บท 82: Chapter 80 : Falling Feathers (3)
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The Naruto clone had finally accomplished the task the original gave to him. The moon sat in the night sky surrounded by lazy stars. The air was cold and the entire village was asleep besides the ANBU on patrol.
They paid him no mind though, mostly because they had no idea he was even there, but if they did, they would never tell the Kamikage what he could and couldn't do.
It was an incredibly clever idea, but the clone absolutely hated the preparation behind it. Having to touch every civilian in only a few hours was hard work, but Uzumaki Naruto could do anything, even if it was a Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) of Uzumaki Naruto.
This would pay off in the long run, but right now it did nothing but irritate the clone. He knew the boss had to clear things up with Yugao-nee, but he really dumped this on his poor, innocent clone. And the worst thing was that he couldn't afford to prank his creator, since even the Bringer of Hope's clones were scared of him.
All he could do was take whatever small pleasure he could in the fact that all of his exhaustion would transfer to the real blond when he dispelled.
With that in mind, Naruto-clone puffed in a small burst of smoke, sending everything to the original.
When the memories of the clone he made finally made it to him, Naruto didn't even flinch at the exhaustion that him. It was like a fly, annoying, but manageable.
Somewhere, in a place no-one knows even exists, a blond sighed deeply.
Of course…
...
After his talk with Yugao, he had left for the night, after spending hours calming her down about his first sexual experience. He knew his sister wouldn't understand right away, but the fact that she was able to calm down at all for the time being was a miracle.
They tried to have him stay with them for the night, but he declined. He had two beautiful women waiting for him back in Anko's room, and he very much wanted to get back to them. He also wanted to get as much rest as he could since tomorrow he was going to war. And he really was.
The Hokage's plan was for him to not only rescue everyone, but also fight off the invasion simultaneously. It wasn't impossible, not now, but it definitely was going to be something.
It didn't take long before they woke up, and apparently, all three of them were ready to go again. After only an hour this time, the three were dressed and out the door. That's why they were walking towards the main arena that the final stage was going to be held in, Kurenai and Asuma right behind them.
Naruto really wanted to turn around and make conversation with the two Jonin just to make this as awkward as he could, but decided they suffered enough when they saw Anko exit her room with the Bringer of Hope and Godaime Mizukage after hearing screams of pleasure all night and this morning. It was amusing, for now.
"Mei," Naruto began suddenly, "No matter what happens today, I want you to know that Konoha is your ally, and I personally promise that no harm will come to your people."
Mei was confused by the words before she nodded slowly. She trusted him, with everything. "Hai."
Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma already knew what the blond was talking about. The Jonin were briefed by the Hokage. Apparently, Suna and Oto were going to try and crush them. When they heard that Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi were going to lead the assault against the intruders, they all wanted to laugh at how stupid these people were.
Sharingan no Kakashi may only be an A-ranked Shinobi, but he's the closest person to S-rank that the village had in the Jonin ranks. He was considered one of the two most powerful ninja in Konoha, right under the Bringer of Hope. Jiraiya didn't count since he wasn't a registered operative. He was still loyal to only the Leaf, but he had more freedom this way.
The rest of the walk was done in comfortable silence. Kurenai and Asuma felt safest when they were together and able to watch each other's back.
And with Anko and Mei at either side, Naruto felt invincible. He was actually looking forward to this. He would protect his women, his family, his people, his village, and he'd get to kill a whole lot of demons.
The Monster was about to make his appearance again. It had been far too long since he was awake. The world had forgotten who he was, what he was.
It was going to be wild!
...
The stands were packed full, the sun was shining down upon them, and the eleven Genin that made it through were standing in front of one Uzumaki Naruto, the proctor of the third stage. He began to address the crowds.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I will be proctoring the third stage of the Chunin Exams." The minds and hearts of the native Konoha civilians looked at him with disgust.
"Before we start, the Hokage will say a few words." He pointed to the Kage box where Mei, Hiruzen, and the 'Kazekage' sat. It enraged him that one of his women had to sit next to that bastard. Was he truly that foolish? Did he truly think that that disguise was going to work? The eyes of the Kamikage saw everything.
Hiruzen stood. "Thanks everyone for coming to the Konoha Chunin selection exam!" He said in a booming voice. Like Naruto, Hiruzen was skilled enough to enhance his vocal chords with chakra. "We will now start the main tournament matches between the eleven participants who made it through the preliminaries."
He gave the stadium a big smile. "Please stay and watch until the end!" He then gave the 'Kazekage' a look over his shoulder. It was not a happy look.
Naruto nodded, and began. "Alright, guys this is the final test." His eyes scanned the Genin among him. "The arena is different but the rules are the same as in the prelims, there are none." His eyes met Gaara's.
"You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat." He then met the eyes of the other Genin. "But if I determine that the fight is over I'll step in and stop it, you got that?" After receiving nods, Naruto called out the first two names.
"Nara Shikamaru and Temari, you two stay, the rest of you go to the waiting room." The Genin not called made their way out of the arena while Shikamaru and Temari stayed. "Begin." Naruto declared when they were the only ones on the field.
Immediately, Temari took her fan off of her back and held it in an intimidating pose. "Alright, lazy, let's get this over with." She exclaimed aggressively.
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his head in a disinterested manner. "Women…" his eyes drifted to the clouds, "…Troublesome…"
...
Up in the stands, Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma all sat together. Asuma had a confident look on his face, but the two women, not so much.
"He's just running away from her…" Kurenai said slowly, trying her best not to offend her lover's student.
"What's up with your kid, Asuma?" Anko asked bluntly. She wasn't one to beat around the bush. It was always like that though. If there was an elephant in the room, she's be the one to jump up and talk about it, regardless of tension.
Asuma decided to ignore her bad manners and speak the truth.
"Trust me when I say that Shikamaru is most likely one of the only Genin that will get a promotion, him and Sasuke, if Naruto really is his new Sensei." Anko and Kurenai looked doubtful. "That kid is like an old man. He likes to take things slowly." He sighed. "And unfortunately, he has a nihilistic view on women, so this was a bad match up for him."
"Well he looks like an idiot down there…" Anko said, once again being the blunt woman she was. She was finally getting back to normal. After last night she felt better. Everything was okay now.
Asuma snorted. "You'd think that just by looking at him, but he's exactly the opposite. I gave him an IQ test and told him it was a game." The young Sarutobi shook his head.
"And what was his score?" Kurenai asked, curiously.
"Shikamaru has and IQ of 200." He said bluntly, taking a page out of Anko's book.
Said blunt woman and her fellow female widened their eyes.
"You're telling me that sexist gaki down there is a genius?" Anko almost shouted.
Asuma smirked and nodded. "He'll probably pass his father in strategic brilliance in a few years." His eyes never left his student. Shikamaru had just thrown a kunai with his shirt attached to it in the sky.
Check.
"Shikaku?" Kurenai asked in shock. Her man had to be overestimating his student because Shikaku had a mind that rivaled the Nidaime's in strategy. Anymore brilliant and you'd have the mind of a god…
"Shikamaru's battle strategy and tactics is good enough to make him Jonin. If he was more dedicated and had the skills to back up his intelligence he already would have joined our ranks."
His eyes took in Naruto's form for a moment. "I'm sure Naruto has already noticed him… He's been keeping my student close. It makes me think he's doing something, even more so now that he's apparently taken in Kakashi's student. It's almost like he's building an army or something…"
Anko looked at him suspiciously. "So what if he was?" She asked in a harsh voice.
"Anko!" Kurenai scolded.
"It's fine, Kurenai." He turned to the snake user. "I do not believe that Naruto is not loyal to Konoha, not in the slightest. He's probable more loyal than any of us.
Anyone that has been under Kakashi's command when he was in the ANBU would never even think about leaving, never mind harming our home." There wasn't a Shinobi from Chunin up that hasn't heard of the legendary ANBU operative Inu. He was one of the most famous agents in the corps, second only to Nezumi.
"I do however believe that he'll be taking on the most difficult missions given to anyone, and even though Shikamaru is a Shinobi like everyone else, I don't wish for him to take those kinds of missions. Not yet at least."
Anko still narrowed her eyes, but let the monkey off the hook. She would laugh about this later. She had just defended her lover for the first time since they were actually together.
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