Author's Notes: Here we go again! The much anticipated chapter 3. There will be a chapter with supplemental information coming soon. That is partially to blame for the slow update, that, and the fact I'm into World of Darkness stuff again.
"Talking"
"Bijuu"
'Thoughts'
"Whisper"
"Inner Self"
One morning in Otogakure…
"Naruto…as of now, you will be known as, Gingetsune Arashi. This is for the safety of the mission. If you went by, Uzumaki Naruto they would realize something was up." began the white haired Jounin, Kanshisha Shirotoku, whom was now dressed in his Jounin disguise. Black flak jacket, arctic camouflage pants, ninja sandals, and last but not least he was in the process of wrapping the extra fabric of his hitae-ate around his head. The end result was a turban, this helped conceal his white hair, which made it rather easy to spot him.
"Understood, Shirotoku-sensei, or are you under a new name for the duration of this mission?" queried the young genin, which was a sensible question, given the boy knew all about Shirotoku and Kuroken's past in Konoha. Well what they told him.
"Indeed! All whom have ties to Konoha that can conceal their identities while in the village will have pseudonyms." the cheerful Jounin replied a smile on his face, he pulled out a scroll and unrolled it, going through a list of names he could use, eventually deciding on one. "You can call me, Taiyoutate Getsuken. Got it memorized? Good!" cheerfully the Jounin questioned, the very manner of the Jounin somewhat confused the three genin present.
"…Shirotoku-sensei sure is odd…very, very odd…" Rekka whispered quietly to, Kin whom nodded her head in agreement. They were very confused by how their teacher acted so differently from other Jounin within Otogakure.
'These names also serve as Code, for brother, and Hagane-sama. They will know what to do when they hear the names.' he silently thought to himself, as he finished his disguise with a finishing touch. Placing his hands into a series of hand seals, as he finished his overall appearance had changed. His eyes changed from the pristine cerulean shade to a sienna color, and his face was now covered with scars. This new appearance was most ideal as it would conceal who he is was much better.
The way it was planned, Kuroken would take one team and Shirotoku would lead another leaving Orochimaru to pull the strings of his scheme from behind the scenes. The perfect scheme, or perhaps it would have been, if a sleeper agent hadn't infiltrated the organization.
"Unless you have other things to do, we should be goings. Arashi, Rekka, Kin. Let's go. We have to get to Konoha within the timeframe. That is…if you want to be in the Chuunin exam." chimed the oddly effervescent sound Jounin as he walked out of the room. The three genin sighed with exasperation, two of them weren't sure if they could stand this man very much. Naruto, or rather Arashi, seemed to be okay with this, since he related to the Jounin quite well.
Further in the compound, within Orochimaru's chambers a meeting was taking place. "…Orochimaru-sama…I trust called me back from my studies for an important reason…" spoke a man who's face was concealed by the shadows, he was clad in white robes with longer sleeves which seemed to hide his arms rather well.
"Of course, I want you to retake your place as the Shiro Keibi…it would seem Shiro-kun has outlived his use to my organization. One way…or another…he will be departing soon. He has succeeded in repairing Kimimaro. But it will be a while until I can use him as a vessel." rasped the white skinned Sannin, the sickening smile growing on his face.
"Hmmm…I'll consider it...unless Kuroken has objections…" replied the hidden man, an apathetic glance came from the pallid shinobi who stood beside Orochimaru for the time being, not in a rush to leave.
"No objections…you would be of more use than that smiling fool." with cold anger, the Satsujin survivor responded as he took a step forward, he was prepared to take his leave soon. "If you will excuse me…I have to take the pawns to the exams now…" silently he trailed off as he moved forward, his three ponytails lashing behind him. He then laced his hands into seals, performing a Genjutsu to change his appearance.
Weeks later…
The team from Otogakure entered into the village ahead of the other team, simply because Getsuken insisted on leaving earlier. "I'm going to go turn in the paper work, Arashi, Kin, and Rekka I will see you later. Try and avoid any conflicts until the exams. Understood?" queried the Jounin, as soon as he got nods from the three genin, he made his departure.
"Let's go. I have an idea where we are supposed to be going." Naruto said as he began to walk forward, his arms pulled inside of his yukata to be on the comfortable side. He was walking along, intent on going where he was supposed to, that was until something caught his attention.
"Watch where you're going you little brat!" exclaimed someone in irritation, this was followed by the sounds of a child being pushed to the ground.
This caught the attention of the genin, who decided to see what was going on, to his surprise he saw what looked to be a genin from Suna who should have died of heat stroke a long time ago. Who was picking a fight with a mere child.
"…You should stop picking on the kid." calmly the blonde spoke as he stepped forward, with each step his sandals clacked against the ground. He was trying to avoid starting a fight, but was rather going to intimidate the Suna-Nin.
"Why don't you mind your own business, you masked freak?!" the cowl wearing Shinobi shouted as he rushed forward, he slowly clenched his fist and threw his weight into the motion hurling his fist forward.
"Hmph…" grunted, Naruto, as he side stepped the punch, and in a swift motion pivoted on his left loosing a roundhouse kick on the other. The black clad boy wheezed painfully as he doubled over crumpling to the ground.
"Kankuro…you are a disgrace to Suna…" coldly a voice rang from above. As Naruto lifted his head up, he spotted who it was, a red haired boy clad in brown, with a gourd on his back, bearing a tattoo with the kanji for Love on his forehead.
"Gaara!" exclaimed a surprised girl with her hair in four ponytails, carrying a large fan on her back. Undoubtedly this was one the last member of the team. She seemed to be frightened of the red haired boy, although anyone would be.
'Ah…Subaku no Gaara…this should certainly be interesting…' thought, Naruto as he turned away slowly, he was through playing the good guy for now. He was brought here for one purpose and one purpose alone…to destroy Konoha.
"Long time no see…Gaara. I'm guessing this is your brother. Sorry about taking him down a notch…just didn't think he should be picking on a kid." explained the masked boy as he slid his arms through the sleeves of his yukata slowly. He turned slowly and placed his conical hat on his head, and slowly he began to walk away.
'Naruto-kun is so cool! So virtuous!' thought Rekka as she blushed in a fangirlish way at what Naruto had said, she was obviously not afraid to show her feminine side.
"Konohamaru!" exclaimed the familiar voice of, Saiyuki as she rushed into the alley and stopped to see what had transpired. She was none the less shocked to Kankuro knocked to the ground, and the familiar visage of Naruto standing in front of her. "Thank you…you must have saved my brother…you have my gratitude." she quietly said as she bowed to the Genin of Otogakure, she was indeed grateful.
"It was nothing…I just hate to see others being hurt when they can't defend themselves. We have got to be going…good bye." he said as he walked away slowly, and as he passed her panging of guilt struck him. It was a sense of doubt, doubting whether or not what they were here to do was right. And the three Genin of the Otogakure headed off leaving the disturbance behind them for now.
Meanwhile in the same vicinity…
"Hmph…their Jounin reeks of those rubes of Yamagakure. Hah, this should be fun." confidently a boy with shaggy black hair spoke, a red cloth mask covering his mouth. He wore a red gi, his iwagakure hitae-ate was tied around his head. He stood crouched with his team atop a near rooftop, shouldering his scythe lazily.
"Hmph. Watch what you say about Yamagakure, the Jinketsu are still around and can still rise up and strike back. An injured wolf still has the power to bite, keep that in mind, Kasharo…" calmly the masked Jounin warned, her very appearance concealed by a mane attached to the mask. Even her body was concealed heavily by a formal appearing kimono.
"Kasharo…that is highly offensive. Say something like that again and I will give you a reason for wearing that mask. Do I make myself clear?" responded a girl whom had silver hair, bearing a pleasant expression on her face. But her words were laced with the deadliest of venom, she was not bluffing in the least. As she slowly opened her eyes glancing at the dark haired boy with a feral wolfish gaze.
"Y-Yes, T-Tennyo-san…" the previously confident Genin whimpered, he knew better than to anger the kunoichi. He was aware that she had a hair trigger temper, for some reason she was rather irrational, and it frightened him. He had seen what happened to the last person who had irritated her, the thought made him ill.
"…Hmph…whatever…Teach, I think we should go get our registration in. Tennyo, can pick out who she wants to mangle later…" with boredom spoke another, a lacquered gasa hat pulled downward, he lightly dragged his bagh nakh claws across the tiles of the roof. The claws were strapped around both arms but only one set was extended. Slowly he raised the brim of his hat and glanced quietly at the rest of his squad from behind his sunglasses. The rest of the squad nodded their heads and vanished as a smoke bomb went off, leaving no trace of their presence to be seen.
Later…at the exams…
The room was filled with Genin from all corners of the elemental continent, even the lesser understood villages had Genin present for the exam. "I see you're here too, I want to thank you for saving us in Nami no Kuni. Even though I had things under control…" spoke a melancholy voice that was not unfamiliar to the team. The masked boy simply turned his head to glance at the Uchiha heir, he then shrugged, and turned his attention away.
"Don't misunderstand us. We were sent to capture those Kunoichi…saving your lives just happened to fall into that objective." Naruto calmly spoke, as he rolled his shoulders quietly, slowly walking away, he didn't have time to act friendly. He knew the true meaning of the exams, he was aware that all the genin present would be enemies in the upcoming stages of the exams. Only his team could be counted as allies.
"You might want to be careful, these exams are dangerous business. This is my third time around." spoke a older Genin, wearing glasses, he was of course speaking to the Genin of Konoha, able to see the green they all had with ease. Yakushi Kabuto, Naruto was well aware who this was, he was Orochimaru's man on the inside.
"And you are?" replied Sasuke, he was skeptical of this bespectacled shinobi, he didn't seem like he knew what he was talking about.
"Yakushi Kabuto, and this is my third try at these exams. They can be a deceptively hard." he explained while introducing himself, slowly pulling a deck of cards out. "In that time I have put together these special cards. Each contains information I compiled, which only appears when apply my chakra. Let me demonstrate." he quietly explained as he set one down on the floor, he proceeded to apply his chakra to the card and a map of the elemental continent was shown.
"We are here in the land of fire, but there are many other shinobi villages. Among the five strongest villages, there is the Hokage of Konohagakure, Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Mizukage of Kirigakure, Raikage of Kumogakure, and the Kazekage of Sunagakure. There are other Kage level shinobi, but they are not recognized as being such by the other Kage shinobi." quietly the bespectacled shinobi explained, as the card showed symbols for each of the villages, and the countries they are located in.
The pink haired kunoichi, Sakura took notice that some villages had been crossed out, and decided to ask about it. "Kabuto-san? Why are some of the villages crossed out?" she inquired, it was indeed something to wonder about, since she wasn't remotely familiar with these symbols at all.
"That's because these villages, have either sealed themselves away after the last war, or were destroyed by the war." began the white haired ninja, as he rubbed his chin, before placing another card down on the floor and applying chakra, the card showed a symbol with three mountain like points. "Yamagakure, was Konoha's ally during the last war. They are a prime example of a village that was destroyed, you could say that the, Sandaime Tsuchikage, was tired of the nuisance that this village presented, and lead an assault on it while a majority of their forces were out dealing with missions. And decided it was best to eradicate them from, Tsuchi no Kuni. What happened I don't know exactly, just that there are remnants of that fierce village still. Though to consider them Shinobi is questionable, it is true that they use ninjutsu, but they are like Bandits…or Yamabito…" he explained, before pushing his glasses up, as they were falling down the bridge of his nose.
"Now, if there is any information you need, let me know because I can give it to you now. This will become a serious test soon enough." he spoke as he shuffled his cards quietly, a pleasant smile on his face. He then shifted his gaze to one of the teams from Otogakure, he had to find a way to make a good distraction. 'Hmmm…Naruto is too collected to provide a distraction…but Dosu on the other hand will fly off the handle. Perfect. Orochimaru-sama has no further use of the pawns of either team none the less.' he contemplatively thought to himself.
"Yeah, I would like some information, three people to be honest. Gingetsune Arashi, Rock Lee, and Subaku no Gaara, if you have information on them that is." answered Sasuke, as he laced his fingers and watched the older Genin with a calculating look. He just felt that something was off about this guy, he didn't seem like he was that weak, to still be a Genin.
"Okay first off, Rock Lee." spoke Kabuto as he used his chakra to display the information he had on Rock Lee. The card soon showed the stats and information available on the green clad shinobi. "Well…it seems he is a Taijutsu expert, unable to perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. It would appear he cannot even use chakra. On top of that he has completed several varying missions. Very interesting to say the least." he said as he gave the details on the individual.
"Next up a double, since we're running out of time." he said as he placed two more cards down and once more applied his chakra into them. The information was once more displayed, giving details on the two Genin. "Gaara, has completed several high ranked missions it seems, including an A-Ranked mission rather rare for a Genin. It also seems that he has returned from every mission without being scratched." spoke the older Genin, as he shifted his attention to the next card.
"Gingetsune Arashi…on the other hand, has completed missions from various rankings, primarily C-Ranked. He is one of the guards of the Otokage, the leader of Otogakure. Yet due to the fact this village is small, there is hardly any information available on him, aside from the fact no one has ever seen what is behind his mask, and lived that is." he spoke, giving out the information on the card that he had available, as he prepared to pick up the cards, Kinuta Dosu stepped on, Kabuto's hand glaring at the white haired Genin with his visible eye.
"Just because we're a small village doesn't mean that we're weak!" spoke the enraged Genin as he flexed his fingers once, before taking a swing at the Genin seemingly missing. But as he did waves of sound struck the white haired shinobi, causing his glasses to crack, and almost shatter. As Kabuto was reeling from the attack, the doors to the room flew open. In the wake of this interruption numerous Chuunin stormed into the room, taking up the perimeter.
Slowly, it came, the sound of foot steps, and there he stood, a monolith of a man. The first exams proctor, he looked like a man who had seen his share of shinobi warfare. The scars on his face were like a roadmap of pain. He slowly walked to the front of the room, and surveyed the room silently. "Alright, listen up! You baby faced grunts! This is where your days of ease come to an end. By the time I'm done with you…some of you will have lost your sanity." he bluntly explained, his eyes surveying this batch of Genin, he was sizing them up. Making predictions on which were the weakest, which would have the stones to see it through.
"You will be scattered out through the room away from the rest of your cell. The test will have nine questions, with a tenth question I will administer myself. The tenth question counts for it all. Find a seat now…every one of you!!" the scarred proctor barked, the Genin quickly took their seats.
Upon taking his seat the masked blonde shifted his gaze quietly to take gauge of who would be around him. Intel gathering was the goal of this test, as well as making sure not to be caught in the process. He had to be careful, getting to the next round was necessary, for the sake of the mission. The other Genin team would go a touch overboard, this would not bode well if the target was killed.
To his right, Sarutobi Saiyuki, to his left, a serene and emotionless member of the Hyuuga clan, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. He was trapped dead in the middle of enemy territory to be frank. He then looked down at the test paper in front of him, written tests, not his strong point.
"You may begin. You have sixty minutes to complete the exam! Keep in mind we are watching closely!" announced Morino Ibiki with great energy, yet maintaining threat to his voice.
Meanwhile…
On the outskirts of the village, a meeting was taking place. "Long time, no see…Shirotoku…" gruffly spoke a voice, stepping out from behind a tree, the long unkempt hair, gray stubble, and tattered clothes, the informant clearly recognized his superior.
"Hai, Hagane-sama…hold on…" spoke the white haired shinobi as he formed hand seals and spread his fingers out. Slowly he moved his hands like waves of water before striking the ground with a single palm thrust. "Genjutsu: Yama no Kiri! (Mist of the Mountain)" he declared filling the surrounding area with a high ranked Genjutsu. The surroundings were filled with a powerful fog which would immediately disorient someone and send them back whence they came from.
"Report." gruffly the elderly shinobi spoke as he slowly sprawled out on the ground, much akin to an old wolf.
"The snake…has sent two teams in, one which he deems as nothing but pawns. My team on the other hand…he just sees them as means to an end. He keeps grasping for the moon, but each time his hands return empty." began the turban wearing shinobi, as he crouched lightly shifting his gaze silently.
"This is a problem…" he replied as he rubbed his stubble before pulling out a piece of jerky and biting into it. Obviously, the Jinketsu were among the shinobi who used baser instincts, this was made evident in this behavior.
"Also…I think my cover has been blown…" the younger shinobi trailed off, he then reached into his satchel and pulled out a scroll, handing it to the leader of Yamagakure. "This is all the information I have compiled, it includes information on the Akatsuki, Orochimaru's village, as well as the Jinchuuriki who are here right now taking the exams. Also…about your daughter…I believe I have discovered her location…and I spotted her daughter...no mistaking the resemblance to Suiren." as he spoke this he smiled genuinely instead of the false smile he often showed.
"Heh…figures…I'll look into it. Stick to crowded areas for the time being. That son of a bitch will try to kill you, I imagine you outlived your usefulness already." quietly the old wolf-like ninja spoke as he sat up quietly, he once more rubbed his hand over his stubble, his mind drifting into thought. "Just play along until the final rounds…we will let him think he's gaining the upper hand…but until then just continue acting like you're one of his tools. Then when his operations begin…we turn the tables. From the looks of it, that son of a bitch did his homework. Enlisting other villages to help, okay we better get going, I will speak to the other three…I don't trust the replacement for the central palace. She acts a bit off…we were told she was an energetic girl. But this one she seems cold…I think that Kokonoe (The Court) has been infiltrated. You look after, Minato's kid…make sure he can be brought back to Konoha. I will make sure the battle isn't too one sided. Now let's go our separate ways for now. Understood cub?" the leader of Yamagakure said as he stood to his feet dusting himself off, he then gave a thumbs up before disappearing into the ground.
"Hai…Yama Daiou…" he spoke as he then formed a hand seal and released his Genjutsu. He had to be cautious he was an important factor in the deciding of how this mission would end, if he was killed there was no way to turn the battle around. He wouldn't lose another home to war brought on by the corrupt Tsuchikage, not again.
Back at the first exam…
Time was running out, Naruto hadn't filled out any of the answers of course it was made clear that the final question is worth everything. But what could it be, that was what bothered him, the tension was building. Over half of the Genin that were there to begin with had already been disqualified for being caught cheating.
The blonde could tell how several of the genin were getting answers the Uchiha seemed to be mimicking motions with the use of his eyes. Not just him but three females, it would seem the females could use the Sharingan too. The members of the Hyuuga clan used the Byakkugan, to see the answers everyone had an ace up their sleeve it would seem.
Thing of it was, Naruto didn't see the point in this, a ninja had to use experience and instinct, not facts and numbers. It was utterly ridiculous, this was just stupid, he had to do something, anything, they were probably just testing their mettle that had to be it. The exam was hard on purpose, his eye then caught the glint of something flying in his direction, it was a senbon, and it embedded itself in the right sleeve of his kosode. He slipped his arm over and removed the needle finding a note wrapped around it. Answers, they must be from Kin.
Minutes felt like hours, it was agonizing as each second passed away, slowly the mental state of the unprepared genin began to deteriorate. They had no way of handling the pressure of this test they may as well have not come at all.
Finally it came down to the wire, and the scarred proctor stepped forward his steely gaze fixed on those that weren't caught. "It looks like its time for the tenth and final question. Those that that cannot answer this question will fail. Those that can will pass onto the next round. If you wish to leave now, this is your last chance." he warned, taking note of those that were ready, to leave, this was signified by the raising of a hand. Now the field was narrowed yet again, leaving only a quarter of the genin who had initially entered. "But…keep in mind…if those that cannot answer…will spend the rest of their life as Genin…keep this in mind." the proctor finally finished, prepared to give the final question.
"The question is…whether or not you are ready to accept the unforeseen. That is what a true Shinobi must be prepared for, because a mission will not always go as-" as the scarred proctor was finishing this sentence a woman came flying in like a rock hurled by someone with immense strength. 'For the love of Hashirama-sama…you jumped the gun again Anko…' Ibiki thought to himself, his face filled with irritation at the way this woman would just barge in so early.
"The real exam is about to begin! What the..Ibiki you let too many pass! You've gotten soft!" shouted the purple haired Jounin as she looked at the other in disbelief, she couldn't believe this many students passed the test held by a sadist. She then shrugged, looking over those who passed she would have to thin them out further with her rigorous test, the survival test. Oh yeah this was going to be fun.
Author's Notes:
Okay here is the update not pleased since I took so long, but I will try to get future updates out at a higher pace. I had a little fight between a few shinobi but it will be saved for a future chapter.