Chapter 45 - Cursed Seal

(A/N: Hey! Hey! Hey!~ I'm back!)

They were asked to get slips from a box and the matchup was finally decided.

First Match, Uzumaki Naruto vs Hyuga Neji.

Second Match, Gaara vs Uchiha Sasuke.

Third Match, Kankuro vs Aburame Shino.

Fourth Match, Temari vs Sakura.

Fifth Match, Dosu Kinuta vs Shikamaru.

"Well then, feel free to start strategizing or resting as you like. With this I'll dismiss you all but are there any final questions?" Hiruzen said to mark the final moment of the exams.

Shikamaru raised his hands to ask a question and said "Can I ask a question?"

Hiruzen nodded in reply to Shikamaru's question. "Sure."

"Since it's a tournament, it would mean that there's only one winner right? Does that mean that only one person can become a chuunin?" Shikamaru raised his concern thinking about the tournament line up.

"No… That's not quite it. There will be judges including myself, Kazekage, Lords of various countries that will make mission requests and other ninja leaders, who will be watching the final exam. Throughout the tournament, these judges will be evaluating your abilities. Those judged to have the necessary qualities of a chuunin will be able to become a chuunin even if they lose in their first match." Hiruzen explained with a knowledgeable tone as he is the one who made the rules for the Chuunin exams.

Temari on the side followed up with her own question to ask as a continuation of Shikamaru's question "That means that it's a possibility that everyone here will become a chuunin?"

Hiruzen smiled at the question of Temari and replied "Yes, but also the possibility that no one will become a chuunin! To advance in the tournament means that you will have more chances to appeal to the judges. Did you understand, Shikamaru-kun?"

Shikamaru simply looked at Hiruzen while thinking in annoyance. 'Geez… What a drag…'

"Well then, thanks for all the effort you exerted for these trials! You're all dismissed until a month from now." Hiruzen clapped his hands as he announced.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as the exam's finished and said with a smile while looking at Haku. "Haku. Let's go home."

Haku nodded happily and replied "Let's go."

Hiruzen, who was behind them, coughed and said "Stay for a while, Naruto."

Naruto glanced in Hiruzen's direction then proceeded to ignore him smiling while holding Haku's hand "What do you want to eat?"

Haku, who heard Hiruzen, sweated a bit at Naruto's attitude. She knew Naruto could afford that kind of attitude but still... "Naruto, why don't you go and listen to hokage-sama's request first."

Hiruzen smiled at Haku thankfully for understanding and helping him out.

Naruto looked at Hiruzen in reluctance and asked with an obviously annoyed tone "What do you want? Jii-chan?"

Hiruzen sighed at Naruto's attitude and instructed "Come and follow me. I have something for you to check out."

Naruto replied with annoyance "Alright." and turned his face in Haku's direction and smiled "You can go home first, Haku."

Haku nodded and replied "I got it. What do you want to eat when you get home?"

Naruto replied with a smile "You can decide on your own. I'd eat whatever you prepare for me."

Haku nodded bashfully and walked away.

Hiruzen looked at them in disbelief and asked "Are you sure, you two aren't married yet?"

Naruto chuckled as he felt complimented by Hiruzen's comment and replied "Not yet, but I wanna go home already. Let's go."

Hiruzen turned his back to Naruto signalling for him to follow him. Naruto picked up the cues and followed him.

Hiruzen led Naruto into a room and Naruto saw Anko there.

"Eh? Why is the examiner-sensei here?" Naruto exclaimed as he asked Hiruzen.

Hiruzen replied as he explained "I'm getting to that, I want you to check the seal Orochimaru left on the neck of Anko. You said 'Fuinjutsu' is simply a puzzle with a bunch of codes slapped onto one another so you could do it right?"

Naruto didn't know what seal he was talking about but nodded and anyway, "Where's the seal? Examiner-sensei?"

"Call me, Anko-sensei." Anko said as she took off her coat and show the cursed seal on her neck

Yes~ Anko-sensei~" Naruto replied with a smile, approaching Anko to look at the seal.

Naruto slightly touched the seal and then...

"Hyah!" Anko moaned

Naruto pulled his hand away and said in disbelief "Why'd you moan?"

Anko blushed and replied aggressively "Shut up!"

Hiruzen who was watching the interaction between Anko and Naruto chuckled and asked "So? How's the cursed seal?"

"Cursed seal? I still have to check the chakra inside. May I?" Naruto replied and proceeded to ask Anko if he could touch her neck. He didn't want her to moan again.

Anko remembered the previous time she moaned, she blushed but then nodded. She breathed in and out heavily. This time she's prepared.

Naruto touched the seal and Anko didn't moan this time.

Naruto tried to slowly inject his chakra into the seal to figure out the structure of the chakra in the seal.

"Wtf?!" Naruto suddenly jumped away in fear.

Hiruzen and Anko, alarmed at Naruto's sudden actions, asked at the same time "What's wrong?!"

Phew! Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and walked in their direction slowly as he explained "The function of the seal is simply a room."

Hiruzen asked in confusion "What do you mean?"

"Hm? I meant as I said. Orochimaru activates a seal and lets out an uncontrollable energy from the room. Anko-sensei, over here, tries her best to seal it back so she loses strength. I don't know what chakra that was but it sure is chaotic! It almost devoured my chakra that's why I jumped away in fear." Naruto explained as goosebumps appeared in his body.

"Hm..." Hiruzen thought for a while but got it so he sighed "That must be sage chakra or Natural Energy."

"Natural Energy?" Naruto asked in interest.

Hiruzen nodded and explained "It's the energy that is used to go into sage mode. Natural Energy is the Energy that exists in the surroundings or in Nature. Basically, the chakra you have is your chakra and Natural Energy is the chakra of the world."

Naruto nodded and asked as his eyes shone "Can you go to Sage mode?"

Hiruzen shook his head and replied "I can't use it, it's too chaotic like you mentioned. I couldn't balance my chakra and the Natural Energy."

"Balance the Chakra and Natural Energy?" Naruto thought for a bit and nodded as it made sense.

Hiruzen sighed for a moment but replied with a smile "I guess we can't do anything about it. Ask the person that'll arrive soon to teach you sage jutsu so you can get rid of Anko's seal. Knowing you, you'd master it in a day or two."

Anko and Naruto nodded but Naruto asked in curiosity "Just who is this person you're talking about? Just tell me already, enough with the suspense!"

"Hahaha. I guess I'll tell you. It's one of the legendary sannins." Hiruzen smiled

"One of the legendary sannins?"

"Yup! And also one of my students." Hiruzen nodded proudly

Naruto continued to ask as he scratched the back of his head "Orochimaru is your student, and this one too. Are they all your students?"

Hiruzen became more proud and said "That's right. He's also the master of your father."

This got Naruto's attention more "My father's master?"

With a proud smile, Hiruzen said his name "The perver… I mean the Toad Sage, Jiraiya!"

"Ah… I get it, the master is a pervert of course, the student is one as well… wait?! My father is a pervert too?" Naruto didn't miss the detail and asked in disbelief.

Anko's face twitched at Naruto's comment but then had a look of shock as she asked Hiruzen "This brat is the 4th Hokage's son?!"

Hiruzen coughed and replied to Anko as he nodded ignoring Naruto's comment about some pervert "That's right. I guess it doesn't matter anymore, Naruto is strong. It doesn't need to be kept a secret anymore. I'll announce it in the Final Chuunin Exams."

Naruto then chuckled "I see… I wanna see the faces of Konoha's citizens for treating me like a plague."

Hiruzen and Anko looked at him in disbelief for his thought but then thought it was understandable for him to have such thought for being treated like a demon fox for such a long time.

It'd be more strange for Naruto to not have thoughts about it since he experienced it when he was young.

Naruto suddenly said as he went to the door "Well then, just call me when this Perverted Sage appears, I have some business to attend to."

Hiruzen nodded and signaled for him to go. After Naruto left the room, Anko asked "Can he really get rid of my cursed seal?"

Hiruzen nodded and replied "I'm sure he could. I mean, he mastered [Fuinjutsu] within a week, read the [Flying Thunder God Jutsu] in an hour then learned it in a day."

Anko was again shocked beyond belief and replied with a dry laugh "He learned the 4th Hokage's Signature Jutsu in a day? Are you sure he isn't a 'God of Shinobi' in disguise?"

Hiruzen merely smiled and smoked his pipe thinking 'I'm not sure about that but I know for certain that it's the birth of the next one if that's not the case.'

(A/N: Ahh… Anyway… Leave a power stone if you like the story. Thanks!)

次の章へ