The Turning Point

Chunin Exams Part 11

"It looks like you're going to get that fight after all" Sakura said to Naruto.

"Yep, four on forty it's just the kind of fight we're looking for!" Naruto exclaimed in determination as more clones surrounded them.

"You're all cornered like rats!" One clone spoke, breathing heavily into his metal mask.

"What do you mean rats? Take this!" Naruto yelled and charged forward, he punched the clone who had spoken.

But the punch didn't connect; instead Naruto's fist kept stretching through the clone until in broke out of the clone's side. Immediately it began to melt and Naruto fell to the forest floor in a heap. Sakura, Kabuto and Sasuke watched confused as another clone emerged from the side of the melted one.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan immediately and threw his shuriken quickly to prevent the newly formed clone from taking the blond boy's head off. The melted clone and the new clone that had emerged were still joined together at the waist and the creature turned to face Sasuke.

Sakura saw the curse mark light up on Sasuke's neck as he locked eyes with the two conjoined clones. The newer clone threw a kunai like spear straight for Sasuke, seeing that he wasn't going to move jumped on top of him and pushed him to the ground.

Kabuto quickly examined the spear like kunai that was thrown. Well this is real enough, there's no illusion here, he thought. Sakura meanwhile was helping Sasuke into a sitting position as he seemed to be paralysed and unable to do it himself. Little flames began to gather around the cursed mark on Sasuke's neck.

No, I can't let this activate again. There will be no telling what Sasuke will do or how it will affect his health and our chances of surviving this ambush, Sakura thought.

"Surrender your scroll, surrender your scroll" the clones repeated over and over again. Naruto stared at them in confusion; these were not typical shadow clones. Their attacks were real because the spear was real and almost hit Sasuke. But they weren't shadow clones because they weren't destroyed on immediate contact. So what exactly did that make them?

"Shut up! If you want the scrolls so badly well come and get it then!" Naruto called out, positioning his knife in front of him.

"No wait Naruto don't! You'll be wasting your time; these things are a result of genjutsu!" Sakura stopped him and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

She's right of course, but how did Sakura notice it. The Sharingan assisted me in seeing the answer but she looked at it with her own eyes and saw the jutsu for what it was, Sasuke thought.

"The real enemy is probably hiding somewhere in the forest nearby, launching the real attacks from behind the illusion and coordinating their movements with these clones. The ninja who use this attack are weak in hand to hand combat, they want us to go searching blindly for them" Kabuto deduced.

"Well then logically that means all we can do is hold our ground and fend off their attacks" Sakura added.

"Fine with me, as long as I get to fight these creeps" Naruto said but his breathing was heavy as was Sasuke's and Kabuto's.

From all the travelling plus their bodies had not fully recovered from Orochimaru, Sakura wondered how long they were going to hold out. Dodging another set of kunai it was clear that the ninja behind the illusion were continuing with this game of getting them worn down and tired. Clearly once these ninja were satisfied with their state, they would come down and snatch the scrolls. Sakura's team and Kabuto would be easy prey by then.

With Sasuke's volatile position and all of our combined exhaustion it's not an option, we need a plan and fast.

Naruto seemed to have read Sakura's mind and immediately made the sign for his well-known Shadow Clone jutsu.