*Swoosh*
As the moon hung high, Neji suddenly sat up, waking up from a deep sleep. When he looked around, he saw his two teammates seated beside him with a fire started, fending off the cold of the night.
"Wh-What happened? Tch, my head hurts" He held his head as he felt a splitting headache
But when he asked, no one answered. Both of them looked away from him, not daring to look him in the eyes.
"What? Why are you two looking away" He asked
"N-No reason" Lee replied as he shuffled further away
???
Neji was perplexed, just why are they acting this way? He then thought of something
"Did we...lose?" he asked
The two nodded, but still didn't turn to him
He sighed
"I guess it was my fault, if I were a bit more cautious, perhaps Lee could have finished and joined up with us" He muttered
'That's not it' The two thought, but didn't say it outright, as Neji would pry further if they denied him now
"Sorry" Neji said
....
The guilt is freakin overwhelming! For Neji, who is usually aloof, hearing him apologise so sincerely is seriously cutting at their consciousness! Because it's not that reason that they don't dare face him!
'But if I look at him right now...' Lee and Tenten both felt a tickling sensation in their hearts, urging them to just laugh!
'The faces and pose he made when Ino took over his body is just...'
Pfft
'I can't look him in the eyes right now! Sorry Neji, but we really can't!'
That night, Neji fell asleep, still not knowing the tragedy that had befell him after Ino took over his body, but days later, he will come to find out through a certain blonde boy's scroll collection...
When day broke, all teams had already left their original spot, and started to hunt other teams. Naruto's rules made it impossible for anyone to feel at ease, since the amount of scrolls they needed to steal isn't easy to do in just one or two days.
As teams get eliminated, it would become harder and harder to find more scrolls, thus, the teams will soon need to challenge more skilled teams in order to acquire the last few points to pass the test.
Shikamaru, who as looking through the report Naruto gave him of the first day was quite pleased with the outcome.
"His exam is better than the last chunin exam" He muttered
Temari leaned in and frowned
"How so? It just looks like a mess of a rule, especially that last one, make someone fall into crippling doubt? Tough luck" She huffed
"The biggest factor is elimination, like last year, the first and second exam simply had too many people passing, resulting in an additional screening phase, but he made sure that the weaker teams will be filtered out before the third exam, so no extra exam will be needed" He replied
He then placed the documents down and sighed
"And because of that, it's less paperwork for me to look through, the more that drops out, the better" He grinned
"That's the real reason you found his exam better, isn't it" Temari asked with a wry smile
"....paperwork is a drag" He replied
"Hah, get used to it"
As for the exam, the battles began to reduce significantly compared to the first day, and finding other teams became more difficult. The skilled shinobi hid their tracks, and except for teams with excellent scouting abilities like the byakugan, or Ino's sensory skills, most teams couldn't even find traces of another group.
"Found any other teams yet?" Sakura sighed as she sat on a branch
"Nope, they're all using methods to hide from my search" Ino replied
Sakura stared at the scrolls they have, then at the watch on their wrist
"We're still missing two more scrolls to pass, yet there are no teams to be found" Adding the scrolls from Neji's team, they were able to shorten their times here, but after the first day, finding another team became incredibly hard.
It's only normal that only skilled teams remains after the first day, but to increase the difficulty this much, it made them a little frustrated.
Yet unbeknownst to them, despite all their searches, one pair of eyes remained unseen despite being so close to them. A sinister smile appeared in the dark as the vertical pupils eyed Ino.
A pale hand pressed against the tree
'Just a bit more, once I set it up, the jinchuriki will be mine' Hidden away, Orochimaru licked his lips
His calculative eyes lingered on Ino for a bit, before shifting to above the trees, where Naruto's clones wandered.
'I was able to lose the clone following me, and I have to admit, his growth is shocking, even for me, to make me exert this much just to shake off a clone'
His smile then widened
'But this game, I will win'
He sunk back into the trees, leaving a small snakelet behind, so small that one would mistaken it for a worm. It made its way towards Ino, hiding its own chakra signatures so well that even if Neji were here, it would go unnoticed under the byakugan.
As for Naruto, he was currently feeling a sense of unease
"You lost track of him?"
"Yes, he used a method to hide his chakra completely, and used an escape jutsu right after" The clone reported
Naruto clicked his tongue, having Orochimaru working in the dark like this made this game much harder. But it wasn't completely out of his expectations, after all, Orochimaru is still one of the three Sanins, a top tier powerhouse.
Losing track of him is quite normal, but not knowing what he will do still made him feel unease.
"How about Fu" He asked
"She is still under surveillance, she's not exactly hard to find" The clone replied
"True"
Fu was flying around without restraint, it'd be weird if she was hard to find.
"Well, this game just got more interesting" Naruto smiled
Naruto scanned the entire field with his chakra, finding nothing that seemed out of place.
'Either he hasn't acted yet...or he has secretly researched a way to evade my senses' Naruto thought to himself.
It wasn't exactly surprising to him that Orochimaru would do such a thing, after all, the two of them always keep on guard against one another, no matter how friendly they act towards the other.
Their bond has always been fragile, purely for business and benefits, so hiding such a thing...
'I guess I need to reveal my cards if I want to make sure he doesn't get away with it' His smile widened slowly as a sense of excitement rushed through him.
Almost like a hunt, the anticipation of searching for the prey, the rush that follows during the point of action, and the beating of the heart when his life is put on the line. He awaited for it to happen.
Deep beneath the ground, with seals covering all traces below, cold scales coiled and twisted, the quiet hisses, all brooding in silence.
Over the course of the second day, the teams in the forest had decreased by almost a quarter, much less than yesterday, but still a major change considering how little teams are left.
Hinata's team came across Tenten's, and the two teams stared at one another, before turning away. Both team had just fought troublesome foes, and aren't in the best conditions.
"So glum? What, did you run into an iron plate?" Tenten saw Kiba's gloomy expression and asked
"Your team doesn't look so great either" Kiba snapped back
Tenten shrugged
She glanced at Hinata
"We'd rather not fight" She said
Hinata stared back intensely, as if weighing the options. After a bit, she nodded.
"I'm sure we can take them" Lee whispered confidently to Tenten when he heard what Tenten said
"Ask Neji before you challenge them" Tenten replied
Lee turned to Neji, who refused to meet eyes with a certain Hyuga princess...
"Neji-san, is something wrong" Lee asked
As he was asking, the other team had already started to leave, so Neji's gaze eased up.
"The fight won't be as easy as you think, Shino, for one, is incredibly adept at stalling, and his target will likely be you, once you are held back, Hinata and Kiba will target us, Kiba's brain may be simple, but his power isn't something to scoff at, especially when he is all about closing the gap while Tenten needs to keep a distance" He said
"What about Hinata?" Lee asked
"Her? Forget about beating her on my own, we have only ever fought to a draw nowadays, so once Kiba is done with Tenten, our chances become slim" Neji replied
"Hey! Don't count me as an out so quickly" Tenten huffed, bothered that Neji considered her as a free pick for the other team.
"Do you disagree with anything I said?" Neji asked
Tenten crossed her arms and her cheeks puffed out
Seeing her like this, Neji sighed helplessly as he nudged her shoulder
"Come on, let's go" He said, but Tenten stared at him with her arms still crossed.
He knew what she wanted, and with that, he could only sigh
"S-Sorry" He said with a faint blush
"That's better" Tenten huffed
'It's not like I'll definitely lose, with the scrolls and poison I bought off Naruto, I can handle myself' She thought to herself.
Deep down, she also knew that compared to everyone else, her abilities were lacking, but the fact that he counted her out wasn't what made her annoyed. She gave him a side glance with her cheeks still puffed.
'I just want you to comfort me a little...'
But Neji, being absurdly dense in this matter, could never understand what Tenten wanted him to do.
"H-Help" From the distance, they heard a faint cry for help, weak, but audible. A feminine cry.
Their furrows browed as their caution spiked. To ask for help during this exam, their first thought was that this is a trap by another team. It isn't uncommon to set such traps, but few would actually fall for it.
Lee and Neji turned to Tenten, who fell into thought
"It's most likely a trap...but we are in need of points right now, or we will be eliminated" Tenten said
They nodded
"How should we proceed" Lee asked
"We'll observe the situation first, Neji, what can you see?" Tenten turned to Neji and asked
Neji activated his Byakugan, and tried to identify the source of the cry, yet...
"I...can't see anything, as if there isn't anyone there" Neji said solemnly
Tenten and Lee were both taken aback, they have never seen Neji fail to see anything. Even when they were facing Raiga and his partner, Neji was simply overwhelmed by too many things to see, but not once has he said he was unable to see...
"We're retreating" Tenten said
The two nodded, they may need points, but if they cannot determine the source, then it's just plain stupidity to keep going.
The three turned, but a sense of dream crept over them, as a shiver ran down their spines. They were struck with fear in an instant, as something terrifying locked onto them. Death, that was the first thought.
"My, so young, but cautious, I guess it's to be expected, this generation is full of talents" A sinister chuckle entered their ears
The very same voice they heard earlier, but this time, it was filled with playfulness.
'Wh-Who is it' Sweat dripped down the side of their faces
*Step*
From the dark, a pale woman stepped out, smiling at them.
'Another genin? No, th-this aura is too intense'
Tenten clenched her fists tightly
'Naruto, you better be doing your job properly'
The woman stood in front of them with a confident posture, her body arched as she leaned forward.
"Don't have much hope for Naruto to find you, I made sure he cannot detect us before taking action" The woman said
Tenten suddenly threw an orb onto the ground, filling the air with a purple mist.
"Now!" Tenten yelled
Lee didn't hold back, immediately pushing open the eight gates to his current limit
"Fourth gate, open!" His yelled, his skin reddened, and steam rose from his body
"Eight trigrams, sixty four palms" Neji made the first move towards the woman, with Lee rushing behind closely
His palms struck forward at the woman, but the impact felt off. Lee jumped over him, and kicked towards the woman, yet much like what Neji felt, the impact was strange.
When they squinted their eyes, they came to realise that where the woman stood, is now a pile of snakes that lunged at them.
*Whoosh*
Blades rained down at the snakes, pinning the majority to the ground.
"To your left" Tenten stood on a tree and shouted
Neji tried to use his byakugan, only to realise that even with the woman standing so close, he could not see her chakra flow at all. Lee took action right away, bursting with power as he shot towards the woman.
"Good strength" The woman chuckled
She reached out one arm, and snakes lunged at Lee, who spun mid air, kicking the snakes into pieces as he made his way to the woman.
The woman jumped back to avoid the incoming strike, but blades shot down, landing behind her.
"Take this!" Lee screamed as he burst forth with all he had, striking at the woman.
The woman frowned a little, the original playfulness, gone. In place, was a stern expression as she made a hand sign, and numerous snakes leapt from the ground.
!!!!!
Lee wanted to continue his attack, but with so many snakes, even if he landed his kick, the snakes will do a number on him.
Right before they could reach him though, a figure jumped in front of him
"Rotation" Neji released dense chakra, and spun rapidly, shredding the snakes that approached.
That moment he bought was enough, Lee's kick landed, sending the woman flying. She tumbled on the ground, her body mangled from the impact.
"Something's wrong, that felt too easy" Tenten frowned
"Good insight" A cold chuckle came from behind her
She quickly reacted by striking behind with a kunai, but a hand caught her wrist, and a strong impact struck the back of her neck.
"Tenten!" Lee and Neji shouted, they looked up and saw the same woman on the tree
As for the one Lee kicked...in its place were another pile of snakes, kicked into mush.
"You three are quite skilled, I'd love to just kill you, but a certain someone won't be too happy" The woman chuckled as she snapped her fingers
Lee and Neji kept up all their guard, but it wasn't enough. A sweet smell entered their nose, and before they could even react to the smell, their minds became clouded. A sense of drowsiness swept their clouded minds, causing them to tumble.
The woman smiled, reaching to the end of her cheeks.
"Konoha has raised them well, now, one final step before I proceed" She let out a dark chuckle as snakes slithered out her sleeves, dragging the three behind the woman.
-Naruto's main body-
"You lost them?" Naruto glanced at the clones that came to report
The clones nodded
Naruto suddenly stood up, his eyes widened
"Slippery b*stard, I knew he could hide from me, but to hide the presence of an entire group and take them without you all noticing..." Naruto turned towards the deeper parts of the forest.
"The flying raijin marks?" Naruto asked again
"They're blocked" The clone replied
"..."
[Hahaha, kid, are you finally losing out against that snake b*stard?] Kurama laughed
But what he didn't expect was, instead of getting annoyed, Naruto...laughed with him
"Hahaha, I sure am" Naruto laughed
[...you were supposed to feel angry]
"Oh, how can I be?" Naruto had no trace of anger, rather, his smile widened
Kurama was perplexed, Naruto is being outsmarted by Orochimaru, but why does he seem happy about this?
Naruto's expression remained gleeful, with a trace of madness
"He developed something that can hide so much from me...how can I not be curious? This is clearly made specifically to counter me! Hah...hahahaha! If I can get my hands on it, and research that, I can figure out my own weaknesses" Naruto laughed
[....you insane brat]
"Insane? Hehehe, I'm perfectly sane, thank you" Naruto replied as he turned in the direction where Tenten's team were taken.
Later on that day, Shikamaru received the report Naruto gave, and immediately slammed his head into the table.
"What's the problem?" Temari asked
Shikamaru held the paper weakly
"An entire team went missing...just what are you doing! And it's not just any team, it's Lee, Tenten, and Neji! Naruto, what the f**k!" Temari was shocked to hear Shikamaru swear, as he's usually very laid back, and hardly uses any foul language, but now, he outright cursed!
Naruto leaned back
"If I knew, would I be using a clone to talk to you right now? The main body is searching still to see what is wrong" He replied
"Tsk, any clues" Shikamaru asked in a low voice
Naruto shook his head
"Nah, but leaving the premise is impossible, I had several high level seals surround the entire forest the moment the teams entered" Naruto said calmly
Shikamaru let out a faint breathe
"I'll trust you, make sure no one is harmed" He said earnestly
Naruto gave him a smile
"Of course" He said confidently
Once he finished, he stood up and left
"Why didn't you disperse?" Shikamaru suddenly asked
Naruto didn't stop walking
The gaze from Shikamaru was piercing
"I knew it, you prick, this is your real body!" Shikamaru stood up and said
"...."
[Bwahahaha, I knew you'd be caught!]
*Whoosh*
He opened the window and leapt out, not giving Shikamaru another second to speak, leaving him furious.
"I will grind him into meat paste" He gnashed his teeth and said
He rubbed his temples slowly as he sat back down. Slowly, he leaned back in defeat.
"I can only hope he is able to resolve this, to be sure, I'll contact Guy since it is his team that went missing" He muttered
As for Naruto, he teleported back to the forest of death, where he contacted the clone that is currently following Fu.
"I know what to do" The clone replied
"Good"
Naruto sighed faintly
"Orochimaru, how can you do this? I thought we were friends...to hide such delicious research from me, how much will I need to extort out of you to call it even I wonder" He said with a faint smile.
For the remainder of the day, nothing amiss has happened, as if Orochimaru was never here at all. But Naruto knew that he was planning something big, so much that he even revealed that he has methods to avoid him, and his flying raijin mark completely.
'For him to reveal that, he must want the seven tails quite badly, perhaps he isn't satisfied with my current research, and want to become a true jinchuriki rather than an experimental one'
He rubbed his chin as a wicked smile rose on his face
"Who cares, once this is over, we'll have plenty of time to chat"
-Night-
Under the blanket of stars, the only source of light that remained was the moon, shining brightly over the trees. Naruto yawned, his eyes looking a little red due to the lack of sleep.
Typically, he'd have his clones keep watch while he slept, and rotate, but with Orochimaru acting, he decided it was better to stay awake, resulting in two consecutive days of interrupted consciousness.
He was personally watching over Fu, who had once again, ditched her team to roam on her own, not caring about the darkness.
"How many more teams are left I wonder?" Fu hummed
[Who knows, but don't you have enough points already?]
"Hahaha, of course, but more is better" Fu grinned
Her smile was wise, but in an instant, it vanished, replaced with a serious look as she snapped her head towards the dense forest to her right. A feeling of unease crept into her heart, and she immediately flew up.
But a formation shot up from five directions, forming a barrier around, cutting off her exit, even the sky.
Fu didn't even think twice, and had Chomei power up a beast bomb to immediately blast a hole through the barrier, but snakes shot out from the trees, lunging at her whilst baring their fangs.
"Tsk" She redirected the bomb, not fully powered, but enough to deal with the snakes
She then formed dozens of light orbs, and shot them into the forest, lighting the entire place up completely. Within the barrier, the light shone so bright that one would think the sun had risen.
This disturbance naturally attracted Naruto, who landed on top of the barrier.
"This thing is new" He knocked on the surface
"It blocks the flying raijin mark as well, and the chakra is linked to five different people, so if the barrier is destroyed, these five will suffer quite a bit" He muttered
[Then just blast through it] Kurama smirked, thinking it would be killing two birds with one stone
But Naruto shook his head
"Why don't you take a look at who is powering the barrier then" He replied
[Who?] Kurama sensed the surrounding, and felt three familiar presence at the corners of the barrier.
Upon sensing who it was, he understood why Naruto had yet to take any actions against it.
"He kidnapped Tenten and the others to use them as battery for this thing, quite the annoying method, if I destroy the barrier, those three will have lasting internal injuries due to the backlash, but if I don't destroy it, Orochimaru have a win over me" Naruto sighed
[What about Fu?]
"I'm discussing some more pressing concerns right now" Naruto replied
[So losing to Orchimaru is more pressing than Fu's safety?]
"Isn't that obvious? If he wins, he'll hold it over my head" Naruto spoke as if he was stating the obvious, which simply made Kurama's concerns grow.
Naruto then added
"If you had to choose between Shukaku's safety, and winning against Hashirama, which will you pick"
[Hashirama] Kurama spoke almost instantly
"Heh, we're more alike than you think" Naruto smirked
[....] Kurama suddenly felt a little guilty
Guilty to whom one may ask? Guilty towards Naruto of course.
[Hah, you're right, against such matters, a simple matter of safety can be ignored] Kurama revealed a terrifying smile
The two felt at that moment...their bonds grew stronger.
"Now, about this barrier...I'll just leave it be" Naruto said
[You're not going in?]
"Pfft, it's obvious what he's planning, the barrier is to keep me away while he captures Fu, of course he'd have prepared an escape route once he captures her, the only thing I need to find out is where that escape leads to, and wait for him there" Naruto snapped his fingers and smiled
[You humans and your mind games] Kurama grumbled, annoyed that Orochimaru and Naruto always seems to be trying to read each other, leaving him clueless in the dark.
"Just stick to your commentary buddy, just stick to your commentary" Naruto laughed
[What's there to commentate about your dumb logics! I want to see you punch someone! I want to commentate about violence!]
"Aw, be a good commentating fox, and I'll give you the violence you desire" Naruto laughed coldly
His eyes lingered on the barrier as he gently punch it
"After all, he just added a sh*t tone of paperwork for me with this little game of his" Veins bulged on his forehead as he muttered
-Inside the barrier-
Fu's forehead was dark, signs of severe poisoning. She hadn't fought Orochimaru for long, but his methods were bizarre, and hard to defend against. Every time she thought she had landed a hit, it would just be a pile of snakes, and each snake she killed released poison.
With the barrier around, the poison began building up, and the best she could do was use Chomei's chakra to block it out, but as the density grew, even that slowly became ineffective.
A battle she cannot win no matter what, that was what she had realised. But even so, she gave it her all, using every ounce of chakra she had in her body, she created one final beast bomb.
"If I'm going down...you're going down with me!" She screamed
Orochimaru smirked as his arm extended into a snake, wrapping around Fu's neck. The snake's mouth opened, yet Fu ignored it completely, even when its fangs sank into her.
"Tsk" She winced, but the beast bomb continued to grow
'Decisive, as expected of a jinchuriki'
Orochimaru looked up calmly, his smile never wavered, but his hands clenched tightly. A beast bomb this size is actually rather threatening to him. Threatening, but not lethal.
What he is truly worried about is the nine tailed fox boy that is lingering outside his barrier. He could feel Naruto's presence through the barrier, and wondered if he could escape his pursuit if he took this beast bomb head on.
Fu threw the beast bomb at him, so he played the safest method, and....
"Manda, I'll treat you to something good next time I summon you" He said
*Poof*
Before him, a massive snake appeared, and when he heard Orochimaru's words, he shudder ran down his spine. He then sensed a dense mass of chakra above him, and as he looked up, his eyes widened along with its mouth.
Shock, confusion, and most of all...betrayal...
"OROCHIMARU! YOU PALE FACED F**K!!!!!!!!!!!!" His screech echoed across the barrier, actually hurting Fu's ears
He watched helplessly as the beast bomb appeared in his face, and an enormous explosion went off.
"GWAAAAA" Manda hissed as the explosion engulfed him
--------------------
Sanity Chat
Naruto: Damn, you threw him under the bus just like that?
Manda: F**K YOU OROCHIMARU!
Orochimaru: I said I'd treat you to something nice next time I summon you, no?
Manda: B*STARD! AM I EVEN ALIVE AFTER THAT!? I Never even appeared before! Why is my first appearance getting f**king bombed!
Author: I mean...for comedy purposes, I guess
Manda: F**K YOU!
Orochimaru: Manda, calm yourself, as one of the great summons of the three sanin, you should compose yourself and act with dignity
Manda: Where's the f**king dignity when you used me as a meat shield, huh!?
Orochimaru: And I respect your sacrifice
Manda: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Naruto: See that Kurama? Aren't you glad I don't do that to you
Kurama: Only reason why it has yet to happen is because you can't summon me yet
Naruto: Aw shucks, am I that predictable? *Scratches the back of his head with a bashful grin*