Naruto gently laid Sasuke down inside the cave. Beads of sweat rolled down Sasuke's forehead as his body burned up with fever.
'Sasuke…' Naruto clenched his fists. Powerless.
He crossed his legs and shut his eyes, focusing inward—trying to recall the meditation techniques his brother taught him to control his chakra and stay calm.
---
Meanwhile…
"See? I told you it'd be easy!" Haruto laughed as he handed Ino a scroll.
"Thanks," she smiled. But Haruto's mind had already drifted.
'Something feels off… what am I forgetting?... Ah—Karin!'
In a blink, he vanished, leaving Ino startled, staring at the fading shimmer where he once stood.
---
Haruto arrived near Karin's chakra signature—only to sense something wrong. A strange Grass ninja stood nearby, but his presence wasn't… normal.
His instincts screamed: Orochimaru.
Without wasting a second, Haruto turned and bolted back to where he'd left Sasuke and Naruto.
---
The path back was wreckage. Trees were shredded, kunai and shuriken embedded in trunks like a silent record of battle.
Haruto's heart dropped.
He sprinted toward a familiar chakra signature—Naruto's.
---
Inside the cave…
"Who's there?!" Naruto's voice rang out, sharp.
"It's me… Haruto," he answered as he stepped in.
"You—Look! Look what happened!" Naruto pointed desperately.
Haruto's eyes fell on Sasuke. His skin was pale, veins darkened, and his body trembled.
Guilt gripped Haruto's chest.
'Damn it… I left them… knowing Orochimaru was lurking…'
"How is he?" Haruto asked, kneeling beside him.
"Boiling," Naruto muttered, eyes down.
Haruto placed his hand gently on Sasuke's neck—it was like touching fire.
---
A harsh voice echoed from outside the cave.
"Hey! You inside! Come out, now!"
Haruto's eyes narrowed.
'The Sound Trio…'
He stood, dusted off his hands, and walked toward the entrance with slow, deliberate steps.
---
Outside, three figures waited.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?!" Zaku growled. "We're here for the Uchiha, not you."
Haruto stopped at the cave mouth, staring coldly at them.
"I asked you a question," Zaku barked again.
Haruto raised his head, eyes locked on them with an icy calm.
"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?"
Kin snarled. "You little—"
Before she could finish, her head was already flying.
A crimson arc traced the air as her body dropped, twitching.
Dosu's eyes widened in shock. "You bastard—!!"
He shoved Zaku forward. "Go! Kill him!"
Zaku hesitated, trembling. "T-this guy isn't normal…"
Haruto slowly drew the sword Kakashi had given him—his blade whispering from its sheath.
"I brought this to practice on small fry," he muttered. "Guess you'll do."
Zaku lunged, raising both arms. "Decapitating Airwaves!"
Sonic blasts exploded toward Haruto, ripping through trees. But Haruto weaved through them like smoke—effortless, silent.
In a flash, he appeared behind Zaku, sword pressed to his throat.
"You think noise equals power?"
Shhk—
One clean slice. Zaku fell.
Dosu howled in rage. "You…!! I'll crush your insides!"
He slammed his amplifier arm toward Haruto.
The air warped with vibrating force—but Haruto tossed a kunai into the device mid-strike. It jammed.
"Don't bring toys to a real fight."
He moved in, dodged the wild swing, and stabbed clean through Dosu's chest.
---
As the blood soaked into the earth, Haruto exhaled slowly.
He turned back to the cave.
Unknownst to him in his frenzied state, team 10 quietly watched
Haruto stepped into the cave and gently picked up Sasuke in his arms.
"Let's go, Naruto."
Naruto nodded, still shaken, but followed without question. As they exited the cave, Team 10—Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji—appeared from the forest path.
"What happened?" Shikamaru asked, his brows furrowed.
"Sasuke was attacked… by some kind of monster," Haruto said grimly, not stopping.
"Monster?" Shikamaru echoed, eyes narrowing.
"That's terrifying!" Ino gasped, seeing Sasuke unconscious.
Haruto didn't elaborate. He just kept walking, his expression unreadable. They picked up their pace and soon reached closer to the central tower.
But as expected—trouble awaited.
A team of unfamiliar genin blocked the narrow path, their eyes wild and greedy.
"Hand over one Earth Scroll!" one barked. "Now!"
Without hesitation, Haruto gently set Sasuke down.
"Take him for a moment," he said to Naruto.
He then disappeared in a blur, reappearing right beside the aggressors. The closest genin barely had time to scream before Haruto grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into a tree, knocking him out cold.
Another threw a kunai, but with a single motion, Haruto's blade unsheathed, its arc clean and efficient. A red slash bloomed across the attacker's chest as he crumpled with a groan.
The third shinobi froze. His knees buckled.
"You want a scroll?" Haruto asked, blade glinting. "Come take it."
They didn't.
The remaining enemy backed away, dragging his wounded comrade.
Without another word, Haruto returned to the group.
Naruto stared at him wide-eyed. "You're… insane."
"Efficient," Haruto corrected.
"We're going."
Inside the Tower
The tall, looming doors of the central tower creaked open as Haruto pushed them with his shoulder. The eerie quiet inside was in stark contrast to the chaos of the forest. Cool air hit their faces, carrying a strange calm.
"Finally…" Naruto muttered, exhausted, glancing at Sasuke still unconscious in His arms.
Team 10 followed close behind, Choji panting, Ino quiet, and Shikamaru deep in thought.
They walked down the long corridor lit by torches, eventually reaching a large hall with a mural on the wall—a coded message written in stylized script.
"We have both scrolls," Haruto said, handing the Heaven and Earth scrolls to Naruto.
"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "Let's open them."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Don't you remember? Iruka-sensei said opening the scroll without being in the right place or time is dangerous."
As if on cue, a soft glow erupted from the scrolls as they unrolled them on the pedestal in the center. The light twisted and pulsed—then a puff of smoke burst forth.
From the smoke stepped a familiar figure—Iruka-sensei, his arms folded with a proud smile.
"You made it."
"Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed.
"You've all passed the second test," Iruka said, his tone proud but serious. "But it wasn't easy, was it?"
Haruto said nothing, just glanced at Sasuke.
Iruka's eyes dropped to the unconscious Uchiha and darkened. "I see.…"
Iruka didn't elaborate. Instead, he turned to Naruto and Haruto. "Get him to the medical room upstairs. You'll be given a few days to recover. After that… the Third Phase begins."
Naruto looked up. "What is it?"
Iruka's expression turned solemn. "A preliminary round. There are too many candidates left. The Third Exam will weed out the weak."
Suddenly from behind a silver hair guy appeared with a black mask covering his one eye...
Author here
Changing the harem since no one commented
Harem members Hinata, Ino 3rd one hidden
If your wondering if you take Hinata who will Naruto marry? Simple I'll give him Sakura or Karin and save us from Boruto
As of Sasuke, I'll try to add an Uchiha so the the Uchiha bloodline is still pure not an Uchiha with glasses