Chapter 35

So, yeah, it was official.

Kabuto and the extra guy were my teammates. I'm not sure if it showed on my face, I had become quite good at hiding my emotions when I wanted to, but I wouldn't be surprised if something slipped through. If it did, nobody said anything and we did the whole introduction while we explained to each other what we could do.

I had experienced a lot of surreal moments in my life after… well, coming back to life, which is why I was always kind of surprised that I could still be hit with new ways to feel like that. Learning that I would participate in the Chuunin Exams with Kabuto, a.k.a. Orochimaru's agent at my side, was one such moment. 'This complicates matters,' I thought to myself after I was able to get away from them and Anko. 'Really complicates matters, and also tells me that I might have taken the Snake's attention from Sasuke.'

At that point though, I couldn't quite bring myself to care about changes to the plot anymore. After all, I was seeing more things different than I was seeing things stay the same. Clinging to my foreknowledge and expecting it to remain just as valuable was a fool's errand and I had known it from the very beginning. It was time to use it solely to know what someone's abilities could be and maybe their motivations. But the plot itself had gone out the window a while ago.

So, with the next mess in sight, I sat in my bedroom looking over my changed status and skill screens.

[Eiji Satou

Main Title: Anko Mitarashi's Apprentice

Secondary Title: Prodigy

Energy Points: 900/900

Chakra Points: 675/675

Strength: 45

Dexterity: 49

Constitution: 45

Chakra: 45

Chakra control: B+]

It was beautiful, or at least it was to me. I was especially proud of Dexterity, to be honest. And despite what one might think, it had nothing to do with being able to reach incredible levels of speed. No, I actually quite liked it because it was the stat that I used the most when I was Free Running around the village. Some would call it an unimportant reason, but I had grown fond of the things that didn't hold any grand motive behind. The little things and all that.

With a small, satisfied smile, I continued on to the skills.

[Physical Resistance – Lvl 20

Reduces the damage received by purely physical attacks by 20%.]

That skill wasn't Maxed yet, but it was one that I was very proud of. It had been growing slowly. Especially since I didn't quite have a training exercise for it. It simply grew as time passed, through spars and the like. I still remembered when I got the skill. It hadn't been much. I hadn't even been noticeable. But now? Now I definitely noticed. And since I had half-expected it to max at 20 and leave it with just 20% decrease, I was more than happy to see that it could still grow further, like some other of my skills.

It did bring up the question of why some skills could grow past 20 and some Maxed even before that. But like some other things, it wasn't really worth thinking much about that. Some things about the system would remain a mystery and I had accepted that.

[Poison Crafting – Max

Improves the quality of poisons crafted by the user by 100%.]

Not the best of the skills that I had trained over the months, but it was certainly a mark to be noticed. Anko would still continue teaching me, and I had no problem with that, since I would sometimes get a new idea or such things. But regarding the process of making the poisons, I had all but mastered it. One could only hope that my sensei would notice and focus only on ingredients and recipes.

[Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder – Max

C-rank technique with which the user creates a wave of electricity from their hands.

Consumption – 20 Chakra Points.]

The jutsu was great, and one it grew in level, it became even better, despite how the description barely changed. It was simply amazing, even if it was also a little unnerving, to be able to take out some of the biggest creatures of the Forest of Death with just one hit. Not that I got many chances to do that, since we went there only two times. Evidently, the place was being prepared for the Exams… or maybe they wanted to give the animals a chance to repopulate after my training?...

Anyway…

[Yin Release: Minor Mirage – Max

D-rank technique with which the user creates a small illusion for their target to see.

Consumption – 1 Chakra Points per illusion.]

Again, not the most impressive of my current skills but certainly nothing to scoff at. And while it didn't sound like much better than Basic Mirage, it was certainly better than anyone would have expected. Genjutsu truly shined when used on the side of other techniques, making the latters that much more dangerous.

[Healing Palm Technique – Max

C-rank technique with which the user helps a target recover from wounds using their chakra through their hands.

Consumption – 1 Chakra Points per second.]

This skill, I was very glad I had Maxed. Especially now that my supposed mednin teammate was Kabuto of all people. No way I was letting that bastard anywhere near my or anyone else's injuries… except maybe Yoroi.

[Body Flicker Technique – Max

D-rank technique with which the user can infuse chakra in their legs to travel long distances.

Range – 400 meters

Consumption – 10 Chakra Points.]

Now, this… I was kind of indifferent about it, really. I left it exclusively for long distance travel and maybe if I was still in stealth mode. Otherwise, Lightning Flicker was a better option. Due to my affinity, it was slightly better than the normal one, after all. It still could be used to mess with someone, if I could get in a blindspot and then Flicker somewhere else without them knowing that I did.

That had led to a fun day, even if Anko had been very pissed off.

[Fire Release: Fireball – Max

D-rank technique with which the user launches a fireball at a target.

Increased chances of the target continued burning by 30%.

Consumption – 10 Chakra Points.]

That was… cool, I guessed. But I just wasn't as enthusiastic about it as I was with my Lightning jutsu. Don't get me wrong, spitting out a fireball was about as cool as I would have ever been able to imagine, but it was still left as something to use as back up to my Lightning ones instead of a main technique.

[Intermediate Kenjutsu (Active) – Lvl 16

Increases the skill of the user when fighting with a sword according to skill level.

Active Effect – Increases the user's physical stats by 8.

Active Effect Consumption – 34 Energy Points per second.]

It was a shame that I didn't get it maxed and unlock Advanced Kenjutsu, but I would get there someday. Its slow progress made some sense though. After all, it seemed to apply both to Nuibari and to any sword. Which was nice. I was sure that I would be very grateful if I ever needed to use my tanto instead of Nuibari, for whatever reason.

Despite its somewhat lacking progress, it was still a pretty solid buff in a pinch, even if it positively burned through my Energy Points. Especially if I used it together with Intermediate Taijutsu, Running and Free Running. On the plus side, I was also fast as fuck when using all of them, let alone the other buffs to my stats.

[Chakra Flow: Lightning – Max

Technique with which the user can channel elemental chakra into weapons to grant them special enhancements.

Increases the cutting power of the weapons affected by 100%.

Weapons have a 100% chance of causing numbness on contact.

Consumption – 1 Chakra Points per second.]

'Now this, is something that I can be proud about,' I thought with a wide grin. It was probably the skill that I was the most happy to have maxed. I would even go as far as putting it next to Lightning Flicker. It was especially good since it didn't actually need the weapons to have a special kind of metal to be used, contrary to what I had expected. It wasn't as good as Stunning Thread, but it would come in handy if I ever needed to fight with just a Kunai or my Tanto… And those weren't even the best uses for it.

No, the best was reserved for Nuibari, naturally. After all, it synergized spectacularly well with the Sewing Needle. Not only did the Legendary Sword's skill have something to boost the effects of this particular technique, but it also benefited greatly from it regardless.

The Grinning Man had said that it would make the thread of the blade unbreakable as long as chakra was channelled through it. We had tested it ourselves, and it was pretty unbreakable on its own though. It was, however, much better at conducting chakra than even the best weapons that either Anko or Cat had ever seen.

We also had absolutely no idea how the thread gained an edge with chakra. And it worked that way for everyone, even those that had affinities that didn't have anything to do with that effect with Chakra Flow. We had checked. Although, I was relieved when I was told that the Leaf wanted to respect the Mist's tradition regarding the blade. I was also, however, told that people would most likely come to challenge me after the Exams.

The why was obvious. Someone, and by someone I mean Hiruzen and/or Danzo, was helping me keep everyone away from me and my sword. For the moment, that is. I was happy with it, honestly. Having Nuibari for the whole mess that was coming had certainly helped me retain a semblance of calm.

Back to the blade though, the sword itself was very good, yes. Its edge though, wasn't really all that, considering the thing's legendary status. The truly remarkable thing about the sword was the tip. Nuibari could pierce through anything if it had enough force behind it. The thing would certainly not break before going through, that was for sure. It was also, laughably easy to do so with most things.

And, on that note, my training with the blade had resulted in what I thought was a pretty decent improvement.

[Nuibari Mastery – Lvl 14

Increases the skill of the user when fighting with Nuibari according to level.

Increases damage done with Nuibari by 70%.

Increases accuracy when throwing Nuibari by 70%.

Increases Chakra Flow effectiveness and efficiency by 70% when used on Nuibari.

Increases Physical Stats when using Nuibari by 14%.]

Quite possibly the skill that I liked the most. Or, at least, it would be once I maxed it. I was sure that it would be the one to put Lightning Flicker and Chakra Flow in second place. It was just something so awesome, and it gave so many things, that it was difficult not to think like that. It also made, or would make, more like, Chakra Flow twice as good as it already was, which only added to it.

[Living Thread Technique – Max

E-rank technique with which the user can control ninja wire at will.

Consumption – 1 Chakra Points every second.

+Creator Bonus:

Increases thread speed by 25%.

Increases thread maneuverability by 25%.]

Maxing the techniques I had created had been predictably easy. Living Thread, in particular, had been an absolute godsend. The first time I set up a wire trap while sparring with Anko her reaction was positively hilarious. It also helped me adapt already set traps in case the situation changed, which was equally good, really. Furthermore, I could now apply the threads much more effectively in actual combat too. There were positive things however you looked at it, really.

[Web Sense Technique – Max

D-rank technique with which the user can sense through a ninja wire that connects to them.

Range – 20 meters

Consumption – 1 Chakra Points every second.

+Creator Bonus:

Increases Range by 50%.]

And last, but not least, my currently only technique to locate enemies without my eyes. Getting used to having an entirely new sense to be aware of was a chore, I'll admit. The amount of time I spent having skull-splitting headaches was not small, let me tell you. However, it was well worth it. Now, there was no way that simple mist or smoke or poison would block my awareness of my enemy.

Sure, I would have wanted something even better. Something on the level of Sage Mode sensing skills, but that was well out of my league. For now, at least.

'Overall...' I thought to myself after going over my screens. 'I'm still not sure how prepared I am for this shit show,' I could only grimace as I leaned back on my chair.

"Anything to say?" I asked to the air in the room, smirking wryly as I saw a piece of paper appear in front of me.

'Good Luck,' It read.

'Yeah, I'll need it,' I couldn't help but answer in my mind.

[}-o-{]

"So, what do you think?" Yoroi asked, raising an eyebrow at the honestly very lame genjutsu put over the false room where the exam would supposedly be held. Even if I hadn't known it had happened like that, I could tell shit like that without even thinking. Having Kurenai as an occasional training partner would do that to someone. That woman casted Genjutsu as easy as breathing and she liked to put them on people just to see if they noticed, even when not training. It was a… curious habit of hers.

"Let's go for the real room, ok?" I asked with a shake of my head, getting a simple nod from my teammates. With that said, the three of us walked towards the stairs.

I had debated with myself about going to the exams with my friends. But since every team gathered separately, and since I didn't want to expose any of them to my teammates attention more than it was strictly necessary… well, I decided to just be alone with those two, unnerving as that was.

And, as a side bonus, if I wasn't there, maybe some of them wouldn't pass the Genjutsu mini-test. Was it mean of me to wish for them not to pass the exams? Maybe. But there was just so much that could go wrong here, especially with how changed the plot was, that I didn't want to risk it. Maybe I was a terrible brother and friend for wanting to ruin their chances of being Chuunin now. But I could live with it, and they could become Chuunin later on.

My thoughts then trailed off together with my eyes, towards my two teammates. My mind flashed back to all my theories as for why they had been placed as my teammates. There was a small, very small, chance that it was just a very unfortunate coincidence. After all, Anko's information was accurate, even if I knew it was false. Their files said that they were good teammates to have.

However, I didn't buy that for a second. If it was the case, then I would be a very relieved person. But until I could prove that, I would assume that this was Orochimaru's doing. What the Snake bastard wanted from me, I didn't know. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that I wasn't sure. Maybe I was to take Sasuke's place in his plan for immortality. Maybe the madman just wanted to study me.

It could be just about anything, knowing Orochimaru.

'The point is...' I thought before trailing off as the Kabuto opened the door to the classroom where the first stage of the Exams would be held. Why did I stop? Well, there were some… extra characters around. 'Why am I even surprised anymore?'

"Wow, the Leaf is having babies take the exams now?" Someone asked mockingly, his eyes fixed on me. Several people joined with chuckles at that. Normally, I would have let it slide. But I was in a bad mood and I was nervous. I had Snakey spies on both sides. So, I might have been slightly snappy. And thus, I simply turned to him with lazy eyes and...

'Bloodlust.'

The atmosphere changed instantly as every single participant tensed up. All cheer quickly disappeared.

"Wow, the Sand is having idiots take the exams now?" I asked back with my most fake smirk as I eyed Kankuro. 'Pre-change Suna siblings are… something,' I mused to myself. Temari looked torn between smacking her forehead or her brother's. Kankuro's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. And Gaara… "And hypocrites too," I added, although my tone grew slightly serious as I locked my eyes with the Jinchuriki of the One Tail.

'I hope you can change just like in canon, Gaara,' I thought. 'And that you do so. Because I won't hesitate to deal with you if you become a danger to me and mine.'

Deactivating Bloodlust, I walked up to an empty space on the desks and took a seat. As I did so, my mind went over all the people that I had seen in the room. Those that should and those that shouldn't be there.

Kurotsuchi of Iwagakure.

I had almost missed her being there. Since I didn't expect her to be there, and thus, I hadn't read on her through my notebooks. Regardless, the appearance of several ninja from the Land of Earth had been enough of a hint, making my mind remember what it could. I noted that there must have been at least three teams from Iwa.

Karui and Omoi of Kumogakure.

Those were the two I could recognize, at least. There were less people from the Land of Lightning than from the Land of Earth though, I noticed. Their appearance, amusingly enough, made it so that the last group was less of a shock, really.

Haku and Choujurou from Kirigakure.

Together with them was a third member. The three of them seemed to be the only team that the Land of Water had sent, although that didn't work as much of a reassurance. I knew of two of their members, and although Choujurou didn't seem to have Hiramekarei, that didn't mean much considering that I wasn't keeping Nuibari outside either. He could still have it in a seal somewhere, just like me. Haku, for his part, was a force to be reckoned with, and the third guy, even if I didn't recognize him, must have been something too, to be thrown in a team with the other two.

'Now all those warnings about this Exam being harder make sense,' I thought to myself. 'This is going to be more of a mess than I thought it would be.'

[}-o-{]

Kurotsuchi PoV

'This is going to be more of a mess than I thought it would be,' I couldn't help but think as I eyed the new arrival to the room.

A complete mystery.

God, how I hated mysteries.

All groups had received files on everyone that was of notice. From Konoha, at least. There were many Clan Heirs that would participate in the event. The most notorious of which was the last Uchiha in the Leaf. But even then, they weren't the only ones to look out for.

'There's the fucking Kyuubi container too.'

If the Leaf thought they were doing a good job at keeping the blonde Jinchuriki a secret, they were delusional. Something that my grandfather thought was entirely possible. Although, considering the bias that Iwa had towards Konoha, maybe I should take it with a grain of salt. In this particular case, it seemed they held some truth. It hadn't been difficult to tell who it was, considering how the whole village seemed to shun the blond boy. And the fact that the whole group from the Land of Earth had noticed from day one should be a testament to how obvious they were.

But we had info on everyone's notice, or so we thought. We had been fairly confident on their way there. Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki were the only ones to truly look out for. The rest of the heirs had a degree of skill too, but those stood up.

After all, someone that could copy any jutsu that wasn't a Bloodline Limit and place a genjutsu on you with just a gaze was someone to look out for. Not to mention how talented he seemed to be, according to our information. And right beside him stood the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, who seemed to be fairly skilled with Fuinjutsu of all things. And that information added to how we now finally had a face to the boy…

It had scary implications, to say the least.

'And now, we have an unknown threat,' I grumbled to myself, eyeing the black-haired red-eyed menace that had just waltzed inside the room. The Iwa shinobi had information on pretty much everyone worth knowing. 'So, how was it that we didn't have information on this guy?!'

I hadn't felt so much Killing Intent since... A shudder traveled down my spine. This wasn't going to be easy at all, despite what everyone boasted. But we had our orders.

My eyes went back to the door as it opened again, a corner of my mind worried that there would be more unknowns. Fortunately, it was just the already expected clan heirs and the Jinchuriki. And it was a testament to how I felt that I was relieved to see such a group of people walk in. That guy was just… there was something very dangerous about him, I just knew.

A smaller amount of Killing Intent washed over the room once more, and I saw more than one pair of eyes dart towards the Unknown. His red eyes though, were blatantly focused on the eldest son of the current Kazekage. I could almost imagine his words 'Say something, I dare you' coming out of his mouth with that mocking tone he had used before.

Maybe it was a small betrayal to my village's hate of everything Leaf related, but I was quite amused as I saw the other boy sweating bullets under the Unknown's glare. It was small though, since I could completely understand why he would be nervous. I was too, and I wasn't even the one that had messed with that guy.

"Better steer clear of that one," I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for my teammates to hear. Both nodded their agreement. Nobody normal could have that strong a Killing Intent. If anyone wanted to take out their hate against Konoha, better do it with anyone but that guy.

[}-o-{]

Omoi PoV

'So, that's him,' I thought, eyeing Eiji Satou.

There was very little that Kumo knew of him. But the sole fact that Konoha seemed more concerned about hiding his presence over their Jinchuriki's spoke volumes. We didn't know what he could do, nor even any of his strengths or weaknesses.

There was only one thing we knew, and it was enough for the Raikage to tell us to keep an eye on him.

He had participated in the retrieval of two of the Seven Swords of the Mist. And that meant a whole lot of things in itself. First, that the Leaf trusted him with such a duty. Second, that he could survive such a mission. And third, and most important of all…

That he could, maybe, carry one of the blades with him.

Kumo was very much aware of the traditions Kirigakure held regarding their Legendary Weapons. And despite the fact that they might have made an exception about leaving one of them in the hands of a foreigner, especially with the Civil War still going on back then, they would certainly follow it if it was to return a bit of the goodwill that the Leaf had shown them.

They might not even challenge the guy too soon, what with the side the Leaf chose winning.

Still, this was all speculation at best. There was more than a fair chance that the Satou hadn't gotten a Sword. After all, what were the chances of a Genin beating a Jounin, low ranked or high ranked? Regardless of that, everyone had been given a file on him, empty as it was. It was more of a symbolism, really. A message saying 'Be careful with this one.'

And wasn't that a pain? Almost all of the Konoha Shinobi were worth notice.

Not to mention that show he had put up just after arriving. I didn't envy the Suna guy's position. I wouldn't have wanted to be on the receiving end of that red-eyed glare.

With a sigh, I tried to relax a bit and closed my eyes.

'Hopefully, nothing will happen,' I tried to reassure myself. Then, I opened my eyes again and was, once more, aware of the atmosphere inside the room. 'Yeah, right,' I thought bitterly with a wry smile.