NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Chapter 13
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***
Stage Two.
Jumping out of the window, I landed on the roof of one of the neighbouring buildings and lowering Itachi and Saki said....
- Itachi, Saki, quickly run towards the Forest of Death. The exam has already started.- and started running towards the Forest. They quickly orientated themselves and ran after me in a split second. When I looked around, I saw that Darui and his team had also started running, followed by the rest of the team.
I wonder if the exam will be the same as in canon? If so, I hope there won't be any clashes with the great Sanin, like the one Naruto's team had with Orych, because I can't beat him now except for Fox, and I don't want to be half dead from the awakening of the five tails. I don't have the Luck characteristic, but I hope it's high and I'll pass this exam with flying colours. We reached the main entrance to the Forest of Death quickly, in just three minutes, and arrived safely first. Darui and Yugito's team came running after us, followed by the others. At the very entrance stood a few Tokubetsu-Jonin and Chunin, next to some sort of tent. When all five minutes had passed, one of the Examiners announced...
- So. Time is up, anyone who has not made it in time will be disqualified. I ask the teams to gather to hear the rules of the second stage of the Chunin Exam. - after that we gathered in front of the examiners and one of them took two scrolls of different colours and a sheet of paper. - Well, there's a lot of you here. Looks like Rondo-san decided to simplify the First Stage this year. Let him. The goal of the Second Stage Exam is to survive for five days and nights in this forest. During this period, you must reach the Tower, which is located in the centre of this Forest with a radius of 10 kilometres. There are dangerous monsters in the forest, so you should be careful. You will be randomly given scrolls of Heaven and scrolls of Earth. During the passage, you must take away the opposite of your scroll. You are allowed to do anything during the challenge, the main thing is to get the scroll, get to the tower as a team and keep your scroll safe. Before the test begins, you must sign agreements stating that the Hidden Leaf is not responsible for you during the Exam. Line up and enter the tent to sign the papers and receive your scroll. After that, one of the Chunin will take you to your gate in the Forest of Death and signal the start of the tests. That's the end of it.
Almost the same ordeal. We queued up in the same order we got here, so we were first. After we signed the papers, we got the Scroll of Heaven.
- Who will have it? Saki asked a question.
- Menma.
- I do." The brunette and I pretended to hide the scroll in my clothes and put it in my inventory. We went to the gate furthest from the main gate and waited for the trial to begin, discussing plans for it.
- Menma, what's the plan?
- We'll move quickly. My clones will disarm any traps we may come across, and you use your Sharingan to spot the other contestants. I don't want to take too many risks, so we'll attack the weaker opponents, but if we can't get away, we'll have to fight the stronger teams. We'll gather at least two pairs of the scrolls we need and then move quickly towards the tower. Do you understand?
- Yes, we do.
- Yes.
- Attention, Team 10. The exam will begin in 5...4...3...2...1. Time is up.
After the gate opened, we quickly ran through it and got into action. We found the first team after half a day of travelling. It was a team from Hidden Sand. They were older than us, but didn't seem as strong. Itachi was able to knock them all out with Genjutsu and we took their scroll. He was pretty advanced at it and had a lot of talent for Genjutsu. The scroll turned out to be the winning scroll, the Earth Scroll. Next we looked for another pair. There was no need to worry about food, but I did fish that night with Itachi and Saki, and the rest of the time we looked for other teams. I had sent a bunch of clones out to genocide the local beasts, so my supply of Souls was slowly recovering from all the potions I'd bought. But just like that, one of my clones spotted a team from Cloud. Darui, Atsui, and Si. He started following them, but from far away. With Byakugan and Sharingan, it was no problem and I got their status and location every hour when the clone created a replacement and dispelled. The clone's memory is transferred to the one who created it, and if the clone creates a clone and dispels, the memory from the new clone is transferred to the one who created the clone's creator. Simply put, it works like a chain that starts with I-Original.
Darui and his team were also already able to defeat several teams and were now heading straight for the Tower. Well, after a while, we found two more teams that had Earth scrolls. On the third day, we met a team from Konoha, specifically that guy's team from the distribution. They weren't particularly dangerous, so the three of us just walked up to them and then I had a stupor....
- Hey guys...- when they saw us, the guy I knew immediately knelt down and with his head down shouted.....
- We surrender!!! Please don't!!! We'll give you the scroll, just don't touch us!!!
- 0_0...- our facial expressions were completely identical and we couldn't get a word out, and then, when it did get to me what was going on here, I started to feel a prick of conscience. Had I really scared him that much? I could understand if he'd decided to run away, but to bow and beg for mercy...I was starting to feel like the bad guy. I'm not a saint and I'm not going to become the Protagonist of this world, but I don't want to be the Antagonist either. But what do I do now? Should I help the guy? At least this way I can clear my karma a little bit. I wonder how he got here, maybe he's trying for a reason. Ha-ha, I don't want to think about it. We have to do something, because his teammates have started begging for mercy too. I didn't see any traps, and if I do, I can easily fight them off.
- Hey, guys. Calm down. We're not going to attack you.
- Menma, what are you going to do with them?
- Hmm, what's your Scroll, boys?
- We're the Scroll of Heaven.
- Ahhh, I see. Look, I'm sorry about the other time, I overreacted, but it was your fault too....
- Yes! Please forgive me, I'll never do it again.
- Okay, that's settled then. Here! - I took the Earth Scroll out of my inventory and threw it to this guy. - Think of it as a friendly gift. My name is Menma, what's yours?" The kid automatically picked up the scroll and stared at me with disbelieving eyes.
- W-are you s-serious?!?
- Of course. - and a smile from the bisyonen. No, well, this skill already to the real active skills should be attributed, because...and why is it that I have a warning window in the corner of my vision began to blink...really!!!????
- Thank you! My name is Daruma Kenshi! I'll never forget your help, Menma-sama!!!-this guy vigorously started banging his head on the ground.
- All right, all right. Well, it's still a few kilometres to the Tower. Good luck to you.
- Yes! - All three of them responded in unison. Well, that's settled. Now we need to find another sky scroll and head straight for the tower.
***
In the centre tower.
- ** Knock, knock **
- Come in.
- You asked to come in, Hokage-sama?" a middle-aged man with scars on his face entered the Hokage's temporary office with a light knock, after being allowed in.
- Yes, Shikaku. I wanted to talk to you about Menma.
- Yes, Hokage-sama. He's very talented. He's developing rapidly, just like his father. He's already reached the level of Chunin, and I think he'll pass the exam with flying colours.
- I see. But I wanted to talk to you about something else.
- Yes?
- Tell me, are you trying to bind Menma to you and recruit him into your clan?
- W-what are you talking about, Hokage-sama?
- You remember well the decision of the clan council, don't you? Menma and Naruto are forbidden to join any clans. It would upset the balance within the village, which is already in a state of turmoil. Therefore, your extreme influence over one of the Jinchuriki could cause conflict between the clans.
- I would never, Hokage-sama. I only taught them all the norms of shinobi. I didn't try to bind any of my team to myself or my clan.
- Then why did Menma master your clan's Shadow Technique? Don't tell me he learnt it on his own.
- I don't know what you mean." Jonin stared at his village leader in bewilderment.
- You really don't seem to know anything. Inoichi, did you notice any deception in his words?" a middle-aged man with long hair tied back in a ponytail jumped down from the ceiling.
- Inoichi! You...
- He wasn't lying, Hokage-sama.
- Yamanaka left the office in a few seconds, and Shikaku gave him an angry look.
- I apologise, Shikaku, but this was necessary to make sure you were telling the truth.
- Yes, I understand, Hokage-sama.- Nara said with a sigh and looked at Hiruzen expectantly....
- Good. Now tell me, can a person who is not related to your clan master the Shadow Manipulation Technique?
- Our techniques aren't tied to an enhanced genome like the Kekkei Genkai or anything like that. The children of our clan simply have a great affinity with darkness and the Yin chakra from birth. If someone not from our clan had a good predisposition to it, it is possible. However, it is very difficult. Our clan has trained and developed this art for generations and it is simply impossible to master it by accident.
- I see. Then how did Menma get it?
- I have one question.
- Ask it.
- What makes you think he knows our techniques? And how well does he know them?
- In the first Stage of the Examination, Rondo noticed the boy's shadow begin to move and stretch twenty centimetres. He wasn't sure about it, so he didn't pay much attention to it, and the shadow wasn't moving towards the people with the answers to his test. We don't know exactly how good he is at Shadow Techniques, but he already has basic Manipulation.
- I have an idea how he might have learnt those techniques.
- I'm listening to you.
- Minato Namikaze. The former Fourth Hokage was very greedy for Techniques. I heard that he kept the knowledge he gathered about all kinds of Techniques in his secret vault.
- Yes, but after he died, there was nothing there. We assumed he sealed it in his body before he died. It would also explain why his and Kushina's breathless bodies disappeared the day he died. But we don't know more than that.
- Minato-sama collected and studied many Techniques, particularly the Fuinjutsu Techniques. But there were also many other Techniques he collected from other villages. I even heard that during the war, he was able to sneak into Iwagakure's vault and take the ancient Techniques of the former Tsuchikage from them.
- What's your point?
- Maybe he didn't just collect techniques from other villages. He could have copied our village's Clan Scrolls as well.
- No way. Minato wasn't that kind of person.
- I'm sorry, Hokage, but I have no more ideas.
- Let's say he was. But what does that have to do with Menma?
- Don't you think he might have left all the scrolls from the vault to his son?
- Hmm.
- Perhaps he sealed them with the Seal of the God of Death in Menma. If so, he could have taken the knowledge when he went into his subconscious.
- Unfortunately, that can't be verified. The fox repels all mental Techniques directed at the boy.
- Yeah, Inoichi told me about that. You haven't tried any other ways to get into his head.
- The only way is to send him to the Root, which is what Danzo suggested. But they'll just turn him into a puppet on pills. We need Minato's knowledge, but we need a capable Jinchuriki. Have you been able to gain his trust?
- Yes, but I still don't think he trusts me completely. But he's very attached to his teammate.
- Sarikawa Uchiha?
- Yes, but she doesn't have warm feelings for him. I don't know what it is, but she's becoming more and more distant from him.
- That's not good. A boy should be attached not only to the memory of his parents, but also to the people in this village. It would be good if he became more attached to her. But maybe it's for the best. Sarikawa is also uncontrollable, just like Itachi. We need a candidate more loyal to the village. Perhaps we can organise a reunion with one of the younger Honey Kunoichi after Sarikawa breaks her ties with Menma. Until then, try to learn as much as you can about the boy's abilities and test your hunch. Dismissed.
- Yes!" and Shikaku left the old Hokage alone in the room.
- You raise more and more questions. What kind of boy did you raise, Minato?
***
Congratulations!
Skill: Bisyonen's Smile Level 1
Bisyonen's Smile: your smile charms people. After it, people start to trust you more, and how well it works on girls....
Reputation with all new acquaintances is +1000 in advance.
Reputation with all female members of the female sex +2000
Charm +200
Congratulations!
Passive skill obtained:
Trap Detection Mastery 1
Trap Detection: you can detect the easiest and the most difficult types of traps.
With increasing levels will be available to detect more complex types of traps.
Yeah, I guess I really got that skill. But what "dadaa"? YUHUUUUUUUUUUU!!! So, what kind of skill is this? It's passive, so it works all the time. It's a pretty useful skill. It's something you'll have to look into. I guess I got it from looking for and disarming traps all the time. Let's see how it works. I looked at the forest, but I didn't see anything, I walked a little further and saw a red light coming from a clump of grass. Easy to step on and not notice. I threw a stone there, and in a moment a rope rushed up out of the grass. If I had stepped on it, I would have hung on it and probably hit a rock on the ground when I got up. That's pretty good. But the fact that it's detecting weak traps so far is bad. So as before, we'd have to use the clones to find the traps. After a while, we came across a team from Willow. And as luck would have it, we ran into Deidara's team.
- Ooh! We've met after all. Hold on!
- Wait for death! Earth Element: Earth Spears!!! - Kurotsuchi started with a high class earth technique. Spears started to rise up underneath us, but we quickly recoiled.
- Fire Element: Large Fireball.- Right in the air, Itachi sent a rather large blob of fire at them.
- Earth Element: Earth Golem! - Looks like Akatsuchi's going to start a fight this time. Well then, I won't hold back with them.
- Earth Element: Solidification. and activated the Solidification skill, then hit the golem with a stream of chakra in my hand. With my power stats, it's going to be a pretty powerful punch. *Buuuuuuuuuuuhh*
There was a large explosion and Akatsuchi, who was standing behind the golem, was thrown against a tree. Then I heard a voice below me.
- Earth Element: Earth Dig. Earth Element: Earth Burial!" although he named both techniques in full, he grabbed my legs and buried me in the ground literally instantly. Kurotsuchi then rushed at me from above.
- Earth Element: Stone Fist!- she wanted to hit me in the head, but.....
- Fire Element: Raging Fire! - Itachi released a wave of fire from his mouth and the burnt Kurotsuchi was sent flying to the side.
- Thank you Itachi. - I used the flow to pull myself out of the ground, releasing chakra from my entire body. Thanks to the Hyuga genes and Kenjutsu training. Looking in the direction of the reclined Akatsuchi, I saw Saki finally knocking him out and tying him to a tree. Itachi was walking towards Kurotsuchi as well. Okay, that left only Deidara.
- Well, now that they're knocked out, I can go full speed ahead!" said Deidara, looking towards his teammates and holding his arms out in front of him. I noticed that something was opening up in his palms and tongues were clearly visible. I wondered what "Since they were knocked out" meant. Was he hiding his genome from them? Okay, we'll talk about that later, we have to deal with him first. While I was thinking, from his hands... mouth... hand-mouth... hand-mouth... white liquid clay began to flow out of his palms. Clay minions. The clay took the form of two humanoid creatures that came straight at me. I knew they could explode, so I used clones.
- Shadow Cloning!- I created about ten clones, but these creatures were pretty fast and dispelled them quickly. But I didn't hesitate and headed straight for Deidara. But he launched several spiders in my direction at once.
- С1. Explosion!" I jumped up and launched my Water technique at him.
- Water Element: Water Wave! - Deidara was hit by a large mass of water that he couldn't dodge, but it didn't do much damage to him. The technique just sealed him to the ground. Then I landed three metres away from him and he started laughing.
- You idiot! You thought I'd just wait for you here!? This place is booby-trapped! One step and you're dead! I didn't wait for him, I immediately started to create my Technique. I knew there were mines underneath me, my perception is very good.
- Chidori Nagashi. - I activated the technique and all the bombs within a five metre radius deactivated and Deidara received a huge electric shock. Coupled with the previous Technique that had completely wet him, this shock was much more effective. Chidori and Nagashi's Chidori I learnt for moments like this, to effectively counter Earth Element Techniques. - Well, that's it. Are you finished in there?
- Yes. I have the Sky Scroll." Saki said as she took the scroll out of Kurotsuchi's clothes.
- Then let's go straight to the Tower," Itachi said.
***
We just tied Kurotsuchi and Deidara to the tree Akatsuchi was in and headed for the tower. I didn't wait for Deidara to wake up and question him about the secrecy of his Kekkei genkai. I guess I'll find out later. There were indeed a lot of traps within a kilometre radius of the tower, and my new skill began to pump quickly, I even sent a few clones to disarm the traps out of our way. After a while, we reached the Tower and entered it. Inside was an empty little hall and writing on the wall, just like in canon. We opened our scrolls and on it appeared...Ibiki Morino and our Teacher from the academy. They were surprised that we had two pairs of scrolls, but congratulated us nonetheless and began a long lecture, which I safely blew off. I wasn't really interested, I was now getting the memories of dispelling clones. So Darui's team had already arrived at the tower. They weren't really steamed and showed a bit. Next came the memories from the clone I sent along with...what was his name? I remember the initials were just like my old name. D.K. Hmmm...well, fuck it, the main thing was that he was almost at the tower and should reach it soon. Next was more memories of clones killing mutant beasts and disarming traps. This time, I got the three weeks' worth of Souls that I got when I went to the Forest of Death. The thing is, the monsters on the outskirts are quite weak, while the monsters in the depths are stronger and the Soul Level is higher. We went to the waiting room and waited for the other teams. Not many teams had made it, even Akatsuchi's team was among them. I like Akatsuchi better, so this will be Team Akatsuchi from now on. Deidara gave me an evil look, as did Kurotsuchi at Itachi. Saki said they had two scrolls. One of Earth and one of Heaven. We decided to just take the Sky scroll and walk away, leaving the Earth scroll untouched, which is probably why they were able to find another scroll quickly and pass the Second Stage of the Chunin Exam. Akatsuchi thanked me for that later on, and I dismissed the fact that the only thing missing was the Sky scroll. Then there was the congratulatory ceremony from the Hokage, with Shikaku and Hiruzen looking at me strangely. Why are they looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong on the exam?
After the congratulations, we were told that too many teams had passed and half of them had to be eliminated. I was of course surprised that everything happened exactly as in canon, but then I realised why. During the battles that were "randomly selected" all the personalities I knew, among them surprisingly Anko Mitarashi and some just strong guys faced off in battle against the usual Nouneimas. It seems Hiruzen didn't want weak Genin fighting in front of the nobles and important people of Konoha and I can understand him. All the fights were pretty boring in my opinion. I defeated my opponent literally on pure physical strength and speed. Some used techniques and some used katanas, but overall the fights were not very good. But one thing surprised and interested me greatly. Anko was strong and defeated her opponent with a single Technique, but to me it looked very beautifully executed. Either snakes appeared on her arm, or her arm itself became several snakes. If the latter, then I really want this Technique! I wonder what else can be summoned from the hands. The way they jumped out is just amazing. I think I could use Snake Sanin's techniques a lot. I'm especially interested in the Technique that helps it stretch and wriggle so much that you can tie it in a knot! Anyway, I'm very interested in his techniques now.
After the battles, we were released and told to come to Konoha's main stadium in a month. It was set up like the Colosseum, which made me feel like we were slaves fighting to the death for the sake of the public...*brrrr* I shudder at the thought of my slavery. They showed us the standings, too. According to it, my first match will be against Samui from the cloud. Still on my branch are Atsui, Yugito, and eeeee...well that distribution guy. Man, why can't I remember his name, eh, I'll ask him later, he's the one I'm having my second fight with anyway. Hopefully he'll show me something in a month.
When we left the forest, I suggested Itachi and Saki to celebrate the change at some restaurant.
- Saki-chan, Itachi, let's celebrate the victory somewhere?
- N-no, and I have to go home now. Bye. - To my surprise, it was Saki who refused. And she started stuttering again. Even if it's only a little, but still, it's been a long time since I've heard her stutter when talking to me. Maybe she's busy? Itachi wasn't too surprised by this, and Saki quickly left Shunshin.
- Sorry Menma, I have to go home too. I have to tell my father and mother about the surrender and I missed my brother...- in the middle of the sentence he somehow became sad for some reason and in his gaze I could clearly read worry. Did he still care that my parents and brother were dead?
- Oh, come on. Don't worry, you should still spend more time with your family.
- Are you sure you're okay?
- Yeah, I'm sure it's fine. Go now.
- Okay, bye Menma.
- Yeah, I'll see you later. Itachi left too. I went home after sending Clone to Naruto's orphanage. I missed him too, but now I wanted to go home. When I got home, I saw that the house lights were on. I took off my shoes and walked into the dining room that was part of the kitchen and saw Mina setting the table in a beautiful apron. She sometimes came to my house and I was all for it. Still, when the house is empty, I wonder about my parents.
- Darling, you're back, aren't you? Welcome home~- she said in an affectionate voice. I felt very pleased at her words and smiled involuntarily. The house felt cosy and the ANBU felt far away. Rocked Clones rule!
- I'm home." I said, with the wonderful feeling of coming home.
- Are you tired, love? Are you hungry? I've cooked a lot. Sit down, eat. - she was smiling when she said that. I went up to her, hugged her and whispered in a sincere voice....
- I love you.
- I love you too, Beloved....