Unknown Place
In the middle of a heavy downpour, two shinobi moved swiftly from tree to tree. Each of them carried a baby in their arms.
"Are you alright?" the red-haired man asked, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine… but I'm worried about Hamura and Karin. Especially Hamura… he was already sick before we were forced to flee two days ago" the red-haired woman replied, her voice trembling with exhaustion and worry.
After a long silence, the man finally spoke again. "We'll rest here."
"But they're still chasing us…" she said, unable to hide the relief she felt at the thought of stopping, even if only for her child's sake.
"It's fine… How is Hamura? Can he hold on?" the man asked.
"Not well… I don't think he'll survive more than a few hours. I can't heal him through biting either because his chakra hasn't awakened yet…" the woman said, tears beginning to fall from her violet eyes.
The man closed his eyes briefly before speaking again. "There's a place… Kusagakure. The Hidden Grass Village. It's about half a day from here. You need to go there."
"But..." she hesitated.
"The shinobi that chasing us won't let us enter any major village. Even if we somehow succeed, our identities will be exposed. And then… they'll use us. Our sealing abilities… our bodies…" His voice hardened. "Kusagakure is our best option. No.... is your best option. And the children's."
He continued, "It's not one of the Five Great Villages. They don't know much about the Uzumaki clan like the others do. Even if some of them know, most who did are already dead from the wars. I believe… even if their elders suspect something, they'll choose to ignore it rather than risk the bigger villages taking you from them."
"What about you…?" the woman asked, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll hold them off. There are ten of them, seven are jōnin and five of them are high-level jōnin. If I stay, you'll be able to enter Kusagakure as just another refugee from war… not as someone hunted by elites from the Five Great Villages for being descendants of a legendary clan. This way… your identity stays hidden."
"No… no… you promised me…" she cried, clinging to him. "You said we'd stay together… that we'd rebuild our clan… that we'd save our people…"
"I'm sorry… but this is where it ends for me," he said softly. "Maybe our children can carry on that dream."
He gently placed a hand on the child in her arms.
"The scroll is sealed in Hamura's arm. It contains many techniques; almost all of our clan's knowledge, and even some jutsu from the Second Hokage. Back when our clan were still close to Konoha, we exchanged techniques with him before his death. When our childs grow older… teach them everything. Our legacy… our traditions…"
He gave her one last smile and disappeared into the rain.
***********
As she continued her journey toward Kusagakure, the red-haired woman felt Hamura's condition worsening.
"Please… no, Hamura… hold on, just a little longer… we're almost there… please don't leave your mother and your little sister alone..." she begged, desperately trying to heal him, but failing. Regret filled her heart for never learning proper medical ninjutsu.
Then suddenly. A flash of light struck Hamura.
His body began to glow, radiating a strange, intense light. Moments later, the light was completely absorbed back into him.
His body stabilized. His breathing grew stronger.
"What… what just happened?" his mother whispered in shock.
Slowly Hamura opened his eyes.
***********
Inside the exam hall, the noise suddenly spiked.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and none of you are gonna beat me!" shouted a loud blond boy in an ugly orange outfit.
"What the…" Hamura muttered groggily, still half-asleep.
"Oh… Hamura, you're awake," Karin said beside him.
"Damnit, Hamura, I swear if you.." Shira snapped angrily.
"Yeah, yeah… I get it," Hamura replied, clearly annoyed.
"What the hell? You wanna die?" Shira growled, his anger rising.
"So you've got guts now, huh, Hamura? No longer the meek little medic?" Butira added, narrowing his eyes.
"Sorry, guys. Please forgive my brother, he's still sleepy and really annoyed by that yellow-haired brat," Karin said quickly, trying to calm the situation.
"You better not slow us down. Be grateful you were even given this chance… or you'll end up dead like your mother. Useless," Katsu said coldly.
Hamura suddenly stood up, his face filled with anger.
Karin immediately grabbed him and pulled him toward the corner of the classroom. "Sorry, we'll be back in a second," she said to their teammates.
***********
"What the hell was that?" Karin hissed once they were out of earshot.
Hamura took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
"I had a dream… about Mother. When she brought us to Kusagakure after Father…" he said quietly. "I remember that day clearly. She begged me not to leave her… not to leave you alone."
"…Yeah. I remember. She told me about it. You were really sick back then… and then something happened," Karin replied.
"…Yeah. I should've died that day," Hamura said under his breath.
"Don't you dare say that," Karin snapped, anger rising in her voice.
"Relax, sweet sister. I'm not going anywhere," Hamura said, trying to reassure her.
After a short pause, his expression shifted back to focus.
"By the way… has the snake started replacing the Kusagakure ninja yet?" he asked.
"No. The chakra signature is still the same as when they were in Kusa," Karin answered.
"…Yeah. I can feel it too," Hamura nodded. "Let's go back."
Karin rolled her eyes but followed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." A heavy voice filled the room. "My name is Morino Ibiki. I am the proctor and chief examiner for the first part of the exam."
***********
"None of you are in any position to celebrate! I am the second chief examination officer, Mitarashi Anko. Stop wasting time and let's go!"
The atmosphere shifted immediately as the second phase of the Chūnin Exams about to began.
The written test under Ibiki had ended exactly as expected; pressure, deception, and information gathering disguised as a simple exam. Now, the real test was about to begin.
As the genin teams following Mitarashi Anko
"…All of it happened exactly like you said." karin said
"Of course it did. Are you doubting your brother now, sister?" Hamura replied, a faint challenge in his tone.
"No. It's just… uncanny. Almost word for word," Karin answered, still processing it.
"Yeah, well… it won't stay that way for long. With what we're planning, things are going to change. Stay vigilant," Hamura said calmly. Then his expression shifted slightly. "…Hmm. You feel that?"
"Yes… he's on the move," Karin replied, her tone turning serious.
"A jutsu that steals faces… useful technique. But not enough if the chakra signature stays the same," Hamura said.
"Well, the real question is how did the snake infiltrate Konoha so easily? They have barrier techniques created by the Uzumaki clan," Karin said, frowning.
"He's a former Konoha shinobi with high status. Of course he knows the barrier keys… just like certain someone with fish following them around" Hamura answered.
Karin glanced at him, then asked casually, "By the way, Hamura… can I kill mine too?"
Hamura sighed, rolling his eyes. "We already talked about this."
"But why you and not me?" she insisted, clearly unhappy.
"Because, my dear sister, one of us need to pass the second exams and I need full focus to control IT, especially since I don't have THE chains like you do. And I don't want to risk someone like the Third Hokage or any sensor nin noticing if ITS chakra leaks during the fight. Especially if you want our plan to succeed" Hamura explained patiently.
"…Fine," Karin muttered, pouting slightly.
The forest gates loomed ahead. And soon everything would begin to change.
Notes:
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