Passing the Second Exam

Naruto soon returned, carrying two rabbits. After cleaning them, he skewered them and set them over the fire he had already started.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, then at Sakura, who was asleep beside him. "What happened after I passed out? Why was Sakura hurt? Tell me."

Naruto smiled. "It's nothing much. While you were unconscious, I passed out too while trying to save you. Sakura was attacked by the Sound Ninja taking the exam while she was protecting us, and she was injured and knocked unconscious. She should wake up soon. I've already dealt with those Sound Ninja. Also, the damage you suffered from Natural Chakra has been taken care of."

Seeing Naruto fall silent, Sasuke knew something must have happened while he was unconscious. But he wasn't going to ask about it.

Sasuke only said, "You found a way to fix it."

Naruto replied, "Sasuke, try sensing your body. You'll feel a different kind of chakra inside you. That's Senjutsu Chakra. As long as you use it as a guide to keep absorbing Natural Chakra and converting it into Senjutsu Chakra, you can use it to nourish your body. That will heal the internal damage caused by tempering your body with Natural Chakra.

"But remember, you can't use this chakra yet. To use it, you have to enter Sage Mode first."

Sasuke asked in confusion, "Sage Mode? What's that?"

Naruto replied, "Sage Mode is a state where you absorb Natural Chakra and use it to fight. In other words, it's what people call being a sage."

Sasuke asked, "Where can I learn this Sage Mode?"

Naruto replied, "As far as I know, there are only three places: Mount Myōboku, home of the Toad Sage; Ryūchi Cave, home of the White Snake Sage; and Shikkotsu Forest, home of the Slug Sage. The Senjutsu Chakra inside you should have come from Ryūchi Cave, so I think that's where you should go to learn Sage Mode."

Sasuke asked, "How do I get to Ryūchi Cave?"

Naruto replied, "The only way is to form a blood pact with Ryūchi Cave and make one of its snakes your Summoning Technique. Then you can have it reverse-summon you there. I know of someone in Konoha besides Orochimaru whose Summoning Technique comes from Ryūchi Cave."

Sasuke hurriedly asked, "Who?"

Naruto smiled. "Our exam proctor, Mitaraishi Anko. She used to be Orochimaru's student, and her summoning beast is also a giant snake from Ryūchi Cave."

Sasuke asked anxiously, "Her? But will she teach me?"

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry. I'll persuade her. You'll be fine. Here, eat something first. I'll go get some water. Oh, and keep this Scroll of Heaven safe. Once Sakura wakes up, we'll head for the Central Tower." Naruto took out the Scroll of Heaven he'd taken from the Sound Ninja earlier and handed it to Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded. "All right. I'll get my strength back. You go. I'll look after Sakura; she'll be fine." Naruto nodded, then vanished with a Body Flicker.

Naruto collected some water by a river. Just as he was about to head back, he sensed a commotion. Curious, he used Body Flicker to get a closer look. He saw a red-haired girl being chased by a huge bear.

The sight of her red hair immediately reminded Naruto of his mother, Kushina Uzumaki. The girl tripped over a tree root, and just as the bear was about to attack her, Naruto appeared beside it and sent it flying with a powerful Rasengan.

Naruto went over to the girl and held out his hand with a smile. "Are you all right?" She stared at him, stunned, her heart stirring with countless emotions.

When the girl didn't answer and just kept staring at him, Naruto asked again, "Are you all right?"

Only then did she come to her senses. She took his hand and replied, "I'm fine. Thank you for saving me. My name is Karin Uzumaki. What's yours?"

Naruto helped Karin to her feet and smiled. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. You're from the Uzumaki Clan too, just like me."

Karin replied excitedly, "Yes. My mother told me we're from the Uzumaki Clan. You're from the clan too?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. My mother was Kushina Uzumaki. What about your mother?"

Karin's expression turned sorrowful. "My mother is dead."

Seeing the grief in Karin's eyes, Naruto said with a sigh, "My mother died too. But we have to stay strong and keep living."

I never thought I'd save Karin here. Sasuke was supposed to save her, but it's just as well. I should keep her in Konoha instead of letting her end up with Orochimaru.

With that thought, Naruto asked, "Karin, do you have anywhere to go? If not, why don't you come with me?"

Karin asked in surprise, "I can go with you? But I'm not from Konoha."

Naruto smiled. "You don't have to worry about that. You're one of my clan. Given the relationship between Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan, I think the Third Hokage will agree. Besides, I can see all the bite marks on you. I don't think you're from the Grass Shinobi Village, either."

When Karin realized Naruto had seen the bite marks on her body, she tugged self-consciously at her clothes, trying to cover them. She asked timidly, "How did you know I wasn't from Kusagakure?"

Naruto smiled. "Heh, don't forget, I'm from the Uzumaki Clan too. I know what our clan can do. They must have treated you like a tool."

Karin's eyes filled with hatred. "That's right. Those bastards killed my mother. And now they almost killed me too. I'm so scared." As soon as she finished speaking, she buried her face against Naruto's shoulder and began to cry.

Naruto held Karin tenderly and comforted her. "Go ahead and cry if you need to. I'll look after you from now on. Come with me to Konoha and live a peaceful life. No one will hurt you again."

When Naruto returned with Karin, Sakura had already woken up. Seeing her awake, Naruto said happily, "Sakura, you're awake. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine now, Naruto."

Sasuke looked at Karin and asked, "Naruto, who is she?" Sakura also looked at Karin curiously, then turned her gaze to Naruto.

Naruto smiled. "Her name is Karin Uzumaki. She's from my clan. She and her mother ended up in Kusagakure, where Karin's mother was killed by the people there. Karin was almost killed too. I'm going to let her stay in Konoha and live a good life. For now, she can come with us."

After hearing about Karin's unfortunate past, Sasuke and Sakura agreed with Naruto's decision.

Sasuke said, "In that case, let's go." Just as Naruto and the others were about to set off for the Central Tower, Kabuto Yakushi showed up and asked to travel with them. Since he was a medical ninja, Sasuke agreed to let him join them, and the five of them headed for the Central Tower.

They continued on until Naruto stopped at a place shrouded in thick fog. "It's already the fifth day. We haven't run into any enemies along the way. They're probably lying in ambush near the Central Tower, waiting for us."

Sasuke nodded. "It is strange that we haven't encountered anyone. They could very well be hiding somewhere nearby."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Then we'll have to make our way through carefully."

Naruto smiled. "Even so, there's no guarantee we won't run into their ambush."

Sakura asked, "What can we do to avoid being spotted?"

Naruto smiled. "It's actually pretty simple. Wait here while I use the Flying Thunder God to get to the Central Tower. Then I'll come back and bring you there."

Sasuke nodded. "That's the best way."

Naruto smiled. "Then I'm off."

Karin said with concern, "Naruto, be careful."

Naruto smiled at Karin. "It's fine. I'll be back in no time." He took two Kunai from his Ninja Tools pouch, handed one to Sasuke, then flung the other forcefully ahead of them.

Naruto smiled. "All right, I'm going." Then he vanished before their eyes.

Sakura could see how worried Karin was about Naruto. She smiled and said, "Karin, don't worry. No one can hurt Naruto." Karin was still worried.

Sakura could tell that Karin liked Naruto and depended on him, but Naruto already had Hinata. Sakura wanted to urge Karin to give up on him, but she didn't know how to bring it up. In the end, she let it go. Sakura trusted Naruto to work things out between himself and Karin.

Meanwhile, Naruto was racing ahead with the Flying Thunder God Technique. The enemies lying in wait only saw a flash of golden light pass by; by the time they came to their senses, he was already gone. Naruto reached the entrance to the Central Tower and put away his Kunai.

After leaving a mark on the gate, he used the Flying Thunder God to return to Sasuke. "I've left a mark. Now put your hands on my shoulders, and I'll take you there." Naruto brought everyone to the entrance of the Central Tower.

Kabuto said, "Now that we've arrived, I'll go find my teammates. Thanks for looking after me along the way."

After Kabuto left, Naruto said, "Let's go too."

Naruto led the way into the Central Tower. When they reached the designated area, he opened the Scroll of Earth and Scroll of Heaven. Iruka appeared, announced that Naruto and the others had passed the exam, and explained the Third Hokage's insights on being a Chunin. After saying goodbye to Iruka, Naruto and the others went to the assembly point.

Many of the examinees had already arrived. Naruto went with Sasuke, Sakura, and Karin to report to Kakashi.

When Kakashi spotted Karin, he asked Naruto, "Naruto, who is this?"

Naruto said to Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei, this is Karin. She's from the Uzumaki Clan, just like me. She was oppressed by Kusagakure, and her mother was killed by people from the village. I want her to join Konoha and live a good life here."

Kakashi was surprised. "Oh, she's from the Uzumaki Clan? There aren't many members left nowadays. Since she's one of Naruto's clan, I think the Third Hokage will agree to let her stay in Konoha. But we'll need to discuss it with the Third Hokage first."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Since I'm taking the exam, could I ask you to tell the old man for me? Here's Karin's information."

Kakashi accepted the information Naruto handed him. "Leave it to me."

Once Kakashi had taken the information, Naruto said, "Kakashi-sensei, please look after Karin for me. I'm going to see Hinata." With that, he slipped away.

Kakashi looked at the information in his hand and at Karin standing beside him, then sighed. "What a completely irresponsible kid." Sasuke and Sakura ignored his complaint.

Kakashi, feeling dejected, said, "Karin, right? I'll take you to see the Third Hokage." Then he walked away glumly.

Watching Kakashi walk away dejectedly, Karin murmured, "Hinata, huh? I won't lose to you."