Trickshot

Chapter 23

-Sarutobi-

Face a calm mask, Sarutobi stepped forward, standing beside Inoichi Yamanaka. Neither man acknowledged the other at first as they looked through the one-way glass, seeing Kakashi strapped down to a chair, one eye dull and vacant. Across from the cycloptic Jonin was a woman with blonde hair so pale it was almost white.

"Has she reported any progress?" Hiruzen broke the silence, glancing over at the Yamanaka Clan head calmly. The special wing they were currently in was the personal project of the Yamanaka clan for the past several years. A special medical facility designed to help heal mental trauma and damage rather than physical injuries. It was being run by the woman who sat with Kakashi right now, Saiko Yamanaka.

"It's slow going, relatively." Inoichi shook his head, "Kakashi is as stubborn as they come. If it wasn't for her special techniques, then I'd worry it'd take years before we even started to see any signs of progress."

"She's a Genjutsu mistress if I remember correctly." Sarutobi stroked his beard as he worked to recall Saiko Yamanaka's skillset. The problem with having so many Shinobi under one's command and so many different branches was working to remember them all, especially at his age.

"That's right sir." Inoichi nodded proudly at his fellow Clan member being recognized, "She even worked with the Uchiha before the Massacre. She'd heard of their legendary 'Tsukuyomi' and was working to create something of a similar vein."

"I hadn't heard of this." Hiruzen let the surprise enter his voice, not seeing any real need to hide it. He knew of the facility and its intended purpose even if the location wasn't a well-known facet of village life. In point of fact the only ones to regularly use it were the Yamanaka, Akamichi, and Nara clans who were all tightly interwoven. Still, he'd been seeing more and more positive results from those who used the facility which had been why he'd ordered Kakashi's attendance.

"It's still a work in progress." Inoichi admitted, "She can only use it once a day and if the one she's using it on breaks the Genjutsu then it drains away a great deal of her Chakra. But when it does work then minutes can become days or weeks. She told me she recently managed to expand a minute into a month, even if she hasn't managed a repeat."

"Meaning every one of her sessions with Kakashi is exponentially longer than it would seem." Sarutobi blinked in surprise before nodding pleased. "I must say Inoichi, I am more than impressed at what I've been seeing." And he wished he'd taken the time to look into funding this facility more earlier.

Getting a thought, he straightened, "Inoichi, once these Chuunin exams are done I will be stationing Naruto Uzumaki here for a time. He possesses his clan's gift with seals, along with their…creativity shall we say. He will be tasked to create any sort of seals that might further help the facility."

"Sir, that would be a magnificent help." Inoichi was wide eyed at the offer. Seal masters were rare so a facility getting a seal master assigned just to bolster the productivity was a big deal.

"I am impressed by your work Inoichi. And I do my best to reward competence. That being said you might wish to see how well Naruto would do working here as a councilor as well." He resumed stroking his beard, "He managed to win the loyalty of Zabuza Momochi in a relatively short time. I'm curious if that gift of persuasion was a one-time thing or if it could also benefit a setting like this. I'm planning to bounce the lad around the different branches, get him a good well rounded experience."

"Training him to take the hat from you sir?" Inoichi raised a curious eyebrow but thankfully didn't protest.

"Now Inoichi, that would be telling."

-Kiba-

Blood roaring in his ears, Kiba surged through the forest. His every step pounded against the dirt, his earth affinity helping push him ever onward, his claws gouging into the trees as he tried to throw himself forward with ever greater speed.

Kumo.

The bastards had attacked their camp, using some sort of lightning-based flashbang Jutsu to blind them, using the heightened senses of Hinata's Byakugan against her. Her scream from the temporary, albeit clearly painful, blinding still echoed in his ears. They hadn't even gone for their scroll, just gabbed Hinata and ran off, the heiress to the Hyuuga clearly their main target.

They just failed to realize how much Kiba relied and his nose and ears when his eyes failed him. While two of them has Shunshined away with Hinata, he had lashed out at the one closest, severing their arm at the elbow with his claws; his mom having recently taught him the advanced clan art of reinforcing them with Chakra.

He hadn't bothered with the now one armed Genin after that, giving chase to those who had fled with Hinata. He didn't have to bother. Shino was still there and given the screams from the one-armed Kumo Genin, Kiba's insect using teammate was livid.

"I'm telling you, we need to take her back to Kumo!" hearing the sound of one of the Kidnappers, Kiba forced himself to run with much more care. He could hear them, but they weren't Inuzaka, they couldn't hear him yet. He wanted it to stay that way.

"And what, have that dumb bastard 'A' throw us to Konoha to avoid a war?" the second kidnapper scoffed, "Nah man. If the old Raikage was still in charge then I'd be all for it. He'd probably promote us to Chuunin on the spot for bringing back this bitch." Kiba heard the sound of a kick and Hinata groaning in pain. Kiba's blood boiled as he forced himself to remain focused, moving as swiftly and silently as he could, using his enhanced hearing to find his pray.

"So, what do you suggest then?" Kidnapper number one scoffed, sounding like he also added his own kick to Hinata.

"Let's just have our fun with her while we wait for Jizo to get back. He's probably having fun killing those tree huggers and this stupid village can't do shit to us for anything we do in the exam. Once we're done we can just cut her throat and take her eyes. I checked her forehead, she's main branch so we don't have to worry about a seal destroying the-" the bastard's smug declaration was cut short along with his life as Kiba's claws cut through the bastard's jugular.

The would be rapist's face never list its smug expression, the bastard having never even had time to realize they were dead as their head fell to the ground and rolled to a stop at their teammate's feat.

Said teammate looked in on wide eyed horror at Kiba as he approached. He could feel blood dripping from his arms, could feel his ragged breath as his feral state fought to overtake him.

He refused to let it win.

Reining in his bestial rage, but letting the fury of his Killing Intent continue to pour out like a tsunami, Kiba approached the last of the Kumo team. Grabbing the bastard's head he gave a single sharp twist, snapping their neck while they remained too stunned to fight back, falling to the ground limply. He didn't have time waist on a dramatic kill, not when Hinata still needed him.

Rushing over to his fallen teammate, Kiba cursed at seeing the state she was in. The back of her head was coated with blood, the two having likely given her a concussion to stop her from fighting back. Along with that there were more than a few bruises as her eyes fluttered in and out.

"Damnit, stay with me Hinata." Kiba cursed as he retracted his claws. Having his hands fly through the hand seals, he began to use what little healing Jutsu he'd picked up from his dad's colleagues and Sasuke. He didn't want to risk moving her when she had a head injury so he had to heal as much as he could before moving her.

"K-Kiba?" Hinata groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

"Hey Hinata." Kiba gave her an admittedly watery smile as he worked to continually force down his still racing adrenaline, "Don't worry, the bastards who took you are dead now. They can't hurt you anymore."

"You…saved me?" Hinata sounded so surprised that it was painful, but he ignored that.

"Of course, Hinata." Kiba held her hand tight within his own, his other hand gently working the green healing chakra into Hinata's skull as he managed to at least get her stable enough to be moved.

Picking up a suddenly very red Hinata in a princess carry, Kiba quickly worked to make his way back to Shino. To his surprise, the one armed Kumo Genin he'd left to Shino's not so tender mercies was still alive, bleeding stump cauterized.

"There a reason your bugs aren't eating him?" Kiba asked proud of himself for remaining calm even as he held Hinata a little closer.

"Yes. I interrogated him while you were gone." Shino adjusted his glasses, his voice conveying his own cold fury, "It would seem his team and their families are part of a group that followed the prior Raikage. The same one who attempted to kidnap Hinata all those years ago." And hadn't that story been a bitch to hear, "Their families are even apparently planning a way to replace the current Raikage with one who thinks more like the last one. I overheard one of the other teams in the exams and found out their sensei is the current Raikage's brother."

"You want to turn this shit stain over to them." Kiba nodded, it wasn't a question, not with how obvious it was. Shino nodded in agreement anyway. Steeling himself, and getting the barest idea of how hard the choices of being a Kage might be if he struggled with this one, Kiba relented "Fine, we won't kill him. Did they have a scroll?" Shino waved the captured scroll, thankfully the one they needed "Then let's get to the tower. We can give this prick to the other Kumo team if they're there, or have one of the Jonin at the tower fetch the Raikage's brother."

-Karin-

Panting hard, too scared to scream, Karin ran from the giant bear. The blood of her now dead teammates dripped from her, the two idiots having tried fighting the bear when they were clearly outmatched and got quickly devoured.

The moment the blood splattered across her face she'd turned and ran, not bothering to even try and help 'fight'. She couldn't have even if she wanted to, that damned village having never bothered to teach her how. She was kept around just to be a healer, to stand there and let people bite her to drain her chakra till it killed her like it did her mom. She'd only been sent to the exams to keep her two 'teammates' healed consistently since they were the kids of some of the richer merchants in Kusa. All that money didn't buy the two enough talent to kill the bear though.

Wouldn't save her either, her eyes widened as a root caught her ankle, sending her crashing to the ground. The Scroll of earth went rolling one direction and her glasses another as the blurry ground beneath her darkened from the shadow of the looming bear.

Having nothing else she could do, Karin covered her head and screamed, praying that something would save her.

"Descending Lion!" a new voice roared out, a loud impact cutting off the Bear's snarls as Karin raised her head up in shock. Finding her glasses, she got them back on as her vision cleared, revealing a Konoha genin wearing black armor with a red hooded cloak.

"A Scroll of earth huh." The genin lowered his hood, revealed a stoic face, "Same as mine then. Hey, where's your team?" Shakily, she raised a hand and pointed at the bloody mouth of the unconscious bear.

"…Weeeeeell shit." The shinobi sighed, leaping down from the unconscious animal, "You're out of the Exams then."

"I…I know." Karin shuddered as the knowledge of what awaited her started to settle in. Once she left the forest she'd be sent back to her Sensei and then eventually Kusa. She'd 'failed' at her task of keeping her teammates alive and she dreaded what the village might do to her once she got back.

"Something wrong Red?" her savior raised a questioning eyebrow as Karin flushed.

"I'm…not looking forward to heading back to my village." She admitted before giving her best attempt at a displeased glare "And my name's Karin, not 'Red'. Karin Uzumaki." The moment her clan's name left her lips she saw a change in her savior's posture.

"Uzumaki huh?" he got closer, observing her closely, eyes bleeding red as he seemed to look through her, "Well I can tell you have a shit ton of chakra. Not as much as he does but nobody has as much chakra as that moron." The last part was muttered under his breath as Karin blinked in confusion.

"Um…what are you…?" She gulped as he looked back at her, eyes intense.

"You're coming with me then Karin. I know someone I think you should meet. A friend of mine, named Naruto Uzumaki." The scroll she'd picked up slipped from limp fingers that that statement.

-Orochimaru-

Smirking to himself, Orochimaru moved silently from branch to branch, following the taste of his prey on the air. Oh, he couldn't wait to see what sort of form and abilities his curse mark would grant little Sasuke. Each and every person who he'd gifted that seal to always developed such beautifully unique abilities. Ones he enjoyed thoroughly using whenever he took one as his latest host.

Reaching a clearing, he looked down to see Sasuke returning with a red haired girl nervously clutching his arm. Oho? Was little Sasuke trying to use the exams to 'rebuild his clan'? Naughty, naughty.

"Sasuke, who the hell's she?" one of little Sasuke's teammates groaned at seeing the redhead.

"From what I can tell? She's Naruto's cousin." Sasuke shrugged as Orochimaru felt himself perk up. Another Uzumaki? And one that didn't have that blasted Biju sealed inside them? Two for the price of one! He went still as he realized if he captured both he could force them to breed. A body with the reserves of an Uzumaki and the eyes of an Uchiha? It would be glorious!

"And her teammates did not oppose you taking her?" Sai asked, Danzo's little protégé sounding as confused as his emotionally stunted brain could. Those two were honestly a bit of a disappointment and if his future host didn't need them to advance in the exams then he'd have ended them on principle.

"They ran afoul of one of the bears." Sasuke grunted, "From what Karin said they sound like shit stains. I…" Sasuke instantly had a sword in each hand, "Someone's watching us." The other two boys fell into line with him, the Uzumaki girl in the middle of their formation.

"Oh, it seems I let a bit of my excitement out." Orochimaru chuckled as he dropped to the forest floor, head tilted with a false serene smile, his killing intent pouring out all the while.

The Uzumaki girl dropped to her knees, throwing up as the sensation washed over her.

Sai and Shikamaru were shuddering and shaking but able to resist falling to their knees.

Then there was Sasuke who smirked coldly, seemingly unphased by the strength of his killing intent. "Meh, I've had worst."

"Oho!" Orochimaru grinned eagerly, "You're a bold one Sasuke." Orochimaru, "I can respect boldness. Can respect ambition." He stalked forward, still pouring out his killing intent as Sasuke stood his ground, "But your power is so sadly lacking." He made sure to sound sympathetic at that "I can help you with that. I can give you the power to kill Itachi."

"You're no Genin." Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Orochimaru smirked, reaching up to grab the skin of his 'mask', tearing the flesh away to reveal his true face underneath.

"Oh, what gave me away?" he gave a mocking laugh as Sasuke glared. What had his attention though was the recognition in the boy's eyes. "Oh? Do you know me little Sasuke?" Orochimaru smirked, noting the twitching of Sasuke's hands. He could tell the boy was about to put away his weapons. But to try a jutsu, to surrender, or to join him?

"A friend of mine made me study most of the heavy hitters in the Bingo Book." Sasuke admitted, "He's never going to shut up about it being a good idea now." The slight smirk on Sasuke's eyes, the barest hint of a flit to something behind Orochimaru was the only clue of what was about to happen. It was more than enough.

"Really?" Orochimaru scoffed as he caught the fired arrow between two fingers, "I'm a Sanin, children. You're not nearly at the level to catch me off-" his exasperation was cut off by the Jutsu from Sasuke. It wasn't an attack but instead a 'containment' jutsu. Stone walls forming around him, sealing him in a small enclosed space that would be child's play to break out of with his power.

"Children, you're going to have to do a lot more than-" his scolding was interrupted by the loud 'poof' of a summoning seal opening.

-Naruto-

Hearing the loud pained scream filled with fury, Naruto smirked in satisfaction. At his side Haku was keeping pace along with Sasuke who was carrying a redhead he vaguely remembered seeing earlier in the exams. Sai was free running while a clone was having to haul Shikamaru.

"The hell was that?!" Shikamaru shouted as they ran, having bolted the moment Sasuke put the walls up around Orochimaru.

"And how did you find us to begin with?" Sai asked much more calmly.

"I'm more than a little sensitive to Killing Intent." Naruto grunted, readying another arrow as he was sure Orochimaru would be back soon, "I came to check the source of it. As for the arrow…" he gave a malicious chuckle, glad at having such a deserving target for that arrow's first use.

"The blond bastard sealed a half dozen hives or murder hornets into the arrow." Sasuke snorted, having been told about the arrow along with Kiba in case they ever had to work together and he needed one of them to throw up the jutsu walls to keep the hornets trapped with the target in an enclosed space.

"…You just had to weaponize your damn pranking, didn't you?" Shikamaru grumbled, still being hauled around like a sack of potatoes. Getting a rush of new information in his head, "Naruto spun around and fired the readied arrow at the charging Orochimaru. The Snake sage covered in stings that the bugs had managed to do before he had time to realize they were there and protect himself. The layer of lightning chakra over the Sanin's skin as he caught Naruto's second arrow made it explicitly clear how he'd stopped the murder hornets. Too bad for the nukenin, this arrow didn't have murder hornets.

"The Konoha Reaper oil?" Haku noted as Orochimaru screamed once again.

"Yeah, doubt he'll fall for any of those again though." Naruto cursed. He'd wanted to save this for the finals, but he didn't have much of a choice here. Not if he wanted to survive long enough for backup to get here. Tossing his bow to Haku, Naruto poured chakra into his palms, a seal matrix appearing on the skin as he slammed his hands against the ground.

The smoke from his technique was rapidly blown away by the powerful beats of his summon's wings. A massive Falcon glared down at Orochimaru; not the boss summon by any means but still large enough to blow away the top of some of the trees and be visible to those outside the forest. Those inside would still likely have a harder time admittedly.

"So, you have a summoning contract." Orochimaru sneered at the Falcon who glared back, the avian summon not taking the insult lightly as it sent a powerful wind jutsu towards the traitor sanin with a single beat of their wings.

"Yes, yes, very impressive." Orochimaru scoffed before smirking smugly, "But while you all focused on me, I've already gotten what I wanted." The smug statement was punctuated by a pained scream from behind him as Naruto whirled around, trusting his summon to watch the Sanin. What he saw was yet another Orochimaru, this one who's neck was extended, fangs biting into Sasuke's neck.

Seeing his friend in pain, hearing Orochimaru cackle, Naruto saw red. And the Kyuubi Chakra exploded out.

AN: I have been looking forward to the Wasp arrow bit since I first started writing this story! I've been wanting to figure out where to have Naruto weaponize seals that release hives of Asian Murder Hornets and this felt like a good one. As for the 'Konoha Reaper' thing it's based on the Carolina Reaper Pepper which actually can burn your skin just from handling it if you don't use proper protection.