My New Life is Harder Than Expected(Naruto SI-Waifu Catalog) (Patreon)

Chapter 18

(Hours Later, Forest of Death)

“Not going to lie this is kind of boring.” I said while leaning against a tree as I looked at the Forest of Death in front of me in a bored manner.

As I had expected, my team had no problem passing the first part of the exam though they did look surprised when they found out I would be proctoring the second part. After explaining the instructions to those that had passed with the help of Anko, we had sent them on their way into the Forest of Death.

I had been more distracted at the fact that I had not spotted Orochimaru at all before the test started like it had happened in canon. To be on the safe side I had marked Team 7 along with a certain redhead that I had spotted and was now only waiting until something happened.

Not that I was just sitting on my ass and doing nothing of course. Currently I had four wood clones scouting the forest looking for any signs of Orochimaru. It had been about 3 hours since the exam started and with only a few hours of sunlight remaining, Orochimaru would have to make his move if he was going to try something.

“Yup.” Anko said from her own tree as she chewed on a stick of dango. “Though we should probably head to the tower soon.”

“Yeah…” I said with a sigh before widening my eyes a bit when I felt one of my clones dispel receiving all its memories. ‘He’s here.’ I thought silently before disappearing in a blue flash leaving Anko behind knowing I was going to get chewed out later.

I appeared a moment later in a tree that my clone had marked before dispelling itself and had to immediately cover my face as I felt a strong wind hit me that could only come from a wind technique.

Looking down I spotted Sasuke and Sakura on another tree having barely escaped from that attack just now while Naruto was nowhere to be seen probably in the belly of a snake by now.

Merging with the tree I was on, I got comfortable and got ready to see the confrontation that would follow.

As to why I wasn’t helping right now, well I was actually curious. I wanted to see if Sasuke and Naruto too for that matter, would make the same decisions as their canon selves after all the changes I had already made to the timeline.

Would Sasuke still succumb to revenge for a while and follow Orochimaru in order to gain power to kill his brother? Would Naruto still obsess over Sasuke like a clingy girlfriend and follow him everywhere in an attempt to bring him back home?

Would they still reach the same ending in spite of all the changes happening around them?

Or would my changes have an effect on their future going forward?

All that and more were things that would not leave my mind no matter how much time passed. Hence the reason I hadn’t stamped them yet when I had ample opportunities on doing so.

Don’t get me wrong though, if Sasuke or Naruto ever stood in my way or threatened those I considered mine then all bets were off and I would deal with them accordingly.

Ridding those thoughts out of my mind I focused on the fight below me ready to jump in if Sakura ever came close to real danger since Orochimaru wouldn’t dare harm his future vessel too much.

I watched the same fight from canon happen below me with Orochimaru just playing with the kid before Naruto showed up and after boasting for a bit, also got his ass handed to him after Orochimaru blocked his access to Kurama with the Gogyo Fuin (Five Elements Seal).

“Tsk, that kid is too wasteful with my chakra. If he doesn’t watch it, my other self will end up possessing him in the future. Especially with all that hatred in his heart.” Kurama said in distaste.

‘It does end up happening a few times in the future.’ I replied watching as the fight finally came to an end with Sasuke receiving the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

“You know, this would be the perfect opportunity to regain my other half.” Kurama commented casually.

‘It is, but I don’t yet have the power to keep Naruto alive after doing so. As much as I may dislike the kid, he hasn’t done anything to me so I don’t want to just kill him. Not to mention that Kushina while not saying it outright, would be sad nonetheless if I just off the kid.’ I said in response.

“Hmph! I guess so.” Kurama said offhandedly before staying silent.

I only shook my head at that knowing that the fox was probably just testing me with that going by what I was feeling from it. Kurama sometimes forgot that I could now sense his emotions too.

Jumping down from my spot I startled Sakura who let out a loud shriek causing her to fall on the ground and landing on her butt.

“Relax Sakura it’s me.” I said in a reassuring tone.

“A-Akari-sensei?” Sakura asked before taking a proper look at me and finally losing the battle with her tears. “Akari-sensei! Sasuke-kun! There’s something wrong with him. There was this crazy strong lady who bit him in the neck and he suddenly started screaming...” Sakura said going on a ramble.

“It’s alright Sakura. Everything is going to be just fine. Now please drag Naruto over here so I can also have a look at him.” I said feeling a bit sorry for the girl and patting her head causing her to finally relax.

“O-okay ‘sniff’.” Sakura nodded wiping the remaining tears off her face and following my orders.

Letting out a sigh I got to work on the teen making sure he survived through the ordeal and also speeding up the process at the same time so he would wake up in a few hours instead of a full day as a form of apology for just watching the whole thing without helping.

When I took a look at Naruto next, I made sure to undo the Five Element Seal before finally turning to Sakura and giving her a smile.

“There. Naruto should wake up any moment now and Sasuke in a few hours. The problem though is the seal placed on him.” I said with a small frown at the end.

“Thank goodness.” Sakura sighed in relief before looking at the boy worriedly. “Seal? You mean the one on his neck?”

“Correct.” I nodded my head. “Unfortunately, I can’t help anymore as I’m already breaking the rules by helping you as much as I did. If I help more than this then I would have no choice but to disqualify you guys from the exam and I don’t think Sasuke and Naruto want that.”

“That-haah no you’re right. Naruto and Sasuke-kun were really looking forward to this exam and if we got disqualified now it would really depress them.” Sakura reluctantly admitted looking down at her lap and balling her hands into fists no doubt feeling useless.

“That’s why,” I continued once again patting Sakura in the head again and smiling at her when she looked up at me. “I want you guys to finish this exam as fast as you can alright? Once you do, I’ll see what can be done about that seal.”

“Really Akari-sensei!? You’re the best~” Sakura not able to help herself launched herself at me and pulled me into a hug before freezing in place realizing what she had done and immediately letting me go with a red blush now covering her face. “S-s-sorry about that.”

“Hahaha don’t worry about it, Sakura.” I said patting her head one last time. “Now I should really be going before another team sees us and I’m forced to disqualify you guys.”

“Mmn thanks again Akari-sensei.” Sakura nodded and waved happily at me as I jumped to the nearest tree and took off.

‘The rest is all up to you guys. I’ve done all I can.’

=====

(4 Days Later)

“Kushina! You’re not going to believe who I just found.” I yelled as I walked in through the portal to our Demiplane with a red-haired girl at my side.

“U-umm w-what was that just now? A-and where are we? This place feels weird.” The girl in question asked nervously but still turning her head in every direction much like a curious cat.

“This is my home and if you want, it can be yours too.” I answered before bracing myself as I felt Kushina’s unmistakable sunny signature rapidly approaching.

“AKARI! I MISSED YOU SOOO MUCH~” Came a yell before Kushina tried to tackle me to the ground.

“Oof! Hey Kushina, I missed you too.” I said managing to remain standing and looking down at Kushina with a soft smile on my face.

“Hihihi welcome home~ I made breakfast today. Would you like some?” Kushina asked completely oblivious to the other redhead beside us who was looking at us uncomfortably.

“Thanks, and I would love to.” I nodded leaning down and giving her soft kiss on the lips making her close her eyes in pleasure clearly pleased at my gesture.

“Great~ Oh! Who is that beside you?” Kushina asked finally turning to the other redhead who was looking at us from behind the gaps in her fingers clearly feeling embarrassed.

“Ahem allow me to introduce you to Karin Uzumaki.” I said with a small flourish introducing the redhead who only blushed redder at my words.

“H-hello. I-I’m not really sure what I’m doing here if I’m honest. One moment I was about to die to a huge bear and the next I was rescued and then dragged here with the only explanation being that I was meeting a fellow clansman.” Karin explained nervously while rubbing her head.

“Another Uzumaki!? Awesome! Great job Akari!” Kushina exclaimed happily with stars in her eyes giving me another brief kiss on the lips before grabbing a startled Karin by the hand and dragging her behind her while talking her ear off.

“Did you just kidnap someone?” Izumi asked in a deadpan as she walked up to me after just having taken a shower going by her damp hair.

“Uhh no?” I said suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

“Haah what am I going to do with you?” Izumi whispered with a shake of her head before leaning up on her toes and greeting me with a kiss. “Welcome home dear~”

I let a smile grace my face at the new nickname Izumi had started calling me a few months back. “Thanks.”

“Now come on. You have to explain things properly to our new guest before Kushina manages to scare her off.” Izumi said and walked ahead of me with an obvious sway to her hips immediately drawing my eyes toward them.

“Yes ma’am.” I said following along with my eyes glued to her perfect hips and ass much to her joy.

=====

(Day Later)

“Sensei! Did you hear?” Hanabi shouted in excitement as she ran up to the viewing platform where I currently was after having just been informed about having to fight in a preliminary round before the final exam.

Turning towards her, I smiled also spotting Hinata and Yakumo right behind Hanabi with their own smiles on their face.

“I heard alright.” I nodded my head and gently took turns patting each girl on the head much to their pleasure. “Only an hour to complete the test huh? I’m proud of you girls.”

“Hihihi it was nothing~ Right Nee-sama, Yakumo?” Hanabi now looking embarrassed with a blush on her face, turned towards her teammates.

“Mmn it was not as hard as I first thought.” Hinata said in agreement with her own blush on her face.

“No problem.” Yakumo said giving me a thumbs up.

“Let the first match between Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akado begin!”

Hearing the announcement, we focused down on the arena floor and observed the upcoming fight silently.

This time around there had been 8 teams who had passed with Kabuto and Kin Tsuchi dropping out meaning there would be 11 matches happening today. Looking around the arena I held the urge to frown when I didn’t spot Orochimaru anywhere. At least Sasuke already had the Evil Sealing Method applied to him by Kakashi after I had informed him of what happened in the forest and volunteering to applying the seal himself.

The matches proceeded mostly like in canon with the exception of 3.

“Would Shikamaru Nara and Hanabi Hyuga please make your way down to the arena?”

“Whooo~ It’s finally my turn!” Hanabi said with a cheer as she turned to me. “Watch me Sensei.” She announced before jumping over the railing and landing on the arena floor only to frown and tap her foot impatiently as her competitor was using the stairs instead.

“Hmhmhm she sure seems excited.” I commented lightly leaning down on the railing so I could have a better view of the match.

“It’s because sister wants to impress you. To show you how much she has improved since you became our Sensei.” Hinata said softly as she joined me on the railing and shot me a small smile. “I feel the same way.”

“Haah you guys don’t have to prove anything to me Hinata.” I whispered back with a shake of my head with my eyes never leaving Hanabi’s form. “I’ve been proud of you girls for a long while now.”

From the corner of my eyes, I watched as Hinata’s eyes widened before a full body blush overtook the girl as she rapidly looked down at the arena again hiding her face from my view.

“T-that…” Unable to continue Hinata brought up her hands up to her face and held them against her cheeks as she did her best to cover the small squeal that was released from her mouth.

Shaking my head in amusement I focused again as the match started only to blink as literally 3 seconds later Shikamaru was launched against the arena wall by a rather strong Hakke Kusho (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm).

“Winner! Hanabi Hyuga!”

“Haah? B-but…I didn’t even get to show off my best techniques…” Hanabi muttered with a slow blink as if in disbelief at how weak her opponent was.

‘Yikes. Well, there goes your chances of making Chunin this time around.’ I thought with a sweat drop feeling a little sorry for Shikamaru.

After all this was Shikamaru from the start of the series going up against a prodigy in taijutsu after a couple of months under my tutelage with all my perks also coming into play.

“Great job Hanabi.” I said patting the pouty girl in the head when she joined us back on the viewing platform getting her to smile in joy.

“Hihihi, thanks Sensei~ Though I should have expected that lazy ass to be this weak.” Hanabi said throwing a small glare at the still passed out form of Shikamaru as he was carried out of the arena.

After that we watched the next two matches and saw Naruto barely scraping a win against Kiba and the whole mess when Gaara and Lee traded blows with Gai coming to Lee’s defense at the end preventing Gaara from killing him.

“That was intense.” Yakumo said with a sigh of relief glad that the match was over. “That’s the boy you warned us about right Sensei? I can now see why you did so.”

“Yeah,” I nodded silently deactivating my eyes after confirming that Lee would need major surgery if he ever wanted to walk again. “That’s the current Jinchuuriki of the One Tails.”

“Jinchuuriki…” Hinata muttered under her breath as she turned her head slightly and looked at Naruto for a moment before looking up at me. “Sensei, are the Bijuu strong?”

“Yes, very strong.” I said with a nod taking notice of where her gaze had wondered and also gaining the attention of Hanabi and Yakumo. “They are basically big masses of chakra that cannot be killed with each one having different abilities that their Jinchuuriki inherits. Like the ability to control sand for example.”

“However, if the Jinchuuriki has a poor seal like that boy down there, the Biju can sometimes assert control over them or inconvenience them in some ways like not letting their host have a restful sleep.” I explained quietly making sure that only my students heard me.

Seeing Hinata turn to Naruto with a slightly worried look on her face I smiled and pat her on the head. “Don’t worry. I have personally checked his seal so there’s nothing to worry about.” I said in a reassuring tone guessing she had put the clues together after the mission to wave.

Hinata widened her eyes at being found out so quickly before breathing a small sigh of relief when my words finally registered.

“Sensei, are the Biju stronger than you?” Hanabi suddenly asked with a curious look on her face.

“Ha! Not a chance~” I said with a grin growing on my face causing the girls to giggle at my sudden change in demeanor.

“Tsk, that’s because you’re one of those cheat characters from those games you like so much.” Came the grumpy voice of Kurama.

“As expected of Sensei~” Hanabi said with a nod of her head looking extremely pleased at my response.

We were distracted as Yakumo was called up next against Sai, who had been Hinata’s replacement in Team 8. Thanks to her skill in Genjutsu, Yakumo was able to make quick work of Sai by trapping him in an illusion before holding a kunai up to his neck and ending the match.

“Whoo~ Two down, one to go.” Hanabi cheered.

I took notice that as Yakumo came up to the viewing platform Kurenai attempted to talk to her only to be completely ignored by the girl leaving the woman with a downcast look on her face.

“Good job Yakumo.” I congratulated the girl getting a happy smile in return.

“Thanks~”

 “Neji Hyuga vs Hinata Hyuga!”

Ignoring the worried look that suddenly appeared on Hanabi’s face I turned to Hinata who was looking at her cousin with a sad look on her face.

“Hinata,” I called out distracting her from her thoughts and making her look at me. “You got this. I believe in you. We all do.” I said with a smile.

“Yeah! You got this Nee-sama!”

“Go get him Hinata.”

At our words, tears seemed to form in Hinata’s eyes before she quickly wiped them away. “Thank you everyone.” Hinata said gifting us with a beautiful smile.

‘Show me how much you’ve grown Hinata.’