I do not own Naruto
A while later, training ground 44
Anko wasn't happy. She had jumped through the window a bit too early, cutting off Ibiki's explanation. Luckily, the man hadn't commented on it, but there would be hell to pay for ruining his speech, she just knew it.
She had led the genins in front of training ground 44, glancing at Risu's little pests being very friendly toward a team of Kusa nin. The jinchuriki in particular seemed extremely eager to talk with Kusa's redhead that for some reason reminded her of lady Kushina. Maybe it was the hair?
"You're a sensor!? That's amazing, Karin-chan!" exclaimed Naruto.
"It's nothing that impressive…" muttered the redhead.
"I disagree. The ability to detect enemies without jutsu is an incredibly powerful tool." commented Sasuke.
"That's what I've been trying to tell her since the beginning!" shouted Fuzaku.
"Out of curiosity, Karin-san…How far can you sense people?" asked Sakura.
"I'm not sure… about a kilometer?"
"That's incredible!" shouted Naruto.
Sasuke observed the Kusa team.
Karin was obviously the weaker fighter, but she was a medic, the greatest medic nin in Kusa, if Ryuzetsu was to be believed, as well as a powerful sensor.
Ryuzetsu herself was carrying a sword and always kept her two teammates within her line of sight, meaning she was most likely the leader and at the very least a decent swordswoman. No one bothered to carry a weapon they weren't proficient with, after all.
Lastly, there was Fuzaku. Big, tall and muscular, he had to be a frontline fighter, and by his bulk alone he was certainly packing a decent punch.
Sasuke wasn't sure about the nature of the second exam, but he was pretty sure it involved reaching the central tower. He didn't think Naruto would compromise the test in order to spend some time with his clanmate, but he was positive that he would have insisted on spending time with her for as long as possible.
"We should team up."
Ryuzetsu looked at him, expectantly. Sasuke pointed at the two Uzumaki.
"Look at these two. We won't be able to separate them for a while. Might as well make the most out of it and work together."
The white-haried woman scratched her chin. "It's not a bad idea. You three did help us in the first test, and should be familiar with this training ground. With your knowledge of the area, Karin's ability as a sensor and our combat skills…"
Her musings were interrupted by Anko announcing the rules of the second exam. They were soon ushered in a tent, exchanging their consent form for an Earth scroll and assigned to gate 11. She motioned the rest of her team to wait for the Konoha team, who entered the tent right after them.
"Is your offer still valid?"
Sasuke smirked "Fighting with superior numbers is never a bad strategy. If we have the choice between two easy battles and a hard one, I'll take the two easy."
Ryuzetsu smiled "Well then, it seems like we are in an alliance now."
"Awesome! You're assigned to gate 11, right? We can meet you there and plan our strategy." said Naruto with a grin.
"We'll try to intercept you. Karin, can you keep track of them?" asked Ryuzetsu
"Naruto-nii has so much chakra it's going to be hard not to." confirmed the kunoichi
"What's the plan once we regroup?" asked Fuzaku.
"Our original plan was to use Sasuke's summons to scout for enemy ninjas while making our way to the central tower, but with Karin we shouldn't need the summons." explained Naruto.
"What about food? I can't really sense animals all that well." asked Karin.
"We have about a week worth of supplies in our storage scrolls. Plus, we have prepared three safe houses in the field with enough rations that should last us six for… probably a month." explained Sasuke.
Fuzaku whistled "And here I thought we were the ones who overpacked."
Ryuzetsu nodded in approval. "It's a valid strategy. We should have enough food for a week or so, but our sensei drilled us on hunting and trap-making since the day we became a team. We can fortify the safe houses and if we find wild animals, leave them to us."
"Deal!" said Naruto, shaking Ryuzetsu's hand.
With a wave, the two teams headed toward their respective gate. They patiently waited for Anko's signal and, as soon as the gate opened, they dashed toward each other.
Sakura took out a sealing scroll, showing the six of them a very detailed map of the training ground.
"This area is infested by leeches. They range in size, the biggest ones can easily swallow you in a single bite. The smallest ones, however, will attach themselves to you and start siphoning away your chakra. From what I heard talking with some patients at the hospital, they have a tendency to climb trees and drop down on people. It's a pretty dangerous area, but as long as we don't climb trees we should be safe. If we're lucky, any team we fight there will be low on chakra. If we're really lucky, we may even find a team that has been already knocked unconscious. Our first safe house is right on the other side of the leech territory." She looked at Karin while sealing the map away.
"Karin, we rely on you to detect any ninja in the area. Me and Sasuke will take point, Naruto will take the rear and you three…"
"... Karin will stay in the middle to focus on her sensing, me and Fuzaku will guard the flanks." concluded Ryuzetsu with a nod.
"Wait!" said Karin, eyes closed in concentration. "Someone's approaching."
The other five tensed.
"Three signatures, smaller than ours, almost a kilometer east. They're heading straight towards us."
"How do they know where we are?" asked Fuzaku
Ryuzetsu narrowed her eyes and started to pat her own clothes. She swiftly moved to do the same to Fuzaku, ignoring the boy's protest, until she pulled out a small device from his back pocket. "They put a tracker on you."
"Fuck." said the large boy "I didn't even notice."
"New plan: we stay here and act as bait. You three hide nearby and keep an eye out. We will fight defensively, holding their attention until you jump in and take them out by surprise." ordered Ryuzetsu.
The Konoha team nodded, taking a few steps back and starting to wave hand signs.
Shinkiro no jutsu
They disappeared. Ryuzetsu sat down, grabbed a random stick and started to draw a very crude map of the training ground.
"So, let's discuss a fake plan of attack. Make dumb suggestions and insult one another, we want to look like an easy target."
The trio spent a few minutes insulting each other, bickering like kids. Fuzaku seemed to have way more fun than he had any right to, and Karin had the distinct impression that he wasn't really acting. The banter stopped when a veritable wave of identical Ame shinobi wearing a gas mask, bandages over their eyes and what could only be charitably described as a gray pajama, emerged from the ground, weapons at the ready.
"Give up your scroll or die."
Team 4 jumped up, back to back, Karin and Fuzaku wielding shurikens while Ryuzetsu unsheathed her sword.
"So… you chose death."
The Ame shinobi started to shower the three with a rain of projectiles, which were swiftly countered by the Kusa team.
All of a sudden, the Ame ninjas disappeared, their bodies turning into a puddle as they evaporated in the air.
"Sorry about that, it took a while to realize they were using a genjutsu to cover their attacks." said Naruto, one of the real ninjas slumped on his shoulder with black lines covering his whole body. Soon after, Sasuke dropped down from the trees with a second Ame ninja, unconscious and bleeding heavily from a sword stab in his gut. A third ninja stepped forward, Sakura's weapon pushing him forward. Naruto walked toward the last Ame ninja and slapped a seal on his chest, black lines wrapping around his body like his teammate.
"Well done, everyone. I knew this alliance was a good idea." said Fuzaku with a laugh
Sasuke lifted a Heaven scroll "We don't need this. What do you have?"
Ryuzetsu showed him her Earth scroll. Sasuke nodded, tossing the kunoichi the Heaven scroll.
The kunoichi grabbed it and nodded. "We should get moving."
The walk through the leech territory was surprisingly uneventful. At one point Karin had sensed a trio of Konoha shinobi tied up in a suspended net, covered in bruises and surrounded by dead leeches. The trio was unconscious, but unfortunately for them they had no scrolls. The group decided to leave them be and continue onward, keeping chatting to a minimum. They were barely outside the leech territory when Karin sensed a massive chakra signature suddenly popping into existence, immediately gathering chakra right behind them.
"Dodge!" she shouted, turning around to see a massive wave of wind impacting them.
Futon: Daitoppa no jutsu
A torrent of wind hit the group. Sasuke dodged to the side, escaping unharmed. Fuzaku lowered himself to the ground, the wind dragging his feet to the ground for a good thirty meters, but the man kept his footing and resisted the effect. Sakura was blown away, hitting a tree and hitting the ground behind Fuzaku, battered and bruised but ready to fight. Naruto, Ryuzetsu and Karin, however, were blown away into the forest, too far for any of them to see where the trio landed.
"Kukuku… It seems like I have underestimated you three." laughed a tall kunoichi wearing a straw hat and a kusa hitai-ate.
"Who are you?" demanded Fuzaku.
"You don't recognize a fellow Kusa nin? I'm hurt." said the kunoichi in a mocking tone.
"Don't give me that bullshit! Shiore-senpai doesn't have any jutsu even remotely similar to the one you just used! Who are you!?" shouted Fuzaku.
The imposter smirked, removing her face to reveal a man wearing an Oto hitai-ate. Without a word, he tossed a kunai toward Fuzaku, flashing through hand signs so fast it might as well have been a single sign.
Futon: Reppusho no jutsu
The kunai sped up, whizzing through the air too fast for any of the genin to see, let alone dodge. With a squelching sound, it buried itself into Fuzaku's belly, piercing through and burning itself in the ground behind him.
"Fuzaku-san!" Shouted Sakura, rushing to the Kusa ninja in a desperate attempt to save his life.
"Now that the pests have been dealt with, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Orochimaru and I'm here to test you, Uchiha Sasuke."
At the same, with Naruto, Karin and Ryuzetsu
The trio of ninja stood up, battered and bruised. They had been blown far, but luckily for them, all three ended up in the same spot. As Naruto raised his head, he saw a colossal snake staring down at him with hungry eyes. The snake lunged, jaws open. Naruto jumped away, before seeing something moving right behind him.
Suiton: Suijun no jutsu
The water shield materialized itself in front of Naruto, blocking the snake's tail. Before he could react, however, the tail coiled around him, holding him in place. Naruto saw the snake opening his mouth, ready to devour him, before the giant head darted backwards, barely avoiding Ryuzetsu's sword. Karin was at Naruto's side, stabbing the tail with a kunai. The snake hissed, releasing the hold just enough for Naruto to move his hands.
Shunshin no jutsu
Naruto landed next to Karin, unsheathing Ashina's blades and assuming a defensive stance. Ryuzetsu appeared next to him in a swirl of grass blades.
"It's a summon." pointed out Karin, unsealing a Fuma shuriken behind her two companions. "It has the same chakra as the one that attacked us."
Naruto frowned. He needed to rush back to the others, but in order to do that, they had to kill this snake. He had to finish this quickly.
Karin threw the shuriken at the snake, who swiftly dodged it while charging at the genins. Naruto and Ryuzetsu rushed forward, Naruto meeting the snake's fangs with his own blade to stop its advance. Ryuzetsu jumped high, her blade swinging down at the base of the creature's neck creating a shower of sparks as her blade clashed with the reptile's thick hide. She saw a few scales flying off. The snake hissed in irritation and clear discomfort, but was unarmed. She charged in for a second strike, but the creature's tail darted forward, striking her on the side and launching her away. Karin jumped, catching her teammate in the air. and landing on a tree branch.
Shosen jutsu
Karin's glowing hands rushed to Ryuzetsu's side, soothing chakra repairing the girl's cracked ribs.
The snake was ready to jump at the kunoichi, when he felt pain on his side. It turned around, seeing the blonde having stabbed his swords deep into his side, drawing blood. It twisted around, once again coiling over itself in an attempt to catch the little pest in his jaws, but the blonde had already flashed through hand signs
Futon: Kiryu Ranbu no jutsu
The snake felt its mouth and lungs filling up with a violent explosion of air and dust. Its natural reflexes caused it to cough violently, a twitching movement that forced its attack off course, completely missing the boy. The snake stared at him in rage, its inside still screaming in pain due to the dust. It saw a glimpse of silver on the corner of its eye before everything went black.
Ryuzetsu flipped the snake over, dragging her sword out of the beast's eye and shaking off whatever foul liquid her blade was now covered in.
"How come your blades cut the thing and mine didn't?" she snorted, partly disgusted at the fluids oozing off her blade, partly curious as to what the blonde did.
"Chakra Nagashi. But we don't have time to chat, we have to get back and help the others." he said with urgency.
The Kusa kunoichi nodded and started running behind Naruto towards their missing teammates.
Meanwhile, with Sasuke, Sakura, Fuzaku and Orochimaru
"To test me?" asked Sasuke, trying to stall for time. Fuzaku took a hit from an attack he could barely see and was on the ground bleeding. Against someone of that caliber, Sasuke really needed all the help he could get.
Orochimaru smirked "Of course. Now, let us begin this battle with our lives on the line."
Sasuke saw a flash of the future, Orochimaru charging in and tearing him to pieces. It wasn't real, he knew that it wasn't real, but his body refused to believe that, moving at a crawling speed. Was that a genjutsu? When did the man use it? For what appeared to be hours, his hand crept toward his sword, running his finger across the blade. With the pain came clarity and he could finally move again.
"Injuring yourself to escape from fear… As I thought you're not an ordinary pray." commented Orochimaru.
Sasuke frowned. Should he run? No, the man was clearly toying with him now. He was able to sneak up on all six of them without anyone noticing. Even Karin, who had shown how reliable and precise her chakra sensing ability was, didn't notice the man until it was too late. Besides, the man claimed he wanted to test him. He had no option other than to fight. He activated his sharingan, weaving through hand signs.
Kuchiyose no jutsu
With a puff of smoke, Garuda appeared at his side.
"Give me a boost!" he shouted, while preparing his next technique.
Garuda nodded, spreading his wings and gathering wind chakra.
Futon: Toppa no jutsu
Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu
The two techniques combined in a massive, white-hot ball of fire barreling down toward their target.
"A summoning contract and combination jutsus already?" chuckled the man, before dodging the powerful, yet slow-moving ball of flames.
Shunshin no jutsu
As he landed on a tree, Orochimaru felt a presence appearing right behind him. He dodged, barely preventing Sasuke's blade from clipping his hair. Sasuke was ready to attack, but immediately jumped backward as soon as he saw chakra gathering inside the man's sleeve
Sen'ei Jashu no jutsu
A mass of snakes erupted from Orochimaru's sleeve, ready to bite the Uchiha, who had now moved too far out of their reach.
"Kukuku. That was an impressive display, Sasuke-kun. If only you had…"
Orochimaru's eyes went wide as soon as he noticed the Kibaku Fuda crawling over his feet. He knew that technique. It was one of the those of blasted Hanzo, the same technique he loved using that much, the same technique that, together with the man's poison, had devastated Konoha's forces during their attack on Ame. He had to run away. Immediately.
Katon: Kibaku Enjin no jutsu
Kawarimi no Jutsu
As the explosive tags started to smoke, Orochimaru's mouth unhinged, stretching to an inhuman degree, before another Orochimaru emerged, discarding the old body like a snake discards his old skin while dashing away to safety.
The explosion shook the forest, the tree exploding in a rain of splinters, the shockwave of the explosion pushing both Sasuke and Orochimaru away and forcing them to land on the ground, the massive tree now falling into a rain of splinters and charred tree branches with leaves falling like green snow.
Sasuke was panting. He had never controlled so many Kibaku Fuda at once. He hadn't thought the attack through and overloaded the jutsu, consuming all but a dozen of his exploding tags. Orochimaru had panicked for a second, using the single most disturbing jutsu Sasuke had ever seen, but that had proven that that the technique was effective. He now had to hope that Naruto's ridiculous supply of Kibaku Fuda would be enough to either kill or force the snake man to retreat.
Orochimaru smiled, having regained his cool after his momentary lapse. "To be able to use Hanzo's technique… You truly are a worthy specimen. Just like I thought… I want you."
Orochimaru's neck elongated, his head darting toward Sasuke at blinding speed. He tried to block it, raising his arm in defense, only for the head to swirl around, chomping down on his neck.
Sasuke felt pain. Blindingly, unsurmountable, unbelievable amounts of pain. He fell to his knees. His senses were overwhelmed. He couldn't hear his own scream, he couldn't see with his eyes open. The only thing that existed was the pain.
Orochimaru's neck returned to normal as he smiled with satisfaction and excitement.
"Let go of him!"
Orochimaru turned his head toward the sound, seeing a feral boy charging at him, twin swords swinging, surrounded by a veil of red chakra.
Orochimaru jumped away in reflex. This chakra…could this boy be the jinchuriki? Naruto howled, the power of his voice blowing off a small cloud of dust and debris, forcing Orochimaru to hold onto his hat.
"So, Kyuubi's chakra overflows when emotions are high… how interesting." he muttered, while starting to perform hand sign, taking his time observing the visible red chakra enveloping the frame of the boy like a protective armor, a single ethereal tail swinging behind him. The boy was fast, much faster than a genin, but still not fast enough to keep up with someone like him. With a final hand seal, his fingertips started to glow with purple chakra
Gogyo Fuin
Orochimaru's open hand slammed into Naruto's belly, shutting off the beast's chakra. Naruto gasped, before falling unconscious. Orochimaru looked at his hand, pondering the distinct sensation of a mild burn and the red tint of his skin. How peculiar.
"Naruto-nii!"
Orochimaru turned his head at the two Kusa kunoichi, before looking at the remnants of the massive Kibaku Fuda explosion. It seemed like his little test had drawn a considerable amount of attention. Better disappear before any of the jonin got wind of his presence. He flashed through hand signs.
Doton: Moguragakure no jutsu
He started to sink into the ground.
"It has been pleasant, but I'm afraid I have to leave. We'll meet again, young genins"
Notes
You finally get to see the first real fights of the story. Which is a bit odd it took me this long because I really like writing battle scenes. Hope you enjoy!
Regarding Orochimaru's Kawarimi... the wiki has it listed as Orochimaru-style Kawarimi no jutsu. Since the "classic" Kawarimi doesn't exist there was no need for the jutsu to have "Orochimaru-style" in the name. As to why I remove the Kawarimi while leaving this technique in the story, is because this technique is not academy-level, is much more complex and costs a lot more chakra.
As to why Orochimaru had a PTSD-style war flashback... the fight against Hanzo was horrific and seeing Sasuke pull out what he thought was a jutsu exclusive to Hanzo did surprise him quite a bit.
How did Orochimaru sneak up on a sensor with Karin's expertise? A combination of Karin not being super experienced, Orochimaru knowing a lot of weird and unconventional jutsu, Orochimaru being able to Shunshin for quite a long distance and me wanting to split the group for the fight
I hope I did a good enough job describing all the jutsu as to make it clear what they do, but just to make sure, here's the list. All of them are from the manga:
Shinkiro no jutsu: invisible when still genjutsu
Shunshin no jutsu: you should know about this by now
Futon: Daitoppa no jutsu: wide area wind blast
Futon: Reppusho no jutsu: wind jet speeds up projectiles
Suiton: Suijun no jutsu: water shield
Shosen jutsu: you run-off-the-mill basic healing
Futon: Kiryu Ranbu no jutsu: controls a dust/dirt cloud. Garuda taught this move to Naruto
Futon: Toppa no jutsu: just as Daitoppa, but weaker
Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu: fireball
Sen'ei Jashu no jutsu: snakes jump from your sleeve to bite the enemy
Katon: Kibaku Enjin no jutsu: remotly control Kibaku Fuda (explosive tags)
Kawarimi no Jutsu: Orochimaru's self-vomiting
Gogyo Fuin: 5 element seal
Doton: Moguragakure no jutsu: moves underground
Also, quick question: should I list all the jutsu used in a chapter every time I do a battle scene? let me know