Despite it All

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Ashira's POV (West Side of Village Hidden in the Leaves)

Perhaps he was growing old.

He ate a slash to his neck from Kushina. His seal held solid but his skin broke down as he was bathed in more tailed beast chakra. He threw a roundhouse to knock her out but a tail merely caught it and threw him through a building. He coughed up blood at this.

In his prime he would've cut her down before she could've even powered up. Now she outlasted him and found the weaknesses to his Uzumaki killing technique. Apparently, the Kyuubi chakra allowed her to bypass this. Also, his seal merely defended against her and her techniques. So if she were to slam him into a light pole at high speeds?

Well his body, enhanced by chakra at the last second, managed to bend the pole in half. It nearly crushed all his ribs as it did so. He slid across the ground in a painful skid. Kushina appeared in front of him as he did so. Slamming her cloak tails into him repeatedly. The tails did not allow his seal to harm her and coating him in the corrosive chakra.

It seemed Ikam and he had underestimated her. Dying to ensure her death was a worthy cause but if he could not kill her. Then it would be a worthless demise.

"Transport Seal: Placement Switch!" He called as he formed a seal out of his own blood. Kushina flew in her katana bathed in red chakra and she smiled cruelly at him. Right as she aimed to behead him he suddenly seemed to fade out of existence. Kushina maintained her guard as she eyed the nearby street and destroyed buildings. Waiting to see if it was some kind of bluff. But once it was clear he had left she allowed the cloak to fade. Her skin is covered in chakra burns from using the three-tailed cloak.

Ashira spawned in an alleyway he had left a marker in earlier. His teleport technique required ludicrous chakra to activate. The destination seal requires a while to set it up. But when used wisely he saved him several times. He tore off the cloak Ikam had worn and transformed into a bear Leaf Anbu. He flew out of the alley hoping his disguise would alleviate suspicion of anyone who saw him but was stopped as his back suddenly was hit. Both of his lungs were crying out in pain. He flew into the street breathlessly.

"That was my air palm." Hiashi stated plainly. "It seems it struck your lungs, choking is quite the awful way to die."

Arashi offered no answer instead he pulled an all too familiar syringe from his pocket and injected it. As beaten as he was, it couldn't fully heal him. But it did heal his lungs. He pulled two scrolls and unleashed a tidal wave of kunai towards the head of the Hyuga. Hiashi merely shook his head as he spun. "Kaiten." He stated simply reflecting the storm of metal. He frowned as his Byakugan saw the man was attempting to flee him. "No one escapes the Hyuga! Air Palms!" Several more chakra blasts flew through the air. Several Ashira threw another scroll that unleashed a large amount of water blocking the shots.

"Hahaha! You children mettle with a man who's your-" Arashi started manically as he sought to flee from the Leaf. But his path was impeded as a man with shades and a high collar jacket flew in landing a powerful flying kick that sent Arashi careening through a billboard and into a park. The old man attempted to stand but was once again blindsided by a gray human-sized blur. It smashed him hard, sending him back bruised and cut smashing through a wooden bench and being embedded into the soft grass.

"It seems he almost got away." Shibi Aburame stated landing in front of the grounded Ashira. The famous head of the Aburame clan is known for his intelligence and shrewdness.

Another landed to his left. This was a brash smiling woman as well as one wolf. "Imagine that, the Hyuga do a half-assed job!" Tsume Inzuka roared happily. The female clan head of the Inuzuka had arrived as well. "Oh well, my boy here was looking for a good hunt!"

"Watch your tone," Hiashi commanded as he landed. "He merely scurried away."

"You're not trash…" Arashi started as he rose. "Yet I cannot fall here!" He stumbled for a second before he drew his katana suddenly. "Draw Technique: Sudden Bisection!" He roared but flinched as Hiashi and Tsume merely blocked the sneak attack. Hiashi with his gentle fist and Tsume with her claws. Before he could do much else he was suddenly swarmed by insects. He activated a flame seal on his person killing most but was rocked by Shibi who had used the opening to sneak up. The quiet man unleashed a jab to his face and a leg kick. Arisha fell to his knees at this. Mercilessly receiving a flying knee from Tsume. He flew back into a waiting Hiashi who merely spun with a cry of-"Kaiten!" This time the dome was larger. Arashi slammed into it headfirst with a terrifying cry of pain. The three clan heads surrounded the downed Arashi. Glad to have defeated him without killing him.

This sudden attack on the Leaf had been repelled, they now had a prisoner.

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Ikam's POV (Unknown Location)

It was interesting, to say the least. He had been sure that Arashi's death was likely but felt he likely would succeed in his goal of killing Kushina. While even he couldn't know if the man was succeeding he could be certain the man was defeated. Each of his trusted men was outfitted with a seal to keep track of them and their health. It would show a named location close to them and a color representing health. The greener it was the healthier. The redder well… best to avoid such tacky words . He had intended to allow the man to die but it would be a waste. The Leafs were a sizable threat if they managed to defeat the old man so quickly even without some of their heaviest hitters. Besides, there was not a person alive who could match the man in Fuinjutsu. After all, he had gifted him his special eyes. Ikam stood up Mishio shifting in bed to allow him to do so. He cracked his arms with a sigh as he formed a single-hand sign.

"Devil's Possession: Property Return!" Ikam chanted with a laugh.

Suddenly Ashira landed in the room. Covered in burns, cuts, bruises, and exhaustion the man was a pitiful sight. Ikam chuckled at the downed man. Ashira looked around, barely able to move.

"Welcome my dearest subordinate. Luckily for you, I had prepared a way out!" Unfortunately, it's a one-off deal. Next time there's no saving you old man." Ikam said as he collapsed back into bed.

"Ikam…, the only thing I hate more than my accursed bloodline….is you." Ashira said in between heavy breaths.

"Fair." Ikam noted with a pause of consideration.

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Naruto's POV (Trial of Janus Building)

Naruto and his group progressed slowly. The paintings became more difficult as they went on. They were now in their seventh room. Samui and Ino were able to decipher the painting with relative ease. Samui upon hearing of Naruto's clone ability had his clones and Kurotsuchi examining the room as they did so searching for additional clues. Naruto even had two of his clones examining the painting upside down to ensure they did so well. Gaara had yet to help in any meaningful way merely staring at the ceiling with his normal blank look.

"Naruto! Kurotsuchi! We discovered the final clue in the painting." Ino called.

"Another riddle, so uncool." Samui stated with a frown. "Without it, I'm dead. If I'm not, I'm behind. What am I?"

"A loser for writing a riddle?" Kurotsuchi replied bored. Naruto high-fived her for this. Samui merely rolled her eyes at the two with a smile.

"No, ahead." Samui countered.

"So straight?" Naruto asked as he walked forward. The rest simply followed him. The group, confident and looking forward to moving on, walked through the door fearlessly.

As they did they were greeted by the harsh winter air. Walking into a clearing covered in snow, large tents, fires, and samurai. Darui walked forward, clipboard in hand.

"Another full pass group aye. Now that is certainly not dull." He stated as he jotted down the result. "You did arrive last though. Luckily it's not a race." As he finished he gestured for them to follow him. The group did so entering a large tent filled with other passing Genin. Naruto noticed the Leaf seemed to get through but the group had been severely cut down.

"You guys can rest here. You have about one hour before the next part begins." He walked away leaving them on their own.

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The three men watched on screens as the final team completed the exercise.

"So many passing teams this year." A commented with a small frown. "This damn test wasn't hard enough."

"I disagree with Raikage-san." Hiruzen politely countered. "The test was a good exercise for the Chunin hopefuls. It merely seems this crop is a considerable one."

"Thirty-Two Genin of Forty-Five," Mifune added. "Better than we expected, but not oddly so. I believe the Hokage speaks well. Besides, the next exam will cut them down a fair bit."

"Now we're speaking!" A roared happily. "Adversity has always bred the best type of shinobi."

"True I suppose, though how will the teams work now?" Hiruzen replied.

"New teams simply. Things will get rather interesting from here." Mifune said with a smile.