(Chapter 49: Finals Prep: Part 3)

It would be coming towards the last few weeks of Finals prep for the contestants of the Chunin Exams finals, and the atmosphere was one of excitement, tenseness and overall and anticipation for what was to come. What with everyone training and clamoring in the hopes to show that they were deserving if not moreso than their oppositions to be faced off against, as other ploys and schemes were taking shape in the wings, as the days drifted onwards into the fateful day at hand.


(Naruto's Farmhouse, July 11th, 998 S.E, 3:10 Pm)

It would be a bit after 3 in the afternoon as Gaara was with Naruto at his farmhouse after having finished up training of her own to perfect her ability to make constructs, and as such was simply enjoying a nice day out with the superhuman blonde to relax.

"So how are you feeling about the finals in a couple of weeks, Gaara?" Naruto asked the redhead beside him

"To be honest, I have absolutely no doubts in my mind that I will win against my opponent…Thanks to Shukaku having remained silent for so long, I can actually have the clarity of mind to act as myself for once. Instead, of being a slave to their bloodthirst, and it feels wonderful." Gaara answered back almost shaking with how good it felt to be able to sleep and have sanity on a consistent basis

"I...I almost don't know how to explain it. But what I do know is, I feel as though I can do almost anything imaginable...That now my future and my life is finally my own, and it feels wonderful to experience." Gaara added at now being able to smile in earnest of what had long since felt like a light at the end of the tunnel she could actually see

"That is wonderful to hear! And good on you that you feel that way!" Naruto said happy she could feel as she did in this moment

"Honestly, I have no idea how I am going to celebrate in the aftermath of the finals…Yet I am still excited to know that without Shukaku's whispers in my ear, that I was capable of coming this far." Gaara said back with pride in herself

"If you ever want people to celebrate just you being a great person. You are always welcome in my neck of the woods, whenever you want." Naruto offered to the jinchuuriki of Shukaku

"I appreciate that, Naruto. Truly I do, as I swear you are almost too kind for your own good…How I managed to meet someone with a heart that holds so much charity and kindness as yours I will never know." Gaara spoke finding the superhuman beside her too be to much of a sweetheart for his own good at times

"I've told you this once, and I'll tell it you again and again until I'm blue in the face. You are always more than welcome to be with me and my people whenever you want, as you will always be a part of the people that I care for. Which means that anything you need from me, I will be more than happy to give to you." Naruto told Gaara with utmost sincerity

Since as far as he was concerned, with Gaara being apart of his ever-growing circle of people he cared for and cherished in his life; that it meant that all she had to do was ask and he would bring entire villages to their knees if it meant getting her or anyone else he cared for what they needed.

"Time and time again, I continue to wonder what I have done to deserve you in my life…I swear it almost feels like I am dreaming when I spend time with you." Gaara said as Naruto chuckled

"You didn't have to do anything to deserve me or my friendship. I was just lucky enough to meet you, and spend time with a great person." Naruto replied causing Gaara to grin in joy of hearing that

"I do not think that I have any further words to say; how much I am happy when I am with you. For they cannot express how much more wonderful my life has been made, because of you." Gaara said back her smile a joyously serene one in the company of the blonde beside her

"But I do have to ask a question of you in kind." Gaara further spoke

"Go for it." Naruto said to the short redhead

"Do you feel as though you have prepared enough for your bout?...I know that the bad blood between you and your brother, is an intense one. So I would like to ask if you feel as though; you have done as much as possible to be prepared?" Gaara questioned

"To be honest, I feel like I have. Granted it isn't as great as I would like it to be, since I was hoping to do away with my fears entirely. But then I had to realize that I couldn't do all of that in a month and some changes' time."Naruto answered back

"So I had to shift gears, and work with what I could in order to at least make it so I won't go stock still when he busts out that technique…It may not be much in how I wanted, in order to make myself impervious too it and laugh my butt off when he tries to do it to me. Then again, I can't really complain when it's gonna get me a net win even still." Naruto added knowing that his training with Mewtwo was to now make it so that he wouldn't outright freeze in fear and panic upon seeing the Rasengan

"I may not know the extent of how much that Rasengan technique has hurt you. But what I do know is that regardless of what your brother uses against you. That you will win no matter what happens... You are the strongest, kindest, most wonderful person I have met in my life, Naruto. So I know that you will win regardless of what he does to you." Gaara spoke knowing without a shadow of a doubt that Naruto would win handedly against Toshiro

"Thanks for the vote of confidence in me. I appreciate it, and I have a pretty good feeling that I'll win too. Since I may not have learned any new techniques or stuff to space out my arsenal. But that doesn't mean I haven't learned some fun new ways on how to use them." Naruto replied with a smile of his own

"Really? Would you mind giving me a demonstration?" Gaara asked

"Sorry, but that is a no-can-do. I'm saving all of that stuff for when the finals start up…I can't go spoiling all of my surprises now can I?" Naruto answered back with a grin

"Fair enough. Even I know that when it comes to things that excite you, you are sure to keep a tight lid on." Gaara said

"You know it! But don't worry, because I guarantee you that I'm gonna be pulling off some really cool stuff. And I mean some real flashy fireworks stuff that's gonna leave everyone wondering 'what in the triple fuck did I just watch right now' type of cool stuff!" Naruto replied in excitement of what he, Mewtwo and Kazushi had been cooking up as of late

"So trust me when I say that all of what I've got up my sleeve is gonna be worth it! I can guarantee you that much!" Naruto spoke absolutely hyped for the new combinations he'd been working on

"Then I would hold you to that, Naruto…Now you certainly have my attention." Gaara replied keen on seeing what exactly her friend had up his sleeve

"Trust me you and everyone else are gonna love it, but in the meantime how about we go inside and have lunch? I made ribs, greens and sweet potatoes for us." Naruto told her as he hopped up from his seat

"That sounds absolutely delightful, Naruto. I would love too." Gaara spoke as she floated on her sand cloud alongside Naruto

"Great! Let's head inside, as I made your favorite dessert too, to top off!" Naruto replied

'At this point, my staying in the village with him may as well be sealed…If anything it is thanks to him that I have gained more than enough weight to stay rooted here.' Gaara remarked to herself at how over the course of her stay in Konoha she'd put on 15 pounds of weight


(4 days later, Uchiha Compound, 2:10 Pm, July 15th 998 S.E)

Meanwhile, Sasuke was enjoying his afternoon at the compound with Azula of all people; having been delighted to after his morning training with Lyoto to have her go on a day around the village, wherein Azula had quite a great time in doing so in being treated both with the dignity and respect of her station and as a young woman who wanted to be shown off to the world.

"I was expecting fanfare regarding the Finals for the Chunin Exams. However, I wasn't expecting anything of this magnitude." Azula said having not expected the bombast and intense energy of the finals to put Konha in a near uproar

"Considering this years' roster and the build-up to the finals, milady. Would you expect anything else? After all, everyone that is competing is of the best and brightest their possibly could be." Sasuke replied knowing that if the stacked roster was anything else that the energy abound would be substantially lowered

"I won't exactly argue against you on that. Especially when you are participating as well…as such congratulations for making it this far, Sasuke." Azula said to the dark-haired swordsman
"But of course. It was the only option that I would get this far to begin with. It wouldn't sit right at all if I didn't get this far, much less lose to Tenten, who no offense is lackluster." Sasuke replied

"Then again, that is what happens when you spread yourself so thin, instead of focusing onto a skillset that will make you nothing short of devastating…The weakness of ever Jack-of-All Trades, Master of None. You become decent at many different things, but vastly proficient at none of them." Sasuke added in his mini-assessment of Tenten overall

"And I would have been greatly disappointed; if you had lost to anyone that lackluster. I cannot have my future consort, lose to someone so disgustingly weak." Azula said as Sasuke held a confident smirk on his face

"Luckily enough, I am more than skilled and competent to defeat the grand majority of what may come." Sasuke replied

"As you should be. If we are to one day become an item, then I expect nothing less from the man who will be my paramore." Azula spoke with a hopeful yet nonetheless expectant smile on her face as Sasuke's face briefly flushed red at the thought

"Don't worry, outside of having to worry about my teammates. I should be able to overcome anything that gets in my way." Sasuke assured the Fire Daimyo's daughter with utmost confidence in his voice

"I will admit that your teammates are incredible in their own rights. However, I will say that I am expecting you to display your own greatness against them. As you are already one of Konoha's most proficient kenjutsu prodiges, then I will settle for nothing less of seeing you display absolute dominance over your competition." Azula replied expecting nothing less from the man who caught her eye

'If he becomes Chunin; perhaps I can convince Father to let him become part of my personal guard. It would make my future plans with him, much easier if he were at my side more often.' Azula said to herself in hopes that she could swing such a thing into her favor

"I believe that I will not disappoint, milady." Sasuke said with an assuring smile

"I would hope not, Sasuke. Someone of your talents does not deserve to have them wasted at the bottom…People like you, or rather like ourselves are meant for greater things." Azula replied

"The one thing that I know I am meant for is to prove that I am the worlds' greatest swordmaster, and earn the title of Kensei. Until I have achieved that level of greatness and skill, then I will settle for nothing less." Sasuke swore to the princess before him with enough conviction to make Madara himself proud

'Hmmm, it really is shaping up to be my perfect consort in Sasuke…Looks like fortune is smiling upon me.' Azula remarked to herself

"If that is the case, then consider this a good-luck gift, as well as a…personal gift that I have been wanting to give to you for quite some time now." Azula said as she gave Sasuke a scroll

"What is it?" Sasuke questioned

"Open it and see for yourself. I have no doubt that you will love it." Azula answered back as Sasuke did so

Once he unraveled it he saw a wonderfully made O-Katana with a brilliant fire-red sheathe with golden flame designs going throughout the length, the guard being the kanji for pride in brass and the handle being large enough for either single or two-handed wielding made of polished steel and wrapped in golden-colored leather. What with Sasuke unsheathing it to reveal a 2-and-a-half-foot long double-edged blade that while a bit heavier than he was used to, was no less wondrous too look at in its almost platinum-colored blade that shined under the light of the summer sun.

"I-I don't know what to say, Azula." Sasuke said at a rare loss for words as he looked at his new weapon

"I felt that this was the least I could do to repay the life debt I owe you…It would be unbecoming of me as a future ruler of Fire Country, it I did not repay the kindness your teammates had done in saving my life. Therefore, I had the best smiths in the capital forge you your new sword." Azula replied as Sasuke soon sheathed his new sword

"Thank you, milady. I promise to use this weapon you have gifted me to the best of my ability. You have my word as an Uchiha, and on my honor as a swordsman that I shall make Chunin with this gift." Sasuke swore to Azula who smirked at the promise given

"Good, as I will expect nothing less from the future swordmaster of the village." Azula said as she stood up from her seat across from Sasuke

"In the meantime, I will be heading off. Father wants to make sure that everything goes accordingly, once the finals are over. Apparently, something incredibly important is to happen once it has finished." Azula informed the Uchiha in question

"Do you know what this is?" Sasuke questioned

"Only that it concerns your Hokage, and nothing more." Was Azula's response

"Fair enough, and thank you for my gift." Sasuke thanked his crush

"Of course, and remember to use it against that Suyin woman. I want to see her fall before your blades, when your times comes. Especially with that 3-Swords-Style I have heard so much about." Azula told the swordsman who looked up at her assuredly

"Don't worry, she will not see what I have at my disposal; before it is too late." Sasuke promised

"Excellent, but until then, good luck." Azula said before taking her leave but not before giving him a kiss on the cheek as she did so

'Now I have even further reason not to lose to Suyin. My victory and my chances with Azula will not be denied!' Sasuke said to himself before storing his newfound blade in his storage scroll and heading off to train with Shisui for the evening


(Several hours later, 9:35 Pm, Orochimaru's Hotel-Suite)

It would be later into the day as Orochimaru was doing their nails, or at least was finishing up doing so before they heard a knock at their door, which they opened with a use of their chakra chains to act as an extra appendage to reveal a serious looking Kimimaro at the door looking a bit scuffed but nonetheless well as he carried a decently sized scroll with him.

"Apologies, for disturbing you, Lord Orochimaru. However, I felt that this required your full attention." Kimimaro said to the Serpent Sannin

"Kimimaro, you are and never will be a bother…Now then, what is it that requires my attention at this hour?" Orochimaru inquired as to why one of her trusted guards would bother her at this late of an hour

"As you may know, Pakura of the Scorch Release had survived her assassination last year, and taken residence in Konoha." Kimimaro told the Serpent Sannin

"Yes, of course. It was something that I was very well eager to hear about, when it came to a bloodline that rare…But why would something such as this require my attention?" Orochimaru further asked

"That would be because, I spotted a group of Suna and oddly enough Kirigakure Jonin and Chunin stalking her and Mizuki Touji; on what appeared to be a date. Luckily, for them I was able to intercept and capture them before they could do anything to kill Pakura and her date; before it ended in bloodshed." Kimimaro informed a now curious Orochimaru

"That is rather peculiar. Especially, when I made it clear to Rasa; to under no circumstances do anything that would cause a scene." Orochimaru spoke before using a burst of wind release to quickly dry their painted nails

"It seems as though he only pretended to care to save face, or that you did not make yourself clear enough, my lord. For it seems as though he did not understand it fully, or no longer cares for your warnings." Kimimaro replied

"Be that as it may, I am curious as to why Rasa was after the head of Pakura. Especially during the Chunin Exams of all times. Does he not know how reckless this could have been?" Orochimaru said their usually taciturn demeanor turning draconian in irritation as their nails almost seemed to sharpen into claws out of pure anger

"What do we do now?" Kimimaro questioned

"Release them from the scroll, I want to know just how far Rasa's idiocy runs. I cannot allow that idiot to ruin years of my hard work, because he still chases after an alliance with that bloodline-hating dwarf." Was Orochimaru's response that while in its usually taciturn and often demure tone of voice held nothing but contempt and cruelty as their chains waved around them

From there the Kaguya obliged and unsealed the unconscious forms of those he'd intercepted and captured who despite being battered considerably were still in decent condition…or at least were before the Serpent Sannin wrapped her chains around them like pythons coiling around their prey in a bone-crushing death grip. Once that was done Orochimaru then used the chains as a medium for the Human Path of the Rinnegan, using the bladed ends of the chains to rip their souls free from the bodies of the unconscious shinobi; so that they could read their minds as a collective to know what was going on as a whole; instead of one at a time.

Suffice to say that although Orochimaru didn't show it after they finished combing through all the sordid details of why they were to go after Pakura and her date, they were livid once they found out as to why the Kirigakure shinobi were here. What with even Kimimaro feeling the subtly rising yet notable rising in chakra as their anger grew upon finding out what Rasa's goal was, and the fact that right under their nose had the Serpent Sannin been double-crossed by the 4th Kazekage.

"What did you find out, Lord Orochimaru?" Kimimaro asked as one-by-one the corpses dropped to the ground

"It seems as though we have been played by the Kazekage." Was Orochimaru's answer albeit one tinged in anger

"Wait, how could this be?" Kimimaro questioned

"Apparently, the Kazekage has been double-dealing under the table so to speak. Playing both myself and Yagura for resources, while pledging his true alliegances towards the latter…But that is not even the worst part." Orochimaru responded cursing themselves for not keeping a closer eye on Rasa

"But what is, if that is the case?...I had already guessed that he was still in league with Yagura after he used Kirigakure shinobi to carry out an attempted assassination. So just how much further does this go exactly?" Kimimaro wondered

"Enough that he plans to use the celebration of the Exams completion, as a smokescreen to have Yagura's men alongside his own, invade Konoha." Orochimaru told the Kaguya in question

"If I am to assume such. This changes our plans for the invasion as well?" Kimimaro assumed

"It does, as at one time I had planned on doing so simply spite Jiraiya. However, this changes things massively; considering how I simply wanted to do enough damage to sunder everything Jiraiya cared for or utilized to his advantage in the village…Not the wholesale destruction of Konoha itself." The Serpent Sannin explained in simply wanting to give Jiraiya enough of a black eye to make him further suffer more than what he already has

"As such it seems as though we will be making a change of plans, that may just work to our favor in the long run. While also giving us a legitimate reason to end Yagura's regime openly." Orochimaru said as an idea came to mind to use Rasa's betrayal to their advantage

"How so?" Kimimaro questioned

"Instead, of our original plan. We will allow Rasa to have his little double-cross. Only this time we will be fighting alongside my former home when the time comes. This way, we are able to drive them out of the village, gain further pull with the Fire Daimyo and as such allow for and work towards a deal that will allow us to potentially absorb Sunagakure and even Kirigakure into our fold. Essentially netting us more than what we ever would have, had we gone with the original invasion plan." Orochimaru explained on what their new plan would be

"That is a rather dynamic shift in plans, no doubt. However, there should be enough time to gather our leaders and inform them in the change of plans." Kimimaro said knowing that while there was little time to be spared that it could still be done

"Agreed. While this is not the ideal way I would have liked to do things. This still allows me to have my cake and eat it too. On top of the fact that I also get to punish Rasa for his insolence, in thinking that he can betray me without consequence." Orochimaru replied in seeing this as the more advantageous route all things considered

"As you wish my Lord…What of the bodies of these traitors?" Kimimaro questioned

"Dispose of them as quickly as possible. I would rather not have my hotel room have the stench of corpses in it." Orochimaru ordered as Kimimaro obliged and collected the corpses to put back into the scroll in question

'I am going to make you pay for thinking you could get away with this, Rasa. If you want to play it that way, then so be it. I'll make you pay for this in all the ways I know how you insolent little maggot.' Orochimaru swore to themselves

However, as the night wore further on as Kimimaro rushed into the late night of Konoha's summer; was Rasa despising the fact that his assassins had yet to return with the head of Pakura to further cement his deal with Yagura.

"What were you expecting to have happen? Did you really think you were going to get away with blatant murder in another villages' walls?" Questioned the Six Tailed Slug

"It doesn't matter. I will have her head, and the heads of nearly everyone who wields a bloodline in Konoha once the invasion begins." Rasa answered back undeterred in his mission

"And you really think that Orochimaru will let you get away with this?...Even with my power and your powers combined, you stand little if any chance against her." Saiken responded

"They may be powerful, but now that I have the power of the 6 tails on top of my own. They don't even have close to a prayer against me. That isn't even mentioning all the other toys we have helped Yagura scavenge out of the depths of Uzushio." Rasa countered in supreme confidence of their abilities

"You do not understand, and perhaps if you did you wouldn't be proud to think you have a chance against her." Saiken told him

"What are you going on about?" Rasa questioned confusedly

"What I am talking about is that she possesses the same eyes as my father, the Sage of Six Paths. Someone that even you for all of your supposed power should know to be weary of, and if not…Then I do not envy you once she sets her sights upon you and unleashes he wrath for siding with that mad dwarf of a Mizukage." Saiken answered back recognizing those ripple-like eyes all too well despite the centuries since her father/creator's passing

"Even if they have the powers of that man. It means little if anything in the way of what I have at my disposal, and nothing will change that…So unless you have anything to add, then be quiet, slug!" Rasa ordered of the tailed beast

"Very well, then. However, your reckoning for taking away Utakata away from me; will be one I will enjoy to the fullest." Saiken replied before receding back into the depths of their prison but not before spitefully causing Rasa's body to briefly warp and distend to the point where he lost nearly half of his fingernails

'Even if they have the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths. It doesn't matter, I will have what I have waited for decades to achieve, and nothing will get in my way!' Rasa swore to himself fully resolved to see this invasion through to the bitter end


(5 days later, Senju Park, 1:45 Pm July 20th, 998 S.E)

On the other side of things nearly a week later was Naruto and Kazushi relaxing after another heavy sparring session with one another, the two deciding to after using it to sharpen Naruto's combative skills take it easy for a bit as the Finals closed in.

"So how're you feeling right now, Naruto? You think you've got this fight against your shit brother in the bag?" Kazushi questioned her superhuman cousin

"To be honest, I'm feeling pretty decent about my chances, Kazu...After all this time, I can put the screws to Toshiro and grind him into the dirt where he belongs." Naruto said as the Wood Release user passed him a bottle of lemonade

"Granted I didn't get where I wanted to to get over my Rasengan troubles. But at the very least, I can make sure I don't have an episode when I see it…At least I hope not." Naruto added

"Hey, all you gotta do is remember that none of what he can throw at you; will ever hurt you. Especially since even with all the training that pervy-dickhead has given him; you're still on a whole other tier above him!" Kazushi said to her cousin knowing that Naruto was simply too strong to let anything his sibling threw at him ever truly hurt him

"I know that, more than ever with how strong I am. But its a different story for what's up in my messed-up head space. So until I can go to therapy after the finals, I still have a whole heck of a lot to work through." Naruto replied knowing that mentally his fears of the Rasengan were still very strong

"At least you have the sense enough to know where you stand with all that. Because of that, I'm proud of you for recognizing that even with how absolutely cracked you are, you can still improve." Kazushi spoke happy to see that Naruto was willing to still improve despite how absurdly powerful he was

"Well, yeah I still wanna improve. To be honest, I'm not even all the way strong as I wanna be. So until that happens, I can't really stop until I reach that level." Naruto replied

"Let me guess…you wanna hit that absolute freedom thing you've been talking about since we started?" Kazushi questioned

"Yup! Because, don't get me wrong I respect how strong people like you, Grandpa Dan, Lord 4th, and the Kure's are. But I want to have a tier of strength beyond that, a tier of strength to where I can be free to just do my own thing and not have anyone even have the stray thought of bothering me. I want to be so goddamn strong that even the thought of making me angry is enough to make people shit their pants, so I can have the peace and freedom to keep being me…So until I get to that point of total and absolute freedom, then I can't really ever stop improving with what I've got." Naruto told Kazushi with an almost wistful look in his eye in his goal to one day have such level of freedom

For as far as Naruto was simply concerned the level of strength he had, while boundless and strong enough to dominate even the 9-tails if he wanted to get cheeky about it; wasn't really all that much when he gave it serious thought. Especially when he realized that people like Jiraiya and who knows else out there were willing to press their luck against him, and do fuckery against his home…which was why he felt it more than necessary to become so overwhelmingly proficient with his powers that he could be seen as so much of a menace that the world would have no choice but to leave him to his own devices.

As that, THAT was the truest expression of freedom in his mind, the ability to be so terrifyingly powerful that no one could dispute his right to doing as he wanted in whatever fashion he saw fit, and as such was something he hoped to become strong enough to obtain in the near future…that way he could be free to live out his days in relative comfort.
"Huh, I ain't even gonna lie that that sounds fucking awesome. But what are you even going to do with all that power, Naruto? Shit like that is gonna make you a literal fucking god among men." Kazushi wondered as Naruto just shrugged in indifference

"To be honest, I haven't really figured it out yet. All I do know is that once I do get there. I'm just gonna make sure that I've got my stuff all situated, and my vibes to be immaculate. Other than that, I'll probably just do random bullshit with them." Naruto answered back regarding what he did once he obtained godlike power

"Can't really argue with something like that. Hell, I'd probably do the same thing if I gained god powers. The whole rule as an immortal dickhead schtick that everyone does when they become 'God' sounds like too much work if you ask me." Kazushi said as they continued to drink their lemonade

"I feel the exact same way. I mean seriously do those schnooks have idea how much work that would be?...You gotta deal with so many peoples' problems, take care of too much land to make sure everything is running correctly…It…It is just too much and is something that when I reach my peak performance I will stay as far as fucking possible from. World domination, peace or whatever the fuck; will never be my style, let that be someone else's problem." Naruto replied seeing issues like that as someone else's problem instead of his

"Because, I do not have the attention span or patience to do any of that. If anything, I'd either teleport and fuck off elsewhere, or just say screw it and obliterate whoever keeps causing problems off the face of the planet, and let whoever's left deal with it." Naruto added knowing that his patience would not last very long if he were put in charge of keeping peace on a widespread scale

"And it's times like these, where I'm glad you never signed onto that prophecy nonsense. Too much crap to worry about for too little payoff." Kazushi said glad that her cousin never bought in to any of it

"Believe me, if I got shanghai'd into it against my will. The world would not last the next 3-6 months with me around. Because, my tolerance for nonsense would only go so far before Hidden Villages, and entire countries started getting wiped off the map…Say what you want, but I am the last person to be entrusted with bringing peace to the world at large, and I am more than ok with that." Naruto responded in full admission that he was not built for such things despite the immense amount of power he wielded

"Hey, its great that you can acknowledge that. Because, I'd rather have my cousin be a kickass god-farmer, than some pompous asshat who thinks they can hold the world hostage into bringing peace." Kazushi said back happy that Naruto preferred to be as he was

"To be honest, being a god-farmer like your putting it sounds better; than what Pervy-Sage has Toshiro and Mizore doing as our 'chosen saviors'...Or at least Mizore would've been one, if I didn't rock her shit into the next century." Naruto spoke before taking another large gulp of lemonade

"I doubt that unless mom pulls some miracle bullcrap out of her ass. Then Mizore is gonna be out of commission for who knows how long." Kazushi replied knowing that Mizore's shinobi career was fucked for the next set of years going forward

"And just how I want it to be. I made damn sure that her everything is gonna be super-fucked when I fought her in the preliminaries. Since I wanted to make damn sure, that when I beat her. That it would be a permanent reminder that she will never be hot shit again." Naruto said back in having put extra effort into making sure her body got completely wrecked to where not even the 9 tails would wanna fix her up

"You definitely did your best work yet, Naruto. Hell, I would be surprised if she doesn't wind up in a wheelchair from how much you messed her up." Kazushi said regarding the completely sundered state of the Hokage's daughter

"To be honest, I probably could have paralyzed her from the waist or even the neck down if I wanted. But I was just so caught up in the moment of whooping her ass, that I didn't think to do it at the time…Oh well, I can do that shit to Toshiro in a week and a half then." Naruto replied making note to break Toshiro's spine so he could do to him with what he'd forgotten to do to Mizore

"And since he's been such a little shit for so long. Would you mind kicking him in the dick so hard, that his nuts explode, for me? Because that sack of shit, should not reproduce at all." Kazushi requested in seeing Toshiro as too toxic of a person to let reproduce with anyone

"That is a GREAT idea, Kazu. Thanks for that one, and I will be sure to kick him that hard for ya. It's the least I can do for my kickass sensei!" Naruto said back all to eager to give his 'brother' the mother of all nutcrackers

"Thanks a ton, Naruto. I appreciate it." Kazushi thanked the superhuman blonde

"No problem at all…So what do you wanna do now?" Naruto questioned his cousin/sensei

"Probably go grab some lunch, and work on field testing my Sage Mode some more, if your up for it?" Kazushi told Naruto as to what she had planned

"Sounds good to me, let's grab some Ichiraku's, and head out to the Valley of the End to fuck shit up." Naruto suggested as he and Kazushi downed their lemonade

"Fine by me, let's do it!" Kazushi said before the two then teleported off and away

So with the finals only a bit over a week away for our competitors, on top of plots and schemes in the works for the impending invasion of Konoha that has plans set in motion. How will everything proceed going forward for those within Konoha as the Finals soon begin? Well, find out in the all new installments of Naruto: The Pokesage!


Alright, that takes care of this chapter as I hoped you guys enjoyed it, and everything that goes on within as we close things out for this one…as oh boy things are about to turn up for the next chapter or two. So once again as we head into Chapter 50 of the story (by the way holy shit, I didn't think I'd reach this far with a story) I wanna say thank you guys for all your support and hope you'll stick with me for all of what's gonna be coming up as we head further into the Exams and beyond!

That being said this is Pravus666 signing off until next time, as we head into not only our 50th overall chapter of the story, but also the Chunin Exams Finals and everything that shall come of it; so stay tuned for all of that good stuff! Because, I'm about to start cookin' with the next set of chapters that come from all of this!

Part 3 Theme Song: Themata by Karnivool

Random End Song: Ten Speed (of God's Blood and Burial) by Coheed and Cambria


Now then onto some of the reviews from the last chapter.

Kourtney Uzu Yato: Oh yeah and for good reason too because, for Sasuke this is his one and best chance to impress the woman he really, REALLY likes and as such refuses to blow it by even 0.0001th of a chance and actually her favorite flowers are Magnolias and Snapdragons. Also, Saiken is really, really not having it with Rasa's shit, considering that to them they are dedicated to absolutely ripping through him every chance they get to make his life absolute misery, as we've seen by her literally rotting his fingernails off. Furthermore, even if he did erase his presence it probably still wouldn't help, because with Orochimaru having the Rinnegan and that if she really wanted too could just go into Sage Mode and be petty to sense him hiding anyways. Futhermore, Dan being the 5th Hokage was something I've been planning for a while not considering that out of all the potnetial successors that could be chosen, Dan is he one who actually has his shit together the most, as a person as a follow-up to Minato who really got the raw-end of things. Also, I will check out Chapter 8 soon enough, and I am now pumped for Chapter 9 to come out as well...lastly I was gonna warn you that the Daemonculaba was just nightmare-fuel on PCP, Bath-Salts and crack, but considering its enough to make a Space marine cry, you now know that its just wrong on so many levels and the fact that the Iron Warriors (one of my favorite legions) came up with it doesn't help either.

Skull Flame: Also, yeah Mizore in her loss as gone fully off the deep-end and as such has lost her grip on reality, and its only gonna get worse from what I have planned after the Finals. Plus for Gaara that is something that I'm gonna get to once the Exams are over, considering that as it stands she has no legitimate reason to stay there anymore, and glad you liked the bit between Jiraiya and Orochimaru, as I love having Orochimaru giving that level of a scathing 'you ain't shit' type of dialogue to Jiraiya. Lastly, with Dan as 5th Hokage, I wanted to do it because it made the most sense and he's reasonably the most put-together of all possible candidates at this point. Then in regards to my up-coming Ben 10 X Warhammer40K crossover, I have some in the works on how he's going to keep some of them off the Ruinous Path, since with Lorgar given that this is an older ben who never took of the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix he probably has a lot of experiences that would help Fem Lorgar out in her defining her enlighted truths. Plus, in the story proper he's gonna be butting heads with Female Lion El'Jonson a LOT, also the alternative pairings I had and may include for an additional slot were Fem, Sanguinius and Fem Leman Russ.

starravenwolf: I will definitely have a Dynamax Naruto vs Yagura fight down the line, considering that I wanna go full Kaiju with it and have him tag-team with Groudon or one of the other Kaiju-sized legendaries to make it even more epic. Also, Gaara is facing Kankuro in the finals, as it was Temari who got shit-stomped in the prelims. Furthermore, I do like that idea of his dealing with a Shadow Toshiro to really get rid of his fear of the Rasengan, because while he's managed to partially overcome it; that shit is gonna require him to dig deep in order to fully get rid of that fear, because as I've stated so far in the story...that stuff isn't gonna go away as easy as he wants it too.

Darth Diabolos: I'm glad you like how everything has shaped up with everyone's training thus far and the events that have followed and will follow, because it only ramps up from here.

God of Wind 200: It's both simple and petty at the same time, its because time and time again Jiriaya is constantly getting one-upped by, upstaged or just left in the dust accomplishment-wise by Orochimaru in the past, and just decided that "screw it, It I'm getting rid of you, because I'm tired of playing second fiddle to some pale-faced bastard'.i actually plan to do that with the gimmicks/abilities considering that its more or less just a perfect storm of Naruto being nigh-unstoppable when he really gets going.

SPark681: Yeah, with Dan soon to be at the helm; he's gonna have a lot ahead of him to untangle the messes that Jiraiya has made. Some of which I will be getting into in future chapters.