Bab 21: 21. Development and Intrigue
One week since preliminary exam. Twenty-four days until the Third Exam
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the paperwork on his desk and sighed. The paperwork dealt with necessary preparations for the chūnin exams and arrangements needed to accommodate the foreign guests that would be traveling for the exam. These arrangements needed to be done immediately, but the Sandaime's mind was too focused on another issue.
'Hayate…' Hiruzen frowned.
On a personal level, the death of the third exam proctor hurt Hiruzen greatly. He had been acquainted with the now-deceased shinobi and he knew that Konoha had just lost one of its most genuine, nicest residents.
On a political level, one of Konoha's finest shinobi was just murdered. There was no clue about who murdered him nor any motive the murderer may have possessed. This made Sarutobi very concerned about the village's safety.
'Hayate's body was left for dead without anyone noticing until the morning…who accomplished this? How were they able to sneak past any of our guards and get under our nose? And what are they intending to do here?' Hiruzen's mind was running through his concerns.
The Sandaime continued to think at his desk. After a while, he was interrupted as the window in his office opened up. A tall man with white spiky hair jumped into the room. He was wearing a green kimono, matching green pants, and a red haori. He had a large scroll attached to his back and he was wearing a forehead protector with the kanji for oil written on it.
"Every time I see you, you look older each time. You hanging in there?" The man commented casually, a small grin on his face.
Hiruzen chuckled slightly as he turned to face the man. "Jiraiya, it's been a long time. I see you got my letter."
The man, Jiraiya, nodded. "Of course. I headed over here as fast as I could…making only one or two stops for some research." The man's grin started to appear more lecherous.
The Sandaime chuckled once again. "I'll have to ask you about the fruits of your research another time."
"Believe me, you won't regret that conversation. I'm very excited for the next book!" Jiraiya proclaimed. "Just a warning though sensei, you may want to have some tissue or something before you start this one."
The Hokage actually blushed slightly as he laughed uneasily, trying to hide. Then, almost immediately, the blush disappeared and his face turned serious. "Have you learned anything?"
The white-haired man's grin dropped and he, too, turned serious. "Your letter never specified what you wanted to talk about. Do you want to know about what I've learned on Orochimaru or the Akatsuki?"
"I would love to hear the Akatsuki information, but that will have to wait for another time. There are more current, pressing issues." Hiruzen sighed. "I need to know about Orochimaru."
"I investigated one our concerns about him, and I learned that he has become identified with another hidden village. He's involved with Otogakure, although I'm not certain how much so. When I made with my informants, they were unable to identify any specifics. Just that he's been involved there since its creation." Jiraiya answered with a shrug. "For all I know, he could be the damn leader of the village."
The Sandaime groaned at hearing the news as he placed his right hand on his head. "If he were aligned with Otogakure, then that would make it easy for him to slip into Konoha undetected. He would probably have been disguised as the sensei for their genin team…" He shook his head. "Konoha has gotten lax. We should've been more suspicious about a new, unknown village appearing and requesting entrance for the chūnin exams."
"You can worry about your village's administration later. Right now, you got to focus on Orochimaru. What has he done since he arrived?" Jiraiya questioned.
"He's marked Uchiha Sasuke with his curse mark." Hiruzen stated.
"Shit!" Konoha's spymaster cursed.
"Also, this is speculation, but one of our jōnin, Gekkō Hayate, was found dead a few days ago. I'm suspecting Orochimaru to be the cause, because I have no other possible idea…" The Sandaime sighed.
"Orochimaru's most likely at work." Jiraiya said with a frown. "…my informants weren't able to get as much information as they usually can. Orochimaru's been very careful about who he tells thing to right now, meaning he's planning something: something he wants to make sure no one can ruin."
"In your opinion, what do you think Orochimaru may be planning then?" Hiruzen questioned. He had an idea himself, but he wanted to hear his student's opinion.
Jiraiya stayed quiet for a little, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke up. "…honestly, given that apparently he snuck into here, I'm starting to wonder if he's planning an invasion. But I'm not really sure. This is Orochimaru we're talking about."
"…" Hiruzen shook his head. "Jiraiya, you are dismissed from your duties outside of the village until otherwise stated. For now, I need you here. You need to help me dig up as much information as possible. If Orochimaru is planning something like an invasion, then we need specifics!"
"Understood!" Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
"You need to stay committed to this. I can't afford you going off to do your 'research' now. I need you to be entirely focused on this."
Jiraiya frowned, but he nodded his head again. Seeing his student's frown, Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Jiraiya, are you actually frustrated that you have to take some time away from your perverted stories? This is for Konoha!" The Sandaime stated sharply.
"Of course I can! I'd do everything I can for this village. I already do!" Jiraiya said sharply. He then sighed before speaking. "I'm not even upset about the books or my research. It's just, since I'm back in the village again for the first time in like ten years, I was kinda hoping to meet my godson finally."
Hiruzen's eyes widened before they softened. Ever since the Kyūbi attack and Minato's death, Hiruzen had sent Jiraiya out on constant missions in the elemental nations. As Konoha's spymaster, Jiraiya is the only person with connections into every village and organization. It was his duty to be constantly up to date on the events in the world in case if anyone was planning to attack or engage against Konoha while the village repaired itself from the Kyūbi attack. Hiruzen had intended for Jiraiya to be gone only for a few years, but then Orochimaru left the village. Jiraiya was once again forced to remain outside the village, trying to gain information on the missing ninja.
The consequence for Jiraiya's service to the village was that he was prevented from getting to know his godson, Uzumaki Naruto. It was something that Jiraiya was constantly troubled about.
"…Jiraiya, once the chūnin exams are over, I will let you have a leave from your duties for a week or two. During that time, you may spend as much as you want with Naruto-kun." Hiruzen informed him with a frown. "I'm sorry for constantly depriving the two of you from meeting each other, but Konoha needs you. And right now, the village needs you more than ever. And I can't afford you focusing on anything else other than uncovering whatever Orochimaru is planning."
"…yeah, yeah. Understood." Jiraiya sighed. "How is he doing by the way? You also didn't say anything about him in your last letter. He doing okay?"
Hiruzen smiled in response. "You'll be pleased to know that Naruto-kun made it to the third round of the chūnin exams with the rest of his team."
Jiraiya blinked in surprise before he started to laugh, a grin on his face. "Already? Didn't he just graduate from the academy? Damn, he's got to be pretty kickass then! I can't wait to see what Minato's brat is capable of!"
The Sandaime chuckled. "I can't wait as well. I'm pretty sure Naruto-kun will do a great job in the exams!"
Conversation turned lighter between Hiruzen and his student, Jiraiya. They knew they would have to get back on topic and focus on the issue of Orochimaru, but for now, for just a little bit, they enjoyed simply talking about Uzumaki Naruto and his growth: as a person and as a shinobi.
Naruto made a series of hand signs before bringing his hands to his mouth.
"Wind Style: Wind Release Stream!"
Naruto attempted to release a stream of wind from his mouth. Instead, he sent himself flying backwards across the training field. He hit the ground hard and yelped in pain.
Kurenai shook her head at the sight and sighed. 'That was funny the first day he did that, but now, it's just starting to get annoying.'
The Uzumaki pulled himself off the ground and moaned loudly.
"I don't get it. I didn't have this many problems with the Great Breakthrough jutsu! What gives with this one?" He grumbled.
"Naruto-kun, I've explained this earlier: just because they are both wind style jutsus does not make them the same type of technique. You can't use the same method to create the Great Breakthrough for this jutsu!" Kurenai lectured. "The Great Breakthrough releases a large gust of wind and is based primarily on power. That translates to how you have to create it. The Wind Release Stream is, in contrast, a much smaller, controlled stream of wind that is focused on its utility as well its power. You have to take that into consideration when trying to use the jutsu. They're completely different styles of techniques."
"I get that! I'm just confused on what's my problem." Naruto said with a frown.
Kurenai closed her eyes in thought, trying to think of an explanation that would help the blonde understood. She thought back to the information about Naruto and what she knew about him. After a minute of thought, an idea hit her.
"Naruto-kun, how do you use your Headhunter Jutsu?" She questioned.
"…huh?" Naruto blinked. "That? Well it's an earth style jutsu, so I kinda try and ground myself. I try and make myself feel connected to the ground and then use my chakra to sink into it."
"You ground yourself?" Kurenai repeated his wording.
The Uzumaki nodded. "Yeah, I kinda have to. I have to make myself feel calm and keep my emotions and body in control. Otherwise it won't work and something wrong will happen with the jutsu!"
"Naruto-kun, I'd like you to apply that principle to this jutsu." The second exam proctor suggested. Seeing Naruto's confused look, she continued her explanation. "Again, wind style ninjutsu in general is free and unrestricted. But for this jutsu, you need to be able to control the wind and contain it. You need to be able to apply it all in one stream of wind and not a giant gust of wind. You need to keep yourself completely calm and in control in order to do this."
"Huh…" Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. "Gotcha! Let me try!"
Naruto took a deep breath in before creating the hand signs. He stood still for a few seconds before he brought his hands to his face. "Wind Style: Wind Release Stream!"
Naruto breathed a small stream of wind from his mouth. Kurenai smirked at the sight.
"That's the closest we've come so far!" She stated. "Let's keep working on this so we can get the jutsu perfected. And once that's done, I'll show you the many different uses that jutsu can provide for you."
Naruto gave her a look of excitement and determination. "Dattebayo!"
"Hyah!" Hinata shouted as she attempted to land a palm strike on her father. Her father responded by blocking the attack and trying to counterattack. The Hyūga heiress was able to quickly avoid his attack.
The father and daughter were sparring. They were testing out the fighting style they developed for Hinata.
Hiashi remained mostly on the offensive during the spar as Hinata spent most of her time avoiding his attacks. She found herself naturally being able to move out of the way his blows, but struggled to land her own attacks. The Hyūga head noticed this quickly into their spar.
After five minutes of sparring, Hiashi finally stopped his assault and put distance between himself and his daughter.
"That's enough for now Hinata." He told her.
Hinata nodded in understanding, dropping her stance. She faced her father with nervous, anxious eyes.
"H-How do you think that went?" She questioned.
"As of right now, your style compliments your flexibility. You're difficult to strike and you can easily avoid most attacks. Even though I am not fighting at my full strength, that is very a good sign. Your style will be focused around evasion most likely." Hiashi noted. "However, I am concerned about the offensive capabilities. You barely felt comfortable trying to attack me and whenever you did, you failed to connect your attacks."
"…" Hinata said nothing as she listened to her father.
"We're making headway, but we have more work to do." He said. "Let's take a five minute break, then we will get back to work."
"Understood!" Hinata bowed to her father.
"So, I've got the shadow neck binding down. What's next?" Shikamaru asked with a yawn. "More strategy lessons or something?"
Yoshino grinned slightly maniacally as she pulled out a scroll. Her husband saw the grin on her face and sighed, shaking his head.
"Believe me, that'll come soon. I'm actually pretty excited to see if you've gotten any better at shogi. But for now, your mom and I have one more jutsu we'd like you to learn." Shikaku told his son.
Yoshino tossed the scroll over to Shikamaru, who caught it and immediately started looking at it.
"Again, you're not some little academy kid. It's about time you start really learning some of the more complex techniques in our clan." She stated.
"…okay." Shikamaru shrugged in response.
"That jutsu is one of my personal favorites: the Shadow Protection Jutsu!" Yoshino declared. "You'll need to look over the technicalities of the jutsu, but in a nutshell, the user uses the shadows around them to cover them and shield them for any harm. You use your chakra to maintain the surrounding shadows and they can withstand all sorts of damage depending on how much chakra is used."
"And I assume the more shadows there are around me, the stronger my defense is?" Shikamaru asked. His mother nodded in response, which caused him to give an impressed look. "Hmm…"
"There is more to our shadow techniques than simply capturing enemies. They've got a lot of utility to them dammit!" Yoshino declared.
'Geez, Mom's really proud of our clan's techniques all of a sudden. Guess it's been a while since she got the chance to use them and show off though. Heh.' Shikamaru noted to himself with a chuckle before speaking up. "Believe me, I've known. So, how are doing this? You want me to read the scroll and then try and do the technique?"
"Your mom wanted to oversee this jutsu training." Shikaku answered with a shrug before he started to walk off. "So you guys go ahead and start. I'm just going to get a bottle or two and be right back."
As the Nara clan head left the area, Yoshino developed another maniacal, borderline sadistic grin.
"That leaves you with me Shikamaru. Time for training to begin!" She said in a sing-song tone voice as she pulled out a kunai. "For your sake, I hope you learn the jutsu fast!"
'…she has to be friends with Anko-sensei.' Shikamaru groaned, already knowing how much this was going to hurt. 'Troublesome women…why can't I just get normal training?'
Upon completing the day's training, Naruto decided to make a trip to the hospital and visit Dosu again. He was allowed access to the room easily and found the Oto genin sitting up in bed.
"Hey Dosu!" Naruto greeted as he walked in.
"Naruto-san." Dosu bowed his head in greeting.
"How are you doing? Feeling any better?" The Uzumaki asked.
"In my personal opinion, I have been healed for the past three or four days. Nevertheless, the hospital insists that I remain here for another week to make sure that nothing happens in the next few days." Dosu said, rolling his visible eyes.
"The hospital sucks, doesn't it?" Naruto chuckled.
"…I've had more enjoyable experiences." The Oto genin responded with a sigh.
"You don't have to say it like that: just say it like you think it. The hospital here SUCKS!" Naruto exclaimed loudly as he continued to laugh.
Dosu chuckled slightly in amusement and confusion. 'Does he not realize that the medics that work here can probably hear us? Does he not care that they would probably be offended by that?'
Conversation carried from there as Dosu asked Naruto about his training. Naruto answered excitedly, going into detail about his progress in his new wind jutsu as well as explaining the strategic lessons he was receiving from Ibiki. Dosu listened in interest, but was also making note of any possible information that could maybe benefit him in the future. After Naruto finished discussing his training, a new topic entered his head.
"Hey Dosu, what's Otogakure like?" He asked.
"Hmm?" The Oto genin gave him a confused look. "What do you want to know?"
"I don't really know. I've always been curious about other hidden villages. I mean I know what Konoha's like cause I live here, but I wanna know how it compares to the others!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "So, what's Oto like?"
"…different." Dosu answered, carefully come up with words to say. "It's not nearly as green. And we do not have nearly as many civilians. Oto is composed of only shinobi."
"Really?" Naruto gave Dosu a surprised look.
"It's a new, rising village. We need all the strength we can get. So, everyone in the village needs to do their part to strengthen the village. Everyone's a shinobi." He answered.
"Huh…" The Uzumaki seemed interested. "So, I take it your parents are awesome shinobi then?"
The bandaged-genin shook his head. "My parents were never from Oto. They were just average civilians." He answered. "
"'Were?' What are they now?" The blonde asked.
"Dead." Dosu answered.
"…oh." Naruto's face dropped as he looked at his new friend sadly. "…sorry for bringing it up then."
"Don't be. People die all of the time." The Oto genin responded with a shrug. "My parents and I were just unlucky to catch a thief that entered our house. The thief, in panic, lit the house on fire in hopes that we would die and wouldn't be able to reveal who he was to the authorities."
"…" Naruto's eyes widened as he realized something. "…so the bandages…do you wear them because…"
Dosu, realizing Naruto's train of thought, nodded. "They cover up all of the burns I received from the fire. How I survived, I have no idea, but the payment was the death of my parents and the scarring of over half of my body."
Naruto frowned and looked downward. He couldn't really tell what was sadder to him: Dosu's past or the fact that he could talk about it in such a matter-of-fact, nonchalant tone of voice.
Seeing Naruto's mood, Dosu shook his head. "There's no reason to feel sympathy for me Naruto-san. It's in the past and it happened. Nothing can change that. Besides, shortly after, I was found by the leader of Otogakure and was invited to the village. I became strong and someone I feel my parents would be proud of."
"Hmm…" Naruto looked upward and gave a smile to him. "If that's how you see it, then I guess you're right. I'm sure your parents, wherever they are, are looking down on you proudly."
'Honestly, I'm not certain about that…' Dosu wondered to himself.
Conversation became lighter as the two genin talked a little about Konoha. They continued to talk for about thirty more minutes until Naruto's stomach grumbled. The blonde looked at the hospital patient with a sheepish grin.
"Well, guess I should be heading out. I'm gonna get something to eat and head home!" Naruto said as he stood up.
"Take care then, Naruto-san." Dosu bid farewell. "Come again whenever. It's nice to have some company."
Naruto, who was about to walk out of the hospital, turned around and looked at Dosu with surprise. "Wait, has no one visited you other than me? Not even your sensei or your teammates?" Dosu shook his head, causing Naruto to scowl. "…what jackasses dattebayo!"
Dosu shrugged in response. Naruto's scowl deepened, but disappeared almost instantly as an idea entered his head.
"I got it! I'll send a shadow clone to spend time with you when I'm training. That way you can have someone to chat with whenever you're bored or lonely!" He exclaimed excitably.
"Hmm?" Dosu blinked in confusion. "Naruto-san, that's not nece-"
"Expect the clone sometime tomorrow morning! Later Dosu!" Naruto informed him before walking out.
Dosu blinked in surprise. He remained motionless for a few seconds, digesting what the blonde had said. Finally, he sighed before lying back down in the hospital bed.
"Is he even real? He's way too talkative." Dosu mumbled to himself. "Why am I talking to him so much anyway?"
'Uzumaki Naruto…you are interesting…'
Eight days since preliminary exam. Twenty-three days until the Third Exam
"Where is that bastard?" Anko grumbled as she walked through Konoha.
Throughout the day, Anko had been looking for her friend and fellow jōnin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi. Unfortunately for her, she was having no luck finding him and her search was taking much longer than she had anticipated.
"He's not at the memorial stone, he's not in any of the bars, and he's not at his apartment. I even asked that bratty pink-haired student of his and she had no clue! Where the fuck are you?" Anko hissed to herself.
"You looking for somebody?"
Anko's eyes widened and she turned to her side. 'Speak of the devil!' Kakashi was there. The masked jōnin was reading a small, orange book, but Anko didn't care to look at what book he was reading. All that registered in her mind was the man she was looking at.
"YOU!" She nearly growled.
"I was looking for you Anko-san. You know, you're more difficult to track down than I thought." Kakashi told her as he flipped pages in his book.
"Don't you DARE pull that bullshit on me. I've been trying to find you all day!" She shouted.
"Hmm?" Kakashi tilted his head. "You were looking for me?"
"Yeah, I was! I was going to ask if you were up to continuing with our spars." Anko's anger started to fade and it was replaced with excitement. "I've been working on an original jutsu and I think I've finished the kinks with it. I was wondering if you'd want to spar a bit and see it for yourself."
"An original jutsu? I'd be interested. Sure, we can start our spars again." Kakashi said as he put his book away. "However, not today. I have a favor that I need to ask."
"Depends on what it is. You did put me through a lot trying to find you." Anko commented bitterly. "But yeah, shoot."
"Before I ask, though, how aware are you of Orochimaru's activities in the village?" Kakashi asked seriously.
Anko's eyes widened at the mention of her former sensei before they steeled themselves. She shook her head. "Not much. Just that he entered and that he attacked my team during the second exam. I'm being left in the dark until Hokage-sama has more information. He doesn't want to let me know much until he is certain about whatever that bastard has planned. Why?"
"So you weren't made aware…" Kakashi mumbled to himself before he spoke up. "My student, Uchiha Sasuke, was marked with Orochimaru's curse mark."
"WHAT?"
Many of the civilians walking down the streets of Konoha turned their heads to face the two jōnin sensei due to the loud face. Anko's face contained a mixture of surprise, fear, and anger. She and Kakashi, noticing that attention was on them, used the shunshin and moved their conversation to the top of a nearby rooftop, away from prying ears.
"Kakashi, please tell me your kidding. Please…" Anko nearly begged.
"No, I'm not. I've done my best to seal it away, but it's not fully effective. If Sasuke ever desired the power, he could probably break through my seal…" The masked jōnin answered quietly.
"…" Anko said nothing. She had nothing to say.
"I've already warned Sasuke about using the power and exactly who Orochimaru is, but I'm afraid. He's been obsessed with power in order to kill and Orochimaru just supplied him with his dark, twisted power. I'm really afraid that my words aren't going through to Sasuke." Kakashi confessed. "…so I'd like your help. Can you come with me to our training ground and talk to him? I think maybe he would be willing to listen to you, someone who has the same curse mark and knows about what it truly is."
"…take me to him." The snake summoner responded quietly.
Kakashi nodded in gratitude before he started to jump across the rooftops of Konoha in the direction of his training ground. Anko followed right behind.
Upon arriving at the training ground, Kakashi left to give Sasuke and Anko privacy while they talked. The Uchiha was staring at the tokubetsu jōnin intently, sizing her up.
"…aren't you the sensei of Team Three?" He asked her.
"Yup. Mitarashi Anko." She nodded in agreement.
"Why are you here? Why did Kakashi ask you to come?" Sasuke questioned with a scowl. "You're not trying to spy on my training and steal any of my strategies, are you?"
'An Uchiha is accusing me of stealing something of theirs? That's ironic!' Anko resisted the urge to laugh at the joke she thought to herself. Instead, she gave Sasuke a serious answer. "No, I'm not going to be watching your training. I'm not even going to be here for long. I'm just here to talk to you for a little bit."
"About?" Sasuke asked.
"How familiar are you with Orochimaru?" She asked him.
The Uchiha heir made a grunt, which Anko interpreted to mean that he was annoyed.
"I've already talked to Kakashi about this, as well as the Hokage. I know who the guy is and what he did to me. I know not to use the damn mark. What more is there to talk about?" Sasuke asked.
"A lot." Anko said as she pulled down her jacket, revealing her neck and the curse mark on it. "I'm probably the person who knows the most about that damn curse."
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the woman in interest. "So, you were marked too?"
"Yup. A few years ago, before the damn snake turned traitor on the village." She answered.
"…you don't have a seal like the one Kakashi put on me." The Uchiha noted with a bitter tone in his voice. "Do you use the power of it?"
The tokubetsu jōnin dismissed the notion with a scoff. "Hell no! I just resist the urge to use it."
"Why? Why not use it?" Sasuke asked. "What's so bad about it? Power is power. Who cares what the source is?"
"…yeah, it's power all right. A lot of damn power. A lot of engineered, unnatural, mutated power. It's the work of Orochimaru's research…and that's the problem. It contains his dark, twisted soul in it and all the darkness associated with it."
"Explain." Sasuke nearly demanded.
"This thing affects your brain. The more you use it, the more it twists your mind. Orochimaru is trying to manipulate people through this seal into following his desires and plans. He offers them the temptation of power, but then uses it to turn those with the mark into his tools." She answered.
Sasuke scowled. He didn't like the idea of becoming anyone's 'tool'. He was his own person with his ambition. Nothing was going to change that fact. Still…
"Can't you resist him, though, and still use the power?" He asked. "If you were powerful enough, you should be able to resist the mental influence. My mind is strong…I can avoid the mental repercussions of it!"
"…have you used the curse seal yet?" Anko asked.
Sasuke recalled the second exam in the Forest of Death. His team had been attacked by the team from Otogakure. They, along with the help of a few of their allies from Konoha, managed to fend off the Oto team until the time Sasuke woke up. When he woke up, he could feel power coursing through his body: the power of the curse mark. He remembered how strong he felt, but he also remembered the blood lust. He remembered how he felt when he broke one of the Oto genin's arms. He remembered how excited he was to do more to him if Sakura hadn't stopped him.
"…I did. I never felt more powerful…but I didn't feel like myself." He admitted.
Anko nodded in understanding. "That's what I mean. The power is there, but it corrupts you. The more you use it, the more you lose your identity. And you become more like his puppets."
Sasuke closed his eyes in deep though. He couldn't deny it: he felt himself get manipulated by Orochimaru's power. He was starting to agree with Anko and her stance. Still, he noticed something about the woman he was talking to…
"…how do you know Orochimaru?" He asked. "You're talking different than Kakashi or the Hokage did. They talked more about the curse seal itself, but you're also talking about the man and his intentions. They make sense…but how do you know all of this?"
Anko remained quiet for a few seconds. Sasuke waited for a response. A full minute passed before he received one.
"I was part of the man's genin team back when he was still a shinobi here. That snake began his research and his experiments on me and my teammates. His experiments killed my teammates and marked me with this damn seal. He killed them and left me to die, effectively ruining my life at the time." She said quietly. "…I hope you don't mind me being personal when I say this, but I think of him the same way you think of your brother."
The Uchiha's eyes widened exponentially at the reasoning and the comparison. Soon, his eyes started to scowl as he thought back to his encounter with Orochimaru.
'…so, you are just like Itachi, Orochimaru? A traitor who killed innocent lives and left someone who was close to you to die…' Sasuke's Sharingan instinctively activated as his eyes filled with anger. 'And you are trying to make me one of your little tools? You're going to regret this…I'll make sure you die!'
"…anyway kid, that's all I had to talk to you about. You need to know exactly what kind of person is behind that seal and what it is really doing." Anko told Sasuke, interrupting him from his rage-induced inner monologue. "I'll be around the village if you ever want to talk about it, or have any questions about it."
Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and gave a nod to the woman in front of him. "I may have to someday. Thank you."
The two shinobi bade farewell to each other as Anko left. Kakashi, who had been hiding nearby the training ground, gave the woman a look as she went off.
'Anko…thank you.' He made a note to thank her in person the next time he saw her. But for now, it was time for him to go back to training his student for the exams.
Two weeks since preliminary exam. Seventeen days until the Third Exam
Hiashi stood to the side in the training room of his compound. On one side was a chūnin level Hyūga from the main branch and on the other was Hinata. The two were in position to begin sparring. The Hyūga head raised his hand.
"Begin!" He declared.
The two sparring Hyūga immediately charged at each other. The chūnin attempted to land the first strike on Hinata, but the heiress dodged his palm easily. He then tried to land another palm on her only for him to miss again. Hinata moved gracefully out of the way of each of his assaults.
After a few seconds of dodging, Hinata attempted to go on the offensive. The chūnin was easily able to block her. He attempted to counterattack, but in the process, dropped his guard for a split second. Hinata took advantage of this and using her other hand, managed to deliver a strong palm to the guy's chest.
'Game, Hinata.' Hiashi predicted the match.
He continued to watch the match. After landing the first hit, Hinata was in control and she never lost it. She continued to avoid the chūnin's attacks, the flexibility and movement of her stance allowing her to easily get out of the way. She proceeded to try and attack when his guard was lowered, or set him the man up to lower his guard. Hiashi's prediction was right.
'The style is still evasive, but it finally has the offensive quality it has been lacking. In a taijutsu fight with someone of the same skill level, Hinata will be able to easily avoid the attack and deliver counterattacks to their tenketsu.' Hiashi noted.
The variant of the gentle fist, a style that was geared towards evasion and generating quick counter attacks instead of standing one's ground and moving stiffly to attack and defend, had been created.
"Match over!" He proclaimed.
The two Hyūga stopped their fighting. The chūnin Hyūga bowed his head in respond; a notion Hinata reciprocated. He dismissed himself as Hinata walked over to her father.
"You've made a lot of progress. After seeing your display, I can honestly say I believe your style will work." Hiashi informed her.
"Y-You mean it?" Hinata mumbled in surprise.
Hiashi nodded. "It accounts for your body's natural flexibility, but you still have the ability to use the Byakugan and some of the more important aspects of the gentle fist. You're geared towards evading and counter-attacking, not defending and attacking. The style suits you, and I believe you'll use it well."
Hiashi looked down at his daughter with pride. Hinata noticed this and her eyes widened. She then tried to resist the urge to cry.
"Well done Hinata." He told her.
At that point, Hinata couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her eyes as she ran over to hug her father. Hiashi, albeit a little awkwardly, returned the hug from his daughter.
She had proven herself to her father, the man who she had been trying to earn his praise.
The exam was still days away and they had a long way to go before she was ready to face her cousin, the boy considered to be the genius of the Hyūga clan. Still, this was the start in her mind. She had just earned her father's praise and now Hinata felt as if she could do anything!
"Alright, let's do this again!" Yoshino declared as she tossed multiple kunai at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru ran through a set of hand signs before shouting his jutsu. "Ninja Art: Shadow Protection Jutsu!"
The shadows surrounding Shikamaru came together and formed a small barrier around him. The first few of Yoshino's kunai hit the shadow barrier and bounced off. The final three, however, were able to tear through the barrier and hit Shikamaru in his right shoulder. The Nara heir cursed and fell down, dropping the remains of his barrier.
"Shikamaru…" Yoshino frowned. She stopped the maternal urges to go rush and check up on her son. She remained in strict, instructor mind. "We've been practicing this for six days now. You need to be able to maintain the barrier better."
"Easy for you to say Mom. You aren't the one being pelted with kunai." Shikamaru grumbled as he pulled himself up, pulling the kunai out of his shoulder.
'If he thinks he's having it hard, he should've seen how my Mom and Dad trained me.' Shikaku chuckled to himself as he took a sip of sake.
Yoshino's maternal instinct kicked in at that moment as a tick mark developed over her head. "Don't sass me Shikamaru! I thought I stopped hearing you're crying and bitching after you turned two, but I guess I haven't!"
"Sorry, it's just frustrating!" The Nara grumbled. "I get the concept of the jutsu, I just need to figure out why I am struggling with it. It seems I haven't made any progress since I started."
Yoshino frowned. Her son was the kind of person who liked to see differences and changes over time. If he couldn't see improvement, he would often consider the activity 'troublesome' and pointless.
"You know you have made progress, right? You're now able to form the barrier with your shadows." She told him.
"Yeah, that wasn't the hard part. It's keeping them maintained and sturdy." He continued to grumble.
"That is all based on your chakra. We just need to find ways to increase your chakra pool!" She said.
"I figured." Her son sighed. "…so how are we going about this?"
"We just need to keep trying." Yoshino said determinedly. "I know it's 'a drag', 'troublesome', or whatever shitty way you want to describe it, it just has to happen. It's like any training: if you don't push yourself at some point, you're never going to get you improved. You need to really get pushed, and therefore, you're probably going to get tired and hurt a lot in the process. But the payoff is worth it when you can use this jutsu and potentially save your life!"
"Believe me, I know." Shikamaru responded with a sigh.
"…so are you ready to keep at it again?" Yoshino asked. "We can take a break if you want for a few minutes. We're just going to have to keep up on this though to make sure you can actually improve!"
Shikamaru said nothing for a few seconds before he shook his head.
"Nah, let's just keep doing this." He shrugged. "This is such a pain, but whatever. Whenever you're ready Mom."
'…for as much as you complain, Shikamaru, you really are a motivated kid. You're going to be an excellent shinobi, my son.' Yoshino smiled as she pulled out another kunai. "Alright, let's get back to it!"
"Alright, Naruto, we are going to conclude training today with one more scenario." Ibiki informed the blonde.
"Alright, let's do this!" Naruto proclaimed confidently.
"I've prepared a map of the environment in this scenario." The first exam proctor declared as he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the blonde.
Naruto looked at the map intently. It depicted a small forest with a red x in the center. To the left of the x, more trees were visible, showing that the forest became larger in that direction. To the right, there was a small river. Going north from the x was a town marked as a local civilian town. There was also a scale at the bottom of the paper, which helped accurately map the distances between the x and the other landmark areas of the environment. Naruto continued to study the map intently until Ibiki spoke up.
"You are a wind jutsu specialist currently at position x after being sent on a long-term mission, returning back to Konoha. At position x, you were ambushed by a rogue shinobi that was revealed to be a fire jutsu specialist. This shinobi has been hand-picked to assassinate you. It is 11:00 P.M. at night. Since you are returning from a mission, your inventory is small. All you have on you is five kunai, three smoke balls, and one exploding tag. In addition, your chakra pool has been mostly used up. You are at around two fifths of your normal capacity." Ibiki explained the scenario. "How do you approach this situation?"
Naruto remained quiet for a few seconds. He closed his eyes in deep thought. After carefully deciding his answer, he spoke up.
"I'd head in the direction of the river." He answered.
"Why?" Ibiki asked.
"Well, he's a fire specialist and he ambushed me in the middle of a forest. In a forest, the trees could catch on fire and make it more difficult for me to move around and get away." Naruto responded.
"By why head to the river? There is a town as well and you could maybe see if you could find any help there." The head of the torture and investigation department noted.
"For starters, you can't trust anyone as a shinobi. Who honestly would help me?" Naruto shook his head. "Besides, it's 11:00 at night. It's late enough that most people are asleep. It'd be rare to find somebody out at that hour, and even rarer to find a shinobi who could actually help me." The blonde then pointed to the river on the map. "In contrast, the river is a natural source of water that I can rely on and he's a fire specialist. I can use the river water to my advantage maybe in a fight."
"Fair point, but let's get back to that. How do you even expect to get to the river in time?" Ibiki asked. "The shinobi is better-rested than you and he caught you in an ambush. And if you looked at the scale, you'll note that the river is a few kilometers away."
"You can also notice that I am in a forest, I can easily use the substitution jutsu with a log and attach my exploding tag to it. I can make a distraction to buy myself some time to get a head start." Naruto pointed out.
"That is true, but the shinobi is still in better condition for you. Are you just going to assume that your head start will be enough time for you to reach the river before he catches up to you?" Ibiki stated sharply.
"Of course not! It'll only give me some time to make precautions. For starters, I'll make a few shadow clones to help hide my movement. That'll stall him a little longer. I will also use the smoke balls in the event he catches up to the real me, in order to hide my movement further." The blonde explained.
"I can see how you would get to the river then fast enough." The scarred-tokubetsu jōnin admitted. "So you reached the river. What's your plan from there?"
"He'll catch up to me probably right after I arrive at the river. I won't be able to run: I'll simply have to fight him there." Naruto noted.
"And how exactly? Do you have any strategy in mind?" Ibiki furthered questioned.
"Be on the defensive. I can aim my wind style ninjutsu at the water and knock the water upward and use it as shield against his fire attacks." The blonde answered.
"You would just defend?" Ibiki noted.
"Well yeah. If the guy was really hand-picked to kill me, then he probably knows all my jutsu and how to counter them! So I'm not going to even bother trying to fight him right away! Instead, I'm just going to go out of my way to evade or block all of his attacks and put him in an environment that he is at a disadvantage. If I keep all of this up, he should get exhausted and either will retreat, or stick it out and fight. And if he's tired and weak, then I can probably take him on and win in a fight!" The blonde exclaimed.
"You'd fight him out until he gets exhausted?" Ibiki questioned the logic.
"Well, there's no other choice I have dattebayo!" Naruto answered stiffly. "After all the shit I put him through with trying to find the real me, dragging him to a place where his jutsus aren't going to be as strong, and constantly avoiding his attacks, I feel he'd get weaker. It's the only chance I got anyway!"
Ibiki said nothing, which caused Naruto to sweat in fear of his answer. His fears intensified as Ibiki opened his mouth to speak.
"Given the information I gave you, that was very well thought out. You presented the response most likely to help you stay alive and presented sound reasoning and strategy." The proctor praised. "In this scenario, I can say you would most likely survive."
Naruto breathed a sigh in relief before shouting.
"HELL YEAH! I LIVED DAMMIT!" He laughed.
Ibiki actually chuckled slightly at the blonde's amusement. "I can see that your strategic mind has developed. If I gave you this scenario the first day, I have a feeling you would say to simply fight it out."
"Probably." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "But what can I say? I've been paying attention to you Ibiki-sensei!"
"Good. We will continue to develop your strategic mind during our lessons, but I feel like you've earned a reward for your visible improvements. Tomorrow, I'd like to work on teaching you the shunshin." Ibiki commented.
Naruto's eyes widened before he started to grin. "HA! Finally Anko-sensei! I'll be able to the disappearing thing too! What now?"
'…he's clearly Anko's student. In every way…' Ibiki sighed.
Naruto was about to ask something to Ibiki when his eyes randomly widened. Soon, they were filled with fear and worry.
"Ibiki-sensei, using your shunshin, how fast can you get to the hospital?" He asked frantically.
The torture expert was surprised at Naruto's tone of voice, but answered honestly. "Almost immediately. It's not too far from here after all. Why?"
"Then get there now! My friend's in trouble!" He exclaimed nervously before he started to run off in the direction of the hospital.
Ibiki didn't question the blonde about what he meant. Instead, he made the hand sign for the shunshin and disappeared and went on his way to the hospital as fast as he could.
Five minutes prior…
Naruto's shadow clone sat in Dosu's hospital room, waiting for the Oto genin to speak up or start conversation. The bandaged-wearing genin, however, was busy reading a book. The boy was deeply enthralled in it and, therefore, was not speaking to the clone.
"…you're being quiet." The clone noted.
"…" Dosu looked up from the book and at the clone. "…why yes, I am."
"Do you like the book?" It asked.
"…yes…I do." He answered before putting his head back in the book.
"What's it called?" The clone continued to question.
A tick mark developed on Dosu's face in irritation, but he responded in his usual tone-of-voice. "It's called Tengoku no Sato. It's a fantasy novel about a mystical village Tengoku no Sato, the village in the heavens."
"Oh really?" The clone seemed interested now. "Who's it by? How long is it? What's the main character like? Is there a sequel? Is there-"
"You talk way too much for a clone." Dosu groaned aloud as he put his book aside, knowing that he was probably done reading for now. "One question at a time, please, clone-san."
"Sorry!" The clone said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly like the original Naruto. "Um…first question, I guess, who is the auth-"
The clone never got to finish his sentence as the door to Dosu's room and a kunai hit the clone in the back of its head. It fell to the ground and disappeared in a poof of smoke.
Dosu's visible eye widened. In that moment, he forgot he was talking to the clone and just saw his friend fall to the ground and disappear. "Naruto-san!" He nearly shouted.
"My, my, Dosu. Didn't know you'd give a damn about what happens to a Konoha shinobi."
Dosu looked upward. Standing in the doorway to the room was Orochimaru's right hand man and his spy in Konoha, Yakushi Kabuto. The boy adjusted his glasses before walking further into the room.
"…Kabuto-sama." Dosu greeted, bowing his head slightly. "My apologies. The boy has been visiting me for a while. You stabbing the boy's clone just startled me."
"I suppose that could be startling." Kabuto shrugged. "How's your stay at the hospital been? How'd you get injured anyway?"
"…" Dosu was confused at the line of questioning. "I was injured during the fight with Sabaku no Gaara during the preliminary exam. I've been-"
"And pray tell me, why did you fight Gaara?" Kabuto interrupted. "I believe you are aware of his role in Orochimaru-sama's plans."
"I am aware." Dosu answered. "I fought him because we were paired against each other in the exams. It was bad luck and I felt, since I was given the opportunity, I might as well test myself against him."
"I understand." Orochimaru's right hand nodded. "I am surprised you survived the encounter."
"I am surprised myself-"
"It's actually a shame he didn't kill you." Kabuto interrupted.
Dosu's visible eye widened as he stared at the man in front of him in shock. Kabuto had a grin on his face: one almost sick with delight.
"Wh…What?" The Oto genin mumbled.
"Think about it! If you died, your death would have caused a panic amongst all the people there. They would have seen Gaara's bloodlust and skill in all of its full glory. Giving Gaara a bigger reputation before the actual third exam would've certainly been helpful, don't you think?" Kabuto asked maliciously.
"I-It would've helped maybe, y-yes, b-but then that w-would mean…" Dosu stuttered, trying to have a response.
"You'd be dead? Well, you are a pawn. Orochimaru-sama can easily replace you." Kabuto shrugged at the thought.
Dosu's head dropped. "I…"
"Oh wait, I forgot. I guess you aren't a pawn." Kabuto realized. He then glared at the Oto genin. "A pawn knows how to follow orders! You weren't testing yourself against Gaara. You were trying to beat him and remove him from the exams. That goes against Orochimaru-sama's plans and you know it!"
"I-I was just trying to prove to Orochimaru-sama that-"
"That you aren't worthless or something? That you are more than a pawn?" Kabuto taunted, his malicious grin returning to his face. Seeing Dosu nod only caused Kabuto's grin to widen. "Dosu, you've been nothing but a pawn since the day Orochimaru-sama met you. You and your whole damn team. This exam proved your uselessness to us."
"…" Dosu didn't respond. He continued to look downward,
"Orochimaru-sama has been getting more and more bothered your team, especially you Dosu. You fought Gaara and disregarded his orders and you've become close with that Uzumaki brat. Orochimaru-sama is becoming concerned that you may…not be that loyal to our cause anymore." Oto's spy commented. Dosu looked upward and opened his mouth to speak, but Kabuto interrupted. "Whether or not you actually are loyal or not, it doesn't really matter. Who cares about the loyalty of a corpse?"
"…" Dosu got out of the bed, his eyes completely wide. "…wh-what?"
"We've already taken care of Zaku and Kin, where they will serve their final purpose to Orochimaru-sama. You are the last one left, but I think you've already done enough to show that you really have no worth. I'm sure Orochimaru-sama won't mind if I just kill you right here." Kabuto taunted as he pulled out a kunai. "After all, you were nothing more than a pawn. Heck, you've already been replaced.
'…I…' Dosu thought back to his time as a little kid in a small village in Ta no Kuni trying to find food. He remembered meeting Orochimaru, who offered him a chance to escape the town and find a purpose. He remembered the fullness of his emotions that day: he remembered how grateful he was to his savior and how he wanted nothing more than to pay him back for giving him life. He remembered it all, knowing everything was a lie and that it meant nothing in the end. '…I really was nothing…'
Dosu closed his eyes, anticipating his death…
Kabuto went forward to stab the Oto genin. As he was about to kill the boy, he felt the presence of another shinobi. He moved backwards, just in time to avoid an onslaught of shuriken.
Morino Ibiki arrived at the hospital room. He stood in front of Dosu and Kabuto. The man glared at the spy with contempt in his eyes.
"Sounds like I've discovered a snake in this village." He noted coldly.
"Morino Ibiki, correct? It's a pleasure to meet you." Kabuto greeted with mock politeness. "I'm a big fan of your work in the T&I Department, but I do know you're less than stellar in your actual skills as a shinobi. I hope you don't think you can take me on."
"Whether I can or cannot does not matter. All that matters is that the Konoha ANBU has been notified and that they will be here any second to take you in, traitor." Ibiki said confidently. He then raised a kunai. "But for now, I'm sure I'll be more than a challenge for you and will keep you company."
'That's probably a bluff, but I can't take my chances. It would be horrible for Orochimaru-sama if I got caught.' Kabuto cursed to himself before looking at Dosu. 'Guess this is what I get for playing with my food. Very well, Dosu, you may live for now. But believe me, you will die one day and I'll make sure it is by my hand.'
Immediately, Kabuto jumped out of the hospital window. Ibiki ran to the window and tossed a kunai at the spy, but he blocked it. He then ran off into the village.
"You're not getting away that easy!" Ibiki shouted as he made a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ten clones of Ibiki appeared in existence.
"One of you watch over the boy. The rest of you, follow me!" The tokubetsu jōnin ordered as he jumped out of the window.
Nine of the ten clones jumped out of the window, following the original Ibiki. The final one stayed behind and turned to face Dosu.
"Kid, are you alright? We are going to have a lot to talk about." The clone said in a threatening tone of voice. The clone's eyes widened as he looked at the Oto genin. "What…are you okay?"
Kinuta Dosu, former member of Otogakure and servant of Orochimaru, had passed out where he was standing from shock due to the conversation he had with Kabuto. Ibiki's clone cursed as he picked up the unconscious boy and rushed to find a medic to help the boy.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone