-The next day-
All the groups from yesterday were standing outside the Forest of Death, with Naruto standing at the very front. Though his expression wasn't the greatest.
Fu raised a hand up and waved it
"Hey, bestie, I've got a question, I've got a question" Fu called out to him from amidst the crowd
Naruto already knew what she was going to ask the moment her hand shot up as he let out a groan and nodded.
"Go ahead"
"Yesterday's screaming, that was you, right? I heard you were being chased down by your father-in-law again" Fu asked
"...."
"So it was you" His silence was practically admitting to it, which made Fu's face brighten significantly, while the rest of the genins covered their mouths, letting out faint snickers.
"Hah...I originally felt bad for this exam's rules, but since it's come to this, I think I'm going to enjoy your screams" Naruto said with an annoyed look
He slowly revealed a dark smile
"The rules are similar to the previous exam, each group gets a heaven or earth scroll, and enter the forest of death for five days, during these five days, you have to make it to the centre with all your group members in fighting condition"
The genins nodded, as this was the exact same as last year
"Like before, life and death inside is up to yourself, you will sign your name before entering, stating that your life and death won't be linked back to Konoha" Naruto continued, which was about the same as before.
They nodded, still following along
"Next rule, which is come up by yours truly, this will be a points based game, make it to the end with the scroll, ten points, make it to the end with all members, ten points, ambush an enemy team and steal their scroll, twenty points, bring the stolen scroll to the end with you, ten points, for each scroll stolen, ten points, make your opponents falling into crippling doubt about their strength, fifty points" Naruto smiled and stated the rules
"...."
"Teams with at least one hundred points will pass" Naruto said with a smile
His words were easy to understand. Simply avoiding combat and making to the end won't be enough, as that only grants twenty points. He's asking them to ambush each other and steal scrolls!
Okay, the first few are fine, but what is up with the last one! Make the opponents fall into crippling doubt about their strength!? Who in their right minds will even try that!
Of course, there are a few ambitious ones that saw that, and became intrigued. Greed flashed past their eyes, and their hot headed youthful nature made it all the more desirable to do such a thing.
Naruto's eyes curved into a crescent shape upon seeing such ambitious expressions plash by the faces of many of the genins.
"Lastly, no intentional killing, eyes are on you all at all times, and most of all, have fun~" Naruto said with a smile
'Have fun my a*s!' Many cursed at him for such ridiculous rules
Everyone had one thought about this supervisor...he's f**ked in the head!
"Alright, once you collect your scroll, sign your name on the contract, and grab a watch, the watch will register your points when you achieve something" Naruto said as he held a watch up
Everyone got a close look at it, and all it had was the number 0 on it shown.
The teams lined up one after another, collecting the scroll and watch before making their way into the forest of death, splitting off at the entrance so they won't run into another group immediately.
This exam tested their survivability in an unfamiliar place, whilst also training them to defend against other shinobi that could possibly be lurking around them.
And unbeknownst to the genins, each group had someone following closely behind them. A shadow clone.
Of course, there are a few groups that had more than just one clone following them, one being Orochimaru's group.
As Orochimaru travelled through the forest, he felt a little nostalgic.
'Two years ago, this was where I met them, hah, how time has flied'
He landed down on the ground, and pressed his hand against the floor, as if he was using his chakra to sense his surroundings. At least, that's what the clone observing thought.
Beneath his hand, snakes slithered into the ground from his palm, burrowing itself and vanishing in an instant before he removed his hand and covered the hole in the process. He did so in one swift motion, so not even the clone observing realised.
Once the snake was planted, a smile crept onto his face
'My plan is almost complete, I wonder if he has noticed at all' He chuckled in his heart
His sharp gaze flashed towards the clone following him before he turned his attention back in front.
'This game will be over soon, no hard feelings, Naruto'
-To the east of the forest of death-
Ino, Sakura, and Choji had the heaven scroll, so Ino expanded her search in an attempt to find a team with the Earth scroll.
"Found another team yet?" Sakura asked
"You bet, down that way, just a few hundred meters away" Ino pointed to the side and said
"Fantastic" Sakura revealed a wide smile as she glanced at Choji
"You ready, Choji?" She asked
"Of course" Choji, like Sakura, revealed a similar smile
The smile they had seemed sinister, and Ino knew exactly why. Choji immediately expanded his body into a massive ball of flesh, and a rope was thrown up, wrapping around him tightly.
What was on the other end of the rope? Sakura! She clenched it tightly
"Heave! HO!" She roared as she pulled at it, and swung it as hard as she could.
Choji's massive body was lifted, and slammed into the nearby trees, clearing it all in an instant.
But it didn't stop there, Sakura continued to swing him until he gradually fell into a circular motion under her swinging. Holding the rope as tightly as she could, she then lifted it up higher as hard as she could, throwing Choji into the air.
His destination? The group that Ino pointed out to them. She still held the rope, and grabbed Ino once he was thrown.
*Whoosh*
With that, the entire team took flight, leaving Naruto's clone a little speechless.
"That's...one way to travel I guess" He was honestly amazed that they thought of such a unique method of transportation.
The unsuspecting team that was targeted by these three maniacs didn't notice anything was off until a dark shadow loomed over them.
"Huh? What's that?" They looked up, and saw a massive ball fall from the sky
!!!!!
"Dodge!"
They quickly split up, and barely avoided the initial impact of landing. Dust formed, and trees toppled.
"What the heck is that!"
The massive ball that was motionless then began spinning, and charged at them, causing terror to rise from the bottom of their hearts.
Usually, they'd be much more composed, but when the 'surprise' came from above, then starts spinning at them, almost anyone would lose their cool!
*Bang*
Choji's sudden charge took them by surprise, and he was able to make use of it and ran over one of the opponents that was nearby.
But that was just the beginning, as from above, two more figures landed. Ino and Sakura. As Ino was falling, she already formed a circle with her hands, and aimed it at one of the remaining genin, while Sakura yanked at the rope to propel herself even more at the last one.
!!!!!
Ino took aim, and sent out a copied consciousness.
Hit!
The genin who was so focused on Choji didn't have time to react before his body was overtaken, and Ino controlled him to knock himself out. Sakura on the other hand, shot out like a cannonball, landing next to the final genin who was shaking.
*Bang*
Her impact was fierce, even more terrifying than Choji who was over ten times her size!
*Grab*
Her hand shot out, not giving him a chance to react, and grabbed him by the mouth before slamming him to the ground.
"Choji, you done on your end?" Ino hopped down and asked
"Done" Choji shrunk down and dragged the unconscious genin over
Ino glanced at the unconscious genin she took down, then at the one under Sakura.
"Hm...was it always this easy?" Ino asked
"Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much stronger we are compared to the Chunin exam two years ago???" Sakura's lips twitched as she watched Ino humble brag so easily.
"Haha, right, I guess I just felt much more helpless during the previous exam that it all feels so...unreal to me" Ino muttered
Sakura frowned
"If you felt helpless, then what about me? At least you moved onto the final round after beating me, but me..." Sakura looked down at the genin under her, then promptly knocked him out
"Sakura...sorry, I guess I didn't consider your feelings when I said that" Ino said apologetically
"Urgh, hearing you apologise actually sent chills down my spine, bestie, just stick to being dumb and clueless" Sakura said
"What! Say that again to my face" Ino walked up to Sakura and huffed
Choji was standing by the side with his hands up
"Ino, Sakura, this isn't the time to fight, we-"
"Shut up!" Both of them roared at him
"...okay" Choji sank back helplessly
"..." Naruto's lips twitched
These two, one second, they're closer than blood relatives, the next, they break down into arguments. But he could tell it was fine, since it wasn't to the level of when they fought over Sasuke. This fight is just between friends, but if it harms the friendship, then he'd really need to talk to them.
"Good luck, Choji" He muttered
Choji in silence, simply went to find the scroll the other team had. When he found it, he was disappointed to find that they had a Heaven scroll, which wasn't what they needed.
But then again, they could use the points. He looked down on the watch in his hand, and indeed, their team gained ten points by ambushing another team.
He then glanced at the other two members as he remembered one of the other missions....
Make the team fall into crippling doubt about their own strength...
He wondered how they were supposed to do that, after all, they had been trained since young, so to actually make another Shinobi fall into such a doubt wasn't easy.
Of course, there are exceptions, like what Naruto did to Urashiki two years ago.
While he was thinking, Sakura and Ino finally calmed down
"Choji, which scroll did they have?"
"Heaven" He replied
"Urgh, well, another one it is" Ino said as she expanded her search once more
From this point onwards, a rather peculiar rumor began spreading. If you ever hear the rustling of numerous trees, and the explosive sound of a massive object breaking through the skies, run...
-Elsewhere in the Forest of Death-
"Shino, do you sense anyone nearby?" Kiba followed behind Shino and asked
Shino slightly adjusted his glasses and shook his head
"You two?"
Both Kiba and Hinata both shook their heads as well. Be it Akamaru's sense of smell, or Hinata's Byakugan, neither of them found any teams nearby.
*Bang*
"Huh? Another explosion sound? We've been hearing that for quite some time now, huh?" Kiba looked up, every now and then, he'd see a massive ball shaped 'thing' fly through the air, followed by a loud *bang*
They didn't know what it is, but they suspected it was another village's trump card.
"If we keep this up, we'll fail by default" Kiba groaned
*Arf*
"Huh? Hey guys, Akamaru picked up on someone's scent, let's go" Kiba's eyes lit up visible when Akamaru, his partnered dog barked to him.
The other two also brightened visibly
"Then we've gotta move fast before another team finds them, let's go" Hinata said as a faint pink hue rose on her face.
A smile was being held back, but Kiba and Shino already knew...she is excited. They've been on enough missions with her to know her personality by now. At first, they were shocked to find her acting so...so...sadistic?
She practically tortured the enemy Shinobi when she was left alone with him, and had Shino not been observing with his insects, the team would never had known. Now, they just pretent they don't notice, and let Hinata 'let loose'.
"Yeah, let's not waste time" Shino nodded and sent out more insects that flew in the direction Akamaru faced.
The group then stealthily made their way, following Akamaru closely whilst leaving as little traces as possible.
It wasn't long before Shino and Hinata caught traces of the other team as well, and Hinata gestured at them, telling them the exact locations. Shino nodded, and a swarm of insects began swarming the ground, silently making their way towards the group.
They kid beneath the leaves and soil, moving from all directions so they remained unnoticed until the team had already been surrounded.
Hinata gestured to Kiba then, raising one finger to him, while he raised two fingers. The two nodded, and charged in.
Shino made a hand sign, and the insects around the other team immediately stopped hiding, and swarmed them, crawling up their legs, and blocking their vision.
"Ah!"
"What the heck!"
"Insects, it's the Aburame clan kid!"
They tried to kill the insects to free themselves, but Hinata and Kiba already took action (along with Akamaru).
Kiba made a hand sign, and Akamaru transformed into him.
"Fang over fang!" Kiba and Akamaru both entered a vicious rotational dive that shot towards the two they targeted.
Hinata on the other hand, formed two spherical balls of pure rotational chakra, and threw it towards the last shinobi.
*Bang*
Kiba's attack with Akamaru struck them whilst they were still distracted by the insects, sending them toppling down to the ground. Once they were knocked down, Shino's insects fully enveloped them, causing their screams to resound through the forest.
Hinata's target had an experience that was just as horrifying. The two spherical attacks didn't seem like much when it was thrown, but upon impact, both expanded, and started to rotate in two different directions.
What made it truly scary was that they overlapped completely. When two forces contradict one another, they typically neutralise itself. But Hinata's control over them were beyond the standard, creating miniscule gaps in the forces of rotation where it does not interfere with one another. It was as if inserting two springs of opposite directions together, it slid together perfectly without affecting the other.
The two forces caused the poor genin to feel as if he was being wringed alive, and it was no weak pulls either, it was intense, causing his body to twist in pain.
"No matter how many times I see it, I can't get used to it" Kiba said
"Same" Shino and Kiba both saw Hinata control her smile that kept rising as she watched him scream in pain.
The two forces of rotation gradually died down, leaving the boy on the ground, unmoved (fainted).
"What a pity, I had to hold back to avoid bloodshed" Hinata muttered under her breathe
Kiba and Shino gulped as one word came to mind....scary!
Naruto's clone watched from above, and he too, only had one word...hardcore!
"Hinata's control over that has become quite scary, on that note, how is Neji doing against her in spars now?" He knew that Neji and Hinata, though closer than before, still had a slight tension between them, so he rarely brought up Hinata in front of Neji except to tease him.
At this moment, Hinata reached down and picked up a scroll
"Guys, it's an Earth scroll, just what we needed" Hinata's smile became more conservative as she turned around.
'How is this the same person...'
Hinata on the other hand, thought she hid her smile quite well, yet unbeknownst to her, the other two were simply pretending they knew nothing. Of course, it was Shino who stopped Kiba from saying anything when he initially found out, tactfully avoiding the landmine in their team.
"Earth scroll is good, but to get a hundred points, we need five more scrolls...just what was Naruto thinking when he came up with that rule" Shino muttered
"Who cares, I like it" Kiba grinned, finding the rules to be very interesting
It sounded much like a hunt, which he felt suited their team very well. After all, all three of them had scouting abilities and high combat capability!
As they were about to move again, Hinata's head snapped back as her Byakugan activated.
"Three people are approaching, one is unnaturally fast and is speeding ahead" Hinata said as her gaze narrowed
"I'll lay an ambush" Shino immediately dispersed his insects into the surrounding, so they could immediately swarm in one area to trap someone.
Hinata and Kiba hid themselves, leaving Shino in the open as bait. At the very least, that's what the others will think. Shino, in reality, had created a clone with insects, and had hidden himself the moment Hinata said there were enemies approaching.
*Whoosh*
The person Hinata saw with her Byakugan appeared in a flash, flying in the air with a pair of wings on the back, beating rapidly.
"Weird, I clearly sensed three people, why's there only one?" The mint coloured hair swayed as Fu tilted her head to the side.
But then a playful smile appeared on her face as she stared at the lone 'Shino' who was looking up at her.
"Oh well, ahem, hand over your scroll, or prepared to be intimidated" Fu acted fierce, but actually came off as rather adorable.
The clone Shino didn't reply, instead, stood there in silence.
"Quiet one eh? I can work with that, Chomei, let's show him what's what!" Fu opened her mouth and a condensed ball of chakra formed in front.
The three in hiding immediately felt something was off, and had a bad feeling. That move looked...familiar...
Too familiar...
Fu tilted her head up and the ball of chakra shot up into the sky
*Boom*
It expanded rapidly, and went off in the air, causing the trees to sway, and a string wind to blow against them all.
'Th-That...isn't that what Naruto used during that mission!?' They've been on missions with Naruto before, and this odd use of the beast bomb was more than familiar to them!
Fu grinned
"How's that? Are you intimidated? Hahaha, I can blast at you this time, so hand over your scroll or suffer the consequences!" Fu puffed up her chest as she said proudly
"..."
Naruto watched from above like a proud parent as he rubbed his nose
"They grow up so fast these days, only taught her that a few days ago, and she already learnt how to use it to threaten multiple teams" This clone had watched Fu storm two teams, show off the beast bomb before snatching their scroll through sheer intimidation.
[...] Should Kurama applaud him for leading another jinchuriki astray?
He remembered that last time they met, Fu was still just a playful and innocent girl. When did he even have time to corrupt her!? He never realised when it happened, as it was when Chomei was pestering him non-stop inside the mindscape.
Now, he can only pray that Gaara, the current Kazekage, won't follow his crooked path as well. To use a beast bomb as a form of upfront intimidation, who would ever do that??? Those things are tactical weapons that can kill off armies!
Then again, said beast bomb is currently also sitting inside Naruto's pockets, trapped within metal balls, waiting to be thrown at someone...
The Shino that was below Fu formed a hand sign, and from all directions, insects began to swarm Fu, who was caught off guard.
Fu, who was taken aback, reacted fast, and immediately dove down towards Shino to smack him down. Would she really use a beast bomb on him? Of course not! But Naruto taught her something else as well...
"Take this!" She yelled, and without a trace of hesitation, she promptly formed a hand sign.
The moment she did so, a small white bundle formed on her palm that she shot out. The target?
Naruto taught her to aim for...
!!!!!!!
Despite being a clone, the Shino was stunned as his legs clamped. It was aimed at his crown jewels! His instincts told him to dodge immediately, which he did so.
But the white bundle suddenly expanded into a giant web that wrapped around him when he least expected it!
"Hahaha, Naruto was right, if I aim there, they choose to dodge right away, and become easier targets to be trapped" Fu laughed as she floated above the trapped Shino
*Gulp*
In hiding, Shino and Kiba both gulped as beads of sweat rolled down their faces. Naruto! Just what the f**k is he teaching her! How can such a bright looking child be using such scary tactics!
'Hinata, Shino, you two take over! I refuse to fight her!' Kiba cried in his heart, and vowed to not appear in this fight no matter what happens!
Shino, who was still hiding, formed a hand sign, and as Fu approached the trapped clone, it burst into hundreds of insects, swarming towards the shocked Fu.
"Ah! This was not part of the plan! Bleh, take this!" She opened her mouth, and a dense white light suddenly shone, so bright that it blinded everything and anyone!
Even Shino, who wore sunglasses, was momentarily blinded! Just how bright was that thing!
"Right, Naruto said I can do this as well" Fu muttered as she flew up into the sky
She opened her mouth, and the blinding white light shone once more. But this time, it stayed, and condensed into a white orb that continued to shine. She didn't stop there, with Chomei's help, she formed more and more of these white orbs, so much that it even outshone the sun!
With so many, no one could look up, and Hinata's Byakugan has become more of a hindrance than anything. The light practically seared her eyes the moment she activated her dojutsu!
Now, hidden by the light, Fu observed the forest.
"As expected, his methods work so well" Fu grinned
'F**k you Naruto! This sh*t is too dirty! Who the hell teaches people these things!' Kiba screamed in his heart
-Far away-
"Proud as a papa hawk" Naruto wiped a drop of tear from behind a pair of sunglasses.
These were developed by him specifically for Fu's intense bright light...
-Below-
Hinata, Kiba, and Shino all found it hard to even open their eyes. They could only hide in the bushes, and avoid the bright light that blinded them.
As it went on, a single *whimper* came from Akamaru's mouth, unable to handle the blinding light as it covered itself with a paw.
!!!!
"Scatter!" Shino shouted the moment that happened
"Found you" Fu grinned as she dove down from the sky.
Her first target was naturally Shino, the one she failed to capture earlier. Her movements were swift, and even if it was under normal circumstances, Shino would likely have a hard time avoiding her.
Hinata clenched her fists, with her eyes shut, she dashed forward in Shino's direction. She dispersed her chakra into the air, using it as sensors for movements, and made her way in front of Shino.
"Huh? A girl? I can't use the same method I did with the boys, ah, I know~" Fu grinned as she flew even faster towards them.
In Hinata's hands, two forces of rotation formed, and she thew it down onto the ground, surrounding herself and Shino. Unlike the previous one, these two both spun in the same direction, creating a dense field that acted as a barrier for them.
She can naturally use rotation herself as well, but the small condensed ones were more compact, and is more conservative in terms of chakra usage.
"Woah, that looks awesome!" As she said that, Fu rammed into it!
Her action shocked Hinata. She may not be able to see, but she could sense her surroundings with chakra, and what Fu just did was not something she expected at all.
Around Fu, blue chakra formed over her body, much like Naruto's demon fox cloak form. Using Chomei's chakra as armor, she rammed the rotation force so hard it almost dispersed!
Hinata quickly formed the rotation force on her palm once more and struck at Fu
"I love hand to hand combat!" Fu's eyes lit up when she saw Hinata strike at her, she kicked the barrier around them, which was just enough the disperse the wavering forces of rotation before she spun in the air and dove towards Hinata once more.
*Bang*
She kicked towards Hinata's palm, and the rotation force on it repelled Fu, whilst pushing Hinata back.
Hinata was in awe of Fu's physical capability. She is no slouch in taijutsu, so she had confidence in her physique, yet Fu could push her back!
*Thump*
*Thump*
Shino heard a loud thumping sound, and his quickly retreated. Using his insects, he located Kiba and Akamaru, before pulling him away to a safe distance, away from the blinding light.
"Shino, where's Hinata" Kiba asked
"She...She's in 'that' phase" He replied solemnly
!!!
Kiba's eyes widened
"Then..."
He turned towards the source of the bright light, and...
"AH! MY EYES!"
'This idiot' Shino sighed
As for Hinata, her eyes were still shut, but slowly, a smile appeared on her face. A faint pink hue gradually covered her cheeks.
"You'll surely be...fun" Hinata said to Fu, who felt an inexplicable shiver run down her spine.