Chapter 14 A Demon Indeed.

"Wait. Will she even survive this? No, he hasn't aimed towards the vital point," Guy muttered, observing the battle between two prodigies before him.

'Seriously, I'm done for if I can't escape this genjutsu,' Amasawa thought. She quickly calmed her chakra, escaping the genjutsu just in time. However, dodging the incoming kunai proved to be a challenge.

Nevertheless, Amasawa had other techniques up her sleeve. "Water Style: Hiding in the Water Jutsu," she muttered, transforming into water and narrowly avoiding the lightning-infused kunai.

Swoosh! Thud!

'Clearly, she can't react to this speed now, can she?' Sasuke thought as he landed nearby. With determination, he executed an offensive Jutsu, "Lightning Style: Thunder Palm," striking the ground in Hyuga style.

Boom!

While one might have assumed Amasawa was in trouble, she defied expectations, evading Sasuke's attack effortlessly.

But Sasuke wasn't done yet. He swiftly threw a kunai towards her, to which Amasawa responded in kind. Their kunais clashed, but there was a hidden explosion tag, escalating the situation.

Before the explosion could occur, both combatants backed off just in time.

Boom!!!

"To be honest, after outmatching you, I wanted to deliver some dialogue, but it seems I couldn't. Also, in terms of speed, you're almost as equal as I am. And your basics are done really well," Sasuke praised, acknowledging Amasawa's skill. 'This girl seems to have trained her body to almost my level. On top of that, her chakra control surpasses that of Sakura. If she were a clan member, I can't imagine her strength,' Sasuke thought.

"Ara~ is that so? Glad you noticed. Also, I must say I wasn't expecting you to be this strong, Senpai. But as you said, our speed seems equal. What about intelligence and endurance, I wonder? Because there's no way I'm going to win against you in power and durability," Amasawa challenged, her usual confidence shining through.

Sasuke smirked. 'This girl is strong, and as she said, she can't win against me in a face-to-face showdown. Which means she'll likely try to overpower me with endurance, but that's less likely. I think she'll attempt to defeat me with some sort of trap.'

Sasuke analyzed the situation, then noticed a barrage of shurikens coming towards him.

But then suddenly, instead of shurikens, Amasawa materialized there, wearing a devilish grin. She had a layer of chakra in her hand, similar to the judo move with which she easily defeated Sasuke's clone. Sasuke pondered the trick she pulled. Was it Flying Raijin? No. Rinnegan teleportation? No. Transformation Jutsu? No. It was a simple substitution Jutsu she used on the shurikens to replace herself with one.

'Heh! She might be a good challenge. Let's see how I shall perform without my Sharingan?' Sasuke internally contemplated. As they both poised to strike, Sasuke attempted to overpower her unusual attack with his strength, but failed to do so. Once again.

Ba doom!!!

'Damn it. Me and my clone already underestimated her three times. But this one was within the calculation,' Sasuke thought as he endured the pain. According to Sasuke's analysis, it felt like an attack with a low-level Jutsu rank, but the pain inflicted was of a much higher level. A very effective technique indeed for a surprise attack.

Sasuke swiftly used his left leg to kick her other leg, which unbalanced her. Then he delivered a palm hook and a cross to her face. To continue his barrage, he kept attacking with a deadly boxing combo, a relentless assault. Initially, she struggled to keep up, but she later adapted and countered with her own punches. When both saw no opening, they backed off.

With this, Sasuke definitely felt the pain, but as expected, Amasawa was starting to tire already. Amasawa suddenly smirked as she performed some hand signs and released an Earth Style Jutsu.

"Earth Style: Rock Barrage."

Rock Barrage was a simple C-ranked Jutsu with rocks moving towards its target at a higher speed. Sasuke could have easily dodged or countered it with a Jutsu. To be honest, countering it with a Jutsu and ending this match would be a good choice, but Sasuke backed off instead.

With that, the rocks destroyed the trees behind Sasuke as he avoided them.

'What!?' Amasawa thought, not by the fact that he didn't attack, but that he escaped her trap.

"Amasawa, that Jutsu of yours, when it connects, gives you an advantage of inflicting about 80% of the same pain, like a timer we put on an alarm clock, in the victim once again, doesn't it?" Sasuke remarked from the ground. Now it was her turn to be surprised.

'I see. So Sasuke didn't end this match because he knew that the Jutsu again had some sort of trick to it, huh? I feel very happy to see this youthful match and also glad that I wouldn't face them as enemies of other villages. Because these two definitely aren't normal,' Guy thought internally, impressed by their skills.

"I see. I didn't think even you would be able to decipher it. I guess my strongest Jutsu didn't do a thing to you, did it? But don't worry, you shall taste defeat after a while," Amasawa remarked to Sasuke.

"C'mon, do you really think I'd buy that? You most certainly have more tricks up your sleeve, don't you?" Sasuke retorted, throwing two shurikens at her side. One changed its trajectory and approached her, but she effortlessly evaded it by tilting her head.

As expected, Sasuke wasn't there when she looked back. He soon came from behind and kicked her head while jumping, which she managed to block with her hands, though it pushed her body backward. However, that didn't deter her as she rushed at Sasuke while he did the same.

Poof!

Suddenly, a thick cloud of smoke appeared near Sasuke, indicating the use of a smoke bomb, which Amasawa easily recognized. Then three Sasukes emerged from the smoke, rushing towards her, alerting her to the situation. With this, the two Sasukes behind slowed down.

The one in front quickly took out a few kunais and threw them at her, forcing her to dodge and fall into a position Sasuke wanted. Taking advantage, Sasuke's clones jumped and one threw shurikens while both began weaving hand signs.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."

The multiplied shurikens attacked her and the original Sasuke with greater speed thanks to the wind Jutsu unleashed by the clones.

'I see. So he was planning this attack, huh. His each move is on a whole different level than ordinary Shinobi. But now what is he planning? Because it seems he plans on ending this match soon. But how? He should have known that I can easily guess which are the shadow clones and original. He's acting as a pawn to make me believe that the one in front is a clone, when in fact it's the original...' Amasawa thought, analyzing Sasuke's intentions. She once again used her Jutsu to protect herself from the incoming shurikens.

"Water Style: Hiding in the Water Technique."

Currently, there was no need to move from the shurikens because there was no lightning, and if it hit her, nothing would happen since she was in her water chakra form. Or so she thought. Suddenly, Sasuke made hand signs, and the seals placed in the shurikens he threw began to glow.

'What the?' Amasawa thought, surprised. The next second, lightning surrounded the shurikens, indicating she was in danger if they hit her. But there was no time to escape, and before she could react, some shurikens struck her.

"Aaaargh!" Amasawa screamed in pain due to the lightning shock. 'All within my calculations, Senpai. You underestimate my endurance capabilities, not to mention my super genius brain. But why did the shurikens and kunais move away from him? No matter what, I will win this,' Amasawa thought with a mischievous smirk on her face.

As Sasuke (Ayanokouji) moved forward to check on her, suddenly he felt danger from behind. There was a shadow clone of Amasawa with a kunai about to attack him. With a fierce glance, he kicked her, and then a poof sound came. Amidst the smoke, the clone vanished.

And this was the exact moment both had been waiting for. The next move would determine the aftermath of this match.

Meanwhile, in a certain place...

"Now. Now. All my preparations are finally complete. With this, you guys will get your Jinchuriki, while as for me, I shall deal with some troublesome genins whom I wish to make disappear," said a tall, pale, and slim young man with long, dark, messy hair reaching his shoulders. His most noticeable facial features were his dark purple eyes with light bags underneath, giving them a tired look.

"Hmph! I wonder why someone as great as you, the leader of the infamous Rats in the House of the Dead, needs our help in doing such a simple task. I think you could easily handle that famed 'Copy Ninja' Hatake Kakashi," remarked a 22-year-old young man with medium length silver hair slicked back and distinctive pinkish-purple eyes.

"Maa, any movement has a certain reason, after all," chimed in the man who wished to target the genins, none other than "Fyodor Dostoevsky."

"Well, I don't know your reasons, but my bet is on the younger sibling of the recent member who joined us," said a 91-year-old man, tall with tan skin and long dark brown hair. His eyes had an unusual coloring: green pupils and red eyes.

"Huh? Now who the hell is that, Kakuzu?" asked Hidan, turning to his partner.

"Ara, you didn't have knowledge of him? Like he said, he is the younger brother of the clan killer Uchiha Itachi. But Kakuzu-san, although he might be a little troublesome, the one I am worried about is actually another one, whose identity, I don't think you fellows would have any knowledge of," Fyodor said as his smile grew wider. He thought, 'This time you won't escape me, Osamu Dazai.'

Back to the sparring...

As Sasuke (Ayanokouji) moved forward to check on her, suddenly he felt danger from behind. There was a shadow clone of Amasawa with a kunai about to attack him. With a fierce glance, he kicked her, and then a poof sound came. Amidst the smoke, the clone vanished.

And this was the exact moment both had been waiting for. The next move would determine the aftermath of this match.

Both fighters started weaving hand signs, indicating this match would conclude with Ninjutsu. Then the moment arrived where both Shinobis finished their techniques and released the Jutsu.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu," said Sasuke as he unleashed the fiery attack, but he noticed something peculiar. Amasawa had once again used her powerful move, the Jutsu in front of him being S-ranked at most.

'Just as expected, I win,' the winner of this match secretly thought.

"Haha, it's my complete loss."

"Yeah, you lose, Amasawa," Sasuke said with a satisfied face as he positioned a kunai across Amasawa's throat. Then he reflected, 'I'm really glad I predicted her moves before. If I had been careless and not checked my chakra points or the chakra system, I wouldn't have known about her Jutsu's effect, and I would lose. Also, not to mention the fact that I won by destroying that S-ranked Jutsu she just threw with a mini Kirin, a very powerful lightning Jutsu that the original me created.'

"With this, the match is finally over, and the winner is Uchiha Sasuke. But Amasawa, please don't feel down; after all, you were facing him," Guy said, aiming to motivate Amasawa to grow further, unaware of who she truly was.

"It's okay, Guy Sensei. After all, I managed to make Senpai use his Sharingan, although he did it just for fun, not to win," Amasawa said. When she glanced back, Sasuke had already vanished, and Guy went to report everything to the Hokage.

The next morning,

"Ah, it's nice to meet you again, Senpai. It seems we shall be joining the mission with you together, as per Hokage-sama's orders for a secret investigation mission," Amasawa said, her tone filled with happiness, as she engaged Sasuke in conversation about various topics.

Of course, a certain someone was super jealous. 'Just what's with her? She is speaking and speaking with my dear Sasuke-kun. Ahh. If only I were in her position,' Sakura thought, consumed by jealousy.

"Yare yare. Since we will be working somewhat as a team, let's introduce ourselves, as it seems our Sensei has just appeared," Dazai spoke, observing the scene with a sense of hopelessness. "Hai, Dazai-san," Amasawa replied and finally left Sasuke.

Then Ibiki Morino stepped forward. "Alright, everyone, now that my team has arrived, I have an announcement to make. I won't be attending this mission with you because some work came up. Although it was short, nice to meet you. I am Ibiki Morino, a Jounin of the village. Kakashi, I hope you guide my team well."

With those words, he left, earning a frown from Dazai and Ranpo. 'It's his move, huh?' they both thought. Then Kakashi stepped forward and said, "Alright, today Team 7 and Team Ibiki shall conduct an escort and investigation mission together, as our mission routes are almost identical. For now, Ibiki is not coming, so I will take the lead. Let's start by introducing ourselves, names only. I am Hatake Kakashi."

"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke," he stated.

"Hai~, Amasawa Ichika," she replied.

"Dazai. Osamu Dazai. By the way, hey elegant lady with beautiful pink hair," he said, catching Sakura's attention.

"Yes?" she replied cautiously.

"Wanna do double sui-" Before he could finish, he received a hard smack on his head.

"Nara Ranpo," he said, almost dazing off during the introductions.

"Uzumaki Naruto, ya know," Naruto introduced himself enthusiastically.

"H-Haruno Sakura," she said, wondering about the new team dynamics as Amasawa lectured in the background.

"Alright, now tell me who's the team leader, Ranpo?" Kakashi inquired. Ranpo pointed towards Dazai. "Alright, Dazai-kun, let's discuss the mission details," Kakashi said, and they moved away to confer.

During that time, Sasuke asked why Amasawa wasn't the leader, to which she explained that although she was smart, she wasn't as much as Dazai. Then the mission officially began.

Sakura and Naruto conversed with Kakashi, discussing the details just like in the anime. Kakashi ensured them that they wouldn't have trouble with ninjas, as it was just a C-ranked mission for both teams.

"I see, then what was your mission, Ranpo-kun?" Naruto asked curiously. Ranpo deflected, "Ask Amasawa." Naruto turned to her, but she deflected to Dazai. When Naruto turned to him, Dazai said, "Ask our captain."

"Alright, so Ibiki-" Naruto began before realizing they were playing with him. He snapped but held himself back. Sasuke intervened, "Don't bother him. Also, Naruto, they're probably here for an investigation mission, maybe on a criminal or something."

"Will I really be okay? Only the black-haired guy and the white-haired jonin seem to be decent ninjas," Tazuna muttered.

"Hahaha!" Kakashi laughed awkwardly, reassuring that nothing was wrong. In the next moment, he was attacked with a chain-like weapon by the demon brothers who emerged from the ground with their water Jutsu.

"The first one...."

'What? Kakashi Sensei was taken out that easily?' Sakura thought, bracing herself to protect the old man. Meanwhile, Naruto was oddly smiling in this situation, making Sakura wonder if something was wrong with him.

"Is down. Now, the second one..." the demon brothers spoke in a cold tone befitting their rank of Chunin. They were no ordinary assassins or shinobi; they had survived and passed the tremendously difficult Chunin exams with life at stake. They were formidable opponents.

One of them attacked Naruto while the other went for Ranpo. Both parried the attacks with their kunais. Then, the brothers widened the range of the chain, likely to attack in a similar manner.

But their opponents were not weak genin by any means.

"Shadow Strangle Jutsu. Successful," Ranpo declared, cleverly binding the enemy in his shadow with the Nara clan's renowned Jutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto created three clones and engaged in a fierce Taijutsu battle. While the Chunin was obviously winning, Naruto's clones fought fiercely, each with its own strategy. However, Naruto had a different plan altogether.

"SASUKE, LET'S DO THIS!" Naruto practically screamed, to which Sasuke responded quickly, "Alright!"

As Sasuke jumped, he hurled several kunais and shurikens at one of the demon brothers, leading him to a certain place. The demon brother dodged them by backflipping to the ground, muttering, "Damnit!" while thinking, 'Huh!?'

In front of him, the original Naruto had arrived. He attempted to damage Naruto with constant stabs, but Naruto dodged with ease. "Hehe!" Naruto cheekily giggled as he blocked the stabs with his elbows and then pinned the demon brother down with a move reminiscent of Sasuke's Aikido. He then tightened his fists and delivered a powerful blow to the demon brother's jaw, cracking the ground below him.

"Phew! Now, do you believe me, old man? That I will become the Hokage," Naruto said to Tazuna, who had previously scoffed at the idea, saying that the days of pigs flying would come if Naruto became Hokage. With this, when the danger was over, Kakashi came flying down from the tree.

"Kakashi-sensei!?" Sakura exclaimed in shock and surprise. "But you had just..."

"Ah, I knew it. You used the Substitution Jutsu, didn't you, Sensei?" Naruto said, providing the correct answer as Kakashi had indeed used the Substitution Jutsu to quickly hide and observe his team's capabilities. Kakashi must admit, although the action was on the other side, Dazai's team had performed exceptionally well.

By capturing the enemy within a second, Kakashi observed the surprised faces. Sakura had failed miserably, while Naruto showed an average reaction to the surprise attack. Sasuke remained calm, having anticipated the attack, unlike the other two.

Meanwhile, Dazai's team had performed flawlessly and scored full points in all the criteria Kakashi tested. Naruto required Sasuke's assistance, whereas Ranpo handled the situation very well without such help. Kakashi pondered that the next Chunin exams might be tough for Team Seven.

Sakura Haruno = 4000 (Genin Level)