A woman with long black hair and pale face approached Sasuke and Sakura. From the headband, they identified her as someone from Kusagakure, but she was alone. She revealed a scary expression as she approached them with unending viciousness in her eyes.
'The last Uchiha, his body will be perfect' The woman chuckled as she watched the two take a fighting stance...
-Back to Naruto-
He had obtained both the heaven and earth scrolls, but to eliminate as many people as possible, he decided to rob a few extra groups, resulting in him having three earth scrolls, and four heaven scrolls.
"This should be enough, let's head back"
[Oi oi oi, that is way more than you need, no?]
"Bah, it's called back up plan"
[Bullsh*t] Kurama replied
Naruto crackled as he returned to find Sasuke and Sakura.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something though" He muttered as he rubbed his chin
Soon, he felt Sasuke and Sakura's chakra, but he also sensed a third person...
"Ah! I forgot about Orochimaru...dammit, I need to hurry" Naruto gnashed his teeth and sped up
[What's wrong? Is that person dangerous?] Kurama asked
"Dangerous? Yeah, he's pretty dangerous" He nodded
[So, you worried about your two little buddies then?] Kurama chuckled
"F**k, I'll be damned if I am worried about that f**king Uchiha b*tch" Naruto scowled
[...HAHAHAHA! Well said! F**k the Uchiha clan and their f**king bloodshot pupils! Those maniacs better all die!] Kurama laughed
"Most of em are already dead, the brat in my team is one of the few, I think remaining three or four" Naruto replied
[Even better, kill him and reduce the number for me]
"Nah, he has his uses"
[...fine...but why are you in a hurry then? I doubt it's for the girl]
Naruto was silent for a bit...
"Orochimaru is a mad scientist, an experimenter..." He replied
[So?]
Naruto's eyes lit up
"As a fellow mad scientist, of course I want to meet him!" Naruto laughed as he ran even faster!
Kurama was left at a loss for words. Along the trip, Naruto also told Kurama about Orochimaru, and the more he listened, the more disgusted he was! And he suddenly remembered, Naruto wants to meet that human trash!?
Damn! He's a calamity fox, and even he's disgusted by Orochimaru's experiments, yet this brat actually wants to meet that mad man!
He quickly arrived at the scene, just in time to see Orochimaru sink his teeth into Sasuke's neck before leaving his words of temptation in his ears.
"Come find me if you wish for the power to take revenge on your brother, Itachi Uchiha" He chuckled and pulled his neck back
Sasuke collapsed, and Sakura was desperately trying to heal him to no avail.
*Thud*
Naruto suddenly landed in between them
"N-Naruto, run, that's Orochimaru, one of the legendary sannins!" Sakura yelled when she saw him
Naruto remained unfazed as he faced Orochimaru, who licked his lips
"The jinchuriki? Hahaha, quite the lucky haul" He muttered
Naruto glanced at his team mates...
*Bang*
He suddenly flashed behind Sakura and chopped down on her neck to knock her out, which surprised Orochimaru.
"What? Want to surrender? If so, I'm quite welcoming" He chuckled
Naruto glanced over, and...
*Clasp*
He grabbed Orochimaru's hands with glistening eyes
"Bro! Let's research how to contain a tail beast's bijuudama and use it as one time use bombs!" Naruto said with a crazy smile on his face
?????
Orochimaru was stunned, why does this kid look more crazy than he is when he succeeds in an experiment. But through that craziness, he saw something that made him feel a sense of kinship...
"You..."
"If bombs are a no, how about how to revive corpses that will not be pulled back into the pure lands" Naruto added
???
Why is this kid even asking about the edo tensei!? But the idea and madness in his eyes were beyond familiar! Are they not like his when he is coming up with his next messed up experiment?
*Grab*
He too, clasped Naruto's hands
"You seriously want to experiment together?" He asked
Naruto leaned closer
"Yes"
[Look's pretty gay if you ask me]
'You shut your mouth!'
Orchimaru stared at Naruto, somewhat in disbelief, but then he burst into laughter. He placed a talisman in his hands.
"This will allow me to communicate with you, hide it well" He said
Naruto shook his head as he grabbed Orochimaru's wrist
"I have a better idea" He smirked
"Hm?" Orochimaru suddenly felt the world spiral, and before he knew it, he was standing in a small room.
It was some sort of lab...
In fact, it is Naruto's lab!
'Without the stupid assistant, I can indeed disobey any rule he placed on it, now, I can take people in...but it seems the thirty-minute timer still exists' He thought to himself
Orochimaru looked around in awe
"This place...it seems to have some space and time aura emitting around it"
"This is a separate dimension, outside of time, so no matter how long you stay in here, no time has passed outside, but the downside is, it can only be used for half an hour every day" Naruto explained
Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief
"How in the world did you get something like this, this is...this is fantastic" He laughed as he looked around
"This is my lab" Naruto said as he showed Orochimaru various chemicals he has created already
Every chemical made his eyes shine, eager to test them all out.
"You have shown me this, which I guess is your way of showing your trust" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and asked
"Of course" Naruto replied with a smirk
The two laughed like mad men, bonding over their own craziness.
"Naruto, would you consider becoming my student" Orochimaru asked, Naruto's genius mind in the world of science has moved him immensely, and his craziness may very well match his own.
"No, if we are doing this cooperation, then it is as equals" Naruto replied
Orochimaru's eyes flashed with interest as he laughed
"Alright, you have my word"
The two shook hands before leaving the lab.
"See you soon you sociopath" Naruto waved
"You too, you insane brat" Orochimaru laughed as he ran
[You are messed up in the head]
'Yeah, I know, I'm a genius'
[That is not what I said]
'I know...cause I'm a genius...'
[...]
Naruto picked up Sakura and Sasuke so he could bring them to the middle, however, he couldn't just waltz in either, as the team MUST be in combat condition, or they'll still be disqualified.
So he set the two down nearby and sat beside them.
*Rustle*
From the bushes, he saw three genins appear.
"Hand over your scroll" The one at the front said in a low voice
Naruto sighed, he got up and picked up the executioner's blade that he hung over his shoulders.
"That blade...that cigarette...he's the smoking lumberjack!" One of the members gasped, causing the other two to frown.
"...is that my nickname? Sounds lame" Naruto said
[Pfft]
'You shut your trap'
"So what? He's alone, Kin, Zaku, rush him" The leader, Dosu shouted
Naruto shook his head, he swung the blade, which created a massive cut in the ground, right before their feet.
The three stopped in their tracks, shocked by the power shown by a single slash. From the depth, if it landed on them...
*Gulp*
Before they could react, Naruto suddenly teleported behind Zaku, and raised the flat side of the blade above his head.
"Earth style, head hunter jutsu" He said lazily as he bashed the kid's head with the flat of the blade, slamming his entire body into the ground except his head...
"Th-That's not the headhunt jutsu!" Dosu yelled
"Course not, but the effects are the same, no? Well, with an additional benefit of concussions" He raised a brow and replied
"..." They couldn't deny that...
Naruto then teleported to Kin, and raised his blade once more
"Earth style-"
"Enough with the earth style bullsh*t!" Dosu yelled as he clapped his hands together, paired with the amplifiers on his arms, sound waves rushed out towards Naruto.
Naruto sighed and simply...teleported far away before teleporting back once the sound waves were gone.
"Welp, time to clean up" He muttered
*Swoosh*
But he realised that there was movement behind. Sasuke, who was unconscious, opened his eyes and stood up. His eyes filled with a strange psychopathic glimmer as a strange black mark covered one side of his body.
Upon seeing this, Dosu's eyes widened.
'Orochimaru-sama's curse seal! Why! Why is it on him!'
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became, and slowly, he realised...he was being used to test the waters for Orochimaru's next experiment, and rage started to filled his heart.
'This power...it's incredible' Sasuke relished the newfound power he obtained, and his eyes turned to Dosu.
"Hehehe, I'll do the cleaning" He smirked at Naruto, who frowned
'What's he laughing at, if I didn't need him conscious, I'd have used the headhunter jutsu on him at that moment' Naruto sneered
[That's not the headhunter jutsu...]
'The effects are the same, lay off me'
He watched as Sasuke easily taking care of Dosu, who had on arms dislocated by him so he could hardly make use of the amplifiers on his arms.
"Headhunter jutsu" Naruto said with a bored expression once more, as he slammed Kin's body into the ground whilst he waited for Sasuke to finish Dosu off.
However, before he could do much, Sakura ran up and hugged him
"Sasuke, snap out of it, this isn't like you" She cried out
'Nah, that's totally like him' Naruto sneered
And he'd be right, but Sasuke'd pride kicked in, not allowing himself to be controlled by some curse seal...though he did enjoy it...
"Dammit" Dosu yelled as he relocated his arm, and grabbed his two teammates to run whilst Sasuke was gaining control.
In his eyes was anger, sheer anger that Orochimaru had given the curse seal to Sasuke!
Naruto rolled his eyes
"Headhunter jutsu" He said
*Bang*
And like that, the entire Dosu team was taken care of...
He returned not long after to the two of them.
"Naruto...we no longer have our heaven scroll...ah, but what scroll did those sound ninjas have?" She asked
Naruto directly took out all the scrolls he collected
"It's fine, we have more than enough" He said as he held the stack in his hands
"..." Sasuke and Sakura stared at him with a speechless expression, so in the short time they seperated, Naruto took out that many teams!?
Sasuke clenched his fists as a sense of inferiority took over him again...
[How much are you betting that the Uchiha brat has an inferiority complex]
'I'll bet your life that he does'
[Hold on, when have I been a bargining chip for this] Kurama sneered
'Point is, I bet everything'
[Fufufu, I agree]
The three of them hurried to the centre, where they placed the heaven and earth scrolls on top of one another, which created a puff of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Iruka stood there with a wide grin
"Iruka sensei?" Sakura gasped
"Hehe, congratulations on passing the second round" He grinned
"Originally, it was supposed to be Kakashi to do this, but I requested to be here instead" Iruka said with a warm smile.
His eyes glanced over all three of them as a sense of pride rose in him.
"Thanks Iruka sensei" Sakura and Naruto said, whilst Sasuke was rather indifferent
'I'm kicking him to the curb if I get paired against him' Naruto thought to himself
After this, the three were brought to the stadium where they waited for the remaining genins to arrive. Whilst they were there, they had facilities and rooms where they could rest in for the remaining few days to come.
"I'm going to rest" Naruto waved and went into a room
Sasuke did the same, and warned Sakura to not say a thing about the curse mark before leaving.
Naruto sat down on the bed, and entered his mindscape once more.
[Brat, why'd you come here again?] Kurama asked
"There is one last thing I need to check" He replied as he walked to the red pillars
They were still standing despite him opening the gate, but he knew why. The seal was opened, but not removed completely, so he focused his chakra into it to completely remove the seal.
The seal slowly vanished, and a figure in red descended
A woman with flaming red hair, and eyes filled with warmth as she came down.
"Naruto..." She said as she pulled him into her embrace
"Mum" Naruto hugged her back
Kushina Uzumaki, his mother, and also the previous jinchuriki of the nine tails. She looked around, and upon seeing the seal completely removed, she felt a sense of worry.
Her eyes suddenly met with Kurama
[Hello, woman]
Kushina stared at him, then at Naruto...
"Naruto, dear...where is the seal?" She asked
"I removed it"
*Bang*
Kushina knocked his head instantly
"Ah, what am I going to do with a son like you, so why is he not killing you" She asked with veins popping out of her forehead...
'Yep, she's an Uzumaki alright, she got that temper' Naruto thought to himself
"We're partners in crime" He replied
[Accusations! You're the one who burned down the village!] Kurama suddenly roared
"WHAT!" Kushina exclaimed
"Bullsh*t! You were the one who threw a bijuudama at the Hokage's office!" Naruto shot back
"HAH!?" Kushina felt her mind blank, what is going on!?
[How dare you lie! I only flattened the Uchiha clan!]
"F**k you! That was clearly me!"
Kushina stared at the two in disbelief, and almost fainted from shock....
-Five minutes later-
"Goodness, you almost gave me a heart attack" Kushina heaved a sigh of relief after finding out that Kurama wanted to mess with Naruto, only to result in him acting along and returning fire...
"Sorry mum"
[Sorry ma'am] Not knowing why, but when they told the truth, Kushina's hair flared up like flames, making even the great Kurama tuck his tail in fear...
Perhaps it's the power of a mother...
"So you two are friends?" She asked
"Sort of"
[Not at all]
"We're friends with benefits" Naruto said
"..." Kushina smiled and tilted her head slightly
She slowly turned around, and...
*Thud*
She fell to her knees
"DAMMIT! My son is into animals!!!!!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs
[...brat, you better not be lusting over my body]
"Huh? Does that word have another meaning? Didn't we benefit one another and became friends?" He asked with an innocent look
[...]
Kushina turned around, right, her son is only thirteen! It is only right that he has no clue about what that means! Suddenly, she felt relief, even more so than when she was told that they destroyed Konoha...
"I'm glad you two are getting along" She smiled and got up
"I also met dad before unlocking the seal, he showed me a bunch of his jutsu names, and I helped improve them" Naruto grinned
Kushina lifted a brow
"Improve it? He didn't fight on it?" She asked
"Nope, my favourite one is [Yellow flash's flying raijin mutually instantaneous heaven revolving earth jutsu] which I came up with" Naruto grinned
Kushina face palmed along with Kurama...
"Of all the things you inherited from him, why did it have to be that..." She muttered
"Mum" Naruto asked
"Yes?"
"Can I have a guide book about seals" Naruto asked with a serious expression
Seeing this, Kushina was more than happy to pass her knowledge about seals onto him. Like Minato, she formulated a note book that had all her knowledge and passed it to him.
"Wow, these sound cool, the names are a bit short though" Naruto said
Kushina's lips twitched as she slowly raised her fist up
*Cough*
"Nice and short, just how I like it" Naruto nodded
[Hahaha, finally, someone can put you in your place with that terrible naming sense] Kurama roared in laughter
Kushina turned around to face him, she then bowed her head
"Thank you for placing your trust in my son...and I'm sorry...being sealed inside me, it must have been unbearable" She said
Kurama wasn't expecting an apology, but it made his heart feel a little giddy. He waved a paw nonchalantly.
[As if it bothered me] He scoffed
"Aw, Kurama, are you shy?" Naruto grinned
[Nonsense!] Kurama roared
"Hahaha"
Kushina began laughing when she saw the two start bantering, she felt relieved that the nine tails was no longer a threat, and can even support her son.
"Mum, there is one last thing" Naruto called out to her
"Yes dear?" She smiled gently
"I'm...I'm happy we got to meet!" He yelled as he embraced her
Kushina's eyes widened, but like Minato, her face twisted with regret as she held him tightly.
"Mum will go soon, stay strong, we will always watch you from above" She said
"I will" Naruto replied
After throwing out all his emotions, Kushina smiled and kissed him on the forehead. Naruto quickly used the remaining time they had together to tell him of how his life in Konoha is now, how she no longer needs to worry.
"That's good...have you found a girl you like yet?" Kushina suddenly asked
"...this came out of nowhere, why?" Naruto returned with a question
"Well, now that I'm dead, I want to at least know if you have a lover, I'm very worried" Kushina responded with a curious gaze
'That's not the look of worry, that's the look of curiosity' Naruto's lips twitched
But he then nodded
"There's...someone I like" He replied
"Really?" Kushina's eyes lit up
"Tell mum who it is, do you have pictures? How long have you known one another" She asked
Naruto answered patiently
"It's a girl from the Yamanaka clan, Ino Yamanaka, I've known her for about six months now" Naruto replied
Kushina pressed on
"How about her? Does she like you?"
Naruto paused
"Not sure...well, at least she's not in love with my teammate now" Naruto shrugged
"Hah? She liked your teammate before?" Kushina became even more curious about her son's love life.
"Yeah, but he's sort of a prick, so I'm beating his a*s when I meet him in the Chunin exam" Naruto said with a straight face
"Hahaha, that's the spirit, you have my support" Kushina laughed
Naruto smiled, but as he laughed along, he noticed that her body was slowly becoming transparent as a golden light engulfed her. Kushina's eyes moistened upon realising her time was up, to have to leave Naruto again, it pained her. She gently stroked his head as she spoke.
"Naruto, you will always be my son, both me and your father, we both love you very much" She said lovingly, her voice lingered in the air for a bit before she dissipated.
Naruto looked up and wiped his eyes
*Pat*
Kurama knocked on his head gently with a paw
[Kid, you've got much more ahead of you, don't start crying now]
"Mn...thanks Kurama" Naruto replied, slowly revealing a smile
Kurama scoffed, but smiled faintly in response
After sorting out his emotions, Naruto took out Kushina's guide for seals and began analysing the formation of seals, as well as how each seal functions.
Kurama watched for a while, but quickly lost interest as Naruto began diving into more technical theories, and even began attempting some simple seals himself.
The result? A failure, however, he learned a lot from the failures, and by night fall, he was able to make simple seals.
For the next few days, he stayed shut inside the room, messing around with different seals until he was able to start applying his own theory into it. He broke down every section of a seal, and analysed the chakra flow required for each.
In short, heavy theory.
*Knock*
He heard a knock on his door and Kakashi was on the other side
"Sensei? Is it time for the third round already?" Naruto asked, no realising so much time has passed already.
Kakashi nodded
"Yes, but since there are more teams that passed than expected, we will be having a preliminary round first" He replied
"Oh"
He nodded, and followed Kakashi out. The genins were randomised, and paired against each other. The spectators sat at the top, as the two genins picked would be on the field below.
"Naruto, I hope I get to face you after the prelimenaries" Lee walked over and smiled
"Hahaha, of course" Naruto punched Lee's chest lightly and laughed
The two interacted for a while before the matchmaking begun. The first match was actually like the original, with Sasuke fighting Yoroi, resulting in a win for him despite the troubles when he faced the opponent.
The second fight, because Dosu's team was eliminated, resulted in it being Shino fighting Kankuro.
Naruto was sitting in his mindscape with Kurama, the two sat next to each other, and using his own vision like a screen, the two cheered on the fight.
"Oh! Shino attacks first with his insects, but what's this? The Kankuro was a fake! My goodness, the one in the bandages were real!" Naruto exclaimed
Kurama found his broadcasting to be rather interesting, and joined in
[What's this! Two puppets, the sand kid was able to pull off the immensely stressful task of controlling two puppets at once at his young age]
"Things are looking dicey for Shino, but would you look at that! His insects have started to devour the chakra strings!"
[And just like that it's goodnight sand kid! What a fight, what a boring fight!] Kurama howled, finding more fun in the commentary than the actual fight.
Naruto laughed along with him, finding out that Kurama can actually make an amazing broadcaster.