The moment my feet hit the forest floor, the atmosphere in the clearing shifted. The air grew undeniably heavy, pressing down on everyone's shoulders. The birds in the canopy went silent, and the rustling of the brush ceased completely.
"Naruto!" Sakura called out from inside the hollowed-out tree root, relief washing over her. "You're alive!"
Next to her, Sasuke started to rouse. He groaned in pain, the sinister residue of the Curse Mark weakly pulsing on his shoulder.
Neji, ever suspicious, didn't lower his guard. The veins around his temples bulged as he activated his Byakugan to check me for injuries or genjutsu.
The moment his pale eyes locked onto me, he physically recoiled. He took a hasty half-step backward, instinctively dropping into a rigid Gentle Fist stance. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he stared at the terrifying void of shadow currently enveloping my chakra network. He deactivated his eyes almost immediately, breathing hard.
"Neji?" Lee asked, blinking in confusion. "What is the matter?"
"Nothing," Neji replied tightly, refusing to elaborate, though he stared at me with a mix of awe and deep caution. "Just... be on guard."
I ignored the Hyuga prodigy and gestured to the combined members of Team 10 and Team Guy. "So, when did all this bodyguard work start happening?"
"Since that explosion went off," Shikamaru replied with a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. "That thing sent off a troublesome domino effect."
"Reaaally?" I said, feigning maximum ignorance. The impact of the explosion must have done more damage than I thought.
Ino shook her head so angrily, I thought her head was gonna come off. "I wonder who the idiot that caused it is."
Aye, idiot is quite the strong word, ya know, I thought, keeping my face perfectly neutral.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Kiba chimed in as he and Team 8 dropped down into the clearing behind me. He pointed an accusatory finger right at the back of my head. "He's standing right in front of you."
The entire clearing went silent, while my eyes darted back and forth in an attempt to figure out a way out of the situation.
"Are you kidding me?!" Ino shrieked, her voice echoing through the trees. "You did that?! Do you have any idea how many giant centipedes we had to fight because you blew up their nests?!"
"Mistakes occur daily," I responded. "Aren't I human?"
"You're an idiot!" she snapped angrily. "What are you, some kind of explosion nut now?! Have you learned nothing from your confetti tag incident?!"
"Yea. I learned to throw it away quickly," I replied, which caused her face to flush even redder. "Which is how I'm standing in front of y'all now."
"Wait, Naruto," Choji interjected, looking utterly confused. "Why did you even have explosive tags that powerful in the first place?!"
"You never know who you might run into," I shrugged, getting looks of disbelief from them.
"Now, get that thing outta my face," I said, batting Kiba's finger away with exaggerated annoyance. "It happened. We can't change the results now, so how about we be a little more solution-oriented about the ordeal we're currently in."
"Solution-oriented?!" Ino yelled. "You idiot! You've doomed us all!"
"Okay, hold on now," I said, holding a hand up defensively. "I'll be the first to admit that the explosion went a tad overboard, but you can't go blaming me for all your problems."
"Yes we can," Kiba shot back, crossing his arms. "In fact, I'm doing it right now. This is all your fault."
Man, this ninja might give 50 Cent a run for his money, I mused internally. This level of hate gotta be practiced or something, ain't no way.
"He's got a point," Shikamaru chimed in lazily. "Because of that explosion, a lot of teams' scrolls were either lost or destroyed. It caused various teams to align with others from their villages in an attempt to bolster their numbers for whatever will take place in the next set of rounds. It has also resulted in those alliances hoarding scrolls and Leaf ninjas getting ambushed left and right from the other teams."
"Ah, so that's why you've all guarded these two so securely," I deduced, gesturing at my teammates. "You need our strength. Particularly, you want us to assemble and counter-attack to get scrolls from those alliances."
Shikamaru blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "Huh... you actually put that together perfectly. I guess you aren't completely brain-dead after all."
What am I a punching bag, today? I thought, eyes nearly twitching.
"Don't sound so surprised, you misplaced pineapple," I retorted. "You've come up with a good plan, but it's unnecessary."
"And why not?!" Ino hissed, stepping forward. "In case it hasn't crossed that mind of yours yet, that little firework show of yours lost your team's scrolls too! So, you better have a good reason as to why—"
"Because all we really need to do is get to the tower," I interrupted casually.
Before Ino could yell again, I moved to a thick patch of brush on the edge of the clearing, and unveiled the dozens of scrolls I had my Soldiers move there upon my arrival. They spilled out of the brush, tumbling over each other into a massive pile.
At the sight of the scrolls the clearing descended into absolute pandemonium.
Choji literally dropped his potato chip, his jaw hanging open.
"How? I didn't even pick them up with my Byakugan," Neji muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
Ino started stuttering, her eyes bulging out of her head. "H-How did you get so many?! Did you rob the entire forest?!"
"Like I said," I grinned, picking up the scrolls. "We gotta be solution-oriented."
I casually sorted through the massive stash of pilfered scrolls, tossing what was needed to Shikamaru, Neji, and Shino. Then, I grabbed all four of the scrolls that my team needed—Mountain, River, Sun, and Moon—and tossed them to Sakura, effectively guaranteeing that the entire Konoha rookie class would advance to the next round.
Tenten, who had been staring at the scrolls in shock, suddenly snapped out of her daze and waved her fist in the air. "Hey Naruto! Where's the rest of my weapons?!"
Neji and Lee both turned their heads, their expressions shifting from shock to alarm.
"More weapons?" Neji asked, his brow furrowing.
"You mean there will be more added to your arsenal alongside that magnificent spear and cleaver?!" Lee exclaimed. "Your performance on our last C-Rank mission was nothing short of extraordinary! The bandits didn't stand a chance against them!"
I nodded at the information, then refocused on Tenten. "I was gonna give 'em to you before the start of the Exams, but I didn't see you."
I hesitated briefly, then shrugged. "But I got 'em right here, though."
I opened my [Inventory] and pulled the items out. To the rest of the Genin, it looked like I was literally pulling legendary armaments out of thin air.
It'll probably get exposed sooner or later, I thought, seeing all their shocked expressions. Might as well reveal it now and control the narrative.
I handed Tenten the [Storm-Tethered Kunai], the [Twin Crescent Warblades], and finally, the massive [Gale-Force Iron Fan].
She immediately geeked out, squealing and dropping to her knees as she ran her hands over the metal of the Crescent Warblades. "Naruto, these look like they belong in a Kage's armory! The craftsmanship is impeccable!"
"Give the fan a go," I suggested.
She didn't need to be told twice. She picked up the heavy iron fan, imbued a fraction of her chakra into the handle, and gave it what she thought was a "light" test swing.
FWOOSH!
A massive gust of wind erupted from the iron face of the fan. The sheer, violent force of the wind completely obliterated a huge section of trees, sending splintered wood and debris flying for hundreds of yards. Kiba and Akamaru yelled out as they were nearly blown off their feet, forced to cling to a root to keep from flying away.
"Such youthful power!" Lee shouted over the roaring wind, his eyes shining with stars.
Woooo, that's strong as a bitch, I thought, looking upon the aftermath of the destruction.
[SUB-QUEST COMPLETED: THE ARMS DEALER]
[REWARD]:
Guild Trade Permission (Allows gifting of System items to non-System users)
Now people can use the items I give them without restrictions, I thought. But would someone like Orochimaru be able to use these items unrestricted if he steals or takes them from the person I gave them to? I pondered the idea for a moment before shrugging. Only time will tell now.
I opened my inventory again and pulled out several high-tier chakra, health, and strength potions. The glowing blue, green, and red liquids swirled inside their glass vials.
"Here," I said, tossing them around to Kiba, Hinata, and anyone else who looked battered. "Drink up. These'll heal your injuries, and recover your chakra."
I walked over to the hollowed-out tree and gave a [Strength Potion] to Sakura.
"Here, give this to him," I told her. She nodded, took the vial, and emptied it into his mouth.
The effect was instantaneous. Sasuke's eyes snapped open. The pain of the Curse Mark subsided, and his exhaustion vanished.
He sat up quickly, wiping his mouth, and looking around to see where he was.
"Naruto, what is this stuff?" Sakura asked, staring at her empty vial as a scratch on her cheek literally sealed itself shut before her eyes.
"Yeah, this is incredible," Ino said, flexing her hand after finishing off a [Chakra Potion]. "How'd you come by these?"
"Merchants in the Land of Wave and Spring gave me some stuff after we helped them or whatever," I lied smoothly.
"How did you pull those weapons out of thin air?" Shino asked, observing the weapons Tenten was hugging.
"I've been delving into some of that Fuinjutsu stuff," I said, my words flowing like a leaf on a gentle stream. "The possibilities are pretty endless with it."
"How youthful!" Lee let out, flames roaring in his eyes.
"Incredible," Choji said, watching his minor injuries vanish before his very eyes. Then he turned to me. "Wait, so does that mean you really did slay 200 men like Kabuto said?"
I paused for a moment caught off guard by who just asked the question. Man, when did you start using your brain to focus on important details? I thought as everyone, besides my teammates, focused their attention on me, awaiting my answer.
"Yea, it's true," I confirmed, keeping my face neutral.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Ino swallowed hard, taking a slow step back from me before snapping her head toward Sakura.
"He's joking, right? Tell me he's joking," she pleaded, her voice trembling slightly. "He's making that up to sound cool, right? Tell me he didn't actually massacre an entire army."
Sakura looked down at her hands, her expression grim. She shook her head slowly.
"He's not joking," she said quietly. "He killed them all. The people in the Land of Wave will tell you the same thing."
The rest of the Genin stared at me, their previous annoyance completely overwritten by a cold, unsettling realization of not knowing who they were standing next to.
"So that means he actually did take down that Doto guy and his army too," Kiba realized, his eyes wide in disbelief.
The group turned back to me as I nodded again in confirmation.
"Alright, that's enough standing around dwelling on the past," Shikamaru suddenly interrupted, clapping his hands together to break the heavy tension. "We all have our scrolls now. I say we proceed with the plan and travel as a massive twelve-man unit to the central tower. It's the safest way to prevent any of those foreign alliances from trying to pick us off."
"Agreed," Neji said, finally forcing his eyes away from me.
Behind us, Sasuke finally pushed himself to his feet, testing his weight. He looked completely revitalized, though his eyes darted around the large group in confusion. "What exactly did I miss?"
Ino, Lee, and Shikamaru immediately began filling him in. They explained how the explosion had completely altered the dynamics of the exam, causing teams to group up, and how Team 10 had come to his and Sakura's aid when three Sound Genin had attempted to ambush them while he was out of commission.
"They really wanted to fight you, but once Team Guy showed up to back us up, the numbers disadvantage spooked them and they retreated," Shikamaru explained.
Interesting, I noted internally. So, Sasuke didn't wake up and activate the Curse Mark to break Zaku's arms like in the canon. He's definitely going to be fresher for the preliminary rounds, but so will Zaku.
"Let's move out already before it gets dark," I said, holding up a hand sign.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu]
A dozen clones popped into existence and immediately scattered into the canopy to scout ahead.
With everyone fully equipped and healed, we took to the trees.
As we traveled, the other Genin remained on incredibly high alert, having their kunai at the ready and checking their blind spots. But after a mile, the tension shifted into something else entirely: confusion. They slowly began to realize that the forest was unnervingly quiet.
I was subtly leaking my [Presence], causing every giant centipede, tiger, and bear in a two-mile radius to actively flee our path.
"The insects..." Shino muttered quietly, adjusting his sunglasses. "They are actively abandoning the trees as we approach. How strange."
"Very strange," I acknowledged smoothly. "Maybe there's something around or ahead that's causing this phenomenon."
I turned to the Hyugas. "Maybe you two could use your eyes to take a look around?" I asked, knowing damn well that it was because of me.
They nodded and activated their dojutsu.
As we leaped from branch to branch, I couldn't help but notice the incredibly tense dynamic between them. Neji would occasionally shoot a glaring, hateful look at her back, causing Hinata to physically shrink into her jacket, her shoulders hunched in submission.
Right, that's gonna be something to deal with too, I thought, shaking my head. Hopefully it can be rectified quickly.
We hadn't gone much further when a rustling in the brush below caught our attention. Weapons were instantly drawn, but it was only Kabuto. He stumbled out of the foliage, adjusting his cracked glasses and panting heavily.
He quickly started explaining how he had gotten separated from his team after a brutal ambush by some Kiri ninja who used the Hidden Mist jutsu to split them up while they were engaging another team.
Good bait, geek, I thought as the others listened to his fabricated story with varying levels of sympathy.
Since he was a Konoha ninja, the group agreed to let him join our formation. As we continued, I discreetly caught him stealing analytical glances at Sasuke—no doubt looking for signs of the Curse Mark—and then extremely cautious, unsettled glances at me. I rationalized this as him gathering more data for Orochimaru, especially after showing him bits of the high-level Ninjutsu that I knew.
Letting him collect some data for Orochimaru is fine, I mused internally. As long as I can control what he sees. I'm still probably not on Orochimaru's priority list but I could be if I move too carelessly and show more than I need to—my Soldiers.
We finally reached a massive clearing just a mile from the central tower.
But our path was completely blocked.
Standing in front of the pathway were Kaminari and Gantetsu, along with a coordinated coalition of around fifteen foreign Genin from Kiri, Ame, and Grass, all sporting confident, bloodthirsty grins. They had set up a complete blockade to stop any Leaf ninja from reaching the tower.
"End of the line, Leaf brats," Kaminari rumbled, resting the massive blade on his shoulder. "Hand over the scrolls and we might let you live."
The foreign coalition vastly outnumbered us. The tension in our group spiked instantly. Neji fell into his Gentle Fist stance, his Byakugan flaring to life. Lee began unbandaging his arms. Kabuto drew a kunai, playing the part of a cornered ninja perfectly.
"Fifteen against thirteen," Shikamaru muttered, pulling out a kunai with a heavy sigh. "What a drag."
"Don't get cocky just because you outnumber us!" Kiba growled, though a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. "Akamaru and I will tear right through you!"
Sakura and Ino stood back-to-back, drawing their weapons, while Choji nervously reached into his pouch. Even Shino's bugs began swarming aggressively around his arms. Tenten gripped her newly acquired Crescent Warblades, while Hinata fell into a Gentle Fist stance, her hands trembling but her eyes set with determination.
Beside me, Sasuke's eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as his Sharingan activated. The sinister seal on his neck twitched, threatening to activate from his sheer battle lust—something I knew Kabuto was eagerly waiting to see firsthand.
Everyone prepared for a grueling, all-out war.
But before anyone from Konoha could step forward, I strode leisurely past them, moving to the very front of the group. And held up a single hand, stopping them in their tracks.
"We don't have time for this," I said casually, not bothering to draw a weapon. "Allow me to clear the path."
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Bloodlust (Max Output)]
In the eyes of the foreign ninjas, the world instantly lost its color.
A suffocating, abyssal blue hue washed over the entire clearing. The air pressure spiked so violently that the ground beneath my feet actually spider-webbed and cracked. The sheer force of my killing intent slammed into the foreign coalition like a tidal wave.
When I looked into the eyes of most of the ninja, I could see the fear of them imagining their own gruesome deaths plastered on their faces.
CLATTER. CLANG. THUD.
Various weapons began to hit the ground.
Kaminari's eyes rolled back in his head, and his massive chakra-cleaver slipped from his trembling hands, crashing into the dirt. A second later, Gantetsu collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest and violently hyperventilating as his Earth Armor crumbled away.
One by one, all fifteen enemy Genin dropped to the ground. Some were weeping, some were paralyzed, and others simply passed out, frothing at the mouth from the sheer psychological shock of facing someone so far beyond their comprehension.
They parted like the Red Sea, leaving a wide, clear path directly to the tower.
I deactivated the skill, allowing the forest to "return back to normal." The enemy ninja remained on the ground, completely distraught and gasping for air.
I turned back to the others behind me to find the Konoha Genin completely frozen in place. Even though the killing intent hadn't been directed at them, the ambient pressure had left them gasping for breath. Shikamaru's eyes were wide with disbelief, realizing I hadn't even used a jutsu. Kiba was trembling, with Akamaru whimpering pitifully inside his jacket. Sakura and Ino had frozen in place, while Choji had completely forgotten about his snacks.
Neji's Byakugan had involuntarily deactivated, his rigid stance broken as he stared at me like I was a monster. Lee was entirely paralyzed, the usual fiery passion in his eyes replaced by cold dread, and Tenten was gripping her warblades so hard her knuckles were white. Hinata was clutching her chest, struggling to catch her breath, while Shino stood completely still—his normally active insect colony had retreated entirely into his body, too terrified to even buzz.
Kabuto was sweating bullets, his hands shaking violently. Judging by how pale he had gotten, my pressure had genuinely terrified him—maybe even more than his snake of a boss.
Beside him, Sasuke stood rigidly. His Sharingan spun wildly, but his body refused to move. The Curse Mark had receded instantly, entirely suppressed by the heavier, darker presence I had just unleashed.
I offered them a relaxed, easy grin.
"What're you all waiting for?" I questioned, gesturing a thumb over my shoulder to the open path. "Y'all coming or what? There's still an exam going on, ya know."
Without waiting for an answer, I turned around and strolled right past the paralyzed assailants, leading the way to the next phase of the Chunin Exams.
.
.
Going on hiatus, so no new chapter this Saturday or next week. This Arc will be long, so I'm gearing up to go into the fights I'm setting up and other details. Timeline for return will be determined. Also, I will be adding to the auxiliary page at some point, it just needs to be organized more. And as always, thanks for reading and see you then. Bye.