{Land of Fire: Training ground 44: Forest of Death}
{Team Gai POV}
Neji, Lee, and Tenten had waited for the sun to go down before they struck, yet no matter what team they aimed for, they didn't have what they were looking for.
The second day was already ending, and they were running out of time." Okay, that's enough resting for now. The other teams will call it a day soon, meaning it's time to strike. You know the plan. We split up and fan out. Whatever happens, whether we meet up with another team or not, we meet up at this spot here," said Neji as he spun a kunai and flicked it onto the ground. "Got it?"
Tenten crossed her arms and smirked. "yup."
"Roger," said Lee.
"Alright then. Let's move!"
And with that, the team scattered and went hunting for their Scroll, hellbent on getting what they wanted.
Line break.
{Naruto POV}
"Six on one, eh? I'll prove to Sasuke that letting loose was better than just pretending. In this case, though, it looks like I'll be fighting for my life. What's new?"
"On me!" yelled Dosu, and the three dashed at the blonde, jumping in the air and unleashing their attacks all at once. Naruto smirked up at them.
"Wind style: Wind Cyclone!" yelled Naruto, and the sound widened the ninja's eyes as a tornado formed in front of the boy. Naruto overcharged the jutsu to increase its size.
'Elemental ninjutsu from a rookie?!' thought Dosu panicked.
"Hang on, Kin!" yelled Zaku as he grabbed hold of her, the three sound ninjas caught in the whirlwind and thrown about. Zaku hit the tree on the far end, and Kin yelped at the impact, the boy shielding her from the worst of it.
Dosu was lucky enough to slam into a bunch of bushes, receiving minimal damage, and Naruto crossed his arms and smirked.
Zaku let go of Kin and glared. "You punk! Don't get so cocky! Ninja art: Decapitating sound wave!" yelled the boy, sending a blast of concentrated wind and sound straight for Naruto, and the blonde blurred out of the way, the jutsu hitting the wall behind him, making it web and cave in.
Zaku smirked.' that fool.'
Dosu appeared behind Naruto as the blonde slid. 'Got you now!' he thought to himself as he brought his gauntlet down.
Naruto clasped his hands together, and a barrier was made fast enough to absorb both the physical impact and the shockwave sent from the gauntlet.
Dosu grimaced and planted a hand on the barrier, and in an instant, it shattered when activating his jutsu, sending Naruto sliding on his back.
Zaku ran at full speed and activated his own jutsu then and there, and Naruto reacted by once again dashing out of the way, but only barely. The impact from the jutsu sent the boy flying back once again.
"Not so cocky now, huh?!" yelled Zaku with a smirk.
Dosu shook his hand and shook his head. He watched Naruto closely and scoffed. 'He wasn't affected by my jutsu. His barrier can reject sound. Interesting.'
"Kin! Jump in, now!" yelled Dosu.
The girl nodded and threw her senbon at key battlefield locations. Each one had a bell strapped to it.
'There. If he gets too close to any of them, I'll activate my sound-based genjutsu. He won't last long against us.' she thought to herself.
Dosu and Zaku rushed with coordination, Dosu taking the lead to deal physical damage, but Naruto wasn't going to let him get close.
He clasped his hands together. "Water style: water wave!" yelled Naruto, the boy having waited until they were close enough before performing the jutsu.
Dosu and Zaku growled as the water swept them up.
"Really? Water too? Fucking nerd! Fight us!" yelled Zaku.
Naruto sped through hand signs. "As you wish! Lightning style: Lightning stream!"
'Oh shit,' thought Zaku, and both boys were electrocuted and left momentarily fighting for mobility.
Naruto was in Dosu's face then and there, and he smashed his fist into the boy's stomach, his eyes bulging. It got worse, though. A series of punches and kicks was sent his way, and with a backhand, he was sent sprawling away.
Only then did Zaku regain his mobility and jump away from the blonde. "Fuck off! Ninja art: Decapitating sound wave!"
Naruto growled and used his last fuinjutsu barrier seal to block it. The impact broke it and sent Naruto back.
He backflipped mid-air, landing on his toes, and scoffed. "Is that the only jutsu you know? Are you just a one-trick pony?"
Zaku smirked. "Come and see."
'So he has something up his sleeve aside from that. Yeah, I'm gonna have to take him out. but first.' Naruto thought to himself before he caught a few senbon, grabbing them by the bell to muffle their sound, and Kin growled.
She performed a hand sign, hoping to activate the bell, but found that he had already figured out what they were for. 'Seriously, what the fuck! Somebody hit him with something!'
Naruto turned around and performed a sealless water release: toad gun on a dashing Dosu, the boy getting hit in the chest and sent into the same bushes as before.
"Urgh! Regroup!" he yelled as he tumbled.
Zaku and Kin dashed towards Dosu to ensure he was okay before glaring at Naruto.
"He isn't even all that strong! If we-
"Shut up!" hissed Kin. "Water style! Lightning style! Wind style! Barrier ninjutsu! He has an arsenal!"
Dosu nodded. "That's right. And take a closer look. He's hurt. To us, he moves fast, but he must be hindered. This kid isn't someone to play with. I suppose we'll be taking that extra help after all." Dosu said as he looked at Shigure's team, the three of them also wary of what they were witnessing.
Line break.
{Team Kurenai POV}
"Why are we turning back when we're making good time?!" yelled a confused Kiba.
They woke up early to avoid trouble and were wise to do so. Hinata's every plan and order so far had been accurate and smart, so it was off-putting for her to abandon their efforts to pass so suddenly.
"I made an agreement with Team 7 that should any of us run into trouble, we'd assist. They haven't moved an inch for more than fourteen hours now. Something happened, and I want to know what." Replied Hinata.
Kiba's rolled his eyes at that. "Why are we helping them when we have our own problems to deal with? I don't get it."
Hinata sighed and suddenly stopped, prompting the same from her two teammates.
"I made this agreement because we are vulnerable to my cousin's team. He's out to eliminate us at the first chance he gets. I have confidence in our ability, but we aren't a match for them."
Kiba's eyes widened. "are you saying he's stronger than you?"
Shino sighed. "No Kiba. She's saying me and you may not be able to handle his teammates, and she's right. I'm guessing we're making sure our end of the agreement isn't broken."
Hinata crossed her arms and nodded in affirmation.
She stared off, her Byakugan activated as she saw what was happening. Naruto appeared to be fighting alone and against six other shinobi.
She sighed and thought about what to do. It's a lost cause if he's dealing with that kind of trouble. One against six is unwinnable for most Genin. She won't make it on time. The least she can do is get there and see what's left of the team, to at least offer even the slightest of aid.
She dashed off without a word, and they followed once more.
'How did they even end up in their predicament? Hopefully, they aren't killed. I'd rather that not be on my conscious.' She thought to herself as she jumped through the trees.
Line break.
{Lee POV}
Closer to the fight, Lee had been on the move, searching for His target. Unfortunately, like usual, he decided to challenge himself as always.
He'd been catching leaves before they could hit the ground, hopping from tree to tree while using his hands only, and other absurd challenges the whole way through.
But then, he heard a fight in the distance, and he looked toward it with a smirk as he got ready to jump.
It was then that he noticed he was just a second too late. His hand slipped, and he hit his head on a branch.
"Agh! ow. I need to train my grip more," he grumbled as he got back up and jumped away, ready to see who he'd missed this time.
'What is all that ruckus?' Lee wondered.
He dashed toward the sound and was surprised at what he was seeing.
It was Naruto, and the boy was facing three... No, Six Genin on his own.
"A six on one? How bold of him! And I'm not late this time. Alright then. Time to jump in!" said Lee with a smirk.
He was ready to make his leap when a hand gripped his shoulder, making him whirl to strike whoever dared to startle him like that.
It was Neji, of course, the Hyuuga catching the punch.
"Ah! I'm-hurmph!"
"Quiet! Pay attention!" hissed Neji as he covered Lee's mouth. "Those two teams are the ones we were hunting all along. Don't get involved, just watch."
Lee let out a breath and noticed the wary look on Neji's face.
Line break.
Naruto's head turned in the direction of where Neji and Lee were, and a bad feeling crept up his spine at the thought of them deciding to jump in against him.
'They'd better not.' He thought bitterly.
Shigure, Midare, and Baiu had joined up with the sound ninja and were all planning on getting the jump on Naruto now. "Okay. I'll start with my ninjutsu. Then, the five of you flank and attack. He can't take us all on at the same time. He's strong, but he's not all that. "Said Shigure.
"Agreed," said Dosu as he massaged his rib, still feeling pain from Naruto's blows. "
Shigure stepped forward and grabbed the four bamboo poles on his back. He threw them up in the air as the five other genGeninn to all sides of Naruto, and they unfurled to reveal them to be umbrella-like contraptions.
He smirked and put up a hand sign, manipulating them from afar to position them at the perfect angles. "You're surrounded! Ninja art: Senbon shower!"
The umbrella unleashed a shower of senbon from all sides of Naruto, and the boy reacted by creating a bunch of shadow clones. The clones dogpiled onto the real one to shield him from the worst of it.
The sound of dispersing clones resounded from the smoke as the clones exploded one after the other, and Baiu growled as the last clone exploded on top of Naruto, revealing an unharmed Naruto.
Naruto was comically spread out on the floor, having expected a more graceful reaction from his clones. 'couldn't breathe for a second there; I really wish I had the energy for this crap,' he thought to himself.
"You're getting too comfortable! Midare, on me!" yelled Baiu as he brought out a bamboo blade.
Zaku decided to jump into the fray alongside Midare, pointing his hand at the downed boy. "I'm with you, he's going down! Ninja art: Decapitating sound wave!"
Naruto growled and rolled up in time to use his barrier armament. The attack hit it head-on, sending him skidding far back and smashing his shield.
He drew his kunai and grimaced at his enemy having the range advantage.
He blocked the slashes from Baiu's pole blade, side-stepping and deflecting Midare's as well. 'I need to learn to use a sword already properly,' He thought to himself.
The two jumped back from a sudden arch slash from Naruto, and Zaku fired another Decapitating sound wave at him, Naruto almost not having the time to move.
He winced at the wound on his side as he pushed himself to dodge, the attack hitting just beside him. The blast sent Naruto sprawling away, and Zaku laughed. "How do you like that punk?!"
"We're not done yet! Ninja art: Senbon shower!" yelled Shigure, the teen having readjusted his umbrellas and unleashing another barrage.
Naruto's eyes widened. 'Fuck!'
Naruto flipped to a standing position and used the barrier armament placed on his other hand, kneeling to absorb as much as possible, senbon pricking his ankle, shoulder, and wherever his shield couldn't protect.
Meanwhile, Dosu and Kin ignore the battle to achieve their true objective.
Dosu planted a hand on the earth wall and activated his jutsu. His gauntlet unleashed its effect on the wall, easily breaking it apart.
"Good. Now for the barrier," he said to himself as he poked it with a stick to make sure it could be touched, which it could.
Kin's smirk grew. "That bitch is so fucking screwed."
Dosu nodded and activated his jutsu on the barrier. It shimmered and glowed, vibrating, and then suddenly flickered. But as it did, it deflected the vibrations straight at Dosu's face, sending him flying back just as the barrier shattered.
"AAAAAARGH! MY JUTSU! IT DEFLECTED MY JUTSU! MY EARS!" he yelled in pain, writhing and rolling around while covering his ears.
The barrier accidentally amplified his attack, and with nowhere to go when it broke, he was hit with his own attack with many times its initial power.
Kin ran to his side, seeing the bandages on the side of his head become red with blood, his ears bleeding profusely.
"Holy shit, Dosu!" yelled Kin, the girl horrified. "Shit! What did you do!" she yelled as she tried to do something.
Back to Naruto's predicament, He was still dealing with his opponents, holding them off as best as possible.
He was roughed up quite a bit but was happy to see his annoyed opponents tiring.
Zaku's hands were throbbing from the amount of times he'd had to use the technique, and he glared as he gripped the wrists.
Naruto slid back from a clash with Midare, caught Baiu's pole blade with his hand, and brought his kunai down on the bamboo, this being the third time he's done it.
It finally snapped, and Baiu growled. "what the hell! Why is he still standing?! It's four on one!"
Naruto laughed. "No, not for long."
He blurred through hand seals, and they all tensed. "Wind style: Pressure blast!" yelled Naruto.
Line break.
{Team Gai POV}
Both Lee and Neji stared wide-eyed at the jutsu caliber Naruto had just used, and they couldn't believe it.
"Unbelievable. Such power from a rookie," muttered Lee.
Neji shook his head. 'What am I looking at? Am I dreaming?! This is insane! No genin should be able to do this; it's unrealistic! Why is he holding his own so well?!'
Both boys saw the aftermath of Naruto's jutsu and mutually agreed that of all the participating Genin in this exam, Naruto was now the biggest threat to them.
'We need to take him out when he's finished with them. I just needed a scroll, but this changes things. He needs to go down.'
Line break.
{Team Kurenai}
Two minutes earlier.
The team was making excellent time getting to team 7's position, and as they did, Hinata's perspective on the boy's struggle evolved as they rushed to the scene.
She'd deactivate her Byakugan to conserve chakra and reactivate it to check in every now and then, and every time she did, she expected the sight of tragedy. At first, she felt relief when she activated her Dojutsu. Then, she felt confusion, which evolved into shock, and at this point, she'd come to believe Naruto was some well-hidden prodigy.
'Well now, Uzumaki. You sly fox.' She thought with a mix of amusement and wariness.
Shino's attention was solely on Hinata. He'd seen the well-hidden emotions she'd briefly displayed and knew she was seeing something ahead.
"Is everything alright up ahead?" asked Kiba, beating Shino to the punch.
Hinata was silent for a second, trying to find the words for what she was witnessing. How does she relay something so absurd to them?
"It seems their situation has changed drastically. Naruto is proving to be a much more formidable force than we had anticipated. This complicates matters." Said Hinata as her eyes lingered on a scene in the distance.
Her teammates looked at her curiously, wondering how such a thing could be true.
"what do you mean by formidable?" asked Kiba, not liking how she put things.
Hinata felt a pang of frustration hit her but bit it down. "I mean, he's holding his own against a six-on-one with little to no help. That's all." She said with finality as she closed her eyes to focus.
Kiba's eyes widened, and Aakamaru barked out in surprise.
"I know! That's crazy!" Kiba yelled in response to Akamaru's comment. "Are you sure you're seeing things right?! Maybe your eyes are straining from constant use."
Before she could comment on the absurdity of his comment, the team felt a blast of wind in their direction. The team flinched back, and the back end of the jutsu hit them.
They were thrown from the air and to the forest floor below.
Shino and Kiba crashed onto their feet, with Akamaru being cradled by the latter.
Hinata had been faster, having dashed behind a tree in time to avoid the harsh winds.
So this is who you are, Uzumaki." she said quietly.
Line break.
{Naruto POV}
Naruto rolled his shoulder, wincing at his pain, and inspected the damage.
There was the screaming of Baiu, his arm gone and his lag missing skin, torn by the dangerous wind blades. But he's the only one he sees left.
"Woah. I forgot how strong that jutsu was in comparison to other Genin he said out loud.
He turned to Dosu and Kin, the two looking spooked beyond belief.
His expression changed, and he held his hand out. It was then that smooth golden chains zipped towards them both.
Dosu dashed out of the way, but Kin was the actual target. She was wrapped up instantly and screamed when she was yanked toward Naruto.
She let out a yelp when hitting the ground hard, and he tightened the chains.
"AGH! Dosu! help!"
Dosu was a mess. He used up everything he had left to dodge that last attack. Now it's just him.
''W-wait a second! Truce! Truce! Do you want our Scroll?! here!" Yelled Dosu, throwing his Earth scroll to Naruto, who caught it and looked at it.
He looked up at Dosu, who stared at him expectantly. He smirked as he brought out his own earth scroll. "Sorry, bud. I already have one."
Kin's eyes widened as she felt chakra leaving her body now. "He's taking my chakra!"
In the background, Neji's eyes widened; his byakugan was already active in seeing the nature of the chains, and her network was indeed being drained.
'What is this? he thought to himself,' sweating a bit. 'His arsenal is more than it should be. If he's this strong, then how strong is Sasuke?... Or maybe we've all been deceived into believing Uzumaki was weaker than he actually is. I must be careful of him. Of everyone in these exams, he has just proven to be the most troublesome.'
Dosu got on his hands and knees, groveling. "Please! Please don't kill her!" he yelled, a look of fear and stress on his face.
Naruto smirked, and his chains lifted her into the air. Dosu was prepared to catch her, but Zaku came in from behind, preparing an attack.
To the boy's shock, Naruto was already facing him. "Fuck you! Ninja art!
"Zaku, don't!" yelled Dosu.
"Decapitating airwaves!" yelled the boy, and Naruto held Kin's body before him.
An explosion went off, and Naruto was sent rolling away; Kin's body was dragged with him thanks to the chains still holding her.
She was unconscious, the attack having taken her out.
"You fucking idiot!" Yelled Dosu, "Stand down!"
"NO! We have this! Luck! It's all been luck! Look at him! He's a mess! We can do this! We are the predators! I'm the big dog in this encounter! I-i just Need a clear shot!"
Dosu saw the look in Zaku's eyes. 'He's being brought back to his past. His trauma of being a victim is getting in the way. Fucking moron, there's nothing to prove here!' he thought with frustration.
Zaku's form was torn up. Bruises and scratches everywhere from being skimmed by the wind jutsu. But the boy was still trying to keep a cocky expression on his face.
"Ninja art! Decapitating sound wave!" he yelled once again. Naruto's eyes turned red for a moment, and he was gone.
The jutsu hit nothing, and Zaku felt a presence behind him.
He turned around and suddenly received a combo of attacks he didn't have the skill to defend against. He was knocked around, desperately trying to raise his hands to use his jutsu. When he did, Naruto had his wrist already in his hand and simply directed the jutsu elsewhere before slamming his fist into his gut repeatedly, making Zaku gasp, wheeze, and cry.
Naruto kneed him in the face afterward and performed a spin kick that broke the boy's jaw, sending him spinning and landing on his face. He didn't move after that.
Dosu, who was still under his own jutsu's effects, raised his hands, still stumbling. "I give up! No need for more violence! I surrender!" he said in a panicked voice.
Naruto looked at him and huffed, turning to a stunned Sakura. "I told you I had it.
She gave a smile and nodded.
Naruto turned back to Zaku, lifted his body, and threw him at Dosu, doing the same for Kin as well.
"Take them and get lost. If I see you in this forest again, It's on sight." Naruto growled.
Dosu nodded profusely and did his best to get away with his team, stumbling away clumsily.
Naruto sighed. "Am I dreaming? Or am I sensing other Konoha Genin in the bushes? Come out, or I'll force you out."
Neji narrowed his eyes. "So he is a sensor. Just our luck. Get ready, Lee."
"Right!" replied Lee.
The two boys came out of the bushes soon after and were ready for a fight.
"Are you here for a scroll? I have two of each now, so there's no need for violence," said Naruto calmy.
Neji's eyes narrowed. "We'll be taking a scroll regardless. I've seen what you can do now. I am honored to know that I consider you the only worthy opponent in these exams, aside from my partner here. However, you are too much of a threat to let roam around."
Neji got into his gentle fist style, and Naruto's eyes narrowed in anger. But before he could lunge, Lee stood in his way.
"Hold on!" yelled the boy.
Neji's eyes widened. "Get out of the way, Lee! Now is not the time to be honorable!"
Lee shook his head. "This is not about honor! This is about pride! I couldn't allow for such a thing to take place when I haven't had the chance to face Uzumaki Naruto myself."
Neji let out an annoyed groan. "Lee, if you don't move out of the way, I'll force you."
"Can't control your teammate cousin?" said a smug Hinata from behind Neji.
Neji whirled in surprise and barely avoided a Juken blow to the chest, but he didn't avoid the follow-up kick to the gut.
Neji's eyes bulged, and he slid back, Lee catching him.
He coughed and glared. "Hinata. You-"
"Don't speak, cousin. Fight or leave," she said, getting into her stance.
Kiba landed behind Hinata, a scowl on his face after having watched the aftermath of Naruto's fight take place. Beside him, Shino stood ready, a low-pitched buzzing now coming from him, his beetles ready to inflict all kinds of pain.
Neji cursed silently. "Lee, we're retreating. Time to go."
Both boys dashed into the trees, and Kiba scoffed. "Coward."
Hinata ignored Kiba and walked up to Naruto, noticing how tense he still was.
"You can relax. We're allies." She said with a hint of amusement.
Naruto crossed his arms. "I could say the same to you, Hinata. You're more tense than me, and I know Neji isn't the reason."
Hinata also crossed her arms and scowled, looking him up and down, her eyes shining with a new sense of respect and wariness. "You really have changed since the academy. You weren't this... powerful, In mind or in body."
Naruto gave a strained smirk. "I haven't changed. I'm just good at hiding things."
Hinata gave a slow nod and backed away, her shoulders finally sagging in relaxation. "You have scrolls, so I take it?"
Naruto nodded. "more than enough. Can I ask you something?"
She nodded.
"What happened to our agreement?" asked Naruto in a very annoyed tone.
Hinata frowned at his hostility, and Kiba stomped up to him." Hey! watch it!"
Hinata waved him off. "He's just agitated, Kiba. Tell me what happened. Your team hasn't moved from this location for some time."
Naruto turned to the cave where Sakura was watching from a distance. "I'll explain in there."
Line break.
Sakura finished recounting what happened on her end of their encounter with Orochimaru, Naruto having done his side earlier.
Hinata had already pieced the timeline together. Team Seven was moving out at night after having captured the rain-nin's Scroll and changed their sleep pattern because of it. Her team was asleep when their encounter went down.
She broke this down to them, and all was well, the tension gone.
"How long until he wakes up?" asked Hinata, staring at Sasuke.
Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I just hope he's not in some kind of coma. That would suck."
Hinata had scanned the boy with her Byakuga twice and could no longer see the seal's chakra terraforming Sasuke's; the process had ended already.
She sighed and made herself comfortable. "Well, the least we can do is wait and see if he does. If not, I suppose we'll be carrying him."
Shino nodded, and Kiba crossed his arms. The boy didn't speak out and was surprisingly silent the whole way through. But he didn't agree with staying, not one bit, not when they could be at the tower.
His perspective on Naruto has changed drastically. How in the world was the boy so powerful? What did he mean when he said, 'He must've gotten extremely lucky; that's the only way this makes sense. He had time to prepare for the event of an ambush; surely that's what happened. Besides, Hinata's eyes are great and all, but maybe she wasn't seeing the details?'
Kiba couldn't help but feel bitter at the thought of Naruto being as strong as Hinata suggested; it made no sense. The more time they spent here, the more he could see Hinata showing more interest in Naruto than before, and it made his stomach churn.
Line break.
After three hours of being in the cave, Kiba sat outside to watch the perimeter, Akamaru pacing around and lecturing him with his puppy-like understanding of human relationships.
Kiba shook his head as Akamaru tried to get his attention for the fourth time in a row now.
It's good for him to hear because he can better rationalize her behavior when talking to his friend. Hinata isn't predictable by any measure. She is consistent but sometimes hard to read.
When she wants something from him, she'll come straight to the point and be open and clear in her reasoning. In other situations, she'll be vague, her motivations never discussed. It's hard to deal with this aspect of her personality sometimes. It's her patience that throws him off the most, though. Despite her stoic personality, her kindness is sometimes unexpected, making him feel weak. She is gentle at the most unexpected times, and he feels he's the only one who sees that. A rare side of her that she suppresses, but it's there.
With this in mind, he's able to rationalize this whole situation. Why did they come here? It's not because she likes Naruto; it's because she's honorable and wants to fulfill a contract. That makes sense. Why is she so interested in Naruto? She's curious about his power and nothing more. He'll be a potential opponent in the next phase, so it's normal for her to absorb as much info on a potential opponent.
He calmed down considerably, and when he turned around and saw the two having a discussion about something, he saw the way her arms were crossed, the serious expression on her beautiful features, her whole posture spoke business, and nothing more. She's a clan heir and wouldn't be interested in some clanless orphan, prodigy or not. He's overreacting.
He chuckled and rubbed Akamaru's head, the dog yipping in confusion at having been interrupted in his lecture. "Thanks, Akamaru. You're a huge help."
Akamaru growled, annoyed at being interrupted, and gave up to sit by the boy and watch for trouble.
Meanwhile, Hinata stared at Naruto, listening to him explain the functions of his counter seal.
She found it amazing how good he is at fuinjutsu, considering he doesn't have something like the Byakugan to back him up. It's how her clan is so naturally talented in fuinjutsu. Yet, Naruto's talent is well beyond theirs.
Her perspective on him was changed quite drastically. She now finds herself in the presence of someone who can hold a conversation with her about a subject she finds fun and interesting. She has tried to do that with Kiba and Shino before but with little success. Kiba simply has no patience for the topic, and Shino isn't as educated in fuinjutsu theory. She is, but for reasons she keeps to herself.
The way Naruto speaks on the topic is also refreshing.
It was just as if she was going to ask a few questions when they all heard a groan from Sasuke. Uchiha's eyes opened, his eyes yellow, his sclera black. This only lasted for a moment before he reverted, his mind clear.
"Sasuke!" yelled Sakura in surprise, and he embraced him, the boy surprisingly embracing her back.
"S-Sakura? Where are we?"
"Somewhere safe," said Naruto, and Sasuke was able to get a good look at his surroundings.
"What happened?" asked the boy, and Naruto sighed, already winded from explaining everything.
"Here we go again."
Line break.
{Anko POV}
Anko jolted up and awake, her neck burning with the invasive and nostalgic feeling of Orochimaru's mark, and her eyes widened. "No, no, no, no!" she screamed.
She looked around frantically to see that she was still alone. The sun was coming up soon, and the sky was now a deep blue instead of a pitch black.
"Shit. Damnit! Damn it all to hell!" she yelled before she put her face in her hands, feeling overwhelmed with fear and dread. She didn't know what to do. "What w-was I thinking?!"
She stood up on trembling legs and noted her wardrobe malfunction. Her coat had flown off somewhere. She'll need it. Thanks to those disgusting wings she had grown earlier, her top was gone now.
She found it eventually, and unfortunately, it was in terrible condition. It was hanging on by a thread from the back. 'Fuck!'
Anko wasn't in the best mindset, and her stress levels were peaking.
'Orochimaru, that snake! What did he do to me?! did he?!'
Her breath hitched, and she closed her eyes and tried to channel the chakra. The instant she did, her curse mark glowed, and she was almost pulled into her mindscape.
She jolted back, hearing Orochimaru's laugh, and covered her mouth. It was worse than before. Far worse.
"J-Jiraiya." She stuttered in a whisper. "I need Jiraiya."
Line break.
{Land of Fire: Training ground 44: Forest of Death back Entrance }
Anko stumbled out of the entrance, having barely made it out of the forest on her own, her body a mess and her head still pounding with Orochimaru's presence.
She knew she'd need to explain everything, but the last thing she needed was to be seen like this.
She stumbled into the nearest outpost and was thankful that there was no one inside.
She was able to get a change of clothes there and stumbled back outside, only to jump in shock when Anbu agents landed before her.
"You're all late to the party!' She hissed, and the Anbu captain bowed.
"Our apologies. Orders weren't given out to us in an efficient manner. What happened?" asked the captain as his lieutenant checked her for injuries.
"I was a fool. I tried to face him alone and... He put me down with ease. He did something to me; my curse mark is active now. Don't say anything confidential around me, I may be a liability now."
The captain nodded, understanding the nature of her situation. "We'll contact Jiraiya as soon as possible. For now, this means isolation is best."
She nodded, already expecting to hear those words. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. She wanted to wake up already.
"Do you know whether or not he's still in the forest?" asked a female Anbu.
"No. I don't even know what he's truly after. I think he wants to murder our Hokage, but it could really be anything."
The Anbu looked at one another, and all came to the same conclusion.
"Come with us. We'll take you somewhere you'll be able to speak freely."
Line break.
Sasuke hissed as he grasped his neck for the fifth time now before stopping the team when he'd had enough.
"Damn you, Naruto, what kind of seal is this? It's stinging!
Naruto turned back to Sasuke and sighed, "The seal isn't affecting you anymore. Whatever you're feeling right now likely has something to do with the thing Orochimaru placed on you.
Sasuke sucked his teeth and rubbed at his neck. 'This is getting on my nerves! What even is this thing?!'
"We'll have Kakashi sensei take a look at it, don't worry. we're almost at the tower." Said Sakura, planting a hand on his shoulder.
Sasuke scowled but relented. "The sooner we get rid of this, the better."
Hinata looked at the three of them and told them to pick up the pace, which they did, not wanting to get caught up with any team that was still looking for Scroll.
When Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai reached the tower, it was almost nightfall, and they were relieved to be indoors again.
"Ah, man! Finally! We can get some rest!" said Kiba.
Hinata nodded and looked up at the riddle on the wall. "If heaven does not exist, enrich your knowledge and prepare for the chance. If the Earth does not exist, Run the fields in search of an advantage. Open the series of Earth and Heaven, and the Perilous way will be redressed."
Sakura looked over the riddle Hinata had just read out loud before giving the girl a look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I would hope so," She said with a smirk.
The boys looked on as the two girls rolled the scrolls out, opening them both.
Sasuke and Naruto stepped back as smoke began to filter from a sudden summoning, and it receded to reveal Iruka.
"Congrats-... Oh! Both of you! Wonderful to see my students helping each other out!" Iruka said with clear pride and happiness in his voice.
Sakura couldn't help but embrace Iruka, the man being a reminder of simple times, times when they were all kids, and the others giving a deep bow.
"Thanks for teaching us how to become shinobi, Iruka. I hope we'll be able to call you senpai by the end of all of this," Sakura said happily.
Iruka was almost overwhelmed with emotion at seeing how far these kids had come. They hadn't changed too much, yet they had changed a lot.
Iruka patted Sakura's head and smirked. "I hope so, too. You've passed the second exam with a few days to spare. Get some rest; I can see you guys need it."
"Oh, you have no idea!" said Kiba as he sat on the floor.
Shino surprisingly did the same, and so did Sasuke, the Uchiha sighing.
Iruka cleared his throat, almost having forgotten protocol in the face of the children he'd watched grow up before his very eyes. "As your former academy Instructor, let me just say that it was a pleasure to serve you six as my students. I'm so very honored and humbled by the fact that the six of you have come so far in ninja training. I admit, I was very skeptical about fresh out-of-academy genins being sent to take the harsh Chuunin exams in which survival and murder are common. I... I was afraid. Afraid of what could happen to the kids, I'd come to cherish going up as an academy teacher. I owe you six and the others of the academy an apology. I still viewed all of you as children instead of soldiers."
"You don't have to apologize," Naruto smirked. It's normal for a teacher to see his students as kids."
"Yeah. And pretty soon, we'll be equals. Just wait. We'll be the same rank when this next stage is done." Said Kiba confidently, Akamaru hyping him up.
Both Hinata and Shino shook their heads, and Iruka chuckled at that. "Slow down there, Kiba, there's a whole stage to go. I wish you all luck!" he said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.
With Iruka's disappearance came the sudden exhaustion of most of the genGeninostly, who were all sitting at the wall to rest their legs.
Naruto was the only one still pacing, his energy boundless. He was deeply thinking about Sasuke's situation. He'll be able to talk to him when they are in their room.
"Well. Thanks for your help, guys." Said Naruto.
Hinata gave a bitter glare at the ceiling. "Don't thank us, Uzumaki-san. You handled yourself with grace throughout the exams. I wouldn't have been able to achieve what you have in such a short period. I would have collapsed. Even now, I don't understand how you have more energy than the rest of us."
"Bah! It's just an act! He's tired, too. Naruto, come and sit already and quit with the pacing! you're giving me motion sickness." Said Kiba in annoyance.
Naruto raised a brow and almost retorted, but the lack of hostility in Kiba's voice spoke volumes. It had since they found out about his fight.
Naruto almost smirked. It may be that Kiba doesn't want to go back and forth with someone he deems too strong.
Naruto shrugged and sat between Sasuke and Kiba, both boys sighing.
Line break.
After mingling with each other for an hour, it was time to go their separate ways.
They gave a few japes at the end before retreating to their designated rooms.
Naruto looked at the three beds and jumped into the one in the middle. "Ah! Finally. A soft surface. This is perfect."
Sasuke nodded as he himself collapsed on his bed, and Sakura sat cross-legged on hers, already in deep thought.
"How are you feeling, Sasuke?" he asked the boy.
Naruto opened his eyes, wanting to hear the answer as well.
Sasuke could see the nervousness in both his teammates' faces and touched the seal. "There's this phantom stinging in my neck and chest, but aside from that, I feel fine."
"Can you mold chakra?" asked Sakura.
Naruto was happy she was asking the right questions. It means she was paying attention to what he said about the seal earlier.
Sasuke decided to find out. He stood on his bed, flipped onto the ceiling, and stood upside down. "Huh. Well, it seems I can utilize chakra control, so I suppose I can."
The boy let himself fall onto his bed and bounced. "Guys. Thank you."
Both Naruto and Sakura looked over in a bit of surprise.
He shook his head. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just glad my team didn't slow me down in the slightest. I'm glad I got into this roster."
Sakura smiled, and Naruto nodded and got comfortable in his bed.
In truth, Sasuke had indeed established a bond with his two comrades at that moment. Sakura pulling him to become stronger was not at all what he thought would happen in these exams, and Naruto ensured he could mold chakra and have to fight off two teams to protect them. They were both pulling their weight. It was frustrating that he had to be saved, but knowing who they ran into made him feel much less embarrassed.
Several hours later, Sasuke and Naruto were shaken awake by a very proud-looking Kakashi.
"Yo," said Kakashi with his usual greeting, "Congratulations on passing the second second. I knew you guys could do it."
Sasuke wore a smile at the praise. Pride surged through him at the recognition of their accomplishment.
Naruto nodded, a bit groggy from the lack of rest.
Sakura had already been praised, and her interaction happened while the boys were asleep.
"Anyway, I've been sent to inform you of three of the rules while the second exam is still in session and to ask if you noticed anything unusual or suspicious during the second exam. It seems something went down in that forest, and all personnel have been made alert by it."
The two boys looked at one another and nodded.
"We ran into Orochimaru in the forest," Sasuke replied seriously. He put some kind of mark on me, and I don't know what it is or what it does."
Kakashi snapped to attention. His body straightened, and his face became dead serious.
Tell me everything." He demanded. His tone made it clear that there would be no room for sarcastic comebacks or arguments.
Sasuke and Naruto launched into explanations at different points. Sasuke explained most of what transpired when facing Orochimaru since he had been the one facing the Sannin, and Naruto filled in the bits regarding Sasuke's curse mark and his failsafe placed on the seal.
Kakashi looked pale at seeing the type of Curse mark planted on Sasuke and noted the similarities to Anko's Seal.
"Well, that's not good. You'll need to drop to of the-.
"no way!" interrupted Sasuke. "I'm not dropping out. Naruto said that the seal he placed on me wouldn't let the seal disrupt my chakra in any way. I'm good to go.
Kakashi shook his head. "We should look at the nature of the seal before we do anything rash. I want to make sure.
Sasuke seemed to want to argue further, but Naruto's hand on his shoulder and Kakashi's stern look convinced him otherwise. "Let him at least take a look at it."
He sighed and stood up to follow Kakashi to another room.
Sakura looked a little worried, but Naruto was sure to be reassured that the seal he placed on Sasuke should allow him to fight.
Line break.
The next day.
{Anko Pov}
Anko had been forced to sit in an empty room for only an hour before Hiruzen stepped in and placed a modified seal of the first one planted on her curse to see if it would do anything. But it didn't work. Her curse mark rejected the attempted suppression of Orochimaru's influence, and she resisted the urge to freak out in front of her Kage.
She simply bowed and thanked him for his attempt. It was when he left that she had a meltdown, hyperventilating as she clutched her arm, fear overwhelming her.
The thought of being a weapon in Orochimaru's hand scared her, as did the possibility of being a spy or sleeper agent. She'd sooner take her own if than contribute to the destruction of her beloved home.
Hiruzen stared down at the formula he'd tried to place on her with a frown. "What have you done, Orochimaru?"
"Lord Hiruzen! Lord Jiraiya had arrived!" said one of his chunin.
Hiruzen nodded. "Let him in."
Then, Jiraiya walked into the room and noticed the look on his sensei's face. "So it is him."
Hiruzen nodded. "He reactivated Anko's curse seal again, and we can't seem to remove it this time. His influence over her has strengthened tenfold."
"Do you have any idea what he's trying to do? I thought he was coming here to steal something again," Jiraiya said.
Hiruzen shook his head, his mind going a thousand miles an hour. "He's here for something more... sinister. Why the chunin exams?"
Jiraiya and Hiruzen brainstormed for hours, trying to come up with something, anything.
It was after the third hour, while making modifications to the seal that Ibiki was let in. "Lord Hokage. One of our genGeninve has also been affected by Orochimaru's curse seal."
"What?! Which one?!" Hiruzen yelled, standing to his feet immediately.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
Line break.
The next day.
{Land of Fire: Training ground 44: Forest of Death: The Tower's Arena}
{Naruto POV}
It was only a few hours before the third stage began. Both Team Gai and Team Sound barely made it. It was a miracle for both teams. With them having only just arrived, they were given a four-hour respite.
Kakashi had checked Sasuke's seal and was amazed and worried about how Naruto managed to keep it from destroying Sasuke's chakra system. Now Hiruzen was asking not only for him but for Naruto, too.
He and Naruto were now walking down the hall, a serious expression on his face and a worried one on Naruto's.
'Please don't let me have fucked up Sasuke's chakra network.' Naruto thought as Kakashi opened the door to the Hokage's inner spectator room.
Four Anbu were in the room, one of whom was the captain. Ibiki stood in a corner, Hiruzen sat in a chair, and Jiraiya leaned against a table full of suppression formulas. It was Anko's appearance that caught him off guard. She was seated in the middle of the room surrounded by what looked to be an aggressive suppression formula that went on until it reached the very door.
'What the hell is goin' on here?!' he thought to himself. He remained silent as Anbu pulled him into the room and set him beside his Godfather, who he was happy to see but not sure if the circumstances could allow for a hug.
Hiruzen eyed him. "Do you understand what is about to take place?"
Naruto swallowed and shook his head. The room was tense, and everyone was looking at him. He wasn't sure what this was about, and his mind was running a million miles an hour. "Did I mess up Sasuke's seal? Or am I needed for something?"
"The latter," spoke the Anbu commander, his arms crossed.
Jiraiya decided to take over the explanation from then on. "I have a question for you, Naruto."
The boy nodded, and Jiraiya continued. "Have you ever worked on a cursed seal before?"
Naruto thought about it and shook his head.
"Then how did you know to manipulate Sasuke's Chakra network to save him from death?"
Naruto thought about it for a second. "Sasuke's cursed seal is like one giant ink blob that is neither a numeral glyph nor an alphabetical one. Its pattern made no sense to me until I realized It was kinda like an ugly bunched-up Parasyte-type ink pattern. It's like a messed up code in how it sends false patterns into the body to safely release its chakra into its host. It's like one of those. Umm... What do you call those slug things?"
"We know what bug you're talking about. Continue," said Kakashi, interested in hearing this.
"His curse couldn't be manipulated until whatever it was doing to his chakra network ceased, but I didn't know how to stop it from sending signals into his body. I do not feel I have the skill to dismantle it in any way. The only way I could help him was to make his body ignore the signals and open itself up completely."
"Are you mad, boy?! Now Orochimaru's influence is in the Uchiha too!" yelled a female Anbu.
Hiruzen raised his arm. "Kakashi already looked at it, and indeed, there is Orochimaru's influence, but it isn't your fault, Naruto. The process couldn't be stopped by anyone in this room even if they had time to set up their most elaborate seal. What he did was still impressive."
Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and Jiraiya led him to where Anko sat, the woman trying to meditate and stay calm.
"This is Anko. You've already met her, given she's the proctor of the previous stage."
Naruto nodded, and Jiraiya continued, "I'd like you to see if you can analyze her seal. It seems your Uzumaki traits allow you to see and feel things we can't feel or see about seals."
Naruto nodded and planted his hand on her shoulder, moving the sleeve away to see the seal. He noted how similar it looked to Sasuke's, but he figured all of Orochimaru's seals must look like this.
He felt it out and grimaced. After a few minutes, he closed his eyes, feeling what it was doing to her by placing a basic chakra flow scanning seal on her neck. "It's... old. And primitive compared to Sasuke's. It doesn't move through her system the way it could. If anything, a seal like this shouldn't be able to work, but I see why it does."
Anko's eyes widened, and the adults leaned forward for an answer.
Naruto, sick of the spotlight, just answered straight away. "The chakra in her seal is far more violent and... unnatural. A mix of Orochimaru's chakra is in here, but there's another chakra that has a primal feel to it, like... pure...-"
"Nature. Nature energy." Jiraiya said, and Naruto nodded, thinking the boy wasn't familiar with Nature energy.
"It seems the reason The seal is rejecting most forms of suppression seals is because it isn't being configured to deal with this unique blend of corrupted Nature energy running through her. There's a chance that if we take away its... autonomy, we can extract a good portion of it before once again suppressing it, or we can simply flush it out and remove it from-"
The boy was caught off guard when Anko grabbed him by his shirt. "Remove it! I want this thing gone!"
"Calm down, Anko!" yelled Hiruzen as Naruto was pulled away, the Anbu almost restraining her.
Naruto was almost spooked, but he could see how desperate she was to eliminate this thing.
"I'll explain her situation soon enough," said Jiraiya, and Naruto nodded.
"It was just a suggestion, but I don't have the skill for it. I'm good at fuinjutsu, but I'm only just now working on my mom's more advanced seals that I can comprehend. This feels like that but worse. I... can't do anything." said Naruo.
Jiraiya smirked. "Don't worry. You and I will work together on this. You'll be my extra sense when coming up with a solution."
Kakashi nodded and let out a sigh.
After an hour of being in that room, Naruto was let go to rejoin his team.
He went down to the lobby and sat beside Sasuke and Sakura.
"What did sensei want?" asked Sakura.
Naruto shrugged. "It had something to do with fuinutsu formulas. It's a bit complicated, but it's not something to worry about until after this stage."
Sakura frowned, and Sasuke spoke before She could say anything. "are they letting me fight?
Naruto nodded. "Absolutely. But you'll need to see them when your match is over."
Sasuke smirked. It was the only thing he was worried about.
The doors were then opened, and the genin squads were allowed to walk through. They all headed into a very large and open room where the third stage was to take place.
Naruto saw senseis and the staff assembled behind the Hokage as he gave a speech, his mind running at a mile a minute.
After that speech was over, and Kabuto quit—something he didn't even notice until he looked around confused—the screen popped up, and the names of Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Amado came up.
"Okay, no. Anyone whose name isn't on the board is to get up on the railing with their sensei for the matches to begin," said Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the third match.
The Genin walked up to the railing and stood beside their Jonin senseis.
It was here that Naruto decided to observe the other teams that had managed to complete the second phase. The Jinchuuriki from Sand was definitely the most dangerous to face in the preliminary exam. Naruto had no interest in anyone in particular, but facing either him or Lee could be fun. He looked at the Sound Genin. He caught their fearful gaze, Zaku glaring openly and both Dosu and Kin pretending they hadn't been staring.
Had he been in better shape during their encounter, he's sure he would have eliminated them completely. Thankfully, his wound is healed. He still feels the bandages give a false perception, but he's good to go after two days of rest.
Team Asuma was a bit loud, with Choji's crunching and Ino cheering for Sasuke.
Kurenai's team was as quiet as their own, Hinata giving him a few sparing glances, but most likely to scope out the competition, same as hi. Shino was sitting against the wall, and Kiba was looking on with interest, probably hoping Sasuke gets humbled or something.
When he turned to the Sand Genin, he saw Gaara's focus was on him. He was staring at him... through him. It lasted only for a moment before his gaze went to Sasuke.
'weird.' he thought to himself.
Neji was very much the same, but he didn't hide his warines. Lee gave him a competitive smirk, and Tenten looked confused between her two teammates.
As the event kicked off, he didn't get a chance to analyze anything further, and Hayate spoke.
"Okay. Your Jonin sensei already relayed the rules to you both, so there shouldn't be a need to repeat them. On my mark, the match will begin, so be ready." said the man, a cough from him here and there.
He raised his hand, and Sasuke smirked, his stance becoming ready for what was to come. Yoroi, on the other hand, stood completely relaxed.
'An overconfident Genin. Uh, this should be easy. Just watch me, Orochimaru,' he thought to himself, taking Sasuke's smirk as arrogance.
"Begin!'
Line break.
End chapter.
{Authors note}
This chapter was long, so I'm sorry about that. There were things that needed to be addressed, and I didn't want to stop at an awkward point or add another part to this arc. I won't drag things out unless I have to.
I like making long chapters, but understand that people sometimes just want a chapter to read. At the very least, so far, I feel I've managed to keep my word about one or two chapters a week. I hope to keep it that way.
Anyway, thanks for reading.