"speech"
-/thoughts/-
POWER!
This chapter will be broken up into what the individual groups and at times flat out individuals go through there will be a clear indicator as to what group is doing what as a metric crap load is happening all at once.
STORY
Team Immortal: Megumi, Naruto, Nox
"You know if you two would stop staring at your crushes for ten seconds we can fill out these forms and get our scroll." Nox reminded her teammates.
"Aww don't be jealous just because you lost Ryu doesn't mean you have to try to ruin our happiness." Naruto replied.
"First off: Go fuck yourself." Nox began then embolden by actually hearing her own swearing pressed on. Secondly: your lovers our now our direct opponents and our best bet is to take one or the other out to…" Nox trailed off as Megumi began to stare at her looking utterly heartbroken and shocked. "uh…"
"Big bad demon." Naruto said snickering.
"Oh shut up." Nox replied venomously. Both Naruto and Megumi signed their forms and they were collected resulting in them being handed an earth scroll. They stood in front of gate 11 looking bored after a while. It was only a few more minutes and they were in. Of course Nox had to grab them both by the ear and drag them in as Sasuke's and Hinata's team were on either side.
"Alright then now that you slow pokes are in let's start a strategy." Naruto said and Nox looked at him incredulously. She huffed and looked away. "Now we overpower every team by a huge amount but there are at least two if not three extremely dangerous individuals here. We know who they are and Nox has kindly volunteered to deal with one personally. Problem is Orochimaru is well documented on a fascination with bloodlines and learning jutsu meaning Sasuke is likely on his hit list." Naruto explained and Megumi gasped.
"Bait then?" Nox asked and Naruto gave him a slightly puzzled look.
"Not exactly. I was thinking more along the lines of someone to guard. Me and Megumi stop him from killing anyone while you work on killing the snake. The problem is that there's a good chance he's going to use clones." Naruto finished and Megumi sighed.
"Nox?" Megumi asked and she raised an eyebrow at the inquiry. "Don't be silent you are a god of battle what's going to happen?"
"I'm a god of battle not prophesy. I don't know what's going to happen." Nox replied with enough venom to lay low a nation.
"What the ****'s crawled up your ***?" Naruto demanded before leaning in closer to Nox huffing through his nose when he smelt blood. "Are you bleeding?" he asked surprised at the familiar ironish taste.
"Shut up." Nox replied her eyes glowing dangerously.
"Oh my goodness!" Megumi exclaimed. "I had no idea the transformation was so thorough."
"Holy shit." Naruto exclaimed staring at Nox as if a plant were growing on her head.
"Go to hell."
"While visiting grandma is occasionally traumatic that's not much of a curse." Naruto replied with a nasty grin. "Still how many years have you been going through this? Are you just a natural bitch or has life been a bitch?" he asked and was punched hard enough to send him flying.
"None of your ***ing business!" Nox screamed at him. Suddenly all three of them felt a pull of energy and they only had time for their eyes to widen as three blasts of wind sent them all in different directions blowing what plans they had to pieces.
Megumi
She flew through the air far too fast for comfort and only an extreme effort of will stopped her from deploying her wings. As it stood she waited till she was close enough to a tree and lightly touched the bark causing her to swing around upon it. She landed safely on one of the road wide branches and panted a little to get her heartbeat in control. She froze as she felt it. Eyes. Horrible yellow eyes. She couldn't see them but she knew they were there.
"Kukukuku..." she heard echoing all around her as she tried in vain to catch sight of her tormenter. "So the mokuton has returned to Konoha? Kukukuku..." it said.
"You do not scare me Orochimaru. If you know of my power then you know the moment you reveal yourself you are within my grasp." She countered taking a more comfortable stance as her clothing shifted from a simple but elegant sundress to a jacket with t-shirt pants and sneakers all dark green.
"Indeed? Well then you are more then I first assumed child." He said right behind her and she vanished in an instant avoiding his grasp before she came down from above with a wax wood staff the initial blow strong enough to give a normal man a concussion with the second one from the recoil of the wood aggravating the first.
The serpent melted into mud and the staff was stuck fast as it solidified as hard as stone. She tensed the wood to her right and let it throw her left in time to avoid fifty snakes biting into and crushing the mud statue. She flew backwards and was grabbed by the back of the neck.
"What delicious reflexes. I was under the impression you were a medic nin. But after my own teammate and Kabuto-kun I suppose it should be far from a surprise." He hissed in her ear as he held her hands tight against her back, he reared up to bite her when a blinding flash erupted from the normally gentle girl and an unseen force ripped her out of his hands. The wood under his feet twisted and Orochimaru knew he had seriously pressed his luck. He jumped away from the tree and still blinded heard a huge wooshing noise coming for him. Quickly creating a shadow clone he used it to hurl himself to the ground where he quickly activated a stealth jutsu. This was a wise move as his shadow clone was quickly destroyed.
-/It appears subtlety will be to greater use with this girl.../- he thought as numerous memories hit him from other clones and his eyes widened in shock. -/These are no genin... these aren't even human./- he thought in awe.
Naruto
"What the fuck!" Naruto exclaimed as he was while in midair no less catapulted by a wind technique into the distance. He turned around in midair and his eyes widened as he made it into a clearing full of giant snakes. "Sonofabiiiiitch!" he shouted before somersaulting in midair to dodge a snake trying to snatch him and use it as a springboard to avoid to others which bit that snake dispelling it into smoke.
Another one reared up in front and he created an explosion at the soles of his feet to launch himself through the air and he grabbed its forked tongue so that he swung himself upwards and it snapped with a sickening sound dispelling that snake. He jumped up again casing two snakes to slam into each other before letting himself fall in between the two dazed serpents grabbing their tongues and sending electricity up through them causing them to jerk and vanish back to their world.
He looked frowning at the nest of snakes rising up below him and decided it was time to stop screwing around. The snake wanted to up the game? Fine, he would up the game. He leapt downwards and hit the forest floor before the snakes could react before letting out a huge pulse of power. This made them nervous and before they could gather themselves a huge lightning bolt tore through the tree tops and struck him dead on where it spread out coating the whole field in electricity dispelling every summons at once.
"Alright you slippery bastard where are you?" Naruto asked scanning his surroundings he wasn't in sight meaning... "Fuck!" Naruto shouted as he jumped hard a pair of arms shooting out of the ground for his ankles.
"Kukukuku... how entertaining Naruto-kun. Your sealless abilities intrigue me to no end. Do me the favour of being my test subject!" Orochimaru called his head extending after Naruto quickly launched a blast of fire down so hard and fast that both the head and body had to dodge. Orochimaru's neck returned to normal size and he flashed through some handseals causing the earth beneath him to erupt and spin together into a mud serpent that shot towards Naruto who grinned.
"Dumbass! Mud uses water and I got lighting!" Naruto shouted launching a lightning bolt into the serpent causing the lighting to electrify the area around Orochimaru causing it to dissipate. Naruto touched down trying to sense his enemies but unable to catch anything. "Is he gone? Oh shit a clone!"
Nox
"Cunt sucking whore!" Nox screamed before throwing a spiked chain into a nearby tree and swinging around to catch himself on a branch. She instantly had a pair of hook swords out and ready.
"So you think you can match me with blades? You think you can match the Kusanagi?" Orochimaru asked appearing out of the shadows and grinning. "From what I understand you literally summon blades in the same way I summon serpents. Not to mention your unique poisons are quite intriguing. I'll wager your teammates have already fallen, so I have the elementalist and the mokuton user already. Why not use the blademaster to round out the set?" Orochimaru asked and without announcement Nox charged.
The blade shot to him like an arrow never leaving his opponents hand and Nox had to sigh at this. Total disregard for such a good blade. Yes it was a bad day for her especially with her period starting a full ten minutes after that written exam, but she was a god of battle and quite literally made for this. She deflected the now absurdly long blade which in its current form could only be used on a decapitation attack, in surprise or reverse to conceal the weapon she charged closer sliding on her knees and using the hooks swung her swords one handed like a flying guillotine at his knees. Predictably the snake jumped and she simply let go of the blades in favour of summoning a Chinese broadsword of similar make to the Kusanagi and was up and quickly met in a bladelock.
"You're fairly strong for your age girl." Orochimaru hissed. "I'd imagine that some incredible secrets could be found with you face down on my dissection table." He said in a somewhat sultry manner that made Nox want to gag.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?" Nox asked as her voice began to change slightly, Orochimaru's eyes widened as the colours of her tattoos began to shift the reds and blues merging and dancing but never joining into green. She shifted her stance and still in bladelock let go with her left hand to conjure a katar where she tried to stab Orochimaru with the dripping blade. He jumped away but his head shot forwards completely blindsiding her and biting her in the neck before retracting backwards faster than Nox could retaliate. She did manage to knick him though.
"kukukuku... I'll deal with you later. The true prize is the other girl and her dear Uchiha." He said his voice echoing around and Nox's eyes widened as her energy began to spark and twist around her. Pain the likes of which she had only felt once before but upon an emotional level ripped though her originating at the left side of her neck where she was bitten.
"A seal! How did he get a seal on me?" she demanded as the precious balance between the powers of hell and heaven within her was shattered and put into conflict. The energies some of it dark purple and others an almost pure silver white crashed over her skin. On hands and knees with the bark of the tree shattering beneath her and the very air sizzling around her Nox could only scream in agony.
Team Seven: Sasuke, Sakura, Ryu (Ryu was hit by Aphrodite's love spell on the day of the test so he was very distracted by something pink landing him as the dead last by one point.)
"What the hell?" Ryu asked as a tortured scream erupted from not too far away. They had heard a swordfight and were about to investigate.
"We were going to look anyways. Just keep your heads down." Sasuke said pocketing the spare heaven scroll they just got off a rain team that tried to ambush them. They quickly took to the tree tops and peered through some branches when their breath caught in their throats.
"What happened to her?" Sakura asked as they witnessed Nox on her hand and knees clutching the side of her neck coated in two combating types of energy and screaming in pain. They jumped onto the branch almost right away. Sasuke reached out to Nox thinking to question her when some of the energy lanced out, the purple energy shocked him with pain unimaginable but just as quickly the silver white energy soothed it and he jerked back.
"It's torturing her." He said.
"No shit Sherlock." Ryu snapped back.
"No as in the dark energy is causing the pain while the silver energy is healing her. She can't even ignore it through meditation techniques." Sasuke breathed in horror.
"B..Bast... I'm so, so sorry..." Nox breathed delirious in her pain.
"Fuck! What the hell happened?" Naruto demanded coming onto the scene.
"Oh no! Nox!" Megumi exclaimed coming out of nowhere.
"Where the **** (hell) did you two come from?" Sakura demanded unused to teleportation. "What the?" she asked blindsided by Megumi's censorship aura.
"We felt her energies go crazy. Bastard must have disrupted it at the exact right moment somehow." Naruto said wincing as the energies hit him but his own cancelled them out almost entirely as he forced her to look up. "We're going to try and stabilize you. Got it?"
"DO IT!" Nox screamed barely able to keep her own teeth from shattering from how hard she was clenching her jaw. Naruto and Megumi gathered energies around Nox and pulled most of it away into themselves forcing the darker energies to clash with the lighter ones. Nox gave out a shuddering sigh before collapsing into the pulped wood having carved a good foot into it.
"What happened to you three? You look like you fought the devil." Sasuke noted and Megumi rushed over and gave him a hug while shivering a little. "What happened?" he demanded glaring at Naruto as he rubbed Megumi's back gently.
"We were attacked by someone out of our league. From the snakes I faced I'm guessing it's the traitor Sannin Orochimaru. He must have done something that messes with bloodlines for this kind of effect. There's no way to predict that." Naruto explained. "Megumi's not hurt just shaken, and a cuddle bug." Naruto explained and there was a slight sniff from Megumi that could have been either in distress or amusement.
Sasuke grinned at this then looked back to Nox. "So what happened?"
"Something must have offed the balance. Our bloodline has three different parts and most usually only hold one or maybe two. I'm rare in that I have three but both Nox and Megumi have two. Megumi's balances her out but Nox... she's been at war with herself her whole life." He explained and there was vapid nodding which basically said: I got no idea what he said.
"Alright. Let's put it this way. Our bloodline has three parts. Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Hell is all about causing damage and basically killing things either fast or slow, it also has illusions. Heaven is about healing and self defence it's also very potent with elemental manipulations and any form of creation. Earth is the middle ground having a little bit of all of it but not being a master of any. Megumi has heaven and Earth which blend well together. Nox has Hell and Heaven and they have been at the brink of combating each other her whole life." Naruto explained.
"She should be fine but we need to get her to a bed and quickly." Megumi said and there was some nodded.
"Yea but unless we walk in with a heaven scroll we're boned." Naruto said with a sigh then grinned toothily as Sasuke handed one to Megumi. "Hunh. You're not half bad. But we gotta move. Yesterday." Naruto said and Megumi nodded and she gave Sasuke a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing one of Nox's arms as Naruto lifted her up and carrying her between them jumped away.
"Well come on, we still need an Earth Scroll." Sasuke said calmly before jumping away followed by his teammates.
The Sand Team
Kankuro and Temari were concerned. This was a rather normal state of being as they were the children of the most self centered and to be frank stupid Kazekage in the history of the village, if the position was inherited through bloodlines... well... But at the moment their concern was their largest one, their brother. As usual. Their psychotic, tortured redheaded sibling. He was silent and walking slowly as if completely lost in thought with his head cocked to the side as if listening. Kankuro coughed but not intentionally and Gaara glared at him before returning his gaze to the forest. He sighed and decided to bite the bullet and ask but before he could...
"I cannot hear mother. She has been silent longer than ever before." Gaara stated before turning to them and his gourd uncorking Kankuro took a step back in fear. This whole invasion was a bad idea with that freaky kid with the monster killing intent to that crazy exam lady. "What do you know?" he demanded as sand began to pour out.
"N-nothing! I didn't do anything to her!" Kankuro said quickly as Temari backed off positive her brother was about to die.
"Liar! Your all the same! Like Father! Like Yashamaru! Pretending to be an ally while plotting my death!" Gaara shouted and Temari decided to make a desperate gamble to save what little family she had left. She launched a massive wind attack at Gaara to distract him and was shocked to her core to see him blown backwards his sand barely holding back the blades as it moved much more slowly than before. He hit the ground head first and was out instantly. Her blood turned cold as she noticed this but... nothing.
"What's going on?" Kankuro asked stunned as he picked himself up and watched with wide eyes as Gaara merely turned over in his sleep.
"Something happened to Shukaku. He can't hear it and now he can sleep? We... should put a blanket on him and sort out what the hell is happening." Temari said and Kankuro nodded.
"That blond kid has to be a part of this. He's too weird not to be involved in something this weird." Kankuro said and Temari shook her head at this.
As for Gaara he woke up late into the next day having been moved multiple times in his sleep and the smell of a stew cooking wafting to his nose. "What? What happened?" he asked himself not sure what was going on.
"Finally. You've been asleep for over a day. Here eat this." Kankuro said and a bowl was placed nearby as Gaara turned over and sat up. Temari and Kankuro were watching him warily but not entirely fearful.
"What's going on? Was I sleeping?" he asked sounding shocked as he shook what felt like cobwebs from his mind.
"Yea somehow. You're forehead marking's turned green and two slashes have appeared on your cheeks also green. I don't know what they mean though." Temari explained pulling out a well maintained kunai to show Gaara through the polished face. He took it and examined himself before dropping the knife when he clenched it at the sight of his new facial adornments. It hurt.
"Blood... my blood." Gaara said breathlessly the hot keen sensation echoing from his fingers and sending a shiver through his body. His sand started to move erratically around his body.
"You can still control your sand but it won't control itself." Kankuro said putting a small pot full of salve in front of Gaara. "This will dull the pain and stop the bleeding." He explained and Gaara nodded before lightly applying it.
"Good to see you're awake. I suppose you want to know exactly what happened." Keiichi said walking in from around a nearby tree. In an instant blades were out and sand was rushing to him. Just as quickly a burst of energy was given off and it was all thrown back. "No need for that." He said casually leaning against a tree comfortably.
"Did you do this to me?" Gaara demanded and he grinned before nodding. Gaara's sand was instantly around him and crushing down so hard parts of the sand turned to stone. He withdrew it to have the man's blood but he was alright even under that insane pressure.
"Done yet?" he asked and Gaara tried to crush him again. A few minutes later he started to retract it but the insufferable man was still in perfect health. "Because if you are then I can tell you what I did."
"Then speak." Gaara growled at him.
"Alright, long story short Shukaku is gone. Poor girl was practically begging for death after the endless torture she went through inside you. That insane monk whose name I never bothered to learn is completely destroyed for his crimes against immortals... you know even though I was born human I'm still completely shocked by the human capacity for cruelty, no wonder demons are so inspired." He noted calmly. "Anyways, what basically happened is that you are the new Shukaku. Her memories will eventually come to you but for now you just need to know that you have all your old powers... but you control it all." He explained and got blank but wide eyed looks.
"Alright then... basically Gaara here is the next incarnation of Shukaku. So your 'mother' is still with you and much closer than ever before." Keiichi began and was for all intents and purposes going to continue but he winced at the loud 'WHAT' from the sand team.
"Please. What's going on? Who are you and what's with this village?" Kankuro asked incredulously and Keiichi smiled and put a finger to his lips.
"Long story short your planned invasion was doomed from the start. Don't worry I have no intention of hurting you but you have all been manipulated by Orochimaru who murdered and impersonated the Kazekage. He's been... dealt with... appropriately..."
Orochimaru
He raced out of the forest his mind spinning at the implications of what he had observed personally and through clones. These... children these things were not using jutsu. No chakra was being used but the elements, the trees and even weapons were answering them with such ease it had to be something more. He knew he had to take a good step back and observe from a distance. He needed to know more. If there was more at stake, more to gain, more to...
He wasn't able to finish that thought as he was pummelled in the face so hard it felt like Tsunade and a previously unknown twin had sucker punched him wearing brass knuckles charged with electricity. Needless to say he lost his concentration as he was propelled backwards with pulped gums. He caught himself as he rolled in the grass and dislocated his jaws before hurling up a perfectly healthy copy of himself. He looked around and found himself surrounded by numerous extremely well built warriors only a few metres away and beyond them a larger group including Sarutobi and several ANBU all of them glaring at him. "And who are you?" he asked not sensing chakra from them but they all had extremely distinct scents much like the three children. He could taste it they were all related to the redheaded girl he had put the curse mark on.
"I'm the one whose hammer you will be well acquainted with." Thor growled out Mjonllir cracking with energy. On either side of him Magni and Modi each pulled out a vicious sword while glaring at him.
"It's one thing to attack a member of our family. We're warriors, it's expected. But to place that vile mark on a weakened member. Our youngest child." A voice snarled behind him and he turned to see a woman of incredible beauty whose hair looked like it was literally spun from gold (it was. No seriously look up Sif.) he had little time to register this as a spear was quickly shoved into his face.
"You really think such toys will so much as faze me? I am Orochimaru of the Sannin! I'm not some rank and file chunin or jounin! Even Kage's fall before my might!" he boasted before being slammed kicked in the calf by Thor who was decidedly not impressed.
The earth itself grabbed onto Orochimaru with a hand holding his head fast before he felt a curved blade rest on the back of his head and another blond young woman this one with red highlights knelt into view. "Nox has always been a pain, but she's been pulled in two directions with a favour on her mother. But family is family and even Nox has understood that." Thrud said dangerously.
"What are you people?" Orochimaru asked and Sif gave a quiet laugh.
"We are what you've been aspiring for your whole life. We are gods." Modi said before Thor shattered Orochimaru's back with a single swipes. He felt energy rise up through the earth and knew he was even more securely fastened as he was healed.
"Now we're damn pissed as you can imagine snake. So we'll give you a choice. Will you die in an honourable combat you cannot escape or take your punishment as you so justly deserve?" Magni asked
"I'll devour you maggots whole!" Orochimaru screamed out as his form shifted and changed his skin sloughing away to reveal thousands of snakes each one himself and each one... quickly cut down under the divine assault until the last one was stomped underfoot it's head narrowly avoided having been crushed.
"Any other tricks snake?" Thor asked slowly the handle of the hammer extending until the sparking head rested a bare millimetre from Orochimaru's left eye.
"You can't do this... I have so much left to do..." he wheezed trying to think of something, anything that could save him in this situation. But the soft earth had turned to stone and he was bleeding internally.
"When you hurt my child, my youngest at that, you gave me permission. And no, there is nothing left for you to do. There is nothing you can do. You are about to receive the final reward for a monster such as yourself. Give my regards to Lady Hild and Mara for me. They'll personally want to acquaint you with the pits of damnation!" Thor said raising up his hammer a bare half foot then crushing the serpent.
He raised up the weapon and electricity sparked all over it with the smell of burning meat and he casually brushed the ashes off the hammer's head. "It's a twenty minute wait father or the mortals will be suspicious." Thrud said and Thor sighed. Sif put a comforting hand on her husband's back.
"It will be alright. According to Naruto and Megumi she's through the worst of it with only a large loss of power being the result of this... this scum hurting her." Sif said leaning into him and his muscles began to unclench.
"Besides dad. You know how much 'She' loves irony. I'd imagine that the serpent is going through far more than his fragile mind can comprehend." Modi said before cracking his neck.
Back to Team Immortal.
"Ah! So sleeping beauty awakes!" Naruto noted as Nox walked into the cafeteria and slumped down in front of them her head in her arms. "Don't tell me you're going back to sleep now."
"It's like I've been through a thresher back off." She snapped before pulling out a sealing scroll and putting a little energy into it causing a hot tray of habanero and spiced chicken nachos with a bottle of ale on the side. Quickly grabbing a small bundle of pepper slices stuck together with cheese Nox downed it before gorging at a pace that only Urd could match with sake! Skuld with Ice Cream! Keiichi with caffeine! Naruto with Ramen! Or any other immortal with a food as an energy source.
"So... you're in balance now. How does it feel?" Megumi asked politely back in her sundress and basking in the beam of light flowing down from the window.
"I haven't had much time to notice. But there is a sense of relief. Like you've had a headache for so long you forgot about it, then it's gone." Nox said during the rare few moments that food wasn't travelling down her throat.
"Makes sense." Naruto said fighting down a grin as Modi made put a finger to his lips behind Nox and wiggled his eyebrows showing he was up to something. Nox's whole immediate family including mother and stepmother were right behind her.
"How you doing Nox? Recovering?" Modi asked pounding her on the back as she took another bite and then began choking on it and reached around for the ale only to find that Magni had just finished swiping a swig and handed it to her. Without even rubbing the top she gulped down the bitter drink.
"Don't do that!" she half shouted and there was a bit of laughter and her beating off many hands.
"You know with four more days in this exam you guys have a lot of time together." Naruto said with a grin.
"I missed a day?" Nox asked.
"Yep. It figures the moment we all go to get something to eat is when you finally wake up." Mara noted wryly getting some chuckles.
"Well don't worry about it." Naruto began after swallowing his third bowl. "After all there are four more days in the exam and Nox is apparently in balance. I'm sure you're all dying to ask as to why she hasn't changed back yet..." Naruto began and Nox looked absolutely apocalyptic then sighed.
"Fine. The potion was basically frozen during that time so the countdown is nearly over. There shouldn't be more than an hour or two at most left." Nox noted before being grabbed by Sif and Mara.
"Well let's not waste this time then! We're getting another potion from Urd. We still need to have a girl's night together after all!" Mara announced happily.
"Oh no you don't!" Nox shouted kicking the metal leg of her chair and vanishing into it. She reappeared at the other end of the dining hall pointed at Mara and let loose with a 'HAH!' an 'Oh shit' quickly followed as Sif who also teleported with metal grabbed onto her but the grip was broken and Nox vanished again with Sif right behind her. The chase was on.
Author's Notes
Sorry about the wait but Christmas, family, a new x-box360, hanging with friends and such delayed me.