Chapter 44: Mad Dash

Forest of Death

When Naruto woke up, the first thing he noticed was the splitting headache he felt. The second thing he noticed was that his stomach felt like it had been turned inside out. So, not the best way to greet the morning. Assuming it was morning.

Slowly, Naruto's sight returned to him, allowing him to look around. Instinctively, his head was turning around so he could look around his location. The eyes floating in the area offered him a better view.

Naruto saw he was in a cave along with Hinata and Sasuke. Both his teammates were up and about. In an instant, Naruto knew that something had happened. Hinata looked like she had gone several rounds with a wild animal, and Sasuke looked like he had swallowed something sour.

Slowly, Naruto sat up, wincing as he felt his back protest against the action. His teammates had noticed him getting up, and in an instant, Hinata was beside him, offering a helping hand to get him sitting up.

"Careful, Naruto-Kun," Hinata said in a soft whisper. "You've been out for a while."

Naruto nodded, appreciating the help from his teammate. "I noticed that," he said. His body felt stiff. "How long was I out, and what happened?" Naruto had a foggy memory of what happened before he blacked out. He remembered his team had been in a fight with a strange man. He remembers even using Kurama's chakra, but everything else was hazy. "And what happened to you guys?"

Sasuke had a grime face when he replied. "It's a long story," he answered.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Naruto. Hinata and Sasuke then filled him in on what had all happened. The fight against Orochimaru, Sasuke being marked, Hinata's desperate bid to protect her vulnerable teammates.

A lot had happened since Naruto had been knocked, and the young Jinchūriki had been left with more than a few questions. But those would have to come later. Naruto smiled brightly at Hinata. "Wow, Hinata, you were awesome," he said.

Hinata blushed but did not look away as she looked Naruto over. "Th-thank you," she said. "I did my best to protect you." There was that smile Naruto always loved to see on Hinata's face.

Naruto smiled back at Hinata. "And you did great, Hinata," he said. "I always knew you were strong. But holding off a whole team by yourself, man, you're way stronger than I thought. You must have been awesome." Naruto didn't understand why some people thought Hinata was weak; she was one of the strongest Naruto knew.

Hinata's blush was now a bright red. "I had some help," she said. "Lee gave to help us."

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said. "But before that, you were holding off that Oto team. Don't put yourself down so much, Hinata. You did great. You protected Sasuke and me while we were. If anyone should feel down about it, it's us. We're the ones that left you alone to fend for yourself and us."

"But that wasn't your fault," Hinata said.

"Don't try to argue with him, Hinata," Sasuke said with a smirk. "We both know how stubborn he can be. Just take the compliment; besides, it's not like he's wrong. You did do a good job protecting us."

Hinata looked like she wanted to say more, but she stopped herself. "I just wanted to protect you guys," she said. "I don't want to imagine a world without any of you."

Naruto smiled. "Well, you won't have to imagine it," he said. Then he wrapped an arm around Sasuke, pulling him in. The Uchiha offered a small protest before Naruto continued to speak. "Sasuke and me, we're not that easy to take down. You won't have to worry about us. And now we know we don't have to worry either. We'll have you around."

Sasuke pulled himself away from Naruto. "The dope is right," he said. "The three of us together. There is nothing that can keep us apart."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you, Naruto, Sasuke," she said. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Naruto and Sasuke both smiled back at her. The three Genin were happy to enjoy the quiet moment for a second. But the moment would have to end. "Okay, so now that you're awake," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto. His eyes were specifically gazing at the blonde's gut. "Have you tried contacting Kurama? That snake freak did something to you before you blacked out."

"Oh, that's right," Naruto said with a newfound urgency. He hadn't heard anything from the fox ever since he woke up. In fact, now that he was thinking about it, he was having a tough time sensing the presence of the biju inside him. "Let me see if I can talk to the fuzzbut."

"Kurama, are you there?" Naruto asked over a mental link with the fox. "Can you hear me?" He got nothing from the fox, just the silence of his own mind. Naruto frowned as he continued to connect with Kurama but never got a response from the ancient being.

Naruto tried to reach out for the connection between him and the fox but could barely feel anything. The connection was still there that much Naruto could determine, but it felt distant. Muddle maybe? It was hard for Naruto to describe, but he knew something was wrong.

"I can't reach him," Naruto said. "I can still feel our connection. But I can't get anything from Kurama." Naruto turned his attention to Hinata. "You said you saw some kind of seal over the one keeping fuzzbut inside me, right?"

Hinata nodded. "Yeah," she said. "It's not like the one you normally have. It's different."

Naruto nodded and started to take off his coat and shirt. Hinata's face instantly turned a bright red as Naruto removed the top half of his clothes. "Wh-what are you doing?" Hinata asked, looking away from Naruto.

Naruto answered Hinata plainly. "What's it look like," he said. "I'm going have a look at the seal for myself. See what that snake freak did to me." Naruto started to channel his chakra through his body, pushing it down to his gut. It didn't take him long to realize he was having a hard time controlling and thus had to focus harder than he normally would have to.

He had several pairs of eyes moving in to look at his abdomen. Within moments, the familiar marks of the seal he had for all his life appeared on his stomach. After that, another seal appeared over it. Figuratively, Naruto narrowed his eyes when he saw that.

First, he examined the first seal, ensuring that Orochimaru had altered or compromised nothing about it. Seeing nothing new, Naruto turned his attention to the second seal overlayed atop the first. Naruto frowned as he recognized that it was an odd-numbered seal that had been placed over an even number one.

"What kind of idiot does that?" Naruto muttered loudly.

"Naruto?" Hinata said, giving him a questioning look.

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing," he said. "Whatever that snake freak placed on me doesn't look all that complicated. By the looks, it is made to block off the chakra flow from what it is placed on."

A look of concern flashed across Sasuke's face. "He blocked off your chakra?" He asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Not mine," he said. "Kurama's chakra and my connection to the fox had been blocked off. As long this seal remains in place, I can't call upon his chakra."

"Nothing too much has changed then," Sasuke said. "You don't use that chakra that often ways. Come to think of it, that fight with Orochimaru was probably the first time we've seen you use it outside of meditation."

"And I still got my ass handed to me by the snake freak," Naruto said. "I guess old fuzzbut was right. Using his chakra wasn't an I win card. Still, it's nice to know I can use some of his power without going crazy."

Naruto stopped channeling his chakra, allowing the two sets of seals to disappear. "But my problems don't end there," he said as he retrieved his clothes. "That seal is also messing up my chakra control. I could feel it while molding my chakra."

Sasuke snorted. "Again, nothing new there," he said. "You always had lousy chakra control."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Well, it's even worse now," he said. "I won't be able to do any ninjutsu besides the kage Bushin."

"You still have your eyes, though," Sasuke said, pointing at the floating eyes.

Naruto waved off that concern. "Those things work differently," he said. "Even Kurama hasn't quite figured out how he managed to make them work."

"Can you remove the second seal," Hinata asked. "If it's going to be that much of a hindrance."

"I could," Naruto said, putting his coat back on. "But I would rather have someone else look at it first. Seals can be complicated, and I don't want to risk something happening." He sighed. "I just have to deal with it until we get to the tower. Speaking of what day is it now? How much longer do we have?"

The look Hinata and Sasuke shared did not sit right with Naruto. "We're on the fifth day now," Hinata said.

"We only have until the next day's morning to get to the tower," Sasuke said.

Naruto resisted the urge to groan.

Hokage Tower

Hiruzen was looking out the window and gazing out to the forest of death when he felt a familiar presence entering the room."

"The council meeting won't be for another hour, my old friend," Hiruzen said as he took a smoke from his pipe.

Danzo did not waste any time on formalities. "I've heard a certain snake has slithered their way back into our village," he said.

Hiruzen closed his eyes. He was not surprised that his old friend was here to talk to him about Orochimaru. He was, however, surprised it took him this long to do so. "Orochimaru was sighted in the Forest of Death. His current location, however, is unknown."

"I warned you about that snake, Hiruzen," Danzo said. "You should have never let him go. He has always been a danger to this Village. Now he has shown himself again."

"Whatever my former student is planning, we can deal with it," Hiruzen said. "I have all of our forces on alert for him."

"That won't be enough," Danzo pointed out. "Orochimaru might be bold, but he is not stupid. If he has revealed himself now, it can only mean one thing. He has come for Konoha, and he has a plan."

"That much is certain," Hiruzen said. "Foolish as he can be, Orochimaru will not have come without a plan. His appearance in the Forest of Death was likely the first step in whatever he has planned for the future." Or it was the first step his former student wanted them to see.

Hiruzen heard Danzo tapping his cane on the floor. "Regardless of whatever he has planned, there is one thing we can count on," he said. "He will come after you himself. His pride won't let anyone else deal you in."

Hiruzen nodded. "I am ready to face off against my former student, Danzo." In fact, Hiruzen already had plans to train himself for the coming battle with Orochimaru, anything that would give him an edge.

"You had better by, Hiruzen," Danzo said. "You have been given a chance to correct one of your past mistakes. I suggest you take it."

Then, before Hiruzen could respond, he heard Danzo leaving the room. Hiruzen took another smoke from his pipe. "I still don't get why you keep that old fossil around," Jiraiya said from outside the window.

"He has his uses," Hiruzen said as he gazed outside the window. Jiraiya climbed into the office through the window. "And what have I told you about entering through the window?"

Jiraiya gave him a cheeky smile. "Oh, come on, Sensei," he said. "Coming in through the door is so boring. Why not come in with some style?"

Except maybe he could be mistaken for an assassin. But Hiruzen kept that thought to himself. "How long have you been back in the village?"

"Long enough to know that old snake face has slithered his way back in," Jiraiya replied. "So, after all these years, he's finally decided to make his move."

Hiruzen nodded. "I had hoped he would have left well enough alone," he said. "He had been quiet for so long. Ever since we drove him out of the village."

Jiraiya nodded slowly. "I know what you mean," he said. "He was my teammate; a part of me hoped he would come to his senses. But while things have been quiet with the Village, I've had my run-ins with Orochimaru. He's changed a lot over the years, and none of it for the better. Sensei, I don't think there is anything left to save in that man. If there was any, to begin with."

Hiruzen closed his eyes and breathed out a thick stream of smoke. Truth be told, he has always known the truth about Orochimaru; he has known it since that fateful day so many years ago. It ached his heart to know the boy he once knew was long gone from this world.

"Orochimaru has taken an interest in the chunin exams," Hiruzen said.

Jiraiya nodded. "I didn't think it would be a coincidence, but he chose now to reveal himself. Say what you will about him, but Orochimaru always had a flare for the theatrics." Jiraiya smiled at the thought. It was something the whole team had in common. "Speaking of the exams, I've heard that a certain blond look-alike has joined them this year."

Hiruzen smiled. "You would be proud of your godson, Jiraiya," he said. "The blindfold aside, he is the spitting image of his father. He has his mother's personality as well."

Jiraiya snorted. "What a combination that must be," he said. "Sorry to say I haven't been in his life much. But you know how busy I am."

"You could have made the time," Hiruzen pointed out. "And I know you've been checking on him. As I recall, you even met him once."

Jiraiya smiled. "Yeah, when I checked on his seal," he said. "Funny enough, the kid took calling me Ero-Sanin. Wouldn't know why."

Hiruzen snorted. That was probably because Naruto had caught him peeping on the woman's bath. "He's grown quite a bit in the years," he said. "The Hyūga taking him in has been good for him. He's taken an interest in seals, you know that?"

"Considering who his parents were and what he has going on for him. I would have been surprised if he didn't," he said. "I wouldn't mind meeting the kid, see how he's doing for myself."

"You might get that chance," Said Hiruzen, smiling. "If he gets past the second part of the exam."

"Oh, I have no doubt he will," Jiraiya said. "Just remember who his parents were, and I know the teammates he has. Funny how history seems to be repeating itself. He and his pals will get to the third part. I would put money."

"Funny enough, Tsunade said something similar," he said.

Jiraiya paled a little. "Please tell me she hasn't put a bet on the boy," he said. "That might be the one thing that could hold him back."

Hiruzen shook his head. "No, she hasn't," he said. "Said she didn't want to risk Naruto's or anyone else's chances."

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief. "Good to hear," he said. "You know, with Tsunade and me here and the snake hiding somewhere. Konoha technically has all three Sanin back in the Village. Not the reunion I would have liked."

"There is nothing we can do about that now," Hiruzen said, turning away from the window and sitting at his desk. He almost whimpered at seeing the stack of papers. "But I believe that is enough reminiscing about the past. I believe you have a job to do?"

A serious expression fell on Jiraiya's face. "I've checked out Eguchi's intel," he said as he pulled out a scroll. "Looks like the man was onto something. I couldn't get much on Ame, but I can confirm that Hanzo is no longer in charge of the Village. Someone has finally done him in and taken his place."

Hiruzen took the scroll and unwound it. "I see," he said, reading through the contents. "And yet we're still getting reports the man is still alive. Whoever is in charge doesn't want that fact made known. What do we know about this new leader of Ame?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," he said. "Only that the people revere him as some kind of god. I don't know what that is about. But I think we'll need to keep a closer eye on Ame from now on. Especially with a war looming over our heads."

Hiruzen nodded. He was already planning to talk with the fire Daiymō about increasing patrols along the border with the Land of Rain. "What about this Land of Rice Paddies? Were you able to confirm the existence of a new hidden village there?"

Jiraiya nodded. "I did," he said. "Though no matter how much I tried, I couldn't find the damn place. It must be hidden very well. All I got out is the name of the place, Oto."

Hiruzen nodded. "I've heard that name," he said. "They got a team here in the exams."

Jiraiya nodded. "But that's not all," he said. "Sit tight. You might listen to this."

Forest of Death

Team-11 was jumping from tree to tree, making their way to the tower, when Hinata noticed the frown on Naruto's face. "Naruto?" Hinata asked her teammate. "Is something wrong?"

Naruto stopped on a branch. Hinata and Sasuke did the same thing. Sasuke stopped on a different branch above Naruto, and Hinata stopped on the same branch as the blonde. Naruto then turned around to face a direction behind Hinata.

"Yeah," Naruto answered, pointing to a tree further away from the trio. "Someone has been following us."

Hinata turned around to face the direction Naruto was pointing at and activated her Bykugan. It took her a moment to find the culprit. They had somehow masked their chakra well enough to hide from the Bykugan. But she had found the small chakra leak and focused on the person.

"Whoever you are," Sasuke said. "You can come out now. We know you're there."

Hinata observed a subtle shift in the chakra, and then, all at once, it grew into a full chakra network. Not long after, she was looking at a boy a few years older than her and her teammates.

Hinata deactivated her Bykugan just as the boy stepped into view. She recognized him as the same young man who had shown them his ninja cards before the first part of the exams, Kabuto.

"Well, now, I didn't expect to see you here," Kabuto said with a friendly smile. "Or that you would even notice I was there." The young man held his hands up in a placating manner when all three members of the team-11- took fighting stances. "Now, now, no need to do that. I'm no threat to you."

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke said. "And where's the rest of your team?" He was looking at the forest. Hinata had her Bykugan activate to look for others hiding in the area. No doubt Naruto had his eyes scanning the area as well.

Kabuto had a sad smile on his face when he responded. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I've come to surrender myself. In exchange, you have to take me with you to the central tower."

A short while later, the genin members of team-11, plus the one extra, were resting out by a small pond. "So, let me get this straight," Sasuke said. "Your team got whipped out by some monster in the forest, and you were the only one who got away."

Kabuto had a sad look as he explained how he came to be here. "Yes," he said. "Probably one of the many creatures that live here in the forest. The place certainly lives up to its reputation as the Forest of Death. The creature took my team by surprise and killed one of us before we had a chance to react. My remaining teammate sacrificed himself so I could get away."

Hinata shallowed on her saliva. She felt sorry for Kabuto and the loss he had endured. She didn't want to imagine what it would be like to lose Naruto or Sasuke like that, let alone both at the same time.

Sasuke looked at Hinata. "Is he telling the truth?" He asked her.

Hinata had her Bykugan on to act as a living lie detector. "Not as far as I can tell," she said. "He's telling the truth, Sasuke." She deactivates her doujutsu.

Sasuke nodded and looked back at Kabuto with a look of sympathy. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said. "But I don't see why you would be following us. Your team is gone, so you can't move on to the next part of the exam. So why bother going to the central tower?"

Kabuto smiled at Sasuke. "I don't fancy my chances of getting back to the fence on my own," he explained. "I figured that the central tower was my best bet of survival. Then I saw you guys moving through the area and thought I could shadow you three."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "You were hoping we would take care of any problem you might have encountered," he said. "I can see that working. I've seen some of the locals with my eyes, and none of them have been friendly."

"Still, it's a bit underhanded," Sasuke said, shooting Kabuto a suspicious glare. "Letting someone else handle all of the dangerous work."

Kabuto tilted his head to the side with a smile. "What can I say?" He answered. "I'm a shinobi through and through. Besides, I would have stepped in to help if things had gotten hairy. We Konoha-nin have to stick together."

Sasuke nodded. "But now we know you're here, you can't shadow us anymore," he said. "So, instead, you're asking us to protect you as we move to the tower."

Kabuto nodded. "Something like that," he said. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a scroll with the Earth Kanji. "I'll even hand you my scroll; the thing is no good to me now. And if that's not enough, when these exams are over, I'll transfer some money to your accounts. You think of this as an escort mission."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata looked at each other. Each silently asked the same question: could they trust this young man? Sasuke looked at Kabuto. "Give us a moment," he said.

Kabuto smiled as he pocketed his scroll. "I'll be waiting right here," he replied.

The trio walked off until they were sure they were far enough that white-haired shinobi wouldn't overhear them. "So, do we trust this guy?" Sasuke asked. "I know he's another Konoha-nin. But these are the chunin exams, and village allegiance might not matter much to others."

"He doesn't seem like a bad guy to me," Naruto said. "Plus, the guy did say his team is gone. So, trying to take our scrolls would be pointless."

"That's assuming he's been telling us the truth," Sasuke said. "Hinata, you sure that guy wasn't lying to us."

Hinata nodded her head. "His heartbeat remained steady as he talked," she said. "And his breathing was even. He's telling the truth." There was the unspoken possibility Kabuto could control his heartbeat and breath even as he was lying. But Hinata didn't want to be that paranoid. Kabuto is a Konoha-Nin, so she had to give him some of the benefit of the doubt.

Sasuke hummed thoughtfully. "Alright," he said. "Let's say we can trust this guy. Do we still take him up on his offer?"

"Of course we do," Naruto said. "We can't just leave him on his own in this place. Chunin Exams or not, he's still Konoha like the rest of us. We can't go around abandoning our comrades."

Hinata nodded. "Naruto is right," she agreed. "We should help Kabuto-san."

Naruto puts his hands behind his head. "Besides, it's not like we're escorting a civilian here," he said. "If we get into trouble, Kabuto-san should be able to pull his own weight."

Sasuke still didn't look convinced, but he sighed, relenting his point. "Fine," he said. "But I still think he's trying to pull something over us."

Naruto smiled. "So, what?" He asked. "Even if he is, we'll deal with it? Isn't that right, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded. "That's right," she replied.

Sasuke sighed. "Alright then," he responded with a smile. "We'll do this then. But if this comes back to bite us, I'm pinning the blame on you, Naruto."

"Why me?" Naruto said in mock offense.

Sasuke smirked. "Because you're the dope of the group. You're easier to blame. Come on, let's go before I change my mind."

Team-11 walked back to Kabuto. The young man saw them coming and gave them a friendly smile. "Well, have you three come to a decision?"

Sasuke nodded. "You can come with us," he said. "But you'll have to do everything we say, and if it looks like you'll be deadweight, you're on your own."

Naruto got a look on his face that said he wanted to protest. However, Hinata stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. She knew Naruto's gaze had turned to her. Hinata shook her head.

"A fair condition," Kabuto said with his smile, being nervous now. "I guess you'll be wanting my scroll now?" He held the aforementioned scroll out.

Sasuke nodded. Hinata walked up and took the scroll. As she did, she examined it quickly with her Bykugan to check if it was real. It was.

Hinata walked back to her teammates and pocketed the scroll. Even without it, they still had a complete pair of scrolls, but she knew it didn't hurt to have copies.

Sasuke nodded at her and looked back at Kabuto. "Oh, you don't have to worry about the money transfer. That scroll of yours should be more than enough."

"Sasuke, don't just pass up on easy money like that," a grinning Naruto said. "Think of all the ramen I could have gotten from him."

Hinata giggled while Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kabuto had an amused smile on his face. "Still, I feel like I owe you guys for this," he said. Then he snapped his fingers. "Tell you what. If you get me to the tower, I'll owe you guys one favor each. Sound good?"

The members of team-11 each looked at the other for a second or two. Coming to an agreement, they looked back at Kabuto. "Alright," Sasuke said, holding his hand out. "It's a deal then."

Kabuto took Sasuke's hand and shook it. "Deal," he said.

"Then let's get going," Sasuke said. "Time is wasting."

Central Tower

"You think they'll make it?" Sakura asked as she looked out a window from the tower. Team-8 had arrived at the tower the night before, tired, and exhausted from their ordeal in the Forest of Death.

"What, Naruto and them?" Ino asked with a snort. "Of course they will. Naruto is way too stubborn, and Sasuke is too prideful to let themselves fail at this stage. They'll pull through."

"What about Hinata?" Sakura asked with a smile. "No fatal flaw to pull her through?"

Ino snorted. "Oh, please," she said. "That girl is too busy keeping those two boys in line for anything like stubbornness and pride. Sometimes, I pity her for being stuck on the same team as those two."

Sakura chuckled. "I'm surprised you're talking like that about Sasuke-Kun," she said. "You used to have a crush on him."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like years ago," she said, huffed as she crossed her arms. "I've gotten over him since then, so I'm allowed to point out his flaws."

Sakura let out a small laugh. "I guess you're right," she said.

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Funny enough, you're the one to be talking to me about this," she said. "It wasn't that long ago you were crushing on him."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, not really having any counter. "Yeah, I did," she said. "But I've gotten over him. I haven't disagreed with you about his flaws, have I?"

Ino shook her head. "No, you haven't," she replied. "Not that long ago, you would have disagreed with me. But still, are you sure you've gotten over Sasuke?

Sakura smiled and brushed her hand through her hair. "I have," she said. And she meant it. She knew Sasuke was now out of her reach. Privately, she would admit to herself that he never was; it hurt, but she wouldn't let that pull her down. Then she chuckled. "You know it's funny. I think the main reason why we wanted him so badly was because every other girl wanted him too."

Ino had a thoughtful expression on her face. "You know you might be right," she admitted. "But you know I'm glad I got him. A beautiful flower like me shouldn't be hoarded by one guy. Any guy would be lucky to gaze on me."

Sakura smiled. "Thinking of becoming a heartbreaker, Ino?" Sakura joked. "What would your father think?"

Ino smiled back and began to gesture to herself. "Well, it's only fair," she said. "I'm a beautiful flower in bloom. I should be admired. Besides, men get to be heartbreakers. Why can't a couple of us women do the same? You should give it a try, Sakura. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who would love it."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No thanks, Ino," she replied to her friend. "If I get into a relationship, I'll take it seriously."

"So will I," Ino replied with check. "But if? Seriously, Sakura, you sound like no one wants you."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest, I'm not interested in a relationship at all," she said. "And before you ask, I still think guys are attractive. I just want to focus on others for now. If something happens, and someone does come by, I'll take it. But if not, then I won't mind it."

Ino had a thoughtful expression on her face before she responded. "I get you, Sakura. Not all flowers have to be picked. But, Sakura, you don't have to be alone if you don't want to. You don't have to force yourself to be alone. If you need help, you can always reach out to me. Trust me, I have plenty of advice when it comes to guys."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Ino," she said. "But I really don't mind. A relationship just doesn't interest me right now." She really did feel that way. She wouldn't mind being in a relationship. Looking at Sasuke and Yakumo (even Naruto and Hinata), she couldn't help but feel a little envious that they had found someone. But she wasn't going to go and look for it if it never came. She had other things to focus on right now, like being a good Kunoichi. "Besides, it's not like I'm lonely or anything. I have my family, my teammates, and plenty of friends. I think I can be happy with that."

Ino looked at Sakura for a long moment, then she smiled and looked out to the forest. "Then, as your friend, I have nothing to worry about," she said. Then, a coy smile spreads across her face. "But I like the idea of just having fun with the guys. And if I come across the right guy along the way, I'll nab him."

Sakura laughed. "Just try not to go out with anyone slimy," she said. "I'm supporting you, but I'm still your friend, Ino."

Ino snorted. "Oh, please, I have some standards," she said. "I'm not going to go after someone like Kiba. Please, can you imagine all that dog fur?"

Ino and Sakura exchanged glances. Then, both broke into a fit of laughter. Then Sakura looked back to the forest, a frown almost coming over her expression. "And you don't have to worry about them," Ino said, getting Sakura's attention. Sakura looked at her friend and saw a confident smile. "They'll get here. Knowing Naruto, it'll probably be at the last minute; he always had a thing for dramatics like that."

Sakura smiled back. "I guess you're right," she said. "He and Sasuke both. Honestly, Hinata might be the only sensible person on that team."

"Then, between her and those two boys' drama, they'll be here," Ino said.

Sakura had no doubt about that. Still, she sends her silent prayers out, hoping her friends will make it to the tower.

Night fell.

Forest of Death

"We're almost to the tower," Hinata said.

Sasuke nodded. "Good," he said. "Do you see anyone?"

Hinata shook her head. "That, as far as I can tell," she said. "But they could be hiding their chakra."

"What about you, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto gazed through the eyes he had sent ahead of them. The area around the tower looked to be cleared, and he had his eyes looking through the forest to see if anyone was laying an ambush.

"Hard to tell," Naruto reported after a second of searching. "This forest has a lot of places to hide, and I can't search them all. Not with the time we have." Even as they were speaking, Naruto was still looking through the forest. By now, most of the competition from the chunin exams was gone.

Naruto had eyes in the tower, so he knew what teams had passed so far. Most of the rookie twelve, Lee's team, the sand siblings, and the team from Kiri. If Naruto's team made it to the tower, it would make seven teams pass the exam. That was less than a quarter of what had come into the forest. Anko had kept her promise.

Sasuke nodded. "Then we keep moving," he said, looking forward. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

"I would still be careful," Kabuto said. He was right behind the Genin of Team-11. "It's always the last leg of a journey that trips people up."

Just as he said that Hinata gave out a warning. "I see a team up ahead," she said. "Looks like they're spreading their chakra out into the air."

"Where are they?" Naruto said. Hinata gave him a quick rundown of where the team was. Naruto had eyes flying to that location.

"Hinata, any idea what they're doing?" Sasuke asked. "He said they were putting their chakra into the air?"

Hinata nodded. "I think they might be trying to cast a wide area of genjutsu," she responded.

"Then it's a good thing we got you, Hinata," Naruto said. "And you too, Sasuke, now you got your Sharingan."

Sasuke smirked, activating his Sharingan, a single tome spinning around in each of his now red eyes. "Itachi is going to be so proud," he said. "Mom and Shisui as well."

Naruto snorted. "I'm sure your whole clan will be celebrating," he said. Then, a frown jumped onto his face. "I think Hinata might have been right. My eyes just got caught up in that genjutsu."

"What does it look like?" Sasuke said. "Anything that would have been bad for us?"

"By the looks of it, it would have us running in circles," Naruto said.

"Running in circles?" Hinata asked.

Naruto nodded. "I think it warps a person's sense of direction," he explained. "Make it so we would run by the same spot without ever noticing."

"And make us waste time," Sasuke said.

"And energy," Kabuto commented. "All the while, they could sneak up on you guys. A simple plan but effective."

"You sound like you almost respect these guys," Sasuke said, giving the white-haired Genin a suspicious look.

Kabuto shrugged his shoulders. "Better than underestimating them," he said.

Sasuke snorted. "So, what do we do now?" He asked his teammates as he came to a stop. Hinata and Naruto stop on either side of their teammate. Kabuto landed on a separate branch behind them. "Now that we know they're game, we can just run past them and make it to the tower."

"I say we fight them," Naruto offered. "If we leave these jokers alone, they'll hound us to the tower. Better to get rid of them now."

"You just want to fight, don't you?" Sasuke quipped. Naruto grinned, not bothering to deny the accusation. He was knocked out for a better part of a day.

"Naruto is right," Hinata said. "The other team could give us problems."

Sasuke nodded. "Good," he said with a smirk. "I was just thinking the same thing. Kabuto, you can go ahead. We'll handle the losers up ahead. Assuming there's no one else in the way."

Hinata shook her head. "They're the last team in our way," she replied.

Naruto nodded his head. "I don't see anyone else, either," he explained. "I think this is the home stretch."

Kabuto nodded. "Alright then," he said. "I'll meet you at the tower, and thank you again. I do owe for this, and I promise I will repay you three one day."

Sasuke nodded. "You better remember that promise," he said. "Because I intend to make good of it."

"Same here," Naruto said with a fox-like grin. Depending on what this guy knew or had, the young trickster was already cooking up some ideas.

Sasuke turned away from Kabuto. "Let's take care of these losers." Then he was gone with Naruto and Hinata following him.

Now left alone, Kabuto smiled to himself and pressed his glasses up. "They certainly are an interesting bunch," he said, looking up and seeing a pair of eyes watching him. He gave Naruto a friendly wave before moving toward the tower.

Orochimaru-Sama would be placed with the info he had gathered on this team. Kabuto could make his way to the central tower and be done with this leg of his mission. But Kabuto had never been one for half-measures.

Kabuto wanted to see more of what Team-11 was capable of. However short, The upcoming fight would give him some insights into the three Genin, especially Sasuke.

Oboro smirked under his mask. Another team had fallen prey to their trap. "We got another one," he announced to his teammates. "Konoha-nin by the looks of it."

"Another Konoha team?" Mubi asked. "Just how many did this village send in?"

Oboro shrugged his shoulders. "Well, they are hosting the chunin exams this time around," he replied. "So, they get to pad their numbers out. Probably just another trash team. The real threats are already going to be inside the tower. We'll take care of these guys and move on with the rest of the exams."

Kagari groaned through his mask. "Why does Pain-Sama even bother sending us out for these exams?" He asked. "It's like we need to prove ourselves. We're already the strongest Village in the world. Not while we have Pain-Sama."

"Be quiet, Kagari," Mubi said through a hushed breath. "You know better than to mention our lord outside of the Village. He commands that no one should know about him until the time is right."

"Relax, Mubi," Kagari replied. "No one is going to hear us out here. Our lord will forgive us for this transgression."

"Then you get to explain that to his angel," Mubi quipped.

Oboro rolled his eyes and tried to ignore his teammates' bantering. The Konoa team was coming into view, allowing Oboro a look at who his team would face. That was giving the enemy team more credit than they honestly deserved. What kind of idiots would fall for such a simple genjutsu?

Then his eyes narrowed as he got a good look at the blonde-haired boy with the headband as a blindfold. "Hold on, isn't that?" Oboro never got to finish his thought.

The world went black as a kick connected with his head.

Sasuke smirked as his kick connected with the side of Ame-Nin's head. The shinobi crumpled to the ground as Sasuke and the rest of his team landed.

The two remaining Ame-Nin were quick to react to their teammate being downed so quickly. Even behind their strange masks, Sasuke could see the shocked looks on their faces.

Naruto and he shared a brief glance and nodded to the other. Both boys threw themselves at the closest Ame-Nin. Their shared opponent quickly reacted to the attack, disappointing Sasuke a little as he hoped to knock the guy out just as quickly as he did with his teammate. Well, at least it would make the fight more interesting.

Sasuke threw a punch out at the Ame-Nin while preparing his leg for a kick. The Ame-Nin parried the first attack and held an arm up just in time to block a kick to his head. The Ame-Nin then pulled a kunai out and thrust it towards Sasuke.

Sasuke weaved past the attack and aimed a palm strike at his opponent's chest. Naruto came in low and swept his leg out. Neither attack connected as the Ame-Nin deflected Sasuke's attack and stepped over Naruto's sweeping kick.

But Naruto came back up, delivering a punch to the shinobi's jaw. Sasuke threw a palm strike out to strike the Ame-Nin in the gut. But the man had recovered quickly and redirected the attack away from himself.

"Kagari help me, here." The Ame-Nin shouted to his remaining teammate.

But he wouldn't get any response from his teammate. A quick glance would have told him his teammate was too busy fighting Hinata. Of course, the Ame-Nin didn't, as he was smart enough to keep his attention on the two opponents fighting him.

The Ame-nin curse as he was pushed back by the combined assault from Naruto and Sasuke. "Damn it, how did you brats get past our genjutsu?" he asked in frustration. "You're just a trio of lowly Genin. You can't be that good."

"Look who's talking," Naruto quipped back.

"And your genjutsu was pathetic," Sasuke commented. "If you think anyone was going to fall for that, then you even bigger jokes than I thought you were."

The Ame-Nin growled. "Don't you dare underestimate Ame," he said. "A god commands us."

Sasuke snorted, sending a sweeping kick to the Ame-nin's legs. A god, really? What sort of weirdos did Ame send out? Or was their whole Village like this? Either way, Sasuke didn't care.

Naruto charged at the Ame-Nin, sending out punch after punch. The Ame-nin blocked all the attacks. But Sasuke could tell the enemy was wincing from the attacks. Naruto didn't have the speed and precision like Hinata and Sasuke but made up for that with power. Even blocking his attacks was going to hurt.

By this point, the Ame-nin was obviously getting frustrated with how little progress he was making against his two opponents. Since the beginning, he has been put on the back foot, with no way to swing the offensive back into his favor.

When he tried to pull back to a distance, Sasuke and Naruto would be right back on top of him. If he tried attacking one of them, the other would attack from a blind spot. This was a losing battle for the Ame-Nin, and all three fighters knew it.

Finally, with the Ame-Nin worn down, an opening presented itself. Sasuke took it. "Caught you now," he said, intending to strike the other Genin in the chest. From the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto preparing to deliver a combo to finish the guy.

Sasuke's fist connected with the man's chest and then exploded into a smoke cloud. This was followed by the sound of something breaking apart. Sasuke frowned as he saw the remains of a log falling to the ground.

Sasuke and Naruto jumped back, avoiding several kunai thrown their way. Sasuke looked in the direction where the kunai had come from. The Ame-nin was across from them, finally putting some distance between them. He looked like he was about to finish a set of handsigns for a ninjutsu.

Then, several bolts of chakra bore into the Ame-Nin's back, staggering him and preventing him from finishing his jutsu. "What the?" He looked around as more chakra bolts rained down on him. "Where are they coming from? What kind of jutsu is this?" The Ame Genin tried to avoid the attacks from Naruto's eyes, but more than a few found their mark on him.

Next to Sasuke, Naruto nodded. "I got him pinned," he said. "Care to do the honors?"

Sasuke smirked. "Happily," then with a burst of speed, he vanished. Then, a couple of seconds later, he reappeared right in front of the now-battered Ame-Nin. The Ame-Nin only managed to take a step back before a powerful punch connected with his gut.

As the Ame-nin fell to his knees, Sasuke grabbed his head with both hands and slammed it onto his knee. The Ame-nin made a gurgling noise as he crumbled to the ground and didn't get back up.

"Two down," Sasuke said as he looked down at his unconscious opponent. "And one more to go."

"Actually," Naruto said, walking up to Sasuke. "It's zero to go." He pointed over at where Hinata was, who was standing around with a smile. By her feet was the third member of the Ame team, unconscious on the ground. "She got her guy before we could."

Sasuke hummed to himself. "I guess this one goes to you, Hinata," he said. "Good job."

Hinata giggled. "Thanks," she said.

A short moment later, the Ame-Nin had been tied together and stripped of their scrolls. They had quite a few, suggesting their trap had taken out several teams. Unfortunately, the last team to come upon their trap had been Team-11.

"You think it'll be okay to leave them here?" Hinata asked as she looked at the tied-up Genin. "This is a dangerous place."

"Oh, I'm sure somebody will come and get them," Naruto said. "You honestly think our Village would leave anyone stranded in this place. They probably have Jōnin or ANBU looking through the forest looking for teams that need to be extracted."

"And when we get to the tower, we can always tell whoever is there to pick them up," Sasuke suggested. "Now, come on, we don't have much time left."

Kabuto watched as the three Genin vanished from view. "Not bad, you three," he said, giving credit where it was due. The fight was shorter than he would have liked, but it still had given him some insights. "I can see why Orochimaru has interested you, Sasuke."

"It won't last," Hatsu said from behind him.

Kabuto smirked. He felt the young man's presence shortly after the fight had begun. "Why, Hatsu, I thought you were supposed to be taking care of something else. Not gallivanting in the woods."

"The matter has been taken care of," Hatsu replied calmly. "Orochimaru will have his sacrifices for when the time comes."

"Good to hear," Kabuto said. "But that doesn't explain why you are here." The white-haired shinobi already had an idea, but he wanted to see if Hatsu would admit it himself.

Hatsu looked unamused with Kabuto's prying. "Simply to see the boy," he said. "I wanted to see who Orochimaru would replace me with."

Kabuto smiled now. That had been a surprise. "So, what do you think?"

Hatsu looked out at the spot where Team-11 had been. "I am unimpressed," he said. "I don't see why he would bother with that child when he has me. I can satisfy his plans."

Kabuto shrugged. "Maybe," he said. "But Orochimaru has never settled for just satisfactory. He always wants the best."

Hatsu snorted. "Then he already has it," he said dryly. "That boy is no Itachi and is not his father either. Orochimaru is only interested in him because of his relationship with Itachi. But even if he was, I will prove I am the better choice."

Kabuto smiled. "Just try and be patient Hatsu," he said. "It'll still be a few years before he'll take him or you as his new body. I would even expect him to take another before then."

"It won't matter," Hatsu said, grasping his hand in the air. "By that time, I will have my revenge. I won't have anything else."

Kabuto's smile grew slightly. "Now I know someone who would disagree with you," he said.

For a second, Kabuto was treated to the sight of the young man's features softening. "He can live without me," he said, then his features returned to normal. "Especially if you keep your end of things. How was he doing?"

"Itsuki is doing well," Kabuto said. "His condition was stable when I last checked on him. The new treatment appears to be working. But it is no cure."

Hatsu nodded. "Good," then, without another word, the young man vanished.

Kabuto shook his head. "These next few years should be interesting," he said. "I wonder which of you Orochimaru will take? Sasuke or Hatsu, either case, Orochimaru-Same will be one step closer to his dreams."

And he would be there for every step his master took. He left his spot and ran ahead of team-11. It would be rude to make them worry if he were not at the tower.

Central tower

The moon was high in the sky by the time Team-11 had burst through the door into the central tower.

"We made it," Naruto said, looking relieved.

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "We might have cut it pretty close there." Then he looked around the room the team had come in through. "Anyone see Kabuto?"

"He's already inside," Naruto said. "I had my eyes on him. He's safe."

Sasuke nodded and looked at the wall at the room's far end. "I thought someone would be here to greet us," he said. But I don't see anyone. Are you sure this was the right way to enter?"

Naruto nodded. "This place only has two entrances," he said. "Besides, we're not down with the test yet."

"But we got to the tower," Hinata said.

Naruto smiled and walked up to the wall. "But we still have one more thing to do," he said. He gestured for his teams to hand him the scroll. Hinata pulled out a heaven scroll, while Sasuke had an earth scroll.

They both came to Naruto. Sasuke looked at the wall as he handed the earth scroll to Naruto. He read off the inscription on the wall: "If you do not possess heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you possess both heaven and earth, paths that were once dangerous are now benign."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked.

"I guess we're about to find out," Naruto said as he opened both scrolls. He cracked a smile as he saw the moment of panic on his teammates' faces. Then he tossed the scrolls to the ground as thick white smoke exploded from them.

From the smoke, a figure appeared. Naruto smiled as he recognized the man who had been summoned. Iruka looked around the room and then at the Genin of Team-11. He smiled even as Hinata and Sasuke were looking at him confusedly.

"Congratulations," Iruka said. "You three have passed the second phase of the chunin exams."

For a second, Sasuke and Hinata still looked confused, but then the relief came. "We passed?" Hinata asked. "We passed the second phase?"

Iruka nodded. "And not with a moment to spare," he said. "You guys were cutting it pretty close there for a second. Another hour and the exam would have been over."

Sasuke smiled. "Well, you know us," he said. "We like cutting things close. I don't think Naruto would have it any other way."

Naruto shot Sasuke with an offended look. "Hey, don't blame me for this," he said. "You're just as much a drama queen as I am."

Sasuke snorted and looked back at the wall behind Iruka. "So, what's up with the inscription?" He asked. "Since it's talking about Earth and Heaven, I assume it has something to do with the exams."

Iruka nodded and turned around. He went into an explanation about what the inscription meant, which boiled down to cultivating the virtues of the body and the mind to make themselves better shinobi.

"So, by lacking in one, we're making up for the other," Hinata said. "But we'll have that imbalance."

"And we need to cultivate or train to fix that imbalance," Sasuke said.

"And in doing so, we'll have the virtues of Heaven and Earth within us," Naruto responded. "Making us better shinobi."

Iruka smiled as he turned to face the young Genin. "More than just Shinobi," he replied. "But better people as well. But that's something the three of you will have to figure out for yourselves. But for now, just be happy that you passed the second phase and are now free to move on to the third and final phase."

Naruto was smiling ear to ear at hearing that. A short moment later, the trio was meeting with their Jonin Sensei, Shisui.

"Shisui-sensei!" Naruto beamed. "We're so happy to see you again."

"And I'm glad to see the three of you back here in one piece," Shisui said. "But cutting it a little close, aren't we?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Well, let's just say," he looked at each of his teammates. Hinata and Sasuke looked tired and ragged. "A lot happened."

Shisui nodded. "That much I can see," he commented as he looked over the three. "But you can tell me about it later. For now, I suggest the three of you get what rest you can."

The three genin nodded. "But, sensei, there's something we need to take care of first," Naruto said. "We had a run-in with Snake Freak, and he did something to Sasuke and me."

Shisui's face grew serious. "Show me," he said. The boys showed the seals that Orochimaru had placed on them. "Hmm," Shisui hummed as he looked over the seal placed over Kurama's seal.

"Well, sensei?" Naruto asked. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm no expert," Shisui answered. "But I should be able to remove this seal without any trouble. Naruto, you might want to brace yourself."

Naruto nodded and waited for Shusui to do whatever he needed. His Jonin sensei stood up and held his hand out. His fingers lit in blue flames. Then, in a flash, he slammed his hand over Naruto's stomach, each finger digging into the second seal.

"Releash!"

Naruto held back a heave as the second seal vanished and a surge of chakra entered his system. Shisui pulled his hand back, allowing Naruto to take a step back. He felt a little winded.

Shisui looked at him. "Well?" He asked. "Did that do the trick?"

Naruto took a moment to gather himself. But when he did, he closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Kurama's chakra. A smile wormed its way across his face as he felt the familiar presence within him.

"Kurama can you hear me?"

"Kit, is that you?" The fox asked, relieved, sounding in his voice. "It's so good to hear from you again. I was begging to think I would be stuck in here forever."

Naruto grinned. "Well you are kind of stuck," he commented. "Inside of me."

He could almost see the eye coming from the fox. "Very funny, Kit," Kurama grumbled. "Still, it's good to be back in touch."

Naruto nodded. "It's good to hear from you, too, Kurama. We can catch up later."

Naruto opened his eyes and smiled at Shisui. "That definitely did it, sensei," he said to the man. "Thanks."

Shisui nodded at him. "Anything for my students," he replied with a warm smile. Then he looked at Sasuke. "As for that hickey you got."

Sasuke flashed and covered his shoulder. "Please don't call it a hickey," he whined.

Shisui chuckled. "I'm afraid there's very little I can do about it. At least not until the second part of the exam is over."

Sasuke nodded. "Then I can wait," he said.

"Don't worry, Sasuke," Shisui responded. "We'll get that thing handled. I'm about to let that Snake freak get his fangs into you. Not anymore than he already has."

That was comfort for all three of the young genin. After everything they had been through in the forest, it was nice to know that someone was watching out for them.

Naruto beamed. "Come on, guys," he said, walking past his sensei. "Let's relax for a bit before they can toss us into the next round. Hinata and Sasuke did not argue with him on that. They would take what little rest they could get.

An hour passed, and the passing teams were gathered in a large room with a massive statue built into the wall, looking down on them.

Looking around, Naruto saw that all the rookie twelve had passed, along with Lee's team. Aside from them, the only teams to pass were Gaara's team and Kiri's team. Together, only seven teams passed the exam.

In front of the teams were their Jōnin senseis, the Hokage, and a sickly-looking man. The Hokage had a smile on his face. "To the teams that have made it this far," he said. "I congratulate you. All of you have proven yourselves to be the best your respective villages offer. Indeed, this round of the Chunin Exams has shown some of the most promising youths in years. I look forward to seeing how all of you shall fare in the third and final round." Then, he gave a speech about how the Chunin exams were a replacement for war and how they helped maintain peace between the villages.

"Excuse me, Hokage-Sama," the sickly Jōnin said when it seemed like the Hokage was about to wrap up his speech. "But there is cough one problem that needs to be cough addressed." The Hokage looked at the man for a second and nodded.

A frown tugged at Naruto's lips. He knew a staggered act when he saw it. "Something is up," he whispered to his teammates. Both of them nodded.

The sickly Jōnin walked up to the group of Genin. "Hello, I am Gekko Hayata, and cough I shall be the protector for cough the cough final round of the Chunin exams," he announced himself. "However, cough there are more passing participants than we had expected. Cough There are too many, so we will need to cut cough cut your numbers down. As such, a preliminary round will be held in this room."

A moment of silence passed over the chamber.

"What!"