Empty

by zzzgnas

There is nothing worse in the world than the feeling of complete and utter helplessness. That empty feeling you get when you've lost everything and you know there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Uzumaki Naruto was four when he experienced this feeling for the first time. And from then on... nothing had gone right... Strong! Naruto. Third Ninja War Timeline.

16. Chapter 16 - My Mission

Chapter 16

My Mission

Because it was a very strange thing to see lightning so still that you're still able to see it even after you blink.

Konohagakure Correctional Facility, 5 Years Ago

Hiruzen walked with heavy steps. He didn't want to believe what happened. He wasn't sure it had happened. He was headed to the deepest part of the facility, the one that no one knew existed apart from himself and Yukio, the previous clan head of the Yamanaka Clan.

Speaking of, he greeted him as he finally passed through the blood seals, the final defense hiding the darkest secret of Konohagakure.

"Are you sure?"

Yukio hesitated before nodding. "Yes. Well, no. But… I think so?"

Hiruzen glared at him for the answer that essentially told him nothing. "If he's back, you would know. Then, why aren't you sure?"

"It's better if you see for yourself."

The Hokage moved past him imperiously. What could have Yukio, of all people, so spooked. He had seen everything there was to see in the realm of possible things.

…

He started hearing voices.

"We have a deal. You promised you would stay imprisoned if I gave you control."

"Fool. You do not understand. He-"

"I have done everything you've asked. I've kept you alive. I've given you the sacrifices for you to feast on. All those poor minds. I gave them to you."

"…"

"All because you promised. You promised not to escape."

"... Yes. I did promise. With how long we've been together, I ought to honor my promises."

*Sigh*

"But you must allow me to warn them. They have no idea what's in their midst."

"No. Anything you say will influence the outside world in ways I cannot condone. And we cannot know what our intentions are for sure, can we?"

"But-"

"Shut up. Someone's here."

"Ah. So he is. My jailer."

…

…

…

Hiruzen came to a stop in front of the deadliest shinobi he had ever met who looked up at him in pure indifference. "What was different about the shinobi I brought to you previously?"

"..." "..."

"What caused him to come back?"

"..." "..."

"Alright. I'll phrase it this way… Is Konoha safe?"

"For now, it is."

"SSHHHH!"

"What does that mean?"

"...""..."

"...""..."

"...""..."

"You won't get anything out of them. The mere fact that he did come back should tell you the answer to your question." Yukio came to stand beside him. "What will we do, Hiruzen? We must kill him."

"YESS!" "NOOO!"

…

"What will we do, Hiruzen?"

The Third Hokage sighed and tugged at the one hair on his cheek that he knew was gray in color. Signs of age… and stress. His anger flared. "We do nothing. The entire purpose your father himself wanted to be imprisoned is to avoid this. So that his other mind cannot influence us and the decisions we make. He does not exist in this world. His thoughts and opinions do not matter. They will not impact the real world anymore."

…

"He is here to do a job. Because his skill is still needed. And there is no one else who can do what he does. Not you. Not your son nor your daughter. Nor anyone else in your clan. The day someone with that talent comes forth is the day that your father dies."

Konoha General Hospital, 11 Days Later

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of footsteps is seldom heard in a shinobi village. Especially in a hospital, where silence was expected despite no one ever demanding it. But the person walking up the stairs to the emergency ward couldn't be bothered to silence his approach. There was just too much on his mind.

Iwagakure…

Iwagakure would pay. He would make sure of it. There was no doubt in his mind about that. What they had started here, he was going to finish. He knew it was highly unlikely that the tournament would end the other villages' thirst for violence. Hell, he was sure it wouldn't end his own.

If a civilian looked at him, they would see the model shinobi. His masked face and expressionless eyes gave away nothing about what he was feeling. But to the trained eye, his clenched fists, his slightly narrowed eyes, his tensed up muscles, and of course, his loud footsteps… It was enough of an indication. Hatake Kakashi was angry. Angrier than he ever remembered being. Idly he wondered if this was how Naruto felt all the time.

He made a conscious effort to loosen up as he approached his destination. But to his surprise, there were two people coming towards him from the opposite direction. And one of them had a very bad limp.

Anko Mitarashi had been the only person who managed to react quickly enough. Perhaps it was because she had already noticed his uneasiness, or perhaps it had been her skill…

The earth wall she summoned took the brunt of the explosion. However, the wall did break into small rock chunks which had torn into the six genin still in the waiting area. 5 of them suffered mostly healable injuries and Uchiha Yashiro was the only one whose vitals had unfortunately been hit by those rocks and it ended with his death. Might Guy was the only person yet to regain consciousness. Kakashi was once again reminded of that fact when he saw Anko limping toward him along with Genma who had his right arm in a sling.

Unlike the others, Guy actually had those explosive creatures on him, courtesy of his carelessness. And while he had managed to stay alive, it had been very close, according to Tsunade.

Might Guy…

Why would he risk his life to save him? Someone he barely knew. Someone who had never even tried to hide the fact that he found him annoying.

Kakashi finally came to a stop in front of Anko, his eyes straight down on the ground.

Anko looked at him strangely. This wasn't… familiar. Kakashi was never one to shy away from confrontation. And even if he was, why would he shy away from this one? It was because of him that the creatures had been found in the first place. It could've been much worse if he hadn't.

"Who are you here to visit?" Anko finally asked, seeing that Kakashi wouldn't speak any time soon.

"Guy…"

"Didn't know you were that close with him." Anko spoke softly.

Genma managed to catch the hurt look that formed on Kakashi's face. It faded away as quickly as it came.

"Do you really feel guilty for what happened?" Genma asked bluntly, not seeing any reason for him to feel that way. He didn't really know the younger genin, but he had, of course, heard of Hatake Kakashi.

Genin at 5, Chunin at 11, almost jounin by 12… With that kind of career, it was impossible not to have heard of him. But they weren't close. Maybe not even enough to be called acquaintances. But whatever the case, he couldn't fathom why Kakashi would feel guilty.

The silver-haired genin was silent, his eyes once again pointed toward the ground and his fists clenched. Anko also wanted to know more but she had suffered enough in her short life to know exactly what was going on with him.

He didn't know what he was feeling.

When you're so used to not feeling anything, the things that you are eventually forced to feel end up taking over your mind completely. The question of why. Why does this matter so much to me that I can't stop feeling this way?

…

Anko knew this. She had gone through the same thing when her mother was murdered. Why would she feel guilty for someone else' crime? She had played that day in her mind over and over again, and in every scenario, there was nothing she could do… But she felt guilty and helpless all the same.

She grabbed Genma's good hand and slowly pulled him away from Kakashi, nodding her head at him as she passed. Genma just shrugged.

Kakashi took a deep breath to try and calm himself and continued his journey along the corridor. When he finally reached his destination, he paused to take a breath again before opening the door.

Guy was unconscious, the monitor next to him beeping steadily giving Kakashi some semblance of relief. Then as his eyes wandered around, he found a man sitting in a chair next to the bed. One look at him and he knew who it was.

"Duy-sama?! You're here?"

The man smiled at him, his bushy eyebrows rising to abnormal heights as he did. "It's been a long time, Kakashi. I'm sorry I haven't been around since your father passed. Unfortunately, being the ANBU commander is a full-time job."

Kakashi didn't know what to say. But Duy knew exactly what was on his mind. Why was he here when the village was going through so much?

"Even the ANBU commander needsto take time off to take care of his son. You must always do what is right, Kakashi. Not what is expected of you."

If Might Duy was a lesser shinobi, he might have been affected by the immense killing intent coming from the 12-year-old genin, warning him, almost begging him not to go there.

But he was the commander of the ANBU corps of the greatest village in the elemental nations. This didn't even come close to affecting him. "Just like your father did."

Guy awoke to the sound of a door slamming but when he opened his eyes, his father was the only person in the room, wearing a look of profound sadness.

Elsewhere in Konoha General Hospital

Rin opened her eyes tiredly. She had practiced medical ninjutsu since she was 8 years old. From the academy, she had opted to join the medical training bootcamp that had been put together by Tsunade Senju.

As part of her training, she had grown accustomed to being in the hospital. But not as a patient.

For the first time in her life, she found she could sympathize with her more 'restless' patients. She had thought many times about how unbelievably stupid one would have to be to leave the hospital before fully recovering. But as she lay in her uncomfortable bed, her whole body sticky with perspiration and her stomach growling because the hospital food was borderline inedible, she found that the patients who had tried to escape weren't so 'stupid' after all.

"I can't believe Naruto stayed a month in this place." she muttered to herself.

"You know what? I can't quite believe it either."

Rin almost screamed but she held it back once she realized who it was. Naruto Uzumaki stared at her with his brilliant purple eyes that was seldom seen these days.

"Naruto!" She yelled. The hospital gown that she wore was not exactly the most modest clothing and she hadn't been paying much attention to the state her gown was in. She almost leapt back under the covers with a huge blush forming on her face.

Naruto immediately realized the reason for the sudden movement and looked away in embarrassment. He then turned around and walked to the window opting to observe the things happening outside. Neither genin spoke until Rin finally coughed prompting Naruto's eyes to look at her again.

"It's good to see that you're recovering. When the waiting area exploded and we didn't sense any movement from inside, I couldn't help but feel terrified." Rin's mouth opened in surprise. "I can't believe I didn't sense it." he muttered under his breath.

"Are you seriously feeling guilty about what happened? How is any of this your fault?" Rin snapped, not knowing that her own teammate had heard pretty much the same line just moments ago.

She couldn't help the biting tone that crept into her voice. "You're already dealing with enough. Don't pile on more things that are obviously not your fault."

Naruto was surprised at how angry she looked. He didn't completely understand why she was angry though. And perhaps, she was overreacting… No, this was part of the reason he was here.

"Rin, I wanted to ask you something and I want an honest answer."

This was serious then… Naruto never spoke like this. "What do you want to know?"

He sighed and looked back out the window. He knew he was asking a loaded question and he wanted her to be free of his observant eyes while she formulated a response. "That day… on the night of the New Year's party… Why did you hug me?"

…

Silence.

…

Rin opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to get out anything coherent. This wasn't something she had given any thought about after it happened. And it had been so long ago as well. Why did she hug him?

…

Oh that's right. She remembered now. He had just realized he had a sister. And he was angry that Akira had kept it from him. After a few moments of deep introspection, she remembered clearly what she was thinking that day.

She turned her gaze back to the younger genin, her mind made up. "Do you remember that time well? You had lost both Shinzo and Shizuka a couple of months ago. You realized you had a memory seal on you just two weeks prior. And to top it all off, you found out you had a sister who lived in the same place as you for over five years, and at the time, you thought she never sought you out because she no longer cared. And the person who you looked up to the most could've easily reunited you both at any point over the past few months."

Naruto stared at her out of the corner of his eyes, surprise evident on his face.

"Why wouldn't I hug you?" Rin asked plainly.

The 11 year old redhead had no reply to that. It was true. But it didn't fully answer the question he wanted answered. "I… I understand that. But… I guess the question that I really wanted to ask is… How did you know hugging me would work? How did you know it would calm me down?"

Rin blinked.

"As you said, there were a lot of things that happened to me around that time and none of them were good. I was angry, so angry at everything and everyone. For lack of a better way to express it, it consumed me. It didn't feel like I was myself. In fact, I was barely conscious of the fact that you were there with me. I barely realized that it was Akira Senju, my mentor, and friend, that was on the floor in front of me. I just wanted blood. And in the state I was in, I remember thinking how the control I had on… whatever is inside me, was slipping. If you hadn't hugged me, I would've killed him… Or at least I would've tried to."

Naruto clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on hers. "How did you know hugging me would release all that anger and help me get control?"

"I had no idea what was going through your head. I saw you hurting and I wanted to hug you." Rin spoke softly, pondering on her answer. "And I was so happy that after everything you'd gone through, you'd finally found someone. That you'd found family."

Rin watched as his fists slowly unclenched and he let out a few deep breaths before he nodded at her, accepting her answer. The silence between them stretched again. She didn't know why but she felt she hadn't really given the answer he needed.

After a few long moments of silence, Naruto finally spoke again. "My memory was sealed when I was six. Physically I don't think it has impacted me too much. But I do think that I've neglected my mental development a lot." She was surprised to see that unlike before, Naruto didn't look angry. "Today, I told Yugao I was leaving again." He was more… melancholic. "I knew she wouldn't be pleased. But whatever I was prepared for… It wasn't this."

Naruto's lips twisted into a dry smile that wasn't reflected in his eyes. "Her mother died just six months ago. Shinzo found her in the streets eating leftovers from a garbage dump. We took her in, but I've seen the faraway look in her eyes when she thinks I'm not looking. But she grew comfortable with us in the two weeks before the silent dispatch. It was her, me, Shinzo, Shizuka and Akira. And a week later, Shinzo and Shizuka died. And me being the idiot I am, moved her into a new apartment thinking it would be good for her. Not knowing that I was moving her away from yet another person she wanted in her life."

"For a few weeks after that I was in the village and we lived together. Hayate was around and so was Mikoto. I guess she assumed that would continue to be the case… She didn't like it much when I left for Kiri. Two weeks later, I was apologizing. Saying I wouldn't be gone for that long again. Then, I disappeared for two months again. And now, Mikoto is gone as well."

"I'm sorry, Yugao. I need to leave."

Yugao's face changed, morphing into an expression that filled Naruto with regret. "You 'need' toleave? Why can't you stay?

"I must go, Yugao-chan. There are things about my past that I have to unveil. This is something I just have to do. You'll understand somed- someday."

Naruto's voice broke when he saw the steady stream of tears falling from her eyes. She looked so… broken.

"Everyone leaves me in the end. Kaa-san was first. Then Shinzo-nii and Shizuka-nee. Then Akira-ojiisan. Then Mikoto-nee. And now, you…"

Yugao ran off toward her room wiping her eyes. Naruto called after her but she didn't look back, slamming the door shut with surprising force for a five-year-old.

"She's been through so much the past few months and here I am piling more on top. She looked so broken and I didn't know what to do. I just didn't know what to do."

Rin stared in shock at the younger genin.

"What do I do? I want to stay here with her… It's not just that if Konoha loses in this tournament, it ultimately puts her in more danger. It's not just that Hanzo wants me in that tournament… And it's not just because of the Kiri shinobi being there." Naruto sighed. "I don't know what it is, but something inside me is just completely sure that this is something that I simply have to do."

The Next Day, Konoha Council Chambers

The Hokage looked over the six shinobi who would represent the village in possibly the most important event to ever happen in the elemental nations after its formation.

Naruto Uzumaki, 11 years old. Skilled. Dangerously so. He didn't want to think too much about him but one thing was obvious. With some of the other major names in the genin pool too injured to represent their village, Uzumaki Naruto was definitely an irreplaceable part of their squad.

Obito Uchiha, 12 years old. Skilled for a genin, but naive. Too naive. He was ready to bet anything that Obito Uchiha wouldn't reach the next stage. Contrary to what many genin thought, the upper management of the village was very much invested in how the genin were progressing. Jonin senseis were required to submit detailed reports of everything that happened during each day of training. And from the reports he'd read about Uchiha Obito, he had been defeated in every single spar he'd taken part in. On the losing side during the inter-team training that took place before the silent dispatch. Defeated by his daughter during the spar before they were sent to Shimogamo. And defeated once again by Might Guy close to a fortnight ago in the mock tournament. He didn't have high hopes there.

Yuna Sarutobi, 12 years old. Skilled. More skilled than he'd believed. But still no match for anyone even remotely strong like Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, or Naruto… She would stand zero chance against the monsters that the other villages would undoubtedly send.

Kurenai Yuhi, 14 years old, civilian parents. That simple fact filled him with distaste. It's not that he had anything against them but he was just annoyed by the fact that a civilian-born kunoichi with no prior training before the academy had made it into the 'best 6' group of shinobi. She was skilled. To have come as far as she had in the shinobi arts, genjutsu especially was no small feat. But his gut feeling was telling him that if there was anyone weaker than Obito in this group, it was her.

Kakashi Hatake, 12 years old, bordering on 13. Nothing needed to be said about him. Immensely talented. Likely the most talented shinobi in his generation. To have an original jutsu at his age, that too, such a deadly one. There was no doubt about it. Kakashi was one of the strongest in his generation. And he would grow up to be one of Konoha's best assets.

Asuma Sarutobi, his 13 year old son. Hiruzen didn't know what to think. Arrogance was always a bad trait to have. He had never seen it in his son. Maybe Biwako's remarks about his relationship with his son had some merit to it. Asuma was spoiled. And to some extent, it was good that he had been defeated before disaster struck on that day.

The Hokage started going through his planned remarks to the genin once again as the room started filling out.

Naruto looked around the huge chamber with a look of pure displeasure. He could feel the eyes on him and he didn't like it one bit. He spotted his sister at the table for the Uzumaki Clan Head. She seemed to be looking at him which was why Naruto was surprised when she didn't show any sign of acknowledgment. Instead, her eyes were cold and her lips were twisted in distaste.

On a whim, Naruto turned around to look directly behind him and sighed. The Uchiha clan head sat at the allotted seat with Mikoto by his side. Almost immediately his own eyes turned as cold as his sister's.

Taking a moment, he closed his eyes and calmed himself. Then he looked around the room again. Tsume Inuzuka, Hideyo Hyuga, Akira Senju, Shibi Aburame, Inoichi Yamanaka, Chouza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara were some of the other clan heads. Almost every single one of them had been appointed recently, the only exceptions being Hideyo Hyuga who was as old as the Hokage and Chouza Akimichi whose father had met his end a couple years back. Akira Senju was also reappointed recently after Tsunade expressed her desire to 'never set foot in this chamber' again.

Unknown to Naruto, the Hokage was thinking the exact same thing. This was a very bad situation that they had stumbled into. No matter how righteous the Leaf pretended to be, the people at the top knew that they needed to get their hands dirty. Now, the people he had worked with for decades were gone and they had been replaced by their much softer, much younger and much more inexperienced children.

An ANBU dropped down next to him and whispered in his ear. He sighed. The required quorum had been met. He stood up and the whole room turned silent.

It was a remarkable thing really. Every single shinobi in the room, even the civilians, had been conversing amongst themselves. But the fact of the matter was that none of their eyes had ever left the Hokage. And thus, none of them uttered another word once they saw their Hokage was ready to speak.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fixed his gaze on the 6 currently most important shinobi in Konoha. If they were intimidated by his eyes on them, they didn't show it.

"The six of you are Konoha's representatives in the most important event that has ever occurred in the elemental nations. Defeat is not an option. We must win. We must dominate this exam."

He paused here and met the eye of each genin. "Because if not, we are finished. It will show the other villages that we are weak. And that will push them over the edge. Three of the four other major villages have united only once before. And such a thing is extremely likely to happen should we lose in this tournament."

Asuma stared at his father, bewildered. He was expecting a pep talk. Not a brutal declaration of facts.

"Kirigakure has not entered this war… yet. But it's simple. Should we give them an inch, they will walk a mile. If we show we are weakened, they will not stay idle. Iwagakure would pounce on us. Kumogakure is the only real military village among all the great five. They would of course join this battle. Three of the five will come for us again. Sunagakure is quite possibly the only village that would stand aside and watch. We have a non-aggression pact in place with them. To be clear, this doesn't mean they won't join the war. It's just a piece of paper. The only thing we know guaranteed is that they won't join us if the other three villages band together."

"The responsibility you all shoulder now, unlike any other mission you've done before, is not just about completing the objectives. It's about leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that it's nothing to you. That it doesn't even faze you. Your lives, your loved ones, your parents, your friends, acquaintances… Every single life in Konoha is on your shoulders. It is a humongous burden to bear. One that only the Hokage usually has to. If you are fighting our war for us, it's important you know the why of it as well."

"I regret putting you in this position but we are left with no choice. I have said this countless times. The hidden leaf is facing the most severe shortage of manpower since its founding. And it has forced us to adopt this barbaric practice of letting our children fight for us."

Every single person in the room looked on with wide disbelieving eyes as the Hokage bowed to the six genin in front of him.

"I apologize to each and every single one of you. This is not a fight you should be fighting. But as your Hokage… I have no choice but to ask you to fight anyway. Because if you don't, we are doomed."

---

The Iron Country, 8 Days Later

Haku looked around the gathering hall stoically. Anyone who met her eyes, quickly broke away from her piercing gaze. Only the people who truly knew her would know that this wasn't her trying to be intimidating. It was her being nervous.

Only the Konoha team was left. Everyone else had arrived and were strewn about the gathering hall. Somehow they all ended up at the four corners of the room… Which was probably for the best.

Haku looked at the other villages. She was not concerned with winning here, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to check out her competition.

Kumo was the team nearest to them. She knew only two of them because only two of them had made it into the bingo books. Darui of the black lightning and Cee, the sensor. She had no idea how a sensor that young would have gotten into the bingo book, but Darui was no mystery. He was the pupil of the Third Raikage, the sole living wielder of the legendary storm release. He was probably the strongest genin in Kumo.

Haku frowned when she noticed one of the younger girls in Kumo's team. She had sandy blonde hair tied into a long ponytail. Even from a distance, Haku could see that the others in Kumo didn't want her around. But what really caught her attention was that she was a tiny thing, standing a good head shorter than her comrades. She seemed a bit too young. Possibly even younger than Naruto.

She looked at Suna next. She didn't want to be the same kind of judgemental fool that so many in the elemental nations were, but she also didn't think Suna would get far in this tournament. And the fact that she didn't recognize any of the shinobi from Sunagakure, even the older ones, had nothing to do with it.

Then there was Iwa. Now, Kiri was in no position to complain, but no one really thought anyone would have the audacity to bring their jinchuuriki to this competition. For fuck's sake, Han was almost 18. He was a major player in almost every battle that had taken place in the latter part of the past decade. Did they really expect to get away with that?

However, other than Han, she didn't know anyone else. Probably a good thing too. She glanced at the door for what seemed like the millionth time but it was still the same.

"Worrying isn't going to make it go any faster. You know that right?"

Haku turned around to look at Mangetsu. "I'm not worried." She said coolly, but it probably didn't fool anyone.

"Yeah right." Mangetsu scoffed. "He'll be here, Haku. Mei said that her source had never let her down before."

Annoyed, Haku just waved her hand. "There's always… a… first…"

Almost in reply to that, the huge doors swung open with a grating sound. It could mean only one thing. Konoha's team was here. Haku felt her friends standing beside her eager to see their friend for the first time in almost five years.

Despite her usual indifference, even Haku couldn't help but lean forward to try and get a glimpse of the people who had yet to walk in.

"Clear."

The first leaf shinobi walked through the gates after being cleared by the samurai security team.

"That's Hatake Kakashi. The son of Konoha's White Fang. He's supposedly jonin level." Yagura whispered quietly.

"A jonin, huh?" Zabuza asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. Whichever village, a good ninja was a good ninja. And a good ninja meant a good fight.

"Clear."

Haku watched a boy with jet-black hair walk in and he needed no introduction. The killing intent in the room almost doubled instantaneously. Haku was mildly impressed by the fact that the sudden onslaught of killing intent didn't seem to affect Asuma Sarutobi at all.

"Clear."

In walked a shinobi with ash-colored hair, taller than the other two. Akane giggled next to her. "That goggles is fucking ugly. What a clown."

She looked at Zabuza in confusion and he just shook his head. "I have no idea who that is."

Haku didn't want to comment on anybody's fashion choices, but yeah. The goggles? Nope. She could even hear the genin from other villages laughing at the newest arrival. She tuned it out and focussed on the door.

"Clear."

Haku's breath caught in her throat. A familiar mop of wavy red hair sat atop the head of the newcomer. His hair was covering the left side of his face, probably to avoid being questioned about the rather vicious scar on his cheek. He looked just like she imagined an older version of him would. Uzumaki Naruto was finally back.

This was the moment they had been waiting for, for the past five years. And now that it was here, she felt like a weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. Like she had been underwater for so long and she finally came back up.

…

She could finally breathe again.

…

But then, why were her teammates' fists clenched? Why were they emitting killing intent? So much so that it surprised the other villages enough to let their own intimidation attempts come to a stop.

Haku finally managed to wrench her eyes away from her oldest friend's face and get a proper look at the rest of his body. He looked frail. Malnourished. Starved. He was thin. Far too thin. To the point that if he was wearing a tight shirt, they would probably be able to count his ribs.

Rage poured into her from places she didn't know existed. She almost took a step forward but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Yagura merely shook his head when she turned towards him. Now was not the time for confrontations.

"That's who Konoha is sending, to this substitute for war bullshit?"

Haku's eyes fell on the loud brown-haired Suna shinobi that looked to be around Zabuza's age. Before anyone from Konoha could react to the taunt, the other brown-haired shinobi from his village placed a warning hand on his shoulder making him pale visibly.

"Shuji… Shut up."

Shuji suddenly looked very uneasy. "I just meant he looks like he'll fall over at any second."

Shuji winced when he received another dark look and he promptly shut up. The look told him that now his silence wasn't being asked for. It was being demanded. He nodded painfully and turned away from the other villages.

Haku looked over at Naruto, who was staring in Suna's direction out of the corner of his eyes. As soon as the matter was resolved, his eyes began to dance around the room, taking in everything and everyone. And soon enough, their eyes met. Other than his eyes lingering on them for a few extra seconds, he did nothing to acknowledge them.

"Clear."

Yuna Sarutobi walked into the room and immediately the killing intent spiked. Everyone seemed to be on the warpath as soon as they saw her. The sudden aggression did not serve to appease the girl's nerves and everyone was able to pick up on that fact as well.

Haku turned to her friends. "So… How do we get him alone?"

Zabuza shook his head. "Not now. We'll discuss that later. It's all assuming that he wants to talk to us. We still don't know what he has in mind for us."

"Clear."

Another girl walked in but it was obvious from the room that nobody really recognized her. There was not much about her that stood out even to Haku who considered herself an impartial observer.

Her eyes went back to Naruto. There was not much about him that stood out either. At first glance, he looked like he would fall over at any second. He looked frail. Impossibly so… Despite being the youngest person in the bingo book at present, he was likely to be the most underestimated shinobi in this tournament.

Naruto didn't bother hiding his intentions. He slowly turned around the room, spending enough time on everyone that it was obvious to everyone he was sizing them up.

His eyes did spend a bit more time on Kiri which somehow seemed to make them happy. He shrugged internally. It wasn't because he recognized them. It was more a kind of curiosity that made his eyes linger.

The doors on the other side of the room swung open and an older man with a long beard walked into the room.

Mifune… The leader of Iron Country.

The only person in the world who Hanzo failed to defeat. Which made him the only other person that all of the villages feared.

If you believe that an old man with a dull sword and no chakra could actually stop me, I'm wasting my time here.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he remembered, only one thought going through his mind. 'He doesn't look like much.'

That simple thought became even more unshakable as he reached out with his senses. Moderate chakra level, exceptionally high among the samurai, but still moderate… Excellently developed muscles… He exuded the presence of a mighty leader. But his eyes…

His eyes gave it away. They were just too… jumpy.

He finally came to a stop at the center podium and the guards that accompanied him stood at attention. His eyes were not so doubtful now.

"Welcome to the Iron Country." His voice boomed. "And welcome to the preliminaries of the first ever Chunin exam to be held in the elemental nations. You all are undoubtedly aware of the political circumstances that have brought you here. To be completely transparent, this is intended to be a substitute for war."

…

"Yes… A substitute for war. It sounds so overplayed, doesn't it?" Mifune smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Which is why a day's gap is provided before we officially begin. Because you'll want to come up with a plan of action after I explain all the rules."

Silence. Despite not having many years in this world, every single one of them understood just how serious this was, Mifune noted.

"The rules, in case any of you are particularly cynical, were created without any of the villages being part of the discussion. The task that is entrusted to us of the Iron Country is to make this tournament a substitute for war. So anyone here who hasn't realized yet… This is war." Mifune looked around the room. "That being said, the rules have been presented to the Kage and they have all accepted them."

…

"The first rule is that the use of chakra is completely forbidden outside of a match. We samurai are not able to use chakra to the extent some of you can. It is precisely because of this that we are able to sense the usage of chakra very easily. We are, quite plainly, some of the best chakra sensors in the world. If anyone is found using chakra before their match, their entire village is directly disqualified from the actual tournament and they will not appear in the international stage a month from now as one of the five great villages."

"The preliminaries are intended to simulate the series of small-scale battles, the skirmishes, if you will, that take place before a war actually starts. In this case, they will be 1v1 fights between shinobi of different villages. However, as this is a tournament, they will be proctored. One shinobi from each village has been chosen to be a proctor in the tournament. Obviously, the proctor will never be monitoring a match where either combatant is from the same village. The proctor has the freedom to end the match should a clear winner become obvious."

Mifune made eye contact with a red-haired shinobi from Konoha whose piercing eyes were focused on him. Only on him. Mifune turned away first and Naruto's eyes narrowed further.

"This leads me to the second rule… The decision made by the proctor is final. No further fighting will be entertained. In fact, any village that tries will be directly disqualified from the tournament."

…

A single hand went up. Mifune turned to the boy who was one of the few genin in attendance to have made it into the bingo book.

Cee let his hand fall when it became clear that he was allowed to ask his question. "If the proctor is from another village, what's to stop him from calling the fight in favor of the outcome his / her village would benefit most from?"

"Each proctor's decision will of course be vetted by a team of samurai." Mifune spoke after giving a nod, acknowledging the question. "Besides, the same condition applies to them. Any fight called illegally will result in the disqualification of their village."

The boy from Kumo simply nodded and said nothing further.

The leader of Iron Country coughed and got back to the matter at hand. "Lastly, there are a bunch of rules that I don't believe need to be disallowed, given that this is a 1v1 tournament, but I will list them nonetheless.

Interfering in any match.

Fighting outside of a proctored match.

The use of any doujutsu outside of a match.

Use of any summoned creatures outside of a match.

Consumption of soldier pills."

Mifune looked around the room once again, taking special care to avoid looking in the general direction of Konoha this time, making Naruto frown. "These are the rules for the first stage of the exams. Those who win here will be allowed to represent their village in the next stage, to be held two months from now. The tournament parameters for that will be explained to the genin who are able to make it through, after the preliminaries."

"The preliminaries will start at dawn tomorrow. The matches will be announced sequentially only after each fight produces a definite winner. For now, follow the samurai team assigned to your village. They will lead you to separate housing arrangements where you'll spend the night. And remember that any use of chakra or any attempt at sabotage or provocation will be met with harsh judgment both for you and your village."

4 Hours Later, Konoha Barracks.

Naruto sighed as he once again saw his teammate look at him with what passed for subtlety for someone like Yuna. He sighed. It's not like he had been lying to them about his intentions in this competition. He was here to meet with the people from Kiri and retrieve at least some information about the memories he had forgotten / lost. And sadly, even though he hadn't been in the same room as them for more than 5 minutes, they still suspected that something had happened. Hence the occasional looks out of the corner of their eyes…

The fact that he was barely paying attention to the debriefing that was going on probably had something to do with the looks. But despite their assumptions, this wasn't about Kiri. It was about the leader of Iron Country. How would he describe that man? A strong and capable leader? Maybe when he started speaking.

But the way he walked in… The nervous look in his eyes… His refusal to meet his gaze… Naruto just couldn't figure it out.

"-are listening, right?"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked up to see the other five genin staring at him. "Yeah, I'm listening."

After Mifune finished explaining all the rules, several squads of samurai entered the hall and led the shinobi away to the barracks where they would be housed for the night. Mifune had made it abundantly clear that no fighting would be allowed.

He had read about the dangerous fighters of the Iron Country at some point. The samurai, while not invested in conventional uses of chakra like ninjutsu, genjutsu, etc, they were all very skilled sensors. Their chakra control, from the moment they were old enough to train, was honed to a point that many would consider on par with medic-nin. This level of control brought with it certain chakra-sensing abilities. Having adamantly stated that any usage of chakra before the matches began was prohibited, any violations would probably be met with severe repercussions for both the candidate as well as the village he/she was from. The hardened old man was known for his passive nature, so when he made threats of this nature, people tended to take things seriously.

One somewhat good thing did come of the matches being postponed. Well… In their situation, if anything was good for them, it was undoubtedly good for their counterparts. And this was the current topic being discussed.

They all now knew exactly who would be participating in the exam. And if you have people as paranoid as Kakashi on your team, you would undoubtedly end up getting some valuable info that could very well mean the difference between life and death.

Naruto looked at the other genin. Aside from Kurenai and Obito, they were all pretty famous, albeit because of the Hokage in the case of Yuna and Asuma. Huh… Maybe this wasn't so good after all.

According to Kakashi, there were only 5 individuals (other than himself and Naruto, of course) that had already made it into the bingo book.

Zabuza Momochi, an A-rank jounin turned genin who was, until very recently, the youngest member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. But despite that people often recognized him as one of its strongest members, definitively surpassed only by Kisame Hoshigaki and their leader, Fuguki Suikazan. Naruto frowned when he heard his description. This meant that Zabuza was definitely capable of defending himself, yet when Kisame had started to dole out his punishment, Zabuza hadn't even tried to do so. Either he was that shocked to see his old friend on the side of his sworn enemies as he claimed, or he concluded there was no point in attempting to defend himself against the shark-like man, in which case, Naruto had seriously underestimated the older sword-wielder.

Then, there was Darui of the Black Lightning. Now, Naruto didn't know how the bingo books functioned, but he was under the impression that enemy villages offer bounties for the talented shinobi that could prove to be a problem to them in later battles. That was fine. Naruto understood that…

But why would enemy villages decide to give him a nickname so cool? That seemed very counter-productive. Anyways, "Darui of the Black Lightning" was the only known user of the once-presumed extinct bloodline, Storm Release. He was 14, maybe 15 years old, and before Naruto and Deidara forced their way into the bingo books recently, he was the youngest to make it in, Kakashi failing to break the record by a small margin.

Cee the sensor was next on the list. A year older than his better-known comrade, he was the one about whom nobody knew anything about. Well, nothing aside from the fact that he was a sensor and used genjutsu. That was all.

The next one Kakashi talked about was Deidara. Now, Deidara needed no introduction. This was the person who destroyed Konoha while the shinobi were away. According to what Homura reported, Koharu detected multiple breaches in the barrier seal before the whole village somehow exploded, and as they saw during the mock tournament, the small white creatures made of clay packed quite a lot of power in them. The creatures themselves used some kind of earth chakra for detonation and were somehow sentient.

Finally, there was Han. A jinchuuriki… Naruto remembered his encounter with Killer B well. This was no place for someone on that level to fight. That alone would have been enough to convince anyone about who would eventually win the tournament. The only village he could see beating Iwa was Kiri. Even Kakashi had nothing to say about possible strategies against him. He was also part of the recent encounter with Killer B. No amount of planning or strategizing would let them stand a chance against someone even remotely near that level.

Naruto was listening to everything being discussed, but passively because his mind was elsewhere thinking about too many things at once. Kirigakure, Mifune, Yugao…

There was a bitter taste in everyone's mouths when they eventually turned in for the night. But Naruto was the only one who had any real trouble falling asleep. It wasn't any problem with the accommodations per se…

He always had trouble sleeping indoors. It was a careful Naruto that made his way to the rooftop of the establishment they were staying in. He didn't want to wake anyone else because they all needed to be well rested for whatever trials they were going to face tomorrow. But he also knew that the only way he was going to be properly rested was if he made his way to the rooftop.

A couple minutes later, Naruto was lying at the very edge of the snow-covered rooftop, his right leg over his left knee and staring up at the sky. It was cold, and he was nowhere near adequately dressed for the climate. But he still felt more relaxed.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he sat up and stared at a spot far to the east. There seemed to be someone else who couldn't sleep and he found he knew who it was. The dark-blue-haired girl from Kiri. The one he knew for sure was named Haku, His sharp eyes didn't fail to realize that she was looking at him as well. Nor did he fail to notice her wiping away a tear before making her way inside.

Not knowing what to think about that, Naruto settled in place once again. He knew Haku couldn't harm him in any way. The samurai would no doubt make sure of that. He had felt their scrutiny on him when he arrived at the rooftop, but they soon relaxed when he simply lay down on the rooftop.

Unfortunately, a few minutes later, the deep sleep that was so close to claiming him was interrupted once again. This time, by a fellow Konoha-nin.

Yuna calmly walked over to him and sat down beside him. "Made contact yet?"

Naruto stifled a groan because he knew this was supposed to be an ice-breaker. He sighed. "No… Yes… Maybe. I don't really know. Would you call staring at me from afar and wiping a tear, making contact?"

Yuna shrugged. She didn't know what that was about either. But if Naruto was as close to them as Zabuza seemed to think, then she could certainly understand the 'wiping a tear' part.

"Aren't you cold?" Yuna asked, sitting down in the snow next to him.

"I am, but somehow I feel much better here than inside." Naruto grunted.

Yuna looked at him with a smile. "You really are set in your ways, aren't you?"

Naruto blinked. "I am?"

"Yeah!" Yuna laughed. "You are very particular in the way you do things. The fact that you can't sleep on a bed is but one example."

His raised eyebrow was challenging her to name another one. She giggled at the reaction, a small melodic sound that Naruto had never really registered before. But in the dead of night with no other sound around him, it made him smile.

"How about how each storage seal on your arm is for different things?" She touched the seal, high on his shoulder. "This is sealing supplies because you don't usually use sealing supplies in a fight. This one, is for generic strategic items like smoke bombs, flash bombs, and the god awful stink bomb you used that one time."

Naruto just looked at her plainly. "No one expects them. If it works better than the smoke bombs, why wouldn't I stock up on them?"

Yuna simply smiled and trailed her fingers further down his arm. "This one is for utility items. Soldier pills, general medicines, antidotes, etc." She finally touched his wrist. "And this… This is for your swords. Hayami and the katana you haven't named yet."

"Is it bad that I've never realized I do this painstaking segregation unconsciously?" Naruto frowned. "You pay a lot of attention to the things I do, don't you?"

"You're the one who wanted me to give you an example." She smirked at him, speaking in a very uncharacteristic singsong voice.

Hearing the excitement in her voice, Naruto turned to the side to get a good look at his teammate. He could tell there was a lot on her mind and she was trying to come up with what to say.

Yuna had her eyes wide open, looking straight up at the stars with a wide smile on her face. Under the dim moonlight, she looked radiant… Ecstatic…

"What's got you so happy?"

Yuna let out a content sigh. "Everything is finally falling into place. There's a clarity within me that I don't think I've ever felt before." Yuna turned to the side so that they were facing each other, both of them lying down on the snow-covered rooftop. Having spent months together for hours on end, neither one of them was uncomfortable at the proximity. Yuna had a wide smile plastered on her face that turned out to be infectious. He felt a peculiar feeling of warmth welling up inside him.

"When this thing ends, I won't be coming to team meetings anymore." And that took care of it. Naruto's face fell. He didn't particularly know where this was going, but he knew he wasn't a fan. What the hell did she mean? Why wouldn't she come to team meetings anymore?

But the smile on Yuna's face showed no signs of disappearing. "Because… I finally know what I want to do with my life. I finally know what my purpose is. My mission…"

---

The Next Day, Tournament Stadium.

Haku stared at the Konoha team in frustration. Naruto was completely ignoring them today. She'd seen him on the roof yesterday. She didn't completely believe it when Zabuza told her, but she saw it for herself yesterday. He lay on the roof staring up at the sky just like he used to. The moment she saw it, she knew he was still in there somewhere. She couldn't even contain the happy tear that formed in her eyes. Knowing there was no way they could communicate without alerting the samurai, she forced her eyes away from him and made her way inside.

She knew what Konoha's plan was. They were hoping that Naruto would find a few friends in Konoha and when he finally became aware of their treachery, it would be too late for Naruto to do anything without hurting his new 'friends'.

And from what she could see, it was working. The way he held himself around them was enough of an indication. A look of acknowledgment to both Kakashi and Obito… A smile toward Yuna Sarutobi… It was already working way too well.

On top of all that, Naruto was paying no attention to the shinobi from Kiri and that left her feeling quite cranky.

The conversation within the teams all stopped abruptly when they walked in. The Five Kage… The genin all stood in attention awaiting instructions. The Kage walked to their appointed seats (all 10 meters apart) and sat down simultaneously.

Without any delay, five shinobi walked out from the side. And unlike when the genin saw each other, no one had any trouble recognizing them.

The woman on the left, wearing a Suna headband was Pakura of the Scorch Release. She needed no other introduction. Few shinobi from the desert are internationally famous. Certainly much less when compared with the other major villages. She may not have had many individual achievements, but she was a war stopper if there ever was one. Her kekkei genkai was the reason they won as many battles as they had in the second great shinobi war despite her being in her teens at the time.

Minato Namikaze walked in next. He was a highly skilled A-rank shinobi that had escaped getting noticed until very recently. Now, elevated to S-rank by Sanshouo no Hanzo himself, no one doubted his abilities. Although almost everyone present, discounted the rumors of space-time ninjutsu as just that. Rumors. Wildly inaccurate rumors. Some things were just plain impossible.

The Sandaime Raikage's son walked in next. Ay, the Unruly. Naruto remembered him from their encounter in Shimogamo Forest. There, he'd seen the man's mastery of the Lightning Element and his sheer speed and power. The lightning cloak was the basis of what he performed with wind chakra, so he already knew just how deadly that technique could be. Although Mikoto and Kushina had made short work of the man in Shimogamo, Naruto knew he wasn't to be taken lightly. The fact that he was in line to become the Fourth Raikage only emphasized it. Historically, the position had always been hereditary, but this was possibly the first time it was so completely uncontested.

Midori of Iwa was next. And the man immediately met Naruto's gaze and smirked at him. Naruto frowned but said nothing. The Steel Guardian of Iwa also needed no introduction at this point, having gone toe-to-toe with people like Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Fugaku, and Shimura Danzo, facing the Uchiha and Danzo at the same time and holding his own, he was already an Iwa legend.

The last person was Hoshigaki Kisame. His shark-like teeth were set in a permanent arrogant smirk, and everyone who saw it knew that it was not so much arrogance as it was confidence. The Tailless Bijuu, people called him. The immense pressure that the man put on the room effortlessly, told Naruto that the title was no exaggeration.

Fighting the urge to shiver at the sheer number of legendary shinobi in front of them, the genin looked at Mifune who had just stood up.

"I hope each and every one of you realizes the importance of this tournament. War has ravaged your countries for so long. This is honestly the first attempt at a peaceful resolution the villages have agreed to make. And you all probably know what will happen if this doesn't end peacefully. Misdemeanors here will not be tolerated. You will all stick to the rules explained yesterday and if you don't your village will face the full might of the Iron Country upon them."

Most of the genin remained stoic, but a few audible gulps were heard.

"Now, to just recap the rules." Mifune pointed at the electronic board that was pinned on the wall behind the Kage. "You will be participating in a series of one-on-one battles against genin from other villages. Match-ups are final and they will not be changed under any circumstances. We've taken steps to ensure that you'll never have to face your comrades. Each match will be proctored by one of the five shinobi you see in front of you. Of course, it won't be someone who is from the same village as either of the combatants. And as explained yesterday, a team of samurai will constantly be working to ensure that they are being fair."

Mifune gestured to the board again. "The matches have already been decided, but to ensure nobody gets any time to plan for their matches, which would be unfair to the genin going first, the board behind me will show each match when it's required."

As soon as Mifune finished talking, the board lit up and displayed a match.

"Match-1: Akane Terumi from Kiri VS Shuji from Suna. Proctor: Minato"

Mifune nodded. "Akane Terumi, kunoichi from Kiri, and Shuji from Suna. The proctor will be Minato from Konoha."

The leader of the Iron Country looked out at the gathered genin again. "Now, the rules of combat. There are no restrictions to speak of. Killing is frowned upon by the samurai but the villages have made it clear that it is most certainly allowed, and even encouraged by some. But one thing is for sure. When the proctor or I myself, declare a match to be over, it is over. Anyone in violation of these rules will face harsh judgment and their village will immediately be disqualified."

The genin's eyes hardened and they all nodded grimly.

"Now, Akane and Shuji, remain here. The rest of you make your way to the stands. Let me remind you all once again that fighting outside of matches is not allowed."

A tall girl with long dark brown hair walked out to the center, wearing a confident smirk on her face. The genin who spoke yesterday walked out to meet her, quite steadily, but still with a hint of nervousness.

Match 1: Akane of Kiri VS Shuji of Suna; Proctor: Minato

Naruto frowned when he reached the stands. For all the care they took the previous day, now they simply put shinobi from different villages in the same room with no one to moderate them. Despite the rules, he knew that this was a fight just waiting to break out.

Minato stood in between the two combatants an equal distance away from both of them. A look at Mifune confirmed that there was no need to wait and Minato slowly raised his arms. "This will be a one-on-one match between Akane of Kiri and Shuji of Suna. The match ends when either shinobi is killed or if I call it. Now… Hajime!"

Shuji immediately jumped back, simultaneously launching a quick flurry of weapons at Akane. If anyone was impressed with his skill in weapons, it was completely wiped away when a wall made of water formed in front of Akane.

Naruto felt his own breath get stuck in his throat when he saw the girl summon up a water wall so quickly with no hand seals at all, and not even the chakra spike like the ones such kinds of quick elemental manipulation tended to make.

Apparently, Shuji was also pretty shocked, because when the water from the earlier technique formed into numerous blobs of water, he was a bit slow to react. The water spheres rapidly flew through the air at Shuji, who barely managed to get an Earth Wall Technique up in time.

"Tch. Why couldn't you just lie down and give up." Akane ran through a bunch of hand seals and drew air into her mouth. "Vapor Style: Solid Fog Technique!"

Shuji jumped further behind the wall before slamming his hands on the ground. A few more earth walls jumped up, reinforcing his previous defense. But unknown to him, the match was already over.

The spectators, minus the Kiri team, stared in stunned silence as a gust of semi-transparent mist flew at the earth wall and it started melting with ease. Shuji jumped to the side, just as the jutsu flew past him.

He didn't get the time to feel relieved at avoiding the technique because he was immediately on the ground, violently coughing. He fell onto his knees, clutching at his throat.

Naruto had seen a lot of people die in his short life. Perhaps more than some see in a lifetime. Some of those deaths had been quick and painless… Some? Not so much. The most violent form of death he'd delivered was burning a person alive back in Kiriniku forest and then, once again with Juugo. Thinking back on those times, he now felt that maybe it had been overkill. But this… Burning alive seemed tame in comparison to what was happening to the kid that badmouthed his physical appearance the day before.

Naruto watched wide-eyed as Shuji's body collapsed on the ground, his head following separately. Whatever technique the Kiri kunoichi used to tear through the stone defense, Shuji had inhaled some of it and it had devastated him from the inside. A deadly long-range jutsu that doubled as a bioweapon. The technique had torn through his throat from the inside.

It was over in a matter of seconds. Minato dropped down next to the unmoving body. Swallowing his distaste, Minato raised his right hand. "Winner of Match 1: Akane Terumi of Kirigakure!"

Participants Box

Naruto turned slightly to look at the new arrival at his side. Haku met his gaze evenly. He must not have been very subtle with his reactions to the fight because she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"It's called Vapor Release! A kekkei genkai allowing the individual to combine Fire and Water release, produce and to an extent, control the combined output, the vapors."

He took his time to process that. A kekkei genkai… It was obviously a kekkei genkai. He was skilled enough with the water element to recognize the water chakra that she had molded. But he was also skilled enough to recognize that it wasn't just water chakra.

"I see." Naruto replied. How amazingly deadly… Combining two elements. The level of mastery one would need to have over both elements was no joke. To date, he didn't even think it was possible. "You're Haku."

Haku didn't know what to say. It was a statement, not a question. It threw her off.

Akane Terumi chose this moment to walk into the observer's area. Feeling the eyes of every other genin on her, Akane turned around and smirked. When her eyes reached Naruto however, her smirk went away and a genuine smile replaced it.

"Did I do good, Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto blinked. Why was she asking him that? "Yes. Very efficient."

Akane pouted at the stoic response, but didn't say anything more. Without saying another word to him, Haku followed her back to where the other Kiri shinobi stood.

Naruto returned his attention to the huge board above the Kage box. He was eager to get this over with but he would prefer it if he went later in the tournament. Despite the completely indifferent mindset he'd come to adopt towards the tournament, he had to say watching the first match was enjoyable. There was something about this tournament setting that just appealed to him.

Hearing sharp intakes of breath beside him. He focused his attention on the board once again. Seeing who it was that was going to fight, Naruto smiled internally.

Match 2: Sasori of Suna VS Kakashi of Konoha; Proctor: Midori

This would be his second time watching Kakashi fight and he felt pretty confident that Kakashi would win. But then again, he'd never seen the genin from Suna fight.

Unknown to him, the red-haired kid in question was thanking every god he could name. Initially, he didn't particularly care about this tournament. Not that he was going to let his opponents win. He was going to give it his all regardless of the opponent. But he wouldn't have minded even if he lost.

That all changed when Kakashi Hatake walked into the room the previous day, the first person from Konoha to arrive. This was the son of the man he hated most in the world. The son of 'Konoha's White Fang', the man who killed his parents.

Kakashi nodded at the quickly whispered wishes of good luck and proceeded to the battle area. He knew his competitor was following behind him and he couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling that crept into his mind. Maybe he should've let his opponent walk in front?

It didn't matter anyway. The stairs had two samurai posted on every single landing. There was no way he could pull anything without disqualifying his entire village.

Soon, they were both out in the open, with Midori of Iwa standing in between them. "This will be a one-on-one match, which stops when I say it does. The same rules apply as before." Midori took a moment to consider both fighters. They never took their eyes off each other even when Midori started speaking. It made Midori smile internally. He knew both genin were going to put on a show just from the way they stood. "Hajime!"

Kage Box

"Who do you think will win?" Onoki asked, taking a sip of his tea.

The sandaime Raikage scoffed lightly. "Obviously the Hatake brat. He's made it into the bingo book already. The other brat is completely unheard of. That should tell you enough about the outcome of this match."

Kazan scoffed. "Of course, you'd think that. Is it just me or is everyone forgetting that shinobi are actually supposed to operate from the shadows? It seems like that concept isn't familiar to Kumo ninja."

The Raikage growled, but kept silent. Any comeback he could come up with, the Kazekage would just bring up the disastrous blunder his village made by getting involved in the war at the worst possible time.

Onoki grinned at the Kazekage and then looked back out at the field. If the brat had his kage's confidence, he was sure to be… competent, at least.

Battle Area

Kakashi backpedaled quickly the moment the fight started, expecting a hail of weapons when Sasori reached into his supplies pouch. However, he knew he'd made an error in judgment when he simply took out a storage scroll.

A cloud of smoke later, Sasori was joined by two other people on either side, wrapping him in a hug. But they weren't people… Not really…

A puppeteer. He was fighting someone with Suna's signature deadly fighting style and it was something he'd never seen before. He was kind of a generic mid-to-close range type fighter and Sasori had probably fought hundreds of people who moved like him. Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts when his opponent started speaking.

"Do you know who these people are?" Sasori asked slowly, making Kakashi frown. They weren't people he'd seen before and they definitely weren't in the bingo book. At least not any of the recent ones.

"I have no clue." He said simply. "They're puppets. Not people."

It was apparently the wrong thing to say because Sasori began to growl audibly. "They aren't just puppets. They're my parents. The only ones I'm left with now, after your father murdered my real ones." He growled out.

"Tch." Kakashi frowned. If there was anything worse than fighting a person he knew nothing about, it was fighting someone who had a vendetta against him. Sasori probably knew every single detail about him that was known in public… And that was a whole lot considering he was more famous than most people twice his age.

Kakashi ran through hand seals at an incredible speed that even the jonin took notice of. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A large dragon made up of water formed up and raced toward Sasori who casually maneuvered his father's puppet in front of him. A twist of the puppet's hand later, a thick wall of rock sprang up in front of him and blocked the A-rank water technique.

Sasori's eyes went wide when cracks started to form on the durable defensive technique, but thankfully it held till the water technique died down. He let the wall fall and finally realized that his opponent was no longer in the field. Where he once stood, there was a hole in the ground and for some reason, he could hear something coming from underground. Something that sounded vaguely like chirping birds…

The problem with the chidori when he used it against Naruto was that his movements telegraphed the attack too much, making it predictable. Kakashi was smart enough to realize this fact as well. So how could he reach his opponent in such a way that his movements would give nothing away? The answer was over two months of hard work training an Earth affinity that he had no natural talent for. But it was about to pay off.

In the waiting area, Naruto frowned. It just seemed a bit too direct. Sasori's defenses hadn't been tested extensively enough to expect a somewhat straightforward attack like that to work.

Unknown to Kakashi, Naruto's suspicions were about to be proven correct. He came up out of the ground exactly where he wanted to, and from the very close distance he had to travel to reach Sasori's chest, there was absolutely no way for him to react quickly enough. But he'd made a grave mistake in his calculations.

Kakashi knew something was wrong when whatever his hand pierced wasn't accompanied by the familiar squelch of piercing through flesh. Instead, the wood broke apart and splinters flew everywhere. Time seemed to slow down for Kakashi as he yanked his hand out of the broken puppet.

He turned around and saw Sasori near his other puppets. 'He must have hidden himself in them. A decoy!' He cursed. It was so lifelike too.

What Sasori did next, only the shinobi from Suna were able to fully appreciate. Each of the threads from his fingers attaching itself to a different part of the puppet, it completely broke apart. And at the same time, Sasori triggered the trap that every puppeteer kept inside his puppets.

BOOOM!

Naruto's eyes widened at the sheer speed of the Suna genin's movements. Granted, he did not have his Sharingan active as it was still forbidden to use chakra, but it was still surprising that his trained eyes couldn't follow his movements. When the puppet exploded, he felt himself take a sharp breath. The other genin from Konoha waited anxiously for the smoke cloud to clear. Unless Kakashi did something truly special, this match was over. The poison mist that exploded out of where the puppet previously was, would almost certainly end the match.

When the smoke cleared, a large sphere made of water was revealed with Kakashi inside. Letting the technique drop, Kakashi flipped away from the puppet as fast as he could. That was too close.

About a dozen different projectiles flew out of the broken puppet and came straight at him, cutting off any means he had to escape. The only way to cleanly get out of his predicament was to go underground again. But Sasori was probably prepared for that considering he'd revealed that ability already.

Contorting his body in midair, he put on an impressive display of flexibility as he weaved in and out of the chakra-controlled homing projectiles, while simultaneously slamming chakra seals on the weapons that came near him, making them fall harmlessly to the ground, Sasori's chakra threads unable to move them any longer.

At the end of the onslaught, Kakashi was on the extreme right side of the arena panting a little and Sasori was still in the same spot where he'd started the fight, smirking at his frustrated opponent.

The spectators stared wide-eyed at the two talented genin. If what Kakashi had just now demonstrated was anything to go by, he should have been able to run circles around Sasori and his attacks. But now that he was hit, things were likely to go only one way.

Kakashi clutched his right shoulder in pain. Being in a team with a poison user like Rin, he'd built up an immunity to many different poisons. But he knew how to defend against unfamiliar poisons because of her.

He had a kunai in his hand in an instant. Many of the onlookers winced as he brutally stabbed himself, letting a staggering amount of blood flow freely out of the wound.

Kakashi smirked. He'd escaped safely. Now, knowing a bit more about Sasori's fighting style, he could fight much more effectively. He rushed in, chakra seals already ready in his hand.

The female puppet (because Kakashi refused to call it Sasori's mother), intercepted him. He flipped over it, aiming to apply the seal as he passed. At the last moment, the puppet separated in two, and he could apply the seal only to a small portion.

When the puppet turned and opened its mouth, Kakashi knew what was coming.

"Ninja Art: Poison Mist Technique!"

Kakashi summoned a water wall directly into the path of the mist and backpedaled. The other puppet appeared behind him, but he was ready for that. His father's blade popped into his hand, lightning buzzing along its length.

If the onlookers were impressed with the speed at which Sasori manipulated his puppets, they were beyond stunned at Kakashi's speed when he cut through the puppet half a dozen times before Sasori could even move a finger.

The male puppet was absolutely ruined while the female one had only one functional part. He was well on his way to winning this. He-

When he took a step forward, the world suddenly started spinning. It took a second to refocus his eyes. He wasn't invalidated at all though. He could still sense the other puppet approaching. He leapt away putting enough distance between them that he would be able to handle any long range attack effectively.

There was only one explanation. He'd been exposed.

…

How?

"When?", he asked shakily.

Despite his immunity to many of Konoha's indigenous poisons, he knew immediately that whatever poison was now coursing through his veins, either through the poison gas or through the wound, was not covered by his immune system. His vision was blurry and he could already feel the fatigue settling in.

"My poisons are water soluble." A quiet reply reached him.

Ah. That would do it. It was probably absorbed into his system through his skin when he used the water prison technique to shield himself. He could sense his opponent building his chakra. He had to do something now… Before the poison could affect him even more. And before his opponent could carry out what he was planning.

…

A desperate plan formed. If everything went according to plan, he would have a small window of opportunity to end the fight. But if he didn't succeed, he would probably die.

Holding his hands in a strange seal that only the Konoha shinobi were intimately familiar with, he released a large amount of chakra. "Shadow Clone Technique!"

A single clone materialized and immediately ran through hand seals. Sasori's eyes widened at the amount of chakra the clone was putting into the technique. His mother's puppet was only partially active given there was a chakra seal on half of it. His own puppet was completely sealed down. His father's puppet was in pieces. All he had left was half his mother's puppet.

He reached out to it, trying desperately to get some protection in place in front of him while he gathered the chakra to remotely overpower the chakra seals on the other pieces of his puppets.

"Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!"

There was a collective horrified gasp when everyone realized that the technique hadn't been aimed at Sasori. Kakashi had chosen to literally let his blood boil from all the electricity coursing through him just to get rid of the poison. But of them, only a select few realized the extent to which he had gone.

Kakashi had gathered earth chakra all over his body before the lightning technique landed on him. Given that lightning was naturally strong against earth, it was especially dangerous. He did this for one particular reason. It was because he knew that the moment the electricity left his system, his fried nerves would no longer be able to communicate his required motor functions. The earth chakra he gathered would increase the time the electricity stayed in his body.

The clone went at the Suna genin just as Kakashi fell to the ground. Sasori, still only having half a puppet, was a bit sloppy in defending. But he still managed to do an adequate job

…

Until the clone managed to attach itself to the remaining piece of the puppet.

"Ninja Art: Clone Great Explosion!"

Sasori could only watch as the last remaining piece of his parents' puppets exploded right in front of his eyes. He jumped away, not wanting to be near the resulting smoke cloud in case of any nasty surprises.

Even though his instinct was right, it ended up being insufficient. The white light chakra blade came spinning through the air faster than he could react.

SWISH!

Sasori stared at where his right hand had once been, to see blood gushing out rapidly from the stump in its place. He screamed hysterically, pain filling every inch of his mind, even as the sensible part of his mind tore at his shirt to try and make something to stop the bleeding.

He was a puppeteer with one arm… It was over.

THUD.

Kakashi fell on the floor with an audible thud. In his mind, the Suna genin had somehow predicted the blade and somehow jumped back… And he simply couldn't figure out how…

Sasori's eyes came to rest on his opponent's unmoving body at the opposite end of the battle area. He wasn't moving, but his body jerked and twitched a little. The consequences of his gamble had caught up with him rather quickly and he'd toppled forward with the explosive kunai that would have become the finishing blow, clutched loosely in his hand.

"Winner of Match 2: Sasori of Sunagakure!"

And Midori smirked at the well-placed call because the very next moment, Sasori fell to the ground, blood slowly seeping from his hand out onto the ground.

Kage Box

The Hokage slammed his hand on the table, cracking it. He was staring right at the Tsuchikage. "That was a draw at best, and everyone here knows it."

The Tsuchikage simply shrugged. "I don't see the samurai flagging anything wrong with the decision."

An indignant Hiruzen met Mifune's eyes who looked away casually, ignoring his anger. Kazan simply smirked at the Hokage. Sure, Sasori had lost an arm and would be next to useless in the final tournament, but the look on the Hokage's face was well worth it. Now, Konoha's little trump card has been eliminated. If this was the best Konoha had to offer, things were looking good for Suna.

Participants Box

"Kakashi… lost?" Obito spoke slowly, unable to comprehend the result. It was indeed the worst-case-scenario because he was the one of the only ones everyone expected to not fail.

"Well…", Kurenai tried to make a sarcastic remark but couldn't find the words. If Kakashi lost, how would the rest of them fare?

And there was also the fact that the first fight would set the mood for the rest of the tournament. Now, the 'strongest' among them had lost.

Sure, one could argue that it was unfair that they called the match in that exact moment, but it didn't change the fact that Kakashi was the first to fall. Considering that the daimyos were promised 15 fighters, draws were probably unacceptable.

They could all agree on one thing. Kakashi had performed well enough to win. It had been a series of well-timed coincidences and the unlucky exposure to the water-soluble poison that ultimately defeated him.

…

They looked at the board which already displayed the next match.

Match 3: Obito of Konoha VS Cee of Kumo: Proctor: Kisame

It wasn't difficult for him to realize that Obito was nervous after simply looking at him. He could understand it to some extent. Kakashi had always been stronger than him, and he'd lost to someone that nobody had heard of. How could he stand a chance against someone who'd made it to the bingo book already?

Somehow, it came naturally to Naruto. He met Obito's eyes and gave him a single firm nod, signaling his trust in his abilities. It definitely made a difference considering he seemed to rise to his full height moments after. Naruto rarely showed it, but having graduated a year earlier than his peers, he was very insecure about his height. He often forgot that Obito was the tallest among them.

As he made his way down to the battle area, Obito couldn't help but think back to the mock tournament Konoha held. He'd lost his match quite easily, but he knew it was more due to Might Guy's immense skill in taijutsu. After he unlocked his sharingan in Shimogamo Forest, he'd grown exponentially. That, he knew for a fact. After all, he'd almost beaten Kakashi in quite a few spars since.

He took a good look at his opponent. Cee, the sensor. He didn't look like all that much, but appearances can be deceiving, he knew and Naruto was the greatest example of that. They had talked about Cee yesterday, being one of the few shinobi that were already in the bingo book.

The frightening thing about Cee was that even in his bingo book entry, there was nothing. No useful information at all. It was known that he was a sensor… It was speculated that he used genjutsu. That was it. The bounty was issued by Iwagakure, but the reason for doing so was not listed. And he was listed as A-rank. Same rank as Minato-sensei was, until very recently, but they were hopefully on opposite ends of the A-rank shinobi spectrum.

Kisame stood in between them with a smirk on his face. He announced the start of the match after an appropriate amount of time passed.

"HAJIME!"

Obito's eyes attained the distinctive red pattern of a two-tomoe Sharingan immediately. He ran through hand seals, launching the best jutsu in his arsenal, to use at the beginning of a fight.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

About a dozen projectiles exploded out of his mouth and flew at his opponent. This jutsu had become one of his favorite techniques after he unlocked the Sharingan. Unless his target had good enough defenses to block the technique, it would offer him an incredible amount of information about the movement patterns and battle instincts of his opponent. The Sharingan was a great tool to have, helping him memorize and decode those patterns into useful information to use in the fight.

Cee had also been running through hand seals, but he stopped his technique and jumped away to avoid the homing projectiles coming at him in highly unpredictable patterns. He had little difficulty in weaving in and out of the tiny, but dangerous orbs made of fire… Until Obito activated the seals on the shuriken he'd hid in each projectile.

Ninja wire connected the projectiles with each other and Cee was caught right in the middle of it. With a burst of chakra, Obito manipulated the technique to converge to the center, the wire already close enough to effectively trap the Kumo genin.

…

Or at least, he'd thought so. Cee phased out of existence making the flaming projectiles crash into each other and explode.

Obito jumped away in the nick of time, avoiding a tanto slash that would have separated his head from his body. Shit… Genjutsu.

He put a respectable distance between them moving as fast as he could. What just happened was unacceptable… Not because he'd been able to sneak up on him. He wasn't that great a sensor and he was concentrating on the technique at the time. The fact that the Sharingan hadn't caught the genjutsu was in itself concerning.

He reached inward with his senses. He couldn't find any foreign chakra or any sort of disturbance in his own… Which meant that this couldn't be a genjutsu.

"I'm impressed. That works most of the time." Cee commented.

Obito grit his teeth. He couldn't really proceed offensively until he figured out the technique his opponent used. Just what kind of technique would allow-

Shit.

His instincts saved him once more and he was barely able to avoid the tanto which came at him from behind. But this time, his sharingan somehow stayed focussed on the former Cee. Which was why he noticed the one handed seal he'd formed, with his hand almost hidden by his side.

Obito looked at the 'clone' that attacked him just then and watched, stunned, as it seemed to disappear in thin air with no use of chakra. He couldn't help but ask. "What is this?"

Cee glared at him. "That's twice now. You're really putting a dent in my reputation as an assassin." Obito simply continued to look around himself not wanting another nasty surprise. This only seemed to amuse his opponent from Kumo. "You don't get it, do you? You can't stop my attacks." Cee said with a smirk. "I'm everywhere."

Obito didn't reply immediately, looking down at the ground. "You don't seem to get it either." He turned around and caught the clone's wrist. "You can't do the same thing over and over and hope that it works. You're too fucking predictable." His Sharingan started spinning, the same way Naruto's often did. Flames appeared out of thin air, falling on the clone. "I can see everything. I can see the hand seals you're making."

Cee's eyes twitched. He didn't bother hiding the hand seals this time. "Forbidden Ninja Art: Dead Souls Technique!"

Eight clones appeared out of thin air, close to Obito's position. Their tantos were already drawn, but he could now see there was something off about their movements. They weren't really clones. More like… puppets.

Nevertheless, he was ready for it.

"Fire Release: Wild Fire Blast Wave!"

Four huge tornadoes made of fire exploded outward, burning through all the 'clones' that tried to attack him. Then they continued toward Cee, forcing him to move in order to survive.

The fire technique was relentless, pursuing him no matter how he tried to avoid it. He tried to manipulate them in a way that they'd collide and cancel each other out, but Obito was ready for that as well. They fed each other and the technique grew larger.

Annoyed at the trouble he was having with a kid three years younger than him, he decided he'd had enough. He drew two scrolls and unsealed both, unleashing a large amount of water onto the technique.

Obito was having a hard time maintaining the flames considering the temperature in the Iron Country. The water would make it impossible for him to continue the technique. But he knew that already. He let go of the tiger seal holding the technique together and sped towards his unsuspecting opponent, using the steam cloud as cover.

This time, it was Cee's turn to turn around in surprise, not expecting such a direct attack. But the same way Obito's instincts had saved him a few minutes earlier, Cee's instincts kicked in.

"Yin Release: Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar!"

If Obito had been a normal shinobi with normal eyes, the jutsu would've left him blinded for at least a minute. With the famed doujutsu activated and at such close range, his eyes bled.

SQUELCH.

With that one technique, Cee's tanto finally pierced Obito's skin. He fell to his knees, unable to bear the pain as Cee twisted the handle with the blade still inside him. Obito fell forward when Cee removed the sword, collapsing on the ground, his blood pooling around him.

SQUELCH.

Cee grabbed the blade two-handed and stabbed him through the back while he was still on the floor. He lifted the blade for another one, but a huge amount of killing intent hit him, almost knocking him to the floor. His eyes found the tiny redhead from Konoha to be the source.

Kisame chose this moment to intervene, looking down at the unconscious genin from Konoha. "This fight is over. Winner of Match 3: Cee of Kumogakure!"

A team of samurai quickly made their way into the battle area. This was the first match where a combatant was fatally wounded and not yet dead, so the response time reflected it. They carried Obito away on a stretcher, leaving only Cee and Kisame in the battle area.

Mifune made his way to the center. "Uzumaki Naruto. I'll let it slide once, and only this once. Further interference with any of the matches will be met with harsh punishment. While you didn't explicitly use chakra, this level of interference will not be tolerated again. This is your first and last warning."

Naruto glared back indifferently, seemingly not intimidated in the least.

Kage Box

"This is against the agreed-upon rules." The Sandaime Raikage roared.

The Mizukage didn't bother paying attention to the conversation seeing as the decision was already made by the leader of the samurai. It had already been communicated that their decision was final in all matters. Nothing would come of the discussion.

The Kazekage on the other hand had a lot to be happy about. In the first three matches, two of Konoha's genin had been eliminated. He couldn't have asked for a better start.

"The Samurai's decision is indeed final, is it not?" It was more of a statement than a question, from the Hokage echoing what the Tsuchikage said after the previous match.

The Tsuchikage was the only one who remained pensive. He had a lot to think about because the amount of killing intent the Uzumaki had generated without using an ounce of his chakra was just unbelievable. Perhaps his son was right to be wary of Uzumaki Naruto.

Match 4: Yamura of Iwa VS Zabuza of Kiri; Proctor: Pakura

It was a fight between the largest genin of Iwa and Kiri. Yamura started descending the stairwell. Zabuza simply jumped off the railing and entered the battle area.

Pakura of the Scorch Release walked out to meet them. Her orange and green hair was something that struck fear into the hearts of Suna's enemies, but both genin seemed unaffected by her presence.

"Hajime!"

The silent announcement caught all of them by surprise. There was nothing else from her. No excitement, no confirming if both combatants were ready…

Oh well…

Yamura made the first move. "Earth Release: Earth Golem Technique!"

A huge creature made of stone formed. It roared and launched itself at Zabuza. It was almost on Zabuza when he simply slid his sword in front of him.

Kubikiribocho tanked the hit completely and the powerful strike didn't even manage to push Zabuza back.

Yamura ran through the hand seals. "Earth Release: Bullet Stone Barrage Technique!"

The earth golem broke apart into multiple bullets made of stone and flew at the Kiri jonin turned genin.

The sword was placed in front of him and it completely shielded him. Yamura pounced on the fact that the sword cut Zabuza's visibility as well. He silently performed another Earth Golem Technique and sent it at Zabuza.

When Zabuza lifted his sword he saw another golem almost upon him. "Tch!" He jumped up and crashed the flat of his blade on the golem, instantly crumbling it.

Yamura started building chakra for his next technique but suddenly, there was a burst of killing intent. He looked up to see Zabuza holding his sword in front of him. He looked angry.

When he looked closer, he realized why. There was a dent on it from where he struck the golem. Killing intent wasn't something he was unused to, but he had never been exposed to it to this extent. He found he couldn't even move.

Mist settled in the arena. With how thick it was, Naruto was sure the mist was laced with chakra but he didn't dare use his Sharingan to check.

It went away as soon as it came. When it cleared, Yamura was on the floor, his head separated from his body… And Zabuza was walking back to the waiting area, his sword dripping with blood and completely void of dents.

"Winner of Match 4: Zabuza of Kirigakure!"

There was nothing to be said about that. The genin turned to the board again in anticipation of the next names to clash.

Match 5: Yagura of Kiri VS Keiko of Iwa; Proctor: Ay

Naruto finally gave in and turned to look at the older genin who had decided it was a good idea to join him when just one match prior, their villages had been the ones fighting. His tone wasn't particularly rude, but his words kind of ended up being so.

"The fuck do you want?"

Darui held both his hands up in defense, the smirk on his face already telling him that he was here to gloat about the winner of the previous match. "Hey now. No need to be so aggressive. Just wanted to talk to you." He grinned. "You are pretty famous after all."

Naruto said nothing, just raised an eyebrow.

"Wow. For someone who looks as weak as you do, you sure are confident."

Naruto almost sighed. So, that's what this was about. "Are you actually mad that I took your place as the youngest to make it into that pointless book? Are you really that transparent?"

"Tch." Naruto was pretty sure he saw a vein throb. "You skinny prick. You think you're so great? I hope I match against you. I can't wait to kill you with my black lightning."

Naruto just blinked and turned away, looking out at the battle arena where the two combatants had already reached the center. Then he patiently waited for a few moments until Darui seemingly had enough and retreated back to where the other Kumo ninja were.

He sighed. He was never a fan of the pissing contests that jealousy provoked among ninja. He had had his fair share of those in the academy where many students had been jealous of him. It was also probably why he embraced the opportunity to skip ahead and graduate when it arrived. It was no fault of his own, but it was often difficult to sustain a friendship if there is some sort of jealousy in play.

He tried to focus on the match again, but his thoughts were broken once again by a presence at his side. "You shouldn't antagonize him, you know. He really is strong."

Naruto didn't know the name of the girl, but she was also from Kumo. "I'm sorry. I didn't even say anything. He antagonized himself if anything."

The girl smiled. She was about as tall as he was, which was to say, she was short. She was probably around his age as well, because compared to the others from her village, she was tiny. And somehow, Naruto got the impression that the others didn't like having her around. Which was perfect. If they didn't like her, she had to be doing something right.

Naruto returned the smile. "What's your name? I'm Naruto."

"I'm Yugito."

"Nice to meet you, Yugito. Is Darui an asshole when it's just Kumo ninja around? I think he is."

Yugito giggled but didn't reply. "Let's play a game, Naruto-san. Who do you think will win this fight?"

Naruto didn't reply immediately. He looked out at both fighters. Keiko was a tall kunoichi, with strong-looking, developed muscles while Yagura was short, skinny, and didn't look like much. The obvious choice was Keiko, but he could sense there was more to Yagura than he thought.

The twinkle in Yugito's eye when he turned to look at her only confirmed that thought process. Ay stood in the middle. He chose that moment to start the fight. "HAJIME!"

"Yagura will win," Naruto said plainly.

Yugito nodded, a smile forming on her face. "Yes… They say his stamina is legendary. To the point that he needs to sleep only once a week. I didn't truly believe it until yesterday. His reserves are huge, much much more than mine."

Naruto nodded. She was serious now. "Why do you think your chakra and his are comparable? Did you research everyone in such great detail?"

She was already shaking her head. "It's normal for me to want to know what it's like for other people that are like me…"

Naruto wanted to ask what she meant by that but a sudden surge of chakra made him focus his attention on the battlefield.

Battle Area

Keiko slammed her hands on the ground immediately after the fight was announced. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

In an impressive display of elemental manipulation, the snow in their immediate area was displaced to give way to the swamp she had summoned. The purpose of the technique was to trap the legs (or any body part, really) of the enemy and then solidify the earth, leaving him / her stuck.

Yagura however didn't wait till he started to sink. He tapped his staff on the mud and when he lifted it, the moisture contained in the technique was completely extracted. The water pooled at the top of the staff and Yagura manipulated it into a distinctive shape.

"Water Release: Great Water Drill Technique!"

The giant water drill flew at the Iwa kunoichi. She was able to avoid it, barely, by leaping away to the side. She recovered quickly, but there was already a peculiar-looking technique flying at her.

"Coral Palm."

Upon closer observation, she realized it was a giant coral shard that was flying at her. She ran through a few hand seals quickly and summoned an earth wall in defense.

As soon as she completed the technique, she leapt away from the wall, not wanting to be behind it in case it wasn't enough to defend against the unknown technique.

It turned out to be pointless in the end. When the coral technique struck the earth wall, corals started forming on the earth wall. Then, it started spreading. Yagura tapped the staff on the ground again when it was fully consumed, and it broke apart to form innumerous tiny shards made of coral.

"Coral Bullets Technique!"

The shards came flying at her while she was completely defenseless. They tore through her with ease. When she finally crashed into the blood-covered snow, she was filled with tiny holes throughout her body where the shards pierced her.

"Winner of Match 5: Yagura of Kirigakure."

Match 6: Maki of Suna VS Darui of Kumo; Proctor: Minato

Maki gave a firm nod to Chiaki and Akari before jumping out after the Kumo ninja. They all knew who Darui was because of his entry in the bingo book. And they all knew what to expect.

She remembered the Kazekage's orders.

Fight and Live. Fight and Die. Or Die.

These were her three options. Her mind ran through all the disastrous outcomes. She couldn't help the tiny bead of sweat that formed on her forehead. Her eyes instinctively sought out her master.

Pakura of the Scorch Release met her student's eyes. Maki was undoubtedly her best student. There had been instances in the past where Chiaki and Akari together couldn't defeat her. But she knew exactly where Maki excelled. And exactly where she didn't. She was an unusually exceptional shinobi in terms of intelligence and general battle tactics. She was also a fuinjutsu expert. The only place she was lacking in was power. Raw power. Something she suspected was not a problem for Darui with a kekkei genkai very similar to hers.

But in that moment, she didn't let any of the worry and fear she felt appear on her face. She gave a reassuring smile making sure her student knew that there was always a fourth option. Surrender.

"Maki of Suna and Darui of Kumo. Are both combatants ready?" Minato stood between the two shinobi, observing their body language when both of them nodded their assent. Maki was very obviously frightened of the older famous genin. Darui wore an aloof bored expression that screamed arrogance.

"HAJIME!"

Maki unfurled the large scroll she carried on her back. Her initial plan was to launch an attack as soon as the fight started. Her cloth binding technique, while being very unique and original, was also very straightforward. Once Darui figured out the exact mechanics of the technique, he would stay far away from them.

But by the time the scroll had been unfurled, Darui had already finished a rapid set of hand seals.

"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"

A dozen beams of condensed lightning exploded out of Darui's extended palm and flew at Maki weaving in and out of each other. Maki cursed and switched to her best defensive technique. The scroll made entirely of cloth formed a wall in front of her, blocking her vision.

The storm release technique reached the wall at the same moment when she decided to jump back. The lasers bent around the wall, making right angled turns easily and converged on Maki.

Eyes widening in horror, Maki manipulated the cloth into forming a dome around her. Her eyes closed in desperation, she hoped it would be enough.

CRASH!

She felt the impact of the lasers crashing into her shield from all directions. She could feel the temperature mounting. And with mounting panic, she watched the bright red spots in her shield growing ever larger. The heat tore at the reinforced cloth material.

She was trapped in a circular shield. Sooner or later, the lasers would tear through her cloth. It was just a matter of when. Surrounded on all sides by the terrifying lasers and not knowing which one would break through first, it was the most terrifying experience she'd ever had.

For a few moments, the fear was debilitating. But then a desperate plan came to her and she started gathering chakra. Holding out her hands, she manipulated the cloth into expanding outward. This was enough for the lightning technique to finally overcome her defense.

Multiple laser beams headed straight toward her. She only had a split second to move but that was all she needed. While expanding her shield caused the attack to break through, it also gave her more room to move around.

It was a close call, but she managed to escape unscathed. Through the smoke, she noticed her opponent already preparing his next technique.

She had escaped his technique once. She could very well do it again.

…

She sought out her sensei once again. Pakura stared at her with unreadable eyes. A moment later, she slowly shook her head. Suddenly, it came to Maki. Darui had used one technique. Just one. And she had nearly died. This wasn't a fight she could win.

And she was smart enough to realize it. She knew what to do.

A hand went up. "Proctor, I surrender."

Minato was next to her in an instant. Darui stopped gathering chakra for his next technique and adopted his permanent aloof expression as if he expected her to surrender.

"By way of verbal surrender, Maki is eliminated from the tournament. Winner of Match 6: Darui of Kumogakura."

Maki exhaled in relief. But almost immediately she felt the gaze of her Kage on her. And she didn't like what she saw there. Not one bit. Neither did Pakura.

Match 7: Naruto of Konoha VS Haku of Kiri; Proctor: Midori

Naruto turned to look at the girl who had spoken to him before. She looked surprised, but her look of shock soon gave way to a sly smile that told him that this matchup had suddenly made this competition worthwhile for her. She took a few breaths in to calm herself, but the smile never fell from her face. Then, she turned towards the stairs, preferring to walk down rather than jump straight down from the second floor.

Naruto spared a glance at the remaining Konoha ninja in the waiting area. Asuma didn't meet his eyes. Obito just shrugged. There was a nervous glint in Kurenai's eyes though. She was well aware of what this fight meant. Losing here was pretty much the final nail in the coffin.

Yuna was the only one in whose eyes he couldn't find a shred of doubt there. She believed without a doubt in her mind that he would win and he could see that in her eyes. After a moment, he felt his lips twist into the same confident smile.

He followed after Haku, catching up and matching her pace easily. Haku turned to see Naruto looking at her curiously. "If I'm to believe Zabuza, we were great friends at some point." Naruto spoke softly, despite knowing there were probably people listening in.

"Tell me… Do you think we're great friends now?" Naruto frowned at the cold reply. "Zabuza told me, told us really, that you sleep the exact same way. The highest spot you can find, with your legs crossed and staring up at the sky. I saw it for myself yesterday. You're still in there somewhere… But I can tell. You may have Zabuza convinced, but I can always tell."

They were now on the first floor. "We weren't ordinary friends, you and I. For nearly two years, we spent every possible waking moment together. I know you. I know your goals, your dreams, your strengths, and your weaknesses. And I will tell you right now… You've changed… You're weak."

Naruto's eyes twitched. They came to a stop just at the entrance to the arena.

"You once said… no, demanded us to kill you, should there come a time when you voluntarily help Konoha, we should kill you and be done with it."

"Zabuza said something similar."

"I bet he did." Haku mused. "Tell me, what would you have done in my place?"

Naruto shrugged simply. "I can't tell. Not remembering the depth of our relationship, it would be wrong of me to make snap judgments. But I assume… I assume that when I remember, I'll know you remembered the promise you made… And I'll be thankful you didn't go through with it."

Haku nodded. She could accept that. "Zabuza wants to wait. He's sure you'll regain your memories. I'm not. Unlike him, I'm actually going to follow through with the promise I made. When we start to fight, I will be trying to kill you. I will not hesitate. I owe my friend that…"

Naruto stared at her for a long time. A huge part of him was looking forward to this as a way to connect to his past self… But an even larger part of him wanted this plainly for what it was. A good fucking fight. His lips twisted in a dark smile. "I would expect nothing less, Haku."

For a few moments, Haku stared at him without acknowledging his comment. Not wanting the silence to stretch, Haku took a step toward the door.

They wasted no time in arriving at the center of the stadium, standing across from each other. Naruto was actively avoiding the eyes of Midori of Iwa who stood in between them.

Midori couldn't help but look at the young redhead. This would be the first time he was going to see an Uzumaki fight up close. The creatures who fought in Uzushio all those years ago didn't give him a lot of time to observe their techniques. He would try not to even blink this time. "Match 7: Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha VS Haku Yuki of Kiri. Are both combatants ready?"

Naruto gave a curt nod. Haku didn't bother.

"HAJIME!"

Immediately, the temperature dipped. Naruto stared at Haku in genuine surprise. It shouldn't have been possible for her to affect the temperature in such a way. The alarm bells ringing in his brain intensified when the mist started forming all around him.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Technique!"

In a matter of seconds, one of his greatest advantages was negated. But it wasn't like there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A gust of wind exploded outward, pushing away the mist directly in front of him. A couple of senbon came flying at him through the wind. His activated sharingan made it impossible for them to do any real damage, but he could appreciate how well-aimed they had been. Jumping to the side, he started rushing through hand seals, sensing the huge amount of chakra from his opponent. Somehow he already knew what was coming.

"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Wave!"

Two voices simultaneously called out. The A-Rank techniques exploded in the limited space of the stadium and flooded the place. The deep snow was easily carried away in the violent water technique.

Naruto stood atop the turbulent water's surface. There was absolute silence. Among the genin, among the samurai, and among the Kage. With two high-level techniques being thrown around like nothing, in terms of ninjutsu alone this was already proving to be the best fight yet.

"Are you seriously trying to beat a Kiri ninja using Water Release?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Haku came out of the mist which was already starting to dissipate. Why would she do that? The mist was so heavily loaded with her chakra that it was close to impossible to actually pinpoint her position. For the same reason, it was affecting the Sharingan in a way he was not at all familiar with.

"You have changed. Your entire fighting style is different." Haku spoke in a mild tone. "The old you would never have entertained the mist for so long."

Naruto already knew what was coming and he grit his teeth, trying to reign in the temper that was twitching already.

"You're weak." Haku smirked at him. It was obvious from his face. He was so close to exploding. "Let me see you fight like you used to. The black flames."

Naruto blinked. He had already thought of that. In fact, the chakra he was discretely building up in his eyes was aimed at doing that. The temperatures his Amaterasu would bring would make it impossible for her to maintain the mist. But the moment he realized Haku expected him to use the flames, he was annoyed. It was petty, he knew. But he was annoyed at Haku for making him feel… predictable.

It was an adamant decision he made right then and there and was probably, no, it was definitely the wrong one to make. But he didn't care. He wouldn't do things her way. He would prove to her, and everyone else from Kiri that he had, of course, changed. But he wasn't in any way weaker for it. He was stronger than he ever was, he could feel it.

"No."

Haku's knowing smile slowly disappeared. "So be it."

"Ice Release: Certain Kill Ice Spears!"

An instinct told him to jump to the side and he did exactly that. A dozen razor sharp spears made of ice flew past him and crashed into the far side of the stadium, piercing clean through despite the chakra-resistant seals on the walls.

Naruto's eyes couldn't really believe what it saw. "Another Kekkei Genkai… And this time, it's a combination of Water… and Wind." His eyes hardened. "It's like you're fucking teasing me, combining both my elements."

The faraway look in her eyes appeared only for a second, but Naruto did notice it. Unknown to him, this was the exact same thing he'd said all those years ago when he saw her Ice Release for the first time.

An unreadable expression on her face, she ran through hand seals. Naruto unsealed his longsword.

"Ice Release: Wolf Fang Avalanche Technique!"

He was mistaken when he assumed the mist from earlier had disappeared. It had simply retreated to the farthest corners of the stadium. Just far enough for him to stop paying it any attention. The dense mist combined with the water pulled from the atmosphere to form a huge wolf made of ice, almost as big as Ibuze had been.

There was a moment of anticipation from both combatants where neither of them moved. Haku ended up starting it a moment later. The wolf reared its head and rushed along the surface of the water at incredible speeds.

A shrill humming sounded all around the stadium. Wind chakra coursed through the longsword that would eventually end up being known as one of the most famous swords in history. Naruto sent Hayami spinning at the wolf and it cut clean through the creature, the wind chakra somehow extending the reach of the sword enough to match the size of the technique.

The two parts of the wolf crashed on either side of him and Naruto met Haku's eyes, challenging her. He caught the dark glint in her eyes as she performed five quick one handed seals.

"Ice Release: Ten Thousand Needles of Death!"

The ice on either side of him shattered. The small ice needles which resulted were sent flying at him from all sides.

It was an impossible situation. The speed in which the ice jutsu traveled was astounding. The breath caught in the throats of the Konoha shinobi watching. They had seen what the ice spears had done to the chakra-reinforced walls of the stadium and they knew what getting hit by even one of those needles meant.

Naruto's Sharingan danced around. He tracked the trajectory of each and every projectile coming at him in slow motion and came to a single conclusion. It was impossible for him, or anyone really, to deflect or dodge all of them. The attack had been launched in such a way as to ensure that.

…

He could see only one way out of this. He withdrew into his mind, focussing on a single memory. His talk with Orochimaru.

He took note of every single movement of chakra that the winning Hyuuga made. The branch member had no chance with him after he started using his signature move…

Naruto summoned huge amounts of water chakra and expelled it, surrounding himself with water emulating the water prison technique. Then… He started spinning.

The Kaiten… A heavenly spin… Fascinating.

It was a frightening display of the control he had on his element. The ice technique would have no trouble piercing through the water if he tried to shield himself with only the water prison technique.

"Water Release: Spiraling Water Surge Technique!"

This way, with how fast he was making the water spin, the needles were carried along uselessly.

Tch. Haku was annoyed. She really thought that was it. That he would have to start fighting like himself again to escape that. But it wasn't meant to be.

She jumped back in alarm. The water she was standing on… It was moving. Toward her opponent.

Naruto roared as his technique started to draw in more and more water from their earlier technique. Slowly, he started releasing his control on the outward spherical shape of the technique and it extended upward. A huge tornado made of spinning water formed around him as he continued to spin.

Haku stared in terror at the mountainous technique. She could sense him molding huge amounts of chakra.

But then… It suddenly stopped.

Haku, being from the Land of Water, had seen her fair share of miracles being performed with water chakra. But none on this scale… Especially not by an 11-year old genin.

The tornado exploded outward. She was standing on the bare ground, the water having been sucked up by Naruto's technique. A mammoth wave was speeding towards her.

She was amazed at the technique and the level of control over the element that previously Naruto seldom used. So were the others, she could tell. But this wouldn't be enough to defeat her…

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When her eyes snapped open, she was above the wave, appearing in an ice mirror she had formed when the fight started.

The wave crashed against the stadium walls and the whole place shook. Her eyes flickered around the entire arena, trying to find her opponent. Surely, he had moved away from under the water. If he had been caught in his own technique, well… He would lose a lot of respect, at the very least.

Suddenly, her eyes widening, she leapt out of the mirror and fell freely to the ground. A moment after she left, a blue katana cut cleanly through the mirror.

As they fell, Naruto stared into Haku's brown eyes, his red ones spinning in its sockets. He wanted to make sure she knew that he could press the advantage, but didn't. Her expression was enough for him to realize that she had barely sensed that attack coming, and if not for the ice mirror reflecting his approach, she could've died.

Naruto landed softly on the water surface, on the other side of the stadium right where he wanted to be. A hand made of water formed on the surface, presenting him his longsword Hayami. He sealed away both his swords immediately after.

Then, he smirked at her. "I may have changed. But I am not weak."

Haku didn't respond at first but slowly started shaking her head. "Let's get serious then."

She ran through one-handed seals. "Ice Release: Ten Thousand Needles of Death!"

This time, the attack was coming from below. He had no time to stand and admire the technique but if he did, he would have.

Snow forms when the temperature is cold enough that the moisture in the atmosphere condenses into tiny ice crystals.

The snow that had been displaced by the first techniques of the match, was still floating around in the water. They were now under Haku's control and were heading towards him at blistering speeds.

Naruto cursed and started spinning again. For quite a respectable time, he did manage to defend himself. But he had to stop his spinning at some point.

The moment he stopped spinning, he unsealed his long sword and jumped high in the air. The needles came at him from below. Showcasing his flexibility, his hands came down under him, while in mid-air, and set the longsword spinning under him, deflecting all the attacks.

He bit his finger and reached down again, grabbing the handle. His blood mixed in with the seal he had carved into the pommel very recently.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"

Hayate appeared in a puff of smoke and carried him high into the air. The ice needles were still being launched at them at high speeds, but this high in the air, and with the amount of control Hayate had over his movement in the air, it was child's play to avoid them.

Kage Box

"Another summoning contract, eh?" The Tsuchikage voiced, his displeasure evident.

Hiruzen didn't need to look at any of the other Kage to know that they all had similar sentiments. The summoning contracts had always been something that Konoha had over the other villages. While the others still had some summoned creatures, they usually had just one. Sometimes two.

The moles and bees in Iwa, the tigers and hawks of Kumo, the sharks of Kiri and the scorpions in Suna. That was about it. And none of their summoned creatures could even compare to some of Konoha's.

When it was formed, Konoha was a coalition of around a dozen clans that had been born and brought up in the dense jungle of the Land of Fire, going back many generations. They were much closer to the animals than others would be.

Konoha always had summoned creatures. Crows, Hares, Turtles, Monkeys, Rams, Horses and of course Slugs… Now, his male students had brought in two summoning contracts of their own. The snakes and the toads.

Then there was Naruto bringing Konoha the vulture contract. A feat that his own students had only accomplished well after the age of 18, after they both became S-rank shinobi recognized throughout the Elemental Nations.

Hiruzen didn't want to think much on the matter, because every single situation he ended up reaching in his head, filled him with dread.

Battle Area

"Ice Release: Arrow of Death!"

Naruto didn't see it coming. Neither did Hayate. The first arrow made of ice went through Hayate's left wing, suddenly kick starting their descent.

The second arrow would've gone straight through Naruto's chest, but Hayate predicted it this time. A mid air swerve with a torn wing. Naruto would've whistled his approval if not for the third arrow going straight through Hayate's right eye.

…

A terrifying screech erupted from his familiar, and Naruto's eyes became cold. Enough was enough.

…

"Dispel." Naruto whispered, his anger palpable. Hayate did so, knowing in his mind that this wasn't the start either of them wanted in their first real fight. But he also knew that the fight was as good as over. He could feel the conviction in his summoner's mind. He was done fucking around.

This time, it was Haku's turn to meet Naruto's eyes and let him know that she could press her advantage… But she didn't.

The moment Naruto touched the water surface, Naruto growled. "Let's get serious, then."

He pulled two scrolls out. Empty scrolls.

Haku reacted immediately. If there was one thing Haku didn't want to take any chances about, it was his fuinjutsu skills.

She sent a larger number of needles flying straight at him, preferring to take the direct approach.

Naruto wordlessly summoned a wall of water in front of him and proceeded to utter a word that made Haku's breath catch in her throat.

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames consumed the wall of water. The ice needles crashing into the wall came out as vapor on the other side.

The water wall was soon consumed and the flames disappeared, but it had given Naruto the time he needed.

One of the scrolls had a simple chakra gathering seal. The same one his sister had used to establish the security seals for Akira Senju's home. The second one was an intricately woven pattern that essentially combined a storage seal with a segregation seal.

The segregation seal was a very useful sealing technique that marked any object with similar physical natures with a similar chakra marker. It had a wide variety of uses but the main one was what high end storage seals used it for. These would thus be able to store separate items in separate dimensions within the same storage seal.

Consider a black bag filled with all sorts of weapons. Kunais, shuriken, senbon, claws, swords and what not. The way a normal storage seal functioned was like reaching into this black bag and picking a kunai. You would first have to open the bag and then you'd have to search for and find a kunai.

The storage seal enhanced by the segregation seal was like having the same black bag but when you open it to find a kunai, it would be filled with only kunais. If you opened it for a sword, it would be filled with swords.

For what he had planned, he needed the enhanced storage seal. After all, he wouldn't want the snow in the water for what he planned.

"FUIN!"

Everyone watched in stunned awe when the water filling the entire arena disappeared into the sealing scroll.

Haku and Naruto landed on the bare brown-soiled earth, falling about 20 feet when the water under them suddenly disappeared.

Despite being robbed of a pretty significant advantage, Haku had a smile on her face. "You've finally decided to fight for real."

Naruto rolled up the scroll in his hand. "Yes."

"Let's finish this, then." Haku was running low on chakra. This was her final effort. If this failed, she would surrender and break her promise to kill him. But if this failed, then that meant that the Naruto standing in front of her was skilled enough to escape it. Which would mean that the Naruto she knew was still in there somewhere.

Both of them molded a ton of chakra. They blinked at the exact same time and snapped into action.

Haku ran through around 20 hand seals in a blur. "Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Mirrors!"

The temperature dipped once again. There was no chakra in the mist that formed this time. This was just the cold, forcing nature to form the mist. Huge rectangular mirrors formed a huge dome around them both.

Haku poured more and more chakra into the technique, making the mirrors as thick as she could. The conditions in the Iron Country aided her greatly in doing so but she was rapidly depleting her already low chakra reserves.

…

…

Done. She was spent. Well and truly. But now, she had free movement in the area under the dome and she knew there was little Naruto could do to stop her.

It took her around a minute to complete her technique. It was a testament to her concentration that she didn't notice what Naruto was doing.

"HAKU! GET AWAY. NOW!"

Naruto had his face scrunched in concentration. The scroll filled with water was slammed on the ground in front of him, a steady stream of water flowing out of it and into the technique that only a select few of them were familiar with.

If Akira Senju were here, he would recognize it as a larger version of the technique he'd used to get himself banned from the hot springs.

Kage Box

For the first time since the tournament started, one of the Kage was actually on his feet.

"Is… Is he doing what I think he's doing?" The Raikage asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Yes." A breathless whisper from the Kazekage.

"How can this be possible?" It was the Raikage again. They were all veterans of the previous war. They had all seen this before.

But they couldn't look away. No one spoke again until after the match was called.

Participants Box

For the majority of the match, the genin from Kirigakure weren't particularly impressed. Despite some obvious similarities in his fighting style, the rest of it was too different. Way too different to pass it off as nothing.

And all of them aside from Zabuza shared Haku's impression that he was somehow weaker now than he was before he got captured by Konoha.

All of this was until he took that scroll out. When Uzumaki Naruto started using fuinjutsu in a battle, you tended to pay attention. Because you could blink and miss it.

When Haku summoned her ultimate technique, all of them realized that she was close to her limit. But this technique was nothing to scoff at. Even Yagura had trouble breaking through it with his normal ninjutsu.

But it was precisely because of this that Yagura wanted to know how Naruto would try to break out. He watched in barely concealed anticipation as Naruto slammed the storage scroll on the ground. He performed a couple hand seals that were unfamiliar to him and unsealed them.

To his surprise, water started rising up from the seal and onto the palm of Naruto's hand. He gave shape to it and it started to grow into a spherical ball of water. But then, it stopped growing in size.

Yagura frowned. But the water from the seal was still going into the technique. He was compressing it… Why?

…

It went on like this for quite a bit. Haku was almost finished with her technique. While the condensed ball of water looked quite menacing, it didn't seem to him like it was enough to break Haku's reinforced mirrors. Especially not when she had made it this thick.

What was he missing?

…

…

There.

Yagura gasped. The water in that ball was rotating. At high speeds. In random directions…

…

…

Bijuudama.

"HAKU! GET AWAY. NOW!"

This wasn't a fucking water technique. It was a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Battle Area

Naruto's eyes found Yagura's as the source of the warning. It seemed that the sandy-haired boy had some experience… 'I wonder from where…'

The technique was almost finished seeing as all the water from the scroll had been drained. His hands were shaking trying to contain the technique. He remembered the last time he'd seen the technique this was based on.

The ball had been completely swallowed up. The ox's head started trembling as it slowly opened its mouth.

Naruto grinned and closed his eyes, forcing more of the turbulence to the half of the sphere facing away from him.

Of course! It was ingenious. A small opening had been created on the outer spherical surface of the technique.

All the water that had filled the stadium floor at the start of their fight compressed into a ball so small he could almost touch his hands together. He looked up and his sharingan couldn't quite catch Haku's exact position. She was that fast.

It didn't matter. He forced an opening in the outer shell of the technique.

With nowhere to go but out, the now out of control chakra stormed out of its container at unbelievable speeds, heading straight toward them.

The out of control torrent of water blasted its way out of the shape he had forced on it.

"Water Release: Spiralling Water Blast Wave!"

A huge beam of water, almost twice his height in diameter, exploded out of his hands at speeds that everyone there knew would've matched a tailed beast bomb.

BOOOOOOOM!

It crashed into a mirror and broke through it effortlessly, continuing on its merry way and hitting the far end of the stadium wall. And breaking through that as well.

…

There was a brief moment where he met the eyes of his opponent who had barely managed to avoid the technique and was now directly in front of the mirror next to the one he broke through.

Maybe the smirk he gave her was particularly vicious, because he could see the terror mounting on her face.

…

He turned.

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOOOOM!

…

The mirrors collapsed one after the other like they were made of paper. He couldn't quite complete a semicircle before he ran out of water for his technique. But as he stood and looked at his handiwork, he couldn't help but let out a satisfied smirk. The stadium's far wall was completely annihilated. He could see the samurai's village in the distance through the hole he created.

Haku fell out of the mirror right at the edge, where he'd run out of water. She fell onto her knees, unable to keep herself standing. Naruto was in front of her in an instant.

"I was done. My reserves were completely depleted when you suddenly stopped the technique. You could've killed me if you'd continued." Haku smiled at him.

"Don't assume things. I stopped the technique because I ran out of water. I would've killed you easily and not lost a wink of sleep over it." Naruto frowned, not understanding. "Because before the fight started, you called me your friend. And then you said you'd kill me…"

Haku's eyes widened.

"Tell me… Do you really think I wouldn't kill you? Because of a friendship you claim but I don't remember? And especially after you revealed that you'd be trying to kill me?"

…

Haku got the message. Her reserves were completely empty and Naruto didn't look particularly winded. He was barely even breathing hard. "Proctor… I surrender."

Midori dropped down next to them. He had an unreadable expression on his face. If Naruto had turned the other way instead of toward Haku, Midori would have been hard pressed to defend himself. When he saw the cheeky smirk on the redheaded genin, he realized that Naruto knew it as well.

Gritting his teeth, Midori called the match. "Winner of Match 7: Naruto Uzumaki from Konoha!"

Naruto made his way back to the waiting area. Every single shinobi there was staring at him. Some were shocked. Some in awe of what he'd demonstrated with how malnourished and weak he looked. The Kirigakure shinobi had a quiet admiration in their eyes. Yagura even nodded at him in recognition. The Konoha genin were just relieved at finally having someone from their village win a fight. Yuna looked at him with pride-filled eyes.

Naruto wordlessly turned his attention back to the battle arena. He saw Haku being led away by the samurai, probably to get some superficial medical check done. She was fine, he knew. Other people weren't as quick to dismiss her condition. Her legs were shaky to the point that she had trouble walking, but Naruto knew that the only thing she was suffering through was exhaustion. Chakra exhaustion, physical exhaustion and mental exhaustion…

He looked at the board.

Stadium Wall

Kisame Hoshigaki, the Tailless Bijuu, wanted dead or alive by every single one of the major villages and a majority of the minor ones, was surprised.

Which didn't happen often.

What he had been a witness to today, it was water manipulation to the greatest extent possible. Something he had not witnessed since that day… He remembered the way the whirlpools tore at their ships. He remembered the way the element he had always commanded with ease, refused to bend to his will. He remembered the unbearable fear he felt…

…

Then again, he was a young chunin back then. The things he had seen that day were well beyond him then. Not so much now. What Uzumaki Naruto did was impressive. But it was nothing out of his own reach.

But it did prove something to him. Midori was right. A true Uzumaki had survived. He remembered the day he met Midori. While some of the others hurried back to their homes and some of the rest stayed back and fought, blaming each other for the irreparable damage they had suffered, three shinobi stood apart from the rest… One from each of the villages that took part in the invasion.

The three of them knew exactly why they failed. They knew this kind of power didn't belong in this world. And they knew that anyone even remotely capable of the things they'd seen must be dealt with.

There were very few Uzumaki left after the massacre at Uzushio. Some had been living outside the village, in secluded regions, away from war. Some had been outside doing missions for the village… All of them had abandoned their village to its fate.

And all of them, they'd tracked down and killed. Which was why, a couple years after the fall of Uzushiogakure, it was a rare thing for anyone to come upon an Uzumaki survivor.

…

Until… Midori found the Uzumaki girl in Konoha. Kisame remembered the fight he saw between Ameyuri Ringo and Kushina Uzumaki. He was the one who sent his student to face the fearsome redhead, after all.

Kushina barely won but he had expected as much from the start of the fight… It confirmed what he already knew by then. The Uzumaki were long gone. What remained was a pathetic afterimage that could never attain the power they once held. Kushina Uzumaki was not a threat.

But then, years later, Midori found another one. And apparently, it was the black haired kid from Joki bridge that knocked down one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist, with a single look.

How had he missed it then? He vaguely recalled Zabuza even calling him an Uzumaki. He remembered scoffing, deeming Zabuza an idiot for the mistake.

How the fuck had he missed it?

His blood boiled in silence. He met the gaze of the one person here who knew exactly what he was going through.

This is real. Do you believe me now?

… Yes…

The silent conversation went unnoticed by every other shinobi in the stadium. But the sudden change in their eyes, did not.

She was a very observant woman. And when a genin evoked such a reaction from the Tailless Bijuu and the Steel Guardian, two of the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations, Pakura took interest.

Match 8: Akari of Suna VS Daichi of Iwa; Proctor: Ay

It took a while for everyone to put aside the display they just witnessed and resume the proceedings, but soon enough Daichi of Iwa stood across from Akari.

Akari was a lean older genin who carried a gourd on his back. If he was nervous at facing someone as built as Daichi was, he didn't show it.

Ay, after making sure both genin were ready, brought his hand down. "HAJIME!"

After the rather long match that they had just seen, this was quite an anti-climax. As soon as the match started, sand rushed out of the gourd Akari carried. Not knowing what to expect, Daichi summoned an earth wall in front of him.

The sand came around it. Not wanting to see what the sand was going to do to him, he jumped back and summoned an earth dome around himself.

Akari held out his open palm. Sand rushed forward and covered the earth defense entirely. With a vicious smirk, he closed his fist and the sand imploded, crushing whatever was inside.

When the sand withdrew, the fact that they had seen such gore before, was the only thing that prevented anyone from openly vomiting.

"Winner of Match 8: Akari of Suna!"

Kage Box

"He doesn't seem much in control of his bijuu." Onoki commented, familiar enough with jinchuriki to recognize the subtle mixing of tailed beast chakra in their techniques. There was nothing subtle about the way Akari used tailed beast chakra.

"He is in perfect control." Kazan replied flatly. This was not a conversation he was willing to entertain, especially considering the only reason he was forced to resort to this was because of Iwa's betrayal after the showdown in Ame.

The other Kage remained silent, filing away the information for later. Everyone other than the Raikage thought the same thing. It seemed that in addition to the Sanbi from Kiri and the Gobi from Iwa, among the genin was yet another jinchuriki. The Ichibi. Three of the nine tailed beasts in one place. The Raikage was the only one who knew of the fourth.

Participants Box

Naruto clicked his teeth in frustration. There was a fucking tailed beast in this competition? He was not as attuned to tailed beast chakra as the kage was, so he hadn't picked up on Yagura being a tailed beast container. But no one could miss it in Akari, considering the amount of that vile chakra he had expended just now.

It wasn't that big a deal. He already knew how to deal with him. Wind techniques would serve him well against something as fine as sand. Hopefully, he would be the one to fight him in the next stage. The others wouldn't do so well.

Match 9: Koji of Kumo VS Akatsuchi of Iwa; Proctor: Pakura

Kage Box

"Hiruzen! Only one of your genin has passed till now." The Sandaime Raikage taunted. "Not doing too well, are we?"

Hiruzen didn't reply. He was experienced enough to not let such things get to him. It did annoy him though. He just looked at the remaining participants. Yuna, Asuma and Kurenai. The only one he thought had a chance to pass was Asuma. But the way things were going…

"Leave that. Iwagakure has none." The Kazekage laughed. "What's the matter, Tsuchikage-san?"

Onoki would've let it slide, but the Kazekage had made remarks against him one too many times. "I know the remaining three will pass. I'd suggest you leave Iwagakure with me, seeing as I am the Tsuchikage. You have a lot to worry about. You have a one-handed puppeteer and an unstable jinchuriki in the finals. Do you really think you're winning?"

Battle Area

"Hajime…"

It was the same subdued start as the last time Pakura proctored. But there was nothing subdued about the fight once it started.

Koji had Kumo's signature fighting style. Close to mid range fighter with a lightning charged sword helping him dish out the damage.

Akatsuchi… Akatsuchi was surprisingly fast for his size. He summoned an earth golem wordlessly and sent it at his opponent. Koji's lightning powered sword made quick work of it but when he looked up, Akatsuchi was nowhere to be found.

The snow being removed by Naruto had opened up quite a lot of opportunities for Earth Release specialists. Akatsuchi had retreated underground, where he was molding a large amount of chakra.

There was only a split second to make the decision, but Koji was able to make the right one. He jumped up, spikes sprouted around the entire arena in no recognizable pattern. He would've been skewered if he hadn't jumped.

However, much like before, it didn't make a difference that he managed to avoid the first technique. The escape maneuver had already cost him his life.

Every single spike that Akatsuchi made was launched at the Kumo genin. Koji managed to resist for an admirable amount of time, by cutting through some spikes, and simply dodging others. But eventually, he was overwhelmed.

…

Akatsuchi appeared out of the ground at nearly the same time as Koji's dead body crashed to the ground.

Pakura wasted no time. "Winner of Match 9: Akatsuchi of Iwa…"

Match 10: Shira of Suna VS Takahiro of Kumo; Proctor: Minato

Naruto glanced at the two shinobi named. One of them looked thoroughly unimpressive. And the other one was the tallest genin in the tournament. His white-gray hair stood out among the rest of the shinobi from Suna who all had either brown or blonde hair.

Shira of Suna was also an intriguing shinobi because of his very low chakra presence. This was the fact that surprised him the most. How can someone who was obviously strong (the confidence with which he carried himself was enough evidence) have the chakra presence of a newborn baby?

Soon, Minato stood in the middle of the two genin. His hand came down as he yelled. "HAJIME!"

The Kumo genin leapt back, going through hand seals as he did. "Lightning Release: Lightning Slash Technique!"

The lightning technique flew at Shira who stood unmoving. Right as the technique was about to hit him, he moved, ducking under the technique at a frightening pace.

"Ninja Art: Seven Heavens Breathing Method!" He drew a deep breath. "First Activation."

Immediately his muscles doubled in size. Already a mammoth of a man, he became almost twice his size in seconds. Takahiro stood no chance.

It was over in an instant. One moment Takahiro and Shira stood across from each other. The next, Shira was in front of the Kumo genin, his fist pierced straight through his chest.

A cough.

…

Then silence.

"Winner of Match 10: Shira of Sunagakure!"

Minato helped the samurai team handle the body as the next match-up was computed by the seals.

Match 11: Kurenai of Konoha VS Yugito of Kumo; Proctor: Kisame

Kurenai walked for what felt like an eternity before she finally reached the center of the stadium. For a moment, after seeing the tiny girl facing her, she was tempted to assume that the fight would be easy. But then she looked past her opponent and noticed the large chunk of chakra-reinforced material that was missing from the stadium wall, torn apart by someone about the same age.

Age meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. If she thought about it, she would be just as hesitant facing a 20-year-old shinobi as she would be facing a 22-year-old shinobi. Yugito was maybe two years younger than her. Didn't mean she was weaker. The only accurate conclusion she could possibly draw from her age was that she was less experienced than her. And that too was assuming Kumo ninja have the same graduation age as Konoha.

Kisame met them in the middle of the stage. Unlike the last time, Kisame did not wait. "Hajime…"

It was so sudden that Kurenai was caught a bit off guard. But it turned out to be fine because Yugito didn't attack. She simply stood in place allowing her opponent to make the first move.

Kurenai went through a couple of hand seals, weaving one of the most deadly genjutsu in existence. The Hell Viewing Technique…

In truth, she never expected the trigger she created to actually capture the Kumo kunoichi. This was only intended as a distraction. An illusion that required as much chakra as the A-rank technique did… It was very difficult to mask such a thing as something different. But somehow, it worked. She felt the chakra she emitted enter her opponent's system with no resistance.

And somehow, her chakra was expelled effortlessly. That's where she should've realized something was wrong.

One of the reasons the jutsu was categorized as an A-rank, aside from the horrific intended effects, was the large amount of chakra it used. This much foreign chakra injected into someone's chakra system meant that a simple chakra spike would do nothing to dispel it. Yet somehow, her chakra had been completely expelled. That too, without any sort of chakra spike.

In fact, aside from a twitch in her eye, there was no indication of anything even happening.

"Did you hear I was a jinchuuriki?" Yugito held a fist out in front of her. "The Hell Viewing Technique… How predictable."

Having failed multiple times at using the deadly genjutsu, Kurenai was able to recognize the fierce look Yugito was wearing. She flared her chakra, weaving her next illusion, this one intended to completely mask her chakra presence.

"It's such a pointless technique. What was that even meant to do?" Yugito's nails became claws. "The people who have actually already been through something traumatic, for whom that technique would be debilitating… Don't you think they're already living their worst nightmare. EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT. Of their FUCKING LIVES?"

Kurenai couldn't move. Red chakra bubbled into existence around her opponent before it turned into a shroud of blue flames. She'd only felt this chakra once before and it was just two matches before hers. It felt ominous and terrifying. And the killing intent that accompanied it was debilitating. For weeks, no, for months after this fight, she would curse herself for freezing.

"WATCH OUT!"

"Consuming Cat Flame Bullet!"

A tiny blue flame shot out of the half-transformed Yugito's mouth and crashed into Kurenai head-on. But unlike normal fire, the blue flames didn't burn only at the impact. They expanded throughout her body until they covered her. The moment it covered her entire body, they wisped out of existence leaving Kurenai with her mouth open in a silent scream, twitching. Moments later, her skinless body crashed into the ground.

Kisame was next to her in an instant. "Winner of Match 11: Yugito of Kumogakure!"

Waiting Area

"No!" Asuma repeated over and over again. Yuna looked at her brother sadly while Naruto wore an expression of indifference. Yuna knelt down next to him, trying to comfort him. This was his only remaining teammate.

Naruto wondered if maybe he could've done something to prevent this. He certainly wasn't too attached to Kurenai, but he also didn't think she deserved what happened to her. Maybe if he'd done something like what he did to Cee during his fight with Obito…

He shook his head. No. It wouldn't have made a difference. The jinchuuriki of the Two tails wouldn't have been stopped by any intimidation tactic he could use without chakra. Besides… He kind of got where Yugito was coming from. That jutsu… It should never be used… By anyone.

But the fact Kurenai did use it didn't mean anything to Naruto. It was her best chance and she tried it. Naruto slowly backed away towards the stairs. If there was something that could be done, he should do it.

Medical Area

When Naruto walked into the room filled with medical equipment, he saw only one familiar face and it wasn't Kurenai's whose face was no longer recognizable.

No, the only familiar face among the scores of samurai that tried to save the dying girl, was Yugito… the one who caused the burns she was dying of.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked not unkindly.

"I-" Yugito stuttered. "I didn't mean to do it really…"

Naruto took a long hard look at her before he turned away. "Hi… Am I allowed to use chakra?" One samurai looked up from the herd surrounding Kurenai. He, or she, (Naruto wasn't sure) said nothing in response. So, he just continued. "I'm trained in medical ninjutsu and my match is already over."

The samurai was silent for a few more moments but eventually stepped aside. Immediately, the others did as well.

Naruto walked forward. "Thank you. I'll remember this. What's your name?"

The samurai didn't reply, simply motioned the others to exit the room. He/she exited right after the others did.

Naruto's hands glowed green and pressed against the dark burnt flesh of Kurenai Yuhi. He turned nonchalantly to Yugito. "Yugito, I believe you when you say you didn't do it intentionally." Kurenai's breathing started to slow into a more calm rhythm. "Which begs the question… Why did you do it? I don't believe the Hell Viewing Technique was the only trigger because as you said… If someone has actually gone through something actually horrific to an extreme extent, you don't need the technique to remind you of that particular situation."

Yugito frowned. "You don't seem particularly angry that I hurt your teammate."

Naruto smiled. "I don't really know her. She may be from my village and all, but I've had very limited interactions with her. And it's stupid to care for someone only because you're supposed to, or it's your assigned duty to do so."

"The village doesn't come first?" Yugito asked, somewhat surprised.

"No. I know, truly know and care about, a total of maybe 10 people from the village. Not enough to bring the entire village into my list of priorities."

Yugito opened her mouth to speak but promptly shut up. There was very little to ask after hearing an opinion like that from someone living in one of the major villages in the elemental nations. They were all taught from a very young age, to always put the village first. How could he simply dismiss the idea of serving the village so casually?...

She finally noticed the pointed look she received from the Konoha genin, reminding her that she also had a question to answer. "Fine. I'm a jinchuuriki." Yugito said as if that explained everything. Upon seeing the deadpan on his face, she continued. "It's impossible to control a bijuu. And… Well, I don't know if the rumors about the Sharingan being able to do so are true, so anyway it's impossible for me to control a bijuu."

Naruto nodded. If Kurokaze was to be believed, each bijuu was a living entity with each of them having its own agenda. They were going to be very difficult to control if at all it was possible.

"So when young jinchuuriki are taught to control their bijuu, they are told to somehow come to an agreement with them. The agreement I have… is that I can use her chakra whenever I want and she can use my body an equal number of times, provided she doesn't kill anyone."

The green light from the mystical palm technique flickered out. Kurenai was stable. Now, once the samurai applied the bandages, she should be able to recover quickly. He went to call them back inside.

"That seems like a dangerously stupid deal." Naruto commented after the samurai from before walked back in.

Yugito gave him a grim smile with a faraway look in her eyes. "I made it during a dangerous time when I was too stupid to know better."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "I assume that dangerous time is what you see when subjected to the genjutsu Kurenai used."

She blinked in surprise before her expression turned blank once again. "Yes. But I wasn't the one subjected to that technique today."

Naruto inhaled sharply. "Ah. The beast inside used your deal?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

"What?"

"How many more times can she take over your body?" Naruto asked, meeting her eyes.

Yugito gulped. That look in his eyes… It was the first time she'd seen someone look at her like that after revealing the fact that the beast inside her could take over at any given point of time and the only guarantee they had was that she couldn't kill them. She had seen various reactions over the past few years. Anger, fear, shock and pity were the usual ones. Never this though. Never concern.

"Two hundred and seventy three."

Naruto winced. He didn't know what possible reason Yugito had to already use the tailed beast chakra that many times, but that didn't really matter.

The samurai from before came back to face them. "She is stable now. You did a good job, but the burns don't seem like they'll heal completely."

"I know."

…

…

Once again, Naruto's pointed look got him the answer he wanted without having to ask for it. "My name is Isabella."

"Naruto Uzumaki." He nodded.

'Definitely a girl then.'

Match 12: Mizuki of Kumo VS Han of Iwa; Proctor: Pakura

As soon as the screen settled on the two names, there was an undercurrent of frustration from the Konoha team, the reason for which was obvious. The leftover genin were the Hokage's two children, two Kiri shinobi, one from Suna and Deidara from Iwa. This meant that either Yuna or Asuma would have to face a Kiri shinobi, which by now, almost translated to either Yuna or Asuma losing.

The two competitors were now at the center.

Pakura spared Han a glance. This man was the 'Jinchuuriki of Steam'. Only 15 years old and already more famous than half the jonin of Suna and undoubtedly as strong.

She looked at Mizuki next. Skinny, short, underdeveloped muscles… What was Kumo doing sending shinobi like Mizuki and Takahiro into this tournament? She was going to be torn apart by Han.

She sighed. "Hajime!"

Mizuki drew her sword. A high pitched buzzing noise sounded around the stadium as she started channeling lightning chakra. When she had enough, she charged her opponent.

"Boil Release: Erupting Strong Foot!"

She only reached halfway. Han jumped high in the air and started emitting large amounts of vapor behind him which propelled him forward.

Mizuki had no chance of blocking. She held her lightning charged sword in front of her, blocking Han's path to a direct hit.

The Iwa genin broke through the sword easily and connected the kick to her chest.

BOOM!

It was a mess. She was sent flying into the stadium wall which was then immediately covered in her blood. She dropped down with an audible splat, blood pooling around her.

Pakura calmly walked towards the center. She hadn't gone far, already knowing how quickly it would end. "Winner of Match 12: Han of Iwagakure!"

Match 13: Deidara of Iwa VS Yuna of Konoha; Proctor: Kisame

Naruto's eyes hardened as he read the names which came up on the screen. Yuna Sarutobi, his teammate, against the person who'd leveled a shinobi village just months ago.

Both the Hokage's children knew their lineage painted a significant target on their backs. And both of them, having come to the realization that one or both of them would be facing a Kiri nin, had already come to peace with the idea that they might lose… Badly.

But with how the Kiri shinobi had ruthlessly won every match other than Naruto's and with the worry of Naruto being the only person in the final stage of the chunin exams so far, they'd both, quite plainly, forgotten about one of the biggest threats in the exam.

Deidara, the Bomber… A-rank at 12.

Yuna gulped. She looked at Naruto and when he met her gaze, she wasn't worried by the worry she found there. Gathering her courage, she gave him a smile that signified a level of confidence that she wasn't remotely close to feeling. She tore her eyes away and started walking to the stairwell, knowing the time it would take her to get down would serve her well in gathering her thoughts.

A hand on her wrist made her pause. With a start, she realized it was Asuma and her eyes widened even further when he slipped something into her hand and whispered into her ear.

Father gave them to me in case I had to face him. It's a barrier fuinjutsu technique that creates an electric field inside the area covered by the seals. You must be familiar with the Violet Flames Formation. This is similar to that… Good luck.

Yuna looked at the seals. She felt her face heat up. Her anger only rose when she sought out the Hokage and realized that he wouldn't even meet her eyes. Then, with a start, she realized what this meant. Asuma was… helping her. If this were anywhere else, she might have hugged him. Hell, she was half-willing to do that here.

Reigning in her emotions, she spoke in a low whisper. "Thank you… Asuma." Then she turned and walked out of the room and into the stairwell, Naruto and Asuma looking after her with mixed emotions.

A few moments later, she stood across from Deidara who had the nastiest smirk she had ever seen, with Kisame standing in between them. "This will be a one-on-one match between Yuna Sarutobi of Konoha and Deidara of Iwa…"

…

"HAJIME!"

Deidara made the first move but Yuna wasn't far behind. She formed the tiger seal and activated the seals Asuma had handed her. It was a peculiar feeling, to be able to understand a very complicated seal just by looking at it. Naruto's influence. She knew it was probably also because Asuma explained the way the seal worked. She was able to connect the dots and attribute each aspect of the seal to the purpose it served.

The seal was a brilliant piece of fuinjutsu. It took the basics of the Violet Flames Formation which was a barrier-sealing technique, essentially applying the same principles for establishing a boundary. The only difference was that while Violet Flames Formation worked on the borders, this worked inward.

One.

Yuna applied one of the seals at the far end of the stadium where the destroyed walls began. Deidara was smart enough to realize that whatever she was doing, it was better not to let her complete it. Out of his long sleeves, a rush of spiders came out and went crawling at her at speeds that surprised her, given their small size.

But it didn't matter much. She was skilled enough to evade such direct attacks. However, the more time she gave Deidara, the more creatures she would have to evade.

Channeling chakra through her legs, she moved faster than she ever had.

Two.

She slammed a seal down at the other end of the broken stadium wall. Two nodes had been completed. She would need two more to be completely safe.

But this time, she realized she couldn't press forward. The sheer number of creatures Deidara had created was staggering. It was not just spiders anymore. There were birds, snakes and of course, spiders. Hundreds of them. She couldn't understand the way the technique worked. The creatures themselves seemed to have a mind of their own. Unlike a normal creature created from chakra. The way they adjusted their movements for the smallest change in her own… She was sure such subtleties weren't even noticeable to Deidara from this distance. There was something really odd about this technique.

If she couldn't go forward, the only option was to go back. She leaped back to the far end of the stadium where the snow had accumulated in huge amounts through the wide semicircular hole in the stadium wall.

Three.

When she placed the third seal, the situation was no longer the same. She was surrounded on all sides and there was no easy way for her to place the fourth one. Again, there was only one choice. She jumped inside the region enclosed by the three seals.

"FUIN!"

The creatures immediately lost the yellow gleam in their eyes and tumbled down on top of each other. Yuna let out a relieved breath. It had worked.

Deidara glared at her from outside the barrier. He didn't like it when his ability's only real weakness was exploited. He liked it even less when it was put on display in front of potential enemies. This was exactly what the Tsuchikage meant.

Flashback

Deidara looked at his mentor curiously. It was the day after he killed one of Konoha's most dangerous shinobi and potentially also crippled the squad they were going to send to the chunin exams. He wanted to know why. It really didn't make sense to him. Now, no longer in his chambers in front of people whose attention he didn't particularly want, he felt free to ask his teacher.

"I know that what I did was without informing you. But I accomplished a lot as well. I would've thought you'd be happy." He mumbled.

Onoki's hard eyes… softened when he noticed the confused expression on his student's face. It seemed he truly didn't understand why he was angry. Perhaps he should've had this conversation the previous day. "It's true that you did it without informing me. While that is something to be noticed, it isn't why I'm angry."

He looked away from his student, staring into the distance at the village that was so far below them. Iwagakure was already at a very high altitude. It was the main reason no real enemy had ever managed to attack the village itself, something only Sunagakure and themselves could claim. Surrounded by imposing mountains, it was impossible for anyone to bring a sufficient force to invade. He had taken Deidara up one of these mountains, one which was particularly special to him.

This was the exact same place where Mu, his teacher, had this conversation with him. And it was after he killed Setsuna Uchiha, the clan head that replaced Madara Uchiha after his betrayal. He had taken great pleasure in doing so as well.

"It's time I told you one simple fact. The ability you possess… It's unique. And it's one of the most precious assets Iwagakure possesses now because it's a complete unknown. Our enemies do not know how it works. Jinton was once like this. Nobody could do anything against it, because they didn't know what it was. But they learned more and more each time they saw me use it. I was Muu-sama's assassin. My technique is perfect for it. Jinton would make any enemy disappear. A subtle use of it wouldn't let our involvement be known. If I hadn't used it to assassinate Setsuna Uchiha when there were others to witness it, I could've done a lot more to win our fight against Konoha."

Onoki met his student's eyes. "Our enemies have no honor. There is no end to their arrogance. They are relentless in their efforts to destroy our village. And perhaps the worst part about them, is that they are not all talk. They are observant. Skilled. Strong. They will unveil an aspect of your technique each time you use it in front of them and fail to kill absolutely everyone that could've possibly witnessed it. By now, they would already have figured out the most obvious vulnerability in your technique. When you head into this exam, know that they'll use lightning against you. And in order to win against them, you will have to do more, where less would have sufficed. And they'll learn more from that. In the final stage, you'll have to use more again."

"Getting into a bingo book is not a good thing in and of itself. Sure, it's a testament to your strength. But it also brings you to the forefront of the shinobi world. There are more than a hundred thousand ninja in the elemental nations. There are only 516 live entries in the bingo book. It's a very difficult thing to get into the bingo book. There are many ninja that are not in the bingo book that are stronger than you. But they haven't done anything that deserves notice from another village. When you make it to the bingo book, it is an acknowledgement from your enemy that you are worth their time to hunt down and kill. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad. It's because you must know what this means for you, being so young and in the bingo book."

Deidara's face fell, only now realizing the extent of the damage he'd done to himself. He did not think it was this bad… But it didn't matter. He knew what had to be done. He would never give up.

Onoki looked at his student and saw in his eyes that he understood. He saw in them the determination he saw in his own every morning in the mirror. Nothing would stop him.

Then, and only then, did Onoki allow himself to smile. "So, you have to improve. Unending improvement is your only goal. Every new thing they learn about you, you must learn two new things to stay ahead of them. To run circles around them. To end them."

Flashback End

Deidara smirked. It didn't matter. All he needed now was time.

"Earth Release: Mineral Hard Rock Bullet!"

A huge block of stone formed from the earth. It levitated above him, shrinking down on itself, its rock surface slowly hardening to give it a glossy look. The ball of death flew at Yuna like a bullet.

Yuna slammed her hands on the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Wall Barrier!"

Multiple walls formed in front of her. The first wall that popped up caught Deidara's technique at the base, launching it slightly upwards. Just in time for another wall to do it again and launch it further off course. It happened two more times before Yuna stopped.

They glared at each other as the condensed rock technique crashed into the stadium wall behind Yuna. Yuna commended herself on a job well done. That looked like a dangerous technique and she'd avoided it easily and without wasting any chakra.

Deidara on the other hand, was livid. That particular technique had torn into mountains. It was not meant to be dismissed lightly. The easily summoned ninjutsu was a surprise as well. She didn't even look fazed at the amount of chakra needed to summon four walls in quick succession. Perhaps, he underestimated her.

"Water Release: Water Shuriken Barrage!"

Innumerous shuriken made of water formed all around her. She thrust her hands forward and launched them at him. It was his turn to summon walls in defense because of the speed of the technique and the area it covered.

His eyes widened suddenly and he poured chakra into his arms, manipulating clay at a pace he seldom had to use. The shuriken pierced through the walls with ease. They had picked up the electricity from within the barrier and the water shurikens conducted it. A huge amount of clay landed in front of him absorbing the water into its body. The lightning disabled the explosive earth chakra in them, but at least the attack had been neutralized.

He leapt to the side, not wanting his own technique to block his vision for too long. His eyes widened when he saw Yuna kneeling with her palm on the floor, channeling a huge amount of chakra.

"Earth Release: Earth Carver Technique!"

It was a menacing jutsu. Multiple fissures went into the ground, reaching him in an instant. The earth split apart and rose around him. Deidara cursed and manipulated the clay in his hand, forming up a decent sized bird and taking to the skies. The earth tried to follow him but stopped after a certain height.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"

His eyes snapped toward his enemy and saw innumerous small monkeys scatter from her position. He created multiple explosive creatures and sent them after the summoned creatures, realizing that they were coming out of the electric barrier.

The moment the creatures landed near the summoned creatures, Yuna and Deidara yelled simultaneously.

"KATSU!"

"UNDER!"

The monkeys dug into the earth right before the creatures exploded. Face twisting in anger, Deidara took a moment to calm himself. It wouldn't do to give in to his rage and give his opponent the edge. He opened his eyes and looked down at the ground instead of at Yuna, despite noticing the chakra she was channeling. There had to be a point to the monkeys going underground after all.

There was perhaps one person watching who knew what was going to happen. He had made her do something similar the day they became a team.

Deidara noticed the spikes on the ground from the earlier technique Yuna had launched. This was probably the entire point of the Earth Carver Technique from the beginning. The ground below the spikes glowed. His eyes landed on Konoha's princess, the one said to be a meek little weakling. He saw the half tiger seal she made as she smirked up at him. More than the position he found himself in, Deidara hated that she used that particular word against him.

"KATSU!"

The earth exploded and launched the spikes up at him. When he saw the angles the spikes were coming at him in, he sighed knowing the end result. He couldn't believe the planning that went into this technique. She had thought two, maybe three steps into the future. He knew his only defense, the earth wall, would do him no good being summoned in mid air.

This was the only way he could escape. He jumped off the bird with his eyes closed, knowing he'd land inside the electric barrier.

…

…

Click.

…

Click. Click. Click.

Deidara's eyes snapped open and his lips twisted in a smirk.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

He had a rough landing, but he was already moving.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

It's time.

Waiting Area

Naruto smiled as the spikes flew up at the Iwa bomber, and beside him Asuma's fists clenched on the railing. He was expecting this to be the finishing move, but Naruto knew this was only intended to throw Deidara into the barrier.

Considering she had only received the seals moments before the fight started, he was supremely impressed with the plan she came up with. He knew from what he'd seen till now that in a straight up fight in taijutsu, Yuna would win. Ninjutsu was somewhat even, but Yuna held the upper hand now that the explosive creatures were completely neutralized.

But then he saw it. He saw the smirk on Deidara's face as it formed and his heart sank. This wasn't the smirk someone in Deidara's situation should make. Even if he had a plan to escape, or even a plan to attack, this wasn't the smirk Deidara would've made. This was the smirk of someone who knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he'd won.

Unknown Location

Naruto looked around anxiously. He was back in Uzushiogakure, but somehow he knew this was different. It felt like both the times he'd been here before.

The first time, his instincts told him to run. He'd been scared, anxious and had no idea what was going to happen. He knew that whoever was here besides him was dangerous. If given the opportunity, he would destroy him and take over. If not for Mikoto's intervention, it might have happened as well.

The second time, his instincts told him to be wary. He was anxious, but not scared. He knew that the Naruto he met was dangerous, but not malicious. If given the opportunity, he would take over, but not by destroying him. He wanted to take over with his permission.

This time, both Naruto's stood in front of him. One with the Mangekyou Sharingan spinning in his eyes and a hard look on his face. The other with the plain purple eyes, and a smile on his face.

The one with the sharingan active stepped forward. "Who am I?"

No reply. The only answer he had was that this was the younger him. But apparently, that was wrong. The fact that there were two versions of the younger him was evidence of the extent to which he had been wrong.

"Who am I?" The other one, this time.

"Why am I here?" Naruto asked, not interested in answering the question which had proved to be pointless in the past. "What do you want from me?"

The Sharingan Naruto laughed. "He isn't scared of me this time. I knew letting you face him was a mistake."

"A mistake? You shouldn't be trying to scare him, you idiot. He's a child."

Naruto stared between the two. Then he shook himself. There was no time for this. "Why am I here?", he reiterated.

This time, they were serious. "We brought you here to stop you from making a big mistake. You should leave the girl to her fate. If you interfere, you won't survive even if we help you."

The other Naruto piped in. "He's right, Naruto. I don't know if I'll be able to help you escape the wrath of the samurai. I know how much you want to help her. Believe me, I have been in the same position before. But going against the Iron Country is not something you want to do."

Naruto glared at them both. This made absolutely no sense. He simply couldn't make sense of it. Just the fact that there were two versions of him somehow… "This is a waste of my time."

He didn't know what he did, but he sort of willed himself back to the real world and he felt his current imaginary body fading.

The Naruto with the active sharingan hissed at him. "Don't come back here begging for forgiveness later. We did warn you."

Waiting Area

His Sharingan came alive, uncaring of the consequences it would hold for him and his village. He could feel each and every single kage turn in his direction. He could feel the shock on his fellow genin's faces. But he could also see the movement inside the barrier, behind his teammate. He did not hesitate.

As soon as he jumped over the railing, he felt the samurai move. By the time he landed there were over two dozen samurai ready with their swords drawn. Naruto drew his own swords and prepared to attack, when something unexpected happened.

Zabuza and Asuma dropped down on either side of him, followed by Akane, Yagura, Mangetsu and even the injured Haku. With a nod of thanks, Naruto set about completing his mission of reaching Yuna before Deidara could do what he was planning.

Battle Area, Inside the Barrier

Yuna ran through hand seals, intent on finishing him before he could make his way out of the barrier. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The A-rank water technique was the strongest in her arsenal. And she could only do it once with the chakra she had left. Which was why it was important to finish this soon.

"SCATTER!"

Yuna froze hearing Deidara yell. She turned around and saw the mountain of creatures she had disabled at the start of the battle, falling over themselves trying to reach her. There was no sign of earth chakra inside them. She let go of the ram seal and tensed her legs preparing to jump back.

Bite.

With a yell, she fell back bleeding from her leg where the artificial snake had bit her. She yanked it out and threw it away, wincing as its teeth tore through her skin. She struggled back to her legs and jumped away.

'This shouldn't be possible. The lightning should have neutralized all the earth chakra inside them. Unless they can somehow regain chakra… … No, it was impossible. That would mean these things were alive.'

With her focus on the technique lost, the water dragon lost its shape and crashed to the floor harmless. Deidara smirked as he felt his creations regain consciousness. His creations were indeed alive. That was something that no one believed possible. And so, that was his greatest weapon. It was a well-known fact that only living things could hold onto chakra. Objects can only hold chakra through fuinjutsu.

When he heard the clicks in his mind, he knew that they had regained enough chakra to move again. And that was all he needed them to do. Move.

He raised his hand and outside the barrier, from under the snow, thousands of creatures made of clay emerged. But instead of heading towards the barrier, they went for the node she had to place within the snow.

"KATSU!"

Yuna looked toward the explosion in confusion. Innumerous explosive creatures had gathered around one of the nodes and exploded, ruining the piece of paper that had been the only thing that enabled her to stay ahead for the duration of this fight.

Suddenly, the creatures in front of her regained the yellow gleam in their eyes. They looked more menacing than ever. There was a long pregnant pause.

One spider stepped forward. Then the next. One by one, they came closer and closer, almost testing the waters to see if she would do something to harm them. Like a wild pack of wolves.

Yuna channeled chakra throughout her body. And this triggered every single clay animal in front of her.

"Earth Release: Hardening Shield Technique!"

And they pounced.

Meanwhile, Waiting Area

Darui was the only one who managed to sense it before it happened. He grabbed her arm, right before she could launch herself off the railing.

"You nasty little shit, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Darui's grip on her was tight. A little too tight to use on an ally. But Yugito didn't mind it, already charging up her level 1 cloak, this time it was her who initiated it. Darui pulled his arm back quickly, his flesh sizzling.

"Whatever I want."

Stadium Wall

Minato Namikaze looked below him and cursed, noticing the chaos that ensued. And obviously, it involved Uzumaki Naruto. He took a quick look around him at his fellow proctors.

Ay, of Kumo, both eyes on him. Watching him. Observing him for any unwanted moves.

Pakura, of Suna, both eyes on the waiting area. Curious about one individual in particular.

Midori, of Iwa… Gone… Minato hadn't noticed it when he left, but when his eyes scanned the stadium arena again, he found his rival from Iwa, headed straight towards Naruto.

His blood boiled. Letting out an audible snarl, he prepared to jump, heading straight for the despicable man who had killed Rumia, ruined her dreams and aspirations, all only because she had helped her old friend Fugaku escape his death clutch.

RAGING.

Now, he wanted Naruto? Kushina's brother? An 11-year-old child?

BURNING.

His anger deflated quickly when someone stepped into his path. A commendable thing to do considering the speed with which Minato moved. Lightning dancing all over his body, Ay of Kumo stood in front of him. His peripheral vision caught Pakura jumping off the wall, heading straight for the waiting area.

He couldn't bring himself to care. Lightning started dancing along his body as well. His mind already made up, he drew three kunai.

"Why do you stand in my way?"

Ay smirked, knowing Minato was taking this seriously.

"I've wanted to fight you from the moment I saw the look you gave Midori when all this first started. A man driven by hate… That's something I admire." Ay channeled chakra to his arms. "I've heard rumors of your speed. Show me!" The lightning on the Kumo ninja's body stilled and Minato's eyes narrowed.

Because it was a very strange thing to see lightning so still that you're still able to see it even after you blink.

Waiting Area

Raiga looked at what was happening just below him. His already wide lips turned even wider. He was enjoying the chaos. From the day he ate that pill (which was a prerequisite for entering the academy to become one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist), blood excited him. His eyes were now glued to the redheaded ninja from Konoha. Wherever he went, blood followed.

And it wasn't just him. His own villagers had joined the fight. And they didn't even invite him. How rude! He drew his sword quickly, an immense amount of chakra flowing through the twin swords, lightning crackling along its length.

The other genin in the waiting area had finally noticed a threat right alongside them. Akari looked at him indifferently, sand spilling from his gourd. Darui and Cee had the good sense to put as much distance as possible between them.

"Lightning Release: Fangs of Lightn- GAAAH!"

Two bolts of lightning crashed into the ceiling harmlessly, as he fell back and accidentally lifted the swords. Pakura, the sole wielder of Scorch Release in the elemental nations, crouched on the railing. There was no killing intent, no chakra being built up. Just a peculiar glint in her eye, daring any one of them to make a move. Nobody did. Not even Akari who looked like he really wanted to.

"There will be no fighting amongst the genin here. I can do nothing to help the genin that already signed their own death warrant."

Pakura turned around knowing there would be no movement behind her any longer. Her presence would make sure of that. Now, she wanted to observe the more interesting things that were taking place.

With Naruto

It was surprisingly easy, dealing with the 'mighty warriors' of the Iron Country. It was hard to believe an army of such warriors would put such fear in the hearts of the major villages in the elemental nations. He cut through them like butter. He would agree that they were skilled swordsmen. He would agree that underestimating them might lead to a quick death. However he did not agree with fearing them.

The only problem with dealing with the samurai was that there were far too many of them. Enough to outnumber them five to one. And facing five skilled highly coordinated swordsmen simultaneously was a bit of a difficult task for anyone.

He was beginning to feel frustrated when he dispatched three of his five foes only for another three to take their place. But once again, just like with Zabuza, he felt a familiar presence next to him.

"Yugito, are you sure?" Naruto had to ask, despite being pressed for time.

She nodded back confidently before demonic chakra started bubbling around her. This time the red chakra bubbling around her didn't turn into the blue flaming shroud from earlier. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized the reason. She was using the beast's chakra now…

Two seventy four…

A moment of hesitation later, Naruto whispered a quick thanks before jumping away. This was the exact moment everything began to go wrong.

KATSU!

His eyes went to the opposite end of the stadium where the seal had been placed. The barrier shimmered out of existence. Shit.

Yuna was on her knees with a mountain of creatures heading towards her. It was quite literally, a stampede. He channeled chakra to his legs, confident in his ability to get there before the creatures had the chance to explode.

Right before he started to move, a fist crashed into his face. The movement was so fast that despite his sharingan catching the movement, he couldn't move fast enough to dodge it.

Earth Release: Hardening Shield Technique!

When Naruto stood back up from being launched 30 meters with a single punch, he simply had to hope that whatever technique Yuna was using to shield herself would be enough.

…

Because Midori of Iwa stood in between him and his destination.

BOOOOMMMM!

Naruto couldn't help but look in that direction for a fraction of a second, but it was too much time because Midori had crossed over half the distance in that time. Cursing, he started going through hand seals, knowing he didn't have too long. His sharingan saw the attack coming in slow motion, Midori's hands turned into the gleaming silver color of steel.

The steel guardian was close to landing his attack before the spinning water defense of Naruto stopped him. Midori jumped back, seeing the spinning water dome expanding, trying to reach him. He ran through hand seals as soon as he noticed the spinning slow down.

"AMATERASU!"

"Water Release: Water Wall Technique!"

A wall made of water formed in front of his target, right before Naruto's eyes managed to manifest the black flames. In a matter of seconds, the water evaporated and the black flames disappeared, already having burned away the object it had settled on.

"Tch." Naruto let out a frustrated breath. He didn't know it was possible to counter the black flames this easily. And the Earth Release specialist using a secondary element to counter him was not all that expected.

They ran toward each other, exchanging mighty blows. Naruto with wind enhancing his reflexes and his speed, focussed on dodging. Midori, with his earth based armor shielding him from damage.

Midori managed to get a hit and Naruto went flying once more. Recovering in mid-air, he flipped and landed on his feet.

"AMATERASU!"

Midori's smirk was barely visible before the water wall formed in front of him. But unlike before, Naruto wasn't aiming at him. Instead, he aimed directly on the ground in front of him. When the wall fell, the water caught fire and started spreading. As he jumped back to avoid the sudden burst of black flames, the screams started.

AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

Midori met his gaze with an amused smirk as Yuna's scream sounded around them.

Bad move.

No matter how inexperienced he was with the Sharingan, and no matter how little he had practiced with genjutsu, it was still a bad idea to meet an Uchiha's eyes.

Sleep.

The onlookers' jaws fell. Almost every fight around the stadium stopped instantaneously, except for the only one which was supposed to be happening. Midori, the Steel Guardian of Iwa, actually toppled over. Naruto was past him before he hit the ground.

With Yuna

Alive.

She was alive.

…

Her weak hands tried to push the rubble off of her. The full body armor-like shield she summoned had taken most of the blast. But it didn't mean the concussive force didn't take its toll on her. She hurt everywhere. She couldn't move, she could barely keep her eyes open. She was bleeding from multiple wounds as well.

She turned her eyes toward where she knew Kisame was watching on. 'I surrender!' she tried to say. It came out as a weak whisper that even she had trouble hearing over the sounds of fighting in the distance.

She turned her head in the other direction and saw that help was on its way. A lot of help in fact. She saw Naruto, fighting against Midori, of all people, to reach her. A smile formed.

…

Before she was yanked up and held by her hair. Her hands fell idly on the side.

Deidara punched her in the stomach. For someone who avoided taijutsu as much as he had during the fight, he was surprisingly strong.

Yuna was forced to realize this the hard way. The breath she was already struggling to take, was forced out of her. Deidara let go of his hold on her hair and she fell on her back, unmoving, hacking coughs torturing her broken body.

The Iwa genin kneeled down beside her. The amount of chakra he'd expended together with the amount of control it took to manipulate all his creatures, had taken its toll on him. And he was pissed for it. He placed a palm on her lower stomach.

"You Konoha-nin think you're smart. Figuring out my technique was weak to lightning. Did you think that would be enough? Did you think that was all I had? You have no idea what chaos you cause to other villages. You have no idea the kind of shit I had to go through after you murdered my parents. You, the princess of Konoha, have no idea what it means to not experience familial love since you were four."

Yuna's panicked eyes met his. "You will suffer today while your father watches helplessly. While your criminal teammate watches helplessly. With this, revenge is mine."

"AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!", she screamed.

The mouth on Deidara's palm bit down, forcing the clay spider into the opening it created. Yuna thrashed around in the snow, clutching her stomach in agony. The spider moved around inside her, tearing through her internal organs.

Through her tears, she saw Naruto rushing past a downed Midori, headed straight for her. His chakra channeled to his feet, he moved faster any time he could remember.

"You wanna know what MY MISSION IS?" He lifted her again by the hair.

When Naruto heard these words, his eyes snapped towards Deidara, horror mounting on his face. His sharp eyes could see the spider inside her through the hole in her stomach. His gaze went up, even as he started channeling chakra to his eyes, realizing that he wouldn't reach there in time.

"TO BREAK EVERY LAST MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD IN YOUR GODFORSAKEN VILLAGE. TO RID THEM COMPLETELY OF HOPE, LEAVING THEM COWERING BEFORE ME."

He wouldn't reach there in time. And there was too much chakra in his system to attempt a substitution with Yuna, who had very little left. He launched the attack, hoping it would be enough. "AMATERASU!" He yelled, bringing the black flames down on the long haired Iwa ninja.

Deidara lurched, the flames eating away at him. But the grin on his face stayed in place. The maniacal look in his eyes stayed there as well. "TO DESTROY THE VILLAGE THAT MURDERED MY FAMILY. THAT'S MY DREAM… THAT'S MY MISSION…"

The words tore at his heart. He knew exactly from where those words were familiar. Naruto finally gathered the courage to look up, his sharingan ensured everything was committed to memory. Her face would haunt his dreams for years to come.

Her hair was ruined, falling over her face, disheveled. She was smiling, looking deathly pale and blood leaking from the corner of her lips.

…

…

…

He met her eyes.

Flashback

Yuna had her eyes wide open, looking straight up at the stars with a wide smile on her face. Under the dim moonlight, she looked radiant… Ecstatic…

"What's got you so happy?"

"Everything is finally falling into place. There's a clarity within me that I don't think I've ever felt before." Yuna turned to the side so that they were facing each other, both of them lying down on the snow covered rooftop. Having spent months together for hours on end, neither of them were uncomfortable at the proximity. Yuna had a wide smile plastered on her face that turned out to be infectious. He felt a peculiar feeling of warmth welling up inside him.

"When this thing ends, I won't be coming to team meetings anymore." And that took care of it. Naruto's face fell. He didn't particularly know where this was going, but he knew he wasn't a fan. What the hell did she mean? Why wouldn't she come to team meetings?

But the smile on Yuna's face showed no signs of disappearing. "Because… I finally know what I want to do with my life. I finally know what my purpose is. My mission…"

Naruto simply stared at her, his face not quite recovered from the pure shock from the news that she was about to leave the team. "What do you mean?"

"I never wanted to be a shinobi. But certain things are expected of the Hokage's daughter." Her smile fell a bit when the conversation leaned toward her family, but then it slowly returned. "I'm going to be a medic, just like I've always wanted."

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"I'm going to be a medic." She reiterated. "I'm going to be better than even Tsunade is. I'm-"

"What happened?" Naruto interrupted. "Something happened, didn't it?"

Yuna didn't understand at first, but then she let out another giggle. "You happened, silly. You did."

Silence…

"What does that mean?" Naruto questioned, not completely sure of her answer.

Yuna sighed. "You really are clueless, aren't you?"

If that answer confused Naruto, it only increased when Yuna leaned forward and placed a kiss right on his lips. His own lips moved unconsciously, his confusion temporarily replaced by the feeling of her lips on his and he felt something he remembered experiencing only once before.

Every single one of his worries, his emotions, his thoughts… They just left him. Just like his anger disappeared when Rin simply hugged him.

For the first time in a long while, his mind was completely empty and he just melted into the kiss, his eyes closing.

When they finally separated, he opened his eyes to see Yuna biting her lip, looking at him nervously. "Till you came into my life, I wasn't really living. I was merely existing. You once told me not to live my life based on what others decide for me. I've thought a lot about why I tolerated it for so long. And it turns out… I was afraid. I was afraid of what would happen to me if I left… But now… I've given them every piece of myself and they just don't care… All I needed was a little love in my life. But my… my family did not give that to me. I am Yuna Sarutobi, "Konoha's princess"… But underneath it all, I was starving, held captive by this gaping hole inside me. That no one filled in."

…

"Until you came along. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the way you don't let anything anybody says affect you. Maybe it's the way you act around Yugao, always making time for her even with everything that's going on in your life… Hell, maybe it's just the way you say my name… It's just. So. Good. When we talk, I'm not Konoha's princess. I'm notthe Hokage's daughter, starved for affection. I'm me… I'm Yuna. I actually like who I am when I'm with you. You forced your way into my life and destroyed every single assumption I ever made about how to live it. I never dreamed I'd meet someone like you."

Naruto just stared at her passionate eyes with a look of pure disbelief.

"Did you know that I'd actually forgotten that I ever wanted to be a medic? It seems so long ago, but it was barely a couple years. You're unlocking things in me that I had buried so deep inside. Because of you, I have dreams again. I have a purpose that is my own and no one else'. And I love you for it. Even though we're young, even though we're nowhere near the age where I should be feeling all this, I just can't help it. I love you."

…

…

…

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto finally opened his mouth. "Yuna-" He stopped abruptly when Yuna shook her head.

"You don't need to say anything. Just because I've told you all this doesn't mean you have to address it." she spoke softly, a grateful smile on her face. "All I really wanted to say is that I finally have a purpose in life. And you helped me find it. I'm going to show everyone that it's never too late to start chasing your dreams… No matter who it is that tries to stop you. No matter-"

Yuna was stunned into silence when Naruto suddenly hugged her. Warmth exuded from his body and she melted into the hug. "I'm proud of you." he whispered and she smiled.

"My dream… My dream is to become the parent that my parents never were. To never make the same mistakes. To lead my children by example and teach them that there's nothing they can't do. And there's nothing anyone can say or do, that should ever discourage you…"

…

"A family… An actual family… That's my dream. That's my mission!"

Flashback End

"KATSU!"

It was a comparatively damp explosion. But it had done its damage. Naruto rushed forward, tears falling freely from his eyes. He barely registered Kisame reaching there first, his giant sword absorbing the chakra that fed the black flames on Deidara's upper torso.

He caught her before she hit the ground. He knelt, his hands already forming the mystical palm technique. He held it to her stomach, watching her go in and out of consciousness, the blood flowing freely out of the hole in her body. His bleeding sharingan eyes met her blue orbs and her eyes began to flutter.

The movement was quick. It was perhaps the quickest stasis seal he ever drew. The next moment, Yuna was sealed in a body scroll. Despite being an emotional wreck, his mind still managed to work out the best way, the only way, to keep her alive. He knew he didn't have the necessary medical skills to save her. Neither did the samurai medical team, not that they looked like they would help.

He looked around the room, making sure to look at each and every person in the stadium, wanting to memorize how far away each of them were… Wanting to see if they could've saved her had they acted…

Darui of Kumo barely met his eyes, looking away immediately.

Pakura looked at her nails, purely uninterested by the proceedings.

Yugito looked at him with her head tilted to the side.

Haku looked at him with shame on her face… As if she'd let him down.

Asuma stared at the scene, tears already flowing down his face.

Minato and Ay stood high on the stadium wall, both looking unnaturally angry. One of them directed his anger toward Midori and Deidara both. The other directed it at… Yugito, probably for unnecessarily getting involved.

The Kage were the nearest. His eyes found the Hokage who was decidedly not looking in his direction. He could've saved his daughter from this and he didn't even bother… Why? For the exam? For this farce? Why?

He looked at Deidara. The person responsible for what happened. The person who'd smuggled his creatures into the Iron Country. The one who spied on their conversation from yesterday.

His eyes finally met the person who had managed to reach the combatants before he did, despite giving it his all. Kisame Hoshigaki, almost double his height, looked down at him with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Winner of Match 13: Deidara of Iwagakure!"

…

Chakra exploded out of him. It was a shadow-like aura that surrounded Naruto. His eyes closed. His mind was becoming too familiar with this feeling. He felt… anger. But this anger wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. He knew revenge wouldn't satiate this feeling. He knew it wouldn't make a difference. His anger burned, a fire that could never be put out, igniting every molecule in his body.

…

And right at the center, his feeling of utter helplessness fanned the flames.

'Three.'

This was the third time he remembered feeling like this.

'No, it's the fourth.' Some part of his brain whispered.

But compared to what he felt now, Shinzo and Shizuka was nothing. Mikoto Uchiha was nothing.

Uzushio was nothing.

…

He felt like punching a wall till his hands bled.

He felt like drawing his swords and hacking at the wall till they were ruined.

He felt like screaming as loud as he could.

He felt like crying.

He felt like giving up.

…

He felt empty.

'Four' His mind whispered again.

…

He opened his eyes. Minato stood in front of him, his hands on his shoulder. He took a step back when he saw his eyes. But he spoke despite how unnerved he was. "You have to calm down."

No response.

"Do you hear me? You have to calm down." Minato shook him this time, hands on both his shoulders. "It's war if you don't st-"

"If it's war they want, it's war they'll get."

This time, Minato truly did take a step back. Not because he was afraid, but because he came to a startling realization. There was no point in trying to calm down someone who was perfectly calm.

"ENOUGH!" Mifune stepped into the battle area. "ENOUGH, I SAID!" Naruto let his chakra fall, a plain look on his face.

"Each and every single one of you is in violation of the rules. You've caused enough death. By my authority as leader of the Iron Country, I place you all under arrest. You will offer no resistance as the samurai lead you to the dungeons, or you will die. Now."

"Disqualify them." Deidara yelled from the ground, burns covering his shirtless body. "Make good on the promise you made to enforce all the rules. Disqualify Konoha for interfering."

"Then, you deserve to be disqualified as well." To everyone's surprise, it was Sarutobi Asuma who spoke. "You snuck your creatures in here from outside. Under the snow. That's a use of chakra outside the battles." Deidara was about to interrupt, but Asuma beat him to it. "For all we know, there are more under the snow even now." Asuma looked at Mifune whose eyes widened. "Hell, your entire village may explode at any given point should he do it."

Mifune's eyes sharply turned to Deidara, who couldn't help but look away knowing the truth of things. Rage flashed through Midori's eyes. "Enough. I've had it. None of the villages are innocent here. Every single participating village is involved. Whoever I name will allow themselves to be taken away after having their chakra sealed."

…

"Naruto Uzumaki"

"Deidara." A bit harsh, but considering what had just been revealed, not much of a stretch.

"Haku Yuki"

"Yagura"

"Yugito Nii"

"Akane Terumi"

"Mangetsu Hozuki"

"Zabuza Momochi"

"Asuma Sarutobi"

…

Every name so far had made sense. And to everyone listening, it left a single unanswered question. How was Sunagakure involved?

"Pakura"

"WHAT?!"

Mifune glared at her. "You injured a Kiri genin. Against the rules, first of all. But maybe I would've forgiven it, considering the situation. But the genin you injured hasn't fought yet."

Pakura growled. "I only did what I did to prevent more of them getting dragged into the fi-"

"This entire thing does not work if every village is not given an equal footing. You will shut up and allow your chakra to be sealed."

Pakura didn't back away, her defiance only increasing when the samurai drew their swords. It went like this right until her kage flared his chakra. She turned to look at him with a betrayed look on her face, but nonetheless obeyed his unspoken command. While her chakra died down, the terrifying killing intent stayed in place, making every single samurai warrior sweat. She did nothing while the samurai applied a chakra seal on her. Within a minute, every named shinobi had their chakra sealed.

No one, including Naruto, bothered resisting. Probably because Naruto himself didn't do so. The remaining shinobi looked on wordlessly as they were then led away.

Match 14: Raiga of Kiri VS Chiaki of Suna; Proctor: Ay

Bleeding from the wound he had sustained pointlessly, Raiga Kurosuki limped out. Ay almost felt sorry for the Suna ninja that was about to face him. He knew Pakura was only trying to help stop the fighting. That was why the wound was to his leg. She only sought to incapacitate him when she noticed the amount of chakra he was putting into his sword.

She was carried off with the rest of them. He didn't know where, but he suspected it was close by. He could still feel the killing intent coming off the proctor from Suna. Wherever she was, it had to be close by.

But back to the present, Raiga was emitting as much killing intent at the Suna genin who was already fidgeting nervously.

Chiaki of Suna was a puppeteer. And not a good one at that. She wasn't half as skilled at the art as Sasori was, and he was four years younger. But the Kazekage had given them only one instruction… Fight to the death. There would be no surrendering here. Because if she surrendered, she would be put to death by her Kage. Maki was the only on the list of people who gave up. But now, their teacher had also breached one of the rules of the tournament.

…

She had no choice. Frankly, a part of her thought dying would be better. Under the Sandaime Kazekage, their village was changing. Weakness would no longer be tolerated. And that meant that they would need to become monsters to survive. Like the Uzumaki kid from Konoha. Like Deidara from Iwagakure… Like her teammate Akari… This tournament was filled with monsters. She had no place here.

She knew the one standing across from her was a monster too. And he looked angry. Chiaki looked at her Kage, looking for any sign of mercy. She found none.

…

So be it.

She nodded to the proctor who looked at her with pity in his eyes. Chiaki was touched by that notion.

She would die here. But at least someone understood why…

"HAJIME!"

The swords came out quicker than her puppet did. Lightning surged through the black metal. She saw the Kiri-nin's attack just a few moments ago. It was impossible for her to dodge such a fast attack. She manipulated her puppet in between them hoping it would be enough.

It wasn't.

The lightning bolt crashed through her puppet like it wasn't even there. Electricity, in amounts she'd never seen before, coursed through her. She screamed as she was electrocuted.

She desperately sought out her teammate, the one she'd been friends with since the academy. Their eyes met. Akari's cold, cold eyes told her what she already knew. She would die soon. And that he didn't care.

…

He had also become a monster with a little help from their Kage. He would fit right in with the rest of them in the final stage of the tournament.

Her burnt corpse fell to the floor moments later.

"Winner of Match 14: Raiga of Kirigakure!"

Mifune stood up from his seat. "Seeing as both Asuma Sarutobi and Mangetsu Hozuki have been found guilty, they will be allowed to compete in the final match, but whether this exam will have a second stage or not is still something I will have to reconsider…"

With Pakura, Below the Stadium

Drip…

…

Despite being under the stadium, the seals placed at the entrance to the underground cavern had done a marvelous job of preventing the snow from getting in. But sadly, it did nothing to stop the water in the atmosphere from condensing due to the cold.

Drip…

…

If there was anything more annoying than the sound that dripping water makes, it was the silence that existed at all other times. Absolutely nothing had happened after Mangetsu and Asuma were led away. Pakura couldn't believe it. She had done nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing.

In fact, she'd only been trying to stop the other genin from committing a mistake. Her reward was being stuck in the basement with the kids that caused the entire fiasco to begin with.

Pakura looked at the redhead clutching the body scroll close to his chest. She didn't know how he reacted before it even happened. He'd jumped off the railing even before Deidara summoned his army of explosives from outside the barrier. It was a time when all of Yuna's strategies had come together and Deidara was finally trapped inside the lightning barrier.

She just couldn't figure that part out. How had he known?

…

The result was her staring holes through the head of the younger shinobi, who simply ignored her and everyone else. She sighed. Nothing much had happened since the two remaining contestants were escorted out of the basement a few minutes ago.

It didn't seem like nothing much was going to happen anytime soon.

Drip…

Pakura sighed.

Match 15: Asuma of Konoha VS Mangetsu of Kiri; Proctor: Midori

They didn't bother to wait till the match was announced. They made their way through the entrance of the stadium once the samurai left them to their own devices.

"I'm sorry about your sister."

Asuma froze for a moment. "Thank you." He replied stiffly. "For the concern, and for fighting to try and stop it from happening."

"I don't mean to intrude… But you don't seem that close with her…"

That statement hurt Asuma, because he knew it to be true. And he knew it was his fault. "We… aren't."

…

"We weren't, till now… But… If she… No, she will survive. I won't leave her side after this. I've learned my lesson."

Mangetsu nodded. "I know. I have a younger brother myself. I had to leave him behind for some… reasons. But I now know that I made the wrong decision. But I waited too long. He has fallen to my family's false teachings and that's my fault. I'm not going to stop trying but it's almost certainly too late for me…"

…

"If she lives… It's like you said. You won't leave her side. Isn't that right?" Asuma nodded, his determination unshakeable. Mangetsu gave him a smile. "You're a good man, Asuma Sarutobi."

They walked in silence until they arrived at the center of the battle area.

"I admire the way you stood up for your sister when your own Kage was silent. That takes real courage. But I won't be going easy on you. I have to reach the next stage. At all costs." Mangetsu drew his sword. "I have to be there for him. For Naruto. I can't pass up a chance to see him again."

Asuma nodded after a bit of hesitation. Midori confirmed they were both ready. "HAJIME!"

Asuma jumped back quickly and Mangetsu drew Kubikiribocho simultaneously. Zabuza had decided to leave the sword with him before he'd been led away by the samurai. Channeling Wind chakra through his knife, Asuma decided to directly go for the kill.

"Hien!"

Mangetsu was surprised at the technique and its speed given the underhand throw his opponent made… But his reflexes were still quick enough.

The cleaver was swung in an arc and it batted the dangerous knife away. It was then he noticed the wire attached to the knife, but it was already too late. Asuma yanked the wire and the knife flew back at him. It went straight through his neck.

A normal person would've been decapitated by that maneuver. But Mangetsu was far from normal.

Asuma watched, stunned, as Mangetsu turned into water, and the knife clattered onto the ground in front of him. "Are you a water clone? When did you switch?"

Mangetsu shrugged. "I'm no water clone. That's my kekkei genkai. I can turn my body to water at will. In other words, physical attacks are useless against me."

Internally, Asuma almost laughed at his own misfortune. This was probably the worst possible matchup for him. His fire techniques would do nothing to harm someone who was made of water and was probably skilled with water ninjutsu. His taijutsu was solid. But not against someone with an ability like that.

Oh well… He could always try that.

Asuma jumped even farther back, when he realized his opponent was about to attack him. His mind made up, he started going through hand seals in a pattern even the Hokage didn't recognize. He channeled wind chakra into his hands and fire chakra into his throat.

"Ninja Art: Raging Wind Flame Technique!"

The result was a huge burst of fire, fanned by his wind, headed straight for Mangetsu. Cursing, Mangetsu slammed a hand on the floor and a considerably large water wall formed in front of him. He placed Kubikiribocho in front of him and braced for the impact.

The fire technique was at least A-rank when it was amplified by wind. While fire techniques were less effective against him, there was a limit to the benefits it provided. He was sweating, losing water content quickly.

"Hien!"

Through the steady stream of fire, the knife flew. The wind chakra it carried, amplifying the blaze as it traveled.

Mangetsu couldn't do much to prevent it when it pierced through the remnants of the water wall, and the legendary sword, and through his stomach.

A strange sizzling sound reached Mangetsu and he cursed once again. The tag attached to the knife exploded, knocking him, and his sword, into the fire.

…

Asuma stopped the technique when the explosion sounded. Manipulating two elements at once was something he'd been working on for years. It was still imperfect, but it was usable. However, it took a lot out of him. He was panting heavily and his chakra reserves had dropped down to below a quarter of its full capacity.

Which was why he gulped when Mangetsu walked out of the raging fire. Vapor flew off multiple parts of his body but aside from that, he was completely fine.

He held the cleaver out in front of him and Asuma saw the hole his trench knife had created in it.

Mangetsu grinned, showing his shark-like teeth menacingly. "My turn!"

"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Wave!"

Asuma already knew what was coming. He had experienced it first hand from Naruto a few weeks ago. He tried to jump and avoid it, but he was already tired from his exertions. His legs got caught by the technique and he was sent crashing head first into the stadium wall.

The next time he opened his eyes, Asuma would be on a bed next to his teammate with half a dozen samurai treating his head wound.

"Winner of Match 15: Mangetsu of Kirigakure!"

With Naruto, Below the Stadium

Naruto's eyes were closed. He couldn't bring himself to open them. Even here, among people he didn't know… Sure, their chakra was sealed just like his was, but they were still people he didn't truly know. People who could be a threat to his safety…

He couldn't open his eyes. Or he wouldn't open them.

He wasn't sure himself. His mind played it in an endless loop. Everything that had happened since yesterday till this moment. In his mind, he saw Yuna talk. He saw the confidence she had in him when it was his turn to fight. He saw her uncertain smile when it was her turn to do so… And finally he saw her smiling, looking deathly pale and blood leaking from the corner of her lips.

Then, he would hear the explosion and struggle to bring his mind back to the start. Before everything had happened. Before everything went wrong. And he would live through everything again.

Why? Naruto knew why. And he didn't mind living through the memories endlessly. Because he knew the alternative was even worse.

Allowing his mind to go past the explosion meant he would have to acknowledge that everything had indeed happened. It meant that there was probably no way out of this. There was some hope left in him, but he wasn't anywhere near naive enough to not see what was in front of him.

Yuna would probably die. She had a fucking hole in her stomach. A big one. Severe blood loss, severe organ damage and to top it all off, her chakra reserves were already near empty. It was highly unlikely, near impossible, that she would survive.

"-ruto?"

…

"Naruto?"

…

"Naruto?"

"What?" He snapped his eyes open to see it was Haku that spoke. She looked stricken from how he snapped the question at her, but it quickly turned to worry when she saw the tears pooled around his eyes.

"Are- are you okay?" She eventually asked.

Naruto frowned. There was no escaping it now. It had actually happened. The surroundings he found himself in now made it very clear. "What do you guys want from me?"

"What?" Haku asked softly.

"I asked what you guys wanted from me. I am not your friend one moment and the next, you're all following me into battle against one of the largest powers in the Elemental Nations."

"We fought with you, because you're precious to us. We want you back. The real you. The person who filled us with hope and strength and got us all through a very difficult time of our lives. The person who taught us that strength, true strength, comes from protecting your precious people. The person who wouldn't be caught dead, crying about a fucking Konoha nin."

"Assumptions." Naruto snarled. "Do you think that once I regain my memory, I'll go back to being this Konoha-hating psychopath that has got all of you so enamored? Do you think the people precious to me now, will just stop being so? Do you really believe I'll forget about 5 years of my life, just because what was done to me was wrong?"

Haku winced at the look of hate he gave her.

"The person you tell me I am… I'm not. Not anymore. The person you think Konoha has made me… That's not me either." He spoke softly, noticing the eyes on him. "The person you fought… That's me. If you haven't realized I've changed and I'm not going back to who I was… then you never really knew me in the first place."

With Mifune, 30 Minutes Later

'What a mess.'

Looking out at the room, he couldn't help but think this way. He could feel the tension in the room, and if not for the piece of paper clutched in his hand and the terrifying threat that it signified, he would've shied away from this conversation.

In Mifune's long life, there had been very few things that remained an unchanging constant. The never ending conflict in the elemental nations was simply one of them. Even he realized that this wouldn't resolve a thing. The war would pick up immediately after this farce ended.

He should never have gotten involved in all of this. But unfortunately… His fists tightened around the paper.

*Sigh*

It was too late to back out now.

"After some intense debates…" Mifune finally spoke, drawing the eyes of each of the five Kage sitting around the round table. "We've finally arrived at a decision."

…

"Any single village is not at fault here. It's all of you." Mifune spoke, glaring out at them. "Sure, Konoha started this. But the samurai would've handled one Konoha genin eventually. Iwa, while it was commendable of you to attempt to stop the violation before it happened, we can all agree that it only added fuel to the fire. Almost all of Kiri and Kumo's unstable jinchuriki followed Konoha into battle, almost allying against us samurai in the fight." Mifune hissed out the words, not hesitating to show them just how angry he was.

"While all this is against the rules, none of the villages succeeded in intruding in the actual match. Which is why, I have no choice but to classify all of you as equal offenders in this competition. I would punish all four of you, but what's the point of punishing all of you equally."

Mifune turned his head toward Kazan, the Kage of the only village he hadn't named yet. "This is the reason Sunagakure plays a very big role. While I commend your kunoichi in her attempt to stop infighting amongst the genin, she remains the only one who caused any sort of damage to a shinobi who had still not fought in this competition. A lot has gone into planning this event. And the foundation it's built on is the fact that all villages are afforded an equal opportunity. Pakura is the only one who managed to actually harm a village's chances." Kazan started growling. "Even though Raiga Kurosuki ended up winning his fight, this demands a punishment. A sacrifice."

"What about the red headed brat?" Kazan slammed both hands on the table, standing up. "He set fire to an Iwa genin. Why isn't he punished? Why doesn't that demand a sacrifice?" If the Hokage was bothered by the Kazekage's words, he didn't allow it to show.

"The match was already over." Mifune stated evenly. "And his mild burns have already healed due to Kirigakure's proctor intervening quickly."

Kazan grit his teeth. "But-"

Mifune's hand was so tight around the piece of paper that it started trembling. "The decision is already made. If Suna wishes to take part in the next stage of the exams, you will accept the terms we demand."

That shut him up. But it was obvious to everyone what the Kazekage was thinking at the moment. It was completely unfair.

"Now, we will discuss the rules of the next stage." Mifune stood from his chair. "Knowing that this is intended to simulate a war, we planned it so that every village is again, in the same exact situation. After many individual, separate conflicts, things have finally reached the tipping point. Any village can start the war. The next stage will not be one on one, village against village. Another difference from this stage is that there will be no proctors, since we obviously cannot rely on them to not get involved. The fight will go on until every single shinobi from either village gives up or gets killed. No one, even the samurai, is allowed to interfere."

Mifune looked at every world leader sitting across from him, assessing their reactions. "It will be a series of challenges. In war, who makes the first move? It's always up in the air. The order of these challenges will be decided on the day of the tournament. But be mindful of the fact that there are no real rules in this either. The first challenge can be between 'A' and 'B'. In the next round, 'C' can very well challenge the winner among 'A' and 'B'. The point of this is not even to win. Do enough to impress your daimyo and the results will speak for themselves."

…

"Any questions?"

The Hokage started speaking. "Who chooses the opponent? The genin or the village?"

Mifune raised an eyebrow. "The village."

"No." Everyone turned to the Mizukage after his interruption. "The genin will choose. Let's use this as an opportunity to evaluate just how effective of a substitute this is for war. We'll each put ourselves in the shoes of the choosing village and choose the opponent. We'll reveal our choice after the genin reveals theirs. Let's compare how different the decisions we make are."

"If there are no objections, we will make arrangements to do it like that."

Mifune looked around the room and everyone seemed to be considering it. Which was a bad thing for the Hokage, given the sole survivor in the competition from Konoha was kind of a loose cannon.

"The final stage will occur two months from now. The genin from each village, still in the competition are…"

"Raiga Kurosuki, Yagura Karatachi, Zabuza Momochi, Mangetsu Hozuki and Akane Terumi from Kirigakure."

"Darui, Cee and Yugito Nii from Kumogakure."

"Akatsuchi, Deidara and Han from Iwagakure."

"Akari, Sasori and Shira from Sunagakure."

"Naruto Uzumaki from Konohagakure."

"Use this time to groom your genin for the highly impactful decisions they will need to make. We will meet in two months."

---

The Next Day, Konohagakure

Akira Senju opened his door and received a surprise. Sarutobi Biwako walked in. This was the first time in almost thirteen years that Biwako had set foot inside his house. It was very unusual. Not because of the time between visits. Not because of the uneasy expression she wore on her face. Not even because of their history. It was unusual because of what she held in her hand…

A lit cigarette…

One thing Akira knew without a doubt about Biwako was that she hated cigarettes. All forms of it. In fact, it had been one of the first things they'd bonded over. Sarutobi Biwako hadn't always been Sarutobi Biwako. Her mother was a chunin who met her end very early in the first shinobi war. Her father was a civilian… who died much earlier due to lung cancer, when she was only eight years old.

She hated smoking, and anyone who smoked. To the point that at some point, she refused to treat patients who did. Her response was always 'Why should I take care of someone who doesn't take care of themselves?'

Akira watched, disbelieving as she raised the cigarette to her mouth. The question just slipped out. "What happened?"

Biwako exhaled a cloud of smoke, watching in fascination as it traveled upward. She waited till the smoke dissipated completely before turning her eyes back to her old friend. "I need to tell you something." She said, "It's about Yuna."

Akira frowned. He knew she was her daughter, but other than seeing her sometimes hang out with Naruto and Yugao, he didn't know much about Yuna Sarutobi. "What about her?"

"She isn't Hiruzen's."

"Wh- What?"

Biwako brought the cigarette to her mouth for the second time. "Hiruzen isn't her father."

Akira's eyes narrowed. "Then who is?" The third time, the cigarette only reached halfway to her mouth before Akira slapped it out of her hand. "Answer me."

"I think you know."

Akira saw red. "I came to you. I came to you that day… And I asked." He made sure to meet her eyes. "And you lied to me." Chakra exploded out of him as he started pacing around the room.

"YOU FUCKING LIED TO ME!"

Biwako trembled, no longer able to maintain her composure. "Yes." She confirmed shakily.

"WHY?"

…

Akira was in front of her the moment after he knew a reply wasn't coming. His hand grasped her hair roughly, forcing her to look into his eyes. Eyes that were full of hurt. Eyes that were full of judgment. Eyes she had once adored.

"Why?" he reiterated. "Don't you think I deserve to know why? At least now? After twelve years?"

Biwako tried to turn her eyes away. "Because news about the Hokage's new child was already well known. You couldn't have taken her in without the world knowing, or at least, inferring what happened between us."

"For him? For his fucking politics? We are talking about my child." Akira roared.

"AND MINE." Biwako yelled angrily. "I knew what would happen to her if the truth came out. Over the years, I've seen it happen to many people. I didn't want our child to disappear and never be seen again. I WANTED HER TO LIVE."

"DON'T YOU THINK I WOULD'VE PROTECTED HER? DO YOU NOT TRUST ME TO TAKE CARE OF MY OWN DAUGHTER?"

Biwako broke down completely at that. "You don't know. You don't know what he's done. You don't know the way his mind works. You don't know. You just don't know."

Akira winced when she met his eyes. Her eyes were full of despair.

"He changed… Ever since that manstarted teaching him… I had to protect her. I had to. I had to. I had to…"

It went on for a few more moments while Akira struggled to calm down. Finally, having regained his composure, he knelt down in front of her and hugged her. "Biwako-chan. Shhh. Stop crying… You know me. You know I'll never hurt you or her… Just…" Akira sobbed, tears escaping his eyes as well, the situation overwhelming him. "Shhh. Just tell me this…"

He leaned back, once again looking directly into her eyes, his hands intertwined with hers. "Why now? Why tell me all this now?"

Biwako sniffed, her hands clutching his own tightly. "Because she knows. Yuna knows and I wanted you to hear it from me. And I can no longer protect her on my own."

Now that he thought back to it, she did look eerily similar to him. The same brown hair, the same eyes… It was almost the exact same feeling he got when Kushina, all those months ago, revealed to him that Naruto had the Sharingan. It was a moment of pure clarity as well as pure rage. And there was only one thing he could do now.

Akira exhaled, his jaw set in grim determination. He didn't know exactly why Biwako was so scared of Hiruzen and in the state she was in, it was unlikely he would get anything more out of her. There was only one thing that mattered now. He had to protect her.

Border between Land of Waterfalls and Land of Earth

Deidara trudged behind the rest of the Iwa party. He was the only injured genin that managed to get through to the next stage, which meant he was the sole reason for the others to have to walk 50 miles through a frozen desert.

It wasn't a good feeling. Especially when the injury he had sustained was already healed. Thank Kami he had the good sense to have an outer layer of clay all over his body. But still, if the Kiri proctor hadn't absorbed the flames, he would've been hard pressed to find a way to escape. Even with the shield, his upper body had been badly burned. He would've died in seconds if he hadn't. It was something he would have to learn to counter in time for the next stage.

"Deidara!"

He turned to see Midori. For someone who had been knocked out by a genin just a day ago, he didn't seem too angry. If it had been Deidara in his place, he would be fuming. "Hai, Midori-sama!"

"At ease." he lazily spoke. "Forgive me for not paying attention to the many explanations you've provided before, but how does your technique work? In particular, how were they still able to move inside the lightning field?"

Deidara's eyes widened. For all the praise he usually received from the Tsuchikage on his technique, Midori had never really taken notice. This was probably the first time he'd expressed interest in it.

"My creations… They're actually alive. What the lightning field did was neutralize the earth chakra in my creations. And of course, for creatures their size, it also served to immobilize them because, if we think in proportion, they were essentially electrocuted." Deidara smirked. "But since they're alive, like every other living thing, they have the capacity to regenerate chakra. As the fight progressed, they gathered more and more chakra. And they knew that as long as they didn't mold earth chakra, the lightning couldn't harm them too much."

Midori nodded along, realizing exactly what had happened. "And once you used the creatures you hid under the snow to deal with the electric field, you made them explode. All of them."

Deidara nodded.

"Neat. But let me ask you something else… Your creatures in Konoha, the ones you said were neutralized by the Hatake's lightning technique. Did they dispose of them entirely somehow, or are they still somewhere in the village."

Deidara's eyes widened.

Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

As soon as Deidara reached out, he was greeted with a considerable amount of clicks. A smirk slowly formed on his face, seeing which Midori also started to smile.

"Alright, here's what I want you to do."

Border between Iron Country and the Land of Fire

Naruto glared out at the valley they just traveled through. The Konoha team was taking a break. A much needed one. Aside from Minato, Hiruzen and himself, the others were injured.

Asuma had a bandage wrapped around his head, which was somewhat a relief when compared with Kurenai who was covered head to toe in bandages, burns all over her body, whimpering at the cold climate which. Obito still hadn't woken up, which was expected considering the subpar quality of care he received from the samurai. Kakashi was also unconscious, but there was no extensive damage in his case. It was just the price he had to pay for using that much lightning on himself. And then… Yuna…

Obito would be fine after a week in the hospital with the help of actual medical ninjutsu. Asuma was already recovering nicely. It seemed Mangetsu took special care to not do too much damage with his explosive water technique. Kakashi would also be fine. The most wounded part of him would probably be his ego. He was the one person everyone back in Konoha thought would win. So, he would probably end up blaming himself even though he was simply outmatched by a randomly drawn opponent.

Kurenai and Yuna were another story altogether. Kurenai with her flesh burned head to toe and Yuna with a huge hole in her body. The chances of Yuna living were about the same as Kurenai's chances of healing her scars.

Now, all of it was resting on him. If he won, great. For Konoha. But 4 of the 5 major villages would hate and hunt him for the rest of his life. If he lost? The people of Konoha would hate him for the rest of his life. It was a lose-lose situation.

Naruto just glared out at the empty valley, trying hard to keep his raging temper in check. It didn't help that the Hokage stood next to him, silently puffing on his pipe.

"Sorrow is sometimes the most difficult thing to feel. And it's often the case that you forget to feel it because you're angry." Hiruzen eventually spoke up.

Naruto simply grunted in annoyance and turned to walk away.

Hiruzen sighed. "I heard about the threat you made. About your little list of names. And I know you think I have the answers you need."

Naruto turned around slowly. If Hiruzen wanted to, he could probably end him now. Minato wouldn't be able to stop him, he wouldn't be able to stop him and the other genin definitely wouldn't either. He tensed all his muscles expecting an attack. Why else would the Hokage bring it up now? Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that Minato looked ready to intervene despite not being able to hear anything they were saying. So, all he had to do was get away from the first attack and Minato would buy him some time. But-

"Relax. I won't start anything if you don't. We both know your list of names is more than just guesswork on your part and we both also know that I'm not going to answer any of the questions you may have." Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke and returned his attention to the conversation. "This conversation isn't about the threat you made. It's about the one I'm making now."

"Why now?" Naruto, not flinching at the realization that one of the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations was about to threaten him, gave a feral growl. The Hokage didn't seem too concerned.

"We have a common interest now. So, this is just to ensure you fall in line. To ensure you will act in Konoha's best interest in the coming war."

"A common interest?" Naruto frowned. "What interest would that be?"

Hiruzen met his Mangekyou Sharingan eyes without flinching. "Making them pay. And you should know who I mean when I say I want to make them pay more than anything I've wanted in my whole life."

"Iwagakure… Why? You are as much to blame as they are for what happened to your daughter." Naruto spoke plainly and for the first time since the conversation started, the Hokage let a reaction slip. He actually looked hurt, which Naruto couldn't accept. Violent, angry chakra started oozing out of him. "You feel regret, do you? You were the closest to her. You could've reached her if you tried. Why start caring about her only after she's blown apart?"

Hiruzen glared at the red-haired genin, his own chakra flaring to match Naruto's. For a few moments, neither one of them spoke. In a quick movement, Hiruzen quickly threw out a seal at their feet and held a hand seal. Then finally, he opened his mouth to speak. "You will do this for Konoha's sake. You will train harder than you've ever trained and you'll become stronger than you ever were. Even more so than from before you arrived in Konoha. You will do this for your sister."

That grabbed his attention. Now, it was Naruto's turn to glare both at the privacy seal and at the person who'd applied it. "What the fuck do you mean by that?"

Hiruzen smirked at him. "Do you know who the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is? Your sister failed to mention that, did she?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Now, what if I told you that I hold the key to the seal that holds the Kyuubi back. What if I told you that with a single hand seal, I could unlock that seal and the Nine-Tails chakra would burst out of the seal destroying her chakra coils and brutally killing her with its corrosive chakra."

The fact that Kushina didn't tell him was a surprise. The fact that she had the Kyuubi sealed inside her was a surprise in itself. The idea that she was in constant danger of the beast inside her killing her… Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi was in front of him right now, making a debilitating threat that he just could not ignore. It was a stark contrast when compared with the usual intimidation tactics that he stuck to when the two of them were forced to interact.

And that mere fact, that the Hokage himself was trying to blackmail him, told him everything he needed to know about the Hokage's situation. Naruto said nothing, just looking at the Hokage speculatively.

Hiruzen just shrugged. "I did tell you I was going to be threatening you."

"Yes, you did." Naruto spoke softly. "But I expected you to demand something more. Just serve Konoha's interests? That's it? You're talking to an 11-year-old. You could afford to ask for a lot more. Why aren't you doing so?" He smiled. "It's all misdirection, isn't it, Hokage-sama. I'm smart enough to realize that unsealing the Kyuubi would need you to physically apply the key. I also know that you can't afford to do so now. Losing control of the Kyuubi during such a volatile time in Konoha's history. Would you truly risk the losses you'd suffer from the Kyuubi breaking free? Just to get back at me for not following your orders?"

"I don't fucking think so. Because, what happens after that? You've lost the S-rank kunoichi who was previously the host to the Kyuubi. You've lost countless lives in the process of sealing the beast into someone else, who I assume, has to be a kid to allow for the chakra coils to adapt. And so, you've lost the only thing holding all the villages back from launching an outright attack at the village. You've lost control over the strongest beast in the elemental nations. And what are you left with?" Naruto smirked evilly. "You're still left with me. Your living nightmare… And I've just lost my sister…" He turned to walk away. "I don't think you should be making threats against me with leverage you don't ha-"

"What about a deal?"

Naruto was forced to stop walking for the second time. "What kind of deal?"

"The mutually beneficial kind… For someone who says I have zero leverage, you don't have much yourself." Hiruzen spoke in an authoritative voice. The voice Naruto knew he only used with his enemies. "I know you want to make them pay. I don't really have to convince you to do that."

"Then, what do you want?"

"You may want to make them pay. But I'm not so sure you're strong enough to do that. You're weak. Far weaker than the Naruto who forced Jiraiya to his knees. Far weaker than the Naruto Uzumaki who survived the greatest massacre ever to take place in the elemental nations."

…

"What's the deal?"

"You'll be trained during this time we have. By someone who can bring out your most destructive self. By someone I trust. By the same person who trained Sakumo Hatake and Might Duy, both of whom can take on all three of my students at the same time."

"And what do I get?"

Hiruzen snarled. "You'll be strong enough to get your revenge."

"How convenient. You get your substitute for war bullshit sorted without lifting a finger? I'm not stupid. Every man and his dog knows that for revenge, you don't go after the person who wronged you. You go after his loved ones. The select few individuals who, if you hurt, it's much worse than hurting them." Naruto spoke with an air of calm. "You're not giving me the revenge I want here. You're giving me Deidara. And that too, is if I make it far enough in the tournament to challenge him. I would like nothing more than to watch him suffer, but just him suffering isn't enough."

"Then WHAT do you want? The answers you want, I cannot and will not give. I've already told you that." Hiruzen yelled at him, losing the small amount of control he had left over his chakra.

Naruto wasn't fazed. He had seen much more, both in terms of chakra and killing intent just hours before, from the Suna jinchuuriki. "I want my sister's life. I want the key to her seal."

"Wh- what?" He wasn't prepared for this.

"You heard me." The genin stared up at him defiantly, his eyes set in determination. Naruto was sure of only one thing at the moment. If he wanted to protect the people close to him, he had to level up. A lot of them were already lost to him. The ones still within his reach, he would never fail to protect.

The Hokage glared back at him, his own mind going through the possibilities. He wasn't naive. With the way things were going, the annoying redhead would undoubtedly find a way to regain his memories. This was one of the very few cards he held that could potentially be used against him once he did. To let that go…

"If you win and establish Konoha's dominance against the other villages, that is something I'm willing to give…"

Naruto wasn't convinced. "If…?"

Despite the situation, Hiruzen smirked. "When you eventually regain your memory, you're only allowed to go after one Konoha shinobi." Naruto tilted his head in confusion, already seeming to know who he'd go after. The smile on the Hokage's face widened. "The fact that you think I'm the only person to blame is enough to tell that you're nowhere near regaining your memories. I'll allow you one person because it'll be impossible for you to not kill anyone…"

Uzumaki Naruto grit his teeth. It was a good deal to take. He would be trained by a very accomplished teacher (apparently), he would remove a threat to his sister's life and the fact that the Hokage used when instead of if when talking about regaining his memories, told him that it was indeed possible to do so. All in exchange for winning at the chunin exams. But there was still something else he needed to know…

"After I kill the one person I do go after… What happens to me then?" Naruto asked slowly.

"You'll leave the village… Or rather, you'll be banished." Hiruzen spoke plainly. "Listen, the only real problem I have with you is that you're a flight risk. Your sister isn't like that. The only way she'd turn against the village is if you ask her to. That leaves me -"

"With a problem. If you decide to prosecute me for whatever I end up doing against Konoha, you'd have to deal with an angry Kyuubi jinchuriki. If I'm banished or I leave on my own accord, there's nothing my sister can do… How convenient" Naruto finished. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes…"

…

…

"You have a deal." Naruto spoke softly. "All this is conditional on me brutally destroying anyone I come across in the next stage…"

"Yes."

Hiruzen extended his hand and after a short pause, Naruto took it and gave a firm handshake.

"How do you know I won't continue attacking after the first person."

The Hokage's eyes darkened. "I don't. The same way you won't know that I'm handing over the only copy of the key."

…

The two shinobi glared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Both of them recognized the threat the other one made in the last two statements.

"Fine." Naruto said finally and turned to walk away.

Hiruzen watched him go, sensing just how much control it took the young redhead to not outright attack him just now. He brought his pipe back to his mouth. Taking a huge puff, he sighed as he exhaled. The coming days will be interesting… to say the least.

Outside the privacy seal, Minato stood with his muscles tensed and his blood boiling. Once again, he felt the increasingly familiar sensation of blood dripping down his clenched fists. There were many odd skills that Minato had picked up over the course of his decade-long career as a Konoha shinobi.

For better or for worse, lip reading was one of them.

Konohagakure Correctional Facility

The spider crawled down cautiously. If this was the sentry for the deepest prison in Konoha, it would undoubtedly be a good one. It sent a click to the other spiders, elsewhere in the facility, telling them that it had hit the jackpot. Truly, it had only come upon this place accidentally. Losing its grip on the side of a railing. But the others didn't need to know that.

The spider looked down after successfully communicating the location… To see Yukio Yamanaka staring straight at it.

Oh well…

The spider jumped off the wall, landing as close to the Yamanaka as possible.

BOOM!

Yukio leapt back, only able to partially shield himself from the explosion. Then more spiders came. This long without practice in any of his barely-existent physical abilities, he was weak. Too weak to do anything physically to the mass of spiders that rushed into the corridor. But there was a contingency in place for this.

Extending his mind, he disturbed the consciousness of as many creatures as he could, realizing in an instant that they were somehow communicating with each other. Then, he turned and ran down the corridor, intent on completing his mission.

The spiders were faster than he expected, keeping pace with his weakened body quite easily. Just as he thought he would reach his destination, the creatures on the ceiling above him exploded, hitting him, forcing him to the ground.

The spiders continued on while he barely managed to pick himself back up.

BOOM!

When the others exploded, killing the jailer, one spider stayed behind to observe who would come out of the cell. It saw a tall shadow, a long beard reaching down below his waist. The man took shaky footsteps out of the jail cell, his eyes fixed on the white spider on the ceiling.

…

The last thing it saw was the gleaming yellow eyes of Hatsunori Yamanaka, Konoha's greatest traitor, before it completely lost its mind and fell to the ground lifelessly.

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Phew… Three months later, we meet again. Excusez moi for the late update. But I'd like to tell you that unlike the usual excuses I give, this one's actually something good. I wasn't studying or working or goofing off. I was studying, yes. I had a lot to do at work as well. But the main reason for the wait is…

I was reading. I found a great fic after kind of a long time and got hooked on it. It was an amazing read. Indra by stroke6. Check it out. It's amazing.

I know I said the chapters wouldn't be this long again, but then I started writing and well… It's very difficult to write a fight and not focus on the reactions of the spectators. So, here's another 44k word chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.

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AN0: You really can't imagine how tempting it was to do something Ronaldo-esque with CEEEEEEE!

AN1: I introduced Might Duy this chapter. I haven't read any fics with him in it, so I'm hoping to keep him in the story in some capacity.

AN2: Only Naruto passing is kind of a cliche. I know that. But I think the others just got unlucky. I had a good laugh when finally Asuma VS Mangetsu came up. Hah. What can Asuma even do against someone with Mangetsu's abilities? Kurenai also ended up in a bad matchup against a jinchuuriki.

AN3: I think it'll be interesting to see where Kakashi goes now. I don't think in canon, he tasted an actual defeat of this magnitude and impact until Kannabi bridge, but now it's different. Let's see how he takes it.

AN4: Four jinchuuriki in the chunin exams. Well… shit. How is Naruto going to be able to handle them?

AN5: With 15 one on one matches to write, I prioritized some over the others as you might've already realized. Naruto's fight with Haku is probably the one I liked best. Even though Naruto is kind of OP now, I think Haku gave him enough trouble. And yes. The Water Release: Spiralling Water Blast Wave is, aside from the Rasengan/Bijuudama, based on the most awesome long distance ninjutsu of all time… The KAMEHAMEHAAA! (Yes. Ninjutsu. I said it. Goku was a ninja all along : )

AN6: About Yuna… I'm sorry. This was one of the main events that my initial outline story contained. This was always going to happen. At the time I started writing this story, I really didn't think I'd get attached to the OCs this much. But then Yuna became one of my favorite characters : ( … Damn…

And I know the romance stuff kind of came out of the blue. It's not about the romance really. They're 11 and 12 years old. The kiss is more of an expression of how much Naruto influenced her life for the better. But yeah. At the end of the day, she's still in a body scroll with a stasis seal, much like Naruto was at the end of chapter 14.

At least she's not dead yet, right? Let's see what happens next.

AN7: Pakura was the most surprising part of this chapter. The situation just wrote itself. When shit hit the fan and everyone started fighting, I needed two things. I needed to prevent anyone else from the waiting area from interfering, and I needed Pakura elsewhere so Minato and Ay could have their little pissing contest.

I don't know her full backstory, but I remember she was sent to a Kiri ambush by her own village. I don't know how exactly a village as economically challenged as Suna would agree to sacrifice one of their best shinobi just to appease one of their rivals. But I think the involvement of the Iron Country in this matter makes sense. She is another character that I want to build something with.

AN8: What do you guys think about Deidara? I don't really like the fact that in canon, he's an S-rank missing ninja and the only thing he can do is create animals that explode. I mean Sai can create animals. Slap an exploding seal on that and there you go. They're both obsessed with art (Weird). They can both fly. I'm telling you. Canon Deidara = Canon Sai + Explosive Seals. Once I came to this realization, I just had to do something to my version of Deidara. So I started adding things to his technique and Hatsunori Yamanaka being free is the ultimate result. He is the big bad Yamanaka that placed the memory seal on Naruto five years before current time. Let's see what sort of evil mastermind he is : )

AN9: Minato knows about the deal the Hokage made with Naruto. He is the only other person who does.

AN10: Kisame and Midori, huh… I wonder what's going to happen there. And who do you think is the guy from Kumo?

AN11: Minor edits in Ch7 and Ch16 to remove an inconsistency in Hatsunori Yamanaka's story and correct an incomplete sentence that I didn't catch while proof-reading.

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On another note, keep the suggestions coming guys. I don't care if the feedback I get is good or bad. I just want the story to be the best possible version I can write.

I received many messages regarding the Mangekyou's second ability. I just wanted to clear up some confusion regarding the way I set it up. I did say only one Mangekyou technique left, but Susaano is not included in that. Naruto may or may not eventually end up getting Susaano, but if he does, it's not his second Mangekyou technique. It's either Kotoamatsukami / Tsukuyomi / Kamui.

Hopefully you guys were lucky enough to see the FIFA final live. That game was one of the best moments of my life for sure. If you watched Puss in Boots Part 2, you know what I mean when I say I love Death. I cannot believe that character is in a movie for kids. They were scared as fuck in the theater. Kudos to the guy who voiced him.

That's about it from me guys. As always, I hope you liked the update. Let me know what you guys think. Once again, I'll try to keep the next one short-er. See you guys next time.