Naruto: System of Akio

Konoha Maximum Security Prison lay southwest of the village.

After "rescuing" the Sound Four, Akio led them north through the forest.

Having witnessed him tear apart a steel prison cell with his bare hands and incapacitate an entire prison staff with a single genjutsu, the four treated him with considerable respect, addressing him simply as "sir."

"Sir," Tayuya asked, "where are we going? Aren't we heading back to the Sound Village?"

Akio glanced sideways at her.

She was actually pretty cute when her Curse Mark wasn't activated.

"The Sound Village has been destroyed."

The four froze.

After a long silence, they finally processed the news.

"What about Lord Orochimaru...?"

"He faked his death during the assault on Konoha and escaped to one of his northern hideouts. That's where we're going."

"A northern hideout?"

The four exchanged confused looks.

After a while, Tayuya spoke again.

"I remember Sister Guren mentioning a northern base once. It's near the Land of the Sea."

She frowned.

"Sir... aren't we going the wrong way?"

Akio stopped so abruptly he nearly tripped over his own feet.

Wait... there really is a base there?

He cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Of course we're not going the wrong way."

"We're shaking off Konoha's pursuit."

"Tayuya, Konoha has already searched your memories. They'll expect us to head toward the Land of the Sea."

"So we're taking the long way around."

"Safer that way."

"Oh!"

Jirobo nodded enthusiastically.

"That makes perfect sense!"

The other three, however, grew increasingly suspicious.

Their mysterious rescuer hid his face, refused to identify himself, and generally acted as though he belonged in a spy novel.

Trusting him wasn't easy.

"Actually," Akio continued, "there's another secret hideout nearby."

"Here?"

All four stopped.

Akio's eyes narrowed into happy crescents.

"Exactly."

"Follow my movements carefully to activate the barrier."

"Twenty steps forward."

"March in place for five seconds."

"Fifteen steps left."

"Three steps backward..."

The Sound Four stared blankly as he wandered back and forth through the clearing.

What in the world was he doing?

"Five steps right..."

He clapped his hands dramatically.

"Open sesame!"

A black portal suddenly appeared before him.

Akio stepped inside.

"Repeat exactly what I just did if you want to enter the hideout!"

The portal closed.

He vanished.

The four stood there in stunned silence.

Who could possibly remember all that?!

"Was he really sent by Lord Orochimaru?"

"And is there actually a hideout?"

"So... what now?"

Jirobo scratched his head.

"Twenty steps forward... then marching... after that... uh..."

"Fifteen left."

Tayuya sighed.

"Oh!"

Just then, Sakon and Ukon looked over their shoulders.

"Konoha's pursuing us."

"So soon?"

The others turned.

A familiar group of teenage shinobi was rapidly closing the distance.

"The Chunin Exam kids?"

Jirobo scoffed.

"Konoha really thinks that little of us?"

"Let's wipe them out."

Before anyone moved

The black portal reopened.

Akio stepped back out wearing an expression of exaggerated despair.

"You're still here?"

"Now they've caught up!"

"My bad."

"You four run!"

"I'll hold them off!"

The Sound Four stared at him.

"…."

"Go!"

Akio urged.

"See that giant cat?"

"If you don't leave now, you'll never escape!"

"They've also got a ninja hound tracking you."

"Head north."

"In about ten kilometers you'll reach the Valley of the End."

"Hide beneath the lake there."

"They'll never find you."

"The cat?!"

All four remembered the enormous white feline they'd seen in Konoha.

Every thought of fighting disappeared instantly.

Without another word, they fled.

Akio watched them go and clicked his tongue.

"Not exactly team players, are they?"

The Konoha pursuit squad quickly arrived.

Shikamaru's eyes swept across the masked man blocking the path before shifting toward the fleeing Sound Four.

"Hoshino."

"Lee."

"You're the fastest."

"Go intercept the escapees."

"Right!"

Lee exploded forward.

Hoshino lightly tapped the ground with her toes

And vanished.

Boom!

Boom!

A blur flashed.

An instant later

Lee and Hoshino flew backward even faster than they'd charged, crashing into their teammates' waiting arms.

"So fast!"

Akio grinned beneath his mask.

After a moment's thought, he assumed a pose unmistakably inspired by Bruce Lee.

"Ah-cha!"

"You're not getting past me!"

"I'll take on six of you!"

"Out of the way!"

Charging headlong was exactly the sort of thing Naruto would do.

Shikamaru didn't even have time to stop him.

Akio answered with a perfectly timed roundhouse kick.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a convenient cliff nearby this time.

Otherwise Naruto would've become wall art again.

"Naruto!"

"You okay?"

Naruto looked oddly conflicted.

That kick...

Felt awfully familiar.

And those smiling eyes...

Also familiar.

Then Akio's voice quietly reached his ears.

"Blow my cover and I'll tan your hide."

Naruto blinked.

His eyes darted around mischievously.

Then he pushed away Shikamaru and Choji.

"Sasuke!"

"This guy looks strong."

"You can handle him, right?"

"We'll go after the escapees!"

Sasuke frowned.

He didn't understand why Naruto suddenly volunteered to leave...

But he simply nodded.

"I've got him."

"I said six opponents."

Akio shook his head.

"One isn't enough."

"The two speedsters."

"The Byakugan user."

"The blue-eyed kid."

"And the girl carrying that giant ball."

"Stay."

"The rest can go."

The giant white furball riding on Tenten lazily lifted its head.

"Meow..."

"How boring."

"Tch."

Akio smirked.

"So even the cat's looking down on me."

Sasuke snorted and charged directly at him.

Naruto struggled not to laugh.

"Shikamaru."

Neji activated his Byakugan.

"The masked man is strange."

"I can't see his chakra network."

Shikamaru blinked.

He looked toward Hinata and Toneri.

Both quietly nodded.

"Akamaru can't smell him either," Kiba added.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had already reached Akio.

Once again

A simple roundhouse kick.

"I'm not like that idiot Naruto"

Boom!

"Really?"

"How exactly?"

"Sasuke!"

Sakura rushed to catch him.

"So incredible!"

Lee had finally recovered.

He glanced at Hoshino, who had somehow already returned to her usual absent-minded tiptoe stance as though nothing had happened.

"Hoshino!"

"Your taijutsu is amazing!"

Hoshino continued staring into space.

She hadn't heard a word.

Sasuke coughed a few times before gently pushing Sakura aside.

His expression turned grim.

I dodged that.

I'm certain I dodged it.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Naruto called with barely concealed laughter.

"Can you actually handle this guy?"

"The escapees are almost out of sight!"

Sasuke's face darkened.

"Shikamaru."

"You're the captain."

"Make the call."

Shikamaru took a deep breath.

"If this really is part of the Chunin Exam..."

"Then the masked man is probably the examiner."

"And judging by Naruto's reaction..."

He had reached his conclusion.

"Toneri."

"Tenten."

"Lee."

"Neji."

"Sasuke."

"Hoshino."

"You six hold him here."

"The rest of you come with me after the escapees."

Akio nodded in satisfaction.

He made no attempt to stop the others.

Instead, he calmly waited while the six young shinobi surrounded him.

"Shikamaru…"

He smiled beneath the mask.

"You really are sharp."

"Smart people always understand each other."

"That was perfect teamwork."

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