Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered ❯ Lucky ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (enter sarcastic reason here).

 

 

Again I would like to thank my beta…..although no great mind in the world can ever fix all the mistakes I make.

 

 

Chapter 7: Lucky

 

The door looked like any other door. In fact he's seen and been through doors like this before. There was nothing extra special about this door. But for Naruto this door meant so much more. This door was his future, but also his past. Glancing to the upper right corner of the door he saw the sign labeled “301”. How many people have walked through this door before? How many lives have been changed because of this door? How much will his life change because of this door? He took a step forward and grabbed the doorknob.

 

“You guys ready?” No one said anything, but Naruto knew the answer to his question when he heard Sakura and Sasuke take a step forward. `This is it.' Upon opening the door Naruto and Sakura stood on the threshold. The room was full of nervous genins. The room had divided itself based on village. Looking over to the left Naruto saw the genins from the Leaf. All of them looked at Naruto and Sakura in shock.

 

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” Kiba was walking toward them slowly, almost as if he half expected them to take off running. Both Naruto and Sakura took a step forward and apart. Sasuke stepped up to stand between them. The whole thing happened so flawlessly and gracefully. It was almost choreographed. A silent hush fell over the room. Every pair of eyes was planted on Sasuke. Randomly the word “Uchiha” and “Uzumaki” can be heard in the room. Sakura turned to walk toward the Leaf occupied area, the boys follow her closely.

 

Standing in front of his old comrades, Sasuke suddenly got very nervous. He really didn't care whether or not they wanted him back. They could all hate him until his last dying breath. What he was worried about was that with his return everyone else would turn their backs on Naruto and Sakura. He knew he had the backing of Lee, but that was because he knew so much about what had happened. These people probably didn't know the reason for his departure three years ago. They didn't know about his travels, his suffering, his reason for coming back. They could do to him anything they wanted, just as long as they didn't lay a finger or throw a glare at his precious people.

 

“Sasuke?” Choji had been so shocked when Sasuke walked in that he had dropped his bag of chips. He wanted to make sure the person in front of him was Sasuke and not an imposter because if it were an imposter they would have to pay dearly for his chips.

 

The group was still in shock. Kiba just stared at them, Choji was on the floor picking up his chips, and Hinata was covering her mouth with her hands. Three years away and the only change Sasuke noticed in Kiba and Choji was that they had gotten taller. Akamaru now reached Kiba's knees. Hinata had changed quite a bit though. Gone was the winter coat she always wore. In its place was a form fitting purple shirt. The sleeves went all the way down to her wrists and around the neck one could see hints of a fishnet shirt. She still wore the same traditional shinobi pants and shoes though. Hinata's hair was still cut in the same style, and she still wore her forehead protector around her neck. Most of the change Sasuke noticed was in her demeanor and eyes. She no longer gave off a shy, submissive vibe. She was confident and strong. She was now a force to be reckoned with.

 

Naruto was starting to get uncomfortable with all the staring. `Someone please say something.'

 

“When did you get back?” Kiba was referring to Sasuke.

 

“A few days ago.” Just when the group thought they couldn't get even more shocked, they were. A few days back and they were already taking the chuunin exam! Kiba and Choji half expected that Naruto would make it extra difficult for Sasuke to return. But this, this was unheard of.

 

“Naruto, how are you?” Hinata knew that Sasuke was always a sensitive issue with Naruto. Over the years her crush on Naruto hadn't died out. Gone though was her stuttering. She was now able to have full conversations with him without spitting all over him or turning a bright red.

 

“I'm great! I can't wait to for the exam to start!”

 

“Oye Hinata.” She turned to see Kiba motioning for her to join him. “You, me and Choij have to talk. We might need to change our plan.” The arrival to Team 7 changed everything. They were one of the strongest teams a few years ago and Kiba could only imagine how strong they were now.

 

As Hinata walked off, Sakura suddenly realized that Sasuke had no idea who was still a genin and who wasn't.

 

“How could I have forgotten to tell you?” The boys turned to look at Sakura, completely confused at her comment. She motioned for them to huddle closer together. “Lee, and Neji became chuunins two years ago and Shino and Tenten last year.”

 

“Oh it was great. The last match in the tournament was Lee and Neji.” Naruto was making exaggerated movements with his arms to show just how great the last match was. Sasuke made a mental note to talk to Lee about the match the next time he gets a chance. He had never gotten a chance to see Neji in action. He knew Neji was a strong opponent and that Naruto had beaten him.

 

“So now the team is Hinata, Kiba and Choij. Ino decided that she was happy being a genin. She

actually helps Iruka-sensei at the school.”

 

Sasuke took in everything that Sakura said. He was coming up with strategies in his head when he sensed something. He was about to comment on it to Naruto and Sakura when he heard a small voice come from behind Naruto.

 

“Naruto-ni-chan?” Naruto turned to see Konohamaru standing behind him. The young boy was taller then Sasuke remembered. He couldn't be more then 12 years old. Konohamaru was looking at Naruto as if he were a ghost.

 

“Hey Konohamaru, I didn't know you were taking the exam too.”

 

“Yeah, I'm really excited.” It was obvious Konohamaru had spent too much time around Naruto when the grin he gave matched Naruto's exactly.

 

“Well I wish you the best of luck. If you don't mind I have to talk to my team.”

 

“Oh yeah I understand. Good luck Ni-chan.” Konohamaru quickly ran off to join his teammates who had watched the whole thing from a corner. They didn't join Konohamaru because they were scared of Sasuke. They all knew the story behind his disappearance and how he had hurt their Leader.

 

As soon as the young boy had run off the group fell silent. Naruto didn't want Konohamaru around if something bad were to happen, which it most likely will. He cared for Konohamaru too much to let the kid get hurt.

 

“You noticed it too Naruto?” Sakura had sensed the problem almost as soon as Sasuke had. She would have commented on it sooner had Konohamaru not approached them. Usually Naruto would have joked with the boy, but she knew why he told him to leave.

 

“They've been staring at us since we walked in.” Naruto turned to look at the group of Sound Nin's that were standing together. “Sasuke, do you know them?”

 

“Orochimaru didn't let me interact with many ninjas. I might have meet them once, but I'm not sure.”

 

“Did everyone in Sound know who you were?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sakura was about to ask a question when a Sound Nin started to approach them. He was of medium build with black hair and eyes. He has a scar that ran from his left temple, over his eye across his nose and past the right side of his mouth ending at the jaw line. His forehead protector is wrapped around his head in such an angle that it almost runs parallel to the scar on his face. He wore a black hood jacket with dark blue designs on the bottom. He carried with him an aura of confidence and danger. As he approached them he stood directly in front of Sasuke, never once looking at Sakura or Naruto.

 

“Uchiha-sama, it's good to see you are doing well. Kabuto-sensei missed you. He would like to see you again.” His voice was deep and even. Yet as he spoke he gave the impression that he had wanted to say so much more.

 

“Kabuto is here?” Naruto couldn't believe it. Kabuto, the man who tired to kill him and Tsunade so long ago. The man who was Orochimaru's right hand. The man now in charge of the Sound Village was here.

 

The Sound Nin completely ignored Naruto's question and continued to address only Sasuke. “Uchiha-sama, tell me, why did you leave the Sound? Were you not happy there, because it seemed to me that you were?”

 

Sasuke didn't like where the conversation was going. He knew what the Sound Nin was trying to do, and he didn't like it. He knew that every eye in the room was now looking at him, waiting for his answer. He would have said something if Naruto had not decided to stand in front of him, essentially ending the conversation.

 

“We don't associate with people from the Sound.” Naruto had heard enough. He didn't like the way the Sound Nin was talking to Sasuke, or the way he sounded when he mentioned Kabuto, and he especially didn't like the way the guy ignored his question.

 

“Don't talk to me as if you know anything about the Sound.” The anger was evident in his voice. Behind him two more Sound Nin's appeared. One had long white hair and a metal plate that covered his left eye. He wore a black jumpsuit. His forehead protector was wrapped loosely around his waist. Attached to his back in the form of an X were two long red sticks. The other nin had red hair and blue eyes. He wore a traditional male kimono, all black. His face was flawless and very young looking. He wore his forehead protector the traditional way as well, around his forehead. It was obvious that both were teammates with the black haired nin and they had approached to back him up if anything were to happen.

 

The tension in the room was heavy. Every eye was on him and Sasuke. He knew he would have to choose his words carefully so not make to the situation worse then it already was. Naruto was running possible comebacks in his head when he heard Kiba say something from behind him.

 

“Is there a problem?” Team 7 turned to see every leaf ninja in the room standing behind them. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was seeing. They were all standing next to Sasuke in support of him and Naruto.

 

The black haired Sound Nin made a grunting noise and walked away. He knew when he was in over his head. He had nothing to worry about though, his chance would come soon enough. The white haired nin also turned and walked away. The red haired ninja bowed at Sasuke then turned to follow his two other teammates.

 

Kiba walked up to Sasuke. He was only inches from Sasuke's face before he stopped advancing. “We didn't do that for you, and don't you forget it.” He didn't have to say it but Sasuke knew. They had all done it for Naruto. They hated him and loved Naruto. Sasuke knew now that the only reason the ninjas in the room hadn't attacked him as soon as he walked through the door was because of Naruto. Naruto was respected among the Leaf ninjas, where as Sasuke wasn't. Naruto had spent his entire life trying to get people to recognize him for the great ninja that he was, and he succeeded. What had Sasuke done? He had betrayed those close to him.

 

“Never a dull moment with you guys around.” Sakura had to lighten the mood again. She didn't like the dark mood that was coming over the boys. If laughter lightened Naruto's mood, it might work on Sasuke's as well. She really didn't have much time to figure out if her tactic worked because at that moment Ibiki walked in announcing the start of the exam.

 

The written exam was a lot easier then Naruto remembered. He actually wrote something down on the exam this time around. He knew the 10th question was the only one that mattered, but he still wanted to test out his information gathering skills. By the time the written exam was over more then half the room was gone. When everything was said and done only ten teams passed.

 

The teams that passed didn't have to wait long for the new examiner to announce their presence. Instead of jumping in through the window like last time, Anko kicked in the back door sending it flying across the room. Upon impact the door not only shattered into a million pieces but also broke the chalkboard. Needless to say Ibiki was not too happy about that.

 

“ I see you've cut down the group a lot this year.” Anko looked around the room seeing a few familiar faces. “The next part of the exam will take place tomorrow at Practice Area #44 at noon. If you are late you will fail the exam, so please be there on time. Make sure you have enough supplies as well.” Anko smiled evilly and before anyone could ask a question she walked out the room the way she came.

 

*Later that night*

 

Naruto looked over at his alarm clock for the nth time that night. Only two minutes had passed since the last time he looked. He was too excited and anxious about the exam tomorrow. The Forest of Death changed everyone's life last time they entered it. Images of Orochimaru and giant snakes ran through his head. Deciding that laying in bed wasn't helping, Naruto got up and walked out of his room. The house was silent, so he walked silently to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

 

“Couldn't sleep?”

 

Naruto almost threw his glass at Sasuke, who was sitting in the living. After regaining his composure Naruto walked over to the living room and sat down. “Nope. Are you nervous about tomorrow?”

 

“Not really.” Sasuke knew his team was strong enough to pass the chuunin exam this time around. The little he had seen was more then enough to make him confident. The reason he wasn't able to sleep was because images of Orochimaru kept going through is head. Even though the man was dead he had left a deep impression on Sasuke.

 

“I see I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.” Sakura had gotten up to get a glass of water. She wasn't really surprised to see the others awake as well.

 

“We should come up with a game plan.” Sasuke didn't want a repeat of the last time they took the exam. Too many mistakes were made. With a plan they could make it through the forest faster and get the whole thing over with.

 

For the next hour they planned as much as they could for the Forest of Death. Most of their time was spent coming up with ways on communicating in complete silence. Different signals were created, each meaning a different thing. Sasuke hoped that Naruto's memory had gotten better in the last three years.

 

“We should come up with a code phrase like the first time.”

 

“Good idea Sakura-chan.” Thankfully Naruto had worked on his memorization skills, so memorizing something long and complicated didn't worry him.

 

“ I think we should use the code phrase Naruto used last time.” Both Naruto and Sakura were giving Sasuke strange looks. Neither one of them remembered the phrase Naruto used. Sasuke had one of his trademark smirks planted on his face. “I forgot it.”

 

“Bastard!”

 

*The Next Day*

 

The remaining teams listened with intense interest at the rules for the second part of the exam. When she was done, Anko passed out the release forms. After they were done filling out all the paperwork, Team 7 went to receive their scroll. The scroll they received had the mark of Heaven on it. It was decided the night before that Sakura would be the one to carry the scroll since Naruto and especially Sasuke were more likely to be attacked.

 

Once everyone had received their scroll, Anko informed them that they were to go to the gates and wait for the exam to begin. As the teams walked away she couldn't stop herself from watching Sasuke. He was now free of Orochimaru along with her. But she knew that people like him always have more demons then they're aware of.

 

“Let's just get the other scroll and get this over with. I don't want to wait until the very end like last time.” Naruto was growing impatient. He felt as though he might explode from excitement.

 

The jounin guarding the gate smirked at Naruto's comment. `So they've failed the exam before.'

 

“What's so funny?”

 

“Naruto, calm down.” Sakura held back the urge to pull on Naruto's ear. When Naruto was worked up even Jirayia had a hard time controlling him.

 

“Naruto? Are you guys Kakashi's team?” They all nodded in agreement. The jounin's sudden change in attitude caught them all by surprise, even Naruto got quiet. “I thought his team got disbanded.”

 

Sasuke didn't know his team was so well known, but it never hurt to be a little cocky. “Well you thought wrong. How much longer do we have to wait?”

 

Looking down at his watch the jounin said, “Just a few more seconds.” He quickly began to unlock the gate. Resting his hand on the latch to open the gate he began to count down the seconds.

 

“Three”

 

The three genins looked at each other and smirked.

 

“Two”

 

They crouched down.

 

“One.”

 

The jounin was never able to open the gate because just as he said one a sudden gust of wind forced him to cover his face. When he looked up the gate was still closed but the team was gone. Looking inside the gate he was able to catch a glance of the team before the trees swallowed them up.

 

“So the rumors were true.”

 

*Inside the Forest*

 

The forest was just as dark and ominous as Naruto remembered it. As he jumped from tree to tree he kept his senses on alert for any possible attacks or other teams that might not have noticed their approach. Sasuke stopped abruptly and pointed down to a small clearing. “I sense some people down there.”

 

The team approached the area as quietly as possible. As they rounded a tree they spotted the other people. It was Konohamaru's team. They were hiding inside a hollow tree. The team seemed to be planning something. Naruto got up, not caring if the team inside the tree saw him. “Let's find another team.”

 

“But Naruto…” Sakura knew it was a little cruel to go after such a young team, but she wanted to get this portion of the test over with.

 

“No.”

 

“Fine. Let's keep moving then.” Sasuke understood why Naruto didn't want to go after the team. They were young, inexperienced and no match for them. They might accidentally kill one of them, and that would crush Naruto.

 

It had been a few hours since they left the tree with Konohamaru, and they hadn't seen or sensed anyone else. Sasuke was starting to get slightly annoyed. He had a sneaking suspicion that everyone was avoiding them. It was nice that his team was feared so much, but this was just getting on his nerves. By now Sasuke just wanted to beat the crap out of someone, he didn't care if they cared the Heaven scroll, he just wanted to hit something.

 

It seemed Sasuke's prayers had been answered. He finally sensed a team approaching them. He was about to announce it to the others when a kunai flew past him and cut Sakura on the shoulder.

 

“Lucky.”

 

---

 

DUN DUN DUN!!! I couldn't help it, those guys are just too much fun. This is the first chapter I've posted without having written the chapter that follows. I kinda already have an idea of how the fighting is going to go though.

 

Now I must say that I had wanted to avoid OC's at all costs, but the way the story was going I had to make some characters. I couldn't bring back any Sound Nin's cause well there aren't any. The white haired Sound Nin was designed by my lil bro. He also came up with the techniques used. As for the red haired nin, I'm going to be using the info Shinobi gave me. He gave me a lot to work with, THANKS!! The designs for the other two were all me.

 

I will be writing in as much detail as possible the fights during the tournaments, especially for the OC's.

 

Okay you know the drill. Fax or snail mail me your reviews, questions and credit cards.