38 Chunin Exams Begin

Team 7 was going to stay in the Land of Snow for a few days.

Their boat would be ready to carry them back to Konoha when the princess had finished settling into her new role.

Finally coming to a decision on who to give the Dao Beast to, Kibo smiled, and as they walked away, he told Sasuke he had something to talk to him about in private.

Sasuke stayed back while the rest of the group went to talk to Koyuki.

When he was sure that they were alone, Kibo handed Sasuke the egg. He also pinched off a piece of the Phoenix tear and pulled out his remaining Star Chamber.

When they reached his hands, Kibo forced Sasuke to crush it while saying, "I always thought birds suited you better than snakes."

Before Sasuke knew what happened, the seals on the egg came undone and both it and the egg vanished into the Star Chamber inside of him.

Sasuke was about to ask, "What just happened?" when he felt his energy levels dropping.

The Phoenix's Tear began nurturing the egg in place of Sasuke's Chakra when a crack formed on the surface of the shell.

A loud 'Chirp' rumbled throughout Sasuke's body as the realm filled up with powerful gales, and high stone cliffs and trees. Between the massive canyons, ran rivers that stretched out into infinity. Tornadoes, squalls, and powerful blades of wind appeared as they grew stronger the higher one went in altitude.

When suddenly, a ten-foot Golden Roc spread its wings and revealed its body. Experiencing the joys of finally being born, the bird monster was flying wildly in his new territory and letting out elated cries.

Sasuke was breathless while he felt a powerful surge of Golden Chakra enter his lower Dantian before changing his physique slightly. He noticed that his Sharingan didn't have the usual red tint to his vision, instead, it was now gold.

Kibo looked into his eyes as he saw the crimson color fade seconds before it was replaced by a metallic golden shine. The Tomoe and the ring connecting them remained black, but the rest of his iris was pure and flawless gold.

Kibo wondered what changes would be made to the Sharingan, but he could only wait for Sasuke to find out himself.

Sasuke was busy watching the Chakra Manifestation of the Golden Roc soar in the world that had opened up inside of his consciousness.

When the giant bird flew down in his direction, Sasuke was about to get into a defensive position. However, it was all for naught.

When the Roc landed in front of Sasuke, it started bowing to him while shouting, "Master! Master! Master! You're my master right?"

Sasuke looked puzzled as he moved closer to the Roc and not only saw but felt the immense Chakra rolling off of it.

If Kibo was invited in, he would have mentioned that it was just slightly weaker than the Shukaku.

Since it was just a baby, it didn't quite stack up to the other Tailed Beasts in experience or fighting strength, but it had tremendous growth potential thanks to its parent passing on its knowledge.

Realizing the intelligent beast meant him no harm, Sasuke placed his hand on the bird's warm soft feathers and gently pet him.

The Golden Roc smiled before it nuzzled his head against Sasuke's chest and asked, "I need a name master. What's my name?"

Sasuke thought for a bit before he came up with one and said, "Garuda! Your name is Garuda."

The Roc chirped happily as it flew around in the great storms like it was nothing.

Kibo tapped on the top of Sasuke's head bringing him back to reality, ". . . asuke? Sasuke! Did you hear me? I said well how do you like your new partner?"

Sasuke shook his head before he felt the changes to his body, he quickly realized his Sharingan was gold now, as he leaned over the dock and stared at his reflection.

"What did you do to me?" Sasuke asked while holding deactivating his Do-Jutsu.

Kibo smiled and replied by saying, "I gave you an Ancient Chakra Beast that can grow alongside you in power. The place that appeared inside your mindscape is a separate plane of existence."

"Separate plane of existence?" Could barely fathom what Kibo was talking about.

"When the Golden Roc grows strong enough he will unlock the memories of his ancestors. Once that happens, feel free to ask him whatever you want. But until then you have to keep helping him grow stronger."

Sasuke scratched his head, "Why me?"

Kibo laughed and replied, "Because Naruto and I already have partners. Not to mention, out of the rest of the group, you had the best compatibility with the Golden Roc. It's abilities suited you more and I just didn't want him or her to go to waste."

Sasuke looked surprised as he said, "You guy have something like this too? Oh, and he's a guy."

Kibo nodded his head before saying, "I'll let you meet them some time."

Sasuke knew he was stronger now, and that this symbiotic partnership would bring endless benefits. But he couldn't help but wonder what Kibo's aim was.

"What are you up to Kibo?" Sasuke bluntly asked.

Kibo thought for a second and then decided to clue him in, "A long, loo~oong time ago, people trained in a peculiar fashion. These people called themselves Cultivators. They trained not to become Ninjas, but what they call, Immortals. I want to bring back the Immortal Clans of Earth. Without them, this planet is defenseless against invading beings."

Other than being surprised about humans being able to become Immortals, Sasuke couldn't help but ask what Kibo meant by invading beings, "What, like aliens? UFOs and stuff?"

Kibo sighed and continued, "Something like that. Anyways, what happened to the Immortals was devastating. They lost the war against the invading race and almost all knowledge of their teachings were destroyed in the ensuing chaos."

"How did you learn all this?" Sasuke questioned.

Kibo pointed to his eyes, "How do you think? I promise you, I'm not making any of this up."

"So your plan is to turn us into Immortals? Not that I'm complaining, but doesn't that eat up a lot of time? If it takes hundreds of years to become one, what makes you think we can reach that level before we're invaded again?"

Kibo scratched his head and continued after seeing the serious look on Sasuke's face, "Maybe that's true. But I still want to try. We have something they didn't we can generate and even grow our own Chakra. Surely that should speed up the time it takes to become an Immortal."

"Okay, but then what?" Sasuke questioned.

"I'll gather them together. The future Immortal Uchiha Clan, Uzumaki Clan, and whoever I deem worthy to join us, will unite for the purpose of defending the planet." Kibo left out the next step which is for him to achieve godhood.

But, he thought he had said enough for now. Kibo was imagining the look on the army of Ōtsutsuki Clan members return. He could see them now as they learn that not only has Kaguya failed her mission, but also the Immortals that they took so long to wipe out, have returned.

Kibo laughed as he walked away. Before he left the docks, Sasuke caught up and asked, "Wait! How do I help it grow stronger?"

Kibo turned his head and looked over his shoulder before saying, "Get stronger. It's a two-way street now."

Sasuke then stood in place, trying to take all this new information in stride.

By the time Kibo had returned to the rest of the group, Sasuke shortly followed thereafter.

Along the way, Kibo had noticed the way Sasuke looked at him and Naruto had changed greatly. There was a look of respect with a hint of competitiveness.

They spent the next few nights inside the castle and explored the village in their off time.

When it came time to leave, they were met by Koyuki, waiting for them at the dock at 4 in the morning.

She informed them that the Springtime Generator was a prototype and that the snow would come back eventually. But if they worked on it a bit, the Land of Snow might be renamed the Land of Spring in the near future.

Sakura looked down as she said, "It's a shame; I was looking forward to more of your movies."

The rest of the girls mimicked Sakura's hunched over posture and let out a depressed sigh.

Koyuki laughed and replied while holding up her newest script, "Just because I'm the Daimyo now doesn't mean I've given up acting."

Kakashi and Karin were pointing at Koyuki's script with wide eyes before they spoke with an expression of disbelief, "T.Th.Th.Th...That script?!"

"She's perfect for the role!" Karin said with a shaky voice.

Kakashi, surprised by Karin's outburst, couldn't help but ask, "You're a fan?"

Karin gave a thumb up and said, "My dad got me started on the Author's Novels. The Tale of Utterly Gutsy Shinobi was the first book I read. I just picked up the habit."

Kibo thought it all made sense now, "Jiraiya's to blame! That bastard!!! Because of him, I had to deal with an overly mature Karin."

The script Koyuki was holding, was none other than Kakashi, and apparently, Karin's favorite novel, Icha Icha Paradise.

After a bittersweet farewell, the group made their way back to Konoha.

When Team 7 passed through the gates of their Village, the first thing they decided to do was take a break,

Kakashi and Yamato went off to give their report to the Hokage.

They dropped Karin off at her house.

Sakura and Sasuke split off to do their own thing.

Naruto walked Hinata home.

Kibo went back to his room to take apart the Chakra Armors.

Kibo desperately wanted to put down his forge, but he was settled on using the Village Hidden in the Sky as his new residence. He didn't want to waste all those points by setting down the forge and buying another.

With some modification, the floating village from the Land of the Sky could surely become a true Village Hidden Among the Stars.

It would also be the location of the 1st Immortal Village since the Pre-Shinobi era,

Kibo wondered what the world would be like after he builds his village. He didn't expect Naruto to remain as the Hokage forever, even if Sasuke took the title from them, their reigns wouldn't last forever.

Kibo wanted them all to join his village as part of the Immortal Clans. Since they will eventually attain the power of a peak Mortal Realm practitioner, they would be in need of a greater place to train so that they may reach the Immortal Level.

And he needed to be the one to provide such a location.

Kibo dropped his pen on the thick stack of paper that had hundreds of hand-drawn blueprints. He was working on what looked like a new Chakra armor design and made many discoveries over the last few weeks.

Kibo rubbed his temple and walked over to his window. He then let out a sigh before he said, "It should be starting soon."

Kibo looked towards the Kage's office in the distance. While around the same time, a large group of Jonin appeared next to Sarutobi.

"Seeing whom I invited here, you may be able to guess what we're here to discuss." Sarutobi blew out a puff of grey smoke and looked to the gathered Jonins in front of him with expectation.

Kakashi was the first to speak up, he looked up and scratched the bottom of his chin before asking, "Is it that time already?"

Standing next to Kakashi was a handsome ninja know as Genma.

He had brown, shoulder-length hair that hung down the sides of his face, a well defined facial structure, and deep brown eyes.

He wore the same standard Jonin flak jacket and uniform as the rest of the Jonin did but wore his forehead protector like a bandanna.

A single Senbon Needle was hanging from his mouth, and as he chewed on the Senbon, Genma spoke up, "Have you informed the lords of the other villages yet? Because I've already seen some of their Genin's running around."

"One week from today!" The Hokage answered before when another Jonin asked, "Isn't this rather sudden?"

The Hokage exhaled another breath of smoke as he said, "To make it official, I hereby announce that 7 days from now, on July 1st we shall begin the Chunin Exams."

Every Jonin saluted and shouted "Yes Hokage Sama!"

"Now then I'd like to hear from those who have overseen the training for our youngest recruits, Kakashi, Asuma, and Itachi, come forth," Sarutobi said as the Jonin's stepped forward when their names were called.

When they were 5 feet away Sarutobi asked, "Well? Are there any Genin amongst your squad that you'd recommend for this year's Chunin exams?"

Iruka, who was standing with the rest of the Jonin, thought that it was too soon for those kids to take the exam when Kakashi stood forward and surprised him by saying, "Cell number 7 consist of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Kibo Hoshi, Karin Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuga. I vow upon the honor of my clan, the Hatake, that all 6 of them are ready for the exams."

Itachi and Asuma said the same things as Iruka suddenly shouted, "Please forgive me Hokage, but these kids were part of my class, I think it's too soon for them."

Kakashi turned to Iruka and said, "I was 6 years younger than Naruto when I first became a Chunin."

In response, Iruka shouted out with anger in his voice, "Naruto's not you!"

Kakashi smiled as he then said, "I know! He's better. Naruto has completed 20 C-Ranked Missions, 15 B-Rank Missions, 1 A-Rank mission, 1-S Rank mission, and hundreds of F, and D, rank missions."

Yamato rolled his eyes as he said internally, "My score used to be the record."

Iruka paused, and most of the people in the room gasped.

"Everyone else on my team has performed similarly as well, have some trust in him, Naruto's ready." With this said Iruka started to calm down.

Meanwhile, Naruto was playing Ninja with Konohamaru and his little group of troublemakers.

When suddenly the Konohamaru ran into a sand ninja dressed in all black.

On his back was a human-sized wrapped up object; the top of which seemed to have hair coming out of it. The teen boy was wearing a Bunraku puppeteer's costume, which consisted of a black and baggy full-body suit with a red and yellow half circle on the front outlined in a white ring.

He also wore a black hood that covered his head completely and had cat-like ears pointing from the top. His forehead protector was part of the hood as it sat at the center of his forehead.

On his face was a thick coat of white paint that had Kabuki-Style markings, his eyes were pitch black, and they burned with an annoyed expression.

He looked down at Konohamaru and picked him up by the collar of his shirt before saying, "That hurt you little snot."

Naruto looked at the foreign Ninja with a cold stare when he said, "Put him down."

The man in black looked over and replied with a cocky tone, "Make me."

As he tried to lift the kid up and wave him in front of Naruto, he realized that Konohamaru had vanished from his grasp. The antagonist then looked over to see Naruto standing with the kid in his arms.

"When did you?"

"Who are you? What's a Sand Village member doing here? You're one of Konoha's allies but according to our treaty, Sunagakure Shinobi aren't allowed to pass the border without permission. State your business! If I don't like what I hear, well let's just say, I can't very well let you act like you own the place!" Naruto declared as he put Konohamaru down and faced Sand Nin.

"Kankuro! Knock it off! And BTW, we have permission to be here!" The girl standing next to Kankuro started to talk.

She had teal colored eyes and blonde hair that match the color of pristine sand. Her long hair was gathered into four consecutive pigtails facing the four corners of her had.

Her outfit consisted of a single light purple-colored, off-the-shoulders button-up garment that extended to halfway down her thighs. A single scarlet sash was tied around her thin waist, in addition to incorporating fishnet chain mail, that was worn over her shoulders and legs, right calf, and left thigh. She also wore her black Sunagakure forehead protector around her neck.

The young lady looked at Naruto and said, "My name is Temari. And this is Kankuro my brother, we're here because we'll be taking part in this year's Chunin exams." Temari smiled with an expression of superiority while she held out a leather case with a clear plastic cover that showed her travel papers inside.

While Naruto looked them over, Sakura and Sasuke could be seen walking up behind him.

"Yo! Naruto," Sasuke said with a wave and a chilled out tone.

"Need a hand?" Sakura asked before cracking her knuckles.

Naruto looked back at the Sunagakure Genin and said, "You think I need help with this guy? Pff!"

Naruto started laughing, making Konkuro lose his temper and shout, "YOU WANNA GO MIDGET!"

Before Kankuro could cast a Jutsu, a gust of sand appeared in front of the two, stopping the fight.

"Kankuro you're a disgrace, it annoys me that you'd lose control over a quarrel with children." Said the fair-skinned boy that appeared from out of the sand.

He had green pupil-less eyes that had tanuki-like black rings around them. He had no eyebrows and the kanji for 'Love' was carved into the left side of his forehead. The teen's hair was a short spiky auburn red color, and his bangs barely hung over his hairline.

He wore a black body-suit that had an open neck, t-shirt like sleeves, and almost full-length leggings.

A single loose white cloth draped over his right shoulder and to the left side of his hips. He had his Sunagakure forehead protector wrapped around a wide leather band that stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip. Attached to it was a body-sized sand gourd that hanged from his back.

"But Gaara, they started this! It was the kid who bumped into me!" Kankuro tried to defend himself when Gaara sent his killing intent to the max,

"Silence! Or else I'll kill you!"

Suddenly Kurama stirred and said, "Naruto I smell Shukaku coming from that boy!"

Naruto gasped as he spoke internally, "The Ichibi?"

Naruto looked into Gaara and saw something he recognized, pain.

Gaara crossed his arms and said, "I'm sorry for my siblings. We arrived a bit early, but we didn't come to play around."

Gaara's eyes glanced over Naruto before he asked, "Your name is?"

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. Yours?"

Gaara looked to him and said in a plain manner as he replied, "Gaara of the Sand."