Forest of Death
Karin had picked up on that malicious Chakra approaching and pointed in its exact direction. Hinata activated her Byakugan to get a good look at the approaching signature as Naruto appeared from where the red head had been pointing.
The blond ran towards the group. "Hey, are you guys okay!?"
"His Chakra network doesn't look right." Hinata whispered.
Karin shook while the three Genin of Team 7 shared a look. Between Karin and Hinata, they knew this couldn't be Naruto. Without warning, Sasuke threw a kunai at the impersonator, who smoothly managed to dodge by jumping to the left.
"What was that!?" 'Naruto' exclaimed stunned. "You could've killed me!"
"Got to hand it to you, you're quicker than the last one." Sasuke voiced.
"Drop the transformation and tell us where our teammate is." Goku demanded firmly.
If this person hurt his friend, then the Sarutobi would make him pay.
"Very cunning indeed." 'Naruto' licked his lips with an unnaturally long tongue. "It is good to see you are not as dim-witted as your teammate."
The transformation was dispelled, and the cloud of smoke vanished. Everyone recognized this person. Karin naturally had pinned this signature to her mind after noting it while Team 7 got a good look at this Kusa Genin from before.
"A Kusa Genin like Karin, yet the red head is clearly terrified." Sasuke noted. "Not to mention she warned us of this and attempted to get us away. Safe to say this isn't one of her teammates."
The fact that the Kusa Genin wasn't even acknowledging Karin seemed to be an additional, good indicator.
"Look what I have here." Shiore pulled out an Earth scroll. "I bet you would love to get your hands on this Earth scroll, wouldn't you? It would go nicely with your Heaven scroll."
"It appears she also doesn't know Karin has her own Earth scroll." Sasuke thought.
Goku withdrew one of his marked kunai and threw it. His intention was for the opposing Genin to dodge, he'd teleport behind her, and kick the back of her head. They didn't need the scroll, so that'd be their cure to go find Naruto.
It didn't go as planned. Shiore caught the kunai with the end of the scroll before proving a point, Goku assumed. That's the only reason he could think of why this Genin would consume the scroll with his marked kunai still embedded within it.
"One thing is certain." She licked her lips as if done eating something delicious. "When this is over, one of us will have two scrolls while the other will be dead. Considering one of you attacked me, I'll truly test your resistance."
She unleashed her killing intent mixed with a little Genjutsu. In the next couple of seconds, the four Genin before this Kusa Shinobi saw death that hit them like an avalanche. They saw their bodies and those of anyone they knew, even in passing, mutilated.
Covered in blood and mud. Their screams and those of the other dead echoed all throughout their minds before they saw the various people around them cut down. Even though the illusion only lasted for about half a minute, it felt like an eternity.
When the horrific images came to an end, Karin and Hinata fell to their knees with the former crying silent tears. Both shook like leaves in the wind. Sasuke and Goku managed to remain standing; however, the former fell on all fours and vomited.
When it came to Goku, he started shaking and clenched his fist. "I…won't…let you…get away with…this."
What Goku saw…his friends, family, and every villager of the Hidden Leaf snuffed out before his eyes. A village laden with the bodies of people he cared for. Through what Orochimaru utilized, it'd all felt real to the Sarutobi.
Forest of Death
Lightning began to fall throughout the forest, even though there were no signs of clouds. This caught the attention of every team within the forest. Even as they stopped to look at it, wondering what was going on, none of the lightning struck them.
Konoha
In the distance, citizens could hear the distinct sound of thunder, and depending on if you were high enough, someone could see the lightning in the distance. For those who understood just what was in that direction, it got them wondering what was happening in the second phase.
Sarutobi Compound
Gohan stepped out his home and cast his gaze in the direction of the Forest of Death. "Goku…Turles…"
He worried something terrible had happened to one of his grandsons and feared he'd have to bury another family member. No father ever wanted to outlive their son, and he certainly didn't want to outlive one or both of his grandsons.
"Please, let this be a trick of my mind or some other explanation." Gohan hoped.
He didn't even want to think how Raditz would take the news, especially with him currently out of the village on a brief mission. If one of his brothers potentially died on him, and he wasn't there, the poor boy would be devastated.
Forest of Death
The bark around Goku splintered and flowed up around him as debris while Shiore watched on curiously at what was happening. Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin were snapped out of their fear as they looked at the Sarutobi.
"I won't let you…" Goku declared.
His hair briefly flashed gold and his eyes turquoise while he grunted. Everything proceeded like this with the lightning, thunder, splintered debris, and flashing changes to Goku. Eventually, he screamed at the top of his lungs as the change to his eyes and hair remained.
"Exactly what was reported to have happened to Bardock…" Shiore thought.
"Goku's Chakra feels natural." Karin thought, natural being the only way she could describe it. "He's also rather angry, anew emotion mixed it with the others I can still feel like before."
Goku now used Flying Rajin to teleport to his kunai, his hand grasped firmly around it. Since his kunai was within Shiore's stomach, that meant the Sarutobi's arm was effectively halfway through the Genin's stomach. Shiore stared down in disbelief.
She had noticed the kanji on the handle of the kunai, but that could have meant anything. It was just writing on the handle, and it didn't seem possible some Genin knew a Jutsu developed by the Second Hokage and made famous by the fourth.
Now, here she was with some Genin's arm in her stomach. That wasn't going to last as Goku roared and ripped his arm free. Shiore was left with a rather large hole in her stomach while Goku's arm was covered in blood and bile.
He at least had his kunai back while the contents of her stomach, her Earth scroll included, fell. Shiore gasp while Goku clenched his other fist and smashed it against the Genin's face at a downward angle. This sent her hurtling to the ground.
"The hole I made." Goku's noted something as he stared at Shiore's body. "What looks like orange Chakra is healing the wound?"
While wounds obviously healed, he knew they did not do so anywhere near that fast. He had gotten the jump on his opponent, but it was evident that alone would not be enough to end this. Still though, time had been bought as at least the wound wasn't healing instantaneously.
"That was the power Bardock awoke within himself the night the Nine Tails and Janemba were freed?" Shiore's mind was working to wrap itself around this as she fell. "This almost seems like…it feels like…what Jugo can do. A different Sage Transformation."
Shiore knew Gohan found Bardock out in the woods, so it was possible the latter came from the same clan as Jugo. Though given the appearance and more control Goku displayed, it was possible that man came from a sister clan. Kind of like how the Senju and Uzumaki were.
In that moment, Goku was wrestling with two desires, jump down to continue the fight or make sure his friends were protected. Especially Naruto, who was still missing. One option was taken away from him as Shiore threw out a kunai with attached wire.
It was strong enough to really cut into the tree and stay there enabling the Genin to swing at the nearest tree. He observed her run up it before leaping back onto the branch they were on. She ended up now behind his friends, turning their gaze of shock form Goku to her.
The only signs of damage on Shiore was a bloodied hole within her shirt as the wound itself had fully healed. Oddly enough, the healed hole displayed paler skin than what one saw upon looking at her face. Perhaps a side effect of how she healed.
"That wound Goku inflicted healed fast, just like that wound Naruto inflicted on himself during our missions to the Land of Waves." Hinata remembered that instance clearly. "What, does it mean?"
"That second Chakra within Shiore." Karin shivered. "I felt it clearer than ever, and it's truly burning, hotter than any heat I would have ever felt in my life."
"Got to move!" Sasuke was terrified seeing this. "Got to get away!"
"Impressive, son of Bardock." Shiore spoke as Goku's desire to protect his friends overrode the immediate urge to attack, and he moved to stand defensively before them. "It appeared this prey is not so helpless after all."
Goku leveled a glare Shiore's way that Bardock would have been proud of. "Leave us be, now."
"It's only natural for prey to never let down their guard down in the presence of a predator." Shiore retorted while licking her lips.
Suddenly, she wound her body around the trunk while moving towards the whole group. Sasuke and Karin screamed in terror while Goku growled, ready to fight. Just before he could move or Shiore could reach them, kunai and shuriken were thrown between them.
"Looks like I arrived just in time!" A familiar voice called out.
Everyone turned to see Naruto standing atop a high tree branch with his arms crossed and a defiant look on his face.
"Naruto!" Hinata shouted in relief, some level of determination returning to her.
"Naruto, get out of here!" Sasuke yelled. "You don't know what she's capable of! Just get out of here while you still can!"
"So, you managed to escape from my friend." Shiore was amused. "Well done."
"So, that wasn't some random snake attack." Naruto noted. "It was sent by her."
Naruto had been contesting with a snake that ended up swallowing him. Fortunately, a mass of shadow clones was more than enough to blow the snake wide open.
"I have no idea what's been going on here, nor why Goku looks like that; however, it's clear you've been attacking my friends." Naruto declared firmly. "You best slither back to your hole snake lady before I make a pair of shoes out of you."
"Little idiot, Goku made an arm sized hole in that Genin, yet it barely slowed her down." Sasuke thought. "What does he think he'll achieve!? There's only one way they we're making it out of this." He looked at Shiore. "You can have our Heaven scroll if you leave us alone."
"No way!" Naruto exclaimed. "We're not handing our scroll over to this lady!"
"Yes, we are!" The Uchiha shouted. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, so shut up for once, idiot!"
Karin was all for this if it got them out of this situation.
"Sasuke, there's no point!" Goku sounded angrier than he intended, but he was doing his best not to be.
"What do you mean there's no point?" Sasuke asked. "She's too strong for us. You left her with an arm sized hole, yet it didn't even take a minute for that to heal, with no sign of scaring, and now she's facing us as good as new."
"I wouldn't say that, but there is a point in there." Goku retorted. "It doesn't matter what village this person came from, someone like this would never still be a Genin. The only reason she's not going harder is because we're being played with. If she gets the scroll, we're still dead."
Sasuke's eyes widened. He never considered there being an ulterior motive behind her attack. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Someone with the kind of strength displayed by that woman couldn't be a mere Genin trying to pass the Chunin Exams.
Her techniques, killing intent, and sadism did not match the picture of a Genin. Despite all that, he'd offered her their Heaven scroll. Why? Because he was scared. That woman terrified him like no other foe before. Compared to her, Zabuza was like a gentleman.
His killing intent had nothing on hers. Sasuke was an avenger. He must survive to claim revenge on the one who destroyed his life, but that woman's strength was something he had never seen before. She was jeopardizing his entire future.
She would kill him here, and he would never be able to fulfill his greatest desire. To see the corpse of Itachi rotting on the ground. If he had to choose between losing his life alongside everything he worked for and losing a scroll, he would go for option A without a second thought.
"I'll take my chances." Sasuke began to turn towards Hinta when Naruto jumped down to their branch and grabbed Sasuke's shoulders. "Damn it, Naruto! You don't know what you are doing!"
"Shut up!" The Jinchuriki punched Sasuke across his face. "Don't you dare say anything else, impostor!"
"Impostor!?" Hinata questioned. "Naruto, what are you talking about?"
"Y-Yeah, he's the same guy." Karin managed.
"No, I refuse to believe that!" Naruto denied. "He might look and sound like Sasuke. His Chakra might even feel like his, but the Sasuke I know is no coward! I don't care how strong the opponent; the Sasuke I know would never surrender!"
"Perhaps he's not the person you thought." Shiore voiced, having recollected herself atop the branch. "Regardless of surrender or not, I can simply kill you all."
She bit her thumb, hard enough to draw blood before using it to draw a line over the tattoo on her left forearm.
"Let's see you try it!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I'm still not done with her!" Goku roared.
Despite being further back than Naruto, Goku caught up with and surpassed Naruto's speed to take the lead. Upon seeing this, the natural blond lept into the air while drawing one shuriken.
"Naruto, Goku!" Sasuke yelled. "Don't!"
"Summoning Jutsu!" Shiore declared.
A huge, brown snake appeared beneath Shiore while Goku wound back his fist. He threw that forward into the snake's nose. The sheer strength behind it sent the snake careening off into the forest, clearly unprepared to be attacked the moment it had been summoned.
This effectively put Shiore into midair, a bit stunned that the punch Goku threw her way prior had seemingly been less than this. That wasn't the end as Naruto now threw the one shuriken down before quickly flashing through hand signs.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted.
Kakashi had deemed this a natural extension to Naruto's knowledge of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and it was most helpful in this moment. The one Shuriken he threw became dozens raining down on the 'Genin'. As they struck, she was replaced by a log indicating use of the Substitution Jutsu.
Outside the Forest of Death: Evening…
Anko stood with a stick of dango in hand and munched on it while musing just what that strange lightning had been. "It's unlikely to have been a Genin with that much power…"
Then again, two of Bardock's boys were in there, and she'd never really knew what to make of the words spoken on his strange transformation. Admittedly, the lightning did seem to line up with what she's heard. Suddenly, a sentinel appeared.
"Pardon ma'am, but there's a problem."
"Does it have to do with that crazy lightning show we were treated to?" Anko asked.
"Uncertain given prior information we have. It's corpses ma'am, three of them."
Given what she saw not long ago, as well as knew, Anko was willing to come check it out. What she didn't expect to find was a team of three Kusa Genin dead and without faces.
"I went through their belongings and found their identification. Ninja from Kusagakure, and all three were registered for the exams."
"All their faces are gone." Anko was sweating as she held a certain spot where three black tomoe set. "No doubt about it. This is his Jutsu. Is he here for one of Bardock's kids?"
Anko never got the impression that her old sensei bought into Bardock having such power. Even with the eye witness accounts, he seemed content to write it off as stress induced by the experience. When Raditz never developed such a thing, she was starting to believe that to.
"Could it really be that one or both are in serious dange, or is he here for another reason?" Anko turned to the sentinels. "I need photos of what these three looked like. Where are their ID's."
"Right here ma'am."
"So, this is the face he stole." Anko suddenly realized something. "Had it already happened when that one returned my kunai?" She turned to the sentinels. "We have trouble. Potentially more than I'm already assuming. Tell Lord Hokage exactly what's happened and get the Anbu down here." She turned towards the forest. "Meanwhile, I'm going to head in after these guys."
"Right!"
The sentinels took off while she ran up the fence and lept into the forest. On a distant tree branch, a young man had watched this exchange and signed because he knew what Anko was about to do. This young man had light skin, wavy green dyed hair, and the eyes of a Hyuga.
He wore a dark green shirt under a light green coat with yellow buttons, a long gray scarf, a dual-buckled belt, and dark brown gloves and boots. He also wore a sash, around his waist, that had the kanji for "Fire" (火) marked on it.
"I better head in as well." The young man stood and lept into the forest after her. "Knowing her, she liable to try killing herself just for the chance to end Orochimaru."
Forest of Death
Suddenly, five shuriken, imbued with Wind Chakra, sliced clean through the branch Goku and Naruto were standing on. This sent the pair crashing through several smaller branches below
"Naruto! Goku!" Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin called out worried.
Ultimately, the pair would hit a branch that could support them without breaking. Though, Naruto had impacted with it on his back while Goku landed on his stomach, resulting in both coughing up blood.
Shiore lept down to stand across from them before holding out her right arm as snakes were sent forth. They slithered along the trees towards the pair. Goku was far from done, as he was able to immediately stand. Naruto mirrored this as his eyes turned red and foxlike.
"Another impossibility in the same day?" Shiore muttered upon seeing those eyes. "How about that."
Naruto and Goku both weaved through hand signs, unconsciously utilizing two Jutsu which would blend well together.
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Breakthrough!"
Goku fired off his fire ball before Naruto blew out his wind. Both Jutsu fired off were already amped, with Goku's being noticeably larger than Naruto's. Naruto's wind only proceeded to expand Goku's fireball to a monstrous size as it torched the snakes and moved toward the Genin.
Shiore slammed her still bloodied palm onto the tree branch. "Summon Jutsu: Triple Rashamon!"
Three different demonic gates appeared to take the large-scale Fire Jutsu. The force of the impact had managed to dent in the first gate while it and the second were blackened by the fire. Suddenly, Shiore was atop the gates before she lept at the pair feet first.
One foot implanted into each of their faces sending both boys off the branch. The next one they fell on was sturdy enough to hold them; however, the force of their bodies impacting with it was enough to crack it.
The kick, followed by a rough landing, was enough to render Naruto unconscious. As for Goku, he began to rise before Shiore, who'd lept down after them, hammer fisted down on his head. This generated enough force to fully shatter the current branch.
All three were in free fall before they crashed through several branches more and finally ended up on the forest floor below. Goku's hair and eyes had reverted to normal as he was just as unconscious as his friend now.
"What happened to those two?" Sasuke thought, stunned. "What sort of power did each of them just use?"
"Naruto! Goku!" Hinata screamed in horror before looking at Sasuke. "We need to do something Sasuke!"
Shiore chuckled as she drew more blood and ran it down his tattoo once more while jumping. "Summoning Jutsu!"
Another large snake appeared, and she landed on it, before starting to slither back up towards them.
"No, those two just had more Chakra than the three of us combined!" Karin was utterly terrified "In the end, they couldn't do much against that Shinobi!"
At this point, things were breaking down in a bad way. She was tempted to run and pretend none of this ever happened. After all, it wasn't her fault her teammates died. She'd followed their orders. Not to mention, she had information for Kusa.
"I think I have enough to avoid punishment or the…alternative." Karin tried to rationalize things. "I mean, Kusa is home. They took mom and I in. Protected us…until they didn't."
Her mother's lifeless body, the result of giving too must of her Chakra flashed through her mind. It was quickly followed by the fact that Goku showed her more kindness than she's had since losing her mother. Then, Naruto who was potentially family.
"Something I thought was gone the moment mom passed…" Karin groaned in frustration while clenching her fists. "Both fought hard on our behaves."
Even being among them too this limited capacity, she knew they were fighting just as hard to protect her as they had their teammates. Not just because she had the scroll they needed. Goku was genuinely nice while Naruto thought of her as family. Didn't that mean something?
As Karin was thinking and Hinata attempted to reach Sasuke, Shiore drew ever closer atop her snake. She was heading right for Sasuke. In that moment, Hinata acted by leaping in the way and rotating while letting out Chakra from her tenketsu.
"Palm Rotation!"
The dome of Chakra sprung forth just as the snake lunged forward. It slammed into said dome and was rebuffed forcefully. Before it could fall to the ground below, the Kusa Genin lept off and landed atop a nearby branch.
"Sasuke, snap out of it!" Hinata shouted, needing her remaining teammate now. "Don't you want to revive your clan? Don't you want to grow strong enough to kill that man? You're always talking about the strength of the Uchiha, so now it's time for you to prove it!
If you keep acting like this, she'll kill you, and the Uchiha clan will be no more! The dead can't avenge anyone Sasuke! What's more, if you don't help me now, then Naruto, Goku, and I are as good as dead!"
Hinata knew she was being harsh, that she had no right to say these kinds of things to him, but it was all she had to make him open his eyes to reality. Goku and Naruto gave their best just to fail. If they wanted a chance, then the two Dojutsu wielders had to come together now.
"No…No! NO!" Sasuke shouted as he violently shook his head.
When he brought his face up, Hinata couldn't help but smile. His Sharingan was activated, and his face was the living embodiment of determination. That was the Sasuke Team 7 knew. Hinata slowly made her way towards the Uchiha and stood alongside him.
"Byakugan!" Hinata thought, as she activated her Dojutsu.
Neither of them knew how well they would do in comparison to their teammates, but two of the best from their respective years were about to give this their best.
"It's happened at last, though I must say Team 7 does live up to its appointed nick name nicely." Shiore glanced from the two now standing at the ready to take her on before shifting to the two who just fought her. "Team Potential indeed."
The two Genin drew shuriken before running towards their enemy, who raised two fingers and sent a strong gust of wind at them. The pair jumped and threw the shuriken before reaching a tree branch. The Kusa Genin merely moved her head, avoiding the metal stars.
Sasuke and Hinata jumped off their respective tree branches in unison and started attacking with everything they had. Sasuke would kick and punch while Hinata flowed through the gentle fist, and both blocked and dodged for their lives.
Their combined attacks were apparently enough to get the Kusa Genin on her toes, but both Genin knew better given how she kept up with Goku. Case in point, they couldn't score any significant damage. Even when they attacked at the same time, she found a way to defend.
Still, both were utilizing the unique sights granted by their respective Dojutsu to their fullest. Sasuke predicted her moves while Hinata used the nearly 360-degree vision she had to ensure they were covered. Eventually, Sasuke decided to go for a slightly bolder approach.
When Shiore's right fist came near his head, he stopped it with his palm and grabbed her wrist with his free hand. When the Kusa nin attempted to kick him with her right leg, Hinata saw an opportunity and immediately decided to go for the left leg, the one she was standing on.
Realizing what they were trying to do, Shiore used her left leg to jump over them and get behind their backs. They turned around just to see their opponent moving at a ridiculous speed. Despite the visual prowess of the Byakugan, Hinata couldn't follow her movements.
The opposing Kusa Genin's movements were not as hard to follow for Sasuke, given this whole situation resulted in both his eyes gaining a second tomoe each. This upped his capacity for reaction as he tracked the movements of the enemy.
"I can see!" Sasuke thought. "Hinata, jump now!" Hinata trusted her teammate and jumped with him enabling both to avoid the impact from their opponent. "Now, Lightning and Water!"
While Hinata did have both those natures, she knew what Sasuke meant, and both went about weaving their respective hand signs.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!"
Hinata had taken a deep breath before firing off a wave of water from her mouth. At the same time, Sasuke held out a hand and generated lightning which took the shape of a wolf. At this moment, Karin made up her own mind, managing to get behind the two Genin.
She off loaded her entire stock of kunai and shuriken into the water just as the wolf made of lightning jumped in. This resulted in a combination of the water's force, conductive lightning, and high speed launched weapons impacting with their opponent.
Karin couldn't have kept up in this battle, so it was fortunate that there was this lull in the action. Unfortunately for all three of them, their attack seemingly achieved nothing as Shiore tunneled into the branch and now sped at them.
She attempted to grab Hinata and Sasuke; however, they were able to jump back and avoid her grasp. Shiore turned her gaze on Karin, freaking her out and sending the Uzumaki leaping back. She then lept back further behind the two Dojutsu users.
"This little encounter doesn't cease to surprise me." Shiore smiled. "Four Genin of superb talent, and one who found the courage to try. Though, out of the three who stand before me now, only one of you sees my moves, Sasuke."
Sasuke reached inside his pouch and grabbed a handful of smoke bombs as Shiore started to approach. When she was close enough, he threw them to the ground in front of their group. Once they went off, obscuring them, he started weaving through hand signs.
"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted.
Hinata threw her weapon pouch to Karin and gave her a look. As the ball of fire was shot from Sasuke, the Uzumaki nodded at the heiress in understanding. Not even a moment later, the Kusa Shinobi dissipated the fireball with a gust of wind.
By the time it vanished, Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a wave of kunai came from above, and as Shiore looked that way, she saw Karin standing on a higher tree branch throwing them. The Grass Genin smirked as she simply lept back to avoid them.
Getting her off solid ground was exactly what Sasuke wanted as he lept at Shiore in a way that they were both falling, and her head was pointed squarely down. Both screamed as the Uchiha wrapped his limbs around the opposing Shinobi and pile drove her into a lower tree branch.
Sasuke lept back as their opponent's body went limb. "Could it be over." His eyes widened as the body turned to mud. "Another Substitution!"
Suddenly, a barrage of kunai were thrown at him out of nowhere, and Sasuke ended up receiving a cut on his face. Ignoring the pain to the best of his abilities, he avoided the rest before leaping off the branch. He then brought out his ninja wire and caught a hanging branch.
With that, he swung along it and ended up landing safely atop a new branch. He heard footsteps nearing him, and when he turned around, the Kusa Genin was running towards him. Not even his Sharingan was able to anticipate the pain he would feel in a moment.
The kunoichi struck him across his face before pushing her advantage by brutally beating down on Sasuke. It was just straight fist and knees as he was given no quarter. Eventually, Shiore grew bored and kicked the Uchiha a few meters away.
"What a disappointment you turned out to be." Shiore taunted. "Is this truly the extent of your abilities? Your ancestors must be weeping."
She then heard a branch snapping in two and smirked. Without even bothering to look behind, she did a horse-kick which sent Karin crashing into the tree's trunk. She failed to notice the red head shakily raising two fingers.
While Kusagakure village wouldn't have bothered supplying Karin with explosives, Hinata had a supply. When she threw the Hyuga's kunai earlier, Karin had sprinkled in powder bombs that had gone unnoticed and stuck to Shiore's back.
Now, they went off bringing the Kusa Genin to her knees as Hinata lept down to stand before her. "You're within my range." Hinata steeled herself. "8 Trigrams: 64 Palms!"
"2 Palms"
"4 Palms"
"8 Palms"
"16 Palms"
"32 Palms"
"64 Palms"
Hinata pushed herself to apply as much force as possible, pushing the Kusa Genin back with powerful palm strikes that shut down her tenketsu points. Once she was done, the Hyuga lept back while Karin recovered enough to leap over to her.
Sasuke suddenly lept from the ground while throwing shuriken, with attached ninja wire, around their opponent. He was not content to leave it at shutting down tenketsu and given what they've seen from this Kusa Genin, Hinata could agree with this sentiment.
Sasuke held the wires attached to his shuriken within his mouth and two hands before maneuvering it all around Shiore. Before she knew it, the kunoichi was tightly bound to the trunk of a tree. Sasuke let go of all by one wire, which he kept in his mouth.
The Uchiha then wove through hand signs. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A massive stream of flames ran down the line from Sasuke's mouth and into the Kusa Genin, torching her as said stream blew through the tree behind her. Shiore wailed in agony at such a devastating blow until it was all over. Sasuke panted as the two Kunochi joined him.
"I-Is it over?" Karin timidly asked.
"I think so." Hinata answered, relieved in her own right.
"Outstanding performance, you three." A similar yet more masculine voice rang out. "Real crafty on your part."
The three Genin felt their hearts drop before turning to where Shiore had been bound. She was conscious while orange Chakra bubbled to the surface of her skin. Hinata observed her Tenketsu reopening while the other two saw her eyes, which were seemingly monkey.
The burns inflicted were healing, like the hole Goku had given her, and she'd broken free from the ninja wire. At this point, the orange Chakra receded giving them a clear view of her face. Part of it was missing, so it must have been a mask.
Underneath, they could see skin just as pale as what could be seen from the bloodied hole in the outfit. Upon closer inspection, this was clearly a guy who'd merely worn the face of a kunoichi. She held two fingers up to his face.
This saw her performing the Temporary Paralysis Jutsu, which suddenly made the three Genin unable to move. The best that could be achieved was Karin falling to her knees while the two Leaf Genin remained standing.
"Who…Who are you!?" Sasuke shouted. "What are you!?"
"My name is Orochimaru, and I've had my eye on you for quite some time." Orochimaru chuckled. You possess something I desire: The power of the Uchiha clan. Your eyes, although not fully developed, show great potential."
"What do you want from us!?" Karin demanded. "We've done nothing to you!"
"Oh, I am quite aware." Orochimaru calmly stated. "As for what I want, I believe an exchange would be the appropriate term. Sasuke, you desire power to accomplish your revenge. You want to kill Itachi for what he did. I can give you that power if you provide me with something else.
To prove that you have what it takes, you must first defeat the Oto Genin that are coming your way and pass these exams with flying colors." The Sannin then smirked at Hinata. "I will say this to you, heiress. While you and your teammates are interested, I cannot give another invitation.
Only one of you may join me now, but I may find room for another. In that case, it'd have to be Goku, given he displayed something currently superior to what Sasuke is. Anyways, I must be going now, but first…"
He weaved a hand sign and his neck suddenly stretched from the rest of his body towards Sasuke. The Sannin opened his mouth and bit The Uchiha's neck, making him scream in absolute agony. Once the deed was done, Orochimaru's neck returned to its place.
"Malicious Chakra was just put within him." Karin noted.
The man was smiling in satisfaction, like an artist who just finished his masterpiece. Sasuke's body wavered and dropped to the ground like a ragdoll.
"Sasuke!" Hinata yelled, worried. "What did you do to him!?"
"I gave him a parting gift." Orochimaru informed. "One day, he will come for more of my power. Perhaps, one day, you will receive the same. Only time will tell." He began melding into the branch. "So long, Team 7 and Kusa Genin."
After those words, the Sannin disappeared into the tree. This left a frightened Hinata and Karin with the unconscious Naruto, Goku, and Sasuke. The spot where Orochimaru had bitten Sasuke left a mark of three tomoe on his neck.
Forest of Death: Night…
Anko found Orochimaru who had melded partially into a tree with the intention of resting.
"Anko." The Sanin chuckled. "It's been a while."
"This is no time to rest." Anko declared firmly. "You're an S class criminal that must be taken down, and it's only fitting I'm the one to do it." She dropped four senbon from her sleeve to her hand. "After all, you're the one who taught me everything, right sensei?"
"Not quite." Orochimaru retorted.
Anko growled before preparing to throw her senbon. Orochimaru preempted her by firing out his tongue and forcing her to dodge up the trunk of a tree. His tongue followed and ensnared the wrist of the hand holding the senbon, forcing her to let them go, before he pulled her back down.
The Tokubetsu Jonin held out her free hand. "Striking Shadow Snake!" Four snakes flowed down her arm and shot at Orochimaru to give her a good grip. "Get out of there!"
Using those snakes, she pulled Orochimaru free before slamming his body into a closer tree trunk. Anko then pinned one of the Sanin's hands to the trunk of the tree.
"Ha, I got ya." Anko looked at Orochimaru's free hand. "Now, just let me borrow…"
Suddenly, a small sphere of Chakra shot past Anko's head and nailed Orochimaru square in the bridge of his nose. In that moment, 'Orochimaru' became nothing more than mud while Granolah lept down onto the tree branch Anko stood on.
"G-Granolah!?" Anko questioned shocked before becoming angry. "What is the…"
"You're a self-righteous fool." Granolah's gaze lingered where his eyes knew Orochimaru was. "Just as Lord Third let him go, you decided to challenge him alone. He couldn't look past the fact this was his student while you let his failure as a sensei cloud your judgement.
Even then, I can give our Hokage credit in that he wasn't willing to end his life like you were planning to." Memories of the Branch family dying through their seals ran through his mind. "I can't stand unnecessary death of any kind."
Anko went wide eyed before she looked away from him.
"Isn't this entertaining?" Orochimaru chuckled.
He flowed out from within the branch and now stood across from the two Konoha Shinobi. Granolah held out his right arm as a finger gun, his Byakugan still active, and a small sphere of Chakra was already charged at the tip of his pointer finger.
"Not only have you become one of the elites, but you've also got the Sniper of the Leaf to care about your wellbeing." Orochimaru removed his faux face fully to reveal his smirk.
Granolah fired his Chakra Bullet, but the Sanin moved his head to the right, avoiding it, before holding two fingers up to his face. Orochimaru once again performed the Temporary Paralysis Jutsu, which prevented the two Leaf Shinobi from moving any further.
"What, I'm not strong enough to resist!?" Granolah thought, straining against the technique.
He knew this was a Sanin, but he thought he'd reached a level of strength where he could at least resist a Jutsu like this on some level. The simple fact is, he was incapable of moving under the effects of this, like almost anyone else in the village would be.
"I must say, I'm rather disappointed." Orochimaru approached the pair. "After all this time, I'd expected a friendlier reception."
"Don't tell me you've come to assassinate Lord Hokage." Anko voiced.
"No, not yet." Orochimaru shook his head. "The necessary pieces just aren't in place, at this time." The pain of her mark drove Anko to her knees. "Ah, the mark. I put the same on a young man just a little while ago." He knelt before her. "He's a promising prospect."
"You haven't changed." Anko declared, angrily. "He'll die before he serves you."
"Quite possibly." Orochimaru admitted. "I'd say the odds are one in ten against him, but the kid may survive, as you did."
"Sounds like you want him badly." Anko retorted.
Orochimaru moved to stroke her cheek; however, Granolah could move just a bit and opted to step protectively between them. "Don't touch."
"Oh, you're a tad stronger than I thought Granolah." Orochimaru chuckled, amused by his care for his former student. "Then again, hatred can be a powerful motivator to acquire strength. Perhaps I should consider giving you the gift."
He stood and reapplied the prior Jutsu for good measure. "Unfortunately, I've given out the only one I had prepared to someone whose potential may very well surpass what you've gained and still have left to acquire. Naturally, Sharingan are rarer than Byakugan these days."
"The only Uchiha in this forest should be Sasuke." Granolah noted.
"Now, both of you work to make sure no one stops the exam early." Orochimaru started to depart. "Three of my followers are also candidates, and I look forward to seeing how they do." He then vanished in purple flames, yet his voice remained. "Bear this in mind, should anything happen to deprive me of my fun, it'll meant the end of Konoha."
Note: Granolah was mentioned in the first chapter, Prologue.
When it comes to reimagining DBZ characters into Naruto, the protagonist aren't the only ones that shall benefit. To me, if they were, it'd be boring. In essence, you know how Orochimaru and Kabuto are kind of a duo. Well, now there is a trio. This third person has been a huge asset and is the reason Orochimaru and Kabuto are stronger than their canon counterparts. Here, Orochimaru has made himself a Jinchuriki, and I think he should have been one in canon.
While there is a myriad of reasons I'm in favor of this, one of them is that I think he'd be petty enough to do it. You want all the Tailed Beast? Well now you got to come get this one from me. I did contemplate changing the Eight Tails to be a snake, Yamato no Orochi, but I ultimately decided to give Orochimaru Son Goku(The Tailed Beast). As for how he acquired this tailed beast, Roshi(The Iwa Ninja) is stated to have been outside his village on a journey.
With adequate strength and help, not to mention Orochimaru stalemating a four tailed cloaked Naruto come Shippuden, I think Orochimaru could have brought Roshi down. Given time, I'd see him capable of snatching his body with Son Goku included. As Son Goku is described to hate humanity, I think Oochimaru could utilize that hatred, given just who he is, and turn him to his side. As for Kabuto, I'll explain his increase when it's important. Now, onto Goku and his transformation.
In case it isn't obvious by this chapter, it's basically, in a way, linked to what Jugo's clan is capable of. Essentially, it's a form of Sage Mode. As the name Saiyan hasn't been used in this story, I'm coining it as 'Super Sage'. Now that it has popped back up, I'd like to say where I believe this transformation lies in terms of power. Keep in mind the ground rules I established chapter 1, I'd say this transformation is on par with a second stage Curse Mark.
More specifically, the second stages displayed by Kimimaro and Sasuke, depending on who you think was stronger. For those of you who think this is too weak, ground rules are on chapter 1. For those of you who think this is too strong, within the context of this story, these transformations are all Goku has. He doesn't have a Dojutsu and Curse mark nor a Tailed Beast and eventual Sage Mode. Super Sage also has forms beyond, so he won't be stuck with at this level in this form.
As for those of you worrying that this makes Goku too strong for part I...I personally believe that had a Jonin we knew faced Sasuke or Naruto at the Valley of the End, part I of course and depending on which one it was, either one would not have won. As for people within this generation, Lee is stronger than his canon self. He's had a stronger Neji which pushed him to be stronger in turn. Naruto and Sasuke also have the potential to match him.
Essentially, Goku is just the first of those three to unlock his end of part I transformation. Of course, there is this stories' version of Neji. In canon, he did manage to beat a stage 2 Kidomaru. As things stand, he's far stronger than that canon version of himself. Do with this as you will. As for Hinata, I'm not going to have her go the way of Sakura, in that her power can't keep up until she is suddenly on par at the end. That said, her path to that is just a different one altogether.
NBATazuji: Well, Goku wasn't exactly a deterrent to how Naruto acted growing up. If anything, Naruto was only encouraged to act as he did by Goku going along with it. That said, there are still key differences. Not once has this Naruto shown to have a crush on Sakura, he's had validation as a person from Goku. While his other teammates are at present stronger than him, this is by no means to say Naruto is weak. In fact, the gap between him and Sasuke was far closer at the start than in canon.
There is also the fact that the series put a lot of focus on Sasuke and his strength before we eventually get to the one month of training. After that time, it truly shifts more to Naruto as Sasuke takes a back seat. Even saying that, Naruto still played his part in freeing Kakashi. In fact, the whole things was still his plan. By the actions of the others around him, he hasn't looked as much the fool as canon. There was no Thousand Years of Death and no being trapped in the ice mirrors.
Granted, he did still freeze when confronted by the Demon Brothers, but that led into what he achieved against Zabuza. I'd say Naruto's only real failings here come from Goku being quicker to stop Kankuro and being caught with his pants down. The latter one I think is still understandable. Our blond boy was caught with his pants down. Kind of hard to stop yourself from being taken down at that point. From here on out, things are going to be on a serious upswing for Naruto and starting earlier than canon.
I'm not about to have a fart save him in his preliminary fight, for instance. When it comes to Team Vegeta, it is in reference to the Vegeta we've seen, not his father. On Narutopedia, the team is called Team Dosu, so it gets called Team Vegeta here. As for the dragon balls, one set of collectibles, the Tailed Beast, is all that I feel are needed. Besdies, those suckers go all around the world. Perhaps the Elemental Nations are the only land mass on this Earth, we don't really see anything to the contrary, but that'd still mean, if the Draogn Balls were here, I'd expect two to three being at the bottom of the ocean.
Guest: Fraid so. I know it's unnaturally, but by how this story goes, Vegeta would have no reason to call this Goku anything other than Goku.
Dontus -not Donut- Powerus: Yeah, poor girl was starved for positive attention, and she never really got it after losing her mother. By proxy of Goku not being Sasuke, though I do understand fully why any normal Shinobi obviously wouldn't bring a foreign Shinobi back to their group, she gets to stick around. I'm glad I've also done well introducing her. Unlike with Zabuza and Haku, there wasn't a whole arc showcasing her in a way that lent itself to well to pulling her in. That said, there is a clear story for her, all collected within one episode, thanks to her getting that tsukuyomi dream. It showcased her past well to the point I only really needed to sprinkle in a few of my own ideas to give her a full character at this point in the story.