Naruto sighed impatiently as he waited for Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei to show up. He could feel the crowd's restlessness growing with each passing second. All of the fights in the first round were done except for Sasuke's. Since Sasuke was late, the other first-round match had continued as planned, but now the audience was growing restless for the final match.
The most interesting thing so far had been Shikamaru's upset win against Temari. Seriously, Naruto thought Shika was done for when he saw the Sand girl's jutsu. Shika's last-minute win was nothing short of inspiring. It made up for the lame forfeit from that make-up dude from the Sand. Speaking of, it must be awfully inconvenient for him to be cooped up inside that shell and carried around by a puppet. The guy chickened out, but he did have a cool jutsu.
The proctor looked at his watch and sighed. He raised his hand. The grace period given to the Uchiha had run out.
"Since one of the contestants has failed to show up, this match is—"
At that precise moment, Kakashi and Sasuke materialized in the field in a swirl of wind and leaves.
"So, what'd I miss?" Kakashi asked cheerfully as he walked up to his fellow Jonin. He eyed the ANBU units scattered throughout the stadium. The tension was thick. He was relieved that Lord Jiraiya was present next to the Hokage. It was clear that the Sand was going to try something.
"Y'know, having one of your students taught by a Sannin is kinda cheating." Asuma said with a grin.
"A Sannin? Since when is Ebisu considered as one?" Kakashi asked innocently.
"Oh, quit your act. There's no way you wouldn't have known." Kurenai snorted.
"I'm not responsible if my student caught a lucky break and impressed a Sannin enough to be trained by him." Kakashi shrugged. "A bet, however, is still a bet."
Asuma grumbled as he handed some of his money to Kakashi, who took it gleefully. Kurenai shook her head. Asuma never learned that betting against Kakashi was a fool's game.
"So, tell me what exactly happened? I can see that Naruto is looking none the worse after his battle." Kakashi observed, impressed despite himself. He expected at least a few of his chakra points to have been blocked. He had received word that Jiraiya had started training Naruto on summoning techniques around three weeks ago, but he hadn't heard of the results of his training.
"Yeah, Neji didn't touch him. Literally." Asuma chuckled. "I'm beginning to think the team assignment was ridiculously unfair this time. Those are not the skills of a last-place genin."
"Well, people change. Lord Jiraiya himself was the last in his graduation class, I believe." Kakashi replied. "And the same goes for Gai."
"That's right Kakashi! Your student has shown that hard work can make all the difference in the world." Gai said, giving him a thumbs up. Kakashi noticed that the smile did not carry the usual enthusiasm. Lee's state was weighing down on him.
Kakashi observed Naruto who was chatting with his friends. It was hard to believe that he had defeated Neji so handily with just a month of training, but it was embarrassing for him to ask more at the moment. He could see Jiraiya shooting him a we-need-to-talk look, so he assumed he'd get filled in soon enough if whatever the sand and sound had planned didn't stop it. Something big had happened with Naruto.
Naruto watched as Sasuke dodged wave after wave of Gaara's attacks. Gaara hadn't moved from his place, letting his sand do all the work for him.
'Sasuke has his work cut out for him.' Naruto saw that Gaara had enough chakra to do this the whole day and not get tired. Every time Sasuke tried to close the distance, Sasuke would be attacked from multiple directions by the sand.
Viewing his rival through the Rinnegan, Naruto couldn't help but be impressed. Sasuke was very judicious in using his chakra reserves, which were not small by any measure. He was currently measuring Gaara's reaction time with well-timed attacks and last-second evasions.
Suddenly, Gaara's voice cut through the air. "Sasuke Uchiha!" he shouted, "You're starting to bore me. Entertain me more and you may live a little longer. You will help me prove my existence!"
Naruto cringed at the cliche-sounding proclamation. 'He has serious issues.' Naruto recalled the way Gaara was acting when Gai-sensei saved Lee last week. At the same time, he felt an eerie similarity between Gaara's words and that of Haku. They both sounded like they didn't really have a reason to live.
Sasuke was itching for some action as well and quickly flipped through the hand signs of a fire jutsu. Naruto paid close attention to the way Saskuke's chakra moved while performing the jutsu. The Rinnegan wasn't as good as the Sharingan for copying moves, but it helped Naruto get a better feel for each jutsu. Every time he saw one, it made him understand the chakra a little more, helping him get better bit by bit.
The great ball of fire that Sasuke spit out made its way toward Gaara, who gave a creepy smile. A gigantic wave of sand blocked and extinguished the fireball before it could harm him. But at that exact moment, Sasuke appeared behind Gaara and hit him with a roundhouse kick.
Naruto blinked. That was fast. He had a little trouble seeing it with his Rinnegan. His friends, however, were dumbstruck. To them, it was as if Sasuke had teleported.
Gaara shot towards one of the side walls of the arena. A cushion of sand was already there waiting for him, absorbing the shock of the impact.
Sasuke was already running towards Gaara while flipping through a new set of hand seals, which Naruto recognized to be that of a lightning-style jutsu. As he heard the familiar sound similar to the chirping of birds, Naruto sent Kakashi a look of betrayal. 'He should have taught me that, damnit!'
Gaara's hastily conjured sand shield could not hope to stop Sasuke's attack. The Chidori, a high-pitched, chirping mass of lightning, sliced through the sand like it was nothing. Sasuke's hand, crackling with electricity, thrust forward, aiming directly at Gaara.
"That's the second A-rank jutsu shown by a Genin today," Asuma complained.
'Second, huh? Did Lord Jiraiya teach Naruto the Rasengan?' Kakashi wondered.
Suddenly, a scream of pain echoed through the arena. "MY ARM!" Gaara howled as the Chidori connected with his left arm. Although he had managed to avoid the attack's intended target, his hand was now bleeding from the cut. Reacting quickly, he encased himself in a thick shield of sand.
At that moment, Naruto could feel that something had changed. He noticed a very thin layer of Chakra, almost like a fog, descending on the audience. Suddenly, everyone was starting to feel sleepy. Recognizing the descending Yin chakra as a Genjutsu, Naruto quickly agitated his chakra. He saw that a few of his friends had also fallen victim to the Genjutsu, and quickly moved to assist them.
"Aa-!" Naruto whipped his head around when he heard the sound of a high-pitched scream from Sakura. His blood froze when he saw that she was now unconscious and being carried by an ANBU operative. He who most definitely was not an ANBU if he pulled something like this.
"Hey! Why did you attack her?" Naruto shouted, quickly creating several clones and charging toward the unknown ANBU.
"Follow me and you might find out," said a condescending yet familiar voice from beneath the mask. The ANBU swiftly rushed out of the stadium, with Naruto hot on his heels.
'That almost sounded like... Kabuto? Nah, can't be,' Naruto thought, shaking his head as he continued the pursuit.
"NARUTO!" Kakashi sprinted towards his student, recognizing the hostage tactic. They were probably trying to incapacitate the Jinchuuriki before he became a problem.
Before Kakashi could reach Naruto, four Sound ninja materialized in front of him, surrounding him. "You will stay right here!" one of them barked.
Reacting swiftly, Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan and created a clone. The clone immediately began flipping through hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Summoning!" the clone called out, bringing forth Kakashi's faithful nin-ken to track and pursue Naruto.
Meanwhile, the original Kakashi went through the hand signs that Sasuke had used moments before. Lightning crackled around his hand as he prepared a Chidori, staring down the Sound Jonin who encircled him.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I'm on a tight schedule. I'll have to cut this meeting short."
Sasuke quickly dispelled the Genjutsu and scanned the area for the source. He saw the chaos unfolding around him: Sakura being kidnapped, Naruto giving chase, and Kakashi being intercepted. The Sand team's Jonin sensei appeared in front of Gaara, flanked by his siblings. The proctor stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Sasuke to confront the Sand ninja.
"Kid, the exams are canceled. As you probably figured out, Konoha is under attack from the sand and the sound. Follow that teammate of yours who got kidnapped. We'll handle things here." The proctor told him without taking his eyes off his enemy.
Sasuke had questions, but this was not the time to ask them. With one last scathing look towards Gaara, he exited the stadium and followed after Sakura and Naruto.
—-
"So, Lord Kazekage," Hiruzen said, observing the chaos around them. He and Jiraiya were now stuck inside a barrier maintained by four unknown sound ninja. "It seems you decided to betray our trust." Jiraiya had earlier thwarted a sneak attack targeting him a moment before the chaos unfolded.
"Mmm… So it seems." The Kazekage replied in a breezy tone. Hiruzen was immediately on high alert. This was not the Kazekage. How did he not notice this sooner?
"It seems we're having a class reunion, Sarutobi-sensei. If only the princess were here. The three of us, reunited, to see the final moments of their teacher. Doesn't it bring a tear to your eye?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed as he recognized the voice. Besides him, he could feel Jiraiya tense up. "Orochimaru…"
"Indeed. It's been a long time," Orochimaru said, tearing a mask off to reveal his snakelike features. "I thought it would be fitting for you to witness the end of Konoha at the hands of your former student. I was not expecting my foolish teammate to be present. With him stuck here, who is going to stop my summons from wreaking havoc outside, I wonder…"
Hiruzen looked grim. "Jiraiya, can you get outside?"
"Not with the barrier set up the way it is, and with old snake-face here." Jiraiya sighed. "And I don't want to leave you here to face him."
"You underestimate me, Jiraiya." Hiruzen smiled. "It seems we'll have to make quick work of you, Orochimaru. Earth style: Mud river!"
Orochimaru was suddenly pushed into an enormous torrent of muddy water that originated without warning beneath the Hokage's feet. In another moment, a dragon's head emerged out of the mud and opened its jaw.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet! Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bomb!"
Hiruzen performed two techniques in succession, igniting the stone bullets with explosive firepower and bombarding Orochimaru. Unfortunately, he could see that Orochimaru had already substituted himself with a mud clone.
"Such impatience does not suit you, sensei…" Orochimaru drawled, dodging a punch from Jiraiya by bending at an unnatural angle. His tongue shot out of his mouth, morphing into the shape of a snake. A blade extended from the snake's mouth, missing Jiraiya by a hair's breadth. Orochimaru swung the sword in a wide arc to ward off further attacks, his eyes gleaming with sinister delight as he flipped through some hand signs.
"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation!" Orochimaru said gleefully, slapping his palm on a roof tile. The ground beneath him glowed ominously as he completed the summoning.
"Shit!" Jiraiya swore, recognizing the technique. He quickly clasped his hands together. "Fire Style: Inferno Wave!"
"Earth Style: Planet Splitter!" Hiruzen followed up immediately.
Jiraiya's destructive sea of fire surged forward, merging with Hiruzen's earth-splitting technique to create a destructive field of lava. The combined force of their jutsus crashed into Orochimaru's summoning circle, creating a massive explosion. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring their vision and sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
The ground trembled under the impact, and everything was shrouded in a thick cloud of smoke and rubble. As the dust began to settle, the outlines of five coffins became visible through the haze. Two of the coffins had taken the brunt of the explosion, but three of them remained relatively intact, standing eerily amidst the destruction.
Orochimaru's voice cut through the settling dust, filled with twisted glee. "I must commend your quick reflexes, but these three will be more than sufficient."
The coffin lids creaked open, revealing the forms of three shinobi. Two of them were male and were clad in ancient armor, while the third was a woman with bright red hair that was arranged in buns with hair pins in them. She had a blue rhombus marking on her forehead. Two tags were hanging from her hair buns.
Jiraiya quickly positioned himself beside the Hokage and swore when he got a good look at the summoned shinobi. "This is gonna be quite troublesome…". He immediately performed a summoning technique. A giant magenta-colored toad had materialized beside him, with two swords strapped to its waist.
"You'll have to hold off any attacks for a while, old friend," Jiraiya said as he clasped his hands together as if to pray. Gamaken's eyes widened as he looked at the opposition. He gulped. "I'll try, but you know that I'm clumsy."
"You…" The Third Hokage was shaking in rage. "You don't even leave the dead to rest…" Orochimaru simply chuckled darkly, enjoying his teacher's rage.
"...Is that you, Hiruzen? And Jiraiya?" The woman asked, tilting her head. She looked around and looked surprised to see her two companions. "Are we summoned here by your technique, dear brother-in-law?" She asked the white-haired man beside her.
"It appears so." The man replied, but there was a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I never imagined…"
"Oh didn't you?" the woman asked in a deceptively calm tone. "I was sure I had warned you against this technique. Several times, in fact."
"I warned him too!" The third man, who had long black hair, joined in accusingly. "But does he ever listen to us? No, of course not. Typical!"
"As amusing as it is to see your family reunion…" Orochimaru chuckled, "You have a village to destroy and students to kill. Specifically, your village and your students."
"A pipe dream." The woman sighed, forming a few hand signs. However, she was forced to stop midway.
"Ah ah ah… We can't have that, can we, Lady Mito? You will do exactly as I tell you." Orochimaru said smugly.
"I always knew that you were a rotten apple, Orochimaru." Mito Uzumaki muttered, her face darkening as she recognized her summoner. She could see that both of the Senju brothers were also facing similar difficulties breaking out of the jutsu. It seems they were significantly weakened so that the Jutsu could hold them. This was both a good thing and a bad thing.
Senju Hashirama sighed, giving up his efforts to escape from the jutsu. Sensing his chakra, he felt as if he was back to being a teenager. He couldn't resist as the shinobi called Orochimaru plunged a kunai infused with seals into his skull. He could feel his personality becoming muted and his will diminishing as if he were watching his body from a distant place.
Hiruzen quickly reined in his emotions and summoned the monkey king, getting ready for a serious battle. Once the reanimated shinobi were out of their coffins, there wasn't much you could do to stop the jutsu. All he could do was to prepare for the inevitable confrontation.
A moment later, chains made of pure chakra exploded out of Mito, intending to skewer Jiraiya. At the same time, the Hokage was assaulted by a veritable hail of earth and water bullets.
The chakra chain collided with Gamaken's shield, though the sheer force of the impact pushed him back. Jiraiya quickly hopped onto Gamaken's back. Taking the cue, the toad leaped into the air, creating some distance between them and the reanimated Shinobi. Hiruzen had erected a sturdy mud wall that was taking most of the damage from the barrage of water bullets. However, the wall was destroyed by a powerful jet of water in the next moment.
"Wood style: Deep forest emergence!" The First Hokage slammed his palm to the ground.
"Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness" The Second Hokage followed up with his own signature jutsu.
The world was encased in darkness as fast-moving roots approached to bind Jiraiya and Hiruzen. "Ah, shit! Who turned off the lights?!" Jiraiya cursed in dismay.
Naruto felt a strange chill as he chased after the unknown ANBU who had captured Sakura. He sneaked a look behind him, and blanched when he saw that a portion of the sky above the stadium had turned pitch black. A dark purple rip could be found in the sky, and he saw some things being pulled out of the rip. 'Are those… ghosts?' Naruto thought apprehensively. For a moment, he deactivated the Rinnegan. The sky was now clear with no trace of the abnormalities. When he activated it again, the eerie sight could be seen again.
'Something bad is happening there. I have to hurry back.' Naruto thought to himself. He boosted his speed to the fastest he could, but he could not catch up to the ANBU.
In another moment, the ANBU stopped in a small clearing. Sensing the confrontation, Naruto stopped as well.
"Oy, bastard! Give back Sakura!" He yelled.
"Oh, believe me, I have no use for this deadweight." The ANBU chuckled. Sakura was slumped against his shoulder, unconscious. "If you answer some of my questions, I might consider your request."
"What do you want to know from me? I'm just a genin!" Naruto declared. However, his mind was racing. Did that guy know something? He was definitely not a Konoha ninja. Was it a spy?
"Playing innocent I see. A pity. Remember, you caused this." In a flash, the ANBU's hands glowed green. He struck Sakura in the heart and held her up by her throat.
Naruto froze. He could see that the strike had done something. Sakura's heartbeat was… stopping?
"She will die soon." The ANBU said carelessly. "Should I let her suffer a slow death, her heart stopping little by little, or," He squeezed his hand that was holding Sakura by her neck. "Should I just end her misery right now?"
"Sa… SAKURA!" Naruto screamed, his voice becoming guttural with raw fury. Panic and rage surged through him. The thought of losing Sakura, his teammate and friend, was unbearable. His vision blurred with tears of helplessness, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
The sage's Genjutsu still showed his eyes as deep blue, but his Rinnegan had bled into a red color, with the iris becoming pitch black and slit-like. The transformation mirrored the storm of emotions inside him. Rage, fear, and desperation all coalesced into a singular, burning focus. He felt a familiar yet strange sensation, as if his very soul was reacting to his anguish.
"Banshō Ten'in" Naruto whispered, his palm extending towards the ANBU operative.
Naruto's opponent was suddenly pulled towards him as if he was yanked in by a rope. A fraction of a second later, he found that his own throat was enclosed within the Jinchuuriki's hand.
"Well, we seem to be at an impasse." The ANBU chuckled, although he was struggling to breathe through Naruto's chokehold. In response, he began to tighten his grip on Sakura's throat as well. "Lets not get too excited, shall we. Your friend's life hangs in a balance, after all." His mind was racing. Had Naruto Uzumaki developed a new bloodline limit? He did not know of any existing techniques that could pull someone like this. He was not too concerned, however. He had the upper hand as long as he had the girl. Besides, the boy was merely a genin. "Tell me what I want to know, Naruto. Things will be a lot smoother that way."
"Ningendō!" Naruto said quietly. That was the last thing Kabuto Yakushi, spy of Orochimaru and former ROOT operative, heard in this life. In another moment, his grip on Sakura loosened and the limp body of Kabuto fell to the ground. Naruto fell backward as well, the jutsu taking its toll on him.
A young boy wakes up on a battlefield, bleeding from his head. A woman kneels beside him, gently lifting him up. He opens his eyes, confused, unable to remember anything.
In an orphanage, the boy smiles as another child places a helmet on his head. The woman, whom he called Mother, hands him a pair of glasses. His face lights up with gratitude as he sees clearly for the first time. The boy is given the name Kabuto, which meant helmet. Although unimaginative, it was something he cherished and one of the happiest memories of his life.
The boy, now older, listens secretly to a tense conversation. A one-eyed man demands an orphan for a secret organization from Mother. The boy steps forward, volunteering, despite the protests from others.
The boy stands over a fallen woman, realizing with horror that she is Mother and he has hurt her. He tries to heal her, tears streaming down his face, but she doesn't recognize him. Who was he then, if Mother did not recognize him?
A snake-like man approaches the boy, offering a new path. The boy attacks in anger but stops when the man begins to reveal dark secrets related to his past. How his life and his mother's He finds a twisted form of comfort in the stranger's words and decides to start anew.
In a dark lab, the boy assists the sinister figure, surrounded by medical equipment and strange experiments. His eyes show a mix of fascination and determination as he works.
Now a young man, he travels with his new mentor as he joins a new organization. His mentor attacks his teammate and is defeated with a powerful ocular jutsu.
He listens to his mentor's plans to attack his former home village. He shares the intel he had as a spy. He watches as his underlings ambush and kill the Kazekage.
"...ruto! Wake up!"
Naruto groaned as he was shaken awake. As consciousness returned to him, he jolted up, remembering what had happened.
"K-Kakashi sensei?!" Naruto saw that he was being held by his sensei. He looked around frantically and found that Sakura was slumped against a tree. "Sakura!"
"She's alive. Just unconscious. Kabuto had slowed down her heart, but I managed to get it back to its normal pace again." Kakashi informed him. "I got here as you were passing out. What happened?"
Naruto held his head as a rush of memories filled him when he heard the name Kabuto. He didn't know what the fuck happened, but he was remembering bits and pieces of the traitor's life. The ANBU was Kabuto, and he had… killed him?"
"Is Kabuto…?" Naruto asked hesitantly. He had realized that the spy ANBU was Kabuto, the one who had guided them in the Forest of Death.
"Dead." Kakashi informed him, looking carefully at his reaction. "We need to speak about that, too. But unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time. You may have realized this, but we are at war, Naruto."
Naruto's face crumpled when he realized that he had just killed someone. The Rinnegan had done something. Some abilities of the Rinnegan may reveal themselves at times of great distress, the old man sage had told him. Somehow, the anger and fear he felt when he realized that Sakura was about to die triggered this ability. He had somehow… absorbed Kabuto's soul? It creeped him out when he thought about it. As he sat there, he was remembering more and more of Kabuto's life.
"That guy was seriously messed up," Naruto whispered. "Is this ROOT thing still present in our village, Kakashi sensei?"
Kakashi stiffened. "How do you know about that, Naruto?"
"I… absorbed Kabuto's soul?" Naruto whispered. "I somehow got a bloodline limit during my training. The old man Hokage asked me to keep quiet about it, but it somehow acted on its own and absorbed that guy's soul. when he was about to kill Sakura" Naruto shivered, revulsion stirring within him. He felt as if his very core had been tainted by the experience.
"What's happening to me? I'm remembering Kabuto's life. I'm getting his memories." he muttered, his voice trembling. He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the rising fear and confusion. "I didn't want this... I didn't mean to..."
Kakashi was still in shock when he heard what the bloodline limit could do. Even in legends, he had not heard of an ability like this. To pluck someone's soul out as if it were a fruit hanging from a tree…. He shivered at the implications. Thankfully, Naruto was not someone who would go mad with that kind of power.
"Get a hold of yourself, Naruto." He said, gripping the boy's shoulder. "Kabuto's actions have harmed countless people and are killing the people of Konoha as we speak. You stopped him from doing more damage. Now," Kakashi stood up. "We will speak in more detail once this is over. Get Sakura to the hospital." He saw that Sasuke had just arrived at the scene. "Sasuke, accompany Naruto to the hospital. Sakura was attacked. After that, the two of you are to go to the academy and help with the evacuation of the academy students."
Sasuke looked ready to protest, but Naruto beat him to it.
"Kakashi sensei, they're gonna use Gaara to let Shukaku the One Tail loose in the village!" Naruto blurted out, remembering that crucial information from the barrage of memories he got from Kabuto.
Kakashi felt his blood freeze at the revelation. "Change of plans. Naruto, create a few shadow clones. Our clones will get Sakura to the hospital." He created his own clone. "The three of us will follow Gaara's team."
Sasuke frowned, unsure how Naruto got that piece of information. He was probably missing some context, seeing as there was a dead ANBU lying next to Naruto. "Should we aim to kill the Sand ninja?" He asked Kakashi.
"Unfortunately, yes." Kakashi sighed. "We cannot afford to hold back in this situation, especially towards Gaara. If he releases the tailed beast, the village would be in a lot of trouble."
"You've all been very hush-hush regarding him. What's his secret?" Sasuke demanded. "Naruto said something about a one-tail?"
"Gaara has a tailed beast, a demonic creature filled with chakra similar to the Nine-Tails, sealed within him." Kakashi explained. "It seems they are going to release the beast within Konoha."
"And how did you know about this?" Sasuke asked, facing Naruto.
"The ANBU guy gloated about it before Kakashi sensei came and finished him off." Naruto said, without missing a beat. Sasuke would not raccept any other answer without questions.
Sasuke didn't seem entirely convinced, but a glare from Kakashi intimidated him into subordination.
"Pakkun, follow our clones and warn them of any danger." Kakashi said. Naruto looked on curiously as a small dog came forward and saluted Kakashi.
"Now, Team 7, move out!" Kakashi dashed towards the direction they had seen Gaara go, with Naruto and Sasuke following closely behind him.
As they moved towards Gaara's location, Naruto's mind processed other earth-shattering revelations from Kabuto's memories. 'Hang in there, old man…' He now knew what he had seen was probably a result of Orochimaru's jutsu. He didn't know how strong the previous Hokage were, but he was comforted that Jiraiya was with the old man even if things went south. He also had to inform them about the shady organization that was targeting him and his fellow jinchuuriki.