Below The Beneath

Chapter 27 : The First Punch is Thrown

"Would Remi Shiranui and Shushi Uzumaki-Uchiha please come down to the field?" called out Darui with a yawn, gaining a sweatdrop from the crowd.

"Why don't you both just forfeit. Say that there's nothing more to prove or that sensei told you to never fight or something." stated Azumi

"Sensei would be angry if we did that." stated Remi

"Would he? Konoha stresses teamwork to the max. Besides, you both showed enough to make chunin" stated Azumi

"Hmm, I suppose... Besides, whoever won would have to fight you anyway." stated Shisui

"Would you two just fight? It would be best to show all your skills, even if you lose, then to show no skills and tie." stated the Iwa genin, lazing back on the bench in the contestant box.

"You just want them weak so that you have an easier chance to win." stated Azumi

"... If they both forfeit, then the winner of our match will win the tournament..." stated Trirune with a deadpan tone of voice. 'Are all Konoha ninja idiots when they're not fighting? What the fuck is wrong with these people... Why does lord Onoki want to kill their sensei so bad?'

"Oh, right..." stated Azumi, rubbing the back of his head, emulating a younger Naruto. 'He's hiding something. Sensei said to signal him if anything was fishy...'

-Kage box-

"So not only is it two Konoha genin fighting in the semi finals, but two of your students? Very interesting." stated Onoki, his eyes trained on the field, studying the movements of the genin.

"It's astounding the line of teachers you have in Konoha. Tobirama Senju taught Hiruzen Sarutobi, who taught Jiraiya of the sannin, who taught Minato Namikaze, who taught Kakashi Hatake, who taught you, and now you have three students who are going to make chunin in their first exam." stated A, who was once again considering getting his own team.

"I'm not the one who should get credit, the credit is all theirs." stated Naruto as he gazed over to the contestant box. His eyes widened for a second before his gaze snapped back to the field. 'That was the signal of a possible invasion! What could have happened for Azumi to signal... How did I miss that?'

-Exam field-

"Begin!"

Remi shot backwards and drew out two kunai as Shisui rocketed forward, pulling his sewing needle sword and going for his girlfriends legs, hoping to end the fight quickly, but had to dodge when Remi charged wind chakra to her kunais and swung, barely missing Shisui's legs.

Both fighters were separated when a an invisible gold and blue blur blew past them, a loud thumping sound echoing from the wall of the stadium across from the Kage box. Everyone turned their heads to see the young hokage elbow deep in two blank masked men's chests, blood running down his arms. Only A had seen him move, and even to him it was a blur.

"Sasuke! Get Azumi out of here! A! Akatsuki is here!" shouted Naruto as he ripped his arms out of the two dead masked men and appeared next to Remi and Shisui, wrapping an arm around each of them and teleporting away.

-Namikaze bunker-

Naruto flashed into the bunker that he had constructed after the massacre in Kiri, Remi and Shisui under his arm.