"Whoa! Look at that jet of flames!"
"That's Zircon Trot of Team Pyrite, Iwagakure. There are few examinees inside that cube that are better than him in knife-fighting and he is known for complementing his style with Fire Release techniques."
"Huh? That's Fire Release? It doesn't look like much..."
"It might seem that way, Konohamaru, but he's not trying to blast his opponent to bits with them. Zircon might be positioning his opponent for an attack with his kunai or distracting them from the real threat."
"Whatever... We've all got kunai, what's so special about this guy, anyway?"
"Whoop, go Gennai, look at that, he went on and eliminated Zircon Trot!"
"Hah, now what will you say, Udon!?"
"Well... Yes, it appears that Gennai's larger, more powerful but slower Fire Release technique triumphed this time. I don't think that Zircon even saw Gennai coming or thought of him as much of a threat which might have added to this upset elimination."
"Yeah, I didn't think much of Gennai either but that only shows you how you shouldn't underestimate a guy that looks like Iruka-sensei!"
"Oh... I guess he does look like Iruka-sensei, doesn't he?"
"Look at that, isn't that girl your favorite, the one who eliminated Tenten earlier?"
"Meiko, that's right."
"She's getting quite aggressive isn't she?"
"Well, this is a late stage of the Battle Royal, aggression at this point is warranted because every successive elimination is of golden value."
"That's quite an opponent she's picked, isn't it? That's Uchiha Sarada!"
"Hmm... Uchiha, huh? Must be one of the local Uchiha members, from what I've seen, this place never went through an Uchiha Massacre so the clan is still prosperous and revered."
"While half of that statement is a neat observation, Konohamaru, Uchiha Sarada is the daughter of Sasuke Uchiha and Haruno Sakura."
"Wait, you mean..."
"Yes, she's from our universe and every universe related to ours. To you, I suppose, she would be from a different point of time."
"Well, Meiko should have been more careful in picking an opponent, it doesn't look like she can land as much as a cut on a bona fide inheritor of the Sharingan."
"Uchiha Sarada is a real prodigy. What's even more impressive than the fact she's inherited her father's Sharingan, she appears to have an affinity for mastering all of the jutsu and specialties that her parents knew in their prime, making her an awesome extension of their greatest achievements."
"Whoa, look at that intense lightning, I think I've seen Sasuke use that jutsu before!"
"Oh no! It seems like Meiko's used her shield as a makeshift reflective surface and blinded Sarada's all-seeing Sharingan! What a pinch! It looks like Uchiha Sarada's out!"
"She's certainly making a recovery, struggling, she's doing the best that anybody in her condition might be doing. Her eyes are open again! Maybe... Just maybe we'll see an..."
"What's she looking at her heel for?"
"Don't forget she has the Sharingan eye, Konohamaru, things she can see with that might be invisible to our eyes."
"I know that trick!"
"It looked like a use of String Reeling Technique, Meiko had scooped a loop of steel wire over Sarada's heel while her vision was down. That hit on her head looked nasty hard and... No. Sarada Uchiha is eliminated though it was as valiant of an effort as anybody might have shown."
"And on the western side of the arena, Momochi Kuchige is twisting his mustache, without a doubt he's got something devious on his mind."
"That's right, Moegi, knowing him and his effective Water Release whips, who knows the trouble he can lash up."
"If I may correct you, Konohamaru, it's his devious supervillain mind that should inspire the most worry and not this examinee's abilities."
"His eyes... They're scanning the battlefield, he had just used his whips to escape certain trouble in the hands of Toroi, who, by no means looks like much trouble, but as someone looking up to the famous superstar ninja of Kumogakure – Killer B, definitely has potential to blossom. Who will Momochi Kuchige choose as his next target?"
"Ah! It's that red-haired guy!"
"An interesting choice. Of course... Sabaku Alsamryf is a Sunagakure ninja known for his ability to shape sand into various constructs. Kuchige's Water Release might give him an advantage in that match-up."
"Huh? Sand? You mean like Gaara?"
"In some ways, yes. However, where Gaara controls a mass of sand that might as well be alive, Alsamryf instead of controlling the whole mass focuses much more on transforming sand into objects and weaponry he can use. To my knowledge, he does not possess the defensive shield that Gaara's sand provides."
"That doesn't stop him from forming a shield out of his sand... Although..."
"That's right, Moegi, it seems like any constructs that Alsamryf might be inclined to build crumble in the face of the relentless lashing of Momochi Kuchige. Poor Alsamryf was outmatched from the moment this clash started."
"Is it just me or is it getting tough drawing my eyes off of that creepy, black-hair guy with the Otogakure headband?"
"I think that it isn't his appearance that interests you, Moegi, it's the fact that he is a complete enigma, not a single Ninja Info Card has been pulled on this guy and so far he's demonstrated no shortage of abilities, baffling my honest attempts to be professional about calling his performance."
"Huh! I was certain that Chocho Akimichi tried to evade that attack but... It's as if gravity itself had betrayed her! This mysterious examinee has pulled poor Chocho in and suddenly she's been wrapped up by some snake that came out of nowhere. Poor Chocho has nothing to breathe with. She's fading away!"
"That is unfortunate, it seems like the staff is pulling her out. Look at that devious man, the staff is demanding him to let go of the poor girl but that bastard is just shrugging like he's got no say in the matter. At this rate, they'll be forced to behead that snake."
"Whoa! That flicker right beside him! That's Sasuke Uchiha!"
"Huh? Isn't he a criminal?"
"Well... I suppose... Technically... He's still a genin so maybe Future Big Bro Naruto allowed him to compete."
"He's gunning for that brown-haired kunoichi. I don't think she can see him coming... Whoa! Why'd he dash back?"
"He must have seen something we can't, oh... Look at that floor. It has a sealing tag attached to it."
"Oh, I see... So that brown-haired girl acted like she was oblivious, when in fact, she had placed a trap to dispose of anyone trying to eliminate her... What an interesting strategy. Who is she, Udon?"
"Nohara Rin. She's one of ours though she's from a universe that's still in our past."
"Man... All this time and space mumbo-jumbo is so confusing..."
"It's interesting that Sasuke Uchiha even targetted her, it was as if he was scanning the battlefield for potential targets and selected her for some reason."
"I don't think that's unintentional. His Ninja Info Card does quote that his revenge is repurposed now into killing everyone to have ever stood in his way. Rin Nohara was a teammate of Kakashi Hatake, the mentor for Sasuke and Naruto."
"Oh... So he wants to spit in the face of his and Big Bro Naruto's teacher then by hurting his past teammate."
"It might be the case..."
"You know... For a person picking his own boogers while you're commentating, you can be really perceptive, Udon..."
"Huh... What's wrong with Momochi Kuchige all of a sudden?"
"You're right, he seems paralyzed and he's twitching."
"That's Ripper Inaba from Kumogakure, he uses vocal-cast genjutsu. That must be it. An impressive spinning kick to the back of the head and Kuchige is out."
"Just when you thought that Kirigakure has been doing really well this exam..."
"Hmm... The situation with Sasuke Uchiha and Rin Nohara is developing, it seems that Rin had noticed Sasuke's attempts to eliminate her. She's scrounging in her pouch for..."
"Oh! What a blast! Everything's gone up in smoke and flames. What's even weirder – those flames are pitch-black!"
"This must be Sasuke Uchiha's doing. Poor Rin Nohara, she seems grievously injured, her ninja pouch must have blown up though how Sasuke came to detonate it from afar is unclear. It might have held a large number of explosive tags but Sasuke would have needed to somehow ignite a flame from afar and I've not seen him close the distance to Rin at all."
"That's Oaira Taitgren. She's the last remaining member of Team Phobos that seems to be revered amongst the locals. Apparently that team has had an excellent performance in the last Chuunin Exams. Look at that, she's throwing a bunch of useless objects around as if she's spring cleaning..."
"What wicked cross! Wakizashi Meiko swept in from the western side of the stage. Her gauntlets appear to be blazing with a fiery cloak. Somehow her chakra has expanded outside just cloaking her gauntlets and became a living armor of its own."
"Oaira Taitgren will not recover from that blow without help. Whatever excellent performance Team Phobos had in any other Chuunin Exams was not replicated here and now, it seems."
"Careful! Meiko seems to have dodged that human-cannonball at the last second!"
"That's Akimichi Choji, this version of him appears to be from a different timeline than ours – he's much younger than us."
"Huh! What's that!?"
"Something blew up out of nowhere and it seems to have not only just disrupted Choji's rolling routine but also eliminated him. First Sasuke starts black flames with just his eyesight, now – someone just spawns explosions out of thin air."
"You're both wrong, Moegi, Konohamaru, this was Uzumaki Boruto's Vanishing Rasengan."
"Vanishing Rasengan? What kind of Rasengan is that? Also... Who's this Boruto guy and why does he have Big Bro Naruto's last name?"
"Boruto is his son and Vanishing Rasengan is one of his ace techniques. You see, it initially appears as if though Boruto's Rasengan disappears when he throws it..."
"Seems par for the course, you don't throw a Rasengan..."
"Will you let Udon finish, maybe?"
"Anyway... Once the Rasengan vanishes, it seems to still be traveling at the opponent, although it is invisible and untraceable as if it had actually vanished, before detonating right as it collides with the enemy."
"Huh... Leave it to Big Bro Naruto's son to invent a crazy jutsu like that."
"Invent? I don't think so... It feels like he just kind of stumbled into it, honestly."
"Wow, that Boruto guy seems to be feeling the flow right now!"
"Look at that, he sent that beetle-guy flying!"
"That's not Faqsadid, that was Qarsufly, Faqsadid teammate from Team Maruf."
"Well, both Faqsadid and his creepy puppet are outta here, courtesy of one Uzumaki Boruto!"
"That appears to be valid information, yes."
"Uh-oh... That creepy black-haired weirdo is raising his hand again and he's got the most devious of smiles! He's licking his lips, what a heel!"
"What a bastard, I don't think Big Bro Naruto's son can even see him! He's gonna get eliminated!"
"Huh..."
"What...?
"What on Earth... Is that?"
"Big Bro... Naruto?"
"I think the audience might be confused."
"The audience... Heck... I'm confused! Why is Big Bro Naruto suddenly in the stage, appearing in an orange flash and grabbing that creepy guy's hand like that!?"
"I mean... He isn't even in the competition, what's going on down there?"
"I'm... Completely lost... This wasn't in any of my Ninja Info Cards..."
"That's enough out of you, you know." Naruto declared while his grip held Orochimaru in place. The serpentine Sannin didn't look like he was trying to put up much of a resistance. He looked amused by the sudden and unexpected development more than anything.
"Other me!" a voice came from behind, Naruto didn't look back to acknowledge the arrival of his older self but he knew that he was there. It wasn't just that Naruto recognized his own voice but older, he could also feel the bottomless depths of his own chakra, the complete lack of malicious intent coating a core of silent rage. The rage that wasn't meant for him and for that reason one that didn't engulf and incinerate Naruto where he stood.
"It's okay, I get it, you know..." Naruto closed his eyes and let go of Orochimaru's hand. "I don't deserve to take part in this Chuunin Exam anymore. I've missed out on this stage while trying to get rid of that Isshiki guy."
The Seventh Naruto lowered his hand, one that he meant to reach out at his younger self and pull him away from Orochimaru. His eyes settled into a calm, fatherly look. He turned back to his own son behind him, no doubt wondering what should be done with him. After all, had the younger Naruto not interfered out of line, Orochimaru would have eliminated Boruto.
"It's alright, Other Me, you know." Naruto looked back at his older self and gave the Seventh a thumb up with his encouraging smile. "Do the count, there are twenty folks once I take out the trash."
"Take out the trash? Oh...?" Orochimaru smiled, the silver eyes with whirly lines all over them gleamed with their majestic depth, trying to encompass all the implications of the younger Naruto's sudden arrival.
"That's right. You don't belong in this exam, never did, you know. So far, we've let you prance around and have your fun but not anymore. If I am to leave home to my universe after failing this exam, I'll make sure to kick your ass back home as my last deed, you know!" Naruto pointed at Orochimaru before pointing at himself with his thumb. The blond-haired young man exhumed confidence as always. Meiko and Kiyomi couldn't help but smirk observing the situation develop from separate sides of the stage.
"Alright, everyone, you heard the Other Me." The Seventh clapped his hands. "There are twenty examinees left. This stage is now over. After this matter is resolved, we'll let you know about the match-ups for the finals, you know."
"Yo, what the hell's going on, just who is this serpentine moron?" Ripper Inaba from Kumogakure crossed his arms while stringing a half-assed rhyme together.
"I suppose that you might want to know... This person here is a missing-nin from a different universe posing as a genin. He's done a similar thing way back in my own universe too. We've known of his involvement for a while now but we've decided to let him execute his plans regardless since he was accompanied by actual genin and he solely meant to participate in the exams, you know." The Seventh explained.
"Wait, so you let a missing-nin participate in the exams just because he wanted it? Even if he tagged along with genin, he should have been eliminated from the get-go, his whole team should have been disqualified." Tala from Team Dunyazad objected.
"He wasn't as dangerous as he is back in his home universe. He didn't have the same amount of time as we did to grow accustomed to this universe, you know. Plus, I wanted to confront the Sasuke he brought with him myself." The younger Naruto explained.
"When he says it like that, I kind of hear how selfish it sounds..." Kiyomi looked at Kiyomi with a squint, the redhead blacksmith acknowledged the sentiment too.
"You've got nothing to threaten me with, boy." Orochimaru leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. The Sannin might have very well matched Naruto in the confidence he radiated. "Whether I finish you off after playing with you right now, or if you send me back to my universe, I now possess too much power for you or my universe to handle. I have transcended a mere snake as well as the dragon I've sought to become, I now see with the eyes of a God."
"Naruto... What is the meaning of this? If you think I'll just stand idly and let you send us back..." Sasuke interjected, stepping in by Orochimaru's side with his blade flashing in his hand.
"Sasuke... You aren't too fond of him either, are you? You were the one to dispatch Kabuto in this Battle Royal, you know." Naruto replied while calmly staring back into Madara Uchiha's Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan flaring with the flames of vengeance in Sasuke's eyes.
"What?" Orochimaru turned his head sideways.
"He got in my way. I'll remove whatever stands in my way, Kabuto or you included." Sasuke turned around and fled from Orochimaru's side.
"Hmph... Perhaps the chick's claws have grown too long. I do admit, I regret not making him into a path of mine as I've originally planned." Orochimaru chuckled.
"You... Don't forget what I once told you..." golden flames began rising from the edges of Naruto's outline, like flames forming outside of the young man's body, brought to life by his willpower and inner strength that he had acquired while traversing the omniverse looking for ways to rid his body of Isshiki Ootsutsuki. Like an orange flash, Naruto dashed in to Orochimaru's face and threw a sideways kick looking to smash it like a bat bashing through a watermelon.
Orochimaru's serpentine body bent and slithered away, shadowy as much as Naruto gleamed gold, swift in retreat as Naruto was to attack him head-on.
"Don't talk about Sasuke like he's some sort of toy of yours, you know!" Naruto exclaimed while pressing his knuckle to his chest. A gloom of disappointment that he didn't dispatch of his vain enemy when he had the chance glittered in his eyes but the better part of him never expected it to be this easy.
"Why don't you guys just let them duke it out, you know?" the Seventh Naruto looked at the rest of the genin. "You have gone through enough already so just let this pan out."
"Hmm... So you are okay with me killing your little protege, aren't you, Seventh?" Orochimaru looked at the Seventh Hokage with ecstasy.
"Killing? Try it, if you want to..." the Seventh smirked back and disappeared alongside the genin that have left the stage already. Orochimaru looked around in search of Sasuke whom he still held as being loyal to him but he found himself alone against this oddly confident version of Naruto.
"Very well then... Show me this power you've found in the omniverse and let the Dragon God measure its worth!" Orochimaru struck a haunting pose with his elongated tongue flapping around as if tasting the delectable feeling of the tense air around them. The atmosphere of battle. The Sannin placed himself on his knees and touched the floor underneath his feet.
The three-point star of the Demonic Trilimbo alongside the circuit around it went dark, the drawn patterns of the seal did not leave the walls of the cube but their infernal glow faded out, leaving just fancy paintwork to cover the walls of the enigmatic Black Cube.
"That's right, I could have removed this seal at any point, but dispatching of all the trash would have been so bothersome if I did. This... This I'd rather enjoy for as long as I can make it last." Orochimaru chuckled to himself, still standing on the step of self-appointed importance now that he gazed at Naruto with his Rinnegan.