Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Naruto Dragon Champion ❯ Old Faces ( Chapter 5 )

Naruto - The Twin Swords

 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is related to Naruto, I wish I did though.

 

Chapter 4

 

Old Faces

 

( ): Thoughts

 

((“ ”)): Holy Talon's voice

 

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`A hundred skilled warriors bought and paid for is worth the effort and is called a small force. However, a handful of friends whose loyalty is to you and each other…no matter what dangers you face…then that is no small force…that is an army. Friendships built on trust and loyalty is far stronger than any weapon or force.'

 

The words of an infantry officer in the 13th Dragon Champion Wars

 

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In the Academy…

 

Neji looked at the trio as they left the scene with Sakura dragging her team-mates along by the hands. He, Tenten, and Rock Lee looked on and it seemed that things were going to get interesting indeed this year. Neji knew about the Uchiha massacre and he had to admit that Sasuke was certainly living up to the image of an Uchiha.

 

(So that's Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan.)

 

“The black haired one's pretty bold Neji, you going to challenge him?”

 

Tenten spoke as she looked at her team-mate, Neji gave a slight snort and walked away, making Tenten smirk a bit as they headed off to get their team registered, but as they were making their way towards, she noted that their comrade Rock lee was not following them, but seemed to be deep in thought.

 

“Lee? What are you waiting for? We're supposed to be checking in right now.”

 

Lee turned and replied to Tenten as Neji stopped and waited for them.

 

“I'll catch up with the both of you later, you don't need to wait for me right now. There's just something that I have to check out for myself.”

 

Tenten watched as Lee left them and she wondered just what her team-mate was up to this time. With that in mind she turned to Neji and asked him.

 

“What do you suppose Lee's up to this time Neji?”

 

“I wouldn't know actually, but we should get going, he'll catch up with us soon enough.”

 

Neji replied as he kept on walking to where the real third floor was.

 

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As the three Genin of Kakashi's Team 7 moved into a large hall, Lee was able to catch up with them and called out to the one he wanted to test a theory on and knew that now was the time to see how the Uchiha's favored bloodline trait would stand to his brand of fighting, not to mention he wanted to try and get to know Sakura better.

 

“Hey! You with the attitude, hold on!”

 

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked back to the higher floor to spot Rock Lee looking at them, Naruto recognized him quickly, while Sakura was not exactly pleased with Rock Lee's arrival, recalling his actions towards her, while being flirty did kind of creep her out a bit, and Sasuke gave an indifferent look to the Genin who called them, but he was indeed curious as he recalled how Lee had stopped his kick with only one hand.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“I want to challenge you to the fight, right here, and right now.”

 

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit at that and he replied.

 

“You want to fight me here and now?”

 

“Yes.”

 

With that, Lee leaped over the edge and landed safely on the floor from where he had been, as he got his footing, the green suit wearing Genin then got to his feet and pointed his finger at himself and gave his name.

 

“My name is Rock Lee of Team 10.”

 

He then pointed his finger right at Sasuke and spoke.

 

“You yourself said that it is considered a common courtesy for a challenger to give his name first, am I correct Sasuke Uchiha?”

 

Sasuke was a bit surprised, here was a guy he knew next to nothing about, but this one named Rock Lee knew him already.

 

“So you know me already?”

 

Lee then got into a fighting stance that seemed to be quite unique, that Naruto looked at carefully, and so did Holy Talon, the Holy Dragon Sword had known many hand to hand combat specialists in it's existence back in the world of it's birth and knew a fighter's stance when it sensed it.

 

((“Hmmm…this one Genin seems serious in his intentions for a fight with Sasuke Master Naruto.”))

 

(Yeah, looks like it, this guy's certainly got the spirit, wonder if he has the moves?)

 

((“Guess we're going to find out now Master Naruto.”))

 

“I challenge you Sasuke Uchiha, everyone I know speaks highly of the Uchiha clan and how great they are with the Sharingan, well, I for one wish to test those myths personally, and since you are who you are, then you would be a good test for me.”

 

Naruto didn't know why, but he suddenly began to feel like he could respect Rock Lee, something about this guy's words and the message he conveyed touched him. Long before he acquired Holy Talon he had struggled to make a name for himself, and he did it through pranks and many other ways, but it was hard as so many people disliked him, with the exception of Iruka-sensei, who was like a brother figure to him, and the Third Hokage who was the closest thing to a grand-father to him.

 

And of course he now had Sakura, Kakashi…and even though he wouldn't admit it, Sasuke. Sakura was naturally his crush, despite him knowing that she was head over heels in love with Sasuke, however she seemed nicer now and he decided to pay her back too by being nice to her in return.

 

Kakashi was someone he liked playing jokes on, but he did respect the Jonin, and he did give out serious advice, not to mention that ever since he acquired Holy Talon, Kakashi had been supportive of his time.

 

Sasuke…well, he was a bit complicated, he hated the Uchiha's arrogance and stuck up nature, not to mention the way he acts around people, always saying `I'm better than any of you', that nature of Sasuke really grated on his nerves. However, Naruto was not always disliking Sasuke, he had to admit that Sasuke had the skills to back it up, not to mention the bloodline, and he had to admit that Sasuke had lost his entire family…to his own brother, and he could only imagine the horror that Sasuke had been through that night to know that one of his own kin did the massacre. Still…that was no excuse to be the way he is now. However Sasuke was and still is the reason he pushed himself to excel, and for that, he had to actually thank the Uchiha survivor for being his team-mate and rival.

 

“And also…”

 

Lee then directed his attention to Sakura, who gave a very uneasy look when she found out that she was now the center of Lee's attention, this also got Naruto's attention as he had been busy with a discussion with Holy Talon to see what had transpired between Rock Lee and Sakura.

 

He couldn't help but feel the urge to laugh as he suddenly saw the guy blush at Sakura's direction.

 

“Sakura, I love you.”

 

“AAAAAUUUUUUGHHHH!!!! NO!!!!”

 

Naruto was looking at that and tried not to laugh so as to avoid getting Sakura's ire and anger. Despite his dislike for Lee's antics, for some reason, he could tell that Lee was a good guy, and was being nice, though he had an odd way of doing it.

 

“You have the weirdest fashion sense I have ever seen, that's the ugliest hair-cut I've ever seen in my life, and you're eye-brows are so bushy…you're totally weird!!!”

 

Instead of being insulted by Sakura's comments like before, Lee was unfazed and the next words that came out of his mouth nearly made Naruto burst out laughing. He had no idea why he was finding humor in this situation at first, until he realized that Sakura now had a fan-boy of her own and was now probably getting a dose of what Sasuke must go through every time. It was a bit bad to laugh about his team-mate's obvious discomfort with the whole situation, but he couldn't help himself at that as he managed to contain his laughter.

 

“You are an angel sent from heaven.”

 

And then Lee sent a flying heart to Sakura, who set about trying to avoid it as it hit the pillars behind her with a very...weird sound.

 

“Good move there Sakura, I should have expected that from the most attractive Kunoichi here, but I am not giving up just yet. Let's see you dodge these!”

 

Sakura was crying out in panic as she saw lee unleash hordes of hearts right at her direction. She quickly began to dodge and move away as each heart came at her in different areas and as she did so, they also made very weird noises, the last one made Sakura bend backwards until she hit her head.

 

(That…that was…too close!)

 

As soon as she was back on her feet, Sakura glared at Lee and made her displeasure known to him.

 

“Hey you! Keep those weird valentine hearts of yours to yourself right now! You had me dodging for my life there!!!”

 

“You don't have to be so negative about that Sakura, I was being nice.”

 

Naruto shook his head at this and tried desperately not to laugh…he had to admit, this Lee was something else entirely, he knew that most people labeled him weird apart from the usual band of insults, but Lee beat everything he's ever done, and he could almost swear that Holy Talon was laughing as well and since the sword chose him, only he could hear the living weapon's laughter.

 

((“I have to give him credit Master Naruto…he's not shy about saying what he likes.”))

 

(Yeah, I totally agree. Now then, I wonder if old Sasuke is going to go through with this, this could be good.)

 

((“You don't want to fight Lee yourself?”))

 

(Not really, I don't know his style of combat, what else can you sense about Lee?)

 

((“Apart from the obvious? Well, it seems that he has no serious chakra control to begin with, or has very low reserves of chakra, but his physical condition is at a very high level, just the kind you would expect from a fighter who uses hand to hand combat.”))

 

(Wait, Lee has no control chakra? That would mean that he can't use Genjutsu or Ninjitsu, so that would leave Taijutsu then…this is going to be good, I can't wait to see just how good this guy really is, besides, he is challenging Sasuke so why should I interfere, it is a formal challenge after all.)

 

((“Point taken.”))

 

“You know about the Uchiha Clan, yet you still want to challenge me? You must be even more psycho than you look, if that's even possible. You want to know more about my clan? Then I'll be happy to teach you…the hard way.”

 

Sasuke said with a dark look on his face as Lee merely extended his right hand and replied with a confident look.

 

“Bring it on.”

 

(Excellent, I finally get to fight the number one rookie of this year, I will make him draw out his techniques and see just how good he really is. I will make you proud of me Gai-sensei!)

 

“Hold it you two!”

 

The group turned to Naruto who looked at the two of them with a serious expression, totally unlike the normally goofy looking and jovial blonde ninja as before.

 

“While I'm actually looking forward to this kind of a fight, you all realize that we do have limited time before the Exams start, so try not to make this an epic battle, just a good one from start to finish so we can get the Exams under way.”

 

Then he grinned once more.

 

“But just because it's going to be a quick bout…try not to make it boring, and Sasuke, you had better be careful, this guy might not look like it…but he's a lot more skilled than he looks, you might be in for one hell of a ride.”

 

“Quiet Naruto…I can handle this weirdo.”

 

Naruto shrugged.

 

“All right then, go ahead and knock yourself out. But don't say I didn't warn you, Lee here might not look like it, but he's got some serious skills as far as I can see.”

 

Lee nodded in agreement with Naruto and smiled a bit at the blonde ninja with the sword on his back. He had thought that Naruto was not into being social since he seems so silent, but it seems that the blonde was actually observing him.

 

(Hmm…he knows more than he let's on, I'll need to talk to him later and see just who he is.)

 

“You're blonde comrade is correct Sasuke, out of all the top Genin that graduated from the Academy last year, I am one of the best in my chosen way of combat, fight me and I shall prove my point.”

 

Sasuke thought about it and he had to admit that he did agree with Naruto's words to an extent as he recalled how Lee was able to stop his kick with just one hand. He smiled a bit and replied to Lee's words and he was going to see if this weirdly dressed up Genin was all he said himself to be, or all talk and no guts.

 

“This'll be fun then, all right, I accept you're challenge and I'm going to make you regret ever issuing it to me of all people.”

 

Sakura then directed her attention to the clock and gasped as she saw the time that they had on their hands, and that was not enough.

 

“Sasuke-kun, we have no time for this between you two, we have to register before 3:00 or we'll never be allowed into the Chuunin Exams!”

 

“Relax Sakura, this'll all be over…in five seconds!”

 

With that, Sasuke rushed at Lee, intent on finishing this fight with one blow and show why he was the number one Rookie of the year and just what he was made of. Lee however kept his cool and focused on the fight in front of him.

 

(Good, he made the first move, forgive me Gai-sensei, I know that you forbade me using that jutsu…but it seems I will need to use it in this fight with Sasuke!)

 

Sasuke launched his attack, but to his shock, Lee faded from the area his punch was and he stumbled and recovered, but as he turned, he spotted Lee in the air as he shouted his attack.

 

“LEAF HURRICANE!!!”

 

Sasuke dodged the attack, but as Lee landed, he was already on the offensive as he landed on his hands and left knee with right leg upward and then lashed out with his right with a strike to the head. Sasuke went on the defensive as he realized that he was at a disadvantage as he was open and had to block Lee's attacks.

 

(I'm not moving fast enough! I have to block!)

 

Lee however knew that in advance and place a hand sign…this caught Sasuke off guard as he tried to determine if like Haku, Lee could make hand seals with only one hand. However as Holy Talon had sensed, Lee was not a user of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu and was using the hand sign as a decoy…and Sasuke paid for it as he let his guard down, allowing Lee to hit him hard and send him flying.

 

“Sasuke!!!”

 

Sakura shouted as she saw Sasuke being hit by Lee and hitting the ground and skidding until he stopped, while Naruto looked on with some difficulty as he wanted to fight, but he kept his peace as he observed the fight with his hands in his pockets.

 

(Hmm…Lee's got the moves all right, he used that hand sign to make Sasuke lose focus.)

 

Sasuke felt the pain of the blow and was stunned.

 

(I had my guard up…but he went through it…what's going on?!)

 

Sakura was also stunned by the sight of Sasuke being hit like that and sent flying.

 

(Sasuke-kun had his guard up…but Lee went right through it…maybe Naruto-kun's right…maybe Lee's more than mere looks.)

 

Sasuke got himself to his hands and got up slowly as he tried to think how Lee got past his defenses.

 

(He's using some sort of technique to get me…what is it? Is it a Genjutsu or a Ninjutsu?)

 

Lee kept his calm as he held his usual position on the floor, left hand behind him and right hand forward as he waited for Sasuke to make the next move.

 

(As I thought, he's coming back for another go at me.)

 

(Well then, if he's using a Genjutsu or a Ninjutsu, then I guess it's time I get to use my ace in the hole. Besides, he's exactly at the spot where I want him to be.)

 

Sasuke got up and was now ready to give another go at fighting Lee. But this time, he was going to go up a notch and give lee a taste of what made his clan famous in the village of Konoha.

 

“I've been waiting a while to put this to good use.”

 

Sakura looked on and was surprised as she realized what was happening.

 

(Could it be?)

 

She got her answer as Sasuke revealed his eyes, and they were no longer in the usual shade of dark black, but were red, just like Kakashi's left eye and Sakura knew quickly what that meant.

 

(The Sharingan! When did Sasuke-kun learn how to use it?)

 

Lee noted that as well and looked on patiently.

 

(So, he now reveals the Sharingan, this will be an interesting match.)

 

(Be it Genjutsu or Ninjutsu…with these eyes…I will see right through it!)

 

Sasuke locked his eyes right at Lee and then charged as Sakura was in awe as she thought that Sasuke had lived up to his blood as an Uchiha, and no one could predict what he'll do next, with the Sharingan, he would be able to read this guy's jutsus and get him good, there was no way lee could beat Sasuke now.

 

Naruto however had his doubts as he kept on watching…and sure enough he was proven correct as Lee once more kicked Sasuke aside like he was nothing more than a rookie fighter taking on a more seasoned and highly skilled opponent. Naturally the Sharingan user was stunned by this turn of events in a very serious way.

 

(He still got past my guard, but how?! What sort of jutsu is this guy using that I can't seem to see?!)

 

Sakura was in shock at the sight as she expected Sasuke to win easily with the Sharingan in hand, but Lee proved her otherwise, the Genin then spoke to Sasuke as he watched Sasuke fall from his kick.

 

“If you believe that my techniques have anything to do with either Genjutsu or Ninjutsu, then you are sadly mistaken Sasuke Uchiha.”

 

And for the first time in this battle, Lee was the one on the offensive as he charged right at Sasuke as soon as Sasuke landed and got to his feet, Naruto watched the whole thing and shook his head as the real fight had just begun…as Lee attacked with flurries of kicks and punches at Sasuke, the Uchiha managed to evade a few of the attacks, but the rest hit him hard, as Lee blocked his attacks and fought back as well, he then slammed an elbow strike right into Sasuke's stomach and forced him back in pain and surprise.

 

As Sasuke held his stomach, Lee then spoke to him.

 

“Do you understand now my words before and why you're blonde companion was correct in saying that I am not an easy foe? My fighting style makes no use of Genjutsu or Ninjutsu…but Taijutsu that means there are no tricks or illusions Sasuke.”

 

Lee vanished once more to Sasuke's shock and was now right behind him.

 

“It's s just simple and straightforward martial arts, nothing more.”

 

Sasuke gritted his teeth and lashed out at Lee, but the Genin avoided his strike and once more was in his neutral position.

 

“I know you're technique, and I say that you should forget it, because it will not work, not on me… I know about the Sharingan, it gives you the ability to see past a foe's jutsu so you can see their hand signs and their movements and decipher them instantly, allowing you read them and predict their movements and intentions before they know it themselves… and I know that with them you can read you're opponent's chakra to further you're abilities…however Taijutsu is not the same as Genjutsu or Ninjutsu.”

 

“What's you're point?”

 

“The point is simple Sasuke, I don't hide or disguise my moves, I don't have to in any case, and even if you can see them, you can never block them or stop them…you are too slow…while you're eyes may allow you to be one step ahead of me, you're body does not have the way to keep up at all, and that is very much true, so how then will you be able to stop me? And you know what the answer is to that? You cannot stop them. Because in the end, you're Sharingan is worthless in a fight with me.”

 

That hit a nerve as Sasuke growled in anger, and Sakura was getting worried. Naruto however was very impressed and so was Holy Talon. As far as the blonde ninja could see, Lee was the only one person who could face the Sharingan and defeat it's advantages in a fight. This guy was definitely living up to his claims to be one of the top Genin in Konoha.

 

((“Lee is correct, as long as Sasuke does not have the physical speed to match Lee's own speed in combat, there's no way he could beat him in a straight on fight.”))

 

(You're right…he's certainly someone to be wary of, shame Mr. Attitude's finding that fact out too little too late.)

 

“You know something Sasuke, this is what I believe, there are two kinds of ninja in this world…those such as yourself who are born with talent and don't have to work hard on it.”

 

Sasuke had enough and attacked, but he had lost his composure and was no longer focused and calm, but Lee was different as he held his ground.

 

“And those like myself…the ones who train ourselves with all that we are every second of our lives!”

 

Lee evaded several more attacks from Sasuke and then he commented that Sasuke's Sharingan was the worst match with his brand of extreme Taijutsu and he was about show the reason for his statement and he launched out an attack that Sasuke once more failed to block as he was sent into the air once more, but this time Lee was not waiting for Sasuke to hit the ground as he followed him.

 

Naruto's eyes narrowed at this and knew that things were going to be serious from here on in, Lee wasn't playing anymore, he was serious.

 

Sasuke looked to see lee behind him in mid-air and knew what this move was.

 

“Dancing Leaf Shadow…”

 

“Good eye…but here is where I prove my point to you.”

 

Lee moved his arms and Naruto spotted the bandage tape on Lee's arm begin to loosen and saw that Lee was unleashing a jutsu that must be part of Taijutsu style moves.

 

“And that point is that hard work beats natural talent.”

 

Sasuke knew that this move was a serious one, but he had no idea what to do right now at this point and time as he realized with reluctance that Naruto was right for him to be wary of Lee, and that Lee was right that even with the Sharingan active, he was not able to equalize Lee's speed.

 

(What the heck is his next move?!)

 

“You're finished!”

 

Sakura looked on in shock and fear as the two Genin were in the air, with Lee on the bottom and Sasuke on the top, she had no idea just what sort of move was Lee going to pull out, but she could tell that it was a very serious move indeed.

 

But suddenly Naruto felt the presence of another and he heard something in the air…and sure enough, so did Lee as the end of the tape he had released was suddenly hit by a windmill toy with a metal head on the end, pinning it to the wall.

 

Sakura turned as Naruto did to see just where did that move come from, and Lee also knew that this was not a good sign.

 

“This is bad.”

 

There was a turtle on the area…a rather big one at that, with red and yellow colors and amazingly enough had a Konoha forehead protector around it's neck and a orange band on it's right fore-leg, and to really surprise everyone, the turtle spoke.

 

“All right! That's enough of this! Lee!”

 

Lee got the message and stopped his attack and left Sasuke wondering what else was going to happen, Sakura shouted out and rushed to help Sasuke as she caught him in her arms. Lee on the other hand was now kneeling before the large speaking turtle in red and yellow…much to Naruto's surprise.

 

(Well that was interesting…but as much as this right now…who or what is this turtle?)

 

Sasuke got his breath back and glared at Lee as Sakura checked him out for any further injuries. The pink haired Kunoichi was really worried as she looked Sasuke over once more to see how he was doing and she asked him.

 

“Are you all right Sasuke-kun?”

 

Sasuke didn't reply as his anger was very high and that really worried Sakura as she had never seen Sasuke like this before.

 

(He's really shook up…he didn't even take the fall right.)

 

Lee was very much in a very different mood as he spoke to the turtle.

 

“You…were watching us the whole time?”

 

“Of course I was! That last technique you tried to use is forbidden Lee and you very well know that!”

 

(Well this is new, this Lee's talking to a turtle, and it's talking right back to him. What kind of turtle is that?)

 

“I am sorry I didn't mean to resort to that.”

 

(Now he's actually apologizing to the turtle…I know this is weird…even for him, but surely that turtle can't be his sensei.)

 

Lee suddenly gave a cry of fear as he stood up and began to ramble out an apology to the turtle that apparently had given him a very stern look, making Naruto wonder if there were still things about his world that he knew next to nothing about, and that turtle just MIGHT be Lee's sensei.

 

Even Sasuke and Sakura were surprised as Naruto walked over to them and spoke.

 

“Hey guys!”

 

“What is it Naruto-kun?”

.

“No offense meant Sakura….but that weird talking creature that Lee's talking to is a turtle, right?”

 

“Of course it is!”

 

“Well, this is the first time I've seen a talking one.”

 

(Though I carry a living sword on my back and speak to dragons who can speak back…so that's not TOO much for me to take…but the turtle's certainly a new one.)

 

“You're a disgrace!”

 

The turtle shouted, making Lee cringe in reaction to the admonishment begin handed down to him as he stood in attention and focused it on the creature talking before him.

 

“You honestly think you could get away with a bunch of lame excuses such as those you just told me? A shinobi never reveals his techniques to his foes unless it's absolutely necessary, that is such a basic rule you should know it by heart now!”

 

“Forgive me sir.”

 

Lee said dejectedly.

 

Sasuke was livid with rage as he wiped some of the blood and dirt off with his fore arm bands as he gazed at Lee.

 

(How could I have lost to that freak?!)

 

“Are you prepared to take the punishment for you're actions Lee?”

 

“I…yes sir.”

 

“Good, please come out…Gai sensei!”

 

A large puff of smoke suddenly appeared on top of the turtle's shell and there was a new arrival…but he seemed to be an older version of Lee, the same hair-cut, the same suit, the same leggings, the same forehead belt, the only difference was apart from age, was the fact that this new arrival had a vest on him and had even bushier eye-brows than Lee, and he was currently in the most outlandish pose any guy would be in.

 

“Hey! What's shaking, how are you doing everybody, life treating you good?”

 

The reaction of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura was of absolute shock and surprise, but only Naruto, being as outspoken as ever when he felt like it spoke first on what he was looking at.

 

“That guy's got the biggest eye-brows I've ever seen! They're almost alive!!!”

 

Gai didn't notice nor care about that and gave his greeting with his usual grin and shining teeth.

 

“Hi Lee.”

 

Sakura was the next to speak.

 

“This is way too weird.”

 

“Now I can see where Lee's got it, the same soup-bowl hair-cut but even bushier eye-brows.”

 

Lee didn't take a liking to that as he had a vein on his head throbbing and turned around with a look of fury on his face and his still covered hand in a fist.

 

“HEY! Don't you dare insult Gai-sensei! He's one of the greatest men of the entire world!”

 

“Don't take that the wrong way Lee, I'm still trying to get used to the fact I just saw him come out of a turtle.”

 

“He did NOT come out…”

 

“It's all right Lee, give it a rest.”

 

Lee sighed and turned to face his apparent sensei.

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Now then, time for you're punishment you fool!”

 

And right in front of Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and Holy Talon…Gai hit Lee right in the face and sent him flying…much to the shock of them all.

 

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( Author's Notes: I won't describe the whole nice guy scene between Lee and Gai because quite frankly, if I did, I won't stop laughing…but it was fun either way.)

 

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(How could I have lost to someone that lame?!?!)

 

Sasuke thought, while Sakura tried not to barf out, while Naruto tried not to laugh out loud at the whole thing, while Holy Talon looked on, and if it had a human form, there would have been a sweat-drop there.

 

((“I've seen plenty of strange sights since my creation…but this one certainly is a new one I doubt I'll be forgetting anytime soon.”))

 

Naruto then spoke.

 

“I know this sounds weird, but it is kind of endearing in a way when…they're doing that sort of thing.”

 

Sakura didn't like that and replied.

 

“Naruto-kun, you can't be serious!!! Those two are totally beyond weird!!!”

 

As Lee and Gai began to leave, Naruto called them out.

 

“Hey, hold on a minute, you can't just leave whenever you like.”

 

Sakura also recovered and recalled that the Chuunin Exams were going to start very soon. And they have wasted a lot of time.

 

“That's correct, what about the Chuunin Exams? You can't just go out, there's no time for fooling about here.”

 

Gai turned and realized Sakura's point.

 

“Actually you are right, Lee, it seems that you've not only disobeyed the rule of no fighting, but you've also disrupted the Chuunin exams as well, and considering that, I believe that merits a slightly harsher punishment for you, am I correct?”

 

Lee saluted Gai and naturally replied.

 

“Yes sir.”

 

Gai once more went into a pose and gave his new punishment for his student.

 

“How about we make it about 500 hundred laps? How does that sound?”

 

“Outstanding sir.”

 

Naruto was about laugh once more, while Holy Talon was also laughing, while Sasuke and Sakura couldn't believe the two before them, and Sakura summed up their thoughts on Gai and Lee in one phrase.

 

“They're insane.”

 

(They might be…but they definitely know how to crack me up!)

 

((“ I couldn't agree more Master Naruto.”))

 

Gain then directed his attention to the three before them and quickly guessed who they were, namely since they were the only team to pass the hard test of a certain rival of his.

 

(So this is Kakashi's squad eh? They do have some talent, I think I should go and test them a bit.)

 

Sakura saw that and she panicked as Gai was staring at them.

 

“Oh no! he's staring at us!”

 

“So tell me, how is Kakashi doing lately?”

 

“You know our Jonin sensei?”

 

Sasuke asked as he looked at the two before them.

 

“Do I KNOW Kakashi? Well, you three could say…that you're sensei and I are arch rivals for all eternity.”

 

“No way!!!”

 

“That's no lie! If Gai-sensei says something true then…”

 

“That's all right Lee, a ninja's actions speaks far more than words or hours of dialogue.”

 

Naruto and Sasuke looked carefully, then noted something, both of them were surprised that Gai was no longer standing next to lee…but was now right behind them.

 

“My current record is 50 wins and 49 losses, which as you can see is one point higher than his.”

 

Sasuke and Sakura were stunned at that as they faced the Jonin, while Naruto was certainly impressed at this discovery, not to mention the speed and power Gai showed in a flash.

 

(Wow, he's even faster than Lee himself.)

 

((“That would make sense Master Naruto…Gai must train Lee personally since they wear the same clothes and almost look the same, so it would make sense that Gai is stronger and faster than Lee himself. He does have the potential to match up with you're sensei.”))

 

“The fact of the matter is, on a stand point I am faster and stronger than Kakashi.”

 

Gai said with the usual shining glint on the tooth expression, which made Sasuke look at him in shock and ever growing anger.

 

(His speed is unnatural…he's definitely faster than Kakashi, is he even human?!)

 

Lee then added an even more difficult to swallow comment to the mix.

 

“Now do you see…Gai-sensei is the best there is.”

 

Gai then looked at Sasuke and spoke to the Genin.

 

“I want to apologize for any trouble that Lee might have caused you and you're team, and I want you to look at me and accept my apology, not to mention looking at my manly features.”

 

(He claims he's better than Kakashi…could all that talk be true?! Damn it!!! I don't think he's making that up for his ego!!!)

 

Gai smiled and then took out a kunai and tossed it at the toy pin wheel that held Lee's bandage tape, loosening it when it struck the pin wheel, as he spoke to his favored student.

 

“Lee, I believe you should accompany these fine young ninja to the class room where the Exams are going to start, right now.”

 

“I understand Gai-sensei.”

 

Lee then moved to re bandage his hand, and that was when Naruto noted the condition of his hands, and so did Holy Talon.

 

((“He seems to have the scars to prove his training under Gai Master Naruto…I've seen hands like that among some of my wielders and former Dragon Champions in the past, those are the marks of a person with dedication and conviction.”))

 

Naruto agreed with that as well as he could see that Lee indeed worked his butt off to be that skilled in Taijutsu alone.

 

“Remember to give it you're best! Lee, I will see you soon!”

 

“Yes sir!”

 

With that, both Gai and the turtle vanished and Lee had finished re-taping his hands, the Genin then spoke to Sasuke who quickly turned and looked at him.

 

“Hey Sasuke…I have to confess that I was not totally honest with you, There is truth to what I had said before that I wanted to test my skills, but you are not the one I truly wanted to test my skills against, I lied to you in the fight as well… I said before that I am one of the top Genin in Konoha, but there is in truth another, and he is on my team.”

 

Naruto however, already had a good idea on just who Lee was referring to since he knew of only one guy on Lee's team.

 

(He must be referring to that guy who's a Hyuga then.)

 

“I came here to finally defeat him, you were merely practice, but now you are a target, the next time you and I meet, it will be in a fight to the finish and I will crush you…you have been warned.”

 

With that, lee leaped up and flipped to the balcony while Sasuke fumed at his loss at the hands of Rock Lee, while Sakura and Naruto looked on. Sasuke faced away and tightened his grip and his teeth at the memory and what Lee had told him. Sakura turned and was very worried about Sasuke.

 

“Sasuke-kun…”

 

Naruto then looked at this team-mate and replied.

 

“I did warn you not to take that guy lightly Sasuke, now look what happened to you, I guess you still have a lot to master.”

 

“Naruto-kun, stop saying that stuff, you'll just make it worse.”

 

“Shut up dobe!! The next time I face him, I'll be driving him into the ground and on his knees!”

 

“Really? Who just got his rear end handed back to him?”

 

“Naruto-kun! Please stop it right now!”

 

Sasuke then gave Naruto a death glare, but Naruto was far from intimidated and replied.

 

“Listen, that guy knows a weakness in your Sharingan, and he knows HOW to use it. Until you find a way to counter that same trick he mastered, there's no chance of beating him easily… besides, you didn't notice the state of his hands when he took off the tape?”

 

Sasuke then recalled that like Naruto…he too noted the condition of Lee's hands before the Genin put back on the tape and he was silent for a moment, which allowed Naruto to speak further to him about what he observed.

 

“Those are the hands of a guy who no doubt trains his ass off until he can't walk the next day, and does it all over again when he CAN walk the next day. I'll bet Lee's been working so hard day in and day out to be that skilled in Taijutsu, he trains a lot harder than you have and that gives him an edge.”

 

Sasuke looked away and had to admit that Naruto did have a good point, but the blonde then replied.

 

“But look at it this way…it proves that we're having some serious competition in these exams, it won't be much of a challenge if we fight lower level foes all the way to the finals right? Lee's just shown to us that there's some serious talent here to face and if there's talent like him here in our own village, then who knows about the other villages too? It'll certainly give us all the more reason to push ourselves to the limit and then some. And if we win against them…then that tells us we're getting stronger, am I right?”

 

Sasuke looked at Naruto and for a second he looked at Naruto and considered his words…and to Sakura's relief and pleasant surprise…Sasuke smiled.

 

“You're absolutely right Naruto…it won't be a real test if we fought lower level opponents all the way to the end. This Chuunin Exam is definitely worth being in.”

 

Naruto grinned and Sakura smiled at that.

 

“Right.”

 

“All right then, let's go, we don't want to be late for the registration!”

 

With that, all three of them made their way to the room…unaware of the fact that there was someone watching them. And this stranger had his eyes on team 7, namely on Sasuke…and Holy Talon.

 

(So…that's Holy Talon? And there's Sasuke…I can't believe the beauty of this…all the eggs in one basket…this will be fun.)

 

----------

 

Later…

 

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke arrived on the real third floor and were already on their way to the main room when they spotted their Jonin-sensei before them, leaning on the door.

 

Kakashi smiled a bit to himself as he spotted his Genin team and looked them over, not to mention he approved of Naruto's new look and also the presence of Sakura herself, he knew that things hinged on all of them to be as a team.

 

“Well, I'm happy that all three of you are here, namely you most of all Sakura, for your sake and that of both Naruto and Sasuke.”

 

“Huh, what do you mean by that Kakashi-sensei?”

 

Sakura asked as she was very much confused by what Kakashi had said to her just now, she had made this decision to stand by her team-mates on her own. That also got the attention of both Sasuke and Naruto as they also wondered just what was going on here.

 

“Now you three can formally be allowed to participate in the Chuunin Exams.”

 

“Why do you say that Kakashi-sensei?”

 

“Because in truth Sakura, only Genin teams of three can apply to take the Chuunin exams can be allowed to participate in the Chuunin Exams, that's a formal rule that is very much enforced and no one Genin is allowed to take the Chuunin exams without a team with them.”

 

“But sensei, you said that joining the Chuunin Exams was a personal, individual decision,”

 

“That is correct, I did say that.”

 

“Then was what you said was a lie Kakashi-sensei?”

 

“Not entirely Sakura…more like a test. You see, it IS a personal decision to take the Chuunin Exams, but that decision can affect the lives of your team-mates, in the same fashion as one decision can determine the outcome of a mission and the lives of you're team-mates. I didn't tell you that, or Sasuke, or Naruto, because I didn't want them to pressure you into joining them. And at the very same time, I didn't want you to feel obligated to join because of whatever feelings you might have concerning either Sasuke or Naruto. I wanted you to decide for YOURSELF if you wanted to take the Chuunin Exams of your own free will.”

 

“I see, so you mean that if Sasuke-kun, and Naruto-kun came but I didn't join them…then they would.”

 

“I would not have allowed them to enter this room and take the Chuunin Exams, if you had not arrived with them of you're free will, then it would have been the end of the road for all three of you…but that is now a moot point.”

 

Kakashi then spoke with a proud voice and his Genin team could sense that and they were also in high spirits.

 

“You're all here for the right reasons…”

 

“…Sakura.”

 

Sakura blushed a bit and smiled at the pride and respect being given to her by their Jonin mentor.

 

“…Naruto.”

 

Naruto grinned widely in anticipation.

 

“…and Sasuke.”

 

Sasuke smiled as well, ready to test himself in the fights to come.

 

Kakashi then smiled at all three of them and made his pride known to them.

 

“I'm very proud of you all, I couldn't have asked for a better team under my command. Good luck and do well.”

 

With that, Kakashi stepped aside as Sasuke and Sakura were the first to reach for the doors and open them, while Naruto replied with a smile to his Jonin sensei.

 

“We won't disappoint you sensei, believe it!”

 

As soon as the three of them opened the doors and went inside, Kakashi sighed and looked outside to the windows to view all of Konoha.

 

Inside the room Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were treated to a sight none of them were prepared for…as they were looking at a veritable sea of ninja teams from different villages.

 

“Whoa…this is unexpected.”

 

“I…I guess we're not the only ones here then.”

 

Naruto and Sakura commented while Sasuke merely looked on as they found themselves suddenly being looked at by so many ninja, who ranged from either late teens to adults and all of them were not giving off a friendly aura in the least as they all glared at the three of them.

 

(I had no idea there was so much competition here…if being scary looking was part of the tests, these guys have me beat clean to the floor.)

 

Sakura thought to herself as she gulped a bit at the glares she was getting really unnerved her. Naruto and Sasuke on the other hand were really psyched up for this. However it was also then that six figures were now heading towards them.

 

The three groups were also in threes and appeared to be around their own respective ages. One appeared to be a blonde teen Kunoichi with bandage wrappings on certain parts of her body, and she even had the same fore-arm cloth bracers that Sasuke also had, she had her hair in a long tail with a shorter tail on the right side of her face and she had a lighter shade of blue in her eyes as well. She wore a skirt and blouse style ensemble which was in purple. And had an earring on the left ear

 

The other wore a vest style outer shirt with dark olive green lining, and he had a Konoha forehead protector headband on his left arm, he also had a body suit of fishnet style mesh clothing and wore long pants. Plus his hair was done in a upper facing tail, and he had an earring on both ears as well.

 

The other one was fat beyond most words and amazingly enough, had his hands on a bag of chips and was munching away like there was no tomorrow, he too wore a long outer shirt in dark green color, and had a long scarf wrapped around his neck with the ends on either side of him and he had long bandage tape on his arms as Rock Lee did, his forehead protector was different as his head was covered except for two parts that were on either side and he had swirl like tattoos on his face as well.

 

The other three came in and in the lead was a boy with canine like eyes and had two marks in his cheeks shaped like fangs of some sort. He wore something of a trench coat and had a hood with fur lining it and also the sleeves as well on the ends. He wore dark brown pants and amazingly enough, there was a while puppy riding on the top of his head, and the guy didn't seem to complain in the slightest having the puppy on his head.

 

The other one was a boy with a really messy pile of hair on his head and he seemed to wear a pair of really dark shades and had a coat with a high buttoned up collar that covered the lower half of his face, along with a pair of black trousers.

 

The last one was young girl with dark blue-black hair which was short, with two long tails on the side of her head and her own Konoha forehead protector around her neck, she had a face that would be described as very cute and she had the same silver eyes as the one Hyuga that Naruto and his team had met before, she had a large jacket with flame symbols on the arms and her jacket had fur lining on the bottom on the jacket. The moment Naruto looked at the girl, she blushed bright red and looked away even though she walked with the other two towards them.

 

Naruto knew all of them very well…after all they were his classmates.

 

((“Who are they all Master Naruto? From what I can sense, you seem quite familiar with them.”))

 

(They are my old classmates in my Academy days, we didn't exactly see eye to eye on some issues, but as far as things go…they weren't too bad.)

 

((“Really? Since you knew them before I have, care for doing some introductions on them?”))

 

(All right…the first one is the one who's walking towards us with the lazy expression is Shikamaru Nara, laziest guy in the whole Academy and complains a lot, never does anything about it since all he says that it's either troublesome, or a waste of time…the guy with the bag of chips is Chouji Akamichi, or rather the Eating Machine as I like to call him, I can't recall a single time I've ever seen NOT eating, and he eats anywhere. The girl in purple's Ino Yamanaka, she's a rival for Sasuke's affections like Sakura-chan, she's nice looking, but can be annoying at times, though not that much.)

 

((“And the other three?”))

 

(The silver eyed girl's the one I know is a Hyuga, her name's Hinata, she's an okay girl and thankfully isn't after Sasuke, but I can't understand why she acts all shy and embarrassed when I look at her, it kind of feels a bit weird, but all and all, she's nice and seems to care a great deal for her comrades and works hard in the Academy, though I never got to really know her since she was assigned with another team, and those two guys with her are her team-mates. The one with the dog on his head is Kiba Inuzuka, and the puppy is his pet Akamaru, he's a lot more annoying than Ino since he's always thinking he's cool and all. The other one with the shades is Shino Aburame…I have to admit that I know next to nothing about him.)

 

((“I see…well, it looks like it's time for you to make the move, since all of them are looking at you.”))

 

“Hey Sasuke-kun! You've made it! And who's the guy with you? I thought you guys had Naruto with you, the new guy's different, and did you get a replacement team-mate?”

 

Ino asked as she looked at her crush Sasuke but had her attention torn between Sasuke and the tall blonde ninja with the sword on his back and the wicked looking outfit, along with the strange tattoo of some beast on his arm. The guy was tall and as she looked more closely, she saw the deep blue eyes with what appeared to be silver lining and the long golden hair with slight silver high lights, his face was smooth, masculine and even though he had those whisker marks on his face, they didn't detract his appearance, rather they made him more…primal in a male sort of way and he gave a warm, calming, and strong aura, and his clothes seemed to hug his frame a bit and she could see the muscles that he had…and she could help but blush slightly as she continued to study him. He looked so…powerful…but there seemed to be something familiar about him.

 

(That guy's hot! And as much as I don't want to say it…he's more attractive than Sasuke-kun…but why does he look familiar to me for some reason, I don't recall meeting such a hottie like him before.)

 

She wasn't the only one who was looking at Naruto as Hinata herself was blushing bright red as she studied the blonde ninja, but despite the new guy's handsome looks, she was not going to give up her deep crush on Naruto. But she couldn't help but note that the new stranger did seem familiar.

 

“Yeah, as I recall, that pipsqueak was assigned to you guys, and I don't recall hearing that you had a replacement.”

 

“It's a shame too, I'm going to like seeing if Naruto has improved at all, of course, he can't still beat me in a fight. I've been training for quite a while now and I can beat him easily.”

 

Naruto was shaking his head and decided to finally drop the bomb hard on his former classmates and fellow Rookies as he stepped forward and grinned at both Shikamaru and Kiba.

 

“You guys haven't changed a bit have you? You're still complaining as much as ever Shikamaru, you're still spouting you're mouth Kiba, you're still stuffing you're mouth Chouji, lay off with the food once in a while, you're still looking pretty Ino, Shino's as silent and mysterious as ever, and Hinata's still the same I guess.”

 

Kiba looked at Naruto and gave a growl like a dog and Akamaru was barking as ever and while Naruto had no clue as to what the puppy was saying, he could tell that the puppy was pissed.

 

“You've got some guts new guy…who the heck are you?”

 

Naruto smiled once more and replied.

 

“Take a good long look Kiba, and think it over, who's the only guy in you're Academy days that likes the color orange, has whisker marks on his face, loves eating ramen, being late in classes and giving Iruka-sensei headaches, and I used a jutsu to turn into a woman to make him bleed and fall to the ground, and I promised to be Hokage someday? NOW do you know who I am?”

 

The other Rookies looked on in shock as it dawned into them, Kiba's eyes widened and Akamaru stopped barking, Shikamaru looked on with wide eyes, Ino looked on in shock, Chouji stopped eating for a second, even Shino was surprised though no one was sure about that…and Hinata blushed bright red as she realized just what that meant as she looked at Naruto's new features. It was Kiba who broke the ice…

 

“No way…no damn way…is that you Naruto?!”

 

Naruto laughed and nodded.

 

“Now you've gotten it Kiba, I hope you're not all talk about your training, cause when you and I fight, I'm going to really put those words of yours to the test, so put you're money where you're mouth is.”

 

Hinata looked at Naruto and she felt her heart beat even faster as she looked at Naruto's features and saw just how handsome he was right now, she recalled that he was nice looking in her eyes back then…but now he was devastatingly handsome. His hair was golden in the light and the silver high lights in his hair seemed to add even more detail to his golden hair, his face was now devoid of the baby fat and seemed to be very well defined, almost like a sculptor had made his face into perfection, she noted slight silver in his eyes and instead of clashing with the sky blue of his eyes, they melded perfectly with one another. She looked and noted that he was taller now and from the way the clothes he had, namely his muscle shirt, he was certainly more muscular than the last time she had seen him, the clothes made him look so…handsome. The Hyuga girl then blushed deep red as she began to have VERY impure thoughts about her and Naruto being alone together. And she quickly felt her body heat up along with her face as Naruto turned and looked at her once more. She felt all the heat and blood in her body go to three places, one to her face, the other her heart, and the other…to the spot between her legs.

 

(Oh my…please stop thinking those things…but N…N…Naruto-kun looks so…delicious….Ahhh! Did I just think that?! I feel like I'm going to faint…he looks so strong…I wonder if those muscles are…no! I mustn't think those things! It's not proper!!! What would Naruto-kun say if he found out I'm thinking such things?!)

 

Ino likewise was stunned as she recalled how Naruto looked like when she had last seen him, and compared it to Naruto as he was now and she was still trying to get used to it. She had no idea that Naruto who she considered to be a louse and a loud-mouth had somehow changed over-night into this godlike hunk of a teen…and as much as she tried to hide it…she once more began to look Naruto over. And when she was done she also felt her heart beat grow faster as she began to have very impure thoughts herself, those thoughts involved…well, let's just say that some of those thoughts included positions that would have been considered as…perverted?

 

(Wow…who knew he'd be this good looking…wait a minute! Why am I saying such things?! This is Naruto! No matter how hot and hunky he looks, he's still a loudmouth and an idiot! But I can't help but look at him…he looks so…tasty… and those muscles….I wonder if they are as hard as they…Ahhh! What the heck am I saying?!?!)

 

Sakura noted the looked both Ino and Hinata were giving Naruto and she was getting even more annoyed, she could understand how Hinata felt, since the Hyuga girl did have a king sized crush on Naruto…which she no doubt was now amplified by Naruto's changes over-night. But Ino looking at Naruto in the same way she and her would look at Sasuke? This was certainly unexpected to say the least. Who would have thought her rival would now be looking at Naruto like a wolf looking at a meal? And for some reason, the facts there made her feel VERY uneasy as she saw them looking at Naruto who seemed to be keeping his cool the whole time.

 

Shikamaru then spoke.

 

“You can't be Naruto, are you just some Jonin who's using a Henge?”

 

Naruto smiled at his classmate and replied.

 

“Why don't you guys try using the Release Jutsu and find out?”

 

The lazy Genin did so, and so did Kiba and when they used the jutsu, they had expected Naruto to be revealed, or the Jonin that they both suspected was taking up this form…but to their shock, the situation didn't change in the least, Naruto was still there…with the same looks and then Akamaru barked at his master and Kiba listened and sighed a bit.

 

“He's Naruto all right, Akamaru's gotten his scent. Now the big question in my mind is what happened to you?”

 

“It's kind of a long, very long story, but I'm not telling anyone right now.”

 

“Hey you guys!”

 

All nine Rookies turned and spotted another Genin who appeared to be a few years older than they were, he had silver hair and glasses on him. He had long fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, had an outer vest of purple, a long sash on the waist, purple pants and had a white undershirt on him.

 

“You guys really shouldn't be making a spectacle of yourselves, I mean no offense by that since you are no doubt the Nine Rookies, fresh out of the Academy right? Here's some advice, just cool it for now, this isn't exactly a class field trip.”

 

”Well we didn't ask for an opinion! Just who are you then?”

 

Ino asked as she was a bit angry at this new-comer butting into the conversation like it was normal for him to do so.

 

“The name's Kabuto Yakushi, but I guess you should look about yourselves…you've made quite the impression on the others here.”

 

The Genin looked about and found themselves being looked at by all the other people in the room, many of the older Genin were very, very serious looking and they were not in the best of moods as they looked at Naruto and the rest of his comrades, both in his team and the other teams as well, three other ninja also looked at them as well with very serious looks at them.

 

“You see those three? They're from the Hidden Rain Village and they are very touchy right now. Rub them the wrong way and you're asking for it. In fact, everyone here in the room, all of them are all tense, the Chuunin exams is a serious deal to everyone here and they are not in the mood for games.”

 

The nine Genin then looked at Kabuto as he gave them a whimsical expression. However Holy Talon was far from fooled, the sentient living sword sensed something…different about this Kabuto and decided that while he was around, it was going to keep an eye on him. For now, the man was not a direct threat to it's wielder or his comrades, so for now, the wary sword kept it's peace.

 

“Well, I can't blame you guys, you are Rookies after all, so how can you all know just how things work here in the Chuunin Exams? You all remind me of myself when I was a first timer in the Chuunin Exams.”

 

Sakura then looked at Kabuto and asked him something.

 

“So you're name is Kabuto, right?”

 

“That's correct.”

 

“So this isn't you're first time taking the Chuunin Exams?”

 

“No, to tell you the truth, this is my seventh time to take the Chuunin Exams.”

 

Shikamaru was somewhat surprised at that announcement and so were the rest of the Genin.

 

“Well, the Chuunin Exams are held at least twice a year and that means it'll be my fourth year taking the Chuunin Exams.”

 

“Wow, so you're a veteran then.”

 

“You might say that, yes.”

 

“Cool, then maybe you can help us with some inside information here.”

 

Naruto said with a smile.

 

Shikamaru snorted a bit.

 

“Some veteran he is, he hasn't even passed the Exams.”

 

Kabuto gave a sheepish expression and scratched the back of his head with his right hand.

 

“Well, they do say seventh time's the charm right?”

 

“So the rumors about the Exams being hard are all true huh? Man this is going to be a drag.”

 

Naruto looked at Shikamaru and replied.

 

“Don't be so darn negative Shikamaru, we haven't even tried it ourselves yet.”

 

Kabuto replied as he took out a large deck of cards and showed them to the nine of them, and he spoke to the group with a calm and relaxed voice.

 

“Actually, I can tell you about things I've learned in the Chuunin Exams for the past four years and the times I have taken it, so I wasn't completely wasting my time while I was here you know. These are my special information cards.”

 

“Information cards?”

 

“Yes, I made them personally, there are at least 200 of them and while they may not look like much, they are quite helpful in many ways…here, let me show you one of them.”

 

Kabuto placed the deck down and took one of the cards and placed it face down and then placed one of his fingers on it and began to rotate it.

 

“What are you doing/'

 

“I'm charging it up with my chakra, the cards are blank for a reason, only the right application of chakra can make them reveal their contents, plus only MY chakra can do it since the cards have a security chakra system in them, you don't want to go through all the trouble of gathering information and placing them in these cards to have them read by potential enemies now do you?”

 

The group watched as Kabuto completed the action and revealed the information in the shape of a map with special numbers and graph symbols.

 

“Wow! Those cards are good, is that a map?”

 

Ino asked as she looked at the card that was at first blank and with a poof of smoke was now filled with information.

 

“That's right, this is no ordinary map though, this map contains all the currently participating Hidden Villages and their Genin Squads who are currently here taking the Chuunin exams, and as you can see, the number of Genin they send here happens to be pretty big. Now the reason why the Chuunin Exams are hosted here is to foster brotherhood and equality among the ninja nations…of course that's true, at least in a certain point of view.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

Naruto asked, a bit curious about what exactly Kabuto meant about the fostering of brotherhood to be true at a certain point only.

 

“Well, the other reason is the maintenance of the balance of power, you see if there is no way to help maintain the number of ninja a particular country has, then there is a big chance that one country might wind up with more ninja than the other nations and it might be tempted to go to open war with the others, it's happened before. That's why the Chuunin Exams are needed to maintain the status quo…I'll admit that it's a bit harsh, but it's the only way at times to prevent over aggression. There are at least six villages so far taking the Exams, of course, being the host for this year's Exams, we have a large number of Genin, including you nine freshmen, there are those from the Village of the Hidden Sand, our current allies, there are also those from the village of Grass, Waterfall. Rain, and Sound.”

 

Kabuto then put the card back into it's blank state and placed it back in the deck and showed the rest of them.

 

“I've also taken the liberty of gathering information on all the contestants here in the Exams, including you guys, naturally, I can't be sure that all the information is entirely accurate but the data here is all from reliable sources I happen to know of.”

 

Sasuke then stepped forward, intent on finding out some information of his own and since Kabuto had the cards, who better to ask then him.

 

“Do you have the cards on two guys I want to know about?”

 

“I might, but you'll need to give me some specifics, a name, appearance, anything, and I'll see if I can get you the information you need.”

 

“I need to know about Rock lee from Konoha, and Gaara of the Dessert from Sand.”

 

“Hmm…well, that wasn't very thrilling to say the least, you know their names already so they should be easy to find...”

 

Kabuto made some quick moves and in a few moments, acquired at least two cards and showed them to Sasuke.

 

“And here they are, who do you want to know of first though?”

 

“Rock Lee.”

 

Kabuto repeated the gesture that he used to show the first card and sure enough the card revealed the information on Rock Lee himself, along with a chart to show his abilities and the number of missions he had undertaken in his career. Kabuto then spoke the information that he had been able to gather on the one that had beaten Sasuke as the Uchiha clan member.

 

“Rock Lee is a Genin from Konoha and is a year older than you, his squad members include Tenten and Neji Hyuga, and their Jonin squad leader is Maito Gai. His skills in Taijutsu are unlike most Genin his age, second only to Gai, but his other skills, namely Genjutsu and Ninjutsu are shaky at best. He gained quite a bit of attention in his graduation from the Academy is being the only graduate of the Academy through Taijutsu alone, but he didn't participate in the Chuunin Exams that year, so while he's older than you by a year, it'll be his first time to take the Exams like the rest of you.”

 

“And Gaara of the Desert?”

 

Kabuto placed away Rock Lee's card after re-sealing it and then repeated the very same procedure on the next card that held Gaara's information. In a moment, the card was covered in white smoke and then Gaara's information came out, along with the pictures of his brother and sister, Kankurou and Temari, curiously enough, their Jonin squad leader's picture was not present.

 

“Gaara's actually more of a mystery, not much is known about him, except that he is very moody, violent, and has a killer's streak in him, and he's very dangerous to engage in a fight, but get this, he's been in a B-rank mission…but never got a single wound in combat…the ones he took out on the other hand…well, I'll just say that what happened to them when Gaara dealt with them in the fight is best not described on a full stomach.”

 

Shikamaru gulped at that little announcement.

 

“The guy took a B-rank mission…and didn't even suffer a scratch?!”

 

Naruto would have reacted to the news, but he kept his focus on the matter as he already sensed a lot from Gaara when they first met, not to mention Holy Talon told him about the source of evil it felt that was buried in Gaara's body.

 

“I see…”

 

“Well, that's about it right now, as far as I can gather on those two, there may be some missing details, but as far as I can see, the data on the cards on those two are the most recent I have.”

 

Kabuto then directed his attention to the rest of the Genin from the various villages, and he looked at the only band of ninja that was a bit out of his own data cards.

 

“What about the newest villages?”

 

Kabuto pushed back up his glasses and replied.

 

“Leaf, which is our village has the highest number of ninja participants, while the second is Sand, and then followed Rock, Waterfall, and Grass, the smallest number is the village of Hidden Sound.”

 

“Sound? I've never heard of them before.”

 

“You're correct on that regard, they have sent only a small Genin squad, and there's little that's known about them, what is known is that they're a new village that is located somewhere in Rice Country, though being new to the Chuunin Exams, no one knows just how skilled they are since this will be their first time in the Chuunin Exams. But the villages mentioned have already sent quite a number of highly skilled teams this time on this Exam.”

 

“It seems that way…it's almost enough to make one lose confidence.”

 

Hinata blurted out as she understood just what Kabuto was talking about. Ino naturally was not in the mood for it as she turned and spoke to Hinata.

 

“Now's a really fine time for you to talk like that!”

 

Hinata sighed and Sakura brought that discussion to a close with a question directed to Kabuto.

 

“Do you think it's really going to be tough this time around?”

 

“Oh yes, in my four years being here in the Chuunin Exams, I can tell you honestly that I've never seen a batch with this much potential in years.”

 

Kabuto then spoke solemnly.

 

“You guys will need to keep a very low profile since if you try something, they will all certainly be VERY angry to say the least…they all are strong foes, so saying something to piss them off is not advisable.”

 

Naruto thought about it and Sasuke and Sakura wondered if Naruto's silence meant that he was getting frightened by all that he had been told by Kabuto, Kabuto himself noted that and wondered if the blonde Konoha Genin with the sword on his back would be frightened by the information he had been handing him and his classmates.

 

“Naruto-kun…”

 

(Is he getting scared by all this? Maybe I should talk to him. I mean, it's okay to be scared and all, those guys are older and more experienced than us since we're rookies…)

 

(Don't tell me the dobe's going to choke on this…please tell me he isn't going to quit here and now…after all we had to deal with to get here.)

 

Neither of them had to worry as Naruto laughed out loud and then looked right at all of the other teams and pointed right at all of them with a challenging glare.

 

“All right you guys! Listen up, I am Naruto Uzumaki and I am going to beat the tar out of every last one of you, so bring it on and show me just how tough you all really are! Believe it!”

 

And with that, Naruto reached behind him and took out Holy Talon and with a light stomp, thrust his sword deep into the ground and sent a slight shockwave into the room, making his point a little bit more pronounced than usual.

 

Behind the door, Kakashi was smiling all the while and laughing to himself.

 

(I guess I don't have to worry too much, Naruto might not have enough wits to be scared like the others, but he's certainly got bravery in basket-loads…this is actually going to be fun.)

 

Sasuke and Kabuto were smirking a bit at Naruto's statement.

 

(Hah…the dobe's really on fire now…I guess I was worried for nothing. No matter how many odds you put before him, he's not backing down from any of them, this Exams' are going to be fun.)

 

(Interesting, this blonde guy certainly has got guts by the basket loads if he's saying that, not to mention…that sword, it's got a very strong energy to it as well, this year's going to be fun.)

 

The other Rookie Genin were stunned at Naruto's words to the rest of the other teams, and Sakura was shocked, but then again, she recalled that with the Holy Talon with him and the still undiscovered powers inside the sword, Naruto was very much confident in himself at this point and time. Ino was shocked though a bit awed that Naruto was going all out, and so was Hinata as she admired Naruto's bravery…while the others, even Shino wondered if Naruto was either acting brave, or losing his mind.

 

The rest of the Genin were NOT happy and quite a number of them itching for a chance to give Naruto a serious lesson to keep his trap shut. In one of the groups were the Sand Siblings, Gaara watched with a slight smirk, while Kankurou growled a bit.

 

“That's the same guy as before who had that sword on me.”

 

Temari nodded as she looked at Naruto with a smile and slight blush.

 

“He's really got guts to be saying that…I like that.”

 

In another side of the whole room was Konoha Genin Team 10, Tenten, Lee, and Neji were looking on as the atmosphere in the room became darker after Naruto spoke. Tenten sighed a bit and smirked a little as she recalled just what Naruto said.

 

“That guy's something else.”

 

“He's certainly got spirit.”

 

Neji replied as he studied Naruto. Lee interjected as well.

 

“He's got fire and passion.”

 

“I guess he's going to be quite the handful isn't he?”

 

One group of Genin however had other ideas.

 

“Did you hear what that one said about our village of the Hidden Sound? He called us little, a mystery.”

 

Zaku said with a glare at Kabuto

 

“I heard.”

 

Dosu replied as the only female in their group, the one named Kin spoke as well.

 

“I think we need to teach this guy a lesson.”

 

“I think so as well, remove some of the mystery about Sound, help up his information for him and let him know that if he insults the Sound Shinobi, he's going to have to be ready for the consequences!”

 

The other Genin in the Rookies looked at Naruto who then took back Holy Talon and then tossed it into the air, and as it flipped and then landed blade down, Naruto leaned to the left a bit to show the sheath and the blade slid right into it without cutting him in the slightest. Kiba and Shikamaru then spoke to Naruto.

 

“I didn't hear that, maybe you should say that again, and a little louder this time.”

 

“Have you lost what's left of you're sanity Naruto?! You want everyone else in this room to hate our guts or what?!”

 

At that same moment, the Sound Genin made their move as they dashed towards Kabuto, the senior Genin heard the movements but was unsure where they were coming from. The Sand Siblings however heard them and Kankurou was about to unleash his puppet from his back, but Gaara stopped him, Kankurou wondered what Gaara was thinking but decided to follow his youngest brother's command and stepped back.

 

Naruto was being told by the others to be more careful with his words, but Holy Talon suddenly spoke urgently to Naruto.

 

((“Master Naruto! We have incoming threats! Three attackers closing in on Kabuto and they are serious ones!!!))

 

Naruto reacted quickly, just as Zaku leaped over a desk and Kabuto spotted him. The Sound Genin then tossed a pair of Kunai at Kabuto, forcing the Genin backwards, but Naruto was already there, using the enhanced speed he gained and with Holy Talon in hand, sliced the kunai in mid flight. He then sensed Dosu who ignored him and went straight for Kabuto who was just getting his bearings.

 

Naruto then recalled a sword skill that Holy Talon had taught him and he used it as he cocked the sword back and slashed outward…sending a powerful blade of glowing chakra flying out of the sword and it was aimed right at Dosu's back.

 

“DRAGON CLAW!!!”

 

Dosu sensed the attack and looked in surprise as he was forced to stop his assault on Kabuto and leaped away as the chakra blade flew past him and suddenly dissipated before it would hit Kabuto, who was surprised himself as the energy faded before it could touch him. Naruto then leaped over Dosu and landed in front of Kabuto with Holy Talon in a defensive position with Holy Talon in both hands, near his head and aimed forward with the tip aiming right at the three Sound Genin. Naruto glared darkly at the three and allowed Holy Talon to glow in white flame, catching the eyes of everyone in the room. He then spoke, but there was something a bit different in his voice…almost like an animalistic growl.

 

“You've got some guts trying that.”

 

Dosu looked at Naruto darkly and spoke, despite being surprised of what had just happened.

 

“This has nothing to do with you punk, the issue we have is with you're informant friend there.”

 

Naruto growled…almost like a Dragon would as Sakura walked over to Kabuto and checked on him.

 

“You okay Kabuto?”

 

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

 

Kabuto then directed his attention to both Naruto and Holy Talon and studied them.

 

(He's got exceptional skill with that sword, and somehow he was able to command that chakra based attack like it was a part of him, yet there's something different about that sword…it's as if it's not…normal… this is interesting.)

 

The other Genin in the Rookie group were surprised indeed as they never saw that move before, though Sasuke was somewhat impressed, after all he had seen Naruto fight with the Holy talon before. The others thought that not only did Naruto physically change, but apparently he had trained in some new tricks as well.

 

Gaara nodded.

 

“That was interesting.”

 

Kankurou nodded and despite his reluctance, he had to admit, the kid did surprisingly well.

 

“I agree…never saw that move before, that sword he's got is not ordinary.”

 

Temari didn't say anything as she was blushing a bit at that.

 

Tenten was surprised and so were Lee and Neji. The brown haired Kunoichi had to admit that Naruto was certainly showing something interesting of himself right now.

 

“It seems he's not all looks and talk.”

 

“I agree, he's got the moves as well.”

 

Naruto glared at Dosu's words and naturally made his anger known to the Sound Genin.

 

“I don't give a damn about you're issues…you try that again and I'll make sure it's you're last mistake.”

 

The Sound Genin glared, though Kin looked at Naruto more intensely than her team-mates, and amazingly enough, she licked her lips at the sight of Naruto in his combat form. Zaku then spoke to Kabuto.

 

“Consider yourself lucky this blonde dope's actually got some skills to save you're sorry butt, but write this down you're information cards…by the end of the Exams, the Village of the Hidden Sound Genin will be Chuunin by the time this is over.”

 

Dosu then spoke to Naruto.

 

“And as for you…I'm going to make sure you learn the foolishness of sticking you're nose where it doesn't belong brat.”

 

“And I'm going to make sure that if you try something like that on me…you're going to be six feet under-ground, pushing up flowers and grass, and acting as fertilizer when I'm done.”

 

Naruto shot back…but before things could get really underway, a large cloud of smoke appeared in the room…and a booming voice was heard.

 

----------

 

“All right you bunch of baby faced degenerates!!!! The fun and games are over, so get to your seats and stay there before I personally staple you're butts on them!!!”

 

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The smoke cleared and out of the smoke were a large bunch of Chuunin and in the middle was a really tall and muscular man. The guy was dressed in a black trench coat along with the usual uniform of a Chuunin proctor, with heavy gloves with metal plates on them and he wore a forehead protector with the Leaf symbol on it in the form of a bandana.

 

He had several scars on his face that really made him looks scary, namely the one that ran from his left cheek to his lip… and his voice certainly didn't help matters as he spoke once more.

 

----------

 

“It's time to begin the Chuunin Exams, I am Ibiki Morino…your proctor for today…and also you're worst nightmare and enemy come to life.”

 

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To be continued…

 

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Author's Notes:

 

That's done…took me a while since getting all the data right to squeeze in two episodes into one story was no easy feat. As you can see, Naruto's new looks are getting a good deal of attention, and his recent display of skill with Holy talon has gotten some attention with the other Genin in the room and also the Sound Genin.

 

Holy Talon is wary of Kabuto and it's planning to keep a close eye on him while he's around and for a good reason. For now Kabuto is in the clear where Holy talon is involved, and when things go to a head…well, the fire-works will be worth it.

 

The fight between Sasuke and Lee was good, and Naruto's interactions are different from last time, and it seems that while they will still be at each other's necks at times, I'm going to try and make Sasuke and Naruto work together more often than most.

 

I hope you like the reactions of Ino and Hinata to Naruto's new looks, and that will come to a head soon enough as Naruto will meet a certain Kunoichi soon enough!

 

Bye!