Chapter 14: Race to the Tower
Chapter Summary: Team 7 and Team Dosu make their way to the tower.
Uploaded 4/18/23
Words: 3,770
-Leo-Arctic: god this is bad, I can tell you're clearly one of them types that deleted all bad reviews on his story, shit that don't make the story any better.
Are you okay?
-khaelid02: Dude, I really like the plot
Great to know as always!
-scotty26: There are times when your dialogue is kind of all over the place but it's not too too bad as opposed to others I've seen. You are one of the very few that I can count on my hands that I read immediately after you post a new chapter. That is how interesting your story is so far .. especially with that twist of Sakura getting the curse mark, or team dosu wanting to defect to Konohq or how different konohq is to what I've read from others.
I treasure your reviews, scotty. They bring valuable insight, whether praise of constructive criticism, inspiring me to write better and longer.
-Um the Muse: I'm liking this story so far, thanks a lot. I like this version of Sakura; hot and cold, unsure of herself, but still eminently capable. My favorite part was when Naruto and Haku met. I'm also a big fan of a friendly Kin. I'm not sure of this version of her, but I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
I adore that description of Sakura; it's as if you reached into my brain and pulled out my thoughts, then condensed them into a single sentence - Bravo! Writing the first meeting between Naruto and Haku was a joy for me, too; these two young men, neither particularly socially healthy, had a conversation that only two boys could have with each other - I thought of it as emphasizing their gender while only keeping it as the surface level of their conversation. Friendly Kin is another joy to write, as the dynamics that arise from this small change in her character allow for a broader array of consequences down the line.
The chapter begins... Now!
Forest
Team 7 and Team Dosu had abandoned all hope of maintaining their alliance with Team 10 - - the trio had packed up all their things, including their tent, leaving no trace of their presence (besides dozens of littered bags of chips, virtue of Choji).
As such, they only had to look out for a total of six people, and only had to work to obtain one more scroll - - a Heaven scroll, which Team Dosu was missing.
As sunset approached on the second day of the exam, they set up a small fire for dinner.
Before they could actually begin cooking, however, Kin - - the current guard - - shouted, "Stop right there, Four-Eyes! State your name and business!".
The young man told her, "My name is Kabuto Yakushi. I come in peace.".
Naruto and Sakura joined Kin, leaving the rest of the boys to guard other angles around the camp.
Naruto took charge, questioning, "Kabuto? The cards guy? What do you want?".
The silver-haired boy answered, "Well, my team and I have been separated. I hope to find them, but I need to drop some dead weight, first. I've got an extra Earth scroll that I don't need...".
Naruto replied, "No, thanks! We've already got the scrolls we need!".
Kabuto seemed surprised.
Kin, on the contrary, replied, "We'll take it.".
Having an extra scroll can't hurt; we might find someone willing to trade a Heaven scroll.
Kabuto tossed her the scroll.
"There...".
"Thanks, this is gonna be a big help.".
Oddly, Kabuto's voice seemed scornful when he replied, "No problem.".
He slithered away before any meaningful conversation could commence.
Once Kabuto was out of earshot, Naruto asked, "So, you've got the scrolls you need, now?".
Kin dodged the question by answering, "We're going to collect as many scrolls as we can; it's a sound strategy, as long as we don't get greedy and veer off the path to the tower.".
Naruto pouted.
If we were all friends, we wouldn't have to dance around each other like this all the time...
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Deeper in the Forest, at Night
As the genin continued throughout the forest, they had no luck in collecting another scroll.
When the sun had set, they questioned whether they should continue for a while yet, or set up camp again.
These exigent circumstances were what led to Naruto climbing up a tree, scanning the treetops.
The air's really nice up here; it's so relaxing!
He stared at the tower and took time to internally appreciate it.
It's almost like a really tall pagoda; reminds me of those books and movies about the feudal era...
He inhaled deeply, letting the cool wind flow through his body as calmness overtook him.
Up here, it's easy to forget everythin': Orochimaru, my stupid senseis, this stupid exam, the stupid villagers, Sasuke...
On that note, it was Sasuke who shouted from the ground, "Hey, Dope, have you gone blind again?!".
Naruto shouted back, "Nah, it's just hard to see up here with your ego blockin' everything!".
"Moron!".
"Asshole!".
"Dipshit!".
"Scumbag!".
No response.
Guess Emo Freak finally got stumped!
Naruto laughed smugly as he looked down at the clearing the group was in.
They look like ants from up here! What're they doin'?
He leapt back down the tree.
When he landed in the clearing, he saw Sakura shaking her head in shame, Team Dosu exhausted and angry, and Sasuke tied up to a tree and gagged with his own sock as he kicked and swore.
Naruto inquired, "What the Hell happened here?...".
Sakura scolded, "You spent so much time arguing with Sasuke, that Dosu got tired of it and tied him up.".
"Whoops.".
Sakura continued, "Next time, just tell us what we want to know, okay, Naruto? Don't be an idiot.".
Naruto blushed, thoroughly ashamed.
He meekly told everyone, "The tower's not that far; we should be able to get there by sunrise tomorrow, or sunset tomorrow if we sleep and wake up at the normal time and don't stop for nothin'.".
Zaku groaned, "Well, that's gonna be a problem; we're still missing a Heaven scroll!".
Dosu snapped, "You were supposed to keep your mouth shut about that!".
Zaku argued, "Oh, who cares?! I know these midgets are stupid, but they're not so stupid as to try and take our scroll from us.".
Kin jested, "Well, I think it's more accurate to say that they're stupid enough to do anything except try to steal our scroll.".
Naruto and Sakura stuck their tongues out at Kin for the insult.
Kin added, "Calm down, you two; I was just kidding. Would we really be hanging around with you if you were stupid?".
Sakura stomped her foot and suggested, "Maybe you think we're stupid enough to get our scroll stolen by you, so you can ditch us and reach the tower without a problem!".
Kin scoffed.
"That's nonsense!".
Sakura retorted, "But it's plausible! Isn't it, Naruto?".
Naruto jumped back.
Why you gotta drag me into this?!
He stammered, "Well, I-I-I--I, uh, I dunno!".
Sakura's brow narrowed.
"What do you mean, you 'don't know'?".
Naruto answered, "Well, obviously I trust you more than Kin, but I don't really distrust Kin, and I don't wanna think badly about a girl, but I barely know 'er, and she's from a whole 'nother village so we can't really relate on much, so even though I'd like to believe her, our relationship started with me being unable to trust her because of Orochimaru, and there's bound to be some sort of cultural misunderstanding about what she says and what I hear, which is further reason to trust Sakura, but then again it's not like I need more reasons to trust Sakura, even with the curse mark, even though I personally ain't sure about whether the Sound team wants to stab us in the back, because I don't wanna think that it's true, but the possibility's always there!".
Sakura and Team Dosu looked at Naruto in confusion.
So, does he trust us or not?
Sakura turned to Sasuke, now asking him, "You agree with me, don't you, Sasuke?".
Sasuke, still gagged with his own dirty sock, just screamed incoherently.
Sakura commanded, "Naruto, I'm going to free Sasuke, you make sure these guys don't try anything funny!".
As Sakura ran towards the Uchiha, Naruto was left alone with Team Dosu.
He nervously said, "So... Nice weather we're havin'?".
Dosu rolled his eye.
He stated, "Regardless of our intentions, it's best if our teams go our own separate ways from here if we can't trust each other.".
Naruto pleaded, "What? Oh, come on, this is just-- it's a little hiccup! No biggie! I'm sure if we just keep talkin', we can all calm down...!".
Dosu implored, "No, this has been a long time coming. This way, we get to focus on our own scroll while you don't have to deal with helping us.".
Naruto frowned.
I smell bullshit. But just what is it? These guys are actin' really strange, especially considering...
His eyes widened, then narrowed once again.
He stated, "You guys wanted me to help you defect from the Sound, to be safe from Orochimaru, so it strikes me as a little strange that you'd so strongly insist that we be separated; you're hidin' something.".
As Sakura returned with a disgusted and coughing Sasuke, Kin deflected, "Come on, Kid, don't be ridiculous; what could we possibly be hiding?".
Naruto argued, "Somethin' about the curse mark, isn't it? Orochimaru sent you guys to test Sakura's mark; who's to say he didn't want you to hang around our team for a while longer to continue investigating? That whole thing with me being in Kin's body was a perfect hole for you to squeeze into in order to spy on us for a while longer -- I'm beginnin' to wonder if your really even wanna defect! ".
Kin began to argue back, "Come on--", before being pushed aside by Zaku, who retorted, "Then it shouldn't make much of a difference if we split now; we hypothetically have the information we need, and can't bother you if we're separated.".
Naruto shot back, "It does make a difference; you'll probably just run off to Orochimaru and give him our location, along with all the information he needs about us.".
Dosu questioned, "Even if that were true, what are you going to do about it?".
Naruto adopted a fighting stance and told him, "We'll fight, right here and now. After I kick your asses, I'll tie you to a tree so you can't chase us or reach Orochimaru.".
Sakura interjected, "Wait, this is crazy! I know we can't really trust these guys, but we don't have to fight them!".
Dosu remarked, "Too late.".
He threw two tiny steel balls, which separated and burst directly on either side of Naruto's ears.
Blood spurt out of the blonde's ears.
He stumbled back, but before he could react to the attack, his injuries had already healed.
Fox workin' faster than usual...
Sakura began to approach Naruto to check on him, but he pushed her out of the way to keep her out of danger, as Sasuke ran towards Dosu.
In a flash, Naruto used the Flying Thunder to instantaneously reach Sasuke, before kicking off the ground and zooming towards Zaku.
Zaku was holding his arms out, and Naruto used the force of his jump to push Zaku to fall down facing Kin.
Though Naruto absorbed some of the attack, the brunt of the sound waves made their way to Kin, whose mind had gone blank and who had passed out in the short time it took for Zaku to deactivate his gauntlets.
The battle reached a stalemate when Naruto used shadow clones to restrain Zaku, as Dosu held Sasuke in a chokehold above ground.
Dosu ordered, "Let go of Zaku, or I snap Emo Boy's neck.".
Dosu quickly turned around and also grabbed a kunai from Sakura, who had been hoping to sneak up on him.
He taunted, "Nice try, Kid, but I hear everything.".
All of a sudden, his eye widened.
He tossed Sasuke over his head onto the ground, and assumed a defensive position.
He announced, "We got trouble; someone's coming!".
Naruto looked in the same direction as Dosu, and breathed a sigh of relief.
The blonde remarked, "It's just Anko!...".
The purple-haired jonin landed in the clearing with authority.
She rose and smirked as she commanded, "Team 7, continue to the tower. I need to talk to Team Dosu about a certain fugitive.".
Team 7 scrambled away without question.
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An Hour Later
As Team 7 silently continued to traverse the forest, Naruto became lost in thought.
There's somethin' a little odd about how Anko just showed up like that. I thought she'd at least not be so... Smug about it. Whatever happened to that integrity she's been lauded for?
He nervously gulped.
I got a bad feelin' about this.
Nonetheless, the team continued towards the tower.
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3 A.M.
Team 7 had arrived at the tower, early and eerily without issue.
The whole way up a long and seemingly-perilous flight of stairs in the cold and silent night only further contributed to the goosebumps the genin felt.
Beyond that, the air was getting thicker and more humid with every step, turning tiredness into weariness and sleepiness.
A quarter of the way up, they abandoned the paper with the scrolls, opting instead to latch them onto Naruto's belt for easier carriage.
At some point, one of them had even suggested going back down, sleeping, and then coming up - - alas, by that very point, the bottom of the stairwell was no more visible from their position than a fly would be at that same distance.
Unfortunately, Naruto had actually fallen asleep soon after, and fallen down step after step after step, forcing his peers to follow him until they'd reached halfway to where they had started their trek.
Perhaps the most unsettling fact of the whole affair was that, even as the sun rose and reached its quarterway, there still was not a single soul on those stairs except for Team 7.
Only a few dozen steps away from the top, Naruto remarked, "Guess... It's... A... Good... Thing... That I... Disguised... Myself.. To... Get the scroll...".
Sakura weakly agreed with an affirmative moan, as Sasuke swallowed his pride and admitted, "Just this... Once... I'll agree with... You...".
When the genin had finally reached the top of the stairs, they collapsed directly in front of the doors to the tower.
After lying down for a few minutes, Naruto was the first one to rise.
He held on to the door, hoping to use it to pull himself up, but had accidentally grabbed the handle, opening the door and thereby landing flat on his stomach once again.
The room of entry was a long hall, much like an ancient temple, with cylindrical pillars of marble adorning the way.
Sasuke was the next to rise, and he stumbled into the building, before kneeling to recollect his strength.
Sakura had preserved her strength. When she rose, she made a beeline towards Naruto, helping him stand up and lean against a pillar.
She commented, "There's a message on the wall...".
The genin all read it simultaneously.
If qualities of Heaven are your desire,
acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your minds higher.
If Earthly qualities are what you lack,
work and train your body to prepare for attack.
Sakura stated, "'Heaven' and 'Earth', just like the scrolls. I think we're supposed to open them.".
As such, she picked up the Earth scroll from Naruto's belt, as Naruto himself picked up the Heaven scroll.
As they undid the adhesive on the seal, they casually walked into the middle of the room and opened the scrolls.
Sasuke immediately noted the contents.
That symbol in the middle... 'Human'.
As Naruto scratched his head, Sasuke shouted, "They're summoning scrolls! Drop them now!".
They obeyed, and sure enough, a poof of smoke revealed the man summoned - - Iruka.
The chunin chortled, "Hey, I was hoping it'd be you guys!".
An excited Naruto zoomed towards the man and grabbed his leg to pull on it, exclaiming, "Alright! This's the coolest!".
Iruka gently pushed the boy off as he explained, "Alright, now, the reason I've been sent here is to tell you what the message means.".
The genin leaned in intently.
"'If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your minds higher.' In other words, if Naruto's weakest area is his brain and academic knowledge, he's got to study principles that will help him complete missions.".
Sakura stuck her tongue out at Naruto in jest, as Naruto pouted.
Iruka continued, "'If Earthly qualities are what you lack, work and train your body to prepare for attack.'. That is to say, if Sakura's weak point is with her lack of strength and power, she needs to train hard and find the riches of physical stamina and skill.".
Sakura sheepishly chuckled as Naruto took his turn to stick his tongue out at her.
Sasuke was genuinely smiling for once.
Heaven and Earth, huh? I guess I'm proficient in both. Why shouldn't I be? But...
He eyed the bandage in Sakura's neck, and his smile waned.
Iruka spoke, "By the way, Naruto, in the third part of the exam, don't overexert yourself... I worry.".
Naruto scoffed.
"I'm a full-fledged shinobi, Iruka-sensei! Just look at the headband! Shin-o-bi! I'm mature enough to make my own decisions, and I'm still gonna kick ass, too!".
A calm voice interjected, "He's right, Iruka; they're not your students anymore, they're my soldiers.".
Kakashi walked out of the shadows and appeared in the middle of the room.
Iruka meekly responded, "You're right, Kakashi...", and walked away.
Kakashi announced, "Now, you've reached the tower early, so we have no choice but to make living accommodations until the 5-day period is over.".
Naruto immediately raised his hand and shouted, "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura got attacked by a pedophile and now she's got a curse mark from 'im!".
Kakashi sighed, hiding his worry.
"Of course, not a single uneventful day with you kids... Follow me, Sakura. I've got a way to suppress its influence on you.".
Sakura walked away with Kakashi.
Way to get to the point, Naruto.
After they had left, Naruto and Sasuke were left alone.
Naruto began, "So--"
He was cut off by the sudden arrival of the third hokage, who spoke, "Ah, so you're the first ones here. Come, let me show you your accommodations.".
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Elsewhere in the Tower
The hokage led the genin to a long, narrow hallway.
He gestured to the line of vending machines and informed, "Here, you can purchase many luxuries - - candy, meat, a change of clothes, vegetables, rugs, drinks, there's even a gaming arcade somewhere along this place.".
He then took them across a few twists and turns, opening a set of double doors to lead them to a spacious hall with large windows, filled with tables.
"This is the cafeteria. Breakfast starts at 0700, lunch at 1200, and dinner at 1900. We'll cook anything.".
Naruto asked, "Even ramen?".
The hokage smiled.
"Even ramen.".
After that, they were shown the steam rooms, the den, and all sorts of luxuries in the tower.
In yet another hallway, nearing the end of the tour, Naruto questioned, "So... Where's the bathrooms?".
The hokage smirked and told him, "In addition to the cafeteria, there's one bathroom in each of these.".
He opened the first door and revealed a bedroom.
While the room was mostly empty, the coziness of the room made up for it. The walls were lightly painted brown, the queen bed had a canopy, and sunlight poured in warmly through the large windows by the side.
Naruto shouted, "I've got dibs on this one!".
The hokage responded, "As you see fit, Naruto. I'll show Sasuke another room; feel free to grab breakfast or sleep for a while; this place is designed for rest!".
Naruto replied, "I'll take a nap... I'm beat!".
Left alone to his devices, he made a beeline for the door that led to the bathroom.
It was as close to paradise as a bathroom could get; it was marble, spacious, had a bidet, and even had a window next to the shower!
It's so beautiful! Guess I'll take a shower first...
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Chamber in the Tower
Sakura sat on the floor with her legs crossed as Kakashi read a book and painted symbols around the room.
With a thick thump, the book closed and Kakashi approached the girl.
He told her, "Now, it's lucky that we caught this early - - it's only been a day; longer exposure lends to the exacerbation of effects. It still will, but the 'cork' seal that I'm applying is going to keep the effects at bay - - I did the same thing for Anko before. You still might be acting weird for a while, though... ".
Light footsteps broke the following silence.
Kakashi turned around, and sunk with comfort when he saw that it was Anko.
The woman initiated a conversation with, "Just like old times, eh, Kakashi?".
"Yeah... It's the same man who did the same thing to you.".
"Ugh, that creep? Well, I've got reason to believe that he wants the Uchiha on your team; I'm on my way to the hokage now.".
"Alright; I'll see you later.".
Kakashi watched as Anko walked out of the chamber.
Is it just me, or is her backside a little phatter than before? Whatever, I should concentrate on the pertinent matter.
He placed a hand above the seal on Sakura's neck, and slowly began a chakra connection with the seal. When he felt a little spark, he activated the characters he had written, using them to generate a turquoise chakra that ran up Sakura's body and diverted into the seal from every direction.
As Kakashi held his hand up, Sakura began to wince. Her skin was once again covered in tomoe, and the chakra coils in her body began to glow a bright pink color, seemingly expelling a darker purple.
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, as all the chakra suddenly dissipated, and she felt a load off of her shoulders.
She fell back, but Kakashi caught her, and slowly brought her up to her knees.
He told her, "I'd advise hydrating - - not too much - - and some rest. It'll do wonders for your psyche at this point.".
Sakura weakly nodded, "Yes...", and was led out of the room.
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Hours Later, Naruto's Chosen Room
After properly drying himself following the shower, Naruto had hit the sheets and promptly passed out. He fell into a deep sleep, a sleep so deep that he hadn't felt the slightest sensation.
When he woke up, the warm sunlight was pouring in freely, shining on his his hair.
The smell of shampoo - - not his own - - snuck into his nostrils.
Upon waking up a little more, he noticed that he was clutching on to none other than Sakura.
When did this happen?
The gentle rise and fall of Sakura's breathing was almost hypnotic, and the boy found himself struggling to enter a state of full awareness.
He ultimately gave in, sinking deep into her chest as he himself whimpered and squirmed like a newly-adopted stray. His eyes met the clock on the wall
10:00? I passed out at 6 A.M., which means I've been asleep for... Four hours. I usually wake up a few times per night. How long as Sakura been here for?
As Naruto contemplated his situation, Sakura - - in her sleeping state - - groaned, "Nngh-- mm, hrrr", and grabbed Naruto tighter as she flipped him onto his back, effectively cutting off any means of an escape.
Naruto felt his eyes drifting.
Well, I can't complain...