Chapter Fifteen - Chunin Exams VI
"Welcome to the Preliminary Tournament of the Chunin Exams," Hiruzen greeted the assembled Genin and their sensei. "I would like to start with why these exams are held. I'm sure a lot of you have heard this before, whether you agree with it or not, but the exams are held as an alternative to war. Large-scale battles of countless deaths are foregone for a few deaths while showing off the skills produced by a village."
"When we get to the finals, you will show your skills to very influential people from around the world who may look to your village for a mission if they are impressed with your skill. This brings prestige and honor to you, as well as funding for your village. You fight to show you have what it takes to fight stronger enemies as well as lead your own teams."
Hiruzen paused to look around and he was both proud and surprised to see the rookie Genin cells in attendance not as observers but as participants. It spoke highly of their year, and the years to come if it truly is the academic education that has got them here. However, he is hesitant about all the village Jinchuuriki also making it through and the one Jonin sensei from Kumo.
"This Preliminary will be overseen by Hayate, but before I give him command I want to warn everyone here. There is a no-kill rule currently in effect for this part. If the rule is broken, there are laws in place to have you executed for not following. At any point, a winner will be called by the proctor if he feels the need."
With a nod to the Jonin, Hiruzen stepped back for the man to walk forward with a few sickly coughs. "I apologize for the cough, I'm still getting over a case of strep throat. If you look above the seal of challenge behind me, you will see a board. That board will shuffle through two names at random, and those two will be fighting each other. If you win, you will have to stay for a second round so we can cut the number of participants to a reasonable amount. Understood?"
Various nods went through the line before the lights on the board came to life and slowly cycled around before settling on two names.
"Kiba Inuzuka and Dosu Kinuta, you both will stay and the rest of you will go to your Jonin and wait your turn."
Naruto had walked slightly behind his teammates to the right side of the large arena but slowed when he felt someone staring and he turned his head around slightly to see the blonde girl with braided hair from Kumogakure looking at him with narrowed eyes.
She holds Matatabi-imoutosan.
Good or bad? Naruto turned back around to walk up the stairs.
Think of my relationship with her like your friendship with Sasuke.
Tumultuous?
Precisely.
Naruto chuckled quietly to himself as the rules were reiterated for Kiba and Dosu. Since he understood what the bracer on Dosu's arm did, it would be a good counter against Kiba as long as he avoided the dog-boy's attacks he could use his sound jutsu to knock the boy out. However, Naruto idly wondered if Kiba even remembered Naruto explaining how the bracer's jutsu worked.
If the Oto-nin is competent, he should be able to defeat Inuzuka without a problem. The uncontrollable nature of the Inuzuka clan's attacks should be easy enough to dodge and his sound attacks don't need to actually land to have their effect.
"You ready to lose, hunchbacked freak!"
Dosu tilted his head, his lone eye staring at the dark-haired boy blankly. "I wouldn't be calling anyone a freak when you come from a line who normalized bestiality as a clan trait."
Kiba grit his teeth and Akamaru growls aloud. "What did you say, you bastard!"
"Are the participants ready," Hayate asked with a small eye twitch as he looked between the two Genin. When hearing neither say anything else he cut his hand forward, "start."
Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's jacket and barked a few times. "Don't worry bud, I'll end this quickly! That Kabuto guy must have just been weak!"
"You're pretty cocky," Dosu muttered out before jumping back a few dozen yards.
Kiba held up a quick hand seal before crouching low, gaining a blue chakra cloak like Kurama's but not as malicious. It had a similar effect to Naruto entering second and third tail transformations, with his nails extending out into claws and his face becoming more animal-like. He even growled like a dog, his teeth growing canines as he grinned.
That's the secret beast technique unique to the Inuzuka. Developed in the Warring States era long before the creation of hidden villages, it allowed the clan to fight with their domesticated wolf companions.
They were devastating during the early periods but many clans developed counters to that clan. The Uchiha developed areal genjutsu while the Senju developed body-strengthening techniques to take the attacks head-on.
Kiba dashed forward with greater speed than he is normally capable of, and he sent an elbow into the stomach of the Oto-nin. Without giving any respite, he followed up with a clawed swipe into Dosu's cloak and ripped it away. Underneath, everyone saw the rest of his body is covered in bandages but the reason for his hunched form is now out in the open.
A large protective dome is strapped over his shoulders with small cables going through his shirt and bandages and into the resonator. But one of the things Naruto noticed are the larger holes on the metal shoulder piece much like the resonator on his arm. They seem to be for a similar purpose as the resonator on his arm but how would he be able to activate it in such an awkward location?
Unless!
"Look what you did," Dosu spoke lightly as he glanced at his ruined cloak. "You ruined my favorite cloak. That was a gift."
"What is that on your back?!"
Dosu glanced from the Inuzuka boy and to the large resonator in his back. "It's a resonator. You're not too bright, are you?"
"Why you-"
"I'll just end this now since I need to get a new cloak."
Kiba growled deeply before dashing forward with a fist raised.
"Too slow."
Dosu had grabbed a kunai and tapped the metal on the forearm resonator. However, Naruto caught the shift in the cloak on the resonator and he immediately covered his ears. All at once, Kiba dropped to the floor screaming and many Genin and Jonin were wincing and covering their ears in pain.
Kiba, however, being so close had started bleeding from his ears and his nose. Akamaru was passed out on the ground from his sensitive hearing catching the sound attack from the other end of the arena. Hayate was wincing and groaning through his coughs as he tried to regain his senses.
"I win, proctor," Dosu said before beginning to walk off to his team.
Hayate glanced at the Inuzuka on the ground and nodded his head in acknowledgment and raised his arm to Dosu's side of the arena. "Dosu Kinuta wins! He passed to the next round!"
"Wow," Sakura gasped out. "Those Sound guys might actually be really tough!"
"You should never underestimate your opponent, even if they're from a smaller or newer village," Kakashi told his student without looking up from his book.
"Hn, he was just overconfident," Sasuke muttered in the thought of Kiba.
"Pay attention, Sasuke, you might learn something," Naruto whispered into his teammate's ear.
The boy blushed and swatted at the blonde. "Stop whispering things in my ear!"
Naruto laughed as he simply held his arm up to defend himself against the slaps of his male teammate. "Aww, is that blush for me Sasuke-kun?"
"Enough you two," Kakashi warned with a small look over his book. "Be respectful to the other participants."
"Tell the bastard to stop being weird."
"You're the only one finding it weird," Naruto chuckled more before he decided to listen to his sensei and leave the teasing for later.
"The next participants are," Hayate paused as the screen dinged and two names came up, "Kabuto Yakushi and Gaara of the Desert."
Naruto winced at the luck of the white-haired boy and looked over to see a bit of fear cross his face. No shame in forfeiting to an unstable Jinchuuriki.
"I-I forfeit, proctor," Kabuto raised his hand while his other gripped the railing tightly.
"Noted. Gaara continues to the next round by forfeit." Hayate coughed as he watched the board cycle through more names. "Kankuro and Omoi, come forward."
Naruto looked over to the Kumo team. The newest addition is a tall dark-skinned man with eight swords on his back. He is a mountain of muscle and very imposing just from sight but it seemed put off by his more relaxed demeanor. However, it is the secondary power sensed within the man that made Naruto more cautious of the team.
Gyuki.
Naruto nodded in agreement as they already distinguished Matatabi being in the Genin girl with braided hair, so the only other Biju they had is the Hachibi. But the blonde girl was looking at him again, ignoring the argument between her two darker-skinned teammates. She had a stern but blank expression that he still couldn't read but having any potential opponent staring at him left a bad feeling in his stomach.
"Secret admirer, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto glanced to his left and found Hinata leaning forward on the fence with a teasing smirk on her lips. She now wore a purple shirt over a mesh undershirt and black tight pants. His eyes drifted into the slightly exposed valley in her chest.
You're staring again.
I'm just admiring her beautiful heart!
Naruto held back the blush with a chuckle, scratching his cheek slightly. "I can see why you think that but I can tell you I don't know why she stares at me. Maybe she hates my hair being brighter than hers."
Hinata lifted her lips with an amused laugh and nodded her head. "Maybe, or maybe she's attracted to you."
Naruto wanted to make a face when there was a hysterical scream. "I don't know what is in that bundle! I forfeit! He has a super weapon that will destroy me if I fight him any longer!"
Naruto blinked with surprise as he looked down to see the dark-skinned boy from Kumo moving away from Kankuro and sheathing his katana. Kankuro looked just as confused as he stood there but he was reaching for the bundle on his back.
"Kankuro wins by forfeit," Hayate said slowly as he just watched the Kumo-nin walk up to his team while breathing in relief.
"I didn't even use him yet," Kankuro muttered as he walked to his own team.
Sighing, Hayate looked up at the board as it picked two more names. "Ino Yamanaka and Yugito Nii."
Oh this won't be good. Naruto looked at Kakashi to see he also put his book down to look into the arena. "Kakashi-sensei…"
"Nothing we can do about it," Kakashi sighed. "I'll notify to have Inoichi on standby to help her after."
"What? What's going on," Sakura looks between Naruto and Kakashi.
"Nothing to worry about," Kakashi waved his hand as he created a clone to go do what was needed.
Naruto shook his head at the man's way to avoid a question. Granted, telling them that Ino is going to encounter a Biju's power inside the mind of an opponent isn't something you can share. That, and the possible mental scarring that comes with interacting with the minds of Jinchuuriki and Biju.
"Don't think I'm going to forget about our conversation too easily," Hinata laid her hand on his and rubbed her thumb along his knuckles. "You never did answer my question before you left for your first mission out of the village."
"You want me to answer that now," Naruto blushed deeply at the girl's smirk and nod. "I-I guess I don't have a problem with it if you're still okay with everything that comes with it. What about your father and clan? Would they approve?"
"Father will do anything for me," Hinata said lightly but stopped rubbing his knuckles as her eyes narrowed. "As for the elders, they know that once I take my father's position in three years when he wants to retire they will no longer have the power to question my decisions. So anything they do until then only serves me in the end as father will want nothing more to do with them."
"Lovely family," Naruto said but he understood that Hinata is more annoyed with the situation than she lets on. "You always have a place in my estate no matter what."
"I know, Naruto-kun," Hinata kissed his cheek.
"Yugito wins!"
Naruto turned to see Ino passed out and spasming. Her entire body shook as her eyes rolled back. Eventually, a scream broke through her mouth and Asuma had shushined next to her.
"What happened!"
Naruto looked at Sakura and Sasuke looking at him and he sighed. "That's what happens when you look into someone's mind and find something so much more dangerous than you. There are select individuals and beasts that Yamanaka have been barred from ever looking into."
"But what could cause that?"
"Someone like me," Naruto whispered quietly as his eyes followed the blonde girl to her team.
Even while being congratulated by her teammate and the other Kumo team on her easy win, she kept looking guiltily over to Ino as she is carried away by medic-nin. At least she has a conscious. She looks concerned.
"The next two are Naruto Uzumaki and Zaku Abumi."
Naruto blinked as he recognized the other boy of the Oto team walking down the stairs into the arena.
"Good luck," Hinata kissed his cheek.
"I'm an Uzumaki, I have all of the luck in the world," Naruto grinned before dropping down into the arena.
"Ready?" Hayate looked between the two Genin and got a nod. "Begin."
Naruto jumped to the side to avoid the air blast from Zaku's palm. "Hey, hey, wanna see something cool?" He jumped away again as he asked excitedly. "Wanna see a seal that was made nearly two centuries ago?"
"Stop running!"
This time while jumping away from the attack, he created twenty-five clones and all of them pulled out large black poles with white seals drawn on. Naruto created twenty more clones and they all rushed the boy before he could have the smart idea of attacking the clones running around the outskirts of the field.
Zaku dodged a few clones but was still being hit at least twice for each one he dodged. His attacks this close would end up hurting him but after the twelfth attack he threw all hesitation away and blew up the first clone he aimed at. His hand vibrates with the attack, shooting pins and needles through his arm. However, in his fight, he was not watching the clones with the rods slam them into the ground and a fuinjutsu array began forming on the ground. Two circles formed in the center that the two Genin were fighting back and forth between.
Turning to another and blowing that one up as well, but the explosion from the clone cause a bunch of gas to surround him and his eyes began to tear. "Stop being a coward!"
"Using experiments from a snake is also being a coward," Naruto sent a strong haymaker into Zaku's jaw. "Now how about that seal?"
Naruto pulled out a pot from a seal of miscellaneous items he kept on hand and set it into the center of the array. It is mostly a ring of different seals surrounding the arena but multiple lines stretched towards the center where two simple circles are drawn across from each other. Naruto is outside of the one with the pot and a dazed Zaku is laying in the other.
"Uzumaki Fuinjutsu: Sky Emperor's Personal Containment Method."
Zaku screamed as his body stretched and is sucked into the top of the vase until he is completely gone. The arena fell silent as they watched everything with rapt attention, although the Ame team and Kumo teams were watching with a bit more interest. When everything ended, everyone was blinking in surprise. Zaku is gone and only the blonde stood there with a grin as he stared at the pot.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you were told there was no killing," Hayate warned with a stern stare. "I will have to disqualify you and arrest you."
"He's not dead," Naruto pointed out.
"Then where is he?"
"In the vase. I thought that was evident?"
"A living person cannot be sealed."
"Actually a living person can be sealed into an alternate space," Naruto told him but noticed the confused stare. "It's a time-space seal. It creates a small area inside of an object where it keeps an individual or individuals. The vase is filled with wine. Or is it goat milk? I forget, but anyway he should be stranded in what seems to be an endless ocean of one of those liquids."
"This is a variant of a seal that was used by Genkei Uzumaki in the Warring States era to seal an entire clan into a steel box of sand and scorpions.," Naruto informed the man before he rocked the vase a bit. "And now I just affected his sealed dimension. I wonder if he will survive the large waves?"
"Please release him before I count to three."
"Yes dad," Naruto groaned before picking up the vase and throwing it onto the ground.
As soon as the vase shattered, a large wave of white milk came forth and slammed into the side of the arena. It slowly washed away to reveal Zaku, coughing and heaving for breath.
"So it was the milk," Naruto hummed in thought with a chuckle. "I guess I win."
Hayate simply checked the pulse of the Oto-nin and nodded his head. "Naruto wins."
"Quite unorthodox."
"Uzumaki style Fuinjutsu, I never thought I would see that again."
"I thought we burned that knowledge."
Naruto's eyes snapped to the one who muttered that last one and his eyes met that of one of Hiruzen's advisors; the one-eyed old man known as Danzo Shimura. The shadow orchestrator for numerous kidnappings of loyal civilians and shinobi, the owner of a secret black ops shinobi, and a real pain in everyone's ass. No one liked him but he was still an advisor only because of his experience and expertise in handling the other villages that would see Konohagakure destroyed. Even those he was meant to protect meant nothing to him.
The man stared back, almost daring him to do anything, but Naruto just grinned and pointed to his left eye. If there was one thing Ginrei wanted him to learn the best, it was patience and having one up on your enemy. He had the secrets of the old Warhawk and the proof for it. Especially the procedure to implant all of that stuff on him.
Your time will come. Don't worry.
"We are going to be taking a brief intermission to sort out the arena," Hayate gave a pointed stare at the blonde Uzumaki. "Please converse among yourselves but do not cause any problems or you may be disqualified."
Naruto chuckled as he leaned forward on the railing and just watched as some people came in to clean and fix the arena. He wasn't expecting a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see the kunoichi from Ame looking at him.
"Hello," Naruto greeted slowly and looked over the girl's shoulder to see the purple-haired woman. She wore a long black cloak with white clouds.
"My name is Ajisai and I wanted to ask who your parents are."
Naruto raised his eyebrows at this as he was sure plenty of people knew at least his father. "Ah, I have no problem with that but what I do get in return?"
Ajisai stared back without reacting, despite hearing Sakura call the blond a lecher. "I guess it is only fair that you ask something in return."
Naruto chuckled and waved his hand. "Don't be so serious, it takes the fun out of things. My father was the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, whose surname I did not take for reasons that I will explain after. My mother was Kushina Uzumaki, whose clan's red hair I did not inherit, and after learning of my clan and my inheritance as the descendant of the main line I kept the Uzumaki name."
Ajisai nodded as she tucked away that knowledge to give to her sensei, who sent her over here. "Thank you, Uzumaki-san."
"Anything for a beautiful girl such as yourself," Naruto smiled kindly back before turning back to the arena.
He ignored the muttering of Sakura and glanced at the purple-haired Ame Jonin out of the corner of his eye. He had a weird feeling about her stare and he wasn't sure if it was uncomfortable or exciting. Not the sexual kind of excited, no, but more of that excited tingle you get before a battle or a very good report.
The girl didn't care about my name, but it seems the sensei does. Maybe the Uzumaki name means something to her.
Whether it's because she is an enemy or an ally remains to be seen. Until then, stay on guard, Kit.
Agreed, Naruto nodded to the old Fox and sighed. "I wonder how Ginrei-jiji is doing."
"I am doing quite fine, thank you."
Naruto snapped around to find the man standing at one of the entrances to the arena, his hands grasping behind his back as he looked at the young Prince with twinkling mischievous eyes. He didn't have any guards, at the request of Hiruzen to prevent any problems with the other Jonin and Genin, but he was allowed to witness and support his Prince.
"Ginrei-jiji, what are you doing here? I thought you left!" Naruto stepped forward to give the man a hug, which he received in return.
"I won't miss your examinations, I think it best you have someone here to root for you," Ginrei smiled and looked up to see the looks he received from the Konoha Genin and Jonin.
"Who is this, Naruto?"
Naruto turned around from Kakashi's question and motioned to the old man. "This is Lord Ginrei Kuchiki, a friend of my grandfather and one of my mentors. He is from my home where he watches over my interests."
Kakashi noticed the tension in the word home and nodded his head. "It is good to meet you, Kuchiki-sama, I am Kakashi Hatake and the sensei of Naruto."
"I know of you, Hatake-san, Naruto shares a lot of what happens to him in the village," Ginrei gave a nod before glancing at the two other members of Team Seven. "The Uchiha used to be good rivals, I hope he is a challenge for you, Naruto-sama."
"A little, his attitude could use some work though," Naruto sent a teasing grin at the Uchiha boy. "He acts all flustered around me, I wouldn't be surprised if he has a crush on me."
"I'll kill you," Sasuke hissed out but the tips of his ears burned slightly.
Naruto laughed at the threat and waved his hand. "Don't worry, Sasuke, if you're nice to me I might return your feelings."
Kakashi immediately grasped at the back of Sasuke's shirt to stop him from trying to attack Naruto, which only caused the blonde to laugh even more.
I hate the Chunin Exams. Too many boring people and if I write every fight it will be one-sided since Konoha does not do a good job of preparing their Genin. It truly explains how only Suna was introduced in the manga because the other villages take their military seriously. You may notice some fights get ignored next chapter and I apologize if that is not what you want but I am trying to make it interesting. There will be some info dropped here and there, though, so it will be funny to see who ignores it and who reads everything.
PraetorXyn: Matatabi will not be the typical perverted cat in this story. I'm going to be drawing her personality from another anime/show/movie/game but if I truly bring Yugito into the Uzumaki family then I want the Biju to have a bit more flesh to them since the freedom of all Biju is a desire of Naruto's. How he will accomplish that will have to be seen. All of the Gotei 13 are in this story, I chose the characters I enjoy the most or feel would fit for some story-building and they are split among four Divisions. You've met Ginrei and Retsu, but there are two more Divisions' Captains and Lieutenants to meet. But these are just the officers, whoever else that shows up as Enforcers will have to wait.
Freddielebron: That chapter is much like chapter six as in it's more of a small filler as I finalize some more chapters or enjoy some time off. Just some quick introductions and talks that reveal a small or mid bit of information about the world and the state of Uzushio.
ALSO! I have decided against -Man and instead have decided to add a different series that I was rewatching and the game for it (and a movie of that game). Might also have another story being worked on that is strictly those two universes but what I am using as a base for that new story will be similar for what I am using here.
Welcome to the clusterfuck that is Resurrection of the Uzumaki Clan :D