Chapter 38
Traversing the desert the first time was an experience Team 8 did not wish to repeat unless it was going back to the safety the trees of the Land of Fire provided. Unfortunately, Suna continued to prove itself to be one of the worst-thought-out settlements in the world.
After an hour of being carried, they had been told to remove their blindfolds, after which the Suna-nin who had been carrying them had all practically vanished the moment they could see. They had expected their location to be somewhere far, perhaps a good half an hour or so away from the village.
It took them a full minute of staring before they realized they were right in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. There was no village insight for miles, and the only signs of life they could find were cacti and the occasional scorpion.
Looking at the map only proved to make them more frustrated, seeing that it was very crudely drawn. A child could have drawn something better with a crayon and a half. It was a miracle they were even able to decipher what the dashes represented, but at the very least, they were able to understand the general direction of the village going by the 'X' marked on the map as well as the many 'landmarks'.
"Our hunters are 300 meters to our west, right behind that dune. A Suna team, from the looks of their attire. I can't see the village, but going from the map and the speed at which we were moving, I'd say we are at least 20 miles out." Neji easily scoped out their competition via his Dojutsu.
"You wanna do the honors, Neji?" Tenten asked lazily, ready to be led towards their destination away from the heat while their blonde's hands were full with their 'escort' over his shoulders.
"I have a better idea." Said blonde spoke up, getting the attention of his team members.
In response, Naruto closed his eyes to search within and pull on the power gifted to him not too long ago. A technique he had learned in the three days they weren't studying immediately appeared in his head, and he moved the power accordingly.
It took about 30 seconds for him to prepare. To his teammate's, it looked as if he was merely standing still, but to Naruto, he was making the proper preparations.
When it was complete, he reopened his eyes and the effect was immediately visible. Next to him, two forms shimmered into existence. To Neji and Tenten's eye, they looked like mirages, their forms shimmering and their colors constantly shifting. Eventually, their forms solidified, revealing two identical copies of their teammate standing before them with dummies on their backs and the emotionless stare they both new and loved.
"...Is this it? Your big idea is making clones?" Neji asked. He wasn't doubting the usefulness of the suggestion. He was just slightly disappointed in its simplicity.
"Yes and no." Naruto answered before pointing at the two new additions to their party. "First off, these guys aren't clones. They are me—specifically thirty seconds ago Me."
Tenten and Neji stared owlishly as the newly arrived blondes saluted in perfect sync.
"Explain." Was all Neji said, which the middle blonde, they'll call him the original until further notice, was all too happy to elaborate.
"These guys are versions of me from 30 seconds in the past." He revealed, the two time travelers replacing their salute to stand tall with both hands on their ships and their chins held high. "They have all the abilities I do, and their only limitations is the time they are present, which is around 20. The downside is it takes a big toll on my reserves, so I can only do this once a day. I have to think about what I'm going to do before I actually summon them—otherwise, they arrive confused, forcing me to explain. However, not only are they me," Naruto turned to look to the one on the left fully.
Then punched him square across the face. The time traveler caught himself before he could fall while still balancing the dummy on his back. Slowly, he turned back to the one who had struck him.
Then his fist rocketed forward, smashing into the original's face with equal power and precision. In spite of the blow, the original stood unmoved, his head the only thing moving in the exchange. Slowly, he turned back towards his teammates, both of whom were now giving the trio a look of incredulity.
"...And as you can see, they are durable. They can be killed, but they'll simply return to the time they came from. No harm done." He finished just in time for blood to trickle down his nose.
"...I want to ask how that is even possible, but something tells me you're just gonna give me a smart ass answer." Tenten said flatly.
"And I'd like to tell you, but even I wouldn't believe me." He replied truthfully.
"That's not concerning at all."
"Can we focus?" Neji interrupted, trying to keep them on topic. "What exactly are we meant to do with them? From how I see it, they are no different than your average clone, but are more durable. How are they meant to help us pass this portion of the exam?"
"I was getting to that. Remember when I said they can do anything I can?" Naruto pointed out, to which his team nodded. As if reading the original's mind, the doppelgangers held up their hands into a sign.
A puff of smoke engulfed them before revealing their new forms to the Genin. Hyuga eyes looked to Hyuga eyes and brown orbs met brown. A perfect use of the Henge Jutsu, perfecting their forms down to the last minute detail.
"I'm not done." Naruto bragged, a grin now present on his face as he and the doppelgangers brought their hands into his trademark Jutsu.
A wave of smoke appeared behind the trio, stretching out into an arc a good 70 yards behind them.
Tenten and Neji were very familiar with most of their teammate's abilities. Even if most couldn't be explained by simple logic, they still knew what he could and couldn't do with those abilities.
One of the main things they learned early on is just how many clones the blonde could make. His exact cap was 100 and no more. He had tried to surpass that limit many times, but had bore no fruit since the time they had known him. One could not simply increase their chakra compacity through training, a fact not even their often reality-bending teammate was above.
However, their teammate always seemed to go beyond the impossible—or at least, find a loophole.
Behind the trio were now 300 clones of Team 8. Neji didn't have to use his Dojutsu to know they were all equal to the blondes in chakra and control, making the sight all the more surreal.
"Woah." Was all Tenten could think to say in her awe. Facing one of Naruto was bad enough. Facing 100 of them was a nightmare. Trying to subdue 300 identical copies of their team would no doubt be hell.
"I'm still not done."
And apparently, there was more.
With no hand-sign they could see, Naruto produced an an orb in front of him that expanded to engulf himself and his team. The world outside suddenly began to stretch into lights as they seemingly shot across the cosmos. It gave the two unexpecting Genin vertigo despite them seemingly not moving from their current position.
Then it came to a stop, and they fell on their hands and knees as they tried to reorientate themselves. They looked around, finding themselves no longer in the desert, but in a room.
A familiar room.
They awed at the impossibility of where they were, wondering if they were somehow under some sort of Genjutsu.
Then slowly, they turned towards their teammate, standing tall and proud as if waiting for their reaction.
"Well? What do you guys think? We're in our room, if you couldn't already tell. I know what you're thinking and I'm already ahead of you. One of my new abilities allows me to save a point in time and teleport to that specific area without actually touching the fabric of space and time. I simply saved this point in time and rewinded us back. It also heals whoever is in the bubble, which is just a bonus. Pretty neat, huh?"
Neji, nor Tenten, had anything to say to that. They were not amazed, nor were they surprised. They were just...acceptant.
Naruto seemed to get the hint that they didn't care and dropped his smile to join them in their staredown.
"Can't you guys at least pretend to be impressed? It took a lot outta me to do that, y'know."
"We would, but you've shown us the impossible many times before, so at this point, it doesn't even surprise us anymore. Honestly, we were more impressed by the transformation jutsu." Tenten admitted, her words turning the blonde's deadpan into a pout.
"Fine...make this the last time I show you guys anything cool."
"Well, if we are already in the village, then we should head to the proctor." Neji suggested.
"Fine...but can you catch me before I-"
*WHAM*
Tenten and Neji would be lying if they said watching their teammate face-plant wasn't amusing. The fact that his body bounced, followed by silence, only served to make their lips twitch.
"...Can one of you get me a soldier pill? Techniques like that eat up chakra like nobodies business." Came his muffled.
...
Meanwhile, back in the desert, the clones only blinked at the departure of the three Genin.
"So," the sea of Team 8 all spoke in unison, their voices overlapping to combine into one big cacophony of sounds mixed into one. Then their eyes and heads all snapped in one direction. "Who's ready to kick some ass?"
...
Peering over the dune overlooking their target, the Iwagakure team jaws all hit the sand, their minds having trouble processing the scene they were witnessing. The confidence they held at knowing their target just so happened to be the tree-hugging solos. There were many things they had planned to do and had already set in motion. Traps, ambushes, and other devious strategies designed to kill the Konoha Shinobi in a multitude of cruel and sadistic ways.
And then an army appeared behind their targets, something no amount of forethought could have prepared them for.
Then their heads simultaneously turned their way, and the Iwa teens immediately went pale.
Before they knew it, like a stampede of wild buffalo, they charged, heading right for them at speeds no Genin should possess.
They did not need to come to an agreement to turn tail and run. The moment the army moved, they moved, running for their lives and not looking back. Unfortunately for them, the army was faster, and the Iwa-nin soon found themselves underneath the horde.
The three Genin were not strangers to battle. They were Iwa-nin, and their home village was not known for being particularly kind. Even without any official wars, there were plenty of conflicts and small-scale skirmishes. Many of their missions had involved a fight, whether it was a mission in a foreign land or a battle against bandits within their borders.
Absolutely none of that prepared them to get stomped out by an army of clones circling them like the eye of a hurricane. Fist and kicks came from every direction, none of which let up in power or speed.
By the time the stampede had spat them out and the army went on about their business, the Iwa-nin team were reduced to a pile of bruised, twitching limbs and broken teeth. The only positive they would see later on when they next awoke would be that they were still alive.
Katsuo smirked as his foot came down, smashing the Suna team's puppet into splinters and ruining any chance they had at becoming Chunin. Behind him, his teammates were finishing up the trash, their enemy's faces and bodies covered in various injuries they had received throughout the ordeal.
"And here I thought this was gonna be fun." The Iwa-nin commented as he picked up the splintered wood that had once been the Suna team's hopes and dreams. "But, I guess they weren't all talk. You didn't make this easy, at least. Gotta respect that." He said, tossing the wood onto the corpse of a nearby Cacti.
"We're done here. Let's go." Kurotsuchi commanded, turning to walk towards their next destination.
"Oi, hold up." Katsuo stopped the group, his attention on the Suna Genin at their feet. "Those three are still breathing." He pointed, to which his team blinked.
"And?" She asked flatly.
"'And' why are we letting them live? No reason to keep competition alive, right?" He reasoned, a smirk coming to his lips.
"But, they're defeated." Akatsuchi argued, becoming uncomfortable with the direction things were going.
"And?" Katsuo challenged back with a tilt of the head. "They're down, and they're weak. Kill them now so we don't have to kill them in the future. It's legal, and the more allies we kill of those tree-huggers, the better off we'll be in the future."
Kurotsuchi's brow furrowed at his words, his attitude towards the situation disturbing her more than his logic.
"Do that, and we'll bring more enemies to our gates. Or have you forgotten that we are being watched?" Kurotsuchi pointed out. Much to her growing unease, his smirk grew, eyes displaying the cruelty he was never afraid to show. He then began walking towards her, the mad grin growing the closer he got.
"You're forgetting, these trash," he kicked a nearby downed Suna Genin across the sand to land in front of her. "Are the enemy. The Tsuchikage sent us here because he knew we would excel. We are above this trash, and he wanted us to make a point. What better point is there than cutting their numbers before they even have a chance to grow?" He finished his words by slamming his foot into the back of the unconscious Genin at Kurotsuchi's feet, getting a groan from the boy but failing to make Kurotsuchi even flinch.
In spite of her unwavering confidence, Katsuo's grin remained as he got to eye level with her.
"What's the matter, Kurotsuchi-chan? Too scared to do what is necessary?"
That did get a reaction from the girl, her brow furrowing into a frown. For a moment, both of their eyes stayed locked, neither of them moving even when their third teammate tried breaking them apart with words.
In the end, it was Kurotsuchi who was the first to break eye contact to walk away.
"Do whatever you believe to be necessary."
The moment the words left her lips, she could practically feel his grin grow.
Looking down, at the unconscious Genin, his grin now threatened to split his face as he raised a foot over one of their heads.
He suddenly stopped not because he suddenly grew a conscience, but because he heard something in the distance.
"You hear that?" He asked, causing his team pause. The group began to listen intently for something to make a sound. Sure enough, over the cicadas were voices, and the distinct sound of battle.
Correction, screaming and battle.
Someone, a lot of someones, were letting out ungodly amount of war cries.
Without a word, Kurotsuchi began walking in the direction of the noise, having to scale a dune in order to find the source. Katsuo and Akatsuchi followed, the former only sparing the Suna Genin in hopes of finding something better over the dune of sand. Reaching the top, they peered over, and the sight that greeted them was not at all what they had been expecting.
Like ants, an army was running in circles in the middle of the desert. Within the circle of orange, white, and pink were shapes and colors that clearly stood out, their moves more wild as they tried desperately to either pull themselves over the horde, or fight the tide. They all failed. The results of their folly was being swallowed in the horde as their screams became muffled.
The Iwa-nin could only stare in silence at the scene, not entirely sure how they were meant to react.
"That's, the Konoha Team, right?" Kurotsuchi spoke, her words breaking the group's silence.
"Why the fuck are there so many of them?" Came Katsuo's expectant question.
"I-I don't know. The Uzumaki could have a clone Jutsu, b-but," Akatsuchi trailed off, his words dying on his tongue as several figures were unceremoniously spat out of the horde to land in various uncomfortable positions in the sand. There were nine in total, six of which were from Iwagakure while the other from Suna. They looked as if they were put through a grinder with the amount of bruises littering their limbs and faces, something Akatsuchi wanted no part of.
It was a thought he would later regret.
As if they could hear his thoughts, all at once, every head in the horde turned their way—all 300 of them. The trio paled almost immediately.
And then the army was moving.
"Shit!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed, immediately hopping from her spot to slide down the dune.
"Get some fucking distance!" Katsuo followed, doing the same as his teammate.
Akatsuchi was the last to follow, stumbling slightly as he desperately tried keeping up with his team. Not even 5 seconds after they had cleared the spot, the army came, the sounds of hundreds of feet thumping the sand filling the air.
By then, the Iwa team had made it to the other side of the dune, their retreat stopped as they looked over the incoming army. While they were running, they had already come up with a plan to deal with the horde, showing their experience and the quality of their teamwork. The moment they were close enough, all three went through handsigns in preparation for the Jutsu perfect for this situation.
Before they could even get halfway through the handsigns, the horde stopped nearly on a dime, staring up at them with what the Iwa-nin thought was horror at their resolve. It brought a sickening glee to Katsuo's face as their hands stopped on the appropriate sign.
"Suck on this, tree-fuckers!" With that very appropriate yell, the Iwa Genin all inhaled at once.
And it was at the peak of their inhale that they noticed the shadow blocking the sun behind them.
Turning with a mouth full of chakra, the Genin team came face to face with a wall.
A sand wall.
A Tsunami sand wall.
The Iwagakure Genin lost concentration, the chakra exiting their mouths to create embers.
The Tsunami came down, and the Iwa-nin, as well as the clone army, disappeared under the wave.
...
Gaara floated above the dunes on a cloud of sand, watching as his attack began to settle. after his attack. To his disappointment, nothing below the surface of the sand moved, meaning either Uzumaki had died, or he wasn't here to begin with. Neither was a desirable result, the possibility of killing the blonde so easily bringing a sincere disappointment to him instead of the glee he thought he would feel.
"What a disappointment." He uttered to no one.
With his work done, the Jinchuuriki turned back to the direction he knew the village to be.
A few minutes after his departure, a cluster of rocks broke the surface of the sand, forming a dome that began to immediately fall apart. From within, the Iwa team appeared, sweat marring their faces as they looked around for any possible threat. Seeing none, their gazes finally fell on the sand cloud that was slowly vanishing in the distance.
"What. The. Fuck." Was the first and only words that left Katsuo's lips.
Whoever, or whatever that was, they wanted no part of it. In fact, they all agreed it would be a good idea to head back to the village before they nearly lost their lives to whatever else was waiting for them in this desert.
Present
"...So, you're telling me you all headed straight here after sending hundreds of clones to wipe out the competition." The Konoha Genin nodded. "...Didn't see a single team along the way." The Genin nodded again. "Arrived at twice the time it takes a seasoned Jonin to cross the distance at which your team traveled."
"I'd tell you how, but then I'd have to kill you."
Ryu nodded at the comment from the blonde before dismissing it completely and moving on with his analysis.
"Then you arrived in the village, somehow walked right pass the village gate guards, and knew exactly where I was and the right person to speak to, no?"
"My eyes see everything, including your chakra. It was childsplay to pinpoint you after we'd entered the village."
Once again, Ryu nodded at the comment before continuing.
"And now you're telling me that somehow, someway, while we were talking, your army has been buried alive by a tidal wave of sand. Something that happened miles and miles away, and somehow, someway, you are aware of. I got that all down?"
"Pretty much." Naruto confirmed, to which the squinty-eyed man nodded along.
"...LIKE HELL I BELIEVE THAT!" He suddenly shouted, slamming his hands on the table as he glared across at the Genin team. "AIN'T SHIT ABOUT YOUR STORY THATS BELIEVABLE! In fact, I'VE HEARD BETTER LIES FROM OLD LADIES WITH ALZHEIMER'S!"
"...Seriously, what is up with people and believing me?" Naruto said lowly.
"Maybe if you would stop thinning the line between what is practical and impractical, then maybe people would be more inclined to believe you." Neji stated his logic.
"The truth is the truth, no matter how illogical."
"Okay, then explain to us once again how your teleportation ability works."
"...I have a Loli Goddess in my head who bends space and time to-"
"I rest my case."
"STAY ON TOPIC YOU BRATS!" The proctor roared, frustrated with how easily these Genin seemed to edge towards less important matters. "Regardless of whether or not I believe you, you failed to grasp the lesson behind this exam! The point of this is to use your skills and intellect and use it in simulation of a mission! Skipping straight to the end without going through the hardship of it all is just...just..."
"Cheating? Please say cheating. I wanna hear it." Tenten said with a grin so smug it was punchable.
Ryu wanted so desperately to say 'cheating' but felt that if he did, he would sound just as childish as the brats he was trying to scold.
"Look at it this way. We still completed the mission. Our client is alive, and we got rid of some competition with no threat to his life. Isn't that what matters in the end?" Tenten argued, but was immediately shot down by the man's glare.
"That's. Not. The. POINT!"
"Then what is the point? How we see it, you're just upset that we succeeded faster than you were expecting. That is not our folly, that is a personal problem." Neji chided, leaving Ryu gaping. Even if he had a point on the importance of trial and tribulation, they didn't do anything outside the boundaries of the exam. In fact, they excelled, far more than anyone would have expected. No matter how he looked at it, making a fuss and not passing them when they followed the rules would sound more petty than anything else.
The Jonin bit his lips, holding in any argument he may have left before a defeated sigh left his lips.
"Fine," he said, his voice low and his eyes looking anywhere but them. "Congratulations. You passed. Happy?"
Smiles immediately broke out on the Genin team.
"BUT!" Too bad for them, Ryu was petty. "You little shits are on VERY thin ice! So thin in fact that if I hear someone even mumble a syllable of either of your names, I'm disqualifying you, damn the consequences! The only thing I want you brats doing is sitting in the waiting room until sunset, NOTHING ELSE! Am I clear?!"
Despite his threat, the Genin looked unbothered, the most annoying of their bunch even shrugging as if to piss him off further. They left silently after, making the Jonin collapse in his chair and slump.
"Damn tree-huggers..."
He took a moment to himself, using the time to let the irritation and stress melt away. At the very least, they wouldn't be his problem soon. If Gaara didn't kill them in the first or second phase, then he surely would in the third...
He needed a drink. At least the momentary distraction would be enough to put the image of their eventual demise out of his head. Shame too, because despite it all, they weren't that bad.
...
Predictably, Gaara's team was the next to arrive, followed by Kurotsuchi's team who seemed to deliberately be at least 500 yards from the Suna team. The last team to arrive were the Rain Genin who arrived literally at the last second, looking as if they were roasting alive (which they likely were in their choice of clothes for the desert).
When the time came, Ryu gathered the Genin and led them all back towards the first exam room where they would sit in the room and, to the Jonin's surprise, not utter a single word until he and his fellow Jonin returned. Thankfully, there were only 4 teams left out of the 14, which made things a lot easier when it came down to putting them into brackets.
Of course, none of it was random.
When it came down to it, booking fights that no one wanted to see made for bad attendance. No one wanted to see a stomp for no name kids, and nobody wanted to watch a match go on for hours. Whoever Gaara was to go up against would surely turn people's stomachs, so having him in the last bracket was a must. He was already favorited to win anyway, so seeing him fight at the end would build enough anticipation to keep people interested throughout the day.
As for the other teams, putting the Iwagakure teams against Konoha was a no-brainer. Everyone knew the bad blood between the two village's and having them go blow for blow and round for round was a better move financially. The only outliers here were the Rain Genin, who no one wanted to see, but they had to match against someone.
Thankfully, they had just the someone, leading them to the completion of the bracket.
"Alright, everyone shut up and listen." Ryu spoke loudly despite the room already being quiet. "As the final combatants for this term's Chunin Exams, you will all compete in the arena one month from now in order to obtain your title as Chunin. Note that winning the entire thing does not make you eligible for Chunin, just like losing doesn't disqualify you from the opportunity either. It is about your mindset and whether or not the higher ups believe you are ready to take on a higher responsibility as Shinobi representing their village."
The Genin remained silent as they listened. So far, so good.
"Now, if I could please get all of your attention on the blackboard." He asked, moving to the side so everyone could see the writing the other Jonin had done. On the blackboard were all their names lined in tournament-style brackets. Some eyes widened, others smirked, and some were completely unfazed.
Temari v Katsuo
Naruto v Kurotsuchi
Kankuro v Machiko
Neji v Akatsuchi
Tenten v Orino
Gaara v Wakato
"Well I'll be damned. Seems like you two get the tree-huggers before me." Was Katsuo's expectant outburst. Nevertheless, Ryu moved on.
"The person next to your name will be your opponent in the coming month. These matches were picked at random and will not be changed no matter how much you beg or whine." No one seemed to believe him at the 'random' bit, but he could care less if they did or didn't. "As I said before, you have one month to prepare accordingly. Whether you stay in the village or return to your own is completely up to you and your Jonin sensei. For those staying, we will provide rooms in the village, free of charge. If you require food or any other kind of accommodations and bla bla bla bla bla."
Ryu trailed off, not able to continue on with his spiel any longer.
"Look, train hard or whatever you want to do for the next month. As long as you're in the arena before it's your turn to fight then I really don't care where you go or what you do. Got it? Good! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a bottle to get to, so from this point on, I was my hands with you lot until the finals! Have a shitty month, you wonderful little devils!"
With those completely unprofessional parting words, the proctor and his fellow Jonin turned and walked away, leaving the Genin to their own devices.
"A charmer as always." Kankuro said sarcastically, knowing the man long enough to know what he was like.
"Whelp, see no reason for me to stay in this dusty old village any longer, so I think I'll be seeing myself out." Katsuo suddenly remarked, much to his team's growing annoyance as they stood with him. As expected, he couldn't even walk out of the room without blessing them with his arrogance. "Oh, and don't you all go get yourselves killed before I can do the honors. Later~."
They left, and the Konoha team's eyes fell onto the remaining competitors.
The Rain Genin were next to leave, as silent as they had entered. Gaara simply vanished in a blur of sand, leaving his siblings quite literally in the dust. Not seeing any point in being flashy, Kankuro and Temari stood to leave, but he didn't feel right doing so without keeping up appearances with his new favorite team.
"I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to fighting you guys in the exam. At least I know I'll have a better chance walking out alive if I fight you guys. No offense, of course."
"...Just for that, if you somehow make it pass Neji, I'll only aim for your head." Tenten retorted, to which the Kankuro chuckled.
"You'd have to make it pass Gaara, which is highly unlikely. Best advice I could give you is to forfeit. At least then you can walk away alive."
"Kankuro," Temari spoke up before the Konoha Genin could retort, her tone warning.
"Well, looks like the overlord has spoken. Catch you kids around, or maybe at the end." Their new 'friend' waved them goodbye before following his sibling out of the room, leaving the Konoha team to themselves.
...
"I hear you passed." Was the first thing their Jonin Sensei said upon entering their room.
"With flying colors." Tenten said happily as she closed the door behind them.
"That is good to hear. I did not doubt your skill for a second."
"What? Praise? From you? Is the world coming to an end?"
"I give praise when it is needed. Doing so constantly is detrimental to your growth." Saying that, their sensei's face then turned serious as they all took their respective seats on their beds. "I assume you all know who you'll be facing in the finals."
The moment she asked, Naruto pulled a small scroll from his pouch and tossed it to the woman. Opening it, she read the contents carefully, her expression unchanged till the end.
"It is more or less what I expected." She said, closing the scroll and locking eyes with her students. "Uzumaki, Hyuga, you two arguably have the easier side of the bracket. I have no doubt that both of you will make it to the finals with little difficulty."
The words made the mentioned Genin sit up straighter, whether they would admit it or not. It was rare praise, one that the woman did not give out readily.
"Higurashi," her attention turned towards Tenten, who suddenly felt inadequate for some reason. "I'm less confident with your chances."
"Is it because of that Gaara guy?" Tenten immediately pointed out who she thought would cause her own sensei to worry. Much to her growing consternation, the woman nodded.
"He is no ordinary Genin. Much like Uzumaki, he is a Jinchuuriki—specifically the One-Tail. Though he does not hold a candle to the beast, his power is beyond his years. From what I have gathered, his sand acts as an impenetrable shield said to be able to repel even A-ranked fireballs. I have yet to see this for myself, but I believe that your fighting style is not best suited against this type of opponent."
"...So, what? You want me to forfeit or something?" Tenten asked somewhat irritably, and though her sensei could not understand the reason, she would not judge.
"No. While I have my doubts, it would be unfair of me to force that decision upon you. The decision to fight is yours and no one else's. However, keep in mind that your decision could either sway towards the positive or negative when the Kage's consider your promotion. If you are to fight, then I expect you to give it your all. No half measures, no holding back. Give it everything, or give up. If you are to forfeit, then do so before the fight starts or you will-"
"I'm fighting."
The declaration made the Jonin's brow rise slightly.
"Are you sure?" She asked, wanting a straight answer.
"Positive. Even if I can't win, I can't forfeit until I've given it my all. Besides," she looked to her teammates, reassured at their presence rather than any approval they would give. "No one else in this room would give up without trying, so neither will I."
Her answer, while not exactly what Kagero was expecting, was enough to gain the Jonin's approval.
"Then, I hope you are ready. I shall oversee all of your training personally. We will begin at noon tomorrow at the-"
"Um, sorry, but I've already got an idea of what I want to work on and where I'll be going for the month."
Kagero's mouth slowly closed as Naruto's words settled.
"...Who?" Was all she asked.
"Not really a 'who'. There is someone I have in mind, but she's more of a guinea pig... Well, they are."
"Who."
"You guys can come with me if you want. It definitely beats standing in the-"
"Uzumaki. Who?"
Location: Takigakure
Reappearing in an unknown clearing with a lake surrounded by thick roots wasn't something Team 8 expected from the reverse summon. In fact, they weren't expecting being reversed summoned at all. Kagero has simply asked a question, and out of nowhere, their blonde teammate was going through handsigns, and before they knew it, they were here. Of course, it was Naruto, so they didn't have to worry about it being a trick of some sorts, but that didn't mean they wouldn't wring his neck later for doing something so stupid out of the blue without first answering the question.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to find who the mystery person was.
Not too far away from them was a cabin, the structure coming as a surprise to all of them, Naruto included. Last time he was here, it was nothing more than a beat-up old shed that was a poke away from toppling over. Now, it was a towering structure, nearly two stories with multiple windows, rooms, lights, and even a balcony. Not only that, but the windows were replaced with actual glass, and the door looked as if it were made of solid oak.
All the while, the person responsible for the sudden upgrade was standing in front of the home with his hand raised, ready to hammer the nail in. Right next to him was a familiar face to them all, holding nails and other equipment and looking as if she would rather be anywhere but where she was.
Then she noticed them, and her eyes suddenly widened. Immediately, she dropped everything she was holding and sprinted straight for them. Naruto, expecting this, held his hands to his side as if waiting for the girl to crash into his arm.
Oh, how surprised he was when a foot crashed into his face instead.
"YOU DIRTY LITTLE SNAKE!" Fu shouted with all the anger and vitriol she could muster. Her eyes, white in anger, glared down at her 'boy friend' as if he were the worst piece of trash she'd ever stepped on.
"...Hi, Fu." Naruto greeted her calmly, sitting up to rub his nose while wondering what he had done this time to gain her ire.
"Hi? HI!?" Fu's voice cracked as it grew in pitch and volume before she stomped over towards the downed blonde to grab a fist full of his shirt. Before he could blink, he was being shaken back and forth, his brain rattling in his skull while the girl continued her rant. "After not talking to me for weeks, you finally decide to show your ugly mug just to drop an old man on my freaking door! You have ANY idea how hard he has been working me?! He made me tear down my house! MY house! I've been working for the last five days to build HIS dream house! You think I'm here to WORK! That I'm some SLAVE?! It's MY home, damn it! I do what I want!"
"Calm...down...Fu..." Naruto tried speaking through the shaking, but only proved to make things worse.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN YOUR THE ROOT OF MY PROBLEMS! YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I FEEL LIVING WITH AN OLD MAN WHO WON'T EVEN LET ME SLEEP IN WHENEVER I WANT? EAT HOW I WANT? PLAY HOW I WANT?! EVEN SHIBUKI IS TAKING HIS SIDE! YOU'RE BOTH TRAITORS! YOU'RE LUCKY I DON'T KICK BOTH OF YOUR BALLS INTO YOUR SKULLS THEN SHOVE THEM BACK DOWN YOUR THROAT YOU INCONSIDERATE, TRAITOROUS JERK!"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill my Genin." Kagero, surprisingly, was the one to save him from suffering any permanent brain damage...or death. Fu's eyes landed on the women, then on the two next to her, making her face scrunched up in disgust.
"And I see you brought roaches."
"And I see you're still the same little shit." Tenten said, a bit peeved at the insult.
"The hell are you lot doing here?"
All heads turned to the voice to find the man from before walking their way. He wore a simple orange shirt with brown pants and boots with nothing else distinctively standing out. His arms, exposed and scarred, flexed as his hands clenched and unclenched into fists.
"Hey, old man. We came to visit." Naruto greeted, allowed to get to his feet upon being released.
"A surprising visit, at that. Didn't think I'd see you two again for some time." The man, none other than Jeralt, said before turning his attention to the two new faces. "And you've brought guests."
"They're friends. A part of my team." Naruto reassured, catching the faint line of suspicion in his tone. Thankfully, Jeralt accepted the words and his eyes became welcoming.
"Well then, I welcome you all. Name's Jeralt, and I take care of that brat over there."
"I said I don't need your help, old man! And this is MY house! MINE!" Fu yelled angrily.
"As you can see, she's quite the earful. Took some time, but I finally nailed some discipline into that thick head of hers—though I think a few extra lessons are in order."
"I can still put you through a wall, y'know." Fu threatened, cracking her knuckles for emphasis.
"Fu, I told you, it's wrong to hit old people. They die easily." Naruto came to Jeralt's defense, yet the man couldn't help but feel attacked.
"*Sigh* Are you here to bust my balls kid, or did you actually need something?" Jeralt sighed in frustration.
"Oh, I'm actually only here to see Fu. And...well..." The blonde scratched the back of his head as he looked to the girl in question sheepishly. "We kinda need a place to stay for a few weeks...maybe even a month..."
Fu looked wholly unimpressed by his words.
"...Excuse me?"
"It's for a month. We'll stay out of your hair and you can kick them out whenever you want."
"Oi." Tenten spoke up at his last words, yet none of it removed the look on Fu's face.
"I promise we will help around the house whenever we can."
"..."
"I'll teach you a new Jutsu?"
"..."
"...You wanna fight, don't you?"
"Give me a fight, a new Jutsu, AND help with this old bastard and I MAY consider it."
Naruto looked from the house, to hammer in Jeralt's hand, then back to the mint-haired Jinchuuriki.
"Deal."
Fu smile was wide.
"Well then, welcome to my new home! Make sure to leave your shoes at the door along with your bullshit. The only rule in my house is that if you have a party, make sure I'm invited. Breakfast is caught in the morning around 10, so if you don't catch, you don't eat! You're also not-"
"Hold up, I never agreed to-"
"NO ONE ASKED YOU, OLD MAN!...Like I was saying, you're not allowed to go catch fish without MY permission. Also, my room is MY room. Enter uninvited, and I'll break your legs. I also demand that once a day, you pay respect to the Chōmei statue. She's a feisty bugger and doesn't like-"
A/N: Byleth was originally meant to be in this chapter, but I forgot my own plot and had her in half the scenes. Had to fix that asap, which means I had to cut a lot of content. That bit about Naruto essentially having a save state whenever and wherever in time like Tracer from OverWatch came from this somehow. Thought long and hard on whether or not I wanted him to have his ability, but saw no harm in doing so.
Also found out where Jeralt ended up. Hinted this a few chapters back, but he's important to the story, specifically for FuSafe to say, he won't be t
As for the poll, it would seem the tables have turned slightly.
Byleth - 16
Edelgard -15
Harem -13
Sothis -8
Tenten - 5
Fu - 3
Kagero - 1
Only three-ish chapters left before the end of this arc. Next chapter we jump right into the Chunin Exams a month later. I would write an extra chapter going over what exactly they all developed, but want that surprise to be for the actual exams. Plus, I'm lazy, and writing that would take me at least 3 weeks since I'll definitely not be motivated.
As always, thank you all for follows, favs, reviews, and hope you have a DAMN good day!