Chapter 32
Two cloaked figures stood outside the Barrier that shielded Konoha from all intruders, as they waited for the signal to begin their attacks. Red clouds were embroidered on their cloaks, highlighting their origins as the two discussed their plan.
"You do know that we do not have much time," came the thick voice of the large, hunched shinobi, half of whose face was covered by a cloak.
"Yeah, I know," came the answer from the haughty youngster who stood beside him, as he analysed the barrier with his second eye covered by his blonde hair, that fell down on his face.
"Remember our leader's warning," the hunched shinobi continued in his thick voice, as he gazed at the massive barrier shielding Konoha from all its enemies, and the second their feet were to even touch the barrier, the entity of Konoha's barrier corps would be onto them.
"The Sanin is still present within the village. Even together, we do not stand a chance against the infamous Toad Sage of Konoha," and they spoke of Jiraiya, a man who had once fought the infamous Hanzo Hattori to a standstill with his teammates, earning himself the title of Sanin.
The hunched shinobi had once fought with another Sanin, and though he was confident that he could have taken on Orochimaru, Pain had warned him that this man was in a different league as compared to his old teammate.
"Your job will be to distract Konoha's forces," he whispered, as suddenly hundreds upon hundreds of little white animals began to pour out of his companion's sleeves, and they began to spread out around the area.
"I shall move in and capture the nine tails, and as soon as I have the boy with me, we leave," and a large bird formed underneath his blonde companion.
"Yeah. Yeah, I get it, old man," and with that, he jumped atop the clay bird.
"But how do you plan on locating the kid anyway?" and at that, the hunched shinobi gazed at the thick forests in front of him with a scrutinising gaze.
"I have my ways...." and soon enough, a few hours later, a series of explosions rocked the entire village, as the hunched shinobi's eyes narrowed.
"That is our signal," and with that, the blonde shinobi took to the skies.
"Yeah, it's time to teach these bastards..." and with that, he saw him make a hand sign, as he laughed maniacally.
"...that ART IS AN EXPLOSION!"
BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
0000
KABUTO YAKUSHI
Konoha was a village with several factions. Though by tradition and laws it was the Hokage who held much of the Power, in a village filled with so many clans and factions, the Hokage's power was not truly absolute.
This was more true now than ever, for Konoha was divided into three major factions. The Hokage wished to maintain only the status quo as he waited for a worthy successor to take over from him. The Sandaime Hokage held the support of his ANBU, and most of the clans, alongside a major chunk of the regular shinobi forces.
Then there were the clan Heads, who wished to maintain autonomy over their clans. But the most troublesome faction was the Council, and more specifically, Danzo Shimura.
The warhawk was distrustful and wished to replace his old friend and teammate as Hokage. He had his own militia in the form of the Foundation, and held the secret support from many of the old timers who thought of the Sandaime Hokage as weak-willed and mellow.
He was a dangerous man willing to do anything as long as it pushed forward his own agenda. He was a ruthless man who cared little for morals and honor and wished to further his interests at any and all costs.
These factions divided Konoha during times of Peace, and yet they did not weaken it during times of war. For the second, an existential threat presented itself, all of these people came together in an instant to quash it down with all their might, and that might was a daunting prospect for any village.
Years of tragedies and betrayals may have robbed Konoha of much of its strength, but only a fool would think the village weak. Even now, the Village boasted of at least three S-ranked nins with a dozen or so elite A-ranked ninjas and teams ready to pounce upon Konoha's enemies at a moment's notice.
And then there was the promise of the next generation. Lord Orochimaru had taken a keen interest in Konoha's next generation, and thought at first they had shown little promise. The death of their classmate had acted as a catalyst, as they began to show their true promise.
Naruto Uzumaki, Nara Shikamaru, Ino Yamanaka, Neji Hyuga, Ten Ten, Hinata Hyuga, and Sasuke Uchiha. They began to show their true potential, but none of them came even close to the boy who led this new generation of future elites.
Hikari Hyuga, or Hikari Hizashi as he wished to be called, but no matter how much the boy may try, he would never be able to escape the legacy of his true heritage. The boy was a menace who had done in a year what many shinobi failed to do in decades.
He had been little better than an untrained civilian but a year ago, but through rigorous training and effort, he had now become nearly as famous and feared as seasoned shinobi like Hatake Kakashi himself.
His ANBU persona, Sparrow, had built quite a reputation for itself. And with him replicating the genius ninjutsu of the Yondaime Hokage himself, he was beginning to present himself as a threat to many people both within and outside the village.
But that was not Kabuto's concern. Not just yet, as he groaned loudly as blood dripped from his ears.
"AGHHHH!" he grunted, as Inuzuka Kiba pushed himself off the ground. And though the Inuzuka boy was not as talented as the rest of the lot, he would have to praise him for his resilience as he continued to resist despite taking the brunt of Dosu's attack.
"YOU! YOU!" the boy grunted as he bit his lip, breaking out of Kin's genjutsu as he refused to stay down.
"You still have the energy to get up," Zaku taunted, as Kiba dallied to his feet, as Dosu and his team stood there confidently.
"Kiba-san," he began, pain lacing his voice as he began to slowly move his body, the torn eardrum still disturbing his balance, though he began healing it, as he called out to his so-called teammate.
"We have to give up the scroll," and the Inuzuka boy was not listening to him.
"SHUT UP!" he screamed, and the Akimichi boy was already down, with Dosu taking him out at the beginning of the fight. The two of them were talented, but not quite as much as the rest of their cohort, and simply put, they were quite a mismatch for the trio in front of them.
The first day and a half had passed rather peacefully, as he led them around the Forest in circles, slowly taking them close to his target. And soon enough, with Team Seven within sensing distance, he signalled for the Sound Trio to come down on them, as the plans began to move forward.
The pieces were in place, and now they were near the edge of the Forest of Death, just a few miles from the place where the two S-ranked monsters of Akatasuki waited for the signal.
"I am done running!" Inuzuka Kiba snarled, as Yakushi smirked on the inside, laughing at how easy it was to rile them up.
"Akamaru," and he called out his dog, and the battered nin ken pushed itself as well, as Dosu smirked.
"Let me tell you something," he began, as the bandaged nin stepped forward and raised his arm, with that Resonating Speaker on his arm.
"Do you know that dogs have quite the sensitive ears?" and with that, he clicked on the gauntlet.
TING!
"HAAAAAAA!" and the nin ken began to scream in anguish as the boy paled.
"AKAMARU!" he screamed, as Kin smiled.
"How wasteful! Is this the best that Konoha has to offer?" and by now, Lord Orochimaru would be readying himself to make his move as well, as Kabuto prepared himself for the final bout.
"Air Slicer!" and Zaku, impatient as he was, was attacked, the dog, which was blown away as the attack hit him.
"AKAMRU!" Kiba screamed in agony as his dog hit a tree and fell down unconscious just beside Akimichi, as Kiba glared at the sound trio.
"We give up," Kabuto spoke up, as he took out the scroll from his pocket.
"Just take it and go," and Kiba kun was not ready for that.
"NO! NOT AGAIN!" he whispered, as Zaku laughed.
"You still want to fight?" he asked, and he shook his head, as he sensed a trio of chakra rushing forward.
"Let me grant you that wish!" and with that, Zaku held up his hands as he prepared himself to attack.
"Ninpo: Grand Slicer!" and yet before he could finish that move, three people pushed themselves in between Kiba and the attack, tearing up the very ground.
"Doton: Mud Wall!"
"Eight Trigrams: Gale Palms..."
And a massive gust of wind came, and weakened Zaku's attack, before a mud wall came and blocked it.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
"Whaaa...." Kiba was flabbergasted, as Kabuto smirked internally as his plan came together.
"Naruo, Sasuke, Hinata," Kiba gasped as he recognised the trio from Team Seven, as Zaku frowned.
"Sasuke Uchiha," he smiled, and Kabuto saw those dark orbs of his turn scarlet, as the Kyubi's jinchuriki cracked his knuckles.
"I have heard of you," and the Uchiha scion raised a brow.
"Is that so?" he asked, stepping forward.
"Then you should know that you are quite unmatched. Leave, and we won't pursue," Sasuke warned, as Naruto frowned.
"HEY! HEY! Why are you hogging all the attention!" and then he turned towards Dosu and the rest.
"What about me! What about me! Have you heard of the Great Naruto Uzumaki?" he asked, and the sound trio were just dispensable pawns, and had not been told the truth.
"No, who are you, you doofus?" Kin asked, as the boy's shoulders slumped.
"So you haven't heard of me?" he asked.
"Not at all," Dosu answered, as the boy hit his palm as he stepped forward and stepped beside his Uchiha teammate.
"Them today will be the day you learn of the Great Naruto Uzumaki. The future Hokage of Konoha. Believe it," he declared, and the very air shifted with that declaration, as the Hyuga girl simply stood behind her two teammates, ready to strike.
"Hey, glasses guy," and it was the blonde who called him out, as Kabuto nodded.
"Yes," he answered.
"Leave them to us and focus on healing Akamaru-kun and Choji," and it was Sasuke who finished.
"We will take care of these pests," and the taunt irritated Zakuw, who snarled.
"Pests! You dare call us pests!" and with that he raised his arms.
"Air Sl..." but the Uchiha moved quickly,and immediately two senbon tore through the air, and hit the little vents on his palms, as Zaku screamed.
"AGHHH!"
"ZAKU!" Kin screamed, but Dosu had made his move as he hit his gauntlet, as he made to tear up their eardrums again, and yet the trio seemed unaffected.
"You are done," and the Uchiha blurred, and in the blink of an eye he was underneath Dosu as he kicked him in the chin, and pushed him into the air, as the blonde appeared above him, and struck his face with the heel, though Dosu raised his arms to block it and used it to push himself away, as Kin threw senbon at them.
"You are done," and she cast her genjutsu, trying to break up their formation yet Sasuke Uchiha simply parried her senbons, and the two aimed at Naruto were intercepted by kunai thrown by Hinata.
"What the hell! Why isn't my genjutsu working!" Kin screamed, as Sasuke Uchiha suddenly appeared infront of her, yet he did not strike her as he looked her dead in the eye, as Kabuto fell a chill run down his spine as Kin paled, before suddenly her body began to writhe and sweat.
"How dare you call those parlor tricks a genjutsu?" the Uchiha boy taunted.
"Let me show you the true prowess of these eyes...."
And she fell to the floor, as he heard his name being called out once more.
"Kabuto-kun," and it was the Hyuga girl who had called out to him.
"You shouldn't worry about the fight. We will handle this," she spoke softly yet confidently, as her team toyed with Dosu and his team.
"You should focus on recovery and healing your teammates...."
"Ok," he said, as he walked towards Choji and began to provide first aid, and Dosu and his team lasted but a few more seconds, before the bandaged Oto nin raised his hands in surrender.
"We give up," and by now both Zaku and Kin were down, and the gauntlet on Dosu's arm was broken, and his bandaged tarred as the Oto nin put down his Earth scroll.
"You can have this if you let us go," and while tragedy had molded their habits, the genin of this generation remained naive in their worldview.
"Go, but if you or your team target anyone from Konoha again, then that will be the last thing you do," Sasuke Uchiha warned the trio, as Dosu carried away Kin, and Zaku spared him one last glance, as they turned towards him.
"That was quite inte..." yet before the blonde could finish, suddenly a loud explosion rocked the entire arena, as their heads all snapped towards the central part of the forest, where a massive cloud of smoke erupted into the air.
"What was that?" asked Sasuke Uchiha, and he saw the Hyuga girl focus, as she narrowed her eyes.
"It's too far," she complained, and the very ground began to shake as their plan began.
"We have to go..." yet before Sasuke could finish that, another barrage of explosions shook the entire forest, this time coming from the opposite direction, as screams and shouts tore through the air, as Konoha's borders were breached.
"What the hell is going on?" Sasuke screamed angrily, as suddenly alarms began ringing and the trio all gawked around without any information.
"Hinata-san," and the Hyuga girl now turned towards the border, and her face paled after a few seconds.
"I see hundreds of chakra signatures pouring into the forest. The Village Barrier. It has been breached," and that was a surprise.
"This is not a part of the exam, is it?" Naruto Uzumaki asked, as they turned towards him and he shook his head.
"No. I don't think so," he answered, and he knew that he had to play the next part rather delicately, for his mission was to deliver Hinata Hyuga to Danzo's men.
"They are coming straight for us," Hinata Hyuga warned, as the trio looked around.
"Those sirens. I have heard them once before," Kabuto began, as the trio turned towards him with awe.
"It was during the Kyubi's attack," and the blonde tensed at those words.
"We must evacuate the forest...." and, suddenly, three figures emerged and attacked them, but Naruto and Sasuke were quick to move, as they parried away the shuriken, and kicked away the bodies in the blink of an eye.
"What th...." and the two became ready, as the bodies struck the ground yet in the blink of an eye they began to rise up again.
"Hey, Sasuke, did you feel that?" the blonde asked, and the Uchiha nodded as those red eyes spun.
"Yes, their bodies. They are not made of flesh," and the Hyuga girl nodded.
"Yes, you are right. They are shaped like humans, but their chakra networks are different. I have never seen something like that before," she added, and Kabuto chose to cut in.
"Puppets," he mentioned as if, a sudden realization.
"What?"
"Suna is famous for using puppets as weapons. What you have described makes me think that our opponents are not humans but puppets used by a puppeteer," and by then, suddenly a voice came over the speaker.
"Attention all participants! Attention all participants! This is to inform you that the village is under attack! The second stage of the Exam has been suspended! All teams are ordered to head for the edge of the forest, where teams are waiting to take you to safety! I repeat..." and the voice repeated itself as the realization dawned on them.
"We have to go. We need to take Choji and Kiba, who need immediate medical attention," he added, yet their path was blocked by a horde of puppets that continued to grow larger and larger.
In this entire forest, there was but one genin who could have posed a risk to their plan. One genin, and yet he was busy dealing with Gaara, leaving them to do as they so desired.
"Hinata, Glasses guy," Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward, as he made a tiger hand seal and began to mold a terrifyingly large amount of chakra.
"We will make you an opening," and Sasuke Uchiha joined him as well, as he used a seal band on his arm to summon a tanto.
"So use it to evacuate," but the Hyuga girl was not convinced.
"But Naruto-kun..."
"Glasses guy can't carry both Choji and Kiba on his own. You will need to help him, Sasuke added, as Kiba Inuzuka snarled.
"I don't need your help!" and Naruto Uzumaki smiled.
"Don't worry. We will be just behind you," and even he knew himself that he was in no position to fight. He had a broken arm, and both his eardrums had been torn by Dosu, rendering him useless as the Hyuga girl coiled his arm around her head.
"I will be coming back, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," and the two nodded.
"Don't worry. We will be just behind you," and Kabuto reached around Choji as he picked up the Akimichi boy, silently making sure that he won't wake up any time soon.
"Let's go," and with that the duo of Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki rushed forward, as the blonde took the lead, and used his technique.
"Ninpo: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu...."
BOOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!
And Kabuto could not believe his eyes as over a hundred clones appeared, and then began to make hand signs of their own.
"Futon:..." and that was the time that Sasuke Uchiha chose to reveal himself, as he molded chakra of his own.
"Katon: Majestic Destroyer Flame...." and he spouted out a massive wall of fire, as the clones behind him
"...Gale Palm!" and the wind jutsu only added to the fire's potency, and the storm unravelled in such a way that it swallowed all of the puppets, as the two prompted them.
"GO! NOW!" and with that, Kabuto and Hinata Hyuga jumped forward, as the two of them cleared a path for evacuation, and Kabuto smirked internally as the plan unfolded without any hiccup.
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