Ganging Up on Naruto

"Kikaichū!"

"Shadow Imitation Technique—success!"

A black swarm of countless insects surged toward Naruto Uzumaki like a dark tide.

Shikamaru Nara held Naruto in place with his Shadow Imitation Technique, making it easier to carry out the next step of their plan.

No one had expected the Konoha Ninja's first real collaboration to begin with beating up Naruto Uzumaki.

The insects clung to Naruto's body and voraciously devoured his Chakra.

Instead, they dropped off him like rain, while Naruto's red cloak only grew stronger.

Shikamaru felt his hold weakening and shouted, "Use everything you've got! Stop holding back! If Naruto doesn't go down, we'll all die here!"

Kunai, Explosive Tags, and Shuriken flew in a furious barrage.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto was completely unharmed. If anything, they had only made him angrier.

Shikamaru threw down several smoke bombs, then signaled for everyone to hide.

"We can only go find our teachers!"

For the first time, Shikamaru realized his intelligence was useless against such overwhelming power.

After all, they knew few Ninjutsu at present and still had to watch out for Ninja from other villages.

A red-haired figure suddenly appeared from nowhere, a giant bear close behind her.

"Help!"

Fleeing in a panic, she had run straight into someone even more terrifying.

The moment Naruto saw her, he lunged.

"Watch out!"

A black-clad figure flashed past, scooped up Karin Uzumaki, and landed in a tree.

"Evil, warmth, and something eerie... How can three kinds of Chakra exist in one person?" Karin's gaze fixed on Naruto, her eyes full of confusion.

By then, Naruto had torn the giant bear to pieces.

"You!"

Only then did Karin realize how terrifyingly vast the Chakra of the person holding her was. Even the Jonin of Kusagakure fell far short.

"You sensed it?" The figure in black seemed to understand from her expression.

"Aren't you going to help him? I can feel how frightened he is inside," Karin said.

"Someone else will."

A fist shot out of the shadows and slammed into Naruto's face.

Strange Cursed Marks covered Sasuke Uchiha's entire body, and his aura was far stronger than before.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

Consumed by the Nine-Tails' Chakra, Naruto had lost his senses and attacked Sasuke without restraint.

The two fought to a standstill.

"Use Genjutsu! You have to enter Naruto's inner world and pull him out!" the figure in black shouted.

Sasuke hesitated. Genjutsu was hardly his strength, but he had no other option.

Sasuke met Naruto's eyes and entered his mind.

At last, Naruto collapsed unconscious into Sasuke's arms, a faint smile on his face.

Everyone relaxed at the sight, then immediately grew wary. With Naruto out of the way, they were opponents again.

I ship it, I ship it! Is this Naruto and Sasuke? Something seemed to awaken in the soul of a certain long-haired blonde girl, and strange phrases bubbled up in her mind.

"Let's go. The next time we meet, we'll be enemies!"

Everyone withdrew.

"Who's there?"

Sasuke showed no mercy. Anyone who tried to sneak in and claim the prize was killed on the spot!

With strange Cursed Marks covering him and blood spattered across his body and cheeks, Sasuke looked like a demon that had crawled out of the abyss.

"Sasuke, don't be like this!" Sakura Haruno pleaded.

They had already taken a scroll from someone else. They could finish this round now.

"Okay." Sakura's words calmed Sasuke. He still had no idea how badly Naruto was hurt, and Naruto needed treatment as soon as possible.

So there's a monster like that living inside you too, Naruto Uzumaki? Sasuke thought as he carried Naruto on his back.

Such terrifying Chakra, such evil power, lived within Naruto's body.

No wonder everyone thinks you're a monster!

Elsewhere.

"That was the last team, wasn't it?"

Gaara buried the person before him completely in sand. Blood burst out in an instant.

"Gaara, are you all right?" Temari asked.

Gaara had changed so much. Though he had begun to open up to them, the power within him had only grown more terrifying.

And throughout this selection, he had ignored everyone's orders, intent only on killing certain people.

Temari was even beginning to fear he had forgotten the main reason their father had sent them here.

"I'm fine, Temari!" Gaara said with a smile. The blood on his face made him look exceptionally frightening.

A chill ran through Temari at the sight of him. "We have the scroll. Let's go!"

"All right!"

Temari breathed a silent sigh of relief and followed Gaara and Kankuro away.

Outside the Forest of Death, a red-haired figure and a black-haired figure had already left the Chunin Ninja Exams area.

"Well, Karin? Will you come with me?" The man took Karin somewhere safe.

"Mm-hmm!" Karin nodded so quickly that even Uchiha Yoru was caught off guard.

Then again, it made sense. To her team, Karin was nothing more than a living battery: others recovered from their injuries by absorbing her Chakra. She had probably wanted to leave the village for a long time. Her mother had died after the people of Kusagakure drained her Chakra dry.

"From now on, you're one of us in Konoha!" Uchiha Yoru said as he led Karin away.

"Aren't you afraid the people of Kusagakure will come looking for trouble?" Karin asked, her cheeks flushing in Yoru's warm embrace.

She had struggled a little earlier, but she could not break free. So she stopped resisting and quietly enjoyed it.

"Let them," Yoru said with utter confidence.

Kusagakure might be fairly strong for a small shinobi village, but it was nowhere near Konoha. Itachi alone could wipe it out with ease.

If not for the risk of driving the smaller villages to band together, the Five Great Shinobi Villages would have been eager to destroy them long ago. There were only so many missions to go around, and the smaller villages still took their share.

Karin nodded. Looking at Yoru's face, she felt boundless shyness and a sense of helplessness.

But given the Chakra she sensed in him, she could not resist him if he truly wanted to do anything to her. Besides, his Chakra was full of kindness. It put her at ease.

With Karin nestled in his arms, Yoru chuckled to himself. He had tricked—no, rescued another person from a life of misery.

It's all Orochimaru's fault. He's always luring people away, and he's been a bad influence on me. All his fault!