"Continuing my dad's legacy?" Naruto curiously looked at Jiraiya.
"Yes…"
"Your father created the Rasengan."
"However it is an incomplete technique," Jiraiya said.
("If I tell him that I've created the Wind Style - Rasen Shuriken, he will probably pass out from the shock….") Naruto thought to himself.
Jiraiya got up from the bath and walked to the exit.
"Naruto!"
"Take a good rest. Tomorrow we are going to have a long day of training." Jiraiya said.
"Mm." Naruto nodded.
After Jiraiya walked out, he said in a loud voice to Naruto.
"Don't stay in there for too long though; you will end up cooked."
("Tomorrow's training is going to be interesting.") Naruto thought.
In the Hokage's Office….
(tump!)
Hiruzen had stamped the last sheet of paper on the desk.
He then took a ribbon and tied all the papers into a bundle.
Hiruzen signaled for an agent.
(Whoosh!) a man in ANBU uniform dropped down from the ceiling.
"Call for a meeting of all the Jounins tomorrow morning 8 AM especially the ones whose teams are participating in the Chuunin exams," Hiruzen ordered.
"Yes!" The agent bowed and vanished from his spot.
Hiruzen got up and left the office for the day.
Back in the Ryūchi Cave...
Sasuke opened his eyes to see a giant white snake right next to him.
HIIISSSSSSS!!!!!!
The snake snarled and pounced onto Sasuke.
Sasuke quickly got up and vanished from his spot.
(BANG!)
The fangs of the snake destroyed the spot that Sasuke stood on.
Sasuke reappeared behind the white snake.
("What is going on?") Sasuke thought.
The Giant snake turned back once again to face Sasuke who was in mid-air…
Sasuke prepared himself with his kunai in hand as he faced the snake.
The giant white snake opened its mouth.
("Damn it!") Sasuke regretted jumping away, leading to him being defenseless in mid-air, with nowhere else to go.
The Giant White Snake approached Sasuke at high speed who was falling from the air.
("Is there no way to escape this?") Sasuke thought.
(SNAP!)
The Giant White Snake closed its mouth after Sasuke fell into it…
In the Hidden Leaf Inn….
Gaara entered the room in the silence of the night.
He gently closed the door and walked into the room.
"Hmm!" Gaara raised his head and stared ahead…
"Gaara!" Kankuro stood next to his door.
"Kankuro!" Gaara stared at him.
"Gaara, what were you doing outside this late in the night?" Kankuro asked in a concerned voice.
Gaara averted his gaze thinking back to how he had let Hayate escape.
"Gaara!"
"Please remember that sensei put me in charge of looking after you, making sure you don't leave my sight…" Kankuro explained.
Gaara looked at him.
"Baki-sensei!"
"He was with me till now!" Gaara said.
"Sensei?" Kankuro stared.
("He really has changed…") Kankuro thought after hearing Gaara address his teacher with an honorific.
"Go to sleep now, Baki-sensei has a message for us tomorrow…" Gaara said as he walked to his room.
Meanwhile, Kankuro stared at Gaara's back.
The moon was bright, up in the sky, with barely a small amount of moonlight making the training field visible.
There stood a lone figure, watching over the field as he leaned on the tree.
("Sasuke!")
("Where are you now?") Kakashi thought as he looked at the place where he and Sasuke trained previously…
Back in the Ryūchi Cave trials.
The Giant White Snake was lying on the ground with a massive bulge in the upper half of its long body.
"AAARRGGHHH!" Sasuke growled, trying to attack the innards of the snake.
However, the snake's body barely moved…
Witnessing the weak attacks of his, barely doing any damage to the Snake's body….
Sasuke calmed himself down.
< Sharingan! >
Sasuke activated his eyes and scanned the snake's body for weaknesses.
"That spot!" Sasuke looked towards a particular region within the snake's body.
He then circulated lightning energy throughout his body and the kunai in his hand.
"Hmph!" Sasuke snorted as he launched himself forth.
(Slash!)
(Slash!) (Slash!)
(Bang!) The Giant White Snake's body opened up at the spot Sasuke attacked.
Sasuke came out of the body, with blood all over his face, body, and attire.
Hah!
Hah!
Hah!
Sasuke breathed heavily…
Author's NOTE - The battle scene was taking place in his mind, while his will fought against the blood for control over the body.)
Sasuke opened his eyes with Sharingan.
While The White Snake Sage and Manda stared at Sasuke who just got up.
"Those eyes!" The White Snake Sage stared at it up close.
("The boy has awakened his third tomoe") The White Snake Sage thought as it stared into Sasuke's eyes, trying to study Sasuke's attainments in his bloodline talent.
The Sharingan from Sasuke's eyes faded away, as he looked at The White Snake Sage and Manda together.
"Third Trial - Injection of Blood, CLEARED!" The White Snake Sage declared.
Manda sulked in a corner, while Sasuke felt a significant change taking place in his body.
("What was that just now?") Sasuke thought while trying to remember the scene his Sharingan saw after waking up.
("What were those things that were trying to flow into my body?") Sasuke thought.
The White Snake Sage gestured for Tagitsuhime to take Sasuke away and get him to prepare for the next day.
Next Day…
Early Morning 8 AM,
The sun shined brightly, warming up the entire village.
The Hokage's office gave a perfect view of the scene to all the jounins.
Unfortunately, none could appreciate the scene under the special summoning order by the Hokage.
"What I am about to reveal is purely Confidential!"
"Under no circumstances, will you reveal what happens in this room today…"
"Understood?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes!" All the Jounins in the room responded.
Hiruzen turned towards Hayate, who stood by his side.
He gestured Hayate to explain the situation.
"…."
Hayate explained his encounter with Gaara and all that had happened before…
Which included the part where Baki met with Kabuto and how Gaara wanted to resolve it.
(Cough!)
(Cough!)
"This all took place near the Kikyo Castle last night!" Hayate concluded.
Everyone in the room was astonished as they all turned towards Hiruzen.
"The Sound Village and Hidden Sand village?"
"How is this possible?"
"Don't we have a treaty with the sand village?" One of the jounins asked.
"We do!"
"However, the recent developments under the daimyo of the Wind country have decreased the number of ninjas and the military might…"
"The Kazekage was probably forced into an ultimatum by the people under him…." Hiruzen explained.
"Do we contact the hidden cloud?" One of the jounins suggested.
"Are you crazy?, they will use this opportunity to make a move on the Hyūga family." Another Jounin commented.
"Kakashi!"
"What would you do?" Hiruzen turned towards Kakashi.
Kakashi felt a headache coming up.
("First Sasuke, now this!") Kakashi thought back to how Orochimaru had threatened their group.
"Hokage-sama!"
"What about the two other Legendary sanins?" Kurenai interrupted.
"Hmm…" Hiruzen paused.
"Your suggestion is good, but…."
"But…?" Kurenai prompted.
"The other two are hard to find, especially HER!" Hiruzen said.
("The Legendary SUCKER!") the jounins thought about Tsunade's nickname, which really explained her lifestyle, But at the same time, they understood it was close to hopeless if they had to search for her.
"How about we offer her some attractive incentives like provision of money for bets?" Gai suggested.
Hiruzen felt something snap in his mind.
"Gai!" Kakashi put his arm on Gai's shoulder.
"What about Jiraiysama?" Asuma asked.
"He's on a mission out of the village," Hiruzen said as he inhaled smoke from his smoke pipe.
Hiruzen looked towards Gai.
"Maybe we could go along with Gai's idea if we are unable to secure help in time," Hiruzen said.
"But, Hokage-sama!"
"Why don't we just cancel the Chuunin Exam test?" A jounin asked.
"We cannot just cancel the Chuunin test right now. Not after all the other nation daimyo's and nobles have paid to see the match."
"Besides, I plan to use this opportunity to deal with Orochimaru personally!" Hiruzen declared.
All the people in the room were stunned.
Especially those who knew that Hiruzen was a man, who preferred the way of non-violence.
("Things have gotten that bad huh?") Asuma thought as he looked at his dad.