For two days, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had moved around trying to find surviving contestants. But as they sat around a fire eating a large fish on the last night, Naruto voiced his concern.
"At this point all remaining teams will be near the tower, waiting to ambush us. We have to fight on their terms to even have a fighting chance."
Sasuke replied, "I agree. We have to go there, and reverse the ambush somehow."
Sakura pointed out, "We also can't be sure that they even have an earth scroll. If they have two, we can trade as we have two heaven scrolls."
Sasuke said, "Alright after we eat we will go and find a team to either reverse ambush or trade scrolls with."
The group ate in a comfortable silence before killing the fire and moving much closer to the tower in the center of the forest. The tower loomed in the distance. A tiered style building with a red exterior and an external lift to the top level.
As the team moved through the forest they encountered a team of rain shinobi. Naruto approached them with a grin on his face.
"Hey! Do y'all have earth scrolls?"
One of the ninjas spoke, "Yes…potentially…"
Naruto tried to figure out which one was talking as they all wore masks covering their faces and eyes.
"If you have more than one we can trade and both peacefully go to the tower."
The Amegakure ninja nodded and pulled out a scroll. Naruto knew this man could deceive him, but he took the scroll anyway. Nothing happened, and just like that Naruto and his team had received their earth scroll. He handed them a heaven scroll, and the two teams separated immediately.
Naruto and his team approached the red tower at noon the next day. With the sun blazing overhead, Team 7 headed inside. As they looked around they saw only one sign in which Sakura quickly deduced meant to open up both scrolls at the same time. As they did, white smoke signified a summon jutsu, so they tossed the scrolls away and became on edge.
Kakashi greeted them with a wave and a simple eye smile.
His first words were, "You were 4 days and 11 hours behind your rival, Naruto."
Sakura blurted out immediately, "They did the entire thing in an hour?!"
Naruto's face exploded in surprise as he realized how insane that was. Sasuke tried his best to calm down, but internally, he was furious that Raito completed it so quickly.
Kakashi replied, "Indeed. They broke the record and beat one of the sand teams by thirty-seven minutes. Now, I am supposed to tell you all the sappy stuff about being a good shinobi who does his job. But none of us care about that, so I'll say this: You're about to fight. There will be preliminary rounds, so I'd suggest resting and not wasting any unnecessary energy."
Naruto grinned and replied, "I hope I face Raito in battle! Only my true rival could match me… and I guess Sasuke could too…"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and said, "Somebody placed a mark on me. It's been eating away at me, Kakashi-sensei. Sakura said it was Orochimaru, one of the legendary three."
Kakashi nodded, "Yes. It was, he was in the forest somehow, and he even fought Anko until Anbu finally arrived. I'll seal it right now as we have a few hours before they close the doors and pick up the dead or knocked out."
Naruto remembered in that moment what Orochimaru had said.
"Wait, sensei, what is a jinchuriki? Orochimaru said I am one."
Kakashi nodded and replied, "I'll tell you when I've finished sealing Sasuke's curse. Then we will talk, hopefully with time before everyone gathers."
Naruto stood in the upper gallery, looking down on where everyone was gathering. This was his chance to prove himself against truly tough opponents. He felt someone behind him as he thought, and there he saw Hinata.
"Hinata! You made it!"
"Y-Yes Naruto-kun. I-I-I I am glad to see you made it as well…"
Naruto smiled and waved as the shy girl walked past. She blushed but continued on down the stairs into the gathering. Naruto felt his heartbeat speed up as she walked away. He wondered what that meant, but had no time to think about it. Kakashi appeared from the doorway and motioned for Naruto to follow him.
Once they were shadowed and hidden, Kakashi turned to him and spoke in a low voice.
"First, Naruto, I'm sorry."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but let his sensei continue.
"A jinchuriki is a demon cage. Have you heard of the nine-tailed beasts? Chakra monsters capable of leveling entire villages?"
"N-No. No way, you're telling me the villagers were right? I'm a demon…"
Kakashi's gaze hardened greatly, "No. I knew your father, Naruto, he would not have had a demon for a son. No, I can't tell you who he or your mother are. But I'll share this, you have the nine-tailed beast, the Kyuubi no Kitsune."
Naruto's gaze dropped to the ground.
Internally he thought, This cannot be. Yet, I remember Mizuki saying something like that or something related to that. Orochimaru said and now even Kakashi sensei is confirming this as truth. That's why the villagers beat me? All because I held something I didn't even know I had. All because I have a demon I didn't choose to contain.
Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by Kakashi.
"Listen Naruto. No one was supposed to tell you until you were a Jonin. However I can't knowing your father and knowing you, in good faith keep it from you. You aren't the demon, and ultimately control over it is futile until you're strong-"
"I don't want to be here Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto's entire faith had shattered. The village he was supposed to protect and trust in kept the most important information from him. The old man, the Hokage had not told him, despite their closeness. Not even Iruka, whom he'd trusted with his life, had cared to tell him. It was Kakashi, who had to tell him, and only after he'd found out a key part of it all.
Naruto took his headband off and set it on the ground. As he was turning to leave, Naruto said one last thing.
"After these preliminaries. I retire as a genin of Konoha, I don't believe in this Will of Fire nor this village."
Kakashi's face was hidden in shadow. However if Naruto had stared he'd have seen Kakashi, one of the strongest, crying silent tears. He'd not wanted that, he'd known it was a possibility, but either way it hurt. His one sensei had brought Naruto into the world and he'd loved nothing more than his village. However what hurt the most was that Naruto wouldn't be given that choice. He was a jinchuriki, they were not allowed an easy life, no matter how hard he would want Naruto to have one.
Naruto appeared out of the shadowed room and walked down the stairs. This upcoming fight, with whoever it was against, would be his last as a ninja. Naruto joined his teammates, and immediately they noticed the gloom. Neither said anything but both mentally took note of it to ask later.
The crowd of genin looked on as Anko spoke up.
"Listen up, brats! The Hokage is about to speak, so keep your mouths shut and throw away the damn key. The floor is yours Hokage-sama."
"The third examination is not about to commence, not yet. As you see, there are a lot of you left…"
Naruto slowly looked around, indeed the Hokage was right and was speaking the truth. There were still many teams and two of them were from Raito's village. If only the old man had done that with his information.
"...So ultimately we have to whittle your numbers down. Now as you may know this is a chunin exam. But it serves the double purpose of promoting a lack of war between our countries. It is a chance for you to prove yourself amongst distinguished guests. Leaders of villages and even the daimyo of countries will attend this third examination."
"This is not only an honor but it is also to give those who want missions done and idea on who to give it to. These exams display a great amount about the respective villages that manage to get to the final stage. So we have to only bring the best to the stage, now anyone who wishes to forfeit may do it now."
Naruto's eyes widened, and his hand shot up along with Kabuto's. The Konoha Jonin at the front were surprised but as Might Guy looked at his friend, Kakashi's jaw worked tirelessly to keep his mouth shut. Something was wrong, and Naruto never quit.
Sasuke almost shouted, "What are you doing, Naruto?!"
That's when everyone looked at the boy. That's when they saw it. Naruto's headband was no longer on his head. It was in fact, nowhere to be found. Naruto stepped forward away from his team and ignored Sasuke's question.
The third exam proctor appeared then and asked, "Why would you two quit?"
Kabuto replied coolly, "I'm out of chakra to be frank."
"I'm too tired for this," Naruto said gloomy.
The Hokage's surprise was evident on his face. However someone else voiced the question in the old Sarutobi's head.
"Naruto, don't you want to be Hokage? Is this not the next step?"
Naruto turned, looking at Sasuke.
"No, I'm done, Sasuke. I don't have the strength to fight this day, perhaps another, and no, I do not want that hat filled with secrets."
Naruto shot a glare at Kakashi and looked at Sasuke.
"What are you going on about? Are you going to go because stuff got a little hard?!"
The fastest of Jonin barely reacted in time. Naruto blitzed Sasuke. It was not because he hated his best friend. He hated the village, and Sasuke was trying to bring him back to something he did not want. Anger took him, and he was held only an inch away from Sasuke's throat.
Noticeably, Kakashi was the only Jonin in the room who did not even flinch, instead walking up to Naruto slowly. Everyone in the room felt it. Hatred, so much of it.
Through gritted teeth and groans of struggle, Naruto said, "No…Sasuke…I am not leaving because things are getting hard…I'm leaving because I am tired of this place… It's people and it's secrets…"
Sakura noted that it was the second time Naruto had mentioned secrets and filed it away. She wondered if Kakashi and he had discussed whatever a jinchuriki was. Perhaps that was what made him angry.
Kakashi replied to Sasuke, "I understand, Naruto. Anger will not solve your-"
A guttural roar of hatred escaped Naruto. Raito, however, heard another feeling in the scream, sorrow. Naruto had lost something, and this Kakashi fellow had taken it from him. Naruto himself clawed at Kakashi, digging into the skin of the Jonin holding him back.
It was as his scream left his throat that, despite the seal placed on him, red chakra began to leak from Naruto Uzumaki. For the first time, he felt true hatred, a feeling the Kyuubi no Kitsune understood all too well.
Kakashi jumped back, but instead Raito appeared in front of him, his arms splayed out.
"Naruto!"
Naruto screamed, "Die! Die! Die!"
It was on the third 'die' that Naruto managed to break free. Scaring all the genin except for Gaara shitless. Raito, however, was no normal genin. He locked eyes with Naruto, whose eyes had turned into slits.
Naruto screamed, "You lied!"
Naruto lunged towards Kakashi, who was already pulling his headband up, prepared for the incoming attack. However, instead, a crack rang out in the room. Raito punched Naruto across the face, and as they locked eyes again, Naruto saw no fear. There was nothing there; Raito's eyes held no emotion, no care.
A single question popped up in Naruto's mind: What happened?
Raito spoke again, this time with a calm that chilled even the old Hokage.
"I will kill you Naruto Uzumaki. I am your friend, but think not that I will not set you straight to the seventh layer of hell."
Naruto paused, feeling the power leave his bones.
He asked, "You would? You would kill me?"
Feeling the tension dissipating, Raito replied, "I assume Kakashi Hatake is wondering the exact same thing. As are all your Konoha friends."
Raito raised his hand and said, "I forfeit this exam."
Naruto's eyes widened, and he replied, "You can't do that, are you not the heir to a powerful clan?"
"But you can? Ironic."
Naruto gritted his teeth and thought, He's right. I let anger take control, and I almost killed Sasuke over something that had nothing to do with him. I almost attacked Kakashi despite him being the one who told me. Why? Why had he let this happen? He'd been taught better, yet here he was ignoring said advice.
Naruto fell to his knees and realized something else. He was not fit to be a ninja, not when it meant taking lives. He'd taken one, he'd killed the otonin, and every night in the forest nightmares had plagued him. So he raised his hand again.
"I still forfeit. Albeit, it is because I can't fight in my current state."
Naruto stood and walked away. He could feel the eyes; he could feel the shame rising in him.
He'd shouted for years that he'd become the greatest shinobi, and the Hokage. Yet here he was, walking out of his best path towards it. He swallowed the shame like the bitter pill it was and left.
Raito watched his friends retreat before turning to Kakashi Hatake and slapping the fuck out of the man. For a second, everyone wondered if they were going to have a second situation.
But Raito said, "I'm going to find him. You stay put, since you suck at your damn job."
The defiance of the boy held the group silent all the way until he came back.
Naruto was on one of the floors of the tower. He stood at one of the balconies, which was completely furnished. Looking out into the forest of death, he'd let the preliminaries get on. However, he'd only been there for a few seconds before he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Turning, he witnessed his friend, the one who was willing to kill him, approach.
"What do you want?"
"I want you to forget Konoha. This current Konoha, that is. Listen, I don't know what Kakashi-san told you, but it got you riled up. They are hiding things from you, and so forget Konoha. Let it be so that you think of a Konoha that could be."
"Why? I gave up being a shinobi. It doesn't matter."
"You're right. It might not matter to you, but it matters to me."
Naruto turned to take in his friend. Raito's white eyes seemed devoid of light. His face was stern as if he'd been carrying a weight too large for his age. His hair, which had been well-kept when they were younger, had dissipated. It was a mess, and worst of all, Raito's shoulders sagged terribly. He wore long sleeves, and his shirt covered his neck completely. He was an intimidating figure at first sight, but on second take, he was also tired.
"How come?"