chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Exam Start
Disclaimer: I've never even called Japan, let alone visited. Never met Kishimoto Masashi either so we're not nearly buddy-buddy enough for him to hand me the rights to his work. I guess you'll have to settle for reading this here instead of in the official series.
A/N: Fair warning once again. There will be moments that some may find disturbing and socially unacceptable in the coming chapters. You were warned previously that this would happen, so if you are against the actions taking place then don't read them. The actions I refer to are torture, assault and attempted rape. As I said previously there is one known instance of actual rape, but that won't be until a bit later, but it is closing in fast. The fic is going to be taking a bit of a darker turn during the next chapters and I'm sorry for that and that it doesn't match the categories but they only let me put up two categories when it should be more like eight for this fic.
A few days before the start of the exam found team eight and team eleven walking through the streets of Konoha. Based on outward appearances, none of them had changed at all save for a few additions to their wardrobe. A weapon here and an extra pouch there was all that showed they had done anything new at all for the past near month of training. The only really noticeable difference was that they all seemed to be regarding Naruto with a bit of disdain, but at the same time if one looked closely they could see that they had a certain level of respect for the blond. Even Kurenai, who was not with them at the time, had changed her point of view towards the boy. When her peers asked her about her new accessories she simply said that they were safety precautions and would leave it at that. Those who were still actively pursuing her though found that she hadn't just picked them up for show and was actually able to utilize them somewhat, much to their dismay.
True to Naruto's words, team eight had been approached by some rather undesirable people. Anyone from team seven's genin to the civilian council. Even Sakura's mother approached them claiming to want 'what was best' for her daughter. Every time they were approached it was the same thing though. "What business do you have in the Yondaime's estate?", "Why are you playing with that dobe so much?", "Tell us what that baka is doing in there!", "We demand you tell us what you are learning as it may help the Uchiha succeed." and just like Naruto said they didn't have to say a word. Sure they were threatened with everything from being forced off active duty to torture from Ibiki, but after constant refusal to give away their secrets each person had to back down. Especially after they were threatened, after one too many trips to the Hokage, that those punishments would be wrought on them if they didn't stop interrupting his work. After about a week and a half of trying to bully out what they wanted, They had actually tried gaining entrance to the property. They tried scaling the walls which ended up in a few knocked out members of team seven, forcing their way in as the gate closed which was met with a greater force back considering team eleven plus team eight were ready for them knowing they would try such a thing and the two elders even tried forging papers from the Hokage saying that they were to be granted immediate entrance to secure anything that may be of use to the last Uchiha. That last one got Naruto rather pissed and ended up with him literally dragging the advisers and their precious, though thankfully once more unconscious, Uchiha to the Hokage tower as everyone in the way shrunk back from the killing intent he radiated. The whole trip a pink haired tramp was screaming after them giving Sarutobi ample time to prepare for the imminent storm. After that incident the events died down a little. Sasuke still attempted to gain entrance every now and then, but the advisers were more or less curbed.
"So why are we taking a walk now Naruto-san?" Harume now had a wakizashi strapped to her back and her jutte at her side. She was now proficient with both weapons, not a master by any means, but good enough that she wouldn't stab herself and could actually pose a threat.
"The exams start soon, so that means our competition will be starting to drift in. We're looking for them to see what we might be up against, so hide what you can of your abilities." Once said Harume moved her jutte a bit so it was hidden by her clothing, but there was little she could do about her sword. "Good, now be on the lookout for anyone that doesn't belong." They spent the next two hours just walking around chatting as though they were just a bunch of friends hanging out. Initially they didn't see anyone that didn't belong, but as time went by they started seeing more and more ninja from other villages. There wasn't much to go by, but they could at least see some of the weapons they would be up against. They could easily tell who were new to the exams though. The ones that were looking around in every direction at once trying to decided what to do in a foreign village. Then there were the veterans. Ninja that had taken this test before and for one reason or another had to take it again. Those ninja just sat around in restaurants or walked casually through the streets not even bothering to look at their surroundings except when a hot girl or guy would walk by. The group already had to give out several warnings on conduct in a foreign village to numerous people. Most of which just snuffed at them before walking off to find new prey.
It was about noon when they heard a ruckus around one corner and decided to investigate. What they found was a black suited ninja from Suna holding up a scared little kid, while a disheveled Sakura and Kiba threw insults at them. His teammate seemed to want him to just put the kid down before their other teammate showed up. They seemed to be afraid of whoever the person was, but despite that the guy didn't listen and drew back to hit the kid. A rock impacted his hand right when teams eight and eleven made their presence known.
"You may want to put the kid down before you give me an excuse to kick your asses down the street pajama boy." Sasuke was standing in a nearby tree with a smirk on his face, though looking a bit ragged like his teammates, while Sakura praised his ability to hit a hand...from fifteen feet away...
'He's kind of cute for a Konoha-nin, but why do they look like they've just been through a fight?' The blond Suna kunoichi seemed to be checking out the raven haired boy, which he apparently noticed as his smirk deepened and he jumped down.
"You seem like a strong kunoichi unlike the females here. Maybe you'd like to go back to my place and get to know one another." He stalked a bit closer but was blocked by the black suited shinobi who threw the kid he was holding to the side.
"That's my sister you're talking about pal, so unless you want to be a few limbs shorter I suggest you back...off...!" The boy hoisted the package that was strapped to his back.
"Kankurō! You can't use that here we'll get thrown out." The girl narrowed her eyes at the boy as she scolded him.
'Shut up Temari. I'm not letting this punk anywhere near you. But you're right, I shouldn't need karasu for this weakling." He smirked but all motion stopped as killing intent flooded the alley.
"Kankurō, stop before you embarrass us." A red haired boy appeared on a branch of the same tree Sasuke had just left.
"B-but Gaara, they started it!." Kankurō tried to reason with the new arrival.
"Shut up, or I'll kill you."
Temari and Kankurō began to sweat now. "G-Gaara, please let's just go. Come on, listen to your onee-san. Please?"
Said boy vanished in a whirl of sand and appeared in front of the other two. "Never have I thought of you as my siblings. If you get in my way, I will kill you." He walked past them as they all stood there frozen. Though one of them managed to talk.
"Hold it there. You're from Suna? What business do you have walking around these streets?" Kiba managed to quell the invisible force a little, but most of those present wanted to smack him across the head for asking such a stupid question.
"Yeah what business does Suna have in Konoha?!" Yeah, most didn't include the bubblegum princess.
It was Hinata who answered for them though. "They are most likely here for the chūnin exams, as are most of the foreign ninja that are currently in the village."
"Oh Hinata! I heard about what your dad did to you. That's too bad. Hey, now that you're not a clan heir anymore, how about we continue our date? Ditch the dobe and I'll show you what a real date is!" Kiba began walking over to her but was stopped by a sword, heavy ice boots and a kunai backed by the sound of buzzing insects.
"You may want to back off Kiba-san. Naruto-kun wouldn't like your advances on his girlfriend." Haku spat at him. To which he just growled.
The exchange seemed to intrigue the Suna-nin as they couldn't figure out who this Naruto was, or why he had such loyalty from obviously more than just his team, while other ninja from the same village seemed to detest him if the looks on the other three faces meant anything. "And where is this Naruto you speak of? The coward seems to have hidden before he was in danger." Kiba growled out.
"Just enjoying the view." Everyone jumped in surprise. Even Gaara raised his head a bit and widened his eyes a fraction. As the three Suna-nin turned they revealed a blond teen standing only a couple feet behind them. Arms crossed and leaning against the nearby fence as he cleaned his fingernails with a kunai. "These types of exchanges amuse me. They amuse you too don't they Gaara-san?" Naruto evened his eyes with the redhead and held his ground.
Temari couldn't believe it. Here was a boy, about the age of her youngest brother, who had snuck around them and gotten this close without any of them noticing. Quite the feat considering Gaara was always on guard due to his life. 'Forget the raven guy though. Wow... what a piece this guy is. He's not a 'pretty boy' like the other one, but I can practically feel the power rolling off him. Maybe if I'm lucky Gaara won't kill him. Then all I have to do is get him to see I'm twice the woman his little girlfriend is.' She was brought out of her daze as Gaara began walking once again followed by Kankurō.
Gaara stopped only once more to turn and look at Naruto again. "Naruto-san. You are like me. I look forward to when we prove our existence." A simple comment, but one that sent shivers down the Suna-nins' spines, and dashed Temari's hopes.
Once the three left Naruto turned back towards his companions. "Ok let him go." Haku, Harume and Shino released Kiba and backed up, though staying between the boy and Hinata, weapons still at hand just in case. "Team seven I suggest you move along and we will do the same. We all have stuff to do I'm sure."
"Taking the cowards way out then huh dobe?"
Naruto took a moment to think then turned to the last Uchiha. "Sasuke-chan, if you are that desperate to beat me then I suggest you wait until the exam. That way you can show us all just how superior you are. Besides, you don't look like you just got out of a fight and I wouldn't want to give you any excuses as to why you might lose." His friends didn't know whether to laugh at the obvious jabs or to roll their eyes at the teme for actually believing such a thing.
"You're right dobe, for once. It'll be so much better to humiliate you in front of everyone then to take you out in some back alley. And just because Kakashi is trying to, as he puts it, 'beat some sense into you.' That doesn't mean I won't wipe the floor with you." He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave, signaling to his teammates that it was time to go.
"Well as amusing as that was to watch, try not to kill him before the exams. I think it's about time that he gets to show off just how badly he can beat me in front of the whole village. I'm sure by the end they'll be screaming his name...followed by a call for a medic." Naruto turned and did his best impression of an emo with a stick up his ass much to his friends amusement as they walked off to scout some more.
• • •
The next day everyone was ordered by Naruto to take the remaining time off from training and relax. He didn't want them risking any last minute injuries, but they were told to keep their weights on. Everyone was a bit happy at this as yesterday was the only 'relaxation' day they thought they would get, even though it ended up being a bit of a death march considering how heavy they were now. Walking around for hours left them a bit sore and they could use the time to recuperate. Back at Naruto's estate the three were simply relaxing as they read, did some house upkeep or gathered their supplies for the exam. Since Naruto knew that at least one part would be in the forest he told them to be prepared for a full mission outside of Konoha with the chance of fighting extremely high. They were shocked when he told them what he knew, and Kurenai could do little but confirm it since he told her that the kodachi she was carrying came from the body of one chūnin hopeful. That put her off a bit, but Naruto reasoned with her that it was better that it got put to use rather then rusting on the forest floor.
It was slightly before lunch when there was noise at the gate. Naruto got up from polishing his katana and ninja-to and went outside, leaving the two ladies in the living room to read their scrolls. He was met at the gate by the blond haired Suna-nin from the day before. "Ah...um...Temari-san, what can I do for you? And um...how did you find this place?"
Temari blushed a bit. She didn't want to admit she'd followed him the night before once she was free of her two brothers to roam the village alone. Sure she had to fight off a few pests, but when she saw his house she knew he had to be something special. Her team was forced to study maps of the village to familiarize themselves with it as much as possible, and this house was one of the buildings marked with warnings all over it. The Yondaime's estate that supposedly no one could enter on account of the Sandaime's order and ownership of the property along with the high probability of traps contained within. Anyone who could get a Kage to give up their personal land had to be someone important. "Um, you're Naruto-san right?" She got a nod and she shifted her feet. She wasn't used to this, but when her jōnin sensei pushed her to do it so they could find out more about him and his team she reluctantly agreed. Baki had originally wanted her to go after the Uchiha, but after hearing about their encounter, and how even Gaara was a bit surprised at the unknown boy, he decided to switch targets. "Uh I was wondering if you could show me a little more around this place. Since my team is from the desert it's not very often we get to see a whole lot of...green."
Now it was Naruto's turn to get a little embarrassed. "Well as much as I would like to Temari-san, I don't know that my girlfriends would appreciate me going out with someone I just met."
"Oh I'm sure your...wait did you say girlfriends?!" She stared at him wide-eyed trying to process the information. 'Oh great so he's a womanizer, but...no, he seems more worried about them rather than himself, or is it that he doesn't see me as attractive enough?' She didn't know whether to be angry or feel dejected.
"Um...yeah? It's a long story, but if you want you can come in and I'll see if they want to come along. I'm sure if they can come too it won't be a big deal." He could see the despair on her face, but he wasn't about to cheat anymore than he felt he was doing already, no matter how pretty she was. Temari reluctantly nodded and was led into the house. "Haku-chan, Hinata-chan, you remember Temari-san from yesterday?" Both girls looked up, made a bit of a sour face and went back to reading. 'Well that could have gone better.' "A-anyhow, Temari-san wanted to know if we would escort her around the village. To get a resident's view I guess, so how about it? Do you two want to help me give her a tour?"
Once again they looked up, then looked at each other, then back up to the two addressing them. A curt nod was their only reply as they got up and the small group left the house. Hinata was the first to start up conversation. "Naruto-kun tomorrow is a light maneuver day right?"
Naruto took up a bit of a thinking pose. "Hai, you may want to let your team know later."
"Light maneuver day?"
"Ah, sorry Temari-san. Training secrets and all. Can't tell you, sorry." Haku and Hinata did a little victory dance in their heads. Oh how they were going to enjoy this.
• • •
It was a long day and they definitely made the most of it. Naruto and his girls made sure to show Temari everything that would be considered an attraction. Soon it was no longer just Naruto who was showing Temari around, but Haku and Hinata gave their input as well. After they had explained their rather unique situation to her they began to get along extremely well, often going off to whisper secrets where Naruto couldn't hear and coming back giggling and or blushing. Practically the only thing they didn't talk about when Naruto was around was Naruto. Temari did try to pry into their training and strengths a bit, but, at Naruto's warning that she was getting into dangerous waters, she stopped. After a brief dinner at Ichiraku's where Naruto was once again tormented by the owner and his daughter, they walked Temari to her apartment and said their farewells. Temari even gave them all a kiss on the cheek as thanks causing all three to blush and Temari to walk up the stairs to her team's hotel room laughing. Her demeanor only changed once she was safely inside the room.
"What did you find out Temari?" Baki startled her from the shadows on the other side of the room.
She hated when he did that. It was like he was trying to show off to her. Did he expect her to jump into his arms like a scared little schoolgirl? "Other then that the guy has his own house, has no parents and two girlfriends that live with him? Not much. Every time I tried to ask about their training or what jutsu they liked the most, their mouths shut quickly. He may be friendly, but he's careful."
"So it was a waste of time then? Shit. I should have sent you with that arrogant Uchiha. He probably would have spilled it all with a kiss. Hell, we probably could have turned him to our side if you went a little further."
"Bastard! I'm not just some object here. I'm not going to give anything to that weak little prick. If you think I'm just going to whore myself out for information you've got another thing coming!"
Baki was going to retort back, but Gaara decided to make his presence known. "You are both two loud." He was standing in the doorway to the bedroom glaring at them both.
"S-sorry Gaara. We'll keep it down. I'm going to get some rest." She sent another scowl at Baki before heading into the bedroom where Kankurō was busy working on his puppet. "Kankurō, don't leave this room until I wake up. Baki-sensei has me on edge and I don't need him trying anything, and try to keep it to a dull roar please while I get some sleep."
"Hai, hai." Kankurō just waved her on. This wasn't the first time she'd done this to him and he really couldn't blame her. Their sensei was chosen because he was the least afraid of them. A man who sought power over his own safety. When they graduated he had jumped at the opportunity to get close to the Kazekage's children, and for some reason they couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted more. That was proven on one mission where Baki attempted to crawl into Temari's tent at night only to be caught during the struggle by Gaara's sand before he was whipped out of the tent and into a tree. The only reason Gaara had acted though was because Baki was making too much noise. Kankurō was up by then however and he and Temari told Gaara that if Baki tried anything again that they would make more noise than ever. The boy had fixed all of them with an icy glare and told them that if they disturbed him again he would kill them all. After that, it had settled down as Temari forced Kankurō to sleep in her tent. Gender be damned, she wasn't going to have her sensei knock her up for power.
Though Baki looked in every now and then to 'check on them' he never was able to try anything. He knew that if he tried anything that if Gaara didn't kill him, Temari and Kankurō would put up enough of a fuss to have Konoha's ANBU there in no time. Thus he was stuck putting his personal plans on hold a while longer in favor of babysitting the three genin on this little excursion. Not only that but he couldn't risk them getting injured or caught while there was still a job to do, so he would have to wait. After a brief, uncomfortable dinner they all turned in for the night which Baki spent on the couch. There was no point in keeping a guard since Gaara didn't sleep anyway.
• • •
The next morning teams eight and eleven were in higher spirits than normal. It was a light maneuver day and that meant Naruto would be deactivating their weights so they could get used to their new speed and strength. They were thoroughly warned yet again not to overdue it since the exams were tomorrow, so they all went for a bit of a nature hike outside of the village. Even Kurenai was able to join them after clearing her duties for the day with the Hokage. The day was largely uneventful though since Naruto and Kurenai insisted they rest since a few of them had been walking around the day before with weights on the whole time. It wouldn't have been so bad had Naruto not been increasing their weights after every light maneuver day. By now they had the beginnings of little pictures where their seals were, though only one person knew what they would turn out to be and that was the one who applied the seals.
They had a nice picnic at a nearby lake and just walked around in the woods a bit, enjoying each others' company and going over strategies based on what they had discovered as they were scouting. They were able to put together a pretty comprehensive list of who all would be in the exam, and that list was by no means small. There were teams from almost every country, or in some cases, multiple teams. They saw ninja that looked like they had been through the exam a couple of times, but all they could learn from those ninja was that the exams were never the same in any two villages. Not the biggest of help and Kurenai was sworn not to tell anything. The only part they really knew about was the forest of death was involved and the main tournament in the stadium that everyone was invited to attend.
All in all they only had a marginally better idea of what they were getting into but every little bit would help, so they drank all the information up and sorted out each tiny detail. The teams that made them the most nervous though were those from Suna, Oto, Kumo and Kusa. Even though Oto was rather new they held themselves with an almost Uchiha level of arrogance. Kumo made the list strictly because of Hinata's past with them. Kusa, they all agreed, was just creepy. Lastly Suna had Gaara, someone that Naruto warned them was not one to be taken lightly, and anyone Naruto seemed nervous about was definitely someone they would try to stay away from.
After their information exchange they returned to their houses for personal training time until they would turn in for the night. All of them left feeling a bit anxious, yet excited at the prospect of passing the exam the next day.
• • •
None of them had been to the academy since graduating and a couple of them felt a little bad about not visiting their old instructors, for now though they needed to keep their minds on other things. Namely the first exam. Teams eight and eleven met outside the academy and entered together, passing the crowd of chūnin hopefuls on the second floor as they followed Naruto to the third. They could hear the Uchiha pushing his weight around behind them, and groaned a bit since he had single-handedly given them more competition. 'Oh well at least there will be some easy pickings if we have to fight early on.' was the general thought amongst them. They soon found themselves in a large classroom along with other people who had already arrived and just took a spot against a wall and kept to themselves. At least that was the plan.
A few minutes later team seven burst through the door with Sasuke looking a bit dirtier than before, though that didn't seem to deter Sakura or Ino from glomping him. Kiba once again tried to make a B-line for Hinata, but was smart enough to think twice when he saw who was around her. Namely the same three who had stopped him previously. He started to growl a bit but another leaf genin walked up to them. One with silver hair and glasses.
"You fresh genin need to learn to keep it down. Can't you sense the atmosphere? Everyone is already tense from their nervousness." The unrecognized Konoha-nin looked around at the fresh arrivals, weighing them individually and making a few of them rather uncomfortable.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Yakushi Kabuto and I'm somewhat of a veteran of this exam."
"Oh really? How many times have you taken it Kabuto-san?" Sakura tried to be polite in front of fellow ninja of the village.
Kabuto scratched his nose in embarrassment. "Heh, this will be my seventh time trying." The Konoha genin were shocked.
"Wow seven times?! You must really suck!" Kiba couldn't help but laugh earning a smack on the back of his head from Sakura.
"Heh. That may be, but thanks to doing this so many times I've been able to gather a lot of good information." Kabuto whipped out a deck of cards and shuffled them. "These are my nin-info cards. I have information on everyone attending this year. Since you're new I'll be nice and help you out a bit. Is there anyone here you want information on?"
Sasuke stepped forward. "I want information on Sabaku no Gaara of Suna, Rock Lee of Konoha and Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha." He glared over at the last boy named whom narrowed his eyes in return. 'Finally I'll get some dirt on you dobe.'
"Oh you know their names already? That's no fun." Shuffling his deck again Kabuto pulled out three cards. "Let's see Rock Lee is first, He's done about twenty D-rank and eleven C-rank missions. Not bad considering he's a year older than you. He excels at Taijutsu, but ninjutsu and genjutsu are nearly non existent. This will be his first time entering with his team of Harusada Tenten and Hyūga Neji." Naruto hugged Hinata a little closer when he saw her tense at her cousin's name. "Next up is Sabaku no Gaara. His team has completed eight C-rank and, wow, one B-rank mission. It says he's come back from every one of them unharmed. A genin doing a B-rank is highly unusual, but to be unharmed afterward is unheard of. Skills are unknown, but this is also his first year along with his teammates and siblings, his older brother Kankurō and their older sister Temari. Well, last one has to be Uzumaki Naruto." Kabuto channeled a little chakra into the last card to get the information to display, but as soon as the statistics began to show the card disappeared. No one missed the event as the card was being held right in front of them. They all looked around to see Naruto casually walking back to his friends twirling the card in his fingers.
"Give that back dobe!" Sasuke made a lunge for the card as it was his last chance to get any decent information on the blond. He was easily dodged though before he found an all too familiar blade at his throat. Naruto stood with his ninja-to bearing arm outstretched with the tip gently resting right on Sasuke's collarbone easily within reach of numerous fatal points. Sasuke could only grit his teeth as Naruto turned to address Kabuto.
"Kabuto-san. You are playing a dangerous game. I would advise you not give out any further information about my friends or myself, otherwise you will end up just like this card." With that he flipped the card into the air before taking his sword from Sasuke's throat and slashing the unique piece of information into little slivers, ruining whatever seals made it function. "Do I make myself clear?" His gaze was even and fixed on his fellow Konoha shinobi, who was now backing up a bit and waving his hands defensively.
"N-no harm meant Naruto-san. I just like to gather information. It's a bit of a hobby of mine. Perhaps a little general information would be ok? Just something about the exam as a whole?" Naruto wasn't convinced about his sincerity, but nodded his consent. "Before that may I ask one question? I noticed that all of your mission ranks had a positive number listed. Is that accurate?" He cocked an eyebrow at the blond, his interest was obviously piqued.
"Hn. The dobe showed up on our C-rank turned A-rank mission that we did about a month ago. He was just lucky to be sent as the backup that we never needed." Naruto and Haku just rolled their eyes at the avenger.
"No, my cards list D-rank...to S-rank. There were no zeros..." The heads of everyone close enough to hear the statement shot over to Naruto, who in turn was now glaring at Kabuto.
"The listings of S-rank missions is privileged information Kabuto-san. I don't know how you got it, but I will find out." Naruto narrowed his eyes in obvious suspicion, while others were staring at him in either awe or hatred. Noticing the looks around him he knew he was in for questions. "Before anyone asks, I don't know anything about any S-rank missions so Kabuto-san's card must be inaccurate. That or he was mistaken in what he saw."
Despite Naruto's denial, Sasuke was fuming at the possibility of the dobe already having an S-rank mission under his belt. 'How dare they give him such glory. I will go to that old bastard myself and demand a mission of the same rank. I will not let you hold anything over my head dobe.'
Sakura and Ino were trying to convince themselves that their Sasuke-kun could have done an S-rank mission easily if the baka was able to. Only one was actually able to stay strong in her reasoning though, while Ino found herself wondering if Naruto had really done such a high mission. She decided to find out what she could later. Being the gossip queen she hoped to find someone willing to spill at least a little bit of dirt on him.
Hinata and Haku couldn't have been more proud of their boyfriend, and stood there all smiles even though they knew that divulging such information was extremely dangerous in this environment. Still, they couldn't help but wonder what kind of S-rank mission he could have performed. The rumors of such missions were not for the feint of heart or weak of stomach normally. They shuddered to think of him assassinating some important political figure, or worse, their family.
Kiba was suddenly finding himself wanting to dig a hole to hide in. If what Kabuto said was true, then there was almost no hope of him measuring up to Naruto. That didn't mean he wouldn't try though. There are more ways to a woman's...heart then strength after all.
Most of those ninja not of Konoha that had overheard the announcement, edged away a bit and promised themselves that, regardless of whether the information was accurate, they would give Naruto's team a wide berth if they had to do any fighting. Others were giving him measuring glances, as if sizing up for themselves just how much of a threat he could pose to them.
"Well, maybe. Anyway here is one showing the make-up of this years exam. It shows the number of ninja that are taking it from each country. The biggest turnout is from Konoha of course, but there are some decent numbers from Kumo and a couple of the smaller countries. Oto is a newly founded hidden village, but since they are so new they probably won't pose much of a threat." His talk was stopped short as a shape made it's way through the crowd and swung at Kabuto, barely missing.
"Foolish." Was all Naruto said before turning back and joining his friends.
"What do you mean Naruto-kun?"
"He just gave away his main attack." The others looked past him to see Kabuto now kneeling on the floor showing everyone what his last meal was.
Questions were waylaid though when a large puff of smoke exploded at the front of the classroom revealing a tall man in a black trench coat. "Alright you ungrateful insects, knock it off before I throw you out of the exam. Now everyone get to your assigned seats it's time to start the first part of the exam!" As the ninja scrambled to their seats they found papers there waiting for them. "Do not look at the paper in front of you until I say. Now for the rules." Ibiki explained all about how the test would proceed with points being taken off for cheating and if your team's points reached zero you would fail. "The tenth question will be given at the end of the test. Until then, good luck. You may begin!" Heads bowed and papers flipped as the genin took their first looks at the paper. It was obvious to anyone that wasn't a complete moron that the whole test was a sham and soon enough people were getting disqualified for cheating.
"N-Naruto-kun. You can copy my answers if you need to." Hinata told her neighbor since he hadn't seemed to move in awhile. He only seemed to scribble on the paper a little bit before turning it over and setting his head on the desk.
"No thanks Hinata-chan. I'm already finished." He leaned forward again and was about to close his eyes when a shadow formed up in front of him.
"Giving up already boy?" Ibiki loved this exam. It was his own little taste of mental torture. The temperature of the room was a little higher to cause irritability, the pressure of being watched and the far too difficult questions. People would usually give up or get caught. Yet here was someone who decided to sleep amongst the stress. The boy looked up then and Ibiki instantly knew why.
"Ah, hello Ibiki-san. I hadn't paid much attention to who the proctor was. I hope our little excursion didn't deter you from doing your job."
Just like that Ibiki was on the defensive. "Ah. No, we managed and thanks to your help it was a lot easier than it could have been." That was all he was willing to give as he turned away to yell at a random genin for cheating, receiving a little laugh from Naruto who in turn was getting mixed looks from many in the classroom. After almost an hour a good number of genin had already been disqualified and Naruto still had his head down. "Alright it's time for the last question, but first there are some more rules." Once again the man spouted out his rules for the tenth question. There were cries of how unfair it was, but he gave them the choice of leaving and failing, or staying and answering the question. Getting it wrong would result in a lifetime of being a genin. Getting it right allowed you to the next part of the exam.
Naruto waited until there were just a few weak teams left then gave a short speech on how he would never back down no matter what. That it was his nindo. This caused a boost of courage to everyone left much to Ibiki's ire. "This is your last chance. Leave or face the possibility of being genin forever! No one? Then you all...Pass!" It was quiet for a minute before the classroom erupted with noise. Ibiki explained how it was a simulated life-or-death choice that they could encounter on any mission as a chūnin. "There is no bed and drinks for anyone who gets captured." He took off his bandana revealing his scarred head. "The price of information is far to great for anyone to be sparred an ounce of pain. If you are unwilling to face such a consequence then you are unfit to be a chūnin. The rest of the test was simply information gathering and spy skills. If you get caught out in the field trying to gain secrets, then this is the outcome." He wanted to give them a few minutes to let it sink in, but it was not to be as a black ball shot through the window and a banner shot out introducing the next proctor.
"My name is Mitarashi Anko and I am the proctor for the second part of the exam!" She grinned and gave them all a thumbs-up.
"Anko...can't you read the mood?" Ibiki peeked from around the banner.
Anko looked around the room and sweat-dropped. "Ibiki you left so many teams. You're slipping in your old age."
"No we just have some unusually talented genin this time. Especially that one in the third row on the right." He whispered back to her.
She looked to where he indicated and gasped. There he was, sitting and staring through her with those deathly cold blue orbs. The same ones that had haunted her since she first saw them. She was reminded of the last thing he told them when they met in Orochimaru's lair and shivered. "I see what you mean. Well, anyhow. Your next exam will be held in training ground forty-four. Follow me and don't be late!" With that she was gone with all the genin hopefuls hot on her heels.
Ibiki began to gather the test sheets from around the room, but stopped when he got to a certain sheet. Two things caught his eye about the completed paper. One was a seal that he'd never seen before. The other was a note at the bottom.
'Ibiki-san. The genin Yakushi Kabuto seems to know a bit more information than he should about everyone here. I would advise you keep an eye on him. Give this paper to Hokage-sama.'
He turned to one of his assistants. "Finish up here. I need to go talk to Hokage-sama." Receiving nods of understanding he walked out, quietly wondering what the blond boy was up to.
• • •
The tall gate surrounded the clump of forest that was separated from the rest of the land around it. Warning signs were posted at every gate and all over the areas between stating a horrible demise to anyone that passed them. It was a rather intriguing thing to Naruto every time he saw it, but to those new to the place he could see the worry and fear written all over them. His rather tight nit group of friends stuck together though. They already had a plan for this part of the exam and thanks to Naruto's knowledge of the forest, they had a decent map. The only part they really paid attention to when Anko was talking, was when she described the process with the scrolls. This of course didn't go over too well with Anko since she was used to having all eyes on her if her dress was any sign.
*swish*
The sharp edge of a kunai flew by Naruto's cheek, cutting into it slightly as a figure appeared behind him. "You know you really should be more aware Naruto-kun. This place is dangerous and you might get hurt. Try not to cry too much in there." Everyone that didn't know Naruto's true abilities was snickering to all out laughing causing a smile to grace Anko's lips. To add effect she licked the spot where the blade had cut. "Mmm, I like the taste of your blood. If you die in their I may just have to take another sample."
"Unless you're willing to back up that promise Anko-san, I suggest you let go of my boyfriend." Unknown to Anko, Haku had appeared behind her much like she had done to Naruto, and now held a senbon at the proctor's neck. "Unless of course you want me to let him have a taste of your blood in return?"
Anko smirked on the outside, but on the inside felt the chill of the threat pass through her. Out of the corner of her eye she also caught one of the Kusa genin licking his lips with an abnormally long tongue sending another chill down her spine. Letting Naruto go she smiled at Haku before continuing her speech noting that throughout the whole ordeal Naruto had never once moved, but was instead smirking at her. Unlike Haku's chill and that form the Kusa genin, Naruto's was much different to her. More like a thrill that she had rarely felt and as such didn't know how exactly to categorize it. She felt like she was actually experiencing his determination. It was like she wanted to follow him just to see where he was going, something that she hadn't felt since the early days that she was with her former sensei. Shaking the thought aside she continued with her speech about the forest and its rules before having them all sign wavers to relieved Konoha of any trouble should one of them die inside. With that done, each team got a scroll and made their way to their assigned gate.
Teams eight and eleven were close to each other with only two teams separating them, so it wouldn't be to much trouble finding each other inside. The biggest issue would be the Kumo teams closest to team eight who had been stealing glances at Hinata the whole morning. Before splitting up the two teams made arrangements on where to meet up in the forest. They picked a spot a few hundred meters in the would provide ample cover should they need to ambush someone. The plan was to meet up then start systematically taking out teams together until both teams had the scrolls they needed. They would now be five on three for most teams they encountered, but they weren't naive enough to think that they would be the only ones using this strategy. Once the sign was given they, along with every other team, shot into the forest.
It was just their luck. Team eight just had to have the two Kumo teams on either side of them. Now they were pincered between them in a small clearing about halfway to their meeting point, and it was all too clear that they weren't after a scroll.
"Hello pretty little Hyūga, would you like to be my girlfriend? I'm sure our Kage would love to have a few byakugan babies running around." The man was well over twice her age yet here he was trying to make a pass at her? "Come on what do ya say? We could even start working on that right now." He wiggled his eyebrows at her making her want to retch.
Shino and Harume did their best to stay between the two teams and Hinata, it wasn't looking good though as six on three odds never did. "We would advise you to not take such actions with our teammate. She is already with another and I do not think he would be pleased to know you are thinking such things."
"Hah! Like I would be afraid of some weak, little Konoha brat. If he were half them man I am he would have knocked this little whore up ages ago and she wouldn't even be here now. I see though that words are futile with you so I suppose we should start this little dance?" As one all of the Kumo ninja took up fighting stances. They were stuck with single target tactics as they were under orders to not harm the Hyūga more than was necessary to capture her. At the fall of a random leaf the action began and the first major fight of the second exam commenced.
Naruto and Haku made it to the meeting point with little trouble. They had met one team on the way, but easily overcame them as it was one of the teams Naruto had purposely instilled courage into during the first part of the exam. They were easily subdued as they were not ready for a life or death fight, so when faced off against someone who was so obviously confident of his abilities they cowered and gave up. Now the two were waiting and Naruto was getting anxious. "They should have been here by now Haku."
"I know. Something doesn't feel right. Should we go look for them? Those Kumo teams ended up pretty close when we were assigned gates. It's possible that they teamed up on them." Haku was watching him pace back and forth. She knew in her gut that something wasn't right. They had trained together with team eight all this time and she knew they were faster than this even if they weren't as fast as Naruto and herself, but then they had both been through hell training all their life whether self inflicted or forced.
"That's what worries me. Quick, let's go! I don't want to be waiting here only to find out later that they got ambushed." The two darted off along the most likely path team eight would have taken from their gate as fast as they could.
Shino was panting as he stood between all six Kumo-nin and an unconscious Hinata. Harume was off to the side being pinned down and fending off her two molesters as best she could. As soon as the fight started four of the Kumo nin had taken out Hinata while the other two kept him and Harume busy. Now he was low on chakra from fighting to keep his comrades safe, and he had been doing admirable until Harume got a little too far away and got captured. Now they were threatening to rape her and kill her in front of him if he didn't hand over the Hyūga girl and he was torn as to what to do The situation was taken out of his hands though when he heard the tearing of cloth. His head shot around to see that Harume's shirt was torn in half displaying her small, bra-clad bust underneath. He felt his rage churning at the men who were assaulting his teammate and his swarm shot out of him to attack them.
No sooner had the insects left him did he realize the error of his first hasty action. A boot implanted itself in his side, launching him far from his team as he crashed into a nearby tree. He was dazed but managed to stand only to be kicked in the other direction. A game of human football started amongst the Kumo-nin and they laughed as Harume was nearly in tears from the anger she felt.
Meanwhile the remaining two Kumo-nin were standing over their true prey. One was the man who had initially spoken to them, and the now obvious leader of the group. "Heh I almost feel for her, not having the chance to feel this properly."
"You know Omezo, if Raikage-sama hadn't given you permission to do this I would kill you for even thinking such a thing. I mean she's younger than my sister for Kami's sake."
"Oh shut up. If you're not going to let me enjoy this then get the hell out of here." Omezo leaned down and released himself from the confines of his jeans. Then with a strong pull tore open Hinata's jacket, but the brief glimpse of her black shirt was all he would get to see as a knee suddenly made contact with his face. "What the fu..." He looked up just in time to dodge the sword strike aimed right at his manhood as he hastily pulled his pants back up while leaping away. Taking a few seconds he looked around to take in the situation at hand. The blond who had attacked him was checking the Hyūga's vitals with one hand while the other held out a ninja-to towards him. The other girl was being helped back to her feet by a brunette who had seemingly knocked both of his countrymen off of their captive. The bug user was leaning against a tree holding his side while his two assailants were getting into a battle stance and glaring at the blond who was now standing protectively over the Hyūga signifying he was finished checking her.
"What do you want boy? Get out of my way and maybe I'll let you have a chance or two at her friend over there. Of course you'll have to give your teammate to us in exchange, but I'd say that's a pretty good deal wouldn't you?" He swore he saw the boy's eyes flicker red for an instant.
"You attempted to rape my girlfriend and you're now trying to ask me to step aside and let you continue? Not only that but you want me to give up Haku-chan to? You must be insane to think I would let you." Naruto snarled at Omezo changing his stance slightly by bringing his sword in front of him.
"You say I'm insane? I'm not the one outnumbered. You came with one little girl, and if I recall correctly she is your only teammate. Even if the other team were in top condition you'd still be outnumbered. Give it up boy your girlfriend is no longer yours she belongs to Kumo." He signaled to his comrades and they charged the newly arrived genin. He, along with the two that had been playing with Shino went after Naruto, while the other three went for Haku and Harume.
Naruto took two steps forward and leapt over the attack, throwing kunai as they ran under him. All three blocked and spun to attack once more, but the little diversion gave Naruto all the time he needed as ten kage bunshin popped up around him already charging their attackers. Cursing, the three Kumo-nin jumped back and each started a set of hand seals. They attacked in unison calling out "Raikyū" as three balls of lightning shot out at what each thought was the original Naruto, but were all caught off guard when the three targets they attacked burst into smoke. "Shit, kage bunshin! That's not a genin level trick." There were now seven clones left surrounding them. The Kumo-nin brought out their weapons to face off as they would have no time at this range to do another jutsu. Instead they attacked in formation. Two attackers on a bunshin while one guarded their back. It was slow work, but they were progressing.
On the other side of the clearing Haku and Harume were more evenly matched with numbers if not skill. Haku had already incapacitated the female nin that attempted to attack first. She had a bigger mouth than her skill could back up and was taken out quickly with a few well placed senbon. She was alive, but all she could do was watch. The two men on the other hand were more cautious. "Serves that bitch right for thinking she could push her way through just because her father is on the council. Maybe it'll teach the brat that wealth means nothing if you don't have the strength to back it up." At the word strength he brought his own weapon out. A large war-hammer that had no place in a ninja fight, yet he seemed to wield it with ease reminding Haku of Zabuza and his Kubikiri Hōchō . This action however did not impress his opponents.
"You should use something lighter. A mallet perhaps? It's quicker than that club. All that thing will do is weigh you down." Harume stated bluntly as she took out her jutte making both the Kumo-nin laugh.
"This is no place to play cops and robbers girly." Mallet man's teammate whipped out a kama and threw it at the girl's weapon causing her to lose her grip and drop it. "Especially when you can't even keep hold of the weapon.
Harume casually bent down and picked up the kama from it's place on the ground as she swung the jutte back into her grip with the rope that was wound around her forearm. "I didn't drop it. I let it slack so the sickle would fall at my feet. Now I have one of your weapons while mine is still with me." She fixed him with a steady glare as she held her jutte in one hand and the newly acquired kama in the other. She was determined to get back at this one as he was the one who bared her chest. An unforgivable act in her books.'
The man just smirked. "Ok, so you got one of my kama, but don't get cocky yet." Moving his hands behind his back he brought out two more of the weapons. "Lesson one. Always bring spares."
"Lesson two. Always bring muscle." The mallet man rose his hammer over his shoulder.
"Lesson three. Always bring speed." With that the two shot forward towards the girls.
Haku just stood there with Harume on guard. "Lesson four. Watch your footing." As she said this both men put another foot down only to have it slide out from under them. They crumpled to the ground, but their momentum kept them moving forward and they were now on a collision course with the two kunoichi. One that both ladies took full advantage of as they used their weapons with practiced grace to incapacitate the men.
The three Kumo-nin were frustrated. It was taking longer than they expected to finish off all these clones, and the scarey part was that kage bunshin were weaker than their creator by far. They eventually got down to the last one and breathed a sigh of relief as they all stabbed into it from a different direction. At least until they heard two words from above them. "Bunshin Daibakuha" The clone exploded sending all three nin in different directions. Naruto gave them no time to recover though as he created more clones and sent them after the Kumo-nin. The woman and one of the men were already down for the count, or worse, and gave him no problems. Omezo however was lucky enough to land in a bush. He staggered out and got into a stance, quickly kicking away the two bunshin that tried to take him down. As he finished the real Naruto landed in front of him. "So you're still alive? Lucky you."
"Yeah lucky me and unlucky you punk. I'm going to kill you in the worst way possible then I'm going to rape your little girlfriends over and over until they beg for more. Then I'll kill them, well all but the Hyūga. Raikage-sama will reward me greatly when I take her back." He began to laugh even as blood started coming out of his mouth. He wiped it away as an afterthought and got ready to charge the boy. Naruto however relaxed his stance and just stood there looking at him. "Giving up? Good choice boy, for making it easy I'll make it quick...well quicker.
"No, I'm not giving up. There is just no need for me to fight you anymore."
"What do you mean? I'm still standing and as long as I'm standing I will hunt you. I promise you that you will not see the end of this day."
"Empty threats from a man who is already dead." Naruto switched his focus behind the man.
Omezo spun quickly to catch whoever was sneaking up on him. The boy made an amateur mistake in letting him know someone was there, but when he looked he didn't see anyone. No, he didn't see anyone...but he felt them. He felt them so much he thought he would explode from the pain. He had gotten part of his wish though as the little Hyūga girl had touched his package by her own choice. Unfortunately she did it with a Jūken strike.
"That's for thinking you could do such things to me without my permission." The now awake Hinata spat in his face before sending a Jūken to each of his joints, sending him to his knees while his arms fell limply at his sides. "That's for thinking you could threaten my Naruto-kun without consequence and this is for being one of the most vile beings on the face of the planet." Without so much as batting an eyelash she sent one of her strongest Jūken strikes at the man's face. She felt the impact, the chakra release and the resulting twitch of the face in her hand. She watched as the man's head snapped backwards. Blood began to ooze from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Then he simply went limp and fell forward on his face and it was over. Hinata stood there over her first kill not quite sure what to do, until two arms enveloped her and a body blocked her view. She attempted to fight off the new attack, but she was in a daze and couldn't think properly. The body brought her closer as she tried to push away. The person was saying something but it sounded like they were talking through water. She looked at their face but it was blurry. Shaking her head she tried to clear her thoughts. A man had attempted to rape her and she killed him. No, she didn't just kill him she decimated his body then assassinated his helpless form.
She fell to her knees, she couldn't breath. She was a killer now, no a murderer. She had killed a man in cold blood. What would her friends think of her now? What would Naruto think of her? She began to sob as the arms around her tightened. She didn't care anymore she wanted this feeling to end so she tugged on the arms trying to get them to crush her faster, but oddly they felt gentle. Almost like they weren't attacking her but rather...hugging her? She looked up again at the persons face, but her eyes were still blurry. Bringing an arm up she wiped her eyes and found them to be wet with tears, but when she pulled her arm away she could see a bit better. She was looking into a face she knew so well. One that she now expected to see loathing in, but instead there was only concern.
"Hinata? Hinata! Breath!" Naruto patted her on the back, she was getting lightheaded but eventually with great effort and the help of Naruto's hand on her back, she took a deep breath. It seemed foreign to her like she hadn't taken one in ages, but when she did she smelled the familiar scent of her boyfriend and it helped to calm her down. She now latched onto him with a death-grip that was no doubt causing him pain as her body was wracked with sobs. "It's ok Hinata. It's over now. Let it all out." He rubbed her back as she cried into his chest and whispered comforting words in her ears. It took nearly a half an hour, but she eventually cried herself to sleep. When he noticed her breathing even out he picked her up bridal style and walked her over to where Shino, Harume and Haku were leaning against a tree watching them. Setting Hinata down he turned his back to them and then looked at their captives. Two male and two female Kumo-nin. His bunshin were standing guard and already going through the ninjas' belongings much to their obvious disapproval. Especially the women when he searched some of their more...private locations. Causing Haku and Harume to get red-faced though from embarrassment or anger one couldn't be certain.
As his clones worked he walked over to the ninja and crouched in front of them. "Tell me your purpose." They all glared at him determined to not be the one to break first and have to explain to the Raikage later why his plans were now known. Naruto sighed at their determination. "Well I wanted to do this the easy way, but since you've decided that you're all suddenly mute I'll have to show you my cure for that." He turned back to his friends. "Killing is one thing, but this is something you may not want to witness. If you have a weak stomach I won't blame you for going elsewhere." They nodded, unsure of what he meant, but saw the look of sorrow in his eyes. Anything that he didn't want to do that much was sure to be an interesting, and horrifying spectacle. They strengthened their resolve however and nodded for him to continue. Naruto sighed. He knew this was going to leave scars, and not the kind that could be seen.
"Hah, what does a gaki like you think he can do to get us to talk. You're still a little too wet behind the ears to talk that big." The mallet man scoffed even though he was bound and guarded he still felt little threat from his captors. They had just gotten lucky, that's all.
Naruto glanced back at the man. He was large and bulky. He absently wondered if he would be the first one to break. Taking a scroll from his pouch he slowly unraveled it to reveal words above seals. They read out as 'Stage one, stage two, stage three.' and so on, but they couldn't see how far the stages went as the scroll was still mostly rolled up and only the first five seals could be seen. Hovering his hand over the first one he channeled his chakra and soon had a set of extremely thin needles in his hand. He smiled as the Kumo-nin laughed at him.
"What are you going to do with those little things gaki? Sew us some new clothes?"
Naruto just ignored the man and looked back at Shino and Haku. "This one will be most useful to the two of you. Shino your insects can use their pincers, though they won't penetrate as deep you have quantity. Haku you have your senbon." That said he turned back around and with agonizingly slow motions he stuck the needles into the ninja in front of him. They soon had needles sticking out of all their finger joints, their elbows and their jaws. They scoffed at him once more.
"Wow, you're such a great torturer. This is more like therapeutic acupuncture boy. I might as well get some slee..." The female ninja didn't get to finish as Naruto took out a senbon of his own and 'twanged' a single needle on each of them, and she soon joined her comrades in screaming. Every time they screamed though the pain increased. "What the...hell was...that!" She managed to cough out before another wave of pain raced overwhelmed her.
"The human body is never completely still, especially when emotional. In this case that emotion is pain. The needles in your body are set at points that have very little space between the joints. As soon as you started moving they started shifting and with the pins in the way nerves were constantly crushed and released. When your body goes through its natural reactions more movements are made and more pain is introduced." He said this as he paced in front of them, every now and then flicking a random pin to keep their movement going. He stole a glance at his friends to see that they were wide eyed and visibly uncomfortable, but otherwise paying attention. Save for Hinata who was still asleep.
After ten minutes he began to pull the pins out one by one until they were all back in his hand and and he resealed them. The Kumo-nin were sore, but still determined, though one of the women looked like she was about to cry. Sighing again he moved his hand over the second seal and pushed chakra into it. Out popped two small jars and a scalpel. One jar held a black tar-like liquid while the other looked to be crystal clear water. The male ninja who had used the kama was still trying to be brave. "So now we...get an oil massage...to go with our...acupuncture?" The grin on Naruto's face promised them only the worst as the women tried to force their bodies not to crawl away from the blond.
Naruto held the clear jar up in front of him. "This is a highly corrosive acid. It's considered highly corrosive not for an ability to eat through something fast, but rather that it can eat through almost anything, but it does so very...very slowly. The only problem is that if it falls on unbroken skin it's ineffective." He placed the jar on the ground in front of them and their eyes followed it warily as he showed them the second jar. "This is the only known counter for it. Once you are ready to talk I'll stop the acid with this." He went down the line and knocked each one to their back before lifting shirts off their stomachs. He went to each one then and made a tiny incision about two centimeters above their navels before dripping one drop of the clear fluid onto them. At first there was no action at all. Then they felt uncomfortable then after half a minute they began writhing before suddenly renewing their screams in an even higher pitch than before. They began to mentally curse the heavens and their country for sending them on this mission as they felt the acid wreaking havoc on their bodies. The odd part was that it was only a drop on their stomach yet it felt like their body was on fire and something was literally eating its way through them.
They had expected it to end like the needles had, but to their dismay Naruto got up and started walking over to his paling friends. That was too much for the daughter of the council member as she began to cry and plead for the pain to stop. Naruto turned to her. "Will you give me the information I want?" Despite the screaming of her two male comrades that they would kill her if she gave in and that she was the slut daughter of her council parents, she nodded as she gritted her teeth. As her female companion collapsed apparently having too much torture for her inexperienced body. She still shook violently though before Naruto smeared the tar-like substance on all of them and their yelling turned to groaning after a couple more minutes. When they had settled enough Naruto knelt in front of the female. "Tell me why are you here."
She ignored the glares and shouts of her companions and looked at him. "T-to get the b-byakugan."
"Ok that much I figured out. Why the six of you. Why not a jōnin or a full blown raid?"
Still sobbing a bit she looked down. "Raikage-sama f-found out there would be two Hyūga in th-this years exams. He d-decided to send us in order to acquire it by any m-means. Omezo was ch-chosen to breed the f-female and steal her away."
"Ok I get that part, but why are you two kunoichi here? Don't you despise the raping of an innocent girl?"
Again the woman turned her head away. 'We had...another p-purpose. Once the girl was secured we were to find the male...and take turns with him. Three b-byakugan kids from one trip to the chūnin exams was worth two kunoichi and re-repercussions from Konoha for kidnapping if they were even able to p-prove anything since we were instructed to k-kill anyone accompanying the two and k-kill the boy after we were done with him."
"I see so this was all just to sate your Kage's lust for a bloodline. Had we met under better circumstances I may have pitied you." Shino walked over from his resting spot to address the kunoichi.
"Well since that is over with there is one more thing to do. Harume join us over here please." The girl stood and hesitantly made her way over as Naruto sealed up his torture supplies and stored the scroll away. "There is something that I need to ask of both of you. It will be an invaluable lesson in the future, but you will hate me for it now." He slowly ushered them over to the two male Kumo-nin before pulling the two men to their knees. "You are going to kill these two men for the attempted raping and kidnapping of a Konoha ninja. An offense that is punishable by death." Both of them stared at him. Harume looked horrified at the though while Shino was more calculating.
"Naruto-san, would it not be wiser to send them to interrogation?"
"Yes Shino it probably would be, but right now you both need this experience and we have two willing individuals right here. Plus those two females will still be alive." The two men began to scream insults trying to hide their fear of impending doom.
Shino moved first as he limped over and pulled out a lone tag. The man screamed at him telling him he didn't have the guts to kill. That he was weak and an insignificant insect. It was funny to Shino to be called an insect and he mused over it in his head before applying the tag to the center of the man's chest. He backed away and made a single ram sign. The man twitched violently then stared blankly forward with his mouth open in a silent scream. The other Kumo ninja were confused until the man's weight and lack of muscle support pulled him face down towards the ground. Out of his back a half meter wooden spike stood covered in still wet blood from it's recent trip through the man's heart. To the side, Shino vaguely registered the still awake female's retching before turning back to the tree and walking behind it where he mimicked the action.
Naruto looked at Harume who had watched what happened with the first man. She was now staring at the second who was staring steely back at her with clear hate in his eyes. Her knees were shaking almost as bad as her hands as she adjusted and readjusted the grip on her wakizashi. "If you're going to do it bitch then get it over with. I don't got all day." The ninja smiled at her and she could tell he knew that one way or another his life was forfeit. Closing her eyes she placed the point of her blade at his throat. Then taking a deep breath she thrust. There wasn't as much resistance as she thought though and she opened her eyes thinking she had missed. She suddenly wished she hadn't though as she looked straight into his eyes as he spurt up one last gout of blood before his eyes glazed over and he slid backwards off her blade. She felt sick and collapsed to her knees. It was cruel of Naruto to make her do this. Too cruel and he was right, she hated him for it. She loathed him and wanted to beat him to a pulp because of it, yet at the same time she knew it had to happen at some point. Better it happen now than in a real fight where she might freeze up from the shock.
Naruto slowly walked over to her and helped her to her feet. She didn't have the willpower to resist him right now as he led her to the tree that Shino was now resting against and placed her next to him before crouching in front of them. "You both did surprisingly well. I expected as much from Shino, but Harume you didn't hesitate as much as I thought you would."
"You make it sound so simple. You must have killed a lot to make it sound so easy." Harume glared at him with the corners of her eyes blurring.
"Yes, I have killed many times, but it is never easy. Taking a life, no matter if it's the first or the hundredth, it's still taking a life and that is never easy. In our line of work though it's kill or be killed and as such we can only do our best to survive and hope that those we cut down deserved their death or that they find peace where ever we sent them." Both of his friends nodded as Haku came over.
"He's right you know. Had we not killed them they would have tried again as soon as they were able. If we sent them to interrogation they would have been in for a lot more pain and than they probably would have been killed anyway. Think of it as saving them from that torture. Does it make what you did any better? No, but reasoning it out sometimes makes it hurt less."
They nodded again before Harume looked at the two kunoichi and the remaining shinobi. "What about them?"
Naruto turned to where she was looking. "The one who talked will stay here for now. If she went back to Kumo they would kill her for turning traitor. Best to let them simmer for awhile until we find out it's safe for her." The girl looked relieved when she heard that. "We will still have to turn her in to interrogation though once they find out she didn't leave with her team." She stiffened but was resigned to her fate. "With any luck she'll get off easy since her parents seem to hold a high office in Kumo. The other one will be sent back along with their sensei and a message of warning not to try again or they will lose more than just a few ninja." His eyes hardened as he walked over to the two kunoichi and untied them. "You will carry her out and take her to one of the proctors. After that you will tell them what you told me and what I told you. Let them know that I will discuss with the Hokage what to do with you once this exam is over. Until then they can detain you but are not to touch you."
"H-hai." She stood up as she struggled with her unconscious comrade and kept her eyes on the ground. She had failed her mission horribly and cracked under pressure. It was torture sure, but she was ashamed that she was the first to break. She looked back toward the Konoha-nin, keeping her eyes to the ground. "I can never go back now. They would kill me when they found out what happened."
"For now just go get some rest and be thankful you didn't last longer. I would have hated to have had to disfigure you or the one in your arms." He smiled as she turned and walked off into the trees. "We have our two sets of scrolls thanks to this little situation and the team that Haku and I ran into. We also have an extra heaven scroll as a bargaining chip should we need one." He showed them the acquired scrolls before handing the one team eight needed to Shino who accepted it with a nod in thanks. "From here on we'll make a straight line for the tower. We'll need to keep an eye out for ambushes and traps, so we'll take it slow. I would rather arrive on time and in one piece than not arrive at all." Getting nods of agreement he picked up Hinata once more before they took off towards the center of the forest leaving the bodies of the Kumo-nin to rot on the floor like so many other failed candidates before them.
A/N: I have been getting asked a lot whether or not this is a harem fic. The answer, as is stated in the story description, is yes. This will be a harem fic, but not a mass harem. (Meaning not every available female in the elemental nations will be romping around in bed with Naruto.) The number of girls in the harem is more then two but less then ten and they have already been decided. Don't ask who they all are though because I will not say. Also, don't think you know who is in the harem either. Just because someone appreciates Naruto now, doesn't mean they will be with him later.