Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Inner Secrets ❯ Chapter 9

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: as stated Eight Times before, I do not own Naruto, or anything pertaining to said series.

Pairings: Itachi/Naruto, Shikamaru/Neji, Kakashi/Iruka. Those are the main ones!

Warnings: Yes people this is Yaoi. Also their is crude language, violence, death, gore, and so on and so forth.

A/N: For those people who have made threats on my person should I make this a Yaoi, I'd like to point out from the begining that this is a Yaoi, and has had several warnings stated earlier. Had you missed them, well that isn't my fault. Now for those of you stating how unorthodox Naruto's outfit change in Chapter two was, I'd like to point out a few things. Firstly a great Ninja, one above many others, would be able to likely wear anything and still move silently, quickly and be lethal. Don't believe me? Alright, look at Jiraiya, on his feet he wears wooden sandals, and all of us know very well that wooden sandals make one heck of a lot of noise, yet they don't for the Sannin. Why? Because a Full Fledged ninja trains themselves to be able to overcome each and every obstacle. A second person was Sarutobi, The Third, his battle get up has two long cloth tails, which as was pointed out by a flamer, could be grabbed and used (Naruto has some chains and other accessories). Please note that in the battle we saw the Hokage participate in (In the series), Did Orochimaru or the revived First and Second Hokage get those little strings? No. Now for the cloak, look at Itachi, he is strong, lethal, and incredible even in a cloak that I was told would totally hinder any and all ninja movements. Don't forget Gaara and his massive, not to mention heavy gord. As for the leather? All Ninja have their quirks, some like fish net, some like bandages, and I'd like to point out that Leather isn't as stiff as denim and is a heck of a lot easier to wear and maneuver in than dresses or skirts. And now for the supposed Naive nature of everyone, mostly Kyo and the grease ball for letting an unknown into the back. Firstly, Naruto looked dark and intimidating, so the greasy dude would be like 'hello chance for prosperity', whereas Kyo.... you guys will understand his doing what he did in later chapters.
- - - I'd like to thank all of you for your reviews, whether they are good or bad, but if you have a complaint make sure the real Naruto series doesn't basically answer that for you...
---- Oh and Thank you Solo for your concern in regards to my injury, but you needn't have worried as I'm the crazy person who plays soccer with stitches in the foot. ^^ Now! On with the chapter!

Chapter 9

"I mean, I do find it odd for a group of Rookies to be short one man." The intruder stated with a thoughtful expression on his plain features. "But maybe he just didn't want to risk himself in this and fled?" He asked, planting seeds of doubt in Sakura's mind, and causing Sasuke to frown. "But that is beside the point, as I am certain you want my scroll, the Earth Scroll as you already have the Heaven Scroll. Now which one of you has it?" He asked as he twirled his scroll in his fingers eyes flickering between the two. "No answer?" He sneered as he brought the scroll up to his mouth and wrapped his eerily long and thick tongue around the rolled parchment before swallowing it with an audible gulp.

"Now we will be seeing just who will be stealing a scroll from whom." The Grass Ninja said as he regarded the two of them. "So I ask again, which of you has the scroll?" Yet again he was met with silence, but his words had caused the girl to fidget.

"Neither of us have the scroll." She spoke up, lying, but she wanted to trick the man into believing Naruto had it so he'd leave them alone.

"You're lying." The Nin stated with a pleased smirk. "I bet... you have it." He concluded as he eyed the Uchiha survivor. "Meaning we'll have a fight to the death." He said darkly as he brought his left hand up and pulled down the skin around his eye causing them to tense as they were pulled into a genjutsu where millions of kunai and Shuriken were flung at them, the amount of bloodlust in the air causing them to both freeze up, illusionary weapons stuck in their flesh.

'He's casting an illusion.' Sasuke thought with a pant, his whole body trembled violently before his body decided to purge itself of his last meal. 'It isn’t death.' He thought as he fell backwards onto his butt, avoiding the puddle of half dissolved food and stomach acid. 'Just an incredible simulation. I looked in to his eyes... and he made me feel it...and believe it!' He thought in a panic as his eyes widened. 'Who the hell is he?!' He silently demanded; sweat dripping down his paler than normal features.

"Sakura..." Sasuke whispered quietly as he looked to the right, spotting the pink haired girl trembling violently as noiseless tears flowed down her cheeks. She was petrified with fear, her green eyes never leaving the imposing figure before them. 'Shit.' Sasuke cursed to himself, eyes narrowing. 'If we don't retreat now, we're finished. The only other option here is death!'

"Heh..." The ninja spoke up. "I imagine you're both paralyzed with fear."

'Not quite.' Sasuke thought as he reached a hand into his weapons pouch and slowly withdrew a kunai. 'I can move... just enough.' He thought with resolution as he firmly clutched the weapon in his quivering right hand, but his actions didn't go unnoticed.

With a happy smile the Grass ninja withdrew a handful of kunai, launching them at the defenseless Genin. Before the blades could hit their mark, Sasuke stabbed his own kunai into his thigh, the pain enough to relinquish the genjutsu's hold on him, allowing him to jump over to Sakura and get them both out just before the kunai struck the ground. "They got away..." He said in an uncaring fashion.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

'I'm not certain.' Kyuubi answered somewhat dejectedly, his crimson eyes flickered gold as they looked off into the distance. 'Before I was pulled into the bloodlust, I was simply wondering the land. Learning, studying, trying to gain all the knowledge I could. After all it is no easy feat to have become a Demon known as a Yoko.' He paused as he looked back over at the blond.

'Do you remember how demons are classed?' He asked, words gaining him a nod as his host jumped onto the nearest branch, blue eyes observing the surroundings. 'There are thirteen ranks. The lowest rank is a simply one-tailed beast, with no special skills. Next is the two-tailed rank, then the three-tails going up to nine tails in total. Only those of the seventh-tail and higher have the ability to manifest in a humanoid form, blending in with the mortals. After that there are four more levels. C-Class demons are notoriously powerful compared to the higher percent of lower demons only having eight tails and less. Then there is the B-Class, followed by A-Class, each harboring less numbers then the first.

'It is rare to have more then three A-Class demons in existence during one millennia. Therefore the highest ranking, the S-Class Demon is like the Lord of all demons. Once long ago, back when we first met, you told me your dream and I told you mine. Your's was to become a great ninja that was acknowledged by everyone, the Hokage. Mine was to become the Lord of the Demons, and to do that I needed to overthrow the current one. Hence the reason why I was learning all I could. I was told by many that a simple C-Class fox had not what it took to gain such a rank, but I was determined.

'At one point during my travels, I was masquerading in my humanoid form in a small village. There darkness enshrouded my mind, causing the beast within to be released. I transformed into my full-fledged form, totally unaware of any of my actions as town after town was annihilated, mortal and mortal slain by my claws and fangs. Then I reached Konoha, there the Yondaime freed me of my hate, but also ride me of my flesh.' He paused. 'Though I hate him for stealing my freedom, I respect him for his power and his heart. He did what was right.'

'Kyuu-chan... .’ Naruto whispered as he looked at the demon within. 'I will do all I can to make sure both our dreams come true. First I'll become Hokage, and then we will become the Lord of all Demons. Maybe that way we can prevent demons being sealed, their hosts' being tormented and innocent humans killed for amusement.' Naruto offered with a smile. He remembered their first meeting; he could clearly recall the look in the Fox's eyes when they exchanged their dreams. 'Together we will succeed.' Naruto said in assurance as his eyes snapped to the side, spotting a group of three standing in a circle, discussing something or other.

'Let's do it.' Kyuubi said with a smile that was heartfelt, though fell silent as his host spotted their prey.

Below them, about a league due West stood three women all bearing the Rain symbol. 'I've got a plan...' Naruto thought with a smirk as he brought his hands up to perform the simple seals required for a henge...

- - - - - - - -

"No! We can't start a fire." The blond of the group said in annoyance, causing the purple haired woman to pout. "I don't care if you are cold; there is no point to a fire unless we wish to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves." The blond sighed as she ran a hand though her short and wild hair, her words that of a leader.

"It would most likely draw enemy Shinobi." A brunette added in, her green eyes peering out through her long bangs. "And some of the creatures we spotted before. Those giant snakes and other such monstrosities." She added with a roll of her eyes, though any other comments were halted when all three heard a rustling in the bushes.

The sound caused the three females to tense visibly and draw needles and shuriken from their weapons pouch. A small creature stumbled out from the trees, collapsing with a pitiful squeak. "A fox!" The purple haired girl exclaimed as he dropped her weapons and rushed forward to look at the poor creature. "Its front paw looks broken and its side has a few claw marks in it." She summed up as she hastily bandaged the poor creature up.

"Those claw marks are widely set... whatever did this must have been rather large. Poor baby fox." The brunette whispered as she knelt down besides her teammate to look at the crimson colored fox in her teammate's arms. "Can I keep it?" She begged as she tenderly clutched the creature to her swelling bosom. "Please?" She begged as she set her puppy eyes upon the blond.

"No... But you can heal it before you set it free." The Rain Nin stated as she moved over to her cell, brown eyes wearily regarding the small fox.

"Yes!" The purple haired woman squealed happily as she jumped to her feet. "So... What know?" She asked, as she gently cradled the kitsune in her arms.

"We find the Earth Scroll." She sighed as she reached down her shirt and pulled out the Heaven Scroll.

A small whimper rose from the fox causing them all to look at it as it woke up, crimson eyes darting each way in nervousness. "Easy little fox! We aren't going to hurt you!" The red eyed purple haired girl said in a soothing voice, which caused the creature to leap from her arms, straight towards the blond. Stunning them all. The small fox then closed its muzzle around the Heaven scroll before darting several meters to the side where it was surrounded in a burst on ninja smoke.

"Thank you!" Naruto exclaimed happily as the smoke dissipated, revealing him there, the scroll in his hand. "Later!" He called as he turned and ran from the area, leaving three stunned young woman.

"What... just happened?" The brunette asked with a blink as she looked off in the direction the blond had run.

"We were tricked..." The blond whispered as she slapped a hand to her forehead. "Come on, we still have enough time to get two scrolls and make it to the tower."

- - - - - - - - -

"That was ridiculously easy." Naruto voiced quietly as he tucked the Heaven Scroll in his pouch. 'Now I need to get two Earth Scrolls, that way we have two sets in case we run into any problems.' Naruto summed up as he leapt back into the massive trees and began looking for prey number two.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sasuke wrenched the Kunai from his thigh with a hiss of pain while Sakura merely watched him in concern. 'Sasuke-kun... How brave. He stabbed himself and used the pain to break free from that genjutsu.' Sakura thought with sad eyes before she looked off to the side with frown. 'Where are you Naruto?'

- - - - - - - - - -

A great hiss sounded through the trees causing the blond Genin from Konoha to pause in his tracks blue eyes cautiously scanning the surrounding environment. 'That scent...' Naruto thought as his noise twitched. 'It... Smells of snake.' He concluded with a frown, eyes hurriedly darting to the left before he leapt into the air, avoiding the great jaw of a striking serpent. "That's huge!" Naruto exclaimed as he landed feet first on the vertical part of a tree, barely even touching down before leaping again as the brown snake crashed face first into the tree, completely destroying it. "Chakra Nageya!" Naruto voiced as his formed a few simple seals causing a few dozen spheres of chakra to appear in front of the airborne Genin. He brought his palms from his seal position and made a forward shoving motion setting the Chakra darts to fly forward in strict beams of blue light.

The Chakra forged darts pierced miniature holes through the massive reptile, causing it to hiss dangerously, its silted pupil dilating further. "I think I just made it angry." He muttered as he landed on a branch several meters away from his last perch as his hands formed the familiar cross-seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He shouted causing seven clones to appear around him. Seconds after they were formed Naruto commenced a new set of seals. "Bunshin Bakudan!" He muttered as he pressed white glowing palms into the back of the nearest shadow clone, causing it to glow just as the serpent went for a third lunge.

The real Naruto and the six non-glowing clones leapt backwards while the glowing one remained, only to be engulfed in the snake's mouth and swallowed whole. "Five..." Naruto muttered as he reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out three kunai and attached three letter bombs to, his clones copying him. "Four." He continued as he and the clones tossed the kunai bearing exploding tags into a tetra gram formation around the massive serpent before the real one withdrew a roll of ninja wire and attached a horde of shuriken and kunai to the many ends. "Three." He then tossed three dozen kunai and shuriken, each attached to a wire end, purposely aiming around the great snake. Once the projectiles passed the turning snake, he yanked on them causing the weapons' paths to alter and firmly wrap around the great reptile as the metal weapons hit various trees to hold the beast steady. "Two." He whispered as he dispelled the clones and leapt up into the air, landing on a high tree branch before racing up the tree with all the speed he could. "One."

As the last word left his mouth a bright light filled the area, followed closely by the sound of a great boom, and then the resulting pulse of air, as the creature was blown to smithereens, chunks of gore splattering the area crimson. "That was an interesting way to dissect a snake." Naruto absently commented as he came to a halt and looked downwards, towards the crater where the reptile once lay. "Back to finding those scrolls." He said as he leapt to a different tree, following that course as he searched with his eyes, noise and ears for any near by teams.

'There!' Naruto thought as he located his next targets after running for only a minute. "Henge." He muttered barely above a breath before turning into an exact replica of the snake he had just encountered, and slithered silently through the foliage, slipping closer to a group of Konoha Nin who looked to be gloating over the two different scrolls they held. With a great hiss, the transformed illusion of Naruto sprang from the trees and struck lightning fast towards the stunned Leaf Nin, who each screamed in terror at the colossal reptile.

The two girls and one guy all leapt backwards, the boy holding the scrolls moving the slowest and were in direct attack range of the snake. Dispelling the illusion, Naruto reached forward and nabbed the two scrolls while spitting his tongue out at the three ninja before vanishing in a swirl of green leaves.

"What... just happened?" The guy asked with a blink as he and his teammates blinked at the spot where the massive snake had transformed into a tiny blond haired Genin.

"We just got out-foxed by the demon brat." A dark haired female growled venomously. Her brown eyes narrowing in distaste. "Disgusting bastard..." She snarled as she looked over at her companions.

- - - - - - - - - -

'I think that should be good enough. Sasuke has one Heaven Scroll, while I have two and one Earth Scroll. We should be fine so long as I protect the single Earth Scroll.' The blue eyed fox vessel decided with a nod of his head before frowning. 'Err... Kyuu-chan... You wouldn't happen to recall which direction we came from would you?' He asked his tenant as he blushed at his stupidity.

'That way!' The fox pointed out in amusement, laughter bursting forth once the blond nodded and raced off in that direction. ‘Where would you be without me kit?' The age old fox asked with a superior expression.

'In the belly of that snake most likely.'

- - - - - - - - -

"Sasuke are you--” Sakura began only to be cut off as her crush's hand covered her mouth to silence here. 'He's jumpy... shaking... I've never seen Sasuke so afraid before.' Sakura thought to herself with worry before her eyes darted to the side. With a gasp she pulled his hand away. "Sasuke! Snake!!" She cried, drawing the dark haired Ukiah’s attention to her and the striking serpent.

Sasuke saw the snake and hurriedly pulled both himself and Sakura out of the reptile’s way. "Get lost!" Sasuke shouted as the snake made a second lunge for him, causing him to panic and throw a horde of kunai and shuriken at it, his eyes wide and pupils small. He landed shakily on a branch as the snake crashed loudly into a tree, causing a great crack to ravage the wood. The snake was dead. He didn't get a chance to move before the skin by the serpent's head wiggled before expanding as the Grass Ninja rose from the cold blooded corpse.

"For shame." The man spoke up as he looked up at the Uchiha survivor. "Good prey are always on their toes, you shouldn't have let your guard down." The ninja chided with a tasking noise. "If you are on guard, the whole thing is far more rewarding ... for the predator that is." He hissed before his body became like rubber, allowing him to circle on the tree with skill and speed of a true striking serpent. Going closer and closer to Sasuke, only to be halted as several kunai struck the tree where the man was about to go.

"You stay away from Sasuke!" Sakura screamed angrily as she withdrew a few more weapons, dull green eyes locked onto the snake like Ninja.

'This is dangerous! He's too strong! I have to-- that's it!' Sasuke silently exclaimed as he reached into his weapons pouch and withdrew the Heaven Scroll. "If it's our scroll you want you can have it! Just let us go!" Sasuke said in an attempt to negotiate.

"My... such a perfect example of natural born prey." The ninja praised with a smirk. Instinctively knowing that your only chance for survival lies in diverting the predator’s attention. But... My patience has worn thin." He concluded as he brought his hands up to form a seal, neither Genin had before seen. "Juin Jutsu!" He exclaimed as his neck stretched and raced towards the Uchiha.

He never reached the target as a great fist, sent his head flying face first into the trunk of a tree. "Yo! Sorry I'm late. But it would seem I have picked up my sensei's bad sense of time." Naruto said as he stood before Sasuke, blue eyes peering over his shoulder to look at the boy. "Put that scroll away. And snap out of it, the Sasuke I know isn't a scared kitten!" The blond said with a frown as he turned to look at the Grass Nin, whose head and neck were back in their proper place. "Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto said as he pointed towards himself with his thumb. "I will take you down Snake boy!" He said coldly, noting that the man and the massive snake's scents matched.

"My... such bold words, but I do suppose you have quite the arm to back you up." The man said with a smirk as he rubbed the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth away. "I think I'll enjoy playing with my food..." He said sweetly as he licked his lips in anticipation.

"Playing? Who said anything about playing?" Naruto asked in amusement as he dropped into his own Taijutsu stance. Right leg directly below his right shoulder, leg back and out further. His knees were bent and he rotated slightly on the balls of his feet as he brought his right hand in a straight palm formation directly before his face, while his left hand was in a fist, in front of his right arm and his stomach. "Crimson Fox Formation." He breathed out as he narrowed his blue eyes.

"Heh." The man chuckled in amusement before he raced forward, his fist drawing back before launching forward in a massive punch. Just as the fist was a meter away, snakes bursts out of his sleeves. They slipped forward, striking quickly, and fangs sinking deep into the blonde’s neck.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted in worry as Sasuke looked on wide-eyed before the blond burst into a cloud of ninja smoke, revealing a log with several exploding tags on it.

"Shit!" Sasuke cursed before he jumped backwards, the Grass Nin doing the same just as the exploding tags ignited and burst into flames with a great boom. "He just pulled off a substitution..." Sasuke muttered as he leapt over to stand beside his pink haired teammate. Once onyx eyes were red with his bloodline ability as he watched the two of them, the comas in his eyes swirling.

"You sure have an obsession with snakes." Naruto muttered with a sigh as his enemy suddenly looked up to see the blond standing upside-down on a tree branch. "First that giant snake I encountered when I was on my own and now those ones up your sleeve." He grumbled with a slight pout, though it was quickly wiped from his features as a tongue wrapped around his left wrist and dragged him down. Using the speed of his fall, Naruto drew his fist back and slammed it forward, striking the Grass Ninja smack in the face, his hand sinking in as the man turned to a muddy substance. "Gross..."

Naruto spat his tongue out as he flicked the dark goo from his hand before he jumped backwards. Twisting in mind air Naruto released a handful of Kunai towards a branch on a tree, which suddenly exploded in smoke as the man reappeared, a dozen snake heads slipping out of his mouth, their fangs closing down on the flying blades. The snakes then swallowed the weapons whole before they retreated back into their master's mouth. "Perhaps." He began as he brought his hand up to wipe away a trail of saliva. "I have misjudged you..." He concluded with a strange look in his eyes.

"Just how strong is he?" Sakura whispered to herself as she pulled her hands up to her chest, green eyes looking on in worry and anticipation. "How could Naruto of all people stand up to this man...? He's so strong." She paused before frowning. "Since when was Naruto 'this' cool?"

"Play time is over. Let's get serious." The Grass ninja said as he brought his thumb up to his lips and bit it hard enough to draw blood. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He shouted while he ran his bloodied thumb over a summoning tattoo.

In a great burst of smoke rose a massive snake, one far larger than the one Naruto had met while searching for scrolls. "Oh crap..." Naruto muttered before biting his own thumb, hands then forming a similar set of seals as the Grass Ninja. "Kinjiru Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto cried, only to be enveloped in grey smoke.

"Heir of Dragons." A silky male voice stated. "You require my assistance?" He inquired as the smoke began to clear.

"Yes... I have met a great foe." Naruto answered just as the smoke vanished, blue eyes falling upon a male more handsome than any mortal could ever dream of being.

The man before him was tall, standing at seven feet even, his long golden hair shimmering in the shifting sunlight. His skin was pale, much like ivory, while his eyes shone like the purest of molten gold. He wore a simple white kimono that had cuts running from the base all the way of the sides, reaching around mid thigh to give him better maneuverability. His most shocking features were the cream colored cat ears poking out of his silky mane, and the long gold and curled cat tail poking out of his outfit. "Then I, Lord Kisho, am at your service." The man said with a silky purr as he narrowed slitted eyes at the man who stood atop a massive snake.

"A mere Genin who is able to summon a creature that can manifest as a humanoid..." The man breathed in slight awe, his eyes wide in shock at such an incredible display. "Now I am certain I have misjudged you, Naruto-kun..."

"Wow..." Sakura breathed, her eyes all star filled as she stared at the cat-man who stood before Naruto. "He's beautiful..." She breathed before giggling.

"I... wasn't able to copy that..." Sasuke muttered with a frown, wondering why his Sharingan was unable to copy it. 'Is it a Bloodline ability?' He inwardly debated, a frown marring his brow.

Before more words could be said the serpent lunged forward, its massive jaw wide, displaying its long razor like fangs that were dripping with lethal venom. With a great burst of dust and debris, the snake had crashed into the spot where the two blond males had stood. "That was easy." The man breathed with a smirk which was hastily wiped from his face as he saw the cat man holding Naruto bridal style several meters up the tree.

"You're slow." The cat king stated with a sigh as he set the blond beside him, making sure the young man had a firm grip between his feet and the tree's side. "But I suppose I could use the well used saying of 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall.'" He concluded with a smirk that showed off his longer then normal canines. "Tsume Nanaju!" Kisho spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest just as his claws began to glow a gold that rivaled his eyes. With a deep breath the man's ears twitched before he vanished from view.

Great hisses rose from the snake as gashes became visible on its body, its great head rearing back and forth as its slitted eyes moved desperately, yet it saw nothing. Kisho then reappeared next to Naruto. "Those little claws barely scratched him." The Grass Nin said mockingly, though he was cut off as his snake fell into shiskabob pieces before it vanished in a puff of smoke. "You...!" He shouted as he narrowed his eyes.

With a snarl he bit his thumb again, before forming the same seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu! "He said a second time, before being covered in a smoke far larger than the last. "Let's see you deal with this."

When the smoke cleared stood a far larger snake then before, this one purple in color. "Orochimaru!" The snake hissed venomously, eyes moving to look at his summoner. “Why have you brought me here?" He demanded with a glowering look.

"To teach this cat a lesson." Orochimaru spoke as he motioned towards the King of Cats, causing the snake to look.

"Kisho!" Manda exclaimed before smirking as much as a snake could. "What deliciously unexpected treat. Orochimaru, I require a one hundred person sacrifice for this." Manda said as he stuck his forked tongue out.

"Manda. Serpent Boss." Kisho said quietly as he nodded to the snake that stood larger than most the trees within the Forest of Death. "This will be difficult." He added as he dropped into a battle ready stance his arms crossing before his chest. "Saikuron Doriru!" He shouted before he leapt into the air with a great spin which continued on as he span in a circular motion, moving quickly towards the snake. He hit the Snake in a direct blow, but was repelled by the sheer strength of the snake's skin. Before he got more then a meter away, the great purple tail crashed directly into him, sending him flying towards a tree which he crashed through, hitting the next, then the next and finally came to a halt half way through the fourth tree.

"Kisho!" Naruto exclaimed as he looked back as his wounded summon who was pulling himself out of the tree, blood dribbling down his chin and out of various scratches. "Are you alright?" The blond asked as he eyed the golden eyed Neko-Kukuo who was slowly standing.

"Heir of Dragons... I will not be able to win alone. “Kisho admitted as he brought his left palm up, facing Manda. With narrowed eyes he focused energy out of his hand, sending it crashing into the giant serpent, causing naught but a scratch on the slimy slithering reptile boss.

"Right...” Naruto whispered with a frown ass his hands formed his summoning seals yet again. "Kinjiru Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He called out causing a burst of grey smoke to appear just to his left.

A great wolf howl rang through the forest, causing the trees themselves to tremble as a tall and broad male stepped out of the smoke, his long and wild mane of silver spikes glimmering in the sunlight. Sharp dark blue eyes focused on Naruto as the pale man smirked wolfishly. "Shadow Assailant." He whispered in a voice that only Naruto heard. "Looks like you need my assistant there Kisho." The wolf-man called as he looked over at the other summon, a clawed hand patting his bone amour covered shoulders which hovered mysteriously over his bare upper torso. On his lower legs were similarly floating bone amours, floating over black pants, while he wore metal plated boots. On his chest plate was the Kanji for Ookami engraved deeply.

"Lord Yukio." Kisho greeted with a nodded as he fazed over to the much larger male's side. "It has been quite sometime since we last fought side by side." He commented as the Wolf King turned his eyes towards the Boss Snake.

"You had trouble with this little hatchling?" Yukio asked in amusement causing his feline friend to huff, which in turn caused him to laugh in a barking manner.

"Hatchling?!!?" Manda hissed darkly as he eyed the Wolf King. "A pussy and a mutt..." He added as he looked up at Orochimaru. "Make that two hundred sacrifices..."

"Ookami Shoshu: Ryoken Ono!" Yukio shouted as he brought his left hand forward, a great halberd appearing within his firm grip, his large arm muscles dancing with use. "Nakigoe Ookami-sama!" He shouted before releasing a far louder howl than before, this one causing the Grass Ninja now known as Orochimaru to visible cringe, along with the three Konoha Ninja.

"Yukio!" Kisho shouted, hands over his own cat ears as he gave a glowering glare to the Wolf-King.

"Eh... Sorry. Couldn't resist." Yukio stated with a non-sincere smirk after finishing his great cry. "No battle featuring the Wolf-King is complete without the battle cry." He concluded with a shrug.

Kisho sighed before he lowered his clawed hands as turned his attention to Manda. "Raito Neko--"

"Kurayami Ookami." Yukio said ending the cat's sentence.

"Keisei Hitotsu ni Suru!!" They finished in sync.

A dark blue glow surrounded Yukio while a golden one surrounded Kisho. With twin smirks the two raced forward in an unseen blur, claws and great axe meeting snake-skin, causing angry rivulets of blood to fall from cuts that formed far faster than the eyed could see. The wounds caused Manda to rear back, jaw wide before he struck the ground causing to glowing blurs to jump back out of the lunging serpent’s path.

Before Manda could move back the two Kings raced forward claws and axe digging into his neck before they leapt back as the snake reared yet again, blood streaming from the wounds. "I'm leaving Orochimaru!" Manda exclaimed before he burst into smoke, leaving Orochimaru to fall and land on a tree branch.

"Damned snake..." The man hissed darkly as he watched the two summons stop, their glows receding.

"Pup!" Yukio shouted at Naruto as he motioned for the blond to come over. Without a hesitation, Naruto moved to his side with a questioning look. Only to have a glowing silver finger touch his forehead. "A gift." He said in answer to the blonde’s questioning look as a tingle raced all over the fox vessel's body.

"Such a promising child..." Orochimaru stated as he licked his lips. 'To think that the Kyuubi's vessel has become this great... He could be of future use... along with Sasuke...' He plotted as he looked over at the two who had sparked his interest.

"Thank you." Naruto said sincerely as the two summons smirked before vanishing in smoke. "You! The one called Orochimaru, do you surrender?" He asked calmly.

"For now... But we will meet again." He stated before he vanished without a trace.

"That was weird..." Sakura mumbled from her hiding spot as she watched Sasuke go to stand next to Naruto and was about to join them when she saw something. "Look out!" She cried, but it was too late.

From the tree behind the two Genin rose two Orochimaru's. "Juin Jutsu!" They both cried as their necks grew long and they moved, fangs sinking deep into the two. Sasuke took the bite to the left side of his neck, while Naruto had managed to bring his left hand up in an attempt to block, but had his wrist bitten instead. Screaming, the two Genin collapsed down to the ground, each clenching at the marks that had just appeared on their flesh.

On Sasuke's neck was three comma like marks, forming a circle, while on Naruto's wrist was a four pronged star with one tiny circle between each prong.

"You two will come see me... I can give you great power..." Orochimaru stated as his corporeal clone disintegrated into goo before he too left in a puff of smoke.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped over to her hunched over teammates. "What's wrong?" She asked as she saw the markings on both of them, just as Sasuke collapsed. "Sasuke-kun!" She shouted worriedly as she hugged him tight to her chest.

"Curse... marks..." Naruto said with a grimace of pain before he too succumbed to darkness.

"Naruto..." She whispered as tears dripped down her cheeks. "What am I to do?" She asked herself.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Three Dead." One of the Exam Proctors stated as he knelt down before a cool body that lie in cold blood before a row of Stone Buddah statues. "According to this.. They were Grass Ninja." He paused. "Go fetch Anko-sama." He said as he looked over at his partner who vanished with a nod, only to return minutes later with a grumbling woman in tow.

"Let me see their papers.." She ordered with a sigh as she grabbed them. "Damn it... Their faces were stolen, and that guy. You! Go directly to the Hokage, tell him that Orochimaru as infiltrated the second Exam. I'm going in after him." She ordered before racing off into the distance, heading straight for the Forest of Death.

- - - - - - - -

"We will split up." Neji began, white eyes moving between his two teammates. "From there we will gather necessary provisions, while keeping a sharp eye out for enemy units. In twenty minutes we are to meet back here." He stated as he tossed a kunai deep into the ground. "Let's move." He concluded before all three of them vanished.

'Naruto... Shikamaru... you two had best not die out here.' Neji thought with a sigh as he leapt from branch to branch, his bloodline fully activated so that he wouldn't be unprepared. Focusing ahead he saw three figures a ways up. 'That's... ‘He cut himself before racing off with all the speed he could muster.

- - - - - - - - -

'If I don’t find him soon, who knows what problems he could cause.' Anko thought to herself as she bound through the trees with expert ease. 'Where are you hiding Orochimaru...?' She came to a stop on a branch before turning around. "If it isn't Orochimaru-sensei." Anko stated coldly as she peered at her mentor, the man who had taught her all she knew. The very man who had filled the roll of father for her.

The man stepped forward, chuckling to himself as he approached his apprentice. "Ah... Anko. My you have grown more beautiful then last we met." The man said with a smirk as he regarded the female ninja.

"Damn you! Why the hell are you here?!?" She demanded as she pulled out a kunai from her weapons pouch, eyes narrowing on the man before her.

"I'm here for old times sake dear Anko." The man answered as he reached up and pulled off the face he had been using, revealing the familiar face of the handsome former Leaf ninja. "But... judging from your cold reception, I'd say you aren't glad to see me." He surmised with a mock pout.

"You're here to assassinate Hokage-sama aren't you?" She asked just before her cruse mark began to throb painfully causing her to grip the mark on her neck with a pale and trembling hand.

"Heavens no. I presently do not have what it takes to do something of that grand scale. No I am here to collect new promise. In fact, I just parted, giving them my special marks." He explained with a serpentine grin.

"Fool. They will die from those marks." Anko sneered.

"True... there is indeed a nine out of ten chance that they will die; but just the same, I have a feeling that these two will survive... just as you did...” He stated.

"And the thought of them... give you a charge?" She asked as a bead of sweat dripped down her brow.

"Are you jealous my dear? Are you still harboring resentment towards me for using you then abandoning you?" He chuckled. "Unlike you, these two boys are quite exceptional. One is of the prestigious Uchiha bloodline and his face and body are both beautiful. The other is Konoha's resident demon, an exquisite specimen he is as well. Either one would make an ideal new vessel for me." He paused as he watched his old apprentice crumble to the ground in pain. "I foresee interesting times ahead... Assuming they survive. Also... don't get any clever ideas to end this exam, otherwise it could get ugly." He chuckled as he turned his back to the woman.

"I plan to savor this. What with already having three of my protégés in the place of three of yours. Remember... should anything happen to spoil my entertainment it will mark the end of this village." He concluded before vanishing, leaving Anko alone as the pain of the curse seal suddenly vanished.

- - - - - - - - -

Sakura plopped down on the ground with a huff, breathe coming in hard pants as dull green eyes focused on her feverish companions, who she had just carted down where they were. 'It's up to me to protect the both of them...' She thought as she tore the end of her dress into two strips before wetting them with water from her water bottle. 'And make sure their fevers go down.' She added as an after thought as she gently placed the damp cloths on their foreheads.

In the bushes not too far away sat three ninja, each bearing the symbol of a ninja from Hidden Sound. "There they are." A heavily bandaged male spoke as he smiled a smile that only he himself knew was there, his shoulders twitching in anticipation, causing his hair that rested against his back to flutter. "Let's move. Remember we are to kill Uchiha Sasuke." The male said.

"I know that Dosu." A second male said in a cocky manner as he and the only female on their team leapt from the bushes and landed in direct view of the pink haired Genin. "Hand over Uchiha Sasuke and we will let you live." He barked out towards the girl as she pushed herself to her feet, kunai in hand.

- - - - - - - -

"Kakashi are you crazy!?!" Asuma shouted as he sat up straight, eyes locked onto the Jounin's visible blue eye. "That guy is a legend! There is no way he would fight out war!" He concluded as he took a great big puff from his cigarette.

"Besides, what made you think he'd assist us?" Kurenai spoke up, crimson eyes looking over at Asuma's cancer stick in disgust.

"Simple... I believe that he is somehow connected to Naruto-kun.” Kakashi answered. “It is my belief that he would want to protect Naruto, and by doing so his home would be safe from war.” Kakashi summed up with a nod.

“That’s crazy... but hell. It might just work, but I leave you to write the note to the guy. Frankly, I don’t want to accidentally get on his bad side. You have heard what he can do.” Asuma muttered as he flicked the ashes from his smoke into the full ash tray.

“Good, now let’s see who else.”

- - - - - - - - -

“Never!” Sakura shouted as she looked over at the Sound Ninja. “I know that Orochimaru is the one pulling the strings.” She stated shakily, her words a surprise to the three there. “Tell me! What are those marks he put on Sasuke-kun and Naruto?” She demanded with a frown. “Sasuke is in no condition to go anywhere! So leave!” She ordered causing Zaku to growl and take a menacing step forward.

“Perhaps you ought listen to her.” A voice from above spoke up causing all of them to look up to a branch where a cross armed pale teen stood, his white eyes focused intently on Dosu, though you couldn’t quite tell.

“Who the hell are you?” Zaku spoke up with a growl to the intruder.

“Hyuuga Neji, and I do not appreciate you bothering my friend’s team.” He stated calmly as he looked over to Naruto with a frown before looking back at the Sound Trio.

“Though it’s troublesome I agree.” A second voice spoke up as Nara Shikamaru entered the clearing, shoulders slumped and hands tucked in his pockets, nodding a greeting towards Neji. “So much for gathering water without anything troublesome happening...” He muttered with a sigh as he pulled his hands out of his pockets, dark eyes locking onto the enemies as Neji leapt down and landed smoothly beside him.

“Good timing.” Neji said with a smirk towards the Nara genius. “I thought you would have taken longer then you did to get here, what with the pace you were moving at.” He explained, having seen the other on his way in this direction as they were close to the stream.

“Fluke.” Shikamaru answered with a shrug. “Too bad Naruto’s out... Had he been awake it would be far less troublesome.” He stated before sighing.

“Stop your jabbering and die already!” Zaku shouted angrily, upset at the interruptions.

“Lee?” Neji asked before a green figure leapt down and stood between the two Konoha Genin and the enemy Sound team.

“Neji-kun!” Lee greeted as he peered over his shoulder at his white-eyed teammate. “You were late so we came to look for you.” He explained as he struck his nice guy pose. “But if these guys want to fight you, they’ll have to get through me to prove their worthiness in challenging my eternal rival!” He said with a smirk before he dropped into his Taijutsu stance.

“And me!” A female voice cut in and a girl with buns in her hair added as she leapt down beside her green jumpsuit clad teammate. “Sorry I’m late Neji, but Lee runs way faster than I could ever dream of going.” She explained as she pulled out a scroll from her weapons pouch. “Neji-kun, Shikamaru-san, we’ll handle this. Please make sure that Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are alright.” Tenten said with a smile as she leapt into the air, scroll unraveling. Biting her thumb, she ran the bloody appendage over the length of the scroll summoning forth a great cloud of grey smoke, and from it came a great barrage of thousands of kunai, each flying with great speed and expert precision towards the Sound team.

Seeing this, Neji and Shikamaru exchanged a look before they turned and raced over to Naruto, passing by both Sakura and Sasuke. “Naruto.” Neji called as he activated his Byakugan. “His Chakra flow has been disrupted, caused by that mark there.” He stated as he stopped his eyes and motioned towards the four pronged star that had little circles between each prong. “Curse seal.” He recognized it right away, after all he saw one every time he looked at his forehead in a mirror.

“He’s got one too.” Shikamaru muttered as he pointed to Sasuke’s neck.

The Sound trio, seeing the barrage of weapons, leapt backwards, barely dodging them. “What a fancy trick.” The female member of the team stated with a smirk as she looked over at Tenten before looking over at Sakura. “Three against three, this should be easy.”

"I'll take bandage boy." Tenten said as she motioned towards the group's leader. "Lee, take the cocky one. Sakura, can you manage the girl?" She asked as she looked over at the pink haired girl who nodded. "Good." She said as she pulled a katana out of seemingly no where. While Lee looked on with fire burning in his round eyes. Sakura merely gulped as she regarded the smirking Sound ninja who was to be her opponent.

"Yoshi!" Lee exclaimed before he slammed his right arm into the ground before he brought up a massive tree root, completely removing it from the ground and bringing it up, wielding it like a massive sword. With a cry he ran forward, swinging the massive root at Zaku.

"Zankuukyokusha!!" Zaku exclaimed as a great supersonic sound wave went out, hitting the root straight on, turning it to dust, causing Lee and Tenten to blink before exchanging a look.

"Neji-kun!" Tenten shouted. "Please hurry, we will need your assistance, they are way stronger than we thought." She explained as she charged her opponent, katana at the ready, but Dosu merely jumped up out of the way.

"My... Konoha Ninja seem to crawl out of the woodwork." He commented.

Tenten frowned as she pulled another scroll out, and like the first she smeared the blood from her thumb over it, summoning out a wooden staff which she immediately began to twirl like a windmill.

Lee leapt forward, before kicking Zaku into the air before he jumped up after him, and did a summersault before the back of his left foot connected with Zaku's stomach, sending him flying back towards the ground.

Dosu, seeing this slammed his palms to the ground without a word, causing the dirt below his comrade to soften just before the other struck ground. "Heh." Zaku chuckled as he stood with barely a scratch on his person. "Is that the best you got?" He asked arrogantly as he smirked in a way that he thought was superior.

Sakura saw the whole thing happen with wide eyes. "How did everyone get so strong?" She whispered in shock, leaving herself wide open. A fact that her opponent noticed instantly and used to her advantage. With a smirk, Kin snuck behind the pink haired Genin and grabbed the long hair in a painful grip as she pulled down, causing Sakura to scream in pain as she was forced down to her knees.

"My... such lovely hair. You must condition and care for it often." Kin stated as she tugged on it. "Pity... you really should have spent more time perfecting your ninja abilities than fixing your hair." The sound woman chastisised as she drew a kunai but a voice to the West caused her to pause as she looked up.

"Shikamaru!" A female shouted as she stepped into the clearing, blue eyes taking in the battle, just as a heavier boy walked up beside her, both of them spotting Shikamaru right away. "What are you doing?! Weren't you the one who told us not to get caught up in any troublesome situations?" Ino said with a frown before she sighed. "I suppose we have no other choice." She paused as she brought her hands up in a seal. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" She exclaimed before she suddenly fell limp, only to be caught be Chouji. Kin on the other hand went tense before she released her hold on Sakura.

"How's that Billboard-brow?" Kin asked with a smirk as she pulled her eye-lid down and spat her tongue out. But what else could you expect when Ino inhabits your body.

"Ino-pig! Don't get so cocky!" Sakura snarled before she raced over to Sasuke's side and dropped down to her knees. "Do you two have any idea what's wrong with them?" She asked the two boys, who merely nodded. "Then you know how to make them better?" She asked with hope in her eyes.

"There is nothing to be done." Neji stated in a calm fashion, white eyes focused on his blond friend's face, which was once a golden color and now was more pale then even he was. "A curse mark like this, though I do not know much about it, is one that depends on the strength of those it is inflicted upon. Should you and your will be weak, the curse will kill you. But if you are strong you will survive. Beyond that I know nothing of this kind of seal." He explained causing the Nara to look at him with a thoughtful expression.

Meanwhile, the others continued on with their battles. Dodging a punch and sound wave from Dosu, Tenten leapt back. "Soushouryuu!" She called out as she pulled out two scrolls and placed them on the ground before running through a quick set of seals. The scrolls then rose into the air and began to swirl around an air filled vortex. Using the vortex to her advantage, she leapt up, between the two swirling scrolls, summoning many weapons which she immediately began to hurl at Dosu, who managed to avoid them. But having thought ahead, Tenten drew her arm back, retrieving all her weapons via the wires that held them, before renewing her assault, and successfully landing a deep cut to the man's right shoulder, the rest he managed to evade.

"What the hell are you doing Dosu?!" Zaku demanded as he withdrew a handful of kunai and launched them at his own teammate, Kin. Ino, seeing the oncoming weapon, transported her mind back into her own body at the last second, waking up in time to watch Kin take the blades to the chest before she crumpled unconscious.

"One down, two to go." Ino commented with a smile as she stood with the help of Chouji.

"Your opponent is me!" Lee stated. "Konoha Senpuu!" He exclaimed while rushing forward and leaping into the air with a spin, before landing a roundhouse kick to the sound-man's jaw, sending him flying backwards, straight for his still standing teammate. He crashed into the wide-eyed Dosu, causing both of them to tumble back with quite a ruckus.

"Uggg..." Naruto groaned as he opened his blue eyes, meeting to two sets of eyes hovering over him, which he immediately recognized. "Neji? Shikamaru?" He asked before he blinked and slowly, with their help, he sat up. "Wha..." He began before his memory kicked in and his eyes snapped down to his wrist, while he inwardly berated himself for not wearing his wrist bands.

"How are you feeling?" Neji asked with a small and relieved smile.

"Fine." He answered with a shrug before looking over to Sasuke with a frown. "Sakura-chan, how is Sasuke?" He asked quietly.

"He's still burning up..." She said as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Troublesome...” Shikamaru muttered, earning him an elbow and a pointed look from Neji.

"Uhh... Why is everyone here?" Naruto asked as he looked around at all of them.

"Simple... Somehow we all knew you needed help and winded up here." Neji answered, making it sound like they were watching him the whole time, earning him a half-heated glare from Naruto as the blond climbed to his feet.

"How long was I out?" He asked, blue eyes focused on the Sound ninjas who were slowly standing back up.

"About half an hour..." Sakura answered.

"So we are just slightly over an hour and a half into the exam." He said with a small smile. "And here I thought I had been out for a lot of time. "You work for Orochimaru don't you?" Naruto asked as he stepped towards the Sound Ninja, Neji and Shikamaru following.

"Who the hell are you?" Zaku demanded with a glare as he wiped some blood from his lip.

"Uzumaki Naruto... And if you know what is best for you, you would leave now." He explained with a look that was filled with pure killing intention which caused the cocky Sound Ninja to wet himself before passing out.

"Very well... We will retreat." Dosu said as he pulled out his Earth scroll and set it down before he collected his two teammates and vanished.

Tenten and Lee merely blinked and looked over at Naruto while Ino and Chouji silently approached. "What did you do?" Ino asked curiously.

"Told them to leave." Naruto stated with a grin as he went forward and collected the scroll.

"As thanks," Naruto began as he reached into his weapons pouch and withdrew a Heaven Scroll. "You can have these." Naruto stated as he tossed the Earth Scroll at Neji and the Heaven Scroll at Shikamaru causing all there to blink.

"Naruto! We need that scroll!" Sakura shouted as she leapt to her feet, hand pointing at the scroll now in Shikamaru's hand.

"Whoa! Hold on, I have another Earth Scroll!" Naruto said with a sigh as he pulled out the scroll for his teammate to see.

"I can't accept this." Neji stated as he held the scroll back out.

"Yes you can." Naruto said as he placed his Earth Scroll back in his pocket. "Look at it this way, both of your teams fought the Sound Ninja that attacked, so pretend that said ninja had both scrolls and left them here in exchange for their lives. Meaning you have earned it far and square." He concluded with a nod, causing the other rookies to blink before nodding in understanding.

"We should all head to the tower together." Tenten suggested as Neji and Shikamaru both pocketed their Scrolls.

"I will carry Sasuke-kun!" Lee stated as he moved over to the still unconscious Uchiha and pulled him into a piggyback before rejoining the group with Sakura at his side.

"Now... If my bearings are correct... we should be about an hour's walk from the Tower." Naruto stated as he looked over at Neji who in turn activated his bloodline limit, causing veins to bulge on either side of his eyes. After a few seconds of looking off into the distance he nodded.

"Your assumption was correct. Should we walk it would be just over an hour, but if we run we could make it their in oh say half an hour." Neji summed up as he deactivated his eyes. "If we go for a straight route on the river, there is a less chance to be caught off guard, and there were no traps stretching around it." He stated as he looked at the others gathered.

"The faster the better. There would be less chance of an ambush." Shikamaru stated before gaining nods from the others.

"Well then, let's head out!" Ino cheered as she pumped a fist into the air.

- - - - - - - - - -

"That was so easy!" Kiba boasted with a smirk as he and his cell-members leapt from branch to branch, Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Ano...Kiba-kun... isn't it a little... early to celebrate?" Hinata asked shyly as she bit her lower lip in a nervous fashion.

"Nah!" Kiba said with a barking laugh. "We already got our scroll, and are likely the first ones on the way to the tower!" He explained happily, before Akamaru suddenly barked, causing them to all slow to a halt. "What is it boy?" Kiba asked as he pulled his white puppy off his head.

"There are six people ahead?" Kiba asked after Akamaru barked something out. "Hinata?"

"..Right!" She said as she brought her hands up. "Byakugan!" She said. "There are six people. They look as though they are fighting." She stated before she deactivated her eyes.

"Well!" Kiba said joyously. "Let's check it out!" He said before bounding off, ignoring his teammates' protests, leaving them no other option but to follow him lest they be spilt up.

They moved until they were crouching behind a bush, in complete view of the two teams that were standing off. "What is it Akamaru?" Kiba whispered as his trembling puppy whimpered before climbing into his master's sweater. "Akamaru?" He asked again, and this time the dog barked out an answer. "What do you mean one of them is powerful?" He asked causing his two teammates to exchange looks. "That red-haired guy is in danger?"

And with that they turned their attention to the Sand Trio who was looking on at the seemingly confident Hidden Rain Trio. "Those of Hidden Sand sure are foolish." The leader of the Rain Team stated as he took several steps forward, a massive umbrella in hand.

"I will kill whoever dares to cross me." The red head with the tattoo of 'ai' on his forehead stated darkly, causing the man to launch his umbrella into the air where it fully opened. "Jyoro Senbon!" He called just as it began to spew out many needles with great speed heading at every angle towards the unmoving Sand-man, whose companions had already leapt backwards and out of harms way.

Smoke and dust rose, the man from Rain smirking at his success, though it was wiped off his face as the dust began to settle. In a broken sphere of sand that was covered in needles, stood Gaara with not a scratch on his person. "Is that all you've got?" He asked coldly before the sand around him crumbled to the ground. "Time to die." He stated in a monotonous manner as he brought his right hand forward. "Sabaku Kyuu." He said as sand suddenly covered the ninja that had attacked him. "Sabaku Sousou." He said before the others could get a word in, the sand around the man constricting, before crushing him in a rush of blood that spluttered all over the dead man's team, but didn't even touch the green-eyed sand ninja.

"We're sorry!" On of them said as he brought his hands up in a sign of submission while the other pulled out their scroll and dropped it. "Here is out scroll, now let us go!" He continued before he and his companion turned and began to race off. They didn't get far.

"Sabaku Kyuu." Gaara said as second time as he caught the umbrella the first had used while the sand surrounded his two fleeing prey. "Sabaku Sousou." He voiced again, causing both men to be crushed just as their leader had, their blood flying in great crimson arks, splashing all over Gaara's umbrella. "Let's go...” He muttered before he and his team left, but not before Green eyes looked to the bush that the other three Genin had been watching from.

"That... was freaky." Kiba muttered once the Sand team was gone. "I thought you said the red-head was in danger, not that he was danger." Kiba said with a sigh as he released a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding.

- - - - - - - -

Without any problems they all made it to the tower in record time, finding the place to be seemingly empty, save for a notice posted on a wall just inside the place. It read:

The nine rookies read through it before exchanging a look, though no words were spoken as suddenly Sasuke came through. "What hit me?" He asked as he opened onyx eyes just as Lee set him down on his feet.

"The power of the Springtime of Youth prevails!" Lee shouted as he struck his good guy pose will smiling a shiny smile which earned him a bop over the head courtesy of Tenten.

"Sasuke-kun." Sakura whispered in relief as she looked on at the other. "You're alright! I was so worried!" She exclaimed as she suddenly latched onto him.

"Get off him Billboard-brow!" Ino hissed with fiery eyes, causing Naruto to sweat drop.

"We should open the scrolls." Neji said, his words breaking up the entire squabble, while all those in possession on a scroll pulled it open, causing a great glow to encompass the entire entrance...

----------
End of Chapter Woo... Shorter than I wanted, but hey, I'm sick right now so this will have to do. Thanks for reading, ja!

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