Chunnin Exams and the Forest of Death

Blue eyes watched carefully as Sakura and Hinata sparred with each other. They had come far since they started training with him. He watched as Sakura, who was almost useless in the field of Taijutsu, was facing Hinata and her newly dubbed Flowing Snake Jyuuken. While Hinata's style was new and still incomplete, it was enough to keep someone on their toes. It had the power of Jyuuken, the flexibility of water and the spontaneity and precision of Hebi style. Sakura had asked for training from Gai and Gai being who he was, helped Sakura 'stoke her flames of youth.'

On the other side of the clearing, Naruto's first apprentices Kisuke and Shana were practicing with a pair of Bokken. They had advanced in Kenjutsu and were trying to improve on it. He had introduced Kisuke to Fuinnjutsu and the results were completely expected. Kisuke created a seal called the Tenketsu seal that could actually allow someone to through a Jutsu by simply molding the chakra and using it through his sword. Shana however was concentrating on mastering her elemental affinity. She was really gifted with Katon affinity and was using her knowledge to create what she called the Hi no Yoroi (Fire Armor). Her Kenjutsu was on a higher level than Kisuke, but that can be blamed on Kisuke's laid back personality.

Naruto was thinking about an attack separate from his Kenjutsu styles. Naruto knew that he would need a destructive attack as he might not get enough room for using Battoujutsu in his next fight. He needed an attack that could be fired without the use of Battoujutsu.

Kisuke looked at Naruto and took in his thoughtful look. He asked his adoptive big brother," What are you thinking about Naruto-nii?"

Naruto looked at Kisuke and smiled a little," Nothing important Kisuke-kun, I am just out of ideas for an attack that does not require Battoujutsu. I will not always get enough room to use Shingetsu ryu when I need some destructive power."

Kisuke thought for a minute before replying," A slashing attack with a large penetration power is effective. Maybe an arc of Chakra would work nicely."

Naruto listened and his mind actually made up the attack. The attack consisted of an arc of Chakra with the shell of yin chakra to maintain sharpness and prevent power leakage while powered with the more potent yang to enhance the destructive power. The attack could pierce the heaven so Naruto decided to name it as such.

Naruto thought,' It seems as if my arsenal is complete now. Now, I just have to name my attack. A large and destructive arc of power that can pierce the heavens, so Getsuga Tenshō would be a nice name for it.'

The Day of Exam, Ninja Academy

Team 11 was making their way to the Academy. As they approached, Naruto was the one to look up at the building. He began to think about the past, before their sensei walked up to them from a far. "I'm glad you all decided to show up."

"We're in this as a team; didn't we tell you that sensei?" spoke Yakumo as she ran her fingers through her hair. Shino just nodded, and Naruto smiled a little.

Anko nodded, "I was making sure you all showed up, if one of you didn't then none of you would have been allowed in."

"It was the most logical thing to do." spoke out Shino.

Anko chuckled and said," Well good luck in there! I might see you on the other side."

Yakumo spoke as she walked in, "Don't joke like that sensei, there's no way we would die, as long as we're together as a team."

"Of course, Shino, Yakumo let's go!" Naruto then walked in with Yakumo and Shino. Anko watched as her three students walked in," Be safe gakis, it would be lonely without you."

Inside

Team 11 made their way up to the second floor, when they came across a group of kids huddled by a door. They watched as two Gennin blocked the exit. Yakumo spoke in a hushed tone," It's a Genjutsu. Those two are under a Henge."

Shino looked at her and replied," You right, were obviously only on the second level."

Naruto then walked across the little herd, and made his way to the stairs. Silently motioning his team to follow him, they did. Making their way up the stairs, they were surprised that the only door on this level was their door.

Naruto looked at Yakumo and Shino, and watched how Yakumo looked a bit nervous, while Shino had his emotionless mask on. Naruto sighed, and he pushed the door open.

Walking in, they were surprised by the number of people. Naruto's eyes narrowed," There are a lot of Gennin in this room."

Yakumo nodded while Shino spoke up, "I guess we're not the only ones taking this."

All of them looked around as some of the other Gennin glared at them. They all sweat dropped, and Naruto spoke, 'I see you're point Shino."

Then suddenly Naruto watched as Team 7 walked in. Sasuke looked a little roughed up while Mito and Tomoe where sighing with exasperation. Mito noticed him, and was about to walk over before Sasuke was attacked by Ino. The two teams watched as most of the rookies gathered at the entrance, creating quite the commotion.

Naruto then watched as a silver headed boy with glasses walked over to them, "Hey you rookies take it easy."

"Who do you think you are?" demanded Kiba. Hinata then tried her best to scowl Kiba, "Kiba-kun, you should not be rude."

"It's alright, my names Kabuto; and I think it would be wise for you guys to calm down. If you want I could even help you out." said Kabuto. Sasuke then eyed him for a second, before Ino spoke up, "What do you mean?"

"Well I've taken this exam 7 times, so I've got quite the info about almost anyone here."

"Seven times, that's a lot. You must suck." retorted Kiba as he looked away. Shikamaru then voice his opinion," Still that makes him a veteran here. He must know the test inside out."

"Exactly." said Kabuto as he pushed his glasses in. Sasuke then walked up to him, "Do you have information on Shinobi?"

Kabuto nodded, he pulled out some cards, "These cards here have information on almost anyone. They're my own creation; just give me looks, village, or simply a name."

Everyone around watched interested in this silver haired shinobi, especially Naruto, "There's no way a Gennin can get this type of information."

Mito thought about it for a minute before he said a few names, " Sabaku no Gaara, Rock Lee of the Leaf… and Namikaze Naruto of the Leaf."

Yakumo then gasped, "What's she doing?"

Naruto shook his head, "She's getting information on those she thinks are his biggest rivals. You can't blame her; we aren't exactly on his side this time around."

Yakumo looked at Naruto, "Are you alright with this?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulder, "I don't care, but I don't like how this guy has so much information."

"Aw too bad, you even now the ruins the fun. Alright first one, Sabaku no Gaara" said Kabuto as he pulled out a card, and begun to spin it with chakra. Stopping the card he pulled it up, "Since He's a newcomer from a foreign country I don't have much information but... It seems he returned from all of his missions without a scratch. Mission History is 8 C-Rank, and 1 B-rank. Wow that's impressive for a Gennin."

Kabuto pulled out another card, "Next is Rock Lee of the Leaf. Last year he gained attention as a talented Gennin, but he did not participate in the exams. Like you guys, this is his first time. On his team are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten, both of them are also considered highly skilled. His best skill seems to be Taijutsu, but nothing else is impressive."

"Alright last one up Naruto..." Kabuto then pulled out a third card, "Namikaze Naruto is under the team of Mitarashi Anko, with his teammates being Kurama Yakumo, and Aburame Shino... wow this kid has completed 80 D-Rank missions, and 1 A-rank mission. Namikaze Naruto the son of the Fourth Hokage." Naruto watched as many kids begun to look at him.

"He is also rumored to defeat Momochi Zabuza, an A-rank missing-nin singlehandedly though the method is unknown. He is considered the Hero of Wave for killing a tyrant known as Gatou and his army of thugs himself."

Naruto closed his eyes as he heard a bunch a gasps," Great."

"I guess he would be the ninja to beat in these exams. Though you shouldn't just look out for him." explained Kabuto as he pulled out another card, "You see here, there are many ninjas from every great Nation, have come to take the ninja exams. Even villages like Waterfall, Grass, and Rain have sent some ninjas. They're all filled with talented ninja."

Mito pointed at the sound village, "What about this one?"

Kabuto looked at the village, "Don't worry about that one, they're fairly new. I won't expect them to send any strong ninjas."

Naruto having heard enough turned to his teammates, and took a look around the room, "I guess we're going to be a target in these exams."

Shino looked around also, and noticed some glares from their own village, "I guess the fact that you've become quite the name, even some of our own ninja will probably target us."

Yakumo expressed her doubt," It is a very large possibility."

"Alright maggots, it's time to take the exam! The proctors will assign you a seat, and you guys will take the exam." explained Morino Ibiki, Head of Konoha Torture and Interrogation Department." My name's Ibiki and I'll be the protector of the first exam."

Ibiki handed out the exam. He then began to explain the test, and how it would work.

"Show your ID and pick your number to be sited then we will begin the written exam." Ibiki explained.

'Written exam? This sucks.' Naruto thought.

A few minutes later everyone was sited with their test in front of them but faced down. All around the classroom were Chunnins with few boards. Surprisingly enough Hinata managed to sit right next to Naruto.

"This test has a few rules. Number 1: Each one starts with 10 points, each wrong question deduces one point. Number 2: The total score is based on your whole team." Ibiki explained and a few gasped.

'Kiba, you better pass otherwise I'll kill you.' Sasuke thought. Poor Kiba seeing the glares from his teammates started to sweat.

"Number 3: Each time you are caught cheating you lose 2 points. Get caught five times and your team is automatically failed. The last question is answered last, you have 45 minutes to answer the 10 questions. START" Ibiki said.

Naruto picked up his pencil and turned his sheet only to be faced with extremely hard questions.

'What the hell is this? These questions aren't for gennin' Naruto thought and looked around the classroom. Everyone seemed to be lost except for a few that were writing.

"I know some but I bet 90% of the people here can't answer a single one. Something isn't right here" - Naruto thought and began pondering what Ibiki said. Naruto knew that Ibiki was the leader of the Torture and Interrogation Division and he focused on mental torture.

'If you get caught cheating you lose points' Now I get it, we are meant to cheat but without getting caught. Must be some information gathering exercise' Naruto thought and looked around the classroom. He noticed that Hinata had her Byakugan activated and was already starting to write.

Shino was using his bugs to scout for anyone with answers. Kiba was using Akamaru that was on his head, high enough to spot someone else's sheet.

Tenten was using mirrors on the ceiling so she could get the reflection of another gennin. Sakura was writing since she was a bookworm she could easily answer the exam. Sasuke had his Sharingan activated and was copying someone's hand movements.

Naruto waited a few minutes until he spotted someone lowering their exam sheet signaling that he was finished. 'They must have placed a few Chunnin around to answer the exams' Naruto thought.

Naruto sighed in relief,' Thank Kami that I studied so much to create my Kenjutsu styles. The calculations of pressure, force and the theory is almost basic for me now.' With that, he started writing answers.

"Okay, pencils down. It is time for the final question." Ibiki said. "Before we begin, there are some rules. The first rule is that you must choose to answer the question or not."

"What kind of rule is that?" Temari exclaimed.

"It means that if you do not answer the question, then your points go to zero. You fail and your team leaves with you." Ibiki said. This caused an outrage among the group. Ibiki ignored them and spoke again. "Another rule, if you choose to take the question and get it wrong, then you will never get another shot at the Chunnin Exams."

"What type of rule is that? You can't make that type of decision!" Kiba shouted.

"That's where you're wrong. Inside this room, I am the law. You either get with that or you can leave. Those are you're only two options. So, are you ready for the final question?" Ibiki asked with a smile. He watched as several Gennin stood and walked out of room. He saw that a few looked ready to quit but what really caught his attention was Anko's team acting so relaxed. He glared at them and wondered what was so relaxing. "You three," getting team Anko's attention. "You seem pretty relaxed for such a huge decision hanging over your heads."

"I'm not really relaxed but I am confident in my knowledge and ability. Besides, I'm not backing down just because you're in charge. I waited for this opportunity and I do not plan to take the Chunnin Exams again. So I would rather take the risk and move forward than back down. I am most certain that my team shares my view." Naruto said.

"While it would be illogical to risk the question and probably be banned from the Chunnin Exams forever, risks are the most important part of Shinobi lifestyle. If I can risk my life on the field for my village, risking a simple answer is nothing to be afraid of." Shino said.

"As Chunnin, we will have to make such decisions and we will have to live with it. Wrong or right, I will stand by my decisions and my teammates." Yakumo said. Ibiki looked at this team and had to admit that Anko had a wonderful team of Gennin. He looked at the others.

"Does anyone else feel the way that this team feels?" Ibiki asked. Only a few looked convinced by what this team said. "Very well, the first stage of Chunnin Exams is now over."

"Say what now? What about the tenth question?" Kiba asked.

"There was never a tenth question." Ibiki answered. Everyone looked at him and the examiners with shock.

"Are you telling us that you mentally scarred us and it was for nothing?" Sakura asked.

"Yes." Ibiki answered.

"You are a sick son of a bitch." Tomoe said, getting the agreement of most of the room. Ibiki ignored them and began to speak.

"The object of this test was to see how well you can gather information. Did you really believe that no one would notice the use of Dōjutsu, animals or puppets? Those who were eliminated would have been killed on the spot by how bad they were getting their information. The tenth question was just to see if you have the stuff to be Chunnin. As a Chunnin, you will be given more difficult mission. Some of those missions, your life would be in great danger and you have to make a decision." Ibiki suddenly removed his bandana, allow everyone to see his man scars and holes in his head. "Depend on your choice; you make it in the service of your village. Never forget that." He said and placed his bandana back on. As he was about to speak again, something coming toward the window caught his attention.

It smashed through one of the windows and stopped in mid-air. It began to un-wrap itself. Two kunai hit the ceiling and a banner appeared. On it were the words 'The Procter of the Second Stage, The Sexy and Single, Mitarashi Anko'. The purple haired ninja stood and gave everyone a menacing stare.

"This isn't the time to be cheering! You little bastards belong to me now!" Anko shouted. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"You could have warned us that he was the examiner of the first stage!" Shino spoke evenly.

"You're still alive aren't you?" Anko asked. Her students just glared at her.

"You're early, again." Ibiki said with a frown.

"Eh," Anko said with a shrug. She looked around and noticed quite a lot of people. "You allowed twenty seven teams to pass?"

"There are quite a few strong ones in here." Ibiki said.

"Is that so? Well then, let's see if they are as strong as you say." Anko said with a sadistic grin. She faced the group of hopeful Chunnin.

"Alright maggots, follow me to your next test. If you think that Ibiki was scary, you're going to love what I have in store for you." Everyone was put off by the chuckling of the deranged looking Jounin, with the exception of her team.

Anko and the Chunnin hopefuls approached a lush, dark forest that seemed to give an aura of malice. There were numerous signs around the gates which said things like 'Beware', 'Civilians and Gennin are prohibited' and finally 'Ninja above Gennin, enter at your own risk.'

Anko walked to the front of the gate as she turned to the ninja "alright, everyone shut up!"

The group did as requested as the snake mistress continued "alright, this exam is going to be tough I will not lie to you. It is projected to get rid of about eighty percent of you or more."

A rush of whispers went through the group as Anko continued "it will take place in here, the forty-fourth training ground or the 'Forest of Death'."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"The Second Phase of the Exams is a survival test as well as Battle Royale," Anko said. "And this Exam will cut the number of teams in half at least." She held up two scrolls; one with the kanji for Earth and the other with the kanji for heaven. "In order to pass, your team must have both scrolls and be in the tower at the center of the training ground by 3pm in five days time. You will all have to spend all five days in the training ground."

"What about food? How will we eat?" Choji asked.

"There's plenty of food in there," Anko said, pointing at the forest behind them.

"You will be considered food by some of the animals in there as well." finished Anko

There came a loud roar from the forest, sending chills up the spines of several Gennin.

"So, this is a search and recovery mission basically?" Tomoe asked. "Each team will have one of the scrolls and we have to get the other scroll that we don't have in order to pass."

"Looks like the Blondie figured it out," Anko said. A kunai came quickly speeding toward Tomoe; the blonde jumped as the Kunai made a slit in his cheek while Anko grabbed him from behind and started to lick the blood.

Tomoe jumped out of Anko's grasp and yelled," Hey, what's the big idea? Don't sneak up on me.

Anko felt a presence behind her and looked back.

"You might want to take the kid's advice and not try and sneak up behind me. I have an itchy trigger finger," Anko said.

"My apologies," a soft voice said. "I was just returning your kunai."

"Thank you Kusa-san," Anko said. Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he felt something off about the Kusa-nin but let it go. Naruto blankly listened to Anko explain the rules of the exam and robotically took the release form and signed it.

"Naruto, are you all right?" Yakumo asked as a Chunnin led Team 11 to their gate.

"Yeah, I'm fine Yakumo," Naruto said. "Just getting ready, this exam is about to get a whole lot of interesting."

There was a bell chime and the gate opened. Team 11 leapt into the forest and vanished into the trees.

"So what's the plan Naruto-san?" Shino asked.

"I shall try to find a team by using my sensor abilities. Once we find the scroll, we shall head straight to the tower without any delay. We will reach their quickly but the technique is special and I do not want anyone to know so please, don't tell anyone."

Turns out, finding an enemy team was not difficult. Naruto and his team soon encountered a team from Ame. They were wearing the signature Ame breathing masks and held the Ame Umbrella Swords. The leader, a boy with dark brown hair and pale skin mocked," Look at this, looks like our look is quite good that we encountered a team so early. And it is a team of foolish Konoha brats at that. This would be enjoyable."

Yakumo looked at the three Gennin with a blank face and spoke," Three Gennin level ninja from Ame. Usually Ame-nin specialize in Assassination and Genjutsu. They use umbrella swords for their Senbon Shower Jutsu. Most are weak with little chakra capacity."

One of the Ame-nin got angry with a tic-mark appearing on his brow and yelled," YOU BITCH! How dare you call us weak? We will defeat you easily and take your scroll from your cold, dead arms."

Naruto spoke in an impassive tone," You cannot defeat us. I can sense your Chakra and it is only low-Chunnin level. This amount is also disappearing rapidly, most likely due to Shino's kikachu bugs." At this, the Ame Gennin tried to feel their chakra to find about three fourth of their chakra missing. If this went on, they would soon become unconscious and suffer from Chakra exhaustion.

Shino nodded and explained," Naruto-san was able to see you before you saw us. He told me to subtly drain your Chakra until you confront us and rapidly drain it after confrontation; moreover, Yakumo trapped you in a Genjutsu that made you think that you came through thick foliage. Right now, you have about low-Gennin level of Chakra which will soon be eaten away before you could do anything."

The leader grew horrified at that and charged at the three Gennin, using the chakra he could muster to augment his movement and tried to slash at Shino with his umbrella sword. Before the sword could even touch the Gennin, Naruto appeared in front of the Gennin with his sword in the Shikai form, blocking the Umbrella Sword.

Naruto said," If I wanted, I could have defeated you on my own, but this exercise is an exercise for the team. They cannot depend on me to fight their battles. And they proved themselves by defeated you without my help. I am sure that Shino would have been able to dodge your movement, but it was my role in this plan that I had to protect them from any attacks. You were defeated because you underestimated your opponent."

The leader soon fell unconscious. Naruto and his teammates found the scroll they needed and decided to quickly move towards the Tower. As they tree-hopped to the Tower, Naruto felt the Chakra of Team 7 near a huge, vile source of Chakra. This stopped him in his tracks as Shino and Yakumo looked at him with confusion. Naruto said," Someone is attacking Team 7, and the attacker is way above Gennin-level. Their lives might be in danger."

Shino thought for a second before he replied," Go to them Naruto-san, we will move towards the Tower. Your siblings' life might be in danger, and I won't stop you from aiding them."

With a grateful nod, Naruto used his quickest technique Sonido to reach Team 7 quickly.

With Team 7

Tomoe panted heavily as he looked at his foe standing in front of them with a creepy smirk on his face. He had always assumed that their team was strong. After all, his parents had trained him and his sister. Sasuke was specifically taught by Kakashi and they had been so sure of themselves when they entered the Chunnin Exams. When they had first encountered the Kunoichi, they were sure that they could beat her. Yet the strange Kunoichi was able to casually slap him around as if they were mere flies. Quickly beating them into ground, the Kusa Kunoichi sealed away Kyuubi's chakra with some seal. Tomoe was seriously regretting his lack of Fuinnjutsu knowledge. He saw as the Kunoichi moved towards Sasuke and Tomoe used the last of his chakra reserves to send a water jutsu at his foe which was all he could manage right now. However, his opponent took out a strange ninjato and cut straight through the water bullet that came his way.

"Kukuku... I was planning to kill you after I mark Sasuke-kun but apparently you are too much of a pest to simply ignore. So I will kill you first." hissed the strange Kunoichi as she approached him with her ninjato. Mito, who was a few feet away, watched the Kunoichi approach Tomoe with tears in her eyes. She felt so powerless at the moment and as she could do nothing to help her brother. Sasuke also watched the kunoichi approach Tomoe and he wanted to rip her apart. His time spent on Team 7 had given him a family of sorts and he felt useless that he could not protect his team. He always thought that being an Uchiha was an honor, Sharingan was the most powerful bloodline and he was the strongest Gennin in the village, yet he could only see that he had always been wrong. Uchiha was only a name, Sharingan was only a tool with which he was inexperienced and he was not strong enough to protect his surrogate family.

"Goodbye Namikaze Tomoe. You are a pest and it would benefit the world if I kill you now," spoke the Kunoichi in a clear tone as she raised her ninjato high in the air, maliciousness radiating from her eyes and brought it down. Tomoe resigned himself as his death seemed imminent and closed his eyes waiting for the sword to slice his neck.

CLANG.

The sound jarred Tomoe as he quickly opened his eyes to see the ninjato being blocked by a katana. At first he thought that her mother had come to save him but then he took a good look on the figure and the sword. The sword was unmistakably a katana but unlike his mother's, this katana had a dark blue rayskin covered with white cord instead of a red one covered in black cord. Then he saw the figure clearly. The completely black hakama and haori with the kanji for duty on his back, the deep red hair and crystal blue eyes, coupled with the intense expression, it was unmistakably his elder brother.

Naruto said," You won't kill anyone today, most certainly not these two children."

The kunoichi chuckled," The eldest Namikaze sibling comes to face me. Do you think that he can cross swords with me? Well, let's give you a look at your true opponent." The Kunoichi quickly placed a hand under her chin and ripped out the burnt skin to reveal a pale face and sickly yellow slit snake-like eyes with purple marks around them.

The figure chuckled again," I am Orochimaru of the Sannin, the strongest of the Sannin. Do you think a mere brat like you can defeat me? Run before I change my mind-" Orochimaru could not continue as he heard Naruto.

"Hiten Mitsurugi ryu: Ryutsuisen zan (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Dragon Mallet Flash Cut)"

Before Orochimaru could even move, he was cut in half. Both the halves looked surprised before dissolving into mud. Naruto simply looked up and saw Orochimaru standing on a tree. Orochimaru smirked, but on the inside, he was quite impressed. He did not start with the wish to learn every Ninjutsu in the world, but rather as a budding prodigy who found Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu interesting. He was quite passionate about Kenjutsu until his defeat by Hanzo and the death of his parents. This shifted his focus towards Kinjutsu, but he still practiced Kenjutsu and was one of the best Kenjutsu users who hailed from the leaf village. It was a good thing that he fought the boy with a Tsuchi Bunshin, or else he would be lying in two separate pieces on the forest floor. It was not easy to impress him with Kenjutsu, but Namikaze Naruto did so with just one strike. The speed at which the boy operated was unreal, the strike was so precise that the clone was cut without a delay or wasted movement. If possible, he would have loved to train the boy in Kendo because he seemed to favor Battoujutsu.

Orochimaru smirked at Naruto before he started to regurgitate his prized ninjato Kusanagi no Tsurugi. The blade was rumored to be so sharp that it was able to cut a single blade of grass that fell on its blade. The sword was covered in the most powerful snake venom from the Snake King Manda himself. Orochimaru was considered as the most capable swordsman during his time in Konoha.

"Kukuku, that was very impressive Naruto-kun, maybe you could entertain me a little before I give Sasuke-kun my mark. You should be honored to fight against a Sannin. Do you want to say something for yourself?" spoke Orochimaru.

Naruto looked at Orochimaru with a blank expression before raising his sword and saying," Cut with Judgment: Yamato."

Orochimaru watched in shock as the handle of the katana switched colors, the blade lengthened to the size of an o-katana and a faint blue glow covered the blade. Whatever the glow signified was something Orochimaru did not want to know. The only thing he knew was that the glow could spell something bad for him. Without giving the boy any chance, Orochimaru rushed at the boy and started to attack him with flexible and precise strikes. However he quickly found out his mistake.

The boy was agile, nimble and evasive when he defended with Kenjutsu. All the strikes were evaded and his sword blocked every attack. Orochimaru aimed the sword at Naruto and used Kusanagi's ability to increase its length. Naruto looked at Orochimaru and the next, the blade of Kusanagi lengthened and tried to impale him. Naruto spun and parried the sword before retaliating. After another clash, the two fighters separated. Naruto still had the blank expression while Orochimaru had a small smirk.

Suddenly, Naruto heard Yamato speak in his mind,' Naruto, use one of my abilities, till now; you have used the attacks you created yourself. Till now, you have never cut anyone before; however, this filthy human does not deserve the reverse-edge. This is the moment where I must cut. Use my power for it is also your power. Do not be afraid to cut for this is your samurai way. Protect the innocent of this world by slaying the evil in front of you. Use your Hanteigan and see his worth. You are not just a warrior, but also the judge.'

Naruto closed his eyes as Orochimaru looked curiously and said in a mocking tone," You should not close your eyes in front of dangerous enemies like me." With that, Orochimaru charged again. As the blade of Kusanagi neared Naruto, he raised his hand and blocked the blade without looking. Naruto slowly opened his eyes which were golden amber instead of the normal crystal blue. Orochimaru became curious,' Is it some new Dōjutsu? I wonder what it does.'

Naruto quickly moved back, sheathing his sword in a quick movement before taking a Battoujutsu stance. Orochimaru mocked," Battoujutsu again, you should have learned by now that I can dodge you." If Orochimaru had been paying attention, he would have heard the slight whisper," Judgment Cut: Yamato"

Naruto did not move his feet but quickly drew out his sword. Orochimaru would have mocked, if he had not been cut in half. Orochimaru looked down to see a large gash that had nearly bisected him. Without wasting time, he used the Skin Shedding Jutsu. Two hands came out of his mouth before a completely unharmed Orochimaru emerged from the shed skin.

Orochimaru was panting heavily. The attack was strange and it had taken a lot of Chakra to heal the wound and shed the skin. He looked at his opponent who simply looked at him with focused golden eyes. The haunting golden eyes seemed to be judging his soul for his crimes. He snapped out f his thoughts when Naruto spoke," Now you see the difference between us, Orochimaru of the Sannin. Your blade may be the sharpest blade around, but Yamato is the perfect sword. He would not cut anything that I do not want, but when he cuts, he can cut anything I want, even the fabric of space and time. Your malice and wickedness has dulled your blade. This is the reason why you can never defeat me. If you want to defeat me, then you have to gain true strength."

Orochimaru seethed, this brat had not only defeated him, but also humiliated him. He would show the damned brat what it is like to feel pain. Swallowing his sword, he started to weave hand seals before calling out," Katon: Gokkyaku no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu)" and released a massive fireball at Naruto.

Naruto looked at the fireball that was quickly approaching him. Cracking his neck, he moved his sword and the fireball got sliced in half. Without missing a beat, Orochimaru released his next attack," Fuuton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough). Naruto was able to cut the Wind jutsu with ease. Seeing that elemental jutsu were getting him nowhere, Orochimaru used his signature technique," Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."

Thousands of snakes exited from Orochimaru's sleeves and tried to attack Naruto. Naruto sheathed his sword and took a Battoujutsu stance and called his next attack," Shingetsu Ryu Nishiki: Hyakka Midare Zakura (Heart Moon Style Second Ceremony: 100 Flower Storming Sakura)" The snakes were sliced before they could do anything.

Orochimaru was frustrated but became alarmed when he saw Naruto take another Battoujutsu stance. Quickly regurgitating his sword, Orochimaru got ready to block his enemy's sword.

Naruto moved quickly and struck Orochimaru who blocked the attack. Orochimaru decided to mock Naruto," Your Battoujutsu might be good, but you are still too young to take me on."

Naruto who was blank-faced for the whole fight smirked at that comment. He spoke," In that case, take a look at my sword, old man."

Orochimaru looked where his sword had blocked his opponent's when his eyes bugged out. Instead of a sword, sheathe had been used for the attack. Naruto smirked a little a yelled," Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Souryusen Ikatsuchi (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style: Paired Dragon Thunder Flash)

With a quick spinning movement in midair, Naruto was able to slice Orochimaru's arm. Orochimaru staggered back as he saw Naruto. He had been able to make Orochimaru of the Sannin shed his skin and even sliced one of his arms. He had to leave, or else he would not survive the encounter. Using a Shunshin no Jutsu (Body-Flicker Technique), Orochimaru escaped.

Naruto decided not to follow Orochimaru. Right now, the safety of Team 7 was more important. He quickly reached Team 7 with a Shunpo and looked at their injuries. They had many injuries and were suffering from Chakra exhaustion. Using a diagnosis jutsu, he was able to determine that despite being Orochimaru's target, Sasuke had the least injuries. Using Shosen no Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique), he was able to mend the various cuts and bruises that littered the bodies of the three Gennin. The Kyuubi's chakra had been blocked by the Gogyo Fuinn which was the reason why his siblings did not heal at an accelerated pace. As Naruto healed the three Gennin, Sasuke looked at the older sibling of his teammates. Despite being older by only a few minutes, he was taller and more built that either Tomoe or Mito. Thinking back to the fight, he saw that despite being a Gennin, Naruto was evenly matched to a Sannin and defeated high powered Ninjutsu attacks by using Kenjutsu. The power held by Naruto awed him, while making him envious at the same time. This power could help him achieve his dream of killing Itachi and making peace with the demons of the past.

In a demanding tone Sasuke yelled," Naruto, give me your power."

Naruto simply started at the prone form of Sasuke, before snorting," I could not give you any power, even if I wanted to. How can I give something that I do not possess?"

Sasuke yelled," Do not lie Naruto. You possess unimaginable power. Our team, which is considered the strongest team among the Gennin of Konoha, could not even make the pale freak take us seriously, yet you were able to match him without getting a single injury. If that's not power, than what is."

Naruto shook his head in exasperation before explaining," The first thing you must understand is that Orochimaru was not going all out. He is the master of Kinjutsu yet he did not use any Kinjutsu. He was trying to stay in the shadows and could not use his more powerful techniques for the fear of detection. Secondly, power is nothing but an illusion created to trap weak-minded people. He attacked you and beat you to show you the difference in the power level. Then, he would say that you could only become strong through him and trap you in a vicious web of lies. That is the method by which he exploited many people. It is rightly said that he is a snake through and through. As for me matching up to him, that was not power as well."

Sasuke looked confused at that. How could something so overpowering not be power. Naruto saw the confusion on Sasuke's face and asked," Do you have any ninja tools with you?"

Sasuke replied," No, they were all exhausted in our battle against the snake."

Naruto reached inside his haori before taking out a curved dagger. It had a white handle and a shiny silver blade. Handing it to Sasuke Naruto spoke," Right now, you are the least injured person on this team. You will have to protect your teammates until then. Use this dagger for the purpose and use the time to think. And when you meet me again at the Tower, you will have to tell me the exactly what power is. This would be enlightening for you. "

Sasuke simply started t the silver dagger. As he looked up, he found that Naruto was gone. He quickly gathered the unconscious forms of his teammates, the words of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto still ringing in his head.

Naruto spread his chakra sense and quickly located his teammates and used Shunpo to reach them. Suddenly appearing in front of his teammates during a life-threatening exam however, was a wrong idea as Yakumo launched explosive kunai at him with a startled scream. Dodging the kunai, Naruto spoke," Calm down Yakumo-san, it's just me."

Yakumo breathed a sigh of relief but Shino was still suspicious, and decided to test Naruto.

Shino asked with suspicion," What was the name of Tazuna's grandson?"

Naruto sighed and said," His name was Inari. Now, we have the scrolls and we need to leave this area as soon as possible. The Tower is in the east and we can rest there. At full speed, we will be able to reach the tower in an hour."

Shino and Yakumo nodded and Team 11 ran towards the tower intent on finishing the exam as soon as possible.

At the Tower

The Gennin of Team 11 quickly reached the Tower and found themselves in an empty room with only a picture showing the union of heaven and earth.

Yakumo spoke," Now, what are we supposed to do?"

Naruto and Shino were studying the painting before Naruto spoke," We must open the scrolls now. This painting tells us about the union of earth and heaven. The tree can only reach the heaven if it remains grounded to the earth. Similarly, we can only become strong and grow when we remain attached to our village. I have read that the Shodaime usually compared the village to a tree."

After the decision was made, Naruto and Yakumo opened the scrolls, which started to smoke. Naruto recognized the seal on the scrolls as a summoning seal and yelled," Throw the scrolls and move back."

The scroll continued to smoke and as the smoke dissipated, they found their Academy Instructor Umino Iruka was standing in front of them.

Iruka said," Congratulations Team 11, you have passed the second stage of Chunnin Exams. You are the second team to arrive after the Sand-Siblings. I would recommend that you rest a little. You might not be much tired put the forest is an unforgiving place and usually takes its toll on everyone, even the ones with the most endurance."

Naruto bowed a little and started going to the room assigned to his team.

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