Chapter 10: Chuunin Exams: Part 4: End

"Don't you lose, Naruto! Beat him into next week!" Sakura yelled from the stands.

Naruto sweatdropped as he ambled down to the stadium. This was so troublesome.

He took his place across from Neji, evaluating the damage Sakura and Lee had done.

"Are you both ready?" Hayate asked, eyes half-lidded but focused. Naruto and Neji nodded. "Then match start."

Naruto adjusted the sheath on his hip to a different angle as Neji got into a stance. "You might as well forfeit now. It is impossible for you to win," the Hyuuga said stubbornly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Why? Because I scraped by in the Academy?"

"One such as you can never break through their limits."

"Right, because I so believe yoooooouuu know my limits," Naruto said with the tone of someone talking to a child.

Neji's face started twitching, although minutely. "It's obvious just looking at you," he scoffed. "Do you even take being a shinobi seriously? Look at you!"

Naruto obeyed, glancing down at himself. He'd had a quick clothes change before entering the arena, wanting something that let him access the storage seals on his wrists. He wore a T-shirt with a henohenomoheji on the front, while the sleeves were made of mesh and ended in fishnet at his elbows. Otherwise the grey shorts and sandals he wore looked extremely…average. "I don't get it. How do I not look like a shinobi?"

Neji gave him a deadpan stare. "You're wearing a symbol school children make."

"My sensei's dogs wear it."

"What?"

"His summons," Naruto elaborated, pointing at the section of the stands he'd previously occupied. Neji followed his gaze, forehead crinkling. Kakashi waved down at them with a cheery-looking smile, eye curved upward. "Is Kakashi of the Sharingan not a serious shinobi now? Wow…" Naruto cupped his hands around his mouth. "Kaka-sensei! He called you an unserious shinobi!"

"Well he'd be correct then!" Kakashi called back in a happy tone, just to annoy Neji.

Naruto turned back to his opponent, giving him the nice-guy pose Lee and Gai used.

"Enough," Neji hissed. "You may have avoided being completely mediocre in the preliminaries, but I will cut you down here."

This guy was so dramatic. How did Hinata live with him? He needed to chill. "You need to chill."

Enraged, Neji charged him, evidently expecting him to try and keep his distance.

Naruto was very stubborn. He didn't want to keep his distance; he wanted to punch Neji's nose in.

So he did.

Hayate blinked, having not seen Naruto's full movement. He was a tokubetsu jounin, and experienced enough to have followed the boy's attack, but it had been so quick it had been a partial blur. Neji stumbled back, hand flying up to hold his nose, and Naruto stood there and waited.

"What?" Neji muttered, blinking. "How in the world-"

"You've dishonored yourself," Naruto said, eyeing him with a bored expression. "It doesn't matter if you're a shinobi or not. We're more than tools to be used by our superiors, and we're more than brutes who pick on those weaker than us. We have a conscience and morals too, and we're obligated by responsibility to obey them. Those who break the rules are seen as trash, sure, but those who betray their friends and comrades like you did to Hinata are even worse."

"You don't know anything about betrayal," Neji hissed at him, veins bulging from the area around his eyes.

"Okay, fine, please do keep telling me about my life. That's fun and all, but can we get on with it?"

Naruto held up a hand and formed a one-handed seal. He had, quite literally, thousands of times more experience with kage bunshin than most shinobi, and it was easy at that point. (He'd also been corresponding through the mail with Haku for tips, but no one needed to know about that.)

Twenty clones appeared around him in a plume of smoke. Fifteen charged Neji, while five darted into the few trees that were still standing, and Naruto stayed near the back.

He hung near the rubble near the side of the stadium closest to his teammates, watching with a blank expression as Neji struggled to dispel every clone. Naruto was no pushover when it came to taijutsu, although he did have more experience fighting against a Strong Fist style rather than a Gentle Fist one.

Still…his clones were going easy on Neji. He didn't want to just pummel him until he won- he wanted to show he could strategize. He'd be damned if he was the only one on his team that didn't make chuunin.

A clone popped up beside him as Neji worked at dispelling the last two. "All done, boss!"

Naruto grinned slightly, nodding. Another hand seal, and the clones dispelled. "Hey, Neji!" he called in a taunting tone. "Is a side branch member too weak and cowardly to fight me head to head?"

Neji turned, expression tightening. "How dare you-"

Naruto loped into the trees, laughing. As expected, Neji followed him, seeing nothing amiss in the arena.

As soon as he was a good distance away, Naruto leapt onto part of the wall and began forming hand seals. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu."

Neji froze. His eyes went wide, and he sent an incredulous look up at where the Uzumaki crouched. He couldn't possibly-

Yes he could. A torrent of water exploded towards the arena, making the audience scream. It filled the stadium up nearly halfway to the stands, whirling about at an insane pace. The waves lashed back and forth, calming down as Naruto let it dissipate.

From the other wall, Neji gave Naruto a haughty look. "Knowing one impressive jutsu isn't enough to defeat me," he called out, dropping back to the now wet and soggy floor.

Naruto gave him a sly grin. "I wasn't aiming for you."

Neji, confused, followed his gaze. He looked down at his feet, where a scroll sat unassumingly on the ground. What-?

"Doton: Doro ōkami," Naruto explained. A moment later, four wolves burst through the arena floor, made of mud and no less menacing than a real one. Their teeth snapped as they lunged, eyes glowing an almost red color.

Stumbling back, Neji struck out at the first one, putting his full force behind the blow. The dog collapsed in a rain of mud, but as soon as he retracted his hand, it reformed. Cursing, he spun into a rotation, knocking all four back. They settled into a round of snarls, slowly circling around him.

"If you really think how you'll do in life is dictated by your test scores, you're being willfully ignorant," Naruto called out from- somewhere. He'd disappeared while the audience's attention was on Neji. "Even if you're at rock bottom you can work your way up."

"You're the one who's ignorant," Neji hissed back. "A dead last can't compete with a genius-"

"And yet here we are," Naruto said sarcastically.

"Come down and fight me face-to-face, and we'll find out quickly enough who's the true winner of this match."

"You do know we're shinobi, soldiers of the shadow, right? I'm under no obligation to ever fight you myself. I could just blow you up, but where's the fun in that."

Naruto abruptly crashed down in front of him, tossing small yellow balls the size of golf balls in either direction, effectively trapping Neji within a triangle against one side of the arena as they detonate at random. The four wolves lunged, and Neji prepared for a rotation, only for them all to explode halfway to him.

Surprised, he stepped back, putting more distance between himself and where they'd been. "Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga!" Naruto's voice called out. The smoke had partially concealed him, but Neji could easily see the beast charging for him.

The crowds let out screams of surprise. Lightning extended from Naruto's hand, connected to a beast made of the same substance. It was no larger than the wolves had been, but it was three times as fast, darting for Neji like its only goal in life was to tear him to pieces.

Neji cursed again, throwing himself into rotation. The monster and his chakra sphere clashed, lighting up the stadium with a light show that made many civilians cover their eyes.

The humming sound of electricity ceased. Slowly, spectators uncovered their eyes, gaping at the boys below; a severely singed Neji was standing in the same spot, panting heavily, clothes frayed. Naruto was no worse for wear- the only sign he'd even stepped foot in the stadium was the mud coating the bottoms of his sandals.

"Would you like to forfeit?" Naruto asked in an overly polite tone.

Neji seethed at him. "I will not lose to a loser like you," he snapped.

"Okay, seriously, for a genius you sure are slow."

"Excuse me?"

"Me. Loser." Naruto pointed at himself with the handle of his sword, now in his hand. "Okay, sure, I'm like thirty-percent loser, but who isn't? My point is that the whole…" He gestured with both hands. "Me being a dead-last failure, my friend Sasuke being a brooding, cold-hearted genius, and Sakura being nothing but a fangirl was all an act! Are all the shinobi in this village dumb?! Werenone of you able to see through a couple of kids' acting? We only acted like that so we could stack the team formation!" He was honestly getting tired of explaining it. It was in the past, and none of them cared about it anymore.

"What?" Shock rippled across Neji's face.

Naruto sighed. "Look. I know your sob story, okay? I was in the hospital with Hinata for, like, three days. We talked. Your dad died in Hiashi's place and the Main Branch is full of a-holes who ignore the morbid, twisted non-morality of branding parts of their own family with a seal that allows for discrimination, murder, and torture. And probably sexual assault, but I'm sure the victims are shut up pretty quick by blinding pain in their forehead. Amazing how a supposedlymoral, upright village like Konoha still allows such a barbaric practice when we were founded under the principles of being loyal to the village first instead of your own clan. I get it." Neji stared at him. "And you're completely validated in your feelings! You have a right to be ticked off. But Hinata never did anything to you. If anything, you should be mad at the Hyuuga elders. And you should really trying to get in with me because…" He couldn't help a little bit of his competitive streak slip out, wagging his index finger back and forth. "No Hyuuga seal is a match for an Uzumaki sealmaster. We're kind of the best at fuinjutsu. Have you never read a history book? If you think I can't get that thing off you, you're kidding yourself."

Complete silence. Naruto had been speaking for everyone to hear, wanting to see the uncomfortable looks that would cross everyone's faces when confronted with their own part in the Hyuuga's treatment of the side branch- their own ignoring it, that is.

Neji was still staring at him, flabbergasted, and Naruto took the opportunity to make two kage bunshin. "Now, we can talk about this later. Mikazuki no Mai!"

He dashed forward, attacking from three different directions. At the last moment, he flipped his sword so only the hilt hit Neji, instead of the blade.

The impact sent the young Hyuuga crashing into the stadium wall, making Hayate wonder if it would stay structurally sound through these exams.

"That one's a strong one," Mei said with a smile, slithering into the Kage booth. "A thousand apologies for being so late, Hokage-sama. We ran into some trouble on the road."

Orochimaru cursed loudly in his head, while Sarutobi just returned her smile. "It's no trouble, Mizukage-sama. We're simply glad to have you here."

"Oh, just Mei, please. I'm glad to be here!" With a cheery expression, she sat down beside the Sandaime, clasping her hands together as she examined the arena. Shikamaru and Temari had entered, although Naruto had to bodily shove Shikamaru off the railing. "Oh, did the Haruno girl and the Lee boy do that?"

The Hokage nodded. "It was a double-knock out. However, I'm considering the girl for chuunin. She's advanced far past her age group, and shows quite the mental prowess when it comes to evaluating her opponents. The boy, however, I feel needs to mature a bit more."

"What of this one? He certainly isn't as strong as the last two…" Mei followed Shikamaru across the arena with her eyes. "But his intelligence is well above average."

Sarutobi nodded. "He would make an excellent squad leader." They watched the match unfold, and Mei sweatdropped when Shikamaru forfeited.

"A wise choice in the long run, I suppose…" Hiruzen muttered.

"I see. Your…star shinobi is up next, isn't he, Kazekage-sama?" Mei asked, tipping her hat lower to hide her eyes.

"Yes. I'm sure he'll win his match." Orochimaru repressed the urge to start hissing. With the Mizukage there, his plan was going to be more difficult- but he could still manage. She would prove no match for Konoha's previous Hokage.

The three Kage turned back to the arena, waiting.

"Be careful, Sasuke."

"I know, idiot."

"I'm serious. He's unstable." Naruto sent a worried look in Gaara's direction, attempting in no way to be discreet about it. Kankuro and Temari stared back with wary expressions. "I'm worried."

Sasuke paused. "Do you think he'll present a danger to the spectators?"

"I'm not sure. Just…"

"'Be careful, Sasuke.'"

"Shut up."

Sasuke leapt down to the ground, sending a dry look at the soaked, demolished area around him. He supposed it would work out for him in the end, fighting against a sand ninja.

Gaara wasn't looking too great. He wore a constant scowl, eyes slightly bloodshot. As soon as Hayate called out for the match to begin, Sasuke put on a burst of speed worthy of Sakura and Lee's fight, dashing forward to try and slam his fist into Gaara's cheekbone.

It was a testament to the sand's speed it managed to block him. Sasuke swung one leg around, striking out at Gaara's midsection, but the sand blocked it as well. Evaluating, the boy leapt back towards the wall as the sand attacked him.

Hmm. "Suiton: Mizurappa!" Sasuke called out, taking in a deep breath before he unleashed a wide stream of water. It coated the sand, soaking it through, and he immediately blasted off for Gaara's position.

Making a noise somewhere between 'startled' and 'enraged', Gaara lifted his hand to raise sand to him, but it was slow and sluggish. Sasuke took the opportunity to bash the boy's cheekbone with the heel of his foot, sending him stumbling back.

A growl left Gaara's lips as the sand gathered around him, shooting at Sasuke despite how easily he now dodged it.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" His fire jutsu would be of no help to him here. His dragon sent Gaara spiraling across the stadium, coming to a hurtling stop against the wall that had his siblings cringing.

Sasuke eyed him warily as his hands flew up to hold his head and he began making concerning noises. He looked to Naruto, who was watching with a frown, leaving halfway over the railing.

The sand retracted, forming a tight orb around Gaara. Sasuke watched for a few moments, wondering if he should attack or not.

In the end he decided to sit on the wall, waiting for what Gaara would do, with his sword held tightly in one hand.

Nearly a minute passed before a smoke bomb went off in the Kage box.

And that'll be the invasion, Sasuke thought. Naruto had told him and Sakura, of course. I was hoping I'd get to finish this, but…

A scream came from the sand at the same time a Sand nin and Gaara's siblings jumped down to the arena. Sasuke could see civilians and lower-ranked shinobi falling asleep in the audience, slumping in their seats.

"Take Gaara away from here," the Suna nin ordered. Both siblings nodded as the sand crumbled, revealing a disheveled Gaara who looked like he was half-insane.

"Not so fast," Naruto called out, landing in front of them and making a small crater. "Sasuke, deal with this chump for me, yeah?"

"Chump?" Baki's eyebrow twitched.

"No need for that. I'll take care of him." Kakashi appeared in front of them with a cheery smile. "You get going, you two." He had been aware of what was going on all along. He waved them off as they took off after the Sand Trio, turning to face Baki and setting his book inside his pouch.

"You'll find the Hidden Leaf is not so easy to attack."

"Up, up, up!" Sakura screamed, shoving Ino roughly out of her seat and slapping Choji on the forehead. She darted towards Shikamaru, kicking him hard in the stomach, as she already knew he was awake.

"Agh! What a drag…" he mumbled into the floor.

Eyes sharpening, Sakura grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him up. "Your village is being invaded, soldier," she hissed, the ferocity on her face making his eyes go wide. "The civilians around here could die. You could die. Your friends could all die. Make yourself useful and pick up a kunai." She let go of him, looking around for Naruto. Crap. He ran off without me.

Something pawed at her foot. She looked down, blinking when she saw Kakashi's summon dog. "Pakkun?"

"This way. I'll lead you to Sasuke and Naruto," Pakkun said, trotting towards a hole in the wall Gai had made.

"Shikamaru, go with them," Kurenai ordered, blocking a Sound nin's sword with one of her kunai. "Naruto and Sasuke need all the help they can get."

Does everyone but me know what they're doing? Shikamaru thought as he dragged himself along in the direction Sakura had gone.

"Kazekage-sama, what pale skin you have," Sarutobi said in mock surprise.

"Why, Kazekage-sama, what yellow eyes you have!" Mei gasped, hands rising to her cheek with the same sentiment.

Growling, Orochimaru ripped the Kazekage costume off and sent them a glare. "You knew all along, didn't you, sensei?"

"Yup," said Jiraiya, popping into existence with a plume of smoke. "Damn, that kid's work is superb."

"Where on earth did you come from? No one can get inside this barrier!" Orochimaru hissed, taking a few steps back on the roof.

Jiraiya, with a trolling grin, held up a scroll that Sarutobi had dropped. "You can when there's a few sealmasters on your side."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "The boy," he said in sudden realization. "I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance."

Jiraiya's expression lost its grin. "Careful, Orochimaru. That's my godson you're talking about, you know."

"Oh, the one I saw call you a 'no-good, worthless pervert' who 'didn't even care' if you watched his match?"

An aura of depression clunked down over Jiraiya's head as he turned away to sulk and poke his fingers together.

"That's enough. Orochimaru, I had hoped one day you could be redeemed, but I see now there is no redemption for you. It's time to end this," Sarutobi interrupted, throwing off his own robes to reveal his battle outfit. "Mizukage-sama."

Mei smiled, snapping her fingers. "I've always wanted to test myself against a sannin…"

They left Shino to deal with Kankuro, and Sakura to deal with Temari when she caught up. She herself had left Shikamaru behind to deal with nine Sound nin, a decision both Naruto and Sasuke were dubious about.

Naruto knocked Gaara half a mile through the forest, going after him with an amount of ferocity that stunned Sasuke. He'd been so worried that Sasuke had figured he'd try the gentle approach.

"Tough love," Naruto called out when he asked, slamming a fist into Gaara's cheek. "You listen here, buddy!"

Sasuke hovered on a tree branch as the blond let loose one of his famous rants, Gaara becoming progressively angrier and angrier. The Shukaku started to show itself, and it was apparent Gaara wasn't hearing a word Naruto said.

"Sasuke," Naruto called out, "leave this to me. Hang back."

Sakura left Temari hanging off a tree, circling back to help Shikamaru.

She found him standing in the middle of a clearing with eight shinobi around him, all of them chuckling ominously.

"Shannaro!"

The first three were set up in a convenient line, barreling into each other and then through a tree. Heart racing with exhilaration, Sakura went after the other five, leaping into their midst in less than a second. She hit hard and fast, every part of her body moving like a whirlwind, not giving any of them a chance to catch their breath, going for their livers, necks, eyes, and more sensitive parts- hard, and repeatedly.

Shikamaru sat on the ground behind her, eyes wide, watching her mow them down like cheap cannon fodder.

She dropped the last one at his feet, smiling sweetly. "You need to train more, Shikamaru," she said.

"I'm starting to think that, too," muttered Asuma from above her, the ninth shinobi under his arm.

"Mud Wall!" Sarutobi cried out, erecting a barrier in front of him as several hundred shuriken flew through the air towards him. He jumped away from it immediately after, having anticipated Orochimaru would try and break it.

"Not that I'm complaining about seeing the man who was widely recognized as the greatest water user to ever live up close, but how exactly are we going to get rid of those?" Mei questioned, going back to back with him. She'd encased the former Nidaime in lava, but they all knew his body would rebuild itself.

Jiraiya grimaced, trapped in a limb made of wood above them. "I'm still working on that."

"On the bright side," Mei continued, "I'm sure our ties of friendship between our villages will be very strong after this, Hokage-sama. We're willing to lend whatever aid you need to rebuild."

Sarutobi eyed the walls that had shot up all over the village, trapping the invading ninja in while Konoha teams went around to disable them. "Luckily we've had time to prepare."

"By the way, how did you figure it out?" Orochimaru asked, swallowing his sword again when it proved ineffective against the ape Sarutobi had summoned.

"You should keep a closer eye on your moles, Orochimaru," Jiraiya taunted. "They're really bad at keeping themselves from being discovered."

"I'd wondered where Kabuto got to," Orochimaru drawled.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Jiraiya scowled. "This is your last day on this green earth."

Kakashi was about to stab a man when a cleaver-like sword cut him in half. He blinked in surprise before smiling cheerily. "Hey, Zabuza!"

Zabuza sent him a growl, a few ice needles taking down a shinobi trying to sneak up behind him. "Kakashi of the Sharingan. How nice to see you again."

"Same side, this time, hm?"

"So it seems. We've been hiding in a supply closet for an hour waiting for this stupid invasion to start," Zabuza growled.

"Supply closet?" Kakashi's eyebrows creased. "Why would you…"

"We were supposed to keep ourselves hidden, but we got blocked in a hallway by Suna ninja going to the fights," Haku explained helpfully, kicking a Sound nin over the railing.

"Ah. Well, Naruto'll be happy to see you."

Zabuza's eyebrow started twitching. "I still need to pay that brat back for blowing me up."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "I'm sure he'd be happy to do it again."

"Listen. I understand what it's like. I used to be as lonely and in pain as you," Naruto said quietly, kneeling by Gaara's downed form. "But I found people who saved me from that loneliness. They're my purpose in life now. Keeping them safe."

Gaara's expression was vacant and confused. "Is that why…you're so strong…?"

"Yes, and you can tell your 'mother' that too. I know you can hear me, Shukaku. The Sage would be utterly disgusted by your behavior." Gaara flinched, no doubt because the One Tails had reacted.

Naruto eyed Temari and Kankuro when they landed across from him. "I suggest you go home, Gaara, and think about things. The Sand Village will be pardoned for reasons you'll come to understand. If you decide you guys want to be friends, you can come on back." He lifted his hand in a wave, jumping back through the trees to where Sasuke waited.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Well, fought a Bijuu. How's it feel?"

"Underwhelming. Come on, the old man needs my help."

Sasuke grabbed his shoulder.

A moment later, they stood within the purple barrier, and Sasuke blinked.

"Was that Hiraishin?"

"Me and the little pervert spend a few weeks deciphering it," Naruto eye-smiled, oblivious to how his words made Jiraiya trip and slam to the ground, exaggerated tears streaking down his cheeks as he cried 'Little pervert?!' "He still can't do it." He rolled out a seal on the ground, an elaborate concoction taking up one of his larger scrolls. It glowed an eerie blue.

Depression marks slammed down over Jiraiya's head.

"Oh, yes, I can just feel the familial love," Orochimaru said sarcastically.

"Eh?" Naruto squinted at the reanimations as they landed on either side of the snake. "Is that Jiji's ghost? That's low, pedo-snake-man."

"'Pedo-snake-man?'" Orochimaru repeated, face convulsing, just as the Shodaime repeated him. "What?!" He turned to look at his reanimation with shock. "I suppressed your personality!" Naruto smirked in satisfaction.

Hashirama stared at him with a confused expression, while on his other side, Tobirama snorted. "This is the brat that brought us back, brother. One of Hiruzen's students."

"I see," the First muttered, before turning to Naruto. "What did you mean?"

"He's a pedophile," Naruto said without hesitation, pointing at Orochimaru with an irritated expression. "You tried to take Sasuke's virginity in the forest!"

"W-what? I did not!" Orochimaru screamed, all eyes turning to him. The reanimated Hokages looked as if they wanted to strangle him and reanimate him just so they could strangle him again.

"You what?" Jiraiya asked, gaping. "Orochimaru, that's a new low. You're disgusting."

"I most certainly did nothing of the sort!" Orochimaru snapped. "I only want his body!"

There was a moment of silence. "…how is that a distinction?" Mei asked. Sasuke took a small step away from the snake towards the Sandaime, trying to do so without anyone noticing. Everyone noticed.

"See, Sasuke?" Naruto said, feeling the need to pound it into Sasuke's head that Orochimaru was bad news without really knowing why. "He's worse than Danzo."

"Excuse me?" Sarutobi asked, frowning.

"Nothing," Naruto said quickly, taking out his sealing ink.

"Enough! You are still under my command! Attack!" Orochimaru ordered, forming a hand seal.

Scowling, Tobirama instantly shot forward, while Hashirama remained stuck in place, a stubborn, focused expression on his face. After a moment, he too dashed towards them, regret entering his eyes as he did so.

"Shodaime," Orochimaru called, feeling a sick pleasure in the command he would give, "kill the blond child."

"Crap," Naruto said, breaking into a sprint. If the wood got ahold of him, it would suppress his Bijuu chakra.

Sasuke lunged towards Orochimaru with a cry of "You disgusting pervert!" with Sarutobi following behind. Jiraiya was quickly occupied with the Second, while Mei tried in vain to help Naruto with his problem.

It was actually quite comical as he ran around and around and around the rooftop, around the others as they fought, dodging tree branches as they stabbed for him. "Why don't you attack?" Mei yelled, missing Hashirama with her lava. He teleported to one of his kunai to get away from the First.

Naruto felt no need to lie to her. "Jinchuriki!" he yelled, and heard Hashirama groan in horror. "Literally the worst one up here to fight right now!"

"Well, that's no good," she muttered. "Jiraiya-sama! Switch!"

She dropkicked the Second as Jiraiya ducked out. I'm lucky they weren't brought back at full strength, or I wouldn't stand a chance, she thought, spewing lava wildly.

Naruto ducked as a wooden spear flew towards him. It drilled into the wood above his head nearly halfway to the end, and he sweatdropped nervously. He was no match for a dead Hokage, weakened or not.

Fortunately, he had a plan.

The First called out something he didn't hear. He assumed it was a jutsu, as thousands of wooden hands shot towards him, making him give them a dull stare.

Today just wasn't his day.

"Doton: Tajū Doryūheki!" Sasuke landed in front of him and slapped his palm to the floor, erecting five walls in front of them. The Mokuton began breaking through them, and both genin dashed for Jiraiya as he was forming a fire technique.

Almost there-

"Ero-sennin! Fire in the hole!"

Jiraiya spun around, going pale, before he yelled to Mei to retreat. She did, visibly confused, and they gathered back-to-back in the center of the roof.

Naruto couldn't help but feel a little bit exhilarated. He felt like he was standing on the sun, nearly bouncing up and down from excitement. He ran through a set of hand seals, focusing hard on his back.

A moment later, chains emerged, drilling into the roof and their surroundings as a barrier came up.

The two Hokage and Orochimaru slammed into it, with the latter wincing. "This is-" Sarutobi began, voice trembling. "Kushina."

"Good ole Mom," Naruto replied, grinning. "It's time to detonate," he said, a manic gleam in his eye.

Orochimaru gave him a wary stare from outside his barrier. "Detonate what?" he asked suspiciously.

Naruto stared at him, grin widening. "…detonate," he said.

He snapped.

Kakashi stared in dismay as the Kage box exploded, the purple barrier the Sound Four had put up shriveling up like copy paper. The stadium around it crumbled beneath the force of it- fortunately, it had been fully evacuated by then.

The explosion went up, up, up, until the smoke plume was so tall Kakashi couldn't see an end to it.

"Hokage-sama!" Kurenai cried out in concern.

The jounin had mostly finished up with the invaders. Kakashi left the last of his to Zabuza, who made him swear to a rematch before all was said and done, and dashed towards the blast zone with Gai and Asuma.

The smoke was so thick all the ANBU who tried to approach were coughing and hacking through their masks. Kakashi covered his mouth, regardless of his own, and waved the smoke away from his eyes as he picked through the rubble.

The Sound Four's bodies were littered about. He didn't know if they were still breathing, but he signaled a few ANBU to restrain them anyway. Closer in, he could see an absolute mess of trees, no doubt courtesy of the Shodaime. Wincing, Kakashi leapt on top of the highest one, scouting around for the Hokage.

A groan caught his attention. Instantly, the gathered shinobi tensed, weapons sliding into hand.

A glow became apparent through the smoke screen. It slowly started to dissipate, and Kakashi stared unblinkingly at the sight before him.

Naruto had his hands spread out, wearing a psychotic-looking grin, familiar chains extending from his back and forming the barrier that had protected them. No doubt it was infused with Bijuu chakra- the only thing that could protect them from the blast he'd set off.

The Hokage and Mizukage were safe, and he could see Jiraiya gaping and Sasuke shaking his head. Narrowing his eyes, Kakashi nodded at Asuma, who ran through a set of hand seals.

He unleashed a torrent of wind, the gust blowing most of the rubble away. Finally, they saw Orochimaru's body, burnt to a crisp.

The reanimations were reforming on one side of him. Naruto let his barrier down, and the ANBU and jounin moved in, on high alert.

A disgusting squelching alerted them to Orochimaru shedding his skin. It looked slow and agonizing, and had everyone staring at him in unrestrained dismay. The "man" rose up, looking weak, and the reanimations barely formed again- Orochimaru was too weakened to maintain them for long.

"It's over, Orochimaru," Sarutobi said, voice tired.

Seeing as the snake couldn't move, Naruto leapt down to kneel beside the fallen Hokages, taking out a few tags. "Sorry for the trouble, Jiji's ghost, wood-guy," he said, giving them a mock salute.

Tobirama's eyebrow fidgeted. "As always, you have no sense of respect, you little brat."

Naruto grinned. "You've met before?" Hashirama asked, voice filled with confusion.

"I see ghosts," Naruto said cheerily. He pointed to the silver-haired man. "He hangs around old man Hokage all the time."

"Aw, Tobirama, you watch over Hiruzen?" Hashirama gushed, and Tobirama scowled.

"If I could lift my arm, I would smack you, brother."

A cloud of depression moved over the elder. Izuna came up behind Naruto, snickering, and the blond cast him an annoyed look. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Izuna sniffed.

"Where has who been?" Hashirama asked, the confusion back in place of his moping.

"A ghost," Naruto replied, "Anyway. I'm gonna seal you two away now. Sorry for Orochi-pervert over there disturbing your rest." He paused, looking at the Second. "And your, not-rest?"

"We are the ones who are sorry, child," Hashirama told him, looking regretful. "We've caused so much trouble."

Sarutobi came up behind him. "Sensei," he greeted.

"Hiru-chan!" Hashirama exclaimed, making the Hokage wince.

"It's nice to see you again, Hiruzen. That is, when you can see me as well," Tobirama said, an amused glint in his eye as Sarutobi coughed awkwardly into his hand.

"Yes. I must apologize for my wayward student."

"There's no need. I'm simply glad we can be at peace once more," Hashirama said, giving him a bright, sunshine-y smile. "What was your name, child?"

"Naruto," Naruto replied.

"Thank you, Naruto. Please seal us now."

Naruto nodded, placing one of the tags on Hashirama's chest before leaning over and doing the same to Tobirama. The reanimations dissolved bit by bit, leaving behind the dead bodies of two Sound nin.

"How disgraceful," Sarutobi muttered. "Using his own shinobi as sacrifices for his own twisted purposes."

"Not your fault, jiji," Naruto said, pausing when he felt a shift in the air. Tobirama appeared behind Sarutobi's shoulder where he usually hovered, but this time-

"Is this what being a ghost is like?" Hashirama said cheerfully. "This is fun!"