A Simple Change: The Rasengan
By: Hideo Kazama (秀夫 風間
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and co.
A/N: I have decided on a jutsu for Naruto. I'll explain what it is at the bottom.
Chapter Four: Orochimaru's Folly and Kyubi's Power!
"Now let's go!" Anko pumped her fist into the air, "Follow me!"
Pushing some of the fabric away, Ibiki whispered to her, "Bad timing."
Anko blushed a bit, hand still in the air. Slowly, as if embarrassed, she brought it down, scanning the room. Seeming surprised for some reason, she yelled at Ibiki, "Seventy eight! Ibiki, you left twenty six teams? The test was way to easy this time!"
Smiling slightly, Ibiki replied, "There were a lot of outstanding ones this time."
Seemingly content with his comment, she said, "That's fine. I'll at least cut them in half in the second test."
Some of the Genin seemed apprehensive at her bold statement, shivering in trepidation. Anko noticed this, "Ahh. I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we've changed places. Follow me."
Following Anko led them to a large, fenced in forest with impossibly huge trees. On the locked and chained fence gate, a sign hung, reading, "Danger! Stay out!"
Anko stopped in front of the fence, her trench coat flapping slightly in the calm and silent wind. She turned to them, a malevolent grin stretched across her mouth, "Welcome to the stage for the second test. Practice area Forty Four, also known as…The Forest of Death. And, unlucky for you, you'll soon find out why it's called that."
Naruto snorted, muttering under his breath, "Yeah. I'll bet."
Faster than most of the Genin could follow, Anko had thrown a kunai at Naruto, who tilted his head to the side to dodge it. Shortly after, Naruto dove to the ground, twisting on his hands and throwing a roundhouse kick with his right leg at what had originally been empty space behind him. Anko grinned down at him, having blocked the kick with her left forearm and caught his shin in her right hand.
Naruto grinned back at her, bringing his left shin crashing down on her left right shoulder. Surprised, she let go of his right leg, which he promptly moved to her left shoulder. Locking his ankles behind her head, he pulled her face first into the hard earth between his knees. Pushing himself backwards, he was then kneeling on her back. He used it like a springboard and flung himself into the air, doing a flip and landing upright ten feet away. All in the span of five seconds.
Smirking at his success, he told her, "Kitsune Rendan (Fox Combo)."
A collective gasp swept around the group when she did not get up for ten seconds. Then she pushed herself into the air, twisting just right so that would land facing them.
She smirked at them, despite the small smudge of dirt on her left cheek, "Seems we've got some talented wannabes here."
Reaching into her trench coat, she said, "Now, before we start the second test, there's something I need to pass out."
She pulled out a stack of papers, "You must sign these agreement forms. There will be deaths in this one. And if you don't sign these, I'll be responsible."
Noticing that she had there attention, (Not that she hadn't had it before) Anko said, "I'm going to explain the second test, then you can sign them afterwards. And then each team will check in at that booth behind me.
"Now then, simply put, you will attempt the ultimate survival test." She unrolled a scroll depicting a map of the area, "Around survival area number Forty four are forty four locked gates. About ten kilometers from each gate is a tower in the center. During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in a…"
She pulled out two scrolls, "…No rules scroll battle. You will fight over these two scrolls, 'Heaven' and 'Earth'.
"There are twenty six teams here, meaning half will get a 'Heaven' scroll, and half will get an 'Earth' scroll. Your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."
She grinned at them evilly, "And you have a time limit."
"Now then," She held up a hand, "Things that will get you disqualified." She held up one finger, "First, those that don't get to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit." A second finger rose, "Second, those who lose a teammate or whose teammate is killed. Lastly, you must not look inside the scrolls until you make it to the tower."
She shoved her hands into her coat, "Exchange the three forms for a scroll and chose a gate to get ready for the start. Oh, and a final word of advice…Don't die!"
After everyone had signed a form, received a scroll and picked a gate, she shouted, "Follow an instructor and get to your gates! We'll start in thirty minutes!"
Thirty minutes passed quietly, everyone silently anticipating the second test. As Anko saw the thirty minutes end on her watch, she said, "The second test of the Chuunin Exam now begins!"
In a blur of movement, the entirety of the Genins blew through their gates, each team focused on reaching the tower at the center.
After traveling a little ways into the forest, Team Seven stopped, listening to the screams coming from some ways away. Sasuke simply smirked, "Hn. Sounds like it's started."
Naruto frowned, looking disgruntled for a second, "I got to take a whiz. Be right back."
He left for a nearby cluster of trees, walking behind it to answer nature's call. Silence reigned for a few seconds, then, "What the hell? Can't a guy take a whiz in peace? You could've at least waited till I finished!"
A loud "WHAM!" was heard as an Ame-nin flew from the foliage, unconscious with a large bump on his head. Silence followed as Sasuke and Hinata sweat dropped at the sight. Then, the sound of a zipper being pulled up met their ears, and Naruto walked out from behind the trees, washing his hands on some soap and water (from a canteen) he carried in his extra kunai pouch (he has two).
Naruto kicked the Ame-nin in the ribs to make sure he was out cold, and then searched his pockets for a scroll. He frowned when he found none.
"Right then," Sasuke said, "We need to come up with a password…"
Naruto frowned at the chosen password, wondering what the "Mangekyou Sharingan" was.
A sudden wind blew through the clearing, knocking the group away from each other, Naruto the farthest. When it had all settled down again, Sasuke stood from the bush he was hiding under.
A soft cry of "Uchiha-san!" caused him to turn around, a kunai in his grasp.
"Stay away," he warned, "First the codeword. The Uchiha clan's darkest secret."
Firmly, she said, "The Mangekyou Sharingan."
Naruto stumbled out of the foliage, cursing, "Oww. You guys alright?"
Sasuke pointed his kunai at Naruto, "The codeword."
Naruto smiled, "The Uchiha clan's darkest secret is the Mangekyou Sharingan."
Sasuke smirked, throwing his kunai at the black clad boy. Naruto dodged, "Whoa!"
He glared at the Uchiha, "What the hell was that for? I said the codeword bastard!"
Sasuke's smirk widened a bit. He pointed at Naruto's feet, "Naruto wears black sandals. Whoever you are, you're good, but not good enough! Show yourself, you bastard!"
The Naruto in front of them smirked in a way unbecoming of the real Naruto. The look was evil and malevolent, something that didn't belong on Naruto's face. In a puff of smoke, Naruto was replaced by a grass-nin with long black hair and wearing a straw hat (called a sedge shade). Removing his (and I use that term lightly) shade, the imposter smirked, "Impressive that you knew. This will be more fun than I thought."
Naruto, on the other hand, was standing from the place he fell. However, while on his knees, he caught sight of a shadow looming over him. A large shadow. Almost afraid of what he would see, Naruto looked up to find a large snake eyeing him.
"Damn!" he thought, "It's huge!"
With a loud hiss, it lunged at him, intent on making him dinner. Cursing his luck, he bounded out of its path, watching as it slammed into the ground a few yards away. Hearing something traveling through the air behind him, he did a back flip over the tail that would have crashed into him.
Naruto charged a Rasengan as it turned towards him again, thrusting his attack forwards as the giant reptile charged at him a second time. It met his attack head on, bursting into a puff of smoke as it was destroyed.
An angry scowl marred his face, "Damn. I better get back to Sasuke and Hinata-chan. I've got to remember to give them one of my special kunai to make this easier!"
With another disgruntled curse, Naruto took to the trees, intent on finding his teammates again.
The grass-nin smirked at them, holding out an 'Earth Scroll', "You want my Earth Scroll, correct? Because you have the Heaven Scroll."
His long tongue snaked around the scroll as he brought it to his lips. At an agonizingly slow pace, he stuck it in his mouth, swallowing it. Grinning evilly, he stared at them, pulling his bottom left eyelid down slightly, "Now let's begin the battle for each other's scrolls…with our lives on the line."
A great fear ran through Hinata and Sasuke, and in their minds, they pictured themselves with kunai protruding from their foreheads. With shaky limbs, Sasuke keeled over, throwing up his lunch. "Genjutsu? No, this is just fear. His killing intent is doing this to us. Who the hell is this guy?"
The grass-nin chuckled lightly, "He he. You can no longer move."
With an almost lazy flick of his wrist, he flung two kunai at Sasuke and Hinata.
Using pain to override fear, Sasuke picked up Hinata and dashed for cover, barely dodging the kunai thrown. He stopped behind some trees, panting in exertion and to return the feeling of breathing back to his lungs.
Hinata sat beside him, Byakugan activated and searching for any disturbances in the forest. She soon caught sight of a snake hanging from the tree above them and quickly warned Sasuke. With a well practiced jump, they flung themselves off the tree and into another, narrowly escaping the serpent's large jaws.
When it followed his movements, he flung as many kunai and shuriken into its body as he dared, watching as it fell against the tree, supposedly dead. With it dead, Sasuke leaned back against the tree he was in, sighing in relief.
His breath caught when he heard a disturbing noise coming from the snake he had just killed. Almost afraid of what he would find, Sasuke turned his head back towards the humungous reptile. His eyes widened in horror as the grass-nin rose from the snake's corpse, staring at him, "You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment. Prey should always be trying to run away in the presence of a predator like me."
With his piece said, his body lengthened as he twisted up the tree he was in, much like the snake before him. He stopped short when kunai and shuriken impacted the trunk in front of his face.
"Sorry I'm late, Sasuke, Hinata-chan," a voice said, "But I had a little trouble with a pest. Seems it wanted the Uchiha clan's darkest secret from me."
Hinata and Sasuke looked towards the source of the voice to see a blonde haired Genin wearing a black shirt and black ANBU pants. He had a large grin on his face and deep blue eyes. Hinata almost squealed happily, "Naruto-kun!"
"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, "I know you think you're here to save us, but run away! This one's on a whole other level!"
The grass-nin chuckled, "Looks like you successfully defeated that giant snake, Naruto-kun."
Sasuke looked torn, "This is bad…all three of us may get killed if we don't get out of here!"
Pulling out the scroll, Sasuke said, "I'll give you the scroll, please, take it and leave us!"
"WHAT?" Naruto yelled.
Sasuke tossed the scroll in the grass-nin's direction, "Take it!"
Naruto jumped in front of its path, snatching out of the air a few feet from Sasuke. Sasuke rounded on him, yelling in his frustration, "Bastard! Don't you understand the situation?"
Naruto punched him, watching as Sasuke landed a few yards away. Sasuke was infuriated, "What's this all of the sudden?"
Naruto's cold whisper was quiet, yet somehow, the entire group assembled could here it, "You're Sasuke's fake, aren't you?"
"You total moron!" Sasuke shouted, "I'm the real Sasuke!"
"Liar!" Naruto snapped harshly, "There's no way a stupid coward like you is the real Sasuke! What guarantee is there he'll let us go if we give him the scroll?"
"Naruto-kun," the grass-nin chuckled, "You are correct. Since I can just kill you and take the scroll."
He bit his thumb, running it down a tattoo on his arm, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Naruto charged the grass-nin, hoping to interrupt the summoning. He wasn't fast enough as a large snake appeared beneath the man's body, glaring at Team Seven. He was too shocked at its size to notice the tail that came seemingly from nowhere and struck him, sending him tumbling down to a tree branch, where he lay motionless.
The rest of Team Seven stared on in shocked silence, not even registering when the grass-nin's neck extended towards Sasuke. Sasuke himself didn't even notice till he felt something bite him on his neck. He let out a cry of pain, "Graaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The grass-nin smirked as his curse seal burned itself into Sasuke's skin, and slowly retracted his neck when it was completed. He turned his gaze to Hinata, and immediately noticed her Hyuga heritage.
"Kukuku," he laughed, his voice much more masculine than before, "I wonder what it would be like for the Sharingan and the Byakugan to mix? It would be such a joy to find out."
His neck began extending again, intending to strike Hinata again. He neared her, a mere twenty feet between him and the pale eyed girl. Those twenty feet turned to fifteen feet, then ten, then five.
WHAM! A fist slammed into his face, and if he was right, it had broken his nose. An animalistic voice reached his ears, evidently angry with him, "Don't you dare touch Hinata-chan, you BASTARD!"
The grass-nin looked up, staring at the person before him. In essence, it was Naruto. But he looked nothing like he normally did. His whisker marks had lengthened and broadened, looking more feral and dangerous. His eyes were a bloody crimson, glaring at him dangerously. The fine tips on his fingernails had turned into inch length claws. And finally, a fox shaped shroud of chakra had formed around his body, two bubbling tails behind it.
With a snap of his wrist, a large blue bolt of lightning flew from his fingertips, destroying the snake instantly. Another snap of his wrist brought a rain of three pronged kunai down upon the grass-nin.
The grass-nin, the skin of his face twisted and unnatural, stared in surprise as Naruto disappeared before his eyes. He barely had time to ponder the blonde's location when a fist slammed into his stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Then another attacked his spine, cracking at least one or two vertebrae. A roundhouse kick landed on his right cheek, twisting the skin of his face even more.
A leg swept his feet from under him, bringing him to the tree trunk beneath him. He gasped as Naruto appeared above him and brought his fist crashing down into his gut. He was pushed further into the wood, causing a small crater to form around him. And just as he tried to land a punch on the Genin, Naruto disappeared again, as if he was never there.
The grass-nin, deciding he was tired of this charade, tore the skin of his face off, revealing another, paler face beneath. The grass symbol on his Hitai-ate turned to that of a musical note. His slit yellow eyes held anger and frustration. He recognized this technique. How could he not? His most hated enemy, the Fourth Hokage, had used it countless times. And it was probably what had gotten the whelp the position of Hokage in the first place.
Naruto suddenly appeared a good distance away, charging a technique in his right hand. Orochimaru, the one who had been posing as a grass-nin, took this opportunity to take desperate measures in order to remain hidden. He went through a set of hand seals, watching in satisfaction as purple fire started to burn on the fingertips of his right hand. He allowed his amazingly long tongue to leak out of his mouth, twisting in anticipation.
Naruto catapulted himself off of the tree branch he was on, diving for Orochimaru. As he neared the Snake Sennin, Orochimaru's tongue lashed out, grabbing onto his midsection and preventing him from destroying the man's insides with a Rasengan. Using his free hand, Orochimaru lifted Naruto's black shirt, spotting the seal instantly. Without hesitating in the least, he slammed the burning fingers of his right hand into the seal, watching as it took effect.
The red aura of chakra started to dissipate, sinking back into his body. Naruto, barely registering what was happening through the pain he felt, crashed his slowly dissipating Rasengan into Orochimaru's left shoulder, tearing tendons and muscles to pieces. With an outraged cry, Orochimaru released the now unconscious blonde, disappearing into the trees.
Regaining her composure, Hinata rushed down to the unconscious form of Naruto. With fear in her heart, she ran a detailed scan of his vitals, letting out a breath of relief when she found nothing major wrong with him. Gently, she hoisted him over her shoulder (after having packed all of the kunai he had thrown into his first kunai pouch). Adding a large amount of Chakra to her legs, she sped off to find a clearing, picking up Sasuke along the way.
Naruto was in that weird place again. Except it was slightly different. The floors were dry as can be and more red pipes had joined the blue. Padding softly down the marble hallway, he quickly found the cage that held Kyubi. Only…it was blocked off by a brick wall.
"Whoa." he whispered.
A deep chuckle brought his attention to a spot to his right, where a dog sized fox lay, its nine, long tails swishing lazily across the floor. It appeared to be…grinning at him, "Yes. Whoa."
Naruto stared at it for a second, then took notice of the eight extra tails it had, "Kyubi? What happened?"
"It's quite simple really," it said, standing up and walking slowly towards him. It sat down in front of him, its slender tails motionless, "The stupid snake bastard didn't know that we had merged, thus, he believed putting a seal over your original seal would cut you off from my chakra and leave you weakened. Unfortunately for him, it didn't quite work out that way. All he managed to do was screw up your chakra control."
"Oh, I see. Because we merged, he'd have to split your soul from mine in order to seal me off from your chakra, right?"
Kyubi nodded, "Right. This gives us a large advantage over him. He thinks you're weakened and don't have access to my chakra, because of this, he'll underestimate you next time."
"Then why did it have such an effect on me?" Naruto was curious. He had noticed how Kyubi's chakra had receded when the seal had hit him.
"Because your body was in a lot of pain and it is trying to adjust to the new seal. It is unfortunate that you won't have such luck. You should wake up soon, within the next day." A slow grin tugged at its lips, "Until then, I believe there was a new jutsu you wanted to come up with? Until you get rid of this seal and relearn your chakra control, you won't be able to try it for real, but you could at least figure out how to do it and such while you're here."
Naruto grinned, "Yeah. Hey, Kyubi?"
"Yes?"
"One last thing. When we merged, how far did it slow the absorption process?"
It looked at him, as if hesitant to say its words, "By my current calculations, we managed to slow it down enough that it will probably take about five or six years for you to absorb it all."
Nodding, Naruto's eyes glazed over as he did calculations for his greatest jutsu yet.
Hinata sat protectively in front of her teammates, her breathing shallow. Numerous scratches decorated her arms and legs and a large, purpling bruise marred her right cheek. Pinned to a tree by kunai some five yards away was the unconscious Sound Kunoichi known as Kin. Approximately the same distance away a little to the left of their comrade were the two male members of the Oto-nin team (Dosu and Zaku). They were almost unscathed.
Lee lay on the ground a short distance away, having come to rescue his comrades from imminent doom.
"Kit. You need to wake up. Your mate's in trouble!"
"What do you mean?"
"That blood you smell belongs to your Hinata-chan!"
Dosu grinned from under his bandages, rushing towards the weakened girl, "Time to end this!"
"Some minor sound-nins bullying these second rate ninjas. I'm afraid I can't allow that." A voice said from up in the trees.
Dosu stopped and turned his attention to the owner of the voice, a long haired Genin wearing some sort of jacket and black shorts. His eyes were the same milky white color as Hinata's and glared at them hatefully. Dosu snarled, "More of them! They're like cockroaches!"
"You made a mistake," he said, ignoring the sound-nin's words, "That knocked out freak is from my team and you're going to pay for that.
"If you're going to go any further…" the veins around his eyes bulged, "…then I'm going all out."
"Wake up, kit! There's no time to waste! Hinata is in trouble!"
Something flickered on the Neji's Byakugan enhanced vision, "Huh? This chakra!"
"If you don't like it so much," Dosu taunted, "Then stop acting cool and get down here!"
"No…" Neji said slowly, "It seems that won't be necessary."
Over under the nearly uprooted tree, Naruto was slowly standing, a malevolent red chakra peeling off his form. It was vaporous in nature and took no definite shape. Neji's Byakugan could not seem to find where the unnatural chakra originated from, though it seemed more dense and intense around his stomach.
Naruto's gleaming crimson eyes glared at the Oto-nins in front of him, as if willing them to combust spontaneously. In a low, dangerous voice, he asked, "Hinata-chan…Who did this to you?"
"Naruto-kun!" she gasped, her voice slightly hoarse.
"Who did this?" he asked again, his voice harsh and icy, contradicting the warm chakra covering his body.
Zaku smirked proudly, "We did it!"
The red chakra spiked, gaining size around the slim figure in the middle of it all. Neji flinched slightly as it grew brighter to his 'Godly' vision, and turned off his Byakugan. Naruto grinned evilly at Zaku and Dosu, "So…It was you, was it? Let's see…just how easy it is for me to tear you apart with this small fraction."
Dosu's eye widened, "His chakra is too large!"
Zaku did a hand seal, "Dosu! No need to be afraid of this half dead freak!"
Aiming for Naruto, he shouted, "Ultimate Zankuuha!"
A large blast of wind tore through the small clearing, kicking up dust and dirt as it hit its target. Trees were destroyed and logs were obliterated. No inanimate object in its path was spared the horrible fate.
Zaku smirked, "Hehe. I've blown him away!"
"Blown who away?" Naruto's voice said from behind him. With a malicious grin Naruto stuck his foot in between Zaku's shoulder blades, grabbing his arms and pulling on them painfully.
Naruto's grin widened, "Do you always have one foot in the grave or are you doing this in honor of me?"
He gave a slight tug on the Oto-nin's arms and smiled when he heard him cry out in pain, "Why thank you. I'm flattered."
Then he frowned, slowly pulling harder, "Go back to that bastard boss of yours and tell him," he paused to let Zaku scream as his arms were dislocated, "Any pain he inflicts on Konohagakure, I'll return a hundredfold."
Releasing Zaku, he turned his gaze towards Dosu, "You're the only one left. Are you going to fight? Or will you be wise and run like a scared cat?"
Dosu nodded, pulling his earth scroll from his outfit, "You are too strong. We can't defeat you. Take our scroll and we shall leave peacefully."
Naruto grinned and the aura disappeared, his body returning to normal, "It seems you're wise. I'll accept your scroll."
His face twisted into a frown, "But harm Hinata-chan again and you shall not escape my wrath."
Picking up his teammates, Dosu nodded his head solemnly, "I understand."
As they leapt away, Naruto rushed over to his girlfriend (after picking up the scroll), hugging her tightly. Wincing slightly, she hugged him back, happy that things were returning to normal.
Standing, Naruto helped Hinata up and slung Sasuke over his shoulder, heading in the direction of the tower.
Forgotten up in the tree, Neji turned to leave as Ten Ten picked up Lee. He paused for a second, turning his head to look back at Team Seven. His eyes narrowed as they latched onto the blonde, "That chakra was abnormal. Is the Kazama clan really that strong? Or is something else afoot here?"
After taking a full day to recover from their injuries (Naruto only needed an hour), Team Seven walked into the tower, fully expecting to find someone waiting for them.
Naruto blinked in confusion, taking in his surroundings (like any good shinobi would). He didn't see anything of great interest, so it's no surprise he noticed the scroll attached to the wall very quickly.
Walking over to it, he tried to decipher its meaning, a bit confused when he found a few words missing from it all. When his eyes found the words "Heaven" and "Earth" he was struck by an epiphany, "Hey, Hinata-chan, Sasuke-teme, open the scrolls!"
Nodding, they did as he said, peeling the scrolls open. Sasuke, noticed what they were, quickly dropped his scroll and backed away, telling Hinata to do the same. A pillar of smoke rose from the scrolls, obscuring the person who had been summoned. Naruto and Hinata gasped as the smoke dissipated.
Iruka grinned at Naruto, "Hey. Long time no see."
"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, his tone demanding.
Iruka smiled at them, "At the end of the Second test, it's set up so that we Chuunins meet up with the exam takers. I was allowed to be the one to greet you. So, congratulations! You three pass the second test!"
Naruto grinned at him, happiness dancing in his eyes. Hinata smiled, interlacing her fingers with Naruto's. Sasuke smirked, leaning up against the wall for support. He clutched his neck, willing the curse seal to stop throbbing.
Iruka smiled at Naruto and Hinata, noticing their interlaced fingers, "Oh? I see congratulations are in order for another reason. When were you planning on telling me, Naruto?"
Naruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Eh heh…You see, Iruka-sensei, it didn't…cross my mind."
"Ah. Well," Iruka frowned, "In all seriousness, this third and final test…don't push yourselves too hard, okay? You have a day before the third test begins. Use it to get some rest."
In a puff of smoke, he disappeared.
They listened to his words, taking a day off from everything just to relax. Naruto went searching for help getting rid of the extra seal, asking any Chuunin or Jounin he could find. He was eventually redirected to the Hokage himself, where the old man took one look at the seal, then removed it, painfully. With his chakra back under control, Kyubi had urged Naruto to relearn his control exercises and gain a hold on his new, stronger chakra. Naruto had ignored the Kitsune's urging and found a room to rest in, the seal removal leaving him drained and aching.
Sasuke had found the most secluded room in the tower, dodging and escaping from his rabid fangirls to get to it. He had been mostly successful, having been caught by Sakura and Ino once he had outran the others. After trapping them in a mild, D-rank Genjutsu, he had made his escape and found freedom. He took the opportunity to rest and regain stamina and chakra. He slept all day and all night.
Hinata had gone and gotten medical treatment for her wounds, the worst of which had been a cracked rib and the bruise on her cheek. At first she had been denied, the medics telling her they weren't allowed to help yet. Hinata had drawn up the most threatening face she could and threatened to bring the full weight of the Hyuga clan down upon them if they refused to treat her. Fortunately, they didn't call her bluff (she wasn't in any position to be using her clan's power) and treated her wounds.
Now, at the end of the second exam, the twenty one Genin remaining stood in a peculiar arena, waiting for the instructions to the third exam. In the front of the room stood a group consisting of Chuunin, Jounin, and the Hokage. Protruding from the front wall was a pair of stone hands forming the seal for "Ram".
Anko smirked at them from where she stood, "Congratulations on passing! Hokage-sama will now explain the third test, so listen carefully!"
The Sandaime took a step forward, "Before we begin, there is something I'd like you to know."
He tugged his hat down slightly, "Why do we have all the allianced countries taking this exam together? 'To promote friendship amongst the countries' 'To raise the level of Shinobi'… I don't want you to be confused about the true meaning. This exam is a replacement for war among the allied countries."
Sandaime's face was impassive as he took a puff on his pipe, "If you go back in time, the current allies were enemies who fought each other over who would rule. In order to prevent wasteful fighting, the stage that those countries chose for fighting…That is the origin of the Chuunin Exams."
Sarutobi continued, undaunted by the questions thrown at him, "It is true that this exam decides who is to become Chuunin, but it is also an opportunity for the different countries to show off there ninja to the important figures who watch this third exam. A Shinobi village is only as strong as it's weakest link.
"Now then," he paused for a second, "On to the third exam…"
"Actually…" A sick looking Jounin appeared in front of the Hokage, "As referee…Hokage-sama, if I may…?"
Sandaime nodded, "By all means…"
The Jounin turned toward the Genin, revealing his weary face and the dark bags under his eyes, "I am Gekkou Hayate, and I am the referee. Before the third test, I'm afraid we'll have to hold a preliminary. Since we are going to begin right away, I must ask any who wish to quit to do so now."
Kabuto raised his hand, "I wish to quit."
Questioning stares followed his retreating back as he left, sparing a short, unnoticeable glance at Naruto and Sasuke.
Hayate looked around, "Right then, (cough, cough) if no one else wishes to forfeit, let's begin the preliminary rounds. If you'll turn your attention to the screen behind me…"
Everyone turned their gazes to the large screen behind the sickly Jounin, watching as the blackness faded into a dark gray. The letters 'vs.' lit up in the very center. Above them was the name "Uchiha Sasuke" and below it was "Akado Yoroi".
"Now," Hayate said, "If these two participants would come to the front…"
They walked forward, each one assured of his victory. Gekkou Hayate made a motion towards the stands, "Now if everyone else would please leave the arena."
When everyone had left the area for the stands, he said, "Now…Please begin."
Yoroi made a hand seal, "Are you ready, Sasuke-kun?"
He slipped his left hand into his kunai pouch, his right hovering in front of his stomach. He withdrew a few shuriken, while, simultaneously, Sasuke withdrew a Kunai from the holster on his thigh. Without warning, Yoroi flung his shuriken at Sasuke, who knocked them away with a swipe of his kunai.
A flash of pain from his curse seal brought Sasuke to the ground, kunai still in hand. Yoroi took the opportunity to try and attack Sasuke, trying to bring his hand down on Sasuke's head. Sasuke rolled and dodged, watching the other Genin's hand sink into the tile floor. Plunging his kunai into ground as a brake, Sasuke spun around and brought Yoroi's legs from under him, pulling the older Genin into a painful looking arm lock.
Yoroi's hand grabbed Sasuke's shirt firmly, and, suddenly, Sasuke felt himself growing weaker. Too weak to prevent it, Sasuke could only watch as Yoroi twisted himself free of Sasuke's grip and brought his hand down on the Uchiha's chest. Hard.
Jumping up, Yoroi spun around and latched that same hand on Sasuke's head, sapping the younger boy's strength.
"You're…stealing…my chakra," Sasuke stuttered.
Yoroi chuckled, "So you finally noticed."
With a sudden surge of strength, Sasuke kicked him off, standing up as fast as he could. A wave of inspiration passed through his body, a grin plastering itself across his face.
Yoroi growled as he stood back up. He rushed Sasuke again, his technique charged and ready to go. With a burst of speed, Sasuke ducked under his attempt at grappling and sent a kick into the boy's chin, forcing the Genin into the air. As fast as his body would allow, Sasuke followed him, appearing beneath Yoroi's airborne body.
Sasuke sent a light poke to his opponent's body, "It's over."
Using the other Genin's body, Sasuke flipped over, sending a kick towards Yoroi's stomach. It was blocked with relative ease. Sasuke used the block to add speed and power to himself, performing a 180 and bringing his fist crashing into the older boy's face. Now only a few feet above the ground, Sasuke used his momentum to bring a solid kick into Yoroi's stomach, forcing him to collide painfully with the ground and Sasuke's foot at the same time.
"Shishi Rendan!" Sasuke said.
With his opponent unconscious and his fight won, Sasuke collapsed on his butt, panting heavily.
Hayate bent over Yoroi, checking for signs of unconsciousness. When he found his answer, he shouted to the stadium, "Akado Yoroi is unable to continue. Uchiha Sasuke wins the first round!"
As Kakashi took Sasuke from the stadium and medics took away Yoroi, the screen lit up with the next combatants, "Zaku Abumi vs. Aburame Shino"
Zaku smirked, confident of his victory, "Who's this loser?"
When both had entered the stadium and stood in front of Hayate, the referee said, "We will now begin the second match.
The remaining Genin watched the match unfold, wincing a bit as Shino got hit by Zaku's Zankuuha.
Sakura was worried about him, "Will Shino-san be alright?"
Kiba, her other teammate, smirked, "I wouldn't worry about Shino. He's one of the guys even I don't want to fight."
Hinata turned her head from the fight for a second, "Who do you think will win, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto didn't answer her at first, his eyes intensely focused on the battle in front of his eyes, "Shino will win. He's on a whole different level. Zaku doesn't stand a chance, and he's a fool for not realizing that."
Neji gazed lazily at the fight, disinterest in his pale gaze, "For a rookie, this guy isn't so bad. But can he win this?"
Tenten grimaced when Zaku's arms were destroyed, "It seems he can and did."
Down in the stadium, Hayate shouted, "Winner, Aburame Shino!"
The screen lit up again as Zaku was carried away on a stretcher, "Tsurugi Misumi vs. Kankuro"
Kankuro bested his opponent relatively quickly. Tsurugi had attacked and supposedly broke his neck, only to discover that he was attacking a puppet. Kankuro had pulled himself from the mass of bandages on the floor revealing that he was safe and unharmed. With practiced ease, Kankuro crushed his opponent, literally.
In less than a minute after it started, Hayate said, "Winner, Kankuro."
The screen lit up a fourth time, "Haruno Sakura vs. Hyuga Hinata"
Sakura smirked as she approached the referee, "This should be easy. The only one with any real talent on Team Seven is Sasuke-kun."
Hinata said nothing, activating her Byakugan. She slid into a ready stance and waited for Hayate to start the match.
Gekkou Hayate sized up the competitors, then raised his hand, "Let the fourth match of the Chuunin Exam preliminaries…Begin!"
With a hand seal, Sakura created three Bunshin and rushed her opponent. Hinata saw through them and brushed off the punch from the middle one, stepping inside Sakura's guard. Grabbing Sakura's extended arm, she spun the other girl around, tossing her towards the stands. With her opponent's back wide open, Hinata hit the girl squarely in the shoulder, slightly surprised when it exploded into smoke.
Hinata saw Sakura charging toward her and twisted around, sending a high kick into her opponent's right shoulder. The pink haired girl was knocked backwards onto the floor, she quickly stood, gripping her shoulder in pain.
Hinata took the opportunity to do single hand seal, crying out, "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The air near Hinata's body condensed, the water vapor collecting to form the Jutsu it was meant for. With almost no noise, two copies of Hinata appeared on either side of her. An uncharacteristic smirk spread across her face; Zabuza had taught her this on the way back to Konoha. He'd also been teaching her other Suiton Jutsus, though she didn't have the chakra for most of them.
The two Mizu Bunshin dashed for their opponent, making sure to put on a good show. Sakura fought back, surprised at how easy a time she was having with the Bunshin in front of her. She could see and dodge each palm strike and kick thrown. With a confident smirk, she pulled out two kunai and stabbed them, shocked when they grinned at her.
With a splash, the Water Clones exploded all over Sakura, leaving her soaked. She was confident though. She had seen one of Hinata's jutsus, and that meant the girl had less she could surprise her with.
She turned to look at Hinata and gloat, only to find the Hyuga heiress charging another technique. An electrical one. And, suddenly, Sakura understood the purpose of the Mizu Bunshin. Fear crept into her eyes.
With a jabbing motion, a blue lightning bolt leapt from Hinata's fingers, "Rakurai no Jutsu!"
Sakura was rooted to where she stood and couldn't move an inch. She saw the bolt of lightning coming towards her and knew that she should dodge, but her body wouldn't budge. She let out a scream as the electrical discharge hit her, sending waves of pain throughout her body. She screamed for what seemed like an eternity. Then, with a final gasp, Sakura fell forward, unconscious.
When she didn't move for ten seconds, Hayate exclaimed, "Winner, Hyuga Hinata."
Hinata walked back up to the stands as the medic team came and picked Sakura up. Naruto congratulated her verbally, and then leaned over to peck her on the cheek. She giggled and blushed, happy and content.
The screen lit up for the fifth time, reading "Temari vs. Ten Ten"
This turned out to be the worst match up for Ten Ten. Her weapons couldn't reach her opponent at all and she was defeated easily. Temari had beaten her brutally, as evidenced by the fact that she had caught the weapons mistress on her fan, Ten Ten's back bent at an unhealthy angle.
Lee had gotten angry and was ready to fight, but Gai held him back. Lee, still angry, nodded and relinquished his fighting pose. For now.
After Temari had defeated Ten Ten and everything was said and done ("Winner, Temari!"), the screen lit up again, "Nara Shikamaru vs. Kin Tsuchi"
Their match didn't last very long either. Kin had had Shikamaru caught in her trap for a few moments, but Shikamaru had come back and out done her. Using his Kagemane no Jutsu, he forced her to hit her head against the wall. She knocked herself unconscious and Shikamaru was declared the winner.
After Kin was carried away on a stretcher, the screen flashed again, revealing the combatants of the next fight, "Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba"
"Haha! We can definitely beat him, Akamaru!" Kiba's dog gave a hesitant bark of agreement in reply.
Naruto made his way down into the stadium too, his cheek wet from Hinata's 'Good Luck' kiss.
Once they both stood in the arena, Hayate said, "The Seventh match, Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba. Begin!"
"Hehe, I feel bad for you, so I'll end it in one punch!" Kiba said, clenching his fist to emphasize his point.
Naruto snorted, "Yeah right. Tell ya what. If you can force me to use at least half my full strength, I'll acknowledge you as strong."
Kiba put his hands into a seal, "Ninpou: Shikyaku no Jutsu!"
The Inuzuka got down on all fours, his appearance becoming more feral and animalistic. Without warning, he rushed Naruto, intent on winning with one move. As he neared Naruto, a shout of "Bunshin Daibakuha!" met his ears, and the Naruto in front of him blew up in his face, singeing his jacket.
A snicker came from behind him, "That was only one tenth. You've still got a long way to go, Kiba-chan."
Kurenai was shell shocked, "What did you do to that boy, Kakashi?"
Kiba scowled, "Bah."
He fed Akamaru a soldier pill, turning the dog's fur red. He ignored Naruto's ever widening smirk and had Akamaru jump on his back as he did a hand seal, "Beast Human Bunshin!" (I can't remember the Japanese version)
There was a puff of smoke, then, instead of one Kiba, there were two. Naruto just grinned, "Nice."
Kiba attacked without a warning and tried vainly to hit Naruto. Each punch was dodged, each kick was blocked. Finally, Kiba snapped, "Gatsuuga!"
Naruto, surprised, was hit square in the chest, forcing him into the wall. Kiba smirked, believing that he had won. He turned to Hayate, "It's over referee, there's no way he's getting up from that!"
A low chuckle rose from Naruto's body, growing louder before erupting into a full blown laugh. Standing, Naruto stopped laughing and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "You caught me by surprise. But let me tell you…I don't fall for the same Jutsu twice!"
Kakashi sweat dropped.
Both Kiba's spun again, pulling off another Gatsuuga. Naruto dodged it, charging an orb of chakra in his hand. It stayed motionless, resembling the sun in looks. It was about the size of a regular Rasengan and hovered a few inches off of Naruto's palm. As his body began to descend, he shouted, "Time to test my latest Jutsu! A-MA-TE-RA-SU!"
He plummeted towards the ground, positioned right above one of the Kibas. He landed right in front of him, plunging his jutsu into the Kiba next to him with all of his speed. The brightly colored orb disappeared into Kiba's body as the boy screamed, obviously in great pain. He fell backwards, sweating and unconscious.
When he didn't burst into smoke to reveal Akamaru, Naruto turned his head towards the other Kiba, using his killing intent to pull off Kanashibari no Jutsu (though he didn't know it). The second Kiba exploded into smoke to reveal Akamaru, motionless and cowering.
The referee quickly checked on Kiba, finding him unconscious. His hand rose into the air, "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."
In the silence of the room, Naruto's quiet statement rang out, "That's Kazama Naruto. Remember it."
The eighth match was "Yamanaka Ino vs. Hyuga Neji"
Neji took her down quite easily, and didn't even break a sweat. Ino, no matter what she tried, couldn't defeat him and lost very quickly. Her mediocre Taijutsu wasn't any match for Neji's Jyuken. She lost and Neji was declared the winner of the eighth match.
The ninth match was "Gaara vs. Rock Lee".
Lee put up a good fight, and was able to land a few good hits on Gaara. But Gaara was just too strong. In the end, Lee had shown that he could open the "Celestial Gates" and the power they held. But it wasn't any match for Gaara's sand, which crushed Lee's left arm and leg. He was carried off on a stretcher, the medics saying he wouldn't be able to be a shinobi ever again.
The last match was "Akimichi Chouji vs. Dosu Kinuta".
Chouji lost pretty quickly. He simply couldn't win against Dosu's sound techniques. Even his "Baika no Jutsu" and his "Meat Tank" he wasn't able to win against the Oto-nin.
"Now then," Sandaime stood in front of the remaining examinees, "Each of you will draw a piece of paper from the box Anko's holding. This will decide who faces who in the finals."
Naruto: 1
Hinata: 8
Dosu: 9
Temari: 7
Kankuro: 5
Gaara: 3
Shikamaru: 10
Neji: 2
Shino: 6
And that left Sasuke with 4.
Ibiki showed them a chart. It depicted the opponents for the Finals.
Match One: Kazama Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji
Match Two: Gaara vs. Uchiha Sasuke
Match Three: Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino
Match Four: Hyuga Hinata vs. Temari
Match Five: Dosu Kinuta vs. Nara Shikamaru
(A/N)
Now then, since Naruto already has the Rasengan, I need a jutsu for him to learn/create during the 'Search for Tsunade' arc. As you've noticed, I've decided to bring one of it's variations into this chapter. I have chosen, based on popular vote and my own desires, to have his jutsu be this:
Amaterasu— Sun Goddess: A perfectly round orb about the size of the Rasengan, if not a little bigger. It resembles the sun (minus sunspots and solar winds, etc.). It is surrounded by a small, vaporous aura that makes it seem as if it is on fire. When it comes into contact with an object possessing chakra foreign to its own, it explodes much the same way as a supernova, destroying any object inside the explosion's range. Because of this, it is meant to be a projectile, unlike the Rasengan. Regardless of how much chakra is put into this technique, it is usually fatal. However, it is possible to charge it with just enough chakra to harm the target instead of killing it. Because of the ridiculous amount of time it usually takes to learn to perform this correctly (i.e. without harming yourself as well as the target) and the amount of damage it can cause (in the wrong hands, with enough chakra, it could level an entire village), it is labeled as an S-rank Ninjutsu.
Note: Naruto created a different version of this jutsu first for CQC that acts similar to the Rasengan. It doesn't spin, but, when forced into an organic object, it melts the insides or causes a lot of pain (depending on the amount of chakra). This variation is A-rank, if not for its difficulty then for its lethal power. Many of you are probably wondering why it only took him a few days to invent this one. It's because he was basing it after the Rasengan. Since he knew how to do the Rasengan, inventing this variation of Amaterasu was relatively easy.
CQC— Close Quarters Combat
Keigan— discerning (keen) eye
Maneshigan— copycat eye
Bokugan— predicting eye
Zennougan—Almighty eye
I've got enough people pointing this out to me so I'll say it before anyone else pesters me. I know about the Mangekyou's specific Jutsu. I know about Itachi's Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu. These names I'm using are what this fic's Naruto would come up with. They were chosen based firstly on his character, and secondly on what the mean. Therefore, they are not taking into account other jutsu by the same name.
Kyra-chan's Corner: Hello all. Hope your having a good summer! Anyways, bye.
Read and Review!
Ja ne!
Hideo Kazama(秀夫風間) and Kyra—chan(カイラ―ちゃん)The Fire Fox(火狐)