him from his left. Naruto evaded it with ease.
Wasn't his clone way faster? Are his injuries taking a toll on him?
It was possible that while he was fully healed, he was still not capable of performing at maximum capacity just yet.
A drawback of a kekkaigenkai? It's still a wonder he can move after all that though.
It was probably a very rare and powerful bloodline. If it even was one. While he was no expert on bloodline limits, he was aware of a few abilities of all the major ones in Konoha and a few from other parts of the elemental nations.
Asuma had made sure that they all knew so that they were not caught off guard in the exams. But he was not aware of any that gave its users such an ability.
Naruto had to dodge another dropping heel from an Iwa genin. Just as he came to rest, the ground under him turned to mud and his feet sunk into it. A kunai pierced his heart a moment later.
The other genin pulled out the kunai, blood oozed out of Naruto's wound and dissolved into the mud. He dropped to his knees.
That's it?
The other two members of the squad came into Shikamaru's sight. All of the Iwa genin, two boys and a girl, maybe a year older than them- is Naruto even our age? - had big toothy grins on their faces as they converged on their prey. All of them while not too tall, were much bigger than Naruto.
Naruto coughed some blood and looked up at his attackers.
"I guess I'd drop dead if looks could kill," one of them said, cackling.
"You will," Naruto said and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shikamaru's eyes widened as he figured out what happened.
When did he-
The head of the boy that stabbed Naruto's clone fell on the snow less than a second later. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets as his head rolled on the ground. It looked like Naruto had appeared out of nowhere.
Is that slight chakra I can sense a chakra trail from a flicker?
The other two screamed and pulled out their weapons. Naruto stabbed the girl in the heart. It seemed to Shikamaru that Naruto was in two places at once when a deep gash appeared on the last Iwa genin's torso.
He put a hand on his chest and stared at the blood with wide eyes as he and the girl on his team crashed to the ground, almost at the same time.
He took three seconds after the clone disappeared. Just what is he?
"Raijin."
Shikamaru jumped down and walked towards Naruto. He looked away as his eyes met the blond's purple ones. Chouji was trying to walk with his eyes closed and almost tripped over a stone.
Ino's knees buckled as she crossed the headless corpse, and she began vomiting.
Is she okay?
But he found himself unable to move. The head was at his feet.
Look away. Look away. Look away goddammit!
"Is this your first time seeing someone being killed?" Naruto asked as he sheathed his katana, after wiping the blood on his armor. Casually. He walked to where Ino was and put a hand on her shoulder.
How many would have died by his hand?
Ino bristled at Naruto's touch and pulled away.
"Is that what you call it?" Ino asked, still on the ground. Her face and skin were oily. Her hair was disheveled and grimy.
"You slaughtered them!" she yelled as she got up and grabbed his armor, pulling him close. A few centimeters away from where the blood was.
"Just as they would undoubtedly have slaughtered any Konoha genin they encountered. Just as they would have slaughtered you if they had the chance or if I failed to stop them," Naruto said, looking down, into her eyes.
But...
Ino's grip on him loosened. She opened her mouth once and closed it.
"That doesn't mean-"
"Moreover, I don't have to give you any justification for my actions. I am merely performing my duties," Naruto said as he broke away and turned away from her.
"And what is your mission exactly? Killing everyone who isn't from Konoha?" Shikamaru asked, despite himself.
"My mission is to further and safeguard Konoha's interests. And since genin are the future of a nation's military strength, killing their genin would be a significant setback to them," Naruto said.
Can't argue with that.
"And you're okay with being a butcher?" Ino asked.
"If that is what required of me, yes," Naruto said.
"Guys, can we stop this?" Chouji asked.
"You could have tied them up and knocked them out of the tournament. You didn't have to kill them!"
"What do you think shinobi do? How many do you think Sarutobi Asuma has killed? What about Hatake Kakashi? Or your father for that matter? What do you think they do in T&I?" Naruto asked.
"That's enough. You're not beating him in this argument, Ino," Shikamaru said.
"So, we just let him kill whoever the hell he wants? They are children our age!" Ino said.
"These children that you speak of have been sent to kill anyone who isn't wearing the same headband as them. Where are the other two teams you sensed earlier?"
"You don't know if that is true. And even if it is, that doesn't mean we have to be like them. I'm not going to help you do that to another team."
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his neck.
This is getting out of hand.
"I do as a matter of fact. If you refuse to help me, I will leave and find them on my own. I can assure you it will not take me long. Will you able to get out of this place without me?" Naruto asked as began walking away from them.
"Ino, I understand how you feel, and I don't completely disagree with whatever you're saying but, right now, we need to get of this place alive and he is our best chance," Shikamaru said.
"And you want me to help him?"
"Yes."
"Please don't ask me to do this," Ino said, stepping closer to him.
"Please say yes, Ino," Chouji said.
The Nara started at hearing the voice of his other teammate as he had not said anything much after witnessing what Naruto had done.
"Fine," she said.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled, turning towards the blond's retreating form.
"Good."
XxX
Not again.
Ino pushed the blanket away.
I can see their faces.
She stared at the starless, clear sky that was above them.
I can hear their screams.
Fuck this! Good luck on getting any sleep tonight.
She turned to her left, only to find that Shikamaru was not there. Chouji was still where he was though, sleeping.
Ino got up and looked around. There was no one around. And then she heard it. A footstep. From somewhere behind her. She reached for her pouch, pulled out a kunai and slowly stood up, searching for the source of the sound.
There were a few words that she could hear. It was Shikamaru's voice, coming from the other side of one of the trees nearby.
Who is he talking to?
Ino got a little closer.
"You weren't trained by Rin-sensei, were you? She's a medic and that isn't how a medic fights. At least as far as I know," Shikamaru said.
Naruto was sitting on a rock and polishing his katana. Shikamaru was facing his back, away from her.
"I cannot tell you if that is true or not," Naruto said.
That's as good as an answer we'll get from him, I guess.
"You've also killed before. That much I know. Just how many people have you killed till now?"
"Then you must know by now that I cannot answer that as well."
"Is your name even really Naruto? And how old are you?"
"You're beginning to question the credibility of all the information you have on me. Your intellect is certainly as good as they say. My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm twelve," Naruto said.
He's really as old as us? Bullshit. No twelve-year-old should be able to talk like that. Do things like that.
"How are you so much better than everyone else?"
Naruto turned back, towards Shikamaru and gave him a grin. A shiver ran down her spine.
"What do you think?"
"You were trained in a very different way, for longer and far more intensely than the rest of us. By someone who was a jonin or even better, probably," Shikamaru said.
"Anything else you want to ask me?"
"You said it was your mission to protect us. Would you have really left us if Ino wouldn't have helped you?"
"No. I would have trailed you without your knowledge."
"That's all I need to know," Shikamaru said and began walking away.
"However, do not use that information to bargain with me," Naruto said after standing up and looking Shikamaru in the eye.
"Understood," Shikamaru said and began walking back to where he was sleeping. He must have been very tired as he did not notice her as he lied down.
"Is there anything else you wish to know?"
She jumped away from the tree and almost screamed on hearing that voice so close to her.
Ino saw Naruto sticking to the tree, a few feet above where she was standing.
She took a deep breath.
"Its not like you answered all his questions," Ino said crossing her arms.
"I did to the best of my ability, and he found the ones he was looking for. What about you? What are you looking for?" Naruto asked.
What am I looking for?
"I don't know."
Naruto's eyes lit up. A little.
"And therein lies the problem," Naruto said.
"I guess I just wanted to know more about you-"
"So that you could decide if you should trust me or not," Naruto completed.
"And should I?"
"That is your decision to make. What I can tell you is that I will protect you. That is a promise," Naruto said.
"You're serious?"
Naruto leaped down, took her hand and placed his palm over hers.
"One of my teachers has a habit of saying that he would never go back on his promises. As much as I would like for it not to be true, turns out there is some influence that he has had on me."
Naruto began walking away.
"Thank you," Ino said.
"You're welcome. Please keep checking for any new chakra signatures and let me know in case you detect any."
XxX
Naruto reached the clearing that Team ten was sleeping in by dawn after combing through the barrier and taking out any remaining threats.
It's better this way.
They would be spared a few nightmares.
Does it make a difference? Isn't it merely prolonging an inevitability?
Perhaps it was.
His clone rose from the earth in front of him. He held his hand out.
Naruto felt the chakra flow back into him as the clone dissolved and disappeared, the energy holding it together no longer present.
Naruto woke the genin up.
Now that everyone else is out, do I go back to where I saw Hayate-san?
But the time that they were given to clear all teams inside their respective barriers was still not up.
One day left. Six in total.
Then, he felt it. Something was coming to them. Much faster than any genin could be.
Naruto's head swerved in its direction.
"Naruto-kun someth-"
Gyekkou Hayate had appeared in a smokeless Shunshin before she could finish.
"It appears that only two teams remain inside the barrier," he said.
"And what are we to do now?" Naruto asked.
"My instructions were to hand over this scroll to the last team standing but I take it that you don't have the intention of competing against each other?" Hayate asked as he produced a white scroll from his vest.
"That is correct. We do not wish to engage and neither does he," Shikamaru said, looking to Naruto.
"Who will take the scroll?"
Naruto stepped forward and took the scroll.
"That is the Heaven scroll. You must take an Earth scroll from another team before the test ends which is six days from now. I must also caution you that teams are not allowed to cooperate amongst themselves. Meaning that only one pair of scrolls will only be enough to qualify one team."
"Understood," the twelve-year-olds said in unison.
Naruto's gaze turned to the scroll in his hand as Hayate left. The grip he had on it tightened.
XxX
I know its been a while but college is a bitch. A follow/fav and a review would be great.