Chapter 15: Bonds
The sun was now set over the forest of death, leaving the woods a near pitch-black dark.
Sasuke had managed to find refuge under a partly uprooted tree some time ago, placing his teammates incapacitated forms next himself.
One thing was for sure; he and his team were in no condition to do anything, much less pass the exam.
Naruto seemed to be having an internal struggle, tossing and turning in his unconsciousness.
Sakura slept soundly, or at least in comparison to her other two teammates.
He, on the other hand, was drenched in sweat and a small amount of blood. After the fight with Orochimaru concluded, his ability to withstand the effects of his "hickey" worsened to say the least. His skin had turned paler as well, exacerbated by the strained and pained wheezing sensation he felt by breathing.
"Damn, I'm not gonna last much longer," Sasuke gritted out, yearning for one of his teammates to wake up. He knew he had to stay strong for his team, but needless to say it was easier said than done.
After awhile of prolonged silence, a voice stirred in his vicinity.
"S...Sasuke-kun?" His eyes snapped open at the tired voice.
The kunoichi awoke to the sight of Sasuke slouched over from exhaustion and covered in battle scars.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura scooted over to the Uchiha and hugged him, making him grimace in pain. Then after apologizing quickly, she let him go and critically examined his condition.
After taking it in, she held plenty of concern, "What happened? Did you get in another fight while we were out?"
Sasuke let out a pained chuckle, pointing towards the mark on his neck. "The fucking mark got worse."
She nodded her head, examining the mark on his neck. "The swelling from the bite went down since I last saw it. But yeah, you've definitely gotten worse."
The pinkette turned to the Uchiha, lip trembling the longer she looked him over. "So, what happened to Orochimaru?
Sasuke found himself unable to look at the rosette. His gaze went straight up to the moss and root covered roof of their makeshift shelter.
"After he toyed with us, he skedaddled out of there." He heard Sakura gasp. "Sometime later...he must've fought someone else. Some blue blast came down and it shook and lit up the entire forest. Only Son Goku could've done that..."
That thought terrified her.
She hadn't ever really known Goku as a person, nor seen his full capabilities. She just knew that he was more or less on level with Naruto and Sasuke.
Boy was she wrong if Sasuke's testimony happened to be correct.
And if Orochimaru somehow bested Goku, the one capable of leveling the forest for kilometers, then she knew that was something to fear.
"Anyways," Sasuke turned over to get in a more comforting rest position. "You're on your own until Naruto wakes up."
And then he was unconscious.
A part of Sakura wanted to say something, to beg him to stay up with her. But the other, inner Sakura knew it was her turn to step up for the team.
She placed a wet towel on Sasuke's head in an attempt to control his fever, even if she thought it would be futile. She sighed before moving to peek from the moss curtain, just to make sure there were no nearby enemies. But, although she looked, she failed to notice the three pairs of eyes staring at her from their position upon a tall tree branch.
"Heh, look at her. That dumb broad has no idea what's going on," said a rough looking teenager with spiked up hair. His name was Zaku.
A member of his team, a bandaged up man with a strange metal gauntlet on his right hand, said. "What an amateur. We've been here for a while and she's still failed to notice us. And from the look of it, at least one of her teammates is down." His name was Dosu. One could say he was reminiscent of a mummy, with only one eye visible under his wrappings.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's finish our mission." A girl with long black hair said. She moved to hop down from the branch, but Dosu's arm blocked her.
"No Kin, not yet. They may have Uchiha Sasuke with them, and we don't need to face them without knowing what they are capable of," Dosu said.
"So what do you want us to do?" Zaku said irritably.
"We wait."
- Team Four Star -
Hours had passed since Orochimaru's attack on Team Four and Goku, having fed himself with a shark-sized fish, was ready to complete the exam and advance.
Maybe go see how Hinata and her team were doing along the way?
Her presence was to be desired when compared to the likes of Orochimaru and the forest's denizens.
Before he had the chance to take a much-needed nap, his respite was interrupted by energy signatures approaching his location.
Goku smiled from his stilled position, he could finally get out of the damn forest!
Positioned next to his campfire with the remains of a roasted freshwater sea creature hoisted up by a stick formation, Goku waited for his quarry to challenge him.
And then he would realize one of them had an ability just like his!
"The enemy is down on the ground just over three hundred meters away!"
Another sensor of energy? Neat.
One of her male teammates smirked and shouted. "Bet you weren't expecting a sensor were you!"
"Hush! Why would you reveal that?" A red-haired girl shouted at her teammate before looking back at Team Four, who had seemingly plopped before them from the stillness of the night sky.
The Kusa team wanted to run on sight, specifically the girl.
His peaceful demeanor betrayed the devastating ability hidden just below the surface, and Karin Uzumaki knew it.
"It's okay! I can sense energy too," Goku said happily. Knowledge of others abilities did not matter if you could not prevent it.
"We don't care. Hand over your scroll or else-"
SMASSSH!
The unnamed genin was unconscious with his upper body entrenched into the ground a few meters away from his team, legs sticking out like a tombstone.
The other two Kusa shinobi could not even register what had just happened. It was too fast.
"Hit me with your best shot," Goku said with a smirk.
"That was lucky!" The other male teammate said, shooting towards Goku who simply stood motionless. "You'll pay for that!"
The male Kusa ninja threw a punch at the Saiyan's face, who did not bother to move.
CRACCCK!
The boy staggered back in immense pain with a shattered hand.
Before he could even scream, Goku's elbow dug into his gut, knocking him straight into unconsciousness.
The girl began to quake in fear.
Son Goku walked calmly towards her, making the redhead visibly fear for her life.
"Stay back! Don't kill me! You can have the scroll, just stop!"
Goku stopped his trot, pondering his next move. He did not want to harm anyone who did not pose a threat. Simple.
And as far his sixth sense could tell, she had no deceiving intent laced in her energy signature.
"What's your name?" He blurted out. Her energy had a similar feel to a certain orphan...
"K-Karin Uzumaki."
"Uzumaki? Is that a clan or something?" He questioned further. The last names might not have been a coincidence.
The girl blinked a bit, causing Goku to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.
"My clan was destroyed ages ago, nobody knows of them!"
"You're right I don't know about them. I just know your energy felt kinda like someone else I know," he said intellectually. "That someone being Uzumaki Naruto."
The girl was lost for words.
The loud blonde-haired boy from the first exam was a member of her extinct clan?
"S-so I have family?" She said, her voice breaking before a happy smile emerged on her face.
Goku nodded hesitantly. "Maybe."
"My clan isn't gone! I'm not alone and have family, I'm so relieved!" She said aloud. "On that note, what's your name...?"
"My name is Son Goku," he said before getting back to business. "Now...I hate to say it, but I need that Heaven scroll."
The girl sighed before pulling out a scroll labelled 'Heaven' and handing it to him.
"Given how you solo'd my team I guess I don't have a choice huh," she stated with a small pout.
"Nope," Goku responded, analyzing the scroll to make sure it looked similar to his Earth scroll. And then he turned to leave, whipping his head around. "You take care!"
"You too! See you later Goku...kun," she said, earning a smile and a nod from the Saiyan.
His energy felt warmer than any energy she had ever felt in her life.
He was like a walking star. She blushed heavily.
Hopefully she could come across his path again.
- Mindscape -
'This place is familiar...'
The last thing Naruto remembered was he and his friends were being attacked by Orochimaru. Now, though, he was in a place that reminded him of a sewer. The Uzumaki had no idea how he got here and had no idea how to get out.
'I need to get out of here and find Sakura-chan and Sasuke…' He said inwardly.
The redhead continued to wander aimlessly until he came across something in the sewer: a large cage. And instantly, he recognized his location.
His mind. The jail of the Kyuubi.
"So, my jailer decides to finally pay me another visit!" A voiced called out from the cage.
"Unfortunately fuzzball!" The Uzumaki taunted, eliciting a snarl from the fox. "So, why the hell am I back in here?"
The Kyuubi gave an annoyed grunt before speaking. "You've been using more of my chakra, which strengthened the connection between us. Our minds are slowly becoming linked as a result of the damned seal made by that yellow bastard. When you were knocked out using my chakra, our minds were still connected. So here you are: within your mind and with me."
"I see," Naruto nodded in understanding. The Uzumaki now seemed to be interested. "So does that mean the other jinchuriki and their bijuu are connected like this?"
"It would depend on how often the jinchuriki uses their biju's chakra. I would assume that the armored jinchuriki has a similar connection to Shukaku," The Kyuubi answered in an annoyed tone.
"Who the hell is Shukaku?" Naruto gave a curious look.
"The Ichibi," The fox answered. "He's currently sealed inside that maggot you know as Gaara."
"Wait you guys have names?" The redhead questioned once more. "Then what's yours?"
"You're ANNOYING! You keep me locked up inside of you for the past twelve years, you ask me stupid questions, and you have the audacity to ask for my name. I ought to tear you apart and feast on your limbs!" The fox growled in hatred.
Naruto remained quiet, just staring at the fox.
'There's more to the fox than I realized.' Naruto noted.
-With Team Seven-
"Just give up," Dosu growled, "We don't have to kill you. Our orders were to kill Uchiha Sasuke only."
"You won't lay a finger on him!" Sakura replied, sounding more determined than she felt.
Sure she had improved drastically relative to her beginning level, but there were three of them and only one of her. Plus she had been awake for the whole night attending to Sasuke and Naruto. Even though she wasn't thoroughly exhausted and incapable, she was a far cry from full strength.
Still, she glared in defiance at the three genin, all of whom looked relatively fresh for their single day in the forest.
"I'll take care of this bitch," The Sound girl decided, stepping forward while glaring at Dosu, "Since you're too afraid to fight girls."
"Kin," The other boy of the team warned, "Orochimaru-sama said kill Sasuke before anything."
"Shut the hell up, Zaku." Kin replied, "She's gonna die."
"You work for Orochimaru?" Sakura remembered the terrible man, the one that took her and Naruto out effortlessly.
"That's right." Kin sneered, "Now you're going to learn what happens to those who get in the way of his plans."
The girl from Sound attacked furiously, her speed fast and Taijutsu decent...
But so was Sakura.
Quickly she used a trick she learned through her spars with Naruto. She knocked Kin off balance with an elbow to the shoulder before following up with a slash of her poison-laced kunai.
Kin cried out as her arm was deeply cut by the kunai. It fell to her side loosely, and she could barely move it. Before her teammates could even voice their surprise, Sakura shot forward and nearly smashed her face in with a powerful punch, fracturing bones in her face and leaving her with a nasty concussion.
The fodder kunoichi fell backwards and didn't move again.
"Damnit!" Zaku cursed, "That pink whore killed her!"
"Almost," Dosu observed, "We underestimated her. Together, Zaku?"
The other boy nodded, and Sakura's heart skipped a beat. Maybe she flexed too hard...
Their caution wasn't necessary - she was barely standing at the moment. That chakra enhanced punch to Kin's face ate up a chunk of her already depleted reserves.
"Saundokai: Kyōshin-on Piāsu!"
The shinobi opened his mouth and suddenly a high-pitched sound filled the air, shaking Sakura's eardrums and causing her to scream in pain, although it was not heard because the jutsu drowned it out.
Dosu proceeded to charge, cocking the arm with the contraption backwards. Sakura cursed, trying to put together a plan of attack. Instead, drowsiness and headaches were trying to get the better of her.
Dosu smirked and launched forward his fist, unleashing a devastating right hook that sent the Haruno flying towards a tree. She fell to the ground upon contact, her hearing being compromised.
Dosu looked at her apathetically. "You're feeling nauseous, disoriented, fatigued and vertigo aren't you, along with a great deal of pain."
Sakura glared daggers at him.
Dosu laughed, tapping the Melody Arm on his right forearm. "You see, my Melody Arm allows me to generate sound and direct it towards the inner ear. This causes those feelings. I don't need to strike you with my fists. I can just strike you with sound. Sound is just vibrations of the molecules in the air which creates a sound-wave. These waves are then collected by your ear and then directed to your eardrum. The human eardrum, the tympanic membrane, ruptures when it is exposed to sound over 150 decibels. Moreover, if the sound is powerful enough to upset the fluid within the deepest inner ear canals it becomes impossible to maintain your balance."
Sakura snarled, only barely managing to piece together what he just said.
Dosu laughed. "And now to eliminate you. Zaku!"
- In Naruto's Mind -
In Naruto's mind, the blonde and the Kyuubi no Kitsune were still facing each other not speaking.
After spending plenty of time in thought, the blonde finally had a question.
"Hey fuzzball?" Naruto abruptly started. "Why did you attack Konoha?"
The Kyuubi opened his eyes and stared at him in almost amusement.
"And why do you want to know?" He asked out of annoyance.
"Oh I didn't know asking about AN ATTACK ON YOUR HOME wasn't a reason," Naruto responded sarcastically.
"Hmph." The Kyuubi closed his eyes again. "I refuse to answer to an impudent brat such as yourself. Now get lost before I-"
"Just answer me damnit!" Naruto requested pleadingly. "Like it or not, we're stuck with each other. So if we have to be together, why not tolerate each other's existence? So just explain it to me so I can understand."
"Understand?" The fox scoffed. "Pfft... you humans will never comprehend anything."
"I'm being serious. Just let me try and understand," Naruto pleaded, no sarcasm or mirth in his voice.
The Kyuubi opened his eyes again and stared at the redhead.
And then he finally spoke.
"I did not want to attack your village. It is beneath me." He stated with clarity.
"What do you mean its beneath you?" Naruto seemed confused. "So did someone coerce or force you to attack?!"
"None of your business brat! Instead of asking stupid questions, you should be getting back to your world! Your 'friends' need assistance after all." The fox noted with irritation, ready to rid of the brat.
The comment about Naruto's friends caused the Uzumaki's eyes to widen. "How can I leave then?"
"Will yourself to leave." The Kyuubi informed him. "I'll lend you some chakra to destroy Orochimaru's seal. Now get the hell out!"
Naruto nodded in understanding, giving the Kyuubi a thumbs up before disappearing from his mind.
- With Team Four -
Upon receiving the scroll, Son Goku expanded his senses to cover the entire Forest of Death.
The sand team with that Gaara guy had already stationed themselves in the center of the forest. So they beat him to the punch...blame Orochimaru.
Next, he could sense Hinata and her team...inside the tower as well? They beat him too?
Blame Orochimaru.
And then he could sense everyone else...who was still alive that is. Quite a few teams had been killed apparently, and unfortunately his hands were not without blood. The Kamehameha meant to take down Orochimaru and his Edo Hokage in one fell swoop happened to eradicate any and all living things that could not escape the wave's wrath.
Including stray genin.
Blame Orochimaru. And himself.
Back to the other teams, Naruto's squad wasn't looking too hot, but in fairness he refused to go help them. Knowing the competitive nature that existed within himself and his contemporaries, olive-branches and camaraderie during the heat of battle was not desired, wanted, or even acceptable.
At least for him, he wanted to live and die by his own merit.
And out of that respect, he would not aid any of the other teams unless it was a drastic situation.
"At least the tower's up ahead!" Goku exclaimed, following the energy signatures of the aforementioned genin squads to get there, both scrolls in each hand.
It didn't take long before "Team Four" had found the tower at the center of the forest.
Goku, suspending his position in the air using ki control, stared at the tower with excitement and relief. Giddy feelings. Hinata was inside!
"Alright, let's move on," Goku noted coolly, decelerating in his descent from the sky.
Flight was a skill he would acquire soon enough, he could feel it in his bones.
The lone member of Team Four continued from there, finishing his final moments in the Forest of Death with a smile.
The second part of the Chunin Exams was complete.
- With Team Seven -
Zaku smirked, raising his arms and opening his palms. They faced Sakura. "Zankuha!"
A supersonic blast of air shot from the hollow tubes in Zaku's arms, racing towards Sakura at literal supersonic speeds.
Sakura, with her vision compromised had no way of knowing what the attack looked like, nor from which direction. Meaning she could only rely on her ability to sense chakra, which happened to be enough. Determining the flow of chakra within the wave itself, she jumped as best she could, narrowly avoiding the wave.
However, the teen followed up with a kick that connected with Sakura's breasts and sent her flying upward.
Dosu nodded to himself before he pointed the porous side of the Melody Arm at the airborne kunoichi.
"Saundo Dangan!" Bullets of sound shot from the several holes in Melody Arm, all impacting Sakura's body.
She coughed in agony as she felt it. Three in the chest, one in each of her arms respectively, and two per leg, specifically her shins. She then landed on the ground unceremoniously.
"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun...Naruto," Sakura cried out, struggling to get back up as she couldn't fight any longer.
"Don't worry, dear "Sasuke-kun" will be joining you soon." Zaku promised, his eyes were alight with anger. The two boys were almost upon them when...
There was a tremor of chakra.
Glancing behind them, they saw that Naruto had risen, crimson chakra rising around him in circles, his eyes blood red with slit pupils. He visibly brimmed with fury, his whisker marks thicker and darker, and his nails extended into claws.
"Naruto?" Sakura questioned aloud, terrified at the killer intent she felt emanating from him.
"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, looking at her condition. "Who did this to you? Who hurt you?"
"That would be me!" Zaku said with enthusiasm, laughing as he said it, only to be silenced by the murderous intent coming off Naruto in waves.
Naruto turned toward Zaku and started walking toward him, his very posture and gait promising no pain, only death.
Zaku held up his hands to attack, only for Naruto to disappear from sight. "Where'd he go?" he asked before he was pinned down with his arms held behind him.
"You seem to like these arms," Naruto said maliciously, his foot pressed hard on Zaku's back. "What if I rip them off?"
He asked before doing just that, ripping Zaku's arms clean off, relishing in said genin's screams of agony as he died of blood loss, his usual happy grin being replaced by a dark, sadistic one.
Using his enhanced senses, he could hear the faint heartbeat of Kin, whom barely clanged to life. He disappeared in a crimson flash, seeking death...
And then said life was gone. Naruto broke her already fractured skull courtesy of Sakura with a resounding stomp.
Dosu stared wide eyed, and began trembling when Naruto looked at him with those eyes. That gaze made him want to scream like a little girl, piss his pants, and run crying for his mommy.
"I will give you three seconds to drop your scroll and run before you're next."
"One..." Dosu nodded, quickly putting down his scroll. He then shot forth at speeds no one knew he was capable of, yet he knew he wouldn't attack him. Those speeds were still nothing compared to his, and with this power boost, he could easily destroy him.
"Two..." Dosu grabbed his teammates, fear swallowing his mind.
"Three!" Naruto snapped, rearing up to outright murder the sound genin.
However, he was grabbed from behind.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Sakura begged with tears running down her eyes, hugging Naruto tightly to her body. "This isn't like you, Naruto! You've gotta stop!"
"He hurt you, Sakura-chan!" Naruto stated angrily. "He has to pay for that with his life, just like his teammate."
"Naruto, I'll be fine. It's just some cuts and bruises," Sakura pleaded more calmly, not wanting to see Naruto lose more of his morality. "Please, just stop."
Dosu still trembled. This guy didn't look like much physically, but he had just murdered Zaku and Kin in cold blood one after another. Because he was eliminated from the exam, he pulled his Earth scroll from his hip pouch and laid it on the ground before fleeing.
"Get back here!" Naruto snarled, though Sakura kept a tight hold of him.
"Stop...please Naruto-kun!" Sakura pleaded once more in a broken whisper, her tears coming back full force. "I'm okay..."
Sakura's voice finally had an effect, causing Naruto's features go back to normal.
Sapphire met emerald. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."
"It's alright Naruto," Sakura forgave, smiling at the sight of his eyes, which were radiating kindness rather than malice. "Thank you for saving me."
- Flashback no Jutsu -
"Foolish Otouto."
- Flashback no Jutsu -
Sasuke growled with rage, opening his eyes, revealing the three-tomoe crimson orbs underneath.
"I'll show you who the foolish little brother is!"
The tomoi on Sasuke's neck shot forth, forming a dark blue flame-like pattern around his body. All traces of previous damage done by Orochimaru and the mark itself had vanished.
A surge of purple chakra erupted from Sasuke, alerting Naruto and Sakura of his location.
Sasuke glanced around, looking at his neck and body, before smirking with glee.
Sakura gasped in shock, "Sasuke-kun!"
Uchiha Sasuke was indeed standing, but his body was warped and surrounded by what seemed to be purple chakra. It flowed around him with a sickly power that Sakura could immediately tell wasn't Sasuke's own.
Sasuke glared at Naruto, and said person could not understand what was going on. What the hell had happened? Naruto had never seen Sasuke like this before, his Sharingan was activated...was this part of the Uchiha bloodline?
The atmosphere was tense as Sakura saw the glowing pair of Sharingan eyes staring right into Naruto's cerulean. But what got under the skin of most of the people is the dark undertone coming from the Uchiha's eyes. It was the look of hate, disgust, as if looking down at inferior being before him.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura barely whispered as she stood behind a confused Naruto.
And what he does next catches everyone off guard.
Vanishing from his spot, Naruto shoved Sakura out of the way before being hit by direct kick to his jaw. The power and force behind rattled him as he is sent flying into a tree, breaking straight through it on contact.
Why did the Sasuke just attack his own teammate?
Sakura, who staggered but kept her balance, winced as she saw the blonde turn the tree into splinters. As much as she wanted to run over to him, she was further concerned with Sasuke's indefensible behavior.
"As a clan-less nobody should be," Sasuke spoke, his deep voice seething with hatred that wasn't his own. "Some dobe like you never deserves to have any amount of power. A failure, fodder to be the first casualties on the battlefield."
Naruto scowled but kept his cool, knowing that Orochimaru was tampering with his psyche.
"You know as well as I do that I've worked my ass off to get to where I am, and I've earned that! Not like someone who just wants power for stupid revenge…"
Sakura is slightly taken aback by Naruto's strong words as he glared at his teammate, crimson chakra beginning to seep back in.
Sasuke was only silent until he moved his hands into a jutsu and took a deep breath.
"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu."
The massive fireball barreled towards Sasuke's prey, which prompted the Uzumaki to weave through his own hand-seals as he couldn't simply dodge it.
"Futon: Daitoppa!"
A powerful stream of wind blasted through the interior of the fireball, creating a man-sized hole while simultaneously expanding the flame from the outside. Naruto jumped straight through it and locked eyes with the Uchiha.
Crimson vs Blood.
"If this is how it's gonna be," Naruto started, getting into a taijutsu stance. "Then I'll beat the sense back into you."
Growling, Sasuke grabbed a kunai and charged at Naruto with murderous intent. Just as Naruto prepares to counter whatever the Uchiha had in store, they halted as the female member of Team Seven stood in front of the blonde with arms up to her side.
"Please Sasuke-kun," Sakura pleaded, stepping closer to the Sasuke.
It killed her to see the two most important male figures in her life go at each other in such a manner.
"Stop this… can't you see it's wrong?"
Sasuke's blood red Sharingan eyes stared into Sakura's jade.
Lowering his kunai he trotted up to the rosette. Stopping directly in front of her, everything stops. And suddenly...
CLINKKK!
Sasuke hit Sakura with the blunt end of his kunai.
The rosette flew a few feet sideways and landed on her right side harshly.
Sasuke glared down at Sakura who held her bruised cheek, wincing from the pain as tears rolled from her eyes.
"And you…You're just a pathetic civilian born with zero talent. Annoying too, you think I'd want to restore my clan with someone as weak as you?!"
His words stabbed deeper than any kunai.
Before he could continue however, a powerful fist slammed into his face with an untraceable speed, sending the out of character Uchiha into a rock formation. The force of said strike completely decimated the rocks with a resounding crash.
Standing defensively in front of the rosette was Naruto with his bangs covering his eyes.
Intense killer intent covered the area as more potent crimson chakra slowly covered his body. Naruto slowly shifted into an all fours position as the red chakra solidified in the shape of a fox with a single tail. The redhead's canines were elongated with his whisker marks, his hair becoming even wilder in appearance.
"I don't care if you attack me, but don't you EVER hit Sakura-chan like that again!"
Sasuke ripped out of the tree and charged at Naruto, his own anger only being fueled further. There is one problem however.
An incomplete curse mark had no chance against a cloaked one-tailed Jinchuriki.
Not in this universe or any universe.
Despite the power of Orochimaru's seal surging within him; he felt his jaw snap upwards via a brutal uppercut that launched him into the air.
He soon cries out in burning pain as Naruto's chakra tail grabs his ankle and reels him back into the blonde. And with a fury unlike any other, Naruto assaulted Sasuke with repeated strikes to the midsection.
This concluded with a vicious kick to the gut, which sent Sasuke careening into a ground, causing a wild explosion of dust.
His tail and crimson chakra promptly receded back into his body.
Sakura slowly sat up as she watched Naruto pummel Sasuke fearfully. As tempting as it was, she knew there was nothing she could to stop it.
Two boys corrupted with negative chakra would have to hash it out with victory and defeat.
Naruto growled as the dust settled, revealing his rival and brother from another mother barely conscious in a crater. Sasuke coughed plentifully, the black tattoos covering a significant portion of his body receding back into the curse mark.
Seeing that the Uchiha was still awake, the blonde turned to take him out completely. Yet, this anger faded in seconds as he felt Sakura holding him, her tears falling freely for what seemed to be the umpteenth time in the past hour.
"It's over with, Naruto-kun," the rosette's voice stated as she cried silently. "Just calm down…"
- Later That Day -
"I'm sorry," Sasuke apologized for the umpteenth time in the most Sasuke way possible - meaning no apparent affection. "I don't know what came over me."
Even Naruto found it hard to forgive him so quickly, let alone Sakura.
"I guess I forgive you," the blonde finally spoke up, "But if you EVER go insane like that again I won't hesitate to beat your ass."
"Wouldn't doubt it," Sasuke said with a slight smirk amidst the tension. He then glanced over to Sakura expectantly, whom stared at the sky.
As much as she too wanted to forgive him, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not after the things he said, and the fact that he almost broke her jaw.
"Damnit," Sasuke cursed upon recognizing this, slamming his fist on the ground. "What the hell did that thing do me?!"
Okay, maybe she could. It's not often that you get Sasuke actually feeling remorseful about actions he had no control over. Just this once.
Walking over to the Uchiha, her teammates half-expected Sakura to strike Sasuke with a vengeance.
Instead she pulled him into a hug, showing him through actions her forgiveness rather than words. "That wasn't you... the Sasuke-kun I know would never do that."
The Uchiha had a blank expression, not resisting and actually being tempted into hugging back. He nearly broke his sister in arms jaw, and it was the least he could do...
Naruto blanched, feeling left out at the sight of his crush and rival hugging one another. "I feel like you two don't appreciate me all of a sudden."
Sakura giggled, shaking her head. "Not at all. But you have a few questions that you need to answer."
Sasuke nodded, relieved that he destroyed the tension in the air. "I couldn't agree more."
He sighed, walking towards the tree Sakura and Sasuke were near. He sat down patiently and looked up at the duo, who were standing over him. "What do you want to know? You guys are right, I've been hiding stuff from you…it's time I come clean. Both of you deserve that much trust."
Sasuke gestured to Sakura. "You first."
Sakura nodded. "Well, I personally just want to know what you were doing when you were by yourself."
Naruto grinned. "Well then, at first I killed a giant snake. Then I ran away from Orochimaru once I figured out who summoned said snake. Then he corned me, so I drew some power from my 'resident' and then you two showed up. I still got my ass kicked despite it and the rest is history."
Both Sakura and Sasuke nodded, although the former noticed some of the more vague things in his story. "Who is this "resident" you speak of?"
"That's exactly what I want to know too," Sasuke affirmed, crossing his arms. "Anko arrived after you and Sakura were knocked out. She referred to you as a jinchuriki…what is that?"
Naruto sighed. "I'll tell you what I do know. First off, a jinchuriki is defined as "Power of Human Sacrifice." There can only be nine of us in existence, and we all have immense chakra reserves, larger than a Kages. Now, a jinchuriki isn't just something that comes across once in a generation, we are made one."
"Made one?" His two teammates inquired at the same time.
Naruto nodded in affirmation. "You see, jinchruriki are humans that have a tailed beast sealed inside of them, either the Ichibi, Nibi, Sanbi, Yonbi, Gobi, Rokubi, Nanabi, Hachibi, or the Kyuubi."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "The Legendary Chakra Monsters…"
Naruto nodded once again. "What do you remember when learning about the tailed beasts in the academy?"
Sakura pondered, puzzled. "They can't die as they would just be reincarnated. They have a near limitless amount of chakra, an amount only the strongest shinobi's in history can match, um…they're sealed into people…" she ceased conversation.
Naruto made an "mhm" sound. "Yes, all correct. However, the academy doesn't tell you what those people are called. Well, they are called jinchuriki. And I have the most powerful of the nine…the Kyuubi no Kitsune…sealed inside of me. That crimson chakra that I sometimes use? It's his, I'm drawing on his chakra. Just as you said, the Bijuu can't die, they're immortal. Meaning that Konoha lied to its citizens by saying the Fourth killed the Kyuubi."
Both of them understood. "Okay, I understand that."
Naruto shook his head. "There's more. First off, the Bijuu cannot be sealed into anyone who is not an infant. Their chakra coils have already fully developed and the influx would kill them. Meaning jinchuriki are created as soon as they are born, and not every seal can hold them back. A very powerful seal needs to be created to hold them back, like in the case of Gaara."
Sasuke and Sakura were quiet. "So you're saying?"
He nodded once again. "Gaara is a jinchuriki, and going by his mastery over sand, I'm saying the Ichibi, Shukaku the Sand Spirit. However, Shukaku also happens to be bat-shit crazy, and causes his owner to develop insomnia, which basically turns them into miniature versions of him. It doesn't help that nobody in Suna can avert this affect with their level of fuinjutsu."
"Okay, not to be rude but fuck Gaara. I don't get how YOU are a jinchuriki," Sasuke stated, eager to get to the point.
"Sasuke…when did the Kyuubi attack?"
"October Tenth, the same day the Yondaime died."
"When's my birthday?"
Sasuke was silent. "Were there any other children born on October Tenth on that specific day?"
Silence.
"Exactly. The Fourth Hokage defeated the Kyuubi…by sealing it into me."
The trio were silent, the harsh truth bearing down on them.
Naruto promptly stood up, relieved that he came out to his teammates. "Did you guys notice that the academy's curriculum goes against the lie they told Konoha? Strange no one has figured it out yet…well maybe Shikamaru did, he's extremely smart. Anyways, enough sad talk, let's move."
Before the blonde took a step, Sasuke grabbed his arm. He turned, an eyebrow raised.
"That's why you suffered all that torment as a child huh?" He whispered.
He nodded again, not saying a word. He then turned to his other teammate, waiting for her reaction.
She turned around, her eyes puffy and her cheeks wet as she got emotional again.
Immediately, she flung her arms around his neck and continued weeping, this time interrupted with unintelligible words and what he can only assume to be sentences. Naruto wrapped his arms around her, trying to decipher some of her mutterings while letting a calming aura envelope the girl.
"Y-yo-u… I-I'm so… I'm so-r-ry…" she tried to say, severely hampered by her sobbing.
"Shhh, it's all right, it's all right. Just tell me what's wrong," he said gently, stroking her pink hair soothingly.
It took a while, but she finally calmed down long enough to explain her plight. "You had it so hard - I made it so hard for you. They all think you are a Demon - they would have ME thinking you were a demon, but the only one... you could ever be a demon to is your enemies! You are - one of the kindest people I know! You have such a-"
Naruto interrupted her before she could start crying some more with a somber grin on his face.
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan! Who are you trying to convince? I know what I am! And the teme has never treated me that way," he added, flashing thumbs up to said person, which was returned. "Now please stop crying."
The Haruno did the moment he finished speaking. He looked down into her emerald eyes, and said, "Thank you, though. For understanding."
She nodded, and smiled. Then her cheeks turned a certain shade of red at the proximity she had with the blonde.
Sakura looked up at him with a cheeky smile on her face. "So what made you so forthcoming with this?"
Naruto's smile faded slightly, but stayed in place. "You guys asked, and so I told you. You can't tell anyone, though. It's a massive S-ranked secret that only a handful of people know the whole story of."
Sakura nodded, completely understanding. "I promise, Naruto. I won't tell anyone your secret." She hugged him tighter to her at that, strengthening her statement.
Naruto smiled warmly once again, and slithered his right arm under and around her, holding her just as tightly.
"Arigato, Sakura-chan. Besides, I felt like the more you know about me, the less of a reason you have not to trust me. And the more you trust me, the more I'll get to hug a beautiful girl," he finished, fishing for a positive response, trying to make her blush cutely, hoping to restore some of their old routine, and maybe checking on her position about Sasuke all at once.
He got three out of four, which wasn't too bad, in his opinion.
She blushed, which was definitely cute. And she gave a positive response, without discussing Sasuke obviously. "Arigato Naruto."
Then the redhead visibly pouted a bit, causing the rosette to wonder what went wrong. "What's wrong?"
"I like it when you call me Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan."
Sakura giggled as she left the embrace. "Fine. Arigato Naruto-kun. Is that better?"
"Yes, much better."
Then came a whistle.
The duo turned to see Sasuke chilling with his back to a tree, eyes closed. "If you guys are finished falling in love, we have an exam to finish."
As nice as it was to see Sakura showing signs of shifting away from him and towards someone else, they still had to get out the forest. And the sooner they can get the second exam over with, the sooner he could become a chunin. And the sooner he became a chunin, the closer he got to killing his brother.
And spending more time with Haku?
The three channeled chakra into their feet before taking into the trees. As the three shot towards the tower they couldn't help but feel relieved.
The tension and mystery surrounding their group had been alleviated.
Team Seven was back and better than ever.
- Later In The Tower -
Hinata finished healing the last of Goku's super minor battle damage with her Shōsen Jutsu, the mystical palm technique which accelerated the Saiyan's already impeccable healing factor. While the major scars weren't going to disappear as quickly, the damage and infections associated were vanquished by the Hyuuga's near perfect chakra control.
And then immediately, a tired voice stirred in her lap.
"H...Hinata?" Her eyes glanced down at the tired voice.
"Welcome back Goku," Hinata said warmly, before poking his chest jokingly, "You've got some questions to answer."
"Shoot," Goku replied, not leaving his spot on Hinata's lap.
Before the Hyuuga could ask questions, she noticed how he still didn't move away from her, causing a tinge of pink to appear on her cheeks.
"So are you going to sit up or?"
"Nah, I think I'll stay right here. It's comfy," The Saiyan replied nonchalantly with a smile, as if it were normal. "Unless you want me t-"
"No, you're fine," Hinata interrupted with her own smile, and then she proceeded to ask questions. "Are you okay Goku? Anything bothering you? What was it like fighting Orochimaru by yourself?"
"Relax Hinata, thanks to you I feel better than ever!" Goku said with abundant joy in his voice. "What's bothering me is the things that he said. He tried to put limits on me and I didn't appreciate that. And also fighting him was definitely fun for awhile, I just hope he comes back stronger so I can go all out!"
Hinata nodded at the last tidbit, although she was happy and concerned about something else he said. "While I'm glad you had a good time, why would you do that by yourself? Even if you're probably the most powerful genin ever, Orochimaru is a member of The Legendary Sannin and an S-ranked missing-nin for a reason."
This prompted Goku to sit up from Hinata's lap, a serious expression adorning his face.
"His rank or title or whatever he is meant jackshit to me. I knew if I didn't take him on he would have not only killed me but also put you in danger. I refuse to let my precious people die again, especially if I could still breathe. Never again..."
"When?" She questioned, egging on her "friend."
Goku gave a swallowed his spit and maintained a neutral expression. "It was before I came back to Konoha. Along the way, I met these villagers who lived in the sacred lands of Korin. They were guarding a Dragon Ball, which is the orange sphere I carried around wimme before my mission to Mirai Toshi. I had my own and then found the village through a Dragon Radar created by the Red Ribbon army. Then this bastard came in and killed everyone in the village except this kid named Upa. I was s'posed to die as well, but my own Dragon Ball saved me. Ever since, I vowed to bring back Upa's family and annihilate the Red Ribbon Army once and for all."
"How do you plan to bring the kids family back?"
"I'm gonna gather all seven Dragon Balls and wish them back," Goku replied nonchalantly.
"When are you gonna find the time to do this?" Hinata asked out of pure curiosity.
The Saiyan raised an eyebrow at that, having not planned that out himself. "At some point I'll get permission to leave Konoha and fulfill my promise. Maybe it'll be a super secret SS-ranked mission? Who knows."
She nodded, now realizing she had yet to learn more than a puddle's worth more of the oceanic mystery that was Son Goku.
No time like the present!