Konoha's Dream Team

Chapter 6

"Looks like this is it..." Naruto muttered, at the dawn of the third day as they reached the tower. Things had gone pretty slowly on the way, because that damn mark kept trying to break the containment seal, and caused Sasuke untold amounts of pain. Naruto had to admire Sasuke for being able to grit his teeth and keep moving through the pain.

"W-We made it..." Hinata said with relief evident in her voice. Sasuke grunted as his left knee gave out, but Naruto was there in a flash to catch him.

"Hey, don't strain yourself, you dumbass!" Naruto barked, slinging Sasuke's arm over his shoulder. "Come on, lean on me."

"I don't need your help, though..." Sasuke muttered, which made Naruto smile.

"I know you don't."

Team Seven entered the tower through their designated door and entered an empty room, not really sure what to expect.

"Look," Sasuke grunted and pointed at wall at the far end of the room. High above them was a text. Naruto read it and raised an eyebrow.

"Without Heaven... What the hell?" he asked and pointed at a segment of the text. "Words are missing there..."

"D-Do you think... maybe..." Hinata mumbled, staring up at the text with her brow furrowing. "Is it telling us to open the scrolls?"

Naruto reached into his kunai pouch, taking out the scrolls. He handed one to Hinata and took a deep breath, preparing to open the scroll.

"Alright... Open them," Sasuke ordered, and the two ripped open the scrolls, screwing their eyes shut as if the scrolls were going to explode or something. The three slowly opened their eyes and stared at the scroll. They all recognized the inky patterns on the scrolls.

"These are summoning seals!" Naruto exclaimed and threw away the scroll, while Hinata did the same, just in time for them to explode into smoke. The smoke cleared, and the three Genin stared.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, while the smiling Chuunin in front of them grinned.

"Hey! Long time no see!"

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, blinking. "Why were you summoned?"

"At the end of this second test, it's set up so we Chuunin meet up with the exam takers, and I was allowed to be the one to greet you."

"Greet us?" Hinata repeated, getting a nod from Iruka, who picked up a pocket watch, staring at it.

"Well, you weren't the fastest, but you certainly weren't the last," he spoke, grinning. "The second test... all three of you pass. Congratulations."

"S-So, sensei... What would have happened if we had opened the scrolls before now?" Hinata felt obligated to ask.

Iruka chuckled as he picked up the Earth scroll, holding it up. "As you may have figured out, this test's rules are set up to test your ability to perform missions correctly. So, if you were to break these rules and open the scrolls..."

"What would have happened?" Sasuke asked, getting a smile from Iruka.

"Those exam takers would be put in a state of unconsciousness for the remainder of the test period. Those were my orders."

"Hey, sensei," Naruto said, pointing at the wall. "What's the meaning of the writing on the wall? Seems like there's a word missing. We can't figure it out."

"Ah," Iruka said and pointed at the text. "I'm also here to explain that. Read it. This is the motto of the chunnin written by Hokage-sama."

"Motto?" Sasuke repeated.