Chapter 33

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Title: Chunin Exams 5

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"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Naruto Looked at the panting Sasuke and asked calmly.

"Naruto! What are you..?" Sakura said but was quickly interuppted by Naruto.

"I forgot the stupid password. So I can't prove it, but that so-called Sasuke is obviously a fake." Naruto said.

"What?" Asked a confused Sakura.

"Naruto...You idiot! I'm me...!" Sasuke bit out as he wiped the blood flowing down his mouth.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Naruto said angrily.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was confused on how to proceed so he settled to watch the drama going on, afterall, he had nothing better to do currently.

He was tasked to perform and has already been paid, reneging on the assignment now would go lengths in damaging his reputation...not that he had one to protect, but still.

Knowing Shun, he could be watching from somewhere not even him could notice.

"You're the idiot Sasuke! Idiot! You're a coward, which the original Sasuke isn't. So you're not him!" Naruto continued.

"I'm not so sure we need to be afraid of this guy, and even if we did hand over the scroll, there's no guarantee he'd spare us. So even if you were Sasuke, I'd still be telling you you're and idiot. And maybe, a chicken too."

"Oh, Naruto... This is rich." Orochimaru said as he appeared on another tree branch opposite them. Yes, he was given a task, but that didn't mean he's allow them to have a heart to heart conversation.

He understood Shun's thought in assigning him this task, after all, this was a peaceful era. No true powerhouse was born in times of peace.

He understood he was basically their whetstone, but still, he was intrigued to know the potential these two had to make Shun pay them so much attention.

Growing up and surviving through two wars, he knew the enemy wouldn't allow for such a mental rehabilitation during battle, and as per his contract, they needed a beating.

"Also, you're right... Why bargain...When I can simply kill you and take the scroll?" Orochimaru said and bit his thumb, drawing blood and swiping it on his wrist, where a summoning seal was placed.

"Shut up!!" Naruto angrily snarled and jumped to attack. 'My faith in Sasuke is totally shit.'

"Naruto don't!" Sasuke cried out but it was too late and Orochimaru said: [Kuchiyose no Jutsu.]

PUFF!

"Huh?" Naruto who was mid-air was met with the sight of a snake, much more gigantic than the one from earlier.

And without waiting for him to gather his wits, the snake slapped at him with its tail sending him flying straight into the ground.

"Naruto!!" Sasuke and Sakura cried out.

Naruto made contact with the ground but still managed to retain consciousness while spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Excellent. But let's not take chances here. Eat the boy." Orochimaru commanded.

The snake immediately made to gulp the tiny Naruto but in such a moment of life and death, Naruto managed to tap into a new source of power, unfamiliar, yet very familiar.

"EAT NOT! SUCKER!" Naruto shouted as he maneuvered and gave the snake a resounding kick that managed to Knock it unconscious for a split second.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief as he locked eyes with Naruto. 'This power... How could the brat possibly...'

Due to their height, the snakes fall totally demolished the part of the forest they were located in, stunning both Sasuke and Sakura.

"Naruto's completely snapped, but... where did he get that kind of power." Sakura said in fright.

With Orochimaru, as the snake fell, he and Naruto were also falling at the same height, so bringing his hands to his mouth, he spat out a wave of flames at the blond, but all Naruto did was let out a resounding roar to scatter the flames.

'It really is... But to be able to forcefully use Futon... What an interesting brat.' Orochimaru thought with a intrigued smile as his falmes dissipated.

Due to Orochimaru firmly standing on the snake, he wasn't moved at all, Naruto on the other hand, was sent flying due to the effect of the collision.

'Look at those eyes....He's...Is that really Naruto?' Sasuke thought in alarm as he watched Naruto go toe to toe with the very person whom he couldn't even take a couple beat from.

'Kuku, the fun has just begun.' Orochimaru thought and mentally commanded the now awaken snake to make for Sasuke. "And it's Sasuke's turn next! How will he take it?!"

Still paralyzed due to the shock, Sasuke watched the snake make for him while Sakura as usual merely screamed his name.

BOOM!

A few feets away from Sasuke, stood Naruto once again with the snakes head firmly embedded inside the gigantic tree branch.

'Oh? How fast...and strong.' Orochimaru praised internally.

"*Pant. Pant*...Heh, are you okay...? Scaredy cat?" Naruto asked the frozen Sasuke through laboured breath..

Bu-dum.

Sasuke's heart gave a loud beat hearing the very familiar words he had once said to Naruto on their first C-Rank mission.

Looking the feral looking Naruto, Sasuke was taken back to a couple years back when he once had a conversation with Shun.

...

Three years Ago.

"Come on Sasuke. You have to always strive to break your own limits..." came Shun's dreadful voice as he was being chased through a forest somewhat similar to the forest of death

"You once asked me why you can't physically overcome Naruto right? Well, this is why. You're weak physically." Shun continued.

"But I'm an Uchiha. We don't need to be physically strong." Sasuke retorted angrily.

"Oh? Then we better give up right now and go back home. You'd be good enough with the daily exercises you perform." Shun said, and for some reason, Sasuke felt he has stopped chasing him.

"Yeah, seriously. You just have to remain good enough while Naruto continues getting stronger." Came Shun's reply.

"What?"

"You don't know? You're and Uchiha. With the Sharingan, you can better control your chakra to make your physical strength on par with Naruto." Shun replied.

"Is there a but coming?" Sasuke asked.

"But if course. When Naruto also gets to a level of Chakra control, he'd become stronger than you once again. But fret not, you'll be strong enough." Shun said before sighing.

"Look Sasuke, in your current generation, Naruto is the strongest. He will become the strongest. Indisputably. You on the other hand, have the potential to become one, but if you continue like this, not to mention Naruto, you won't be able to even beat Itachi."

"Naruto has this massive well of chakra in him, I don't know what requirements he'll need to tap into it, but whenever he does, not even me would have a 100 percent chance of winning without using some tricks." Shun continued.

"So you gotta stay on your toes. Whenever you see him in that mode, and you're not in a state to fight along side him, know that you've already lost." Shun said mercilessly without caring for his feelings.

...

"Hmm? So they've already found the dead bodies..." Shun muttered to himself as he threw in some popcorn into his mouth. "Anko would be coming soon enough..."

Extending his Chakra senses far enough he caught sight of Anko outside the forest of death, feasting on her favourite dango with a cup of soju juice.

"What a weird lady... no wonder she turns fat after the war... What a waste, such luscious body would be destroyed..." Shun shook his head regretfully.

"Not like it's my concern though. Hinami would have my neck if she saw me looking at her the wrong way..."

Shun continued the observe both Orochimaru and Anko while enjoying himself atop a tree with his chakra being perfectly hidden.

"But damn. Orochimaru's got a kink on faces or something? Won't a properly trained transformation Jutsu do the trick? Poor grass Shinobis. Thankfully, Naruto's already saved Karin."

"Yup. Sasuke didn't have the pleasure of saving the lass. Plus, Naruto sure looked cool there for a moment without his headband on. I gotta make him stop wearing it on his forehead. It destroys his handsome features."

Shun continued to mutter in his own world when...

"Ask that the Hokage deploy two additional Black OPS to the forest of Death at once. There's an imposter!!"

"Nani!! Wait. It can't be me, right. It's Orochimaru. Hmm, guess the fifth would soon be coming to an end." Shun said and took his attention off Anko.

...

Recalling all of Naruto's comments since he came here as well as what Shun had told him concerning Naruto's potential, Sasuke's Sharingan flared once more and begun to spin causing Naruto to smile wider and jump at Orochimaru.

"Get off for me!!" He screamed and made to punch Orochimaru but snakes from nowhere caught Naruto and left him hanging on the air.

"Hehehe. The brat of the Kyuubi is still alive and kicking..." Orochimaru said as he made some complex handsigns.

"How fascinating that when he is consumed by rage, he loses himself and a bit of the Kyuubi fox trapped within, comes through. An amazing development. Now I see why he sees potential in you." He said and flipped open Naruto's clothes to expose the seal squirming around due to Naruto's usage of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"There's the proof the seal that seals the monster within appears on your skin like a tattoo..." he muttered to himself as he observed the seal on Naruto's belly.

Saying that, he plunged his glowing fingers into the seals and locked the squirming tattoos down, immediately shutting down Naruto's chakra mode.

'After being trapped within him for a dozen years...the Kyuubi and Naruto's native chakra have apparently begun going from enmity and opposition to coexistence...and are very close to the brink of symbiosis... an impressive kid if trained properly. However, today, you're more trouble than you're worth kid...'

Saying that he flung Naruto away.

Sakura who saw the falling Naruto was alarmed. If he's left to free fall, he'd be sure to fall to the ground, which would be disastrous, so using her Kunai she managed to stick him to a tree.

"Sasuke!! Naruto may be nothing like you... He's clumsy and sometimes a nuisance, but at least he's got guts. Naruto's no coward!!" Sakura shouted the last bit.

-Little brother, you're pathetic. If you want to kill me settle for hating me until you can. Hate me and live like the coward you are.- Itachi had once said.

-If you can't even stand beside Naruto when he's in that state, know that you've already lost.- Shun had told him.

-Cling to life without honour.-

'NO!!' Sasuke thought in determination as his spinning Sharingan came to an abrupt stop. His presence seemed to have taken a while new change as he fixed his eyes on Orochimaru.

'Hehehe. It appears that the blood of his clan is rising in this one, demanding action...' Orochimaru thought in intrigue.

'Sasuke...' thought Sakura at Sasuke's change.

'We'll take our time, so you can show me all your moves...' Orochimaru thought with a sinister smirk.

'-Remeber Sasuke, the Sharingan, like the kunai is a tool the Uchiha are blessed with. It's most important ability isn't the ability to copy Jutsu or even cast Genjutsu... No, it's the ability to observe.-'

'-Observe your opponents' every move, predict his next move and attack accordingly. With a genius intellect, the Sharingan could make a Genin defeat a Jounin. Trust me, your brother once did, you can too.-'

With a renewed and calm disposition, Sasuke put his hands into his Kunai and pulled out a couple Kunai. Holding one in his mouth, four in his right hand and a massive shruiken on his left, he engaged Orochimaru in a fierce battle, the atmosphere crackling with tension. Sasuke had entered a state of heightened focus, his Sharingan eyes locked onto Orochimaru's every move.

'I've been living with the hope of one day beating up my older brother. I thought it was the most important thing...but maybe I'm the one who's been the real idiot all this time.'

Sasuke thought as he battled.

'Naruto. Sakura... Someone who can't even stand up and do what has to be done at a time like this wouldn't stand a chance in fight against...him.'

Orochimaru, though surprised by Sasuke's sudden transformation, didn't underestimate the young Uchiha. He knew that Sasuke had immense potential, and it was on display now.

With a wicked grin, he began to weave hand signs at incredible speed, summoning serpents from the ground.

The serpents lunged at Sasuke with their fangs bared, but Sasuke's agility and Sharingan-aided reflexes allowed him to gracefully evade their attacks. He countered by throwing Kunai and shurikens with precision, taking down the serpents one by one.

'I see him...' Sasuke thought calmly as the battle raged on.

Sakura watched in awe as Sasuke's skills surpassed her expectations. She had seen him train diligently, but his transformation now was something else entirely.

The battle raged on, with Orochimaru revealing more of his abilities as he fought to subdue the young Genin. He unleashed powerful jutsu, such as the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and the Soft Physique Modification technique.

'Not bad... The way he anticipates my every move. The accuracy of the targeting... He sees me....' Orochimaru thought as he dodged a Kunai and shruiken, however something caught his eye. 'Spring?'

Turning around, he saw a third spinning shruiken which he had missed and thought. 'A windmill...A three pronged attack...!'

The Kunai made contact with the Shruiken, changing its trajectory and stabbing Orochimaru right in the neck.

"He did it!!" Sakura cried out making Shun shake his head at her saying such cliché sentences.

Unbeknownst to them, Orochimaru merely caught the Shruiken with his mouth as he wondered in amazement. 'He flawlessly perceived my escape route and struck along a path I didn't see myself...'

"Hehe, such a shame though..." he chuckled and turned to face Sasuke with the Shruiken caught in-between his teeths, however, his eyes widened again as he saw Sasuke hands locked in a familiar sign.

'Hmm? He seems to use the Fire dragon flame Jutsu!'

Sizzle.

A sizzling sound alerted him to the fact that Sasuke unleashed the technique through the Spring, aiming for his face.

As the fire burnt, Sakura watched in bated breath while Sasuke's eyes locked onto him despite being breathless.

"That one so young should have such Mastery of the Sharingan... Truly worthy of being Itachi's little brother..." Orochimaru said through the burning flame.

"In fact, I believe I want you afterall..." Orochimaru said as the fire sizzled out. Lifting his hands to his face, he began tearing it off and continued. "It's marvelous. Having you show me all your tricks."

With a glare, both Sakura and Sasuke were both paralyzed and forced to stand on the spot.

Orochimaru's voice swiftly changed from that of a girl to a deep voice belonging to a man.

"You really are his brother, aren't you? You can see... and predict things...so very similar to Itachi, that brother of yours..."

Hearing his brothers name being mentioned by a genin, Sasuke emotions flared as he asked. "Who the heck are you!?"

"Kuku. I'm Orochimaru, the giant snake Sanin. If you'd like a rematch, then pass this exam as quickly as you can. I'll see you again for sure. I see you were so quick in dispensing my cute little Oto-nin..."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked. "We never want to see your face again."

"Perhaps not... But wishing won't chase me away..." Orochimaru made a handsign as his neck elongated and made to bite into Sasuke's neck.

"I look forward to seeing you again Sasuke... In your quest for power."

"Wh-What..? Everything hurts!" Sasuke screamed and feel to his knees as the paralysis wore off.

Sakura glared at the spot Orochimaru was on. "What did you do to Sasuke!?"

"Just a little something to remember me by..." saying that he sunk into the tree and disappeared while thinking: 'I wonder what that is. Shun, oh Shun, I wonder what it is you're trying to create in this kids.'

"Arrggghhhh!" Sasuke cried at the top of his lungs.

"Sob*. Naruto.. Naruto... Sasuke is..."

"Arghhh!"

Seeing that Naruto was passed out she didn't know what to do other than just hugging Sasuke and hoping that his pain would go away. 'Wh-What should I do?'

For the first time, she truly came to understand how useless she was as a member of this team.

...

"What was that thing you had me inject into Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked the blindfolded figure Infront of him.

"Oh, nothing of importance. Just something to make sure he doesn't lag behind too much." The figure is said with a casual air.

"I see..." Orochimaru said with a tone that made sure the figure understood he didn't believe him one bit. "But Shun, you owe me one now you know..."

"What? That's impossible, I actually did you a favour." Shun said.

"I don't think that's how favours work." Orochimaru said with a glare.

"Calm down now. I was able to appear Infront of the kids without them knowing I was there, do you really think you can pressure me with a glare?" Shun asked.

"Explain."

"Well, I was thinking of sending Sasuke to you to mentor for a couple years-"

"You owe me a favour Shun." Orochimaru quickly interuppted and made to leave but Shun said

"Aren't you interested in knowing how much the kid could grow? Itachi himself was an enigma, but Sasuke... I reckon he'd be more of a genius than his brother."

"I know you were once interested In Itachi but he was too much for you due to my influence, now, I have no interest in mentoring two members of the same family..."

"What say you train him up into your image? You'd be able to teach a very capable Shinobi, someone so strong that all of Jiraiya and Tsunade's students would be like kids in comparison,.."

To say he wasn't interested in this would be a lie as despite his cold exterior, Shun could feel the guys emotions. He was someone who, when his mind is set on something, sees it to the very end.

He holds I enmity towards the village despite the way they painted him, this was due to him knowing they held little to no sway to him emotions.

He was set to being immortal, one way or another, he will be immortal. If the village stands in his way, he just has to eliminate those that made it so.

The villagers, in his eyes, were just a group of puppets, whose thoughts were being manipulated by those in power.

This was why he didn't really feel bad after the position of Kage was passed over him

To him, being the Kage would be both advantageous as well as disadvantageous.

Advantageous since he could do whatever.

Disadvantageous because he may not have time to himself.

In his entire life, he has only been emotionally attached to a few people, all of them dead except four, one of which he feels the need to eliminate for a better life.

With him out of the way, he could freely continue with his experiments without the fear of being tracked down by his Anbu.

Well, if his successor decides to follow in his footsteps, he'd just has to do the same.

But on the prospect of taking in a student...

His previous one was a failure in so many aspects. One, contrary to his expectations and research, civilian Shinobi didn't posses an affinity to natural energy.

He had held hopes that they did, but off all his experiment, only Anko managed to survive, but still, she still didn't achieve the realm he hoped to achieve.

Her cells still died like the normal humans, it was just more vibrant than the average human, Nearly similar to that of Tsunade, but very inferior.

To compare them would be akin to comparing the Sun to a firefly.

And currently, of the three Sanins, only Tsunade still had her student with her.

Jiraiya's was dead and his became his sworn enemy simply because he wanted her to live the life he never got to live.

"Well, I don't see anything bad in taking in another student..."

"You see? I did you a favour."

"But how will he come willingly?"

"Leave that to me..." Saying that, Shun immediately disappeared from the room, leaving perplexed Orochimaru to his devices.

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