Chunin Exams Pt.II
Before Team Eight appeared next to Team Uzumaki, Hinata clipped as many teams as she felt necessary. What she planned to do requires some wiggle room, and she was hoping to avert a tragedy.
"Yoshi-Kun!" Hinata sang, "I'm here to see your one-eyed pet."
Yoshi choked on his water while Karin and Etsu went on high alert. Hinata smiled at them and tossed out heaven and Earth scroll.
"Take one, take them both. It doesn't matter. Just get to the center tower as fast as you can." Said Hinata.
"W-why are you helping us?" Etsu asked as she was suspicious of Hinata's treatment.
"Because it seems a lot has been taken from you three already. And I'm not sure if you three are here because the universe wants me to save you or if you're part of some nefarious plot. But for now, I think it's best for you to get to the tower." Hinata explained seriously.
"You're keener than you look," said Etsu. "Too keen... You stopped us before the Second Test began. And now you appear from nowhere with the scroll we need to pass."
"Is there a question?" Hinata asked.
"Why? Really why?" Etsu asked.
Hinata sighed. " Power. There is no better place for the Uzumaki clan than the leaf village. In exchange, you lend us your power. But in exchange for helping you, I want your support."
"How do you know we even need your help?" Yoshi asked.
"Years ago, somebody kicked in your doors and massacred your clan. Years later, you're the first Uzumaki to appear as shinobi, dressed in rags and a part of some backwater village. You look like you're screaming for help. Most shinobi are just Shinobi, but I have higher aspirations."
"And you're saying you need us for these aspirations?" Etsu asked.
"I am." Said Hinata, "So what do you say? Join the leaf village, and your enemies become ours, and you live 100 times greater than you ever lived based on those rags you call clothes."
"The Hokage isn't going to just take us in." Said Etsu.
"I'll handle that. I just need your word that when I call, you'll answer." Said Hinata.
Etsu took a look at the dirty Karin. She wore an olive green top, a purple skirt, and mesh armor pants with holes in them. Her purple ninja sandals had tears and looked to be the end of their lifespan.
Yoshi put a hand on Etsu's shoulder and gave her a silent nod when she met his gaze. Etsu then looked at Hinata. "Alright. If you can get us into your village, you can always count on us."
"Deal." Hinata smiled sweetly at her newest playthings. The future looked bright, and Hinata imagined herself as the source of its light.
'A few more moves, and I will be ready to live my best life, above the rules and morals everything. Freedom to be' Hinata had a brief thought of her life's goal. In her past life, she had small pleasures. In her current life, things were better, and she could be herself to an extent. But if she were to utilize her fullest potential as Hinata, she could party among the stars and do as she pleased, an unchallenged hegemon of decadence.
"If we have an accord, we should get going. The faster we return, the sooner we can assure that your deal turns out as a success." Shino chimed in, and everyone gave a serious nod as the Chunin Exams seemed less important, but they still had to make it to the Center tower all the same.
However, nothing is ever so easy. Team Eight and Uzumaki rushed through the forest and were keen on making it to the center tower before anyone could stop them. Hinata still believed that Orochimaru would come for Uzumaki Blood.
Almost 4 kilometers away from the center tower, the two teams scattered as a fire blast crashed down on their location.
When the two teams took defensive measures, They looked around to see three Leaf shinobi and two grass shinobi.
"Ryu! Dai! What is the meaning of this?!" Etsu shouted at her fellow grass shinobi.
"Where is Shiore!" Yoshi shouted.
The grass shinobi and leaf shinobi laughed.
Hinata didn't remember every detail of the canon, but she does remember that Orochimaru disguised himself as a grass shinobi. She wondered if these two Grass shinobi are also apart of Orochimaru's team.
"Team Eight." Said the man that Hinata recognized as Kabuto Yakushi, "Shino Aburame, Failed Hyuga Heiress, and the runt Inuzuka."
Team Eight was actually proud of the introduction. It meant that their progress hasn't been noted by anyone and allowed them to be one hundred percent more effective as they were being underestimated.
"Step aside and let the grass shinobi handle their own affairs," Kabuto spoke to them as if he was some leaf shinobi senior that had control over their actions.
"Remember what Kurenai Sensei said." Shino Spoke.
Hinata and Kiba hummed in acknowledgment.
"The Uzumaki are under our clans' protection. If you want them, then you have to go through us." Kiba spoke as he popped a pill in Akamaru's mouth. "Man-Beast Clone."
'These guys might be worth more than I give them credit for.' Hinata thought to herself.
Kabuto smirked. "I don't plan on sticking around much longer anyway. Kill them all and take the Uzumaki."
Hinata took the initiative and engaged Kabuto. She knew the man was a lot more deadly than even the most advanced genin. She wasn't sure if she could handle him without certain techniques, but all she had to do was stall him long enough until backup came. Besides, she was counting on his future experiments to supplement her growth, so she really had no intentions of killing him.
"Air Palm!" Hinata shouted. She blasted holes in trees in an attempt to keep the distance between them and hopefully hit Kabuto once. But honestly, how could she restrain herself when she knew what kind of people they were dealing with.
Kabuto came in to strike Hinata with a chakra-coated palm but only struck air as she vanished. Hinata reappeared between Etsu and the man she believed to be Dai, though Hinata had a strong feeling they were Orochimaru's men in disguise.
Hinata's Byakugan was active, and she had the Dai imposter dead to rights. "Eight Trigrams!"
4 palms!
8 palms!
16 palms!
32 palms!
64 RasenPalms!
Hinata's final strike launched a combination of the air palm and an incomplete Rasengan, causing her target to be sent flying while his chakra spent out of control by having the half-assessed chakra vortex injected directly into his chakra pool.
She then teleported and reappeared neared Kiba with her sword drawn and the rouge leaf shinobi's upper body falling to the ground and his lower half still standing on two feet.
"Flying Thunder God Slash..." Hinata muttered and vanished again as Kabuto's Senbon struck the tree next to her.
"Tunneling fang!" Kiba attacked Shino's opponent.
Shino habitually reverted to his control position and maneuvered his beetles like a net. When Shino's opponent dodges Kiba's attack, the rouge leaf shinobi gets caught by Shino's net then devoured by his flesh-eating beetles.
To the far right, Yoshi had displayed his Uzumaki Adamantine sealing chains and used them to rip his opponent apart, leaving Kabuto as a lone survivor.
"Y-you, you aren't supposed to be this strong...and that Jutsu." Kabuto looked over Team Eight and internally swore vengeance as his plans would be set back without the Uzumaki. He also put Team Eight on his watchless as potential threats. Kabuto then flickered away.
"This isn't Ryuu," said Yoshi.
"That isn't Dai," Etsu spoke.
"They're dead," Hinata spoke, and everyone seemed confused by her confession.
"How do you--"
"Because you wouldn't pose as somebody without knowing for a fact that they wouldn't show up. Especially during an event like this," Hinata explained. "We should get out of here before more show up."
"Hai" Everyone then set off in the direction of the tower.
While on the run, Kiba and Shino moved close to Hinata.
"What's really happening, Hinata?" Shino asked.
"What's to be expected when we invite the enemy into our home. Just focus on the test, and we'll make it out alive." Hinata replied.
After the 4 kilometer run, Team Eight and Team Uzumaki arrived at the center tower. Hinata then looked at them seriously and said, " I think you three should die here.", catching everyone off guard.
"W-what?" Karin stammered.
"I think you should die here. We can send word to your village and tell them you didn't make it past the second round. Then you can stay in the hidden leaf without worrying about your enemies back home. Just think about it. But be quick as it can only be done before the second test ends and everyone sees you." Hinata then pulled Kiba and Shino away.
A way down the hall, Kiba began to chuckle. "When did you become so nice?"
Hinata hit the boy over his head. "When did you become so humorous? Ehh? And obviously, I have plans of my own for the Uzumaki. You two aren't to say anything about the Leaf Shinobi we fought. I'll tell Kurenai Sensei myself."
"Hai."
Hinata nodded and was about to open her scroll when she sensed Team Uzumaki again. Hinata looked up and saw the three horrible-dressed Grass Shinobi. If it wasn't for their beautiful Crismon hair, they would have looked like bums.
"We'll do it. But they will never believe you unless there's a body to show them." Yoshi spoke out.
"I think we can make that happened," Hinata smirked as she opened her scroll, and Kurenai Sensei appeared after a plume of smoke cleared.
Kurenai quickly pulled her little brats into a big hug. Congratulating them on their completion of the second test. Hinatashimmied her way to freedom and brought Kurenai to a serious demeanor. Hinata then told her what happened in the forest of death and her plan to bring the grass shinobi into the leaf as defectors.
Kurenai protested, but the Uzumaki compound was commonly missed as it's within the Senju District, a part of the village unventured in since Tsunade Senju departed the village. Its only occupants are now the Sarutobi clan, and the Third Hokage likes his privacy and quiet.
"That compound and the clan leader position has been unclaimed since Kushina Uzumaki's death. Why can't a living Uzumaki claim it? It'll only make our village stronger." Hinata reasoned, and Kurenai saw now counter.
Kurenai exhaled and said, "I'll talk to the Hokage about it. Until then, You three should be scarce until I get back with a decision."
"Aburame clan." Said Shino, "We keep to ourselves, and the clan is out of the way due to insect breeding."
Hinata smiled and hugged Shino as her two teammates were becoming insanely dependable.
"Then we have ourselves a plan. Today is almost over, so we have about three days before the end of the Second Test. Rest and get ready for what comes next." Kurenai then escorted the Uzumaki away.
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A few days passed in a blink of an eye. Before she knew it, Hinata was standing in formation behind Kiba. To her left was Team 7 and to her right was Team 10. On the other side of Team 10, was Team Guy and teams from the Rain Village and Sand Village.
Hinata was weary of the rain shinobi as their village was the home base of the Akatsuki. And if everything stayed true to Canon, the Sand Shinobi were snakes waiting to strike. Hinata then uses her byakugan to inspect Sasuke. She immediately notices the sinister chakra radiating from his neck. Hinata identified it as the cursed mark as all of Team 7 looked like they had been through a war.
Hinata's focus was then repurposed as the Hokage began to address the remaining contestant...