(Chapter 45: A Forest full of Shenanigans…Right?!)
It would be in the immediate aftermath of the written portion of the Chunin Exams; that our intrepid genin would get right underway into what they knew in their hearts would be the downright easiest part to get through, and if anything moreso a warm-up for them than anything truly life-threatening. Which was surviving in the Forest of Death for 5 days, and not only that but to obtain a Heaven or Earth scroll from an opposing team in order to qualify for the next portion of the exams…which Team Kazushi considered a cakewalk given how much they trained inside the Forest of Death and their overall strength.
(June 24th, 998 S.E, 4:08 Pm, Forest of Death)
It was late into the afternoon as Team Kazushi were waiting to ambush a group of Kusagakure shinobi who were hunting for food in the depths of the forest for their lunch, as our trio stalked them like a pack of ravenous wolves.
'Ready whenever you are, Sasuke. Just say the word and I'm down to just obliterate these guys.' Naruto said with a monstrous grin whilst Sakura cracked her knuckles in agreement
'Come on, Sasuke. Let's us at 'em already, they already don't stand a chance!' Sakura telepathically spoke as well
'Patience you two, even though we have the strength advantage. We must make sure that no energy is wasted when we attack.' Sasuke told them whilst their opposition continued to follow after a boar the size of a minivan
'Besides, look at it this way. We not only get to snuff out our targets, but also deny them of a meal as well. If that isn't a power move all on its own, I don't know what is.' Sasuke further spoke as the grins on both his compatriot's faces spoke in more than enough agreement
'Damn, that is a really good point...You see Sasuke, you really are a menace like the rest of us, and I love it!' Naruto replied over the Mind Radio as he and his compatriots began to take their positions
From there the trio waited until the group of Kusagakure genin were within range of their quarry before striking at their targets with lethal efficiency, what with Naruto left arm becoming engulfed in fiery shadows to use Darkness Lariat to strike down the centermost genin. The young man was met with a swift but brutal end given that in one fell swoop he was engulfed in darkness and hellish flame before his body imploded like a chunky gore balloon sending blood and moff-ball sized chunks of gore splattering across the ground.
Meanwhile, Sakura launched forward like a pink-haired demon and with a vicious flying knee; caved in her jaw into a shattered mess of fractured bones, mangled muscle, and jagged teeth that looked like a horrorshow of flesh as her opposition staggered backwards in immense pain. All before they were promptly roundhouse kicked into the ground, and subject to her stomping on their mangled face like a trampoline until their skull soon had the consistency of raw steak.
Yet Sasuke's felling of his target came the swiftest and oddly enough by comparison was the most violent, given that faster than they could blink the Kusagakure kunoichi found both her arms severed at the elbow, before the Uchiha then rounded on her with his chokuto to disembowel her, and his Jian thrust upwards through her neck and out the back of her mouth. Before a devastating flourish of blades rammed both of them through her chest and yanked downwards to eviscerate her lungs; before kicking her away from him; for within the space between a blink and a tear did the unfortunate Kusa genin in question soon lay in a blood-soaked puddle of her limbs, blood and sliced out innards.
However, the boar which had barely become aware of the massacre behind it; did not escape the bloodshed given how faster than the crack of a whip did Naruto launch himself into action against the massive boar with a Brick Break to its neck that sent it flying into the trunk of a nearby oak tree with bone-shattering force; killing it instantly…As such from there and after a handful of moments of skinning the boar alive to roast it over a fire that was made from our intrepid genin's gathering of some firewood and Naruto's use of Ember soon had their lunch as they set up camp after gaining what was now their 2nd pair of Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
"Man, this is some good boar, Naruto. Thanks for cooking it for us." Sakura said as the trio began devouring the now-deceased boar
"Glad you guys like it…It took awhile to figure out how to make roasted boar taste good, but I finally nailed it after so much trial and error." Naruto replied as he took a monstrous chomp of his boar thigh
"Granted, it's still a bit tough to chew through. But I'll chock that up to my having left it on the fire for too long." Naruto further spoke as he took another bite
"By the way, why the heck are we going so slow? We've got enough power to speed blitz our way through the competition. So I don't see why we aren't taking our sweet asses there now?!" Sakura asked wondering why they didn't just blitzkrieg their way through the opposition
"Simple, I want us to have an insurance policy should the worst happen…While it is all fine to be more than confident in our power and skills. I would rather have it so that we each have backup scrolls should the worst happen. This way we are not out of luck should something happen." Sasuke explained on his reasoning why he had them taking his time
"Sounds like a halfway decent plan…we don't really know what they put out here for us to get into. So I'd rather we have our bases covered, and not get caught lacking." Naruto said not wanting to take the risk of being caught lacking
"Therefore, once we acquire another set of scrolls. Then Naruto will teleport us too the tower, and we can take things from there." Sasuke replied as to what the strategy was
"Hey, I don't really have a problem with it. I just wanted to make sure we aren't lollygagging; when we could be out there kicking ass with maximum efficiency…It's just all this waiting is making me antsy is all." Sakura said feeling herself even after decimating those genin to still feel restless
"We only need to take out two more teams in order to have everything we need. Once that is over, we can then head to the tower and await for our other opposition to meet us there." Sasuke told the pink-haired bruiser
"Now that'll be something…Whatever we're gonna do in that tower; is gonna make for a helluva warm-up for the big shit that comes our way." Sakura said ready to absolutely punish whoever came in her way
"And what of you, Naruto? What do you plan to do against the competition we will more than likely face inside that tower?' Sasuke questioned the superhuman blonde
"
That's easy, Sasuke. I'll run right through them, just like I do to everyone else." Naruto replied
"And what if you fight against one of your siblings? What will you do against them then?" Sasuke questioned once more
"Honestly, with how much my anger has been growing towards them lately…I honest to God might kill them out of sheer rage. I know I'm not supposed to, but every fiber of my being wants to crush them into the ground and make sure they can never walk or even so much as curl their fingers to make a fist again. All I even feel when I look at them is the outright desire to maim them until they're reduced to a goddamn vegetable." Naruto answered back as he continued munching on his boar thigh with all the savagry of a monstrous beast
"So to put it to you simply, Sasuke…If I fight them and something happens…then as a wise man once said. If they die, they die." Naruto further spoke with so much rage and hatred in his voice that it borderline sounded demonic
"I won't say I blame you for doing as such. Just remember what happens should either of them die…They are still jinchuuriki at the end of the day." Sasuke reminded Naruto who nodded
"Relax, Sasuke. I'm fully aware of what's gonna happen if I take one of their heads off. Plus even if that does happen, I'm pretty sure my max power can handle the giant furball." Naruto said back confident that should the worst happen in his fury that he could take on the strongest of the tailed beasts
"All I know is that whatever happens; is that Naruto will come on top with a vengeance. Because there is no way that either of those twin idiots; have anything that can trump what Naruto has." Sakura spoke with full confidence in her brothers' inhuman levels of power
"If they somehow manage to trump my powers, then I will legitimately be astonished…But, then again the chances of that are somewhere between slim and absolutely not happening in my lifetime." Naruto replied in full confidence that no matter what they brought out that he would still be able to crush them
"Just remember to be mindful of your rage, Naruto…These past few months have seen both your power and the rage you have been keeping down grow immensely." Sasuke remarked
Since both Sasuke and Sakura had seen that along with Naruto's growth in power and his mastery of them, that his rage towards his siblings and Jiraiya grow to the point that even the sturdiest of training grounds of Konoha were unable to survive his rage when an unintentional thought regarding them came to mind. As such both Sasuke and Sakura knew that if he stepped in there against Toshiro and Mizore then the chances that out of pure rage and spite against them; that he would try to murder them would be significant to say the least.
"I know, but all I gotta do is keep my stuff together and I should be fine." Naruto said to the Uchiha
"I at the very least hope so…In the meantime, we should finish our meal and then scout ahead for our next targets." Sasuke said taking another bite of food
"Roger that, boss man!" Naruto said as the trio continued eating
'...It shouldn't be that hard to resist the urge to tear them apart in front of the villagers, and show the fucking corpse to everyone like a trophy right?' Naruto wondered to himself
(3 hours later. 7:47 Pm, Forest of Death)
Meanwhile, it would be later on into the evening as Gaara had encased a genin squad from Ame in multiple sand coffins that floated in the air, as the redhead debated on what to do with them.
"I do not know what was worse…The fact that you thought that you could kill me, or the fact that you insulted me by trying to attack me with jutsu as baselessly weak as that." Gaara said as she glared at the floating sand covered genin
"Look, we already gave you our Heaven Scroll…what more do you want from us?" Asked one of the Ame genin terrified of the redhead who literally held their lives in the palm of her hand
"Simple, to pay for having wasted my time, and having bored me with attacks that disgustingly weak…Sand Burial." Gaara answered back as she snapped her fingers and crushed them all into bloody spheres of sand
"This was boring…now I want more if this is all Konoha has to offer." Gaara said as the blood mounds of sand began to morph and shape into a eagle made of blood covered quartz and hardened sand
"Gaara, we've been at it for 4 hours straight, we already have 6 pairs of scrolls. I think we've done enough to call it for tonight." Kankuro said as the smaller redhead looked at him with apathy
"You mean that I have done enough to call it for tonight. Remember who has been carrying us through every encounter thus far, Kankuro. So since I've done the majority of the leg work, I will say when we have done enough." Gaara said as she summoned a cloud of sand to float upon
"Look, that's easy for you to say. But Temari and I aren't built like you, so you need to slow down and give us a break already! Fuck, we've been at this for hours…" Kankuro spoke as Gaara began absentmindedly constructs made of sand
"And how is that my fault, Kankuro? You two knew in advance how important the Exams were, so it is not my fault that you did not prepare for the pace that would be set." Gaara said as Kankuro began to storm over towards his younger sister
"Better yet, who are you to tell me what to do to begin with?" Gaara questioned unphased by Kankuro's look of irritation
"Look, as your big brother someone has to tell you when to stop your bullshit. So I'm putting my foot down and telling you too…" Kankuro shot back but before he could get in arms reach of Gaara the mounds of sand she was messing around with were turned into halberds made of sand
"Remember where you stand, Kankuro. You don't have the right to all yourself my big brother in any capacity…We may be family by blood, but that is all that connects us and nothing more. So watch your tongue, or I just might sever it from your mouth." Gaara spoke as the halberds lengthened and grew more gnarled and akin to Shukaku's claws
"Hey, Garra. Maybe calm down a bit as a favor to your sister." Temari said before a large broadsword made of sandstone and condensed sand appeared at her neck
"And you are in the same boat as Kankuro as well, Temari. If anything I hate you more than him, considering all of the times I heard you talk about how much of monster I am behind my back…At least, Kankuro never lied to my face about loving me one moment, and then telling the other villagers that I'm a monster that stole our mothers' face behind my back the next to her friends." Gaara hissed in anger at the nerve Temari had to talk to her as though they were anything in regards to being sisters
"H-How did you…I never said anything like that about you." Temari said as another broadsword appeared at her liver
"For someone who is one of the most capable of our village. You forget that with my power to control sand, that everything in the desert is mine to control…So what makes you think that I wouldn't have the ability to make sure that eyes and ears are everywhere? After all with how many assassination attempts our 'loving' father has sent my way over the years, did you really think I wouldn't be able to know when any and everyone talks horribly about me?" Gaara replied as Temari's eyes widened at this information
"That is why, I know how much you and Kankuro say or do behind my backs…This is why I can safely say that while neither of you are my siblings in the way it truly counts. That I hate you the most between the two of you, Temari. Because while Kankuro is an ass most of the time, at least he doesn't try to pretend like he loves me and calls me a monster all the same." Gaara further spoke her aquamarine eyes holding an unadulterated hate for her elder sister
Wherein with it being how much she was able to expand her powers over sand throughout the years to keep herself safe from the wrath and ire of her villagers, and as of recent with her newfound mental clarity had been able to see that while she hated her siblings for her treatment towards her. That she found herself hating Temari all the more, given that at least with Kankuro she knew he would shoot it straight with her regarding his feelings towards her, yet with Temari all she could see was someone who was consistently two-faced towards her, saying that she loved her as a little sister one moment and then turning around to gossip with the villagers about how how she was a demon with her mothers' face the next.
"Gaara, wait…" Temari said as the broadswords grew closer towards her neck
"Don't bother, since you two are having trouble keeping up. Here are the scrolls we've gathered, you two can go ahead towards the tower…In the meantime, I'm going to go headhunting for another scroll…Be grateful that I need you two to continue onwards." Gaara spoke before floating onto the back of her eagle and flying away, dismissing the weaponized constructs once she flew out of eyesight
"Well, that went a lot better than what I expected…As far as I'm concerned, that's a plus in my book." Kankuro said once Gaara was gone
"You call her nearly killing us a plus?! Are you insane, Kankuro?! She could've sliced my neck open." Temari asked to an unmoved Kankuro
"No shit, Temari. To be honest, as long as I don't have to worry about Gaara crushing us with her sand, or worse getting creative with whatever she makes with her sand. Then I will take any win I can get." Kankuro answered back happy to not worry about his sister being a homicidal nutcase
"Besides, now that she can think straight. I say that having this version of her, is a gigantic improvement over the big bag of murder-happy crazy we used to have…I swear her bouncing from calm one moment to serial killer the next was damn near making me go gray early." Kankuro added with relief that Gaara was now sane instead of a mood-swinging time-bomb
"In case you haven't noticed, Kankuro; that makes things even worse now!...Now that she has a clear head just how long do you think it is going to be before she wants us dead…We weren't exactly her biggest supporters growing up." Temari said back knowing full well that with Gaara being sane that she was much more emotionally focused than before
"Well, that sounds like a you problem. Because, as Gaara just said she hates you more than me, and who could blame here. Because, unlike you I'm not two-faced sack of shit; that goes around badmouthing our superpowered little sister to everyone." Kankuro said as he pocketed the scrolls left behind
"So what, you're going to be all buddy-buddy with that…that monster who has our mothers' face? Is that it?" Temari questioned with narrowed eyes
"Here's the thing, Temari. I'm not about to piss off Gaara, because of something that dad being the dipshit he is; sealed Shukaku in her. So if you want to get yourself killed then go right ahead, but I'm not…I actually like living." Kankuro answered back
"Now come on, we better get going before nightfall. I don't want to be caught in whatever freakshows this Forest has." Kankuro added before leaping off and away with Temari in tow
'Hopefully, after I blow off some more steam, I can meet up with Naruto and his team at the tower…I hope he's doing ok.' Gaara said to herself as she flew away on the back of her eagle
(2 days later, 5:06 Pm, Forest of Death, June 26th, 998 S.E)
On the other side of things, Sai was making sure that he and his team were staying on course towards the tower; given that after being pocket-checked by a powerful Kusa genin who was strong enough to be able to bully the twins in their 2 tailed cloaks. Sai was just glad that after they'd barely managed to find enough teams to gather the next set of scrolls they needed, they were only 4 more miles out from the Tower…unfortunately the twins had other plans once Mizore senesed Team Kazushi up ahead.
"We are not going to go after them, it is far too dangerous." Sai told the twins
"The hell we aren't, all we have to do is wait till nightfall while their setting up for camp. Then we can teach them a lesson after they shat on us in Wave." Toshiro said wanting to personally teach Naruto a lesson in getting in his way
"And how well do you think that will go, Toshiro? In case you haven't noticed we were barely able to find the proper scrolls to guarantee our entry…To risk that because you want an ego boost is out of the question." Sai replied knowing they were way out of their element to do so
"Not only that, but with how incredibly accurate Kabuto Yakushi's information cards were. There is little we could even do against them, even if we were able to take them by surprise. Not only are they stronger than us as a unit, but their battle experience and skill outweigh ours as well. So either way, we are at a detriment…Especially with those seals that mystery genin put on the two of you; that have locked you out of using the 9 tails chakra." Sai further spoke knowing that with the twins' unable to use their inner beasts' chakra on top of the skill and power discrepancy they'd be at a major disadvantage
"So what, you expect me to just take this shit lying down; when we can take them no problem?! That what; I'm just supposed to accept being made a bitch when that sack of shit is just a couple miles ahead?!" Toshiro asked seething in anger
"What I am asking you to do, Toshiro. Is to see past your own anger and ego for ONCE, and stay focused on the task at hand. In case you haven't noticed we are in no position for unneeded engagements. Especially, when we are at a time limit." Sai answered back
"...I hate to agree with him, Toshiro. But Sai has a point." Mizore reluctantly spoke in agreement
"Are you really siding with him?! What the fuck, Mizore! You know as well as I do that Naruto and shitty friends have it coming to them." Toshiro asked incensed that Mizore would agree with Sai
"Look, I want to get back at Naruto too. Its thanks to him that I have to wear a stupid wig all the time, since my hair hasn't grown back properly…But, thanks to whoever that bitch from Kusagakure was; we are fucked if we go after Kazushi's team. Its bad enough that we got embarrassed again, but now we don't have access to the stupid fox's chakra anymore, and with how close we are. We will have people coming after us left and right. So for now, we have to be doubly careful for anything that could come our way." Mizore responded heatedly
Since as much as Mizore loathed to admit it, they couldn't risk going after Naruto's team when they were so prominently hampered after being snuck upon by the terrifyingly proficient Kusagakure genin, but with their having sustained injuries that weren't healing correctly without the 9 tails to bolster them…they were shit out of luck.
"Even you have to admit that as we are now. It would be a suicide mission to take them on right now…Especially when you can barely keep up with a broken leg and nearly broken ribs." Mizore added as they briefly glanced at her brothers' wounded state to know that he wasn't in any condition to fight
"Not to mention, with my condition being the best between the three of us. I believe that I am the best to make the most effective moves for our team going forward…That is why, I am making the best course of action and decision to stay the course and keep going." Sai said as they continued on their way towards the Tower while Toshiro could only seethe at being denied his vengeance against his brother
"...Just swallow your pride for now Toshiro. Once we reach the tower and recover, then we can get back at Naruto. Until then we just have to wait it out." Mizore spoke once more in reluctant agreement with Sai
'It isn't even like we have a choice, since as it is now. The moment we move out of line; Sai can just use whatever ink nonsense he wants to stop us in our tracks…So for now we just have to play nice for now.' Mizore remarked to herself as Team Kakashi sped forward
"Whatever…Just as long as we get out of this damn forest, then I don't give a shit." Toshiro said as he grunted in putting weight on his busted up leg as they continued forward
Meanwhile, Team Kazushi had made it to the tower after obliterating the competition and collecting a dozen scrolls 16 scrolls overall, so as to cut down severely on the amount of weak competitors they would've had to face. And as such were just straight chillin' and more or less dicking around until things started up in two days, what with Naruto in his room by his lonesome while Sakura and Sasuke were out talking too Team Guy and Team Asuma for having made it here in record time, Naruto was chilling in his room taking a nap…at least until he heard a knock at the door.
What with the superhuman blonde awakening from his sleep and using Transform to turn into his 'human' form and answer the door, and to his confusion he was welcomed to the sight of Orochimaru herself at his door in all her terrifying glory.
"Orochimaru? Wait, what're you doing here?...Better yet, how did you even get in the village? I thought that you were a whole rogue shinobi." Naruto asked the imposing form of the Serpent Sannin
"Simple, I came to see how you were doing after I had checked in with my genin. I do make it my business to make sure that my assets are in working order." Orochimaru told him as she closed the door behind her, her almost predatory smile never leaving her
"Furthermore, now that I am the leader of my own village. I have diplomatic immunity, as a leader of my very own hidden village and country…After all, you should know from your last visit." Orochimaru added as she put a silencing seal on the room
"Wait a minute, that whole place I was visiting before was your Hidden Village? I just thought that was a megabase of yours!" Naruto said now putting two and two together after so long
"Yes, as unfortunately, I didn't tell you about it beforehand…But I had so many things going on at the time; that it honestly slipped my mind at the time. Nevertheless, I am glad too see how my equal is doing at this time." Orochimaru replied
"It is no problem at all, besides since you look like you are doing pretty well, I'd say everyone's winning right about now." Naruto said back as the Serpent Sannin took a seat across from him
"By the way, I did want to ask you something?" Naruto questioned
"What is it?" Orochimaru replied
"A while back, I sensed a lot of power going on, and I'm talking about stuff that felt all too familiar too Mizore and Toshiro hulking out on the 9 tails chakra…So other than Gaara being a big enough problem to force that out of them, I gotta ask..did you have something to do with that?" Naruto questioned
"Oh that…yes that little spat was my doing entirely. I apologize if it caused any trouble." Orochimaru answered back nonchalantly
"Ok, but why though? I figured you would've had a lot better things to do than to mess with my dickhead siblings' team?" Naruto questioned
"To be honest with how little there is to do around the village. I figured that it wouldn't hurt too see the scope of how threatening they could potentially be. After all, to hear it from your mouth and the mouths of my men on their level of strength is one thing. However, to see it for myself and experience it is another." Orochimaru answered back
"Therefore, I put on a bit of a disguise for myself as one of the genin participating, and paid them a 'visit'. Suffice it to say they were far, far below my standards of what I expected the jinchuuriki of the 9 tails to perform at. In fact, your mother was much more admirable in terms of strength and quality at their age; that that pitiful display…Honestly, that girl had the nerve to attack me with such abysmal kenjutsu that it was borderline insulting…which was why I broke her arms as penance for wasting my time." Orochimaru further spoke in severe distaste
To say that Orochimaru was disappointed with their performance was an understatement, and a gross one at that given that she was at least expecting to have to try a bit during her 'scuffle' with them, but even when she allowed them to go to 2 tails of their tailed beasts power at the very start, and yet still didn't have to at even a 5th of her overall strength. Something that when combined with their astonishing amount of arrogance and in her mind lackluster performance, had her call enough and not only brutalized them save for the ink user, but put the 5 Elements seal upon them, and drained them of all their chakra before taking their scrolls.
"To be real with you, I tried to warn you that they weren't shit. Especially to someone of your caliber, and all the crazy stuff you are capable of." Naruto said to the Serpent Sannin
"Indeed, they were…Then again, I couldn't resist seeing how far in terms of strength that Jiraiya's pet projects were." Orochimaru replied
"Well, now that you know how strong they are? What are you going to do from there?" Naruto inquired
"Stay around to see how my village's genin performs in the next trial…After all, I wouldn't be a very good leader if I didn't stay to see how they performed." Orochimaru told Naruto regarding what their plans were
"Huh, well in that case best of luck to you and your genin." Naruto replied
"Thank you very much, Naruto…By the way, how have your powers progressed so far?" Orochimaru questioned
"Well, I've gotten much stronger…Also, I can control water now, along with some other fun stuff!" Naruto excitedly replied as he made a grapefruit stingray of water from thin air
"That is fascinating…It would take most water release users years to do something like this without any water in the immediate vicinity." Orochimaru said as Naruto had the stingray-shaped construct fly about
"Yeah, and to be honest this only took me about 2 maybe 3 weeks to make happen. Was a little bit tricky to nail down at first, but after some time, I nailed it…All that expense of getting a few pairs of my clothes absolutely soaked." Naruto said back as the stingray of water continued to fly about
"That is all very impressive….It only further cements my question on why you do not aspire for more with your powers. With it you could control nearly everything around you, and yet for some strange reason you choose to settle as a farmer when all is said and done with your shinobi career." Orochimaru spoke perplexed by Naruto having a nigh-infinite amount of power at his disposal and yet wanting a life of simplicity
"The way I see it, the only things I need to have are my friends, family, my powers, and that's about it. The rest I can handle just fine with my own two hands, and the good people around me." Naruto replied
"Your mindset towards your powers are truly astonishing…Your personality actually reminds me of one of my former students." Orochimaru told Naruto who had a look of surprise upon hearing that
"Really?" Naruto asked
"Yes, they were a good young man with so much to give to the world. Had the potential to become something greater than Tsunade, myself or even the 1st Hokage. But unfortunately, something went awry and he was lost to an unfortunate accident on the field." Orochimaru answered back seeing much of his former student in Naruto
"Are you talking about Nawaki?" Naruto questioned as the Serpent Sannin nodded yes
"Correct. You share many traits with him, his kindness, his love for others, his resolve, and more importantly his unbreakable will to do whatever he wants to accomplish. Which is why, I know for certain that you go incredibly far in this world, Naruto. You have the power of infinite possibility at your disposal, and I know for certain you will do incredible things with it." Orochimaru answered back
"I appreciate it…By the way, I know it may not mean much. But for what its' worth had things not gone rotten, you would've been an awesome godparent alongside Granny. Since I may not know you all that well, but from what I do know your a really good person, Orochimaru." Naruto said as the Sannin in question felt their heart almost skip a beat at the kind words lauded their way
"That is very sweet of you to say…However, I must be taking my leave, I do have to meet with your father and the sensei of my genin after all." Orochimaru told the superhuman blonde
"Alright, well have a good one…Oh! By the way, did those pictures you have me take go as planned?" Naruto asked as Orochimaru let a mischievous grin spread across her face
"Let's just say that our little prank went off without a hitch…You should have seen their faces, it was a delight!" Orochimaru answered back as they deactivated the silencing seal on the room
"Noice! Well, I'll see you again soon! Have a nice one!" Naruto said as Orochimaru left the room
"Likewise, Naruto." Orochimaru replied as she left the room
'Man, they are so nice…I honest to Mr. Arceus can't see why it is that Pervy-Sage would screw them over like that.' Naruto said to himself as he laid back down in his bed and watched the stingray of water fly above
(3 days later, 12:45 Pm, Forest of Death, June 29th, 998 S.E)
Meanwhile, it would be the day after the final day of which everyone was supposed to come to the tower to complete the 2nd portion of the Exams; with everyone looking everything from fresh and well-rested to dirty and nonplussed as they stood in attendance for the 4th Hokage to tell them about the ongoing phase of the 2nd trial.
"First of all, I wish to congratulate all of the genin teams who made it this far. As I know that it took equal parts skill, talent, and teamwork to make it this far…For that I will commend all of you." Minato spoke towards the genin in attendance
"However, this is where things will get 'interesting' as the operative term. Given that in order to thin the numbers for the final part of the Exams. We will be holding a preliminary round to decide who will be able to compete in the final portion of the Chunin Exams. The Preliminaries will be held in 1 week and a half in order to give everyone enough time to recover and be healed by our medics." Minato further spoke as murmurs about the Preliminaries
"So its basically a free-for-all then?" Kazushi asked
"Precisely. This preliminary round as with the final trial of the exams will serve as a test of everyone's individual strength. So as a word of caution, I would advise all of you to be at your best." Minato answered back
"Is there anything else our genin should be made aware of, Lord 4th?" Kakashi questioned
"Yes, as while this will be more or less a free-for-all series of matches; to decide who moves onto the final trial. I want to enforce the fact that under no circumstances will killing of your fellow competitors be allowed…While this will be a test of your abilities on an individual level, I will not allow it to be a blatant excuse to allow murder of anyone in my village, am I made perfectly clear?!" Minato answered back with a level of steel in his voice that made almost everyone in the area's backs stiffen
"Yes, Lord 4th." Were the multiple responses from everyone in attendance
"Good. Now then, enjoy the brief break that all of you have before the preliminaries, I do not doubt that you will need it." Minato said before teleporting away in his signature golden flash
"There you three have it, from here on out its all for one and one for all." Kazushi said to her genin
"Relax, Kazu. We may be fighting against all these other guys, but no matter what we're still gonna make it to the top together!" Naruto spoke with a broad grin full of nothing but utmost confidence in himself
"Naruto is right, Kazushi-sensei. We may be on our separate ways from this point forward. But as we promised each other on our graduation day…No matter what, we WILL make Chunin together." Sasuke said his obsidian eyes full of nothing but unwavering resolve
"And we will be damned if anyone gets in our way. We have come too far, and gotten through too much together to get screwed out of what's ours." Sakura replied determined to get that promotion one way or the other
"Well, shit. I was gonna do a whole encouraging speech or whatever for you guys. But it seems like the two of you are good to go already." Kazushi said back as she took out a blunt to light
"What are you gonna do in the meantime Kazu?" Naruto asked his cousin who began smoking her weed
"Probably go see if Kakashi wants some. Since I don't know about you two, but he looks two steps away from strangling Mizore and Toshiro. So I'm gonna go over and try and stop him before that happens." Kazushi answered back in regards to Kakashi whose usually silver hair had streaks of dark gray and white going through them through sheer stress
"...Good idea, and have fun getting baked." Naruto said to his cousin
"Oh don't worry, I will." Kazushi replied before heading over to a immensely stressed-looking Kakashi
"So we have a whole 10 days to prep for whoever is gonna come our way…Any ideas on how we wanna do this?" Naruto asked his two companions
"My vote is that we do what we've done before we earned our headbands. Use the Forest of Death as our personal training ground. This way we can keep our skills sharp and not have to travel very far, for a suitable means of maintaining our skills." Sasuke suggested
"I mean shit, I'm down for it. What about you, Sakura? You up for terrorizing this place again for a week and a half?" Naruto asked his fellow bruiser in Sakura
"We have one of the best places to train in on tap, and we don't have to go very far…Sign me up in a minute!" Sakura answered back more than on-board
"Excellent! Ahhh man this is gonna be great. We're gonna be kicking ass, taking names and have our kickass Chunin vests all before the end of the year! This summer is gonna fucking rock!" Naruto spoke absolutely pumped about the odds being ever in their favor
"While we no doubt have the odds in our favor. We do have to remember that any and everything can happen during the preliminary round and the final trial of the Chunin Exams…Everyone here is subject to the rules and shecaniery of these exams, and we are no exception." Sasuke replied
Sasuke knew full well that even with all the power they had at their disposal, on top of their rather high skill differential in comparison to their fellow competitors; that they still had to carry themselves with caution and constant vigilance at any given time. Seeing as how at the drop of a hat anything could happen to switch the odds from being in their favor towards being in the favor of their oppositions', and so Sasuke was prepared to to keep their advantages as such.
"So more or less, don't let our guard down and stay on our A-game?" Sakura asked the Uchiha swordsman
"Precisely, Sakura…No matter what happens, we have to remain on guard for any hidden tricks that could be pulled against us. Otherwise, all of our hard work will have been for nothing, and I will not allow that to happen because we caught a case of inflated egos." Sasuke answered back as he looked at Naruto
"Hey, why're you looking at me?!" Naruto asked
"Because, despite how outrageously strong you have become. You are as liable towards being tricked as everyone else is, so be careful Naruto. Especially should you face Toshiro or Mizore…The very last thing we need is for you to lose yourself in a fit of rage." Sasuke answered back knowing that Naruto was gonna have a rough of things
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I have things under control, I'm not gonna lose it and go all stir-crazy on 'em…That being said, if they use the Rasengan on me then that's a different story." Naruto said knowing that should that particular technique come into play that he could hold no guarantees
"...While I cannot blame you for your feelings towards that particular technique. I only ask that you try to keep a cool head against whatever taunts they throw at you, to have you lose your cool…You are far better than either of them, Naruto. That is why for all of us to make it to the top as we've planned, I need you to stay the course." Sasuke said to Naruto
"Trust me, I've got it all taken care of, Sasuke. You've got my word that I won't go off the rails." Naruto swore to the Uchiha swordsman
"Good…Now with that being said, let's go and do some training. I want to perfect my swordsmanship while I still have the chance." Sasuke spoke with a small smile
"You've got it boss…Hang on you two, and remember as always keep your seatbelts fastened and arms tucked in for the ride!" Naruto said with a goofy grin on his face
"Will you not ever be a goober for once?" Sakura asked as her brothers' grin only widened
"NEVER! Now let's go fuck shit already you guys." Naruto shouted before the trio teleported away much to everyone in the immediate area's astonishment
'D-Did they just teleport.' Were many of the collective thoughts of those in attendance
Now that all of our soon to be competitors have made it through the Forest of Death, along with some meddling from our 'friendly' Serpent Sannin; the preliminary rounds shall soon begin to further narrow down who and who won't be part of the Chunin Exams Finals…The real question being who will make it through these preliminaries and who will remain as a genin hopeful? Well stay tuned to find out all of that good shit in the next installment of Naruto: The PokeSage!
Alright, that'll do it for this one as I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter as I know the Forest of Death was short but too be honest, it just felt better to do a 'speedrun' version of it considering that with so many things having changed; a lot of canon events in it wouldn't happen and as such it would've been shorter because of it…That being said, I want to again thank everyone for sticking around for the story thus far as it has been wonderful too have written this story up to this point, and have everybody stick around for all of these shenanigans, as such your support is greatly appreciated and I can't wait to see y'all for more of what's to happen.
But with all that being said and again my gratitude for your guys's support, this will be Pravus666 signing off until next time. What with the next chapter coming up having the Preliminary Round commence, as well as what will happen in it's aftermath for the leadup to the Finals, so stay tuned for all of that!
Part 3 Theme Song: Themata by Karnivool POtte
Random End Song: Hot Dog by Limp Bizkit
Alright onto some of the reviews from the previous chapter.
Kourtney Uzu Yato: Happy New Years to you to Kourtney, as Chaos says hi he's just been working through some personal issues going on, as well as working on a new Harry Potter story and getting back into the hang of writing...writers' block and dealing with some other things that he wants to say himself will do that to a person. Also, I'm happy that you liked Kazushi getting her flowers from her genin team, as its rare in stories where you see that happen after how much they grow and flourish together so I figured why not do that for a change in Kazushi with her genin team...Also, expect Tsunade to go through a mini-training arc to get back in shape as to her there's no way she's gonna let herself get outdone by Orochimaru in that assets department (engage muscle mommy Tsunade training arc y'all), that and it wasn't really something that could've come as a shock since Jiraiya really does not like being outdone. Also, in regards to the twins with how huge their egos still are...was it really that big of a surprise that they'd try to challenge and get wrecked by Lee and Neji who are just built different when it comes to Taijutsu, and also as for Toshiro...I got something planned for him in the Finals don't you worry.
Skull Flame: Glad you liked my take on Gaara's giving her siblings the business, as I figured that now that she is actually is sane for once and is capable of articulating her thoughts without Shukaku in her ear all the time, on top of being able to get sleep without Shukaku eating away at her mental. That she would really just let them have it for fucking up that severely in public. Also, I am so glad you liked the scene with Orochimaru, Dan, and Tsunade as i liked the idea that even after all these decades that their friendship still held strong regardless, and wanted to show that for a change. Not to mention that with how capable Orochimaru is, it just made sense that she would have decades of evidence against Jiraiya for being so petty that he screwed her over into having to become a rogue ninja just because he couldn't handle them being better than him...Also we will eventually get over to Jiraiya's illegitimate kid soon enough in the Exams, its just a matter of finagling things around to do so.
Darth Diabolos: Thanks for the warm welcome back as trust me with Christmas, New Years, and going through months of reshuffling everything in order to make sure that the Chunin Exams is cohesive and not a hot mess from how much I've changed things up, on top of writing a reboot to my Gamer story, and a Bleach story I've had in the works recently...its been a LOT to deal with. That being said I'm happy that you enjoy how I've been handling my version of a fem. Gaara so far, as rarely do people give her or Gaara in general a sense of humanity that makes them feel more like an actual person than what we normally get in stories, and as such I wanted to do my due diligence to give her character a buff in that regard. Oh trust me Toshiro is gonna get eviscerated soon enough, because it ain't gonna be enough for Naruto to beat him...he's gotta embarass him to really get that catharsis he wants...Plus is just made sense that Orochimaru and Ozai were friends at one time given that when your as good as Orochimaru is or was at that time it stands to reason that you'd have friends in high places, and once Ozai gets through going over how much Jiraiya lied to him...he's gonna want his satisfaction in full!
Starravenwolf: I'll put it to you like this, Ozai is gonna want Satisfaction and in full from Jiraiya for having played him for this long...so I hope y'all like roasted Toad from what's gonna happen soon enough. Also, as to who took the photos...I'll keep that a secret for now. Also, your Pokemon Idea with the Eevee's is just too good not to do down the line, so expect that to happen in the future, and as for Toshiro, expect him to get embarassed and his comeuppance in the finals is all I'll say on the subject.
Krieger techpriest: Turns out that when you're on top for so many years, in tandem with having so much pull that you can practically get away with murder and not have anyone tell you nothing in regards to what you can and can't do. That it goes to your head and as we've seen, Jiraiya acts like a total headass.
