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Chapter Forty Six: The Trial

Naruto looked at his wallet with a glance, noting how his frog container was nearly full with ryō. His stipend from the S-ranked mission was more than enough to last his appetite for one or two months at the very least. The initial few days Naruto had splurged on all types of food, and even managed to have one of every item in Ichiraku's menu, which was a feat of its own. All of that didn't matter, however, because the moment would end soon.

I wonder when the Chuunin missions will start. I guess Shikamaru, Sasuke, and I would be a team for those? Team Seven would have to take a break for a while in that case. Not like we haven't already…. Naruto internally grumbled.

It had been a while since all four of them had met together. Naruto and Sasuke each had their own individual training sessions that lasted for hours at end. Sakura was off doing whatever she did when she had free time. Kakashi sensei couldn't be tracked by anybody. Naruto had heard rumors that the man was off doing his own missions, but he would never know the truth until he could directly ask the silver-tongued man himself.

So where was he right now? That's right, in the middle of Training Ground 44 with no information as to where he was going. He had a large bag strapped over his bag and shinobi-grade traveling sandals. According to Hiruzen's message, he would certainly need them. The retired Hokage didn't mention exactly what was going to happen, only highlighting the fact that they might have to travel for a long period of time.

That meant Naruto had to spend some time shopping the day before. The sandals he had before were worn down and cracked in places, unable to withstand the stress the energetic shinobi placed on them. His news ones, however, were pure black of color and clearly new with how they shone in the light. He couldn't help but marvel at how cool they looked, though that may have been his bias talking. Naruto had also packed food bars, bottles of water, and other assortment of items which wouldn't fit in seals.

"You're early."

Naruto looked behind him with an annoyed expression. "You're late."

Hiruzen chuckled, causing wrinkle lines to appear on his face due to the contortion of his skin. "I'm afraid someone my age can't always be on time."

The blond rolled his eyes. "You'd whoop pretty much every shinobi here in a fair fight, there's no need to put that weak elderly-man-act around me."

"Ah, you're right. However, when was the last time an enemy of yours fought fair, Naruto? Expecting fairness in this world is akin to looking for gold in a pile of manure. You'd be surprised at how cunning our Jonin—nay, any man can be when they have nothing left to lose."

"True, but that doesn't excuse your tardiness, does it?"

"No, it doesn't. But as much as I love going back and forth with you, I'm afraid that our precious time is running out with every second we waste. Your trial has been approved."

"My trial?" Naruto asked, confused. Then it clicked. "OH! That trial. That's great news!"

"Yes, it is. I have great confidence that you will do well. We must not be late, however, and create a bad impression of your character. The monkeys greatly appreciate diligence, and their newest summoner arriving late to the ceremony would warrant unnecessary drama."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Alright then. Let's get moving!"

"Come over here," Sarutobi said, beckoning him forward. "I'll be using something called the reverse summoning technique. While the method is simple, the actual technique behind it is quite complex, as with any space-time ninjutsu. It's supposed to only work between the summoner and the summon, but I had Enma temporarily key you into the contract so this mode of transport would work."

Naruto blinked. Space-time ninjutsu? Are we going to teleport? How come I've never heard of this before? "Old man, are you saying we're about to teleport there directly?"

"Basically."

"How is this not used more often?" Naruto asked curiously. "You could use the reverse summoning to get you out of any tight spot almost instantly."

"Well, it isn't as simple as I've made it sound. First, summoning contracts are rare enough as it is. Secondly, reverse summoning is quite the coveted skill. Not every summon knows how the technique works, and it's a heavily guarded secret from what I can tell. The only other summons that I know are aware of its existence are the Toads. Lastly, it requires a lot of preparation beforehand. Enough of such hypotheticals. We must leave…"

Hiruzen placed his hand on the ground and immediately a circle of complex, interwoven seals formed onto the ground. "Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"

The world turned black in an instant.

Naruto felt like his body was turning in on itself as he moved through a tunnel of darkness that he couldn't feel but knew was present. It was difficult to explain. Suddenly, it was almost like time quickened, and Naruto's presence flew forward in the figurative tunnel he was in.

Then it stopped.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes to his surroundings. A forest. Shrubs, herbs, and the dense overgrowth of all types of plants that took over every habitable space available. Nothing too special. He could hear the distant roar of a waterfall somewhere in the distance.

"You're late."

An old, short monkey with a staff in his hand and a grumpy expression stood slouched before him.

It took Naruto several seconds to adapt to the situation before him. "W-what?"

Hiruzen took charge immediately and bowed deeply. "Gatekeeper Ichiro, it has been a while."

Gatekeeper Ichiro scoffed. "A while? It's barely been ten years, boy. You look the same. Other than for that arm, of course."

Naruto eyed Ichiro carefully. The monkey had a balding head, with the middle portion of his hair missing, jutting out from the lateral sides of head. He had a long beard that stretched to his lower chest, and showcased a strange habit of stroking the silver-white hair from its roots to the ends regularly. His back was heavily slouched as he leaned onto his staff. The monkey wore a dark red cloak that covered his entire body, giving him almost a mystical look.

Observe.

[Observing…]

[Observation failed.]

[Target's level is too high.]

[Would Player like a partial observation?]

[Yes/No]

Well, that was to be expected, I guess.

Name: Ichiro

Title: "The Guardian of Doors"

Occupation: Gatekeeper

Level: ?

MP: 100/100

Chakra: ?

STR: ?

VIT: ?

DEX: ?

INT: ?

WIS: ?

LUK: ?

Hiruzen chuckled. "Ten years for you may be a short time, Gatekeeper. But for us…many things change."

"Bah! The fickleness of human life," Ichiro stated, tapping his staff on the ground twice.

"It's the limit that's put on us that allows us to appreciate what we have."

The monkey laughed. "Save your preaching for Enma. I'm far too old to find anything meaningful in words and phrases. Enough about that. What's your name, brat?"

He cleared his throat. "Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!"

Ichiro hummed thoughtfully, eyeing him up and down. "Hmm…you've outdone yourself, Sarutobi. The boy has more chakra than a dozen shinobi combined. How have you not combusted from the sheer amount of chakra within you?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's not that difficult. I just control it normally."

"Interesting. Now follow me."

They followed the older gentleman that walked surprisingly quickly with how short he was. Naruto found himself increasing his pace to catch up, the heavy nature of his bag not helping him in that aspect.

He looked around curiously. "Where are we? Where's the village?"

Hiruzen's eyes twinkled. "The monkey elders wouldn't allow us to teleport directly into the village. We must use the help of the Gatekeeper to enter through the entrance."

The rumbling of falling water got louder and louder.

"Where's the entrance?" Naruto asked, looking around for any sign of a large gate or some kind of border.

"Here," Ichiro spoke instead, pointing forward.

Naruto's eyes followed the directions of his finger until his eyes rested on the enormous water in front of them. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Nestled deep in the forest, the waterfall cascaded from a jagged cliff face, shrouded in sparkling mist that danced in the dappled sunlight. Vines laden with tiny, luminescent flowers cling to the rocky edges, their soft glow reflecting in the crystal-clear pool of water that continuously flowed below. The thunderous roar of water that never stopped only added to his awe. The sheer magnitude of water in the area was baffling to see.

Hiruzen smirked. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Naruto gulped and nodded. "Where do we go now?"

"Inside."

They continued forward, pulsing chakra into their feet to prevent themselves from sinking into however many feet deep the pool was. Water walking in moving water was infinitely more difficult then doing the same in still water, but anyone with enough practice would simply become used to it, and the act of controlling their chakra to such a high degree would become subconscious.

To Naruto's shock, they walked through the falling water. He was already somewhat annoyed at the fact that his entire bag and clothes would become wet, but to his grand surprise and pleasure, the water simply passed through their body, as if it was some illusionary image. It quickly became obvious that it was exactly that. How was a Genjutsu active without a constant source of chakra to uphold it? Where was the chakra coming from?

"Natural energy can be used in various ways. There are secrets to the infinite power of nature that us monkeys can't even begin to comprehend, let alone humans who depend on majorly on chakra."

Ichiro's words struck Naruto deeply.

There was still so much for him to learn.

He gritted his teeth. I'll have to learn it all somehow.

They walked through a dark cave of sorts. Naruto wasn't sure for how long they had been walking by now, but it was certainly more than twenty minutes. The cave was completely empty other than for a blinding light at the end of the tunnel which seemed to somehow get closer and further away at the same time.

Eventually, the light grew incredibly large.

And when Naruto passed through, his eyes widened instantly. "W-what?"

Thousands of pillars of stone towers were in front of him, covering every inch of the ground before him with shadow. The towers stretched so high that they spilled into the clouds above, not even allowing Naruto a glimpse of their true size. They were thick as well, wider than most buildings that he had seen in Konoha.

He felt like an ant in front of the habitat in front of him.

Naruto remembered just then how insignificant he was in front of the grand scheme of everything that happened around him.

"What's with those stone pillars?" He asked with his mouth agape.

Hiruzen merely chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

Ichiro raised an eyebrow. "Stone? Are your eyes dysfunctional?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The old monkey pointed his long staff forward. "Because, Naruto, you're awfully mistaken. Those aren't pillars—they're trees."

[—NTLS—]

As they got closer, it became quickly evident how Naruto had mistaken the trees for stone. Firstly, the so-called trees were nearly gray in color, nothing like the lush brown that the trees of Konoha were naturally painted with. The explanation was that the trees grew into that color themselves with how old they were, existing before the genesis of the monkey population itself.

"The trees are the pillars of our society. Quite frankly, without them we would be surviving here today. They provide us with food and shelter, and in turn we give our utmost respect. Any damage to the trees is strictly forbidden and results in serious punishments."

Naruto nodded seriously. "I would never do anything of the sort!"

"Good," Ichiro said with a pleased nod.

"How are they so tall? I've never seen trees like this before."

"I'd be surprised if you had," Hiruzen responded. "What you have to understand, Naruto, is that we are currently hundreds of miles away from Konoha. A completely different climate, different species, different habitats. Everything looks similar but is also different at the same time. I personally theorize that these trees were a chance mutation of some tree, and by luck had managed to survive and reproduce thousands of years ago. There has never been a new one to form since the start, meaning we haven't actually seen a sapling of the tree yet."

"Hiruzen is correct," Ichiro said a moment later. "We have never seen a pollination phase from these trees or any type of reproduction. It's a small issue that won't find a solution anytime soon."

"Why is it an issue?" Naruto questioned as he simultaneously jumped over a particularly large outgrowth of a humongous root.

"To expand, we need more trees. At the present, these trees will support us for maybe four or five more centuries. A short time indeed; and the clock is ticking.. It's best to be prepared for any outcome, especially in severe matters like this."

Naruto almost sweatdropped. Their version of time is seriously crooked. I wanna ask how old he is but I think it would be perceived as rude for some strange reason.

"Where is the village, by the way?" The Jinchuuriki asked a moment later.

"Many miles ahead," Hiruzen answered with a smile. "I told you it would be a voyage."

"Hmph."

They walked through the thick outgrowth of the immense forest. The air was filled with the scent of rich earth, damp moss, and the faint perfume of blooming, rare flowers that Naruto had never seen before in his short life. The forest was filled with creatures. He could hear the loud chirping of birds above him and the rummaging of smaller animals through the grassy ground under them.

Even more characteristic was the chakra that he could sense. It was a mix of chakra and natural energy, to be more exact. The wisps of energy that permeated throughout the forest floor was nearly tangible with how thick it was. It felt like this place would be a sensor's wet dream with how much chakra was available.

In a way…it was almost like the forest was living.

Naruto found himself wondering where he actually was.

The foliage overhead was high up, but incredibly thick, only allowing small tendrils of light through and into the forest floor for them to use in navigation. The twisted, knotted roots of the behemoths of wood snaked across the ground in all directions like the fingers of giants. Some of them arose into the air and connected with the other trees and branches, forming natural bridges which were quite the convenience to use when they had the chance to.

And so they walked.

An hour of comfortable silence passed as the trio quickened their pace of travel, taking a few breaks here and there. Naruto's food bars became quite the valuable item. Ichiro had resisted his attempts in sharing his food, but he wasn't too deterred. He would have the old man warm up to him somehow soon enough.

If it was possible, it felt like the trees were getting even thicker.

And then, civilization began to appear around them.

Unsurprisingly, the homes of the monkeys were built with wood. They used the massive branches of the iron trees around them as foundation, building atop the natural bridges to have an easy method of travel and transport already present with them. Large circular huts were everywhere, along with deep orange lanterns that weren't yet lit up hanging wherever the eyes could see. Naruto wished it was nighttime so that he could view what the village looked like at night with those hanging lights. The interconnected bridges, platforms and walkways formed by the canopies of the trees were already stunning to the eyes on their own.

"Welcome to the Forest of the Sky Monkeys," Ichiro stated calmly, a hint of pride in his eyes.

Sky monkeys? I guess that makes sense with how high these trees are going. They practically are living in the sky.

Naruto walked forward, his eyes darting here and there as he absorbed as much information as he could. Soon enough, they were attracting more and more attention as monkeys of all shapes and sizes began to notice the odd trio. The monkeys moved swiftly and comfortably through the crowded space of the trees they were in, as if it was second nature to them by now. They pointed with hushed whispers at the three, but more specifically at Naruto who clearly was a new face.

"Who is he?"

"You didn't hear?"

"What?"

"There's going to be a new summoner!"

"Him? That boy? He doesn't look like much…"

"Looks can be deceiving, young one."

Naruto shook his head, pulling the voices out of his head. Focus on the trial. Focus on the trial. "Where are we going, Gatekeeper?"

"The Heart of our forest. The largest tree you'll ever see. It's the tallest and most ancient structure here, and as such, is considered the mother of this forest. Her roots pierce deep into the earth and her branches encroach the heavens themselves. Her presence graciously allowed us this privilege of living here, and as such we will always be grateful."

"But why there?" Naruto asked a moment later.

"I was getting to that. The Annual Festival of Warriors is ending soon. I believe the final match is currently underway, and it's held at the upper crest of the tree where an arena was built. It is something similar to the 'Chuunin Exams' that you humans are familiar with, I believe. Isn't that so, Hiruzen?"

"Yes, with a few small differences," Hiruzen said with a nod.

Naruto couldn't help but be a bit confused. "What's this have to do with my trial?"

Ichiro's expression didn't say too much. "Your possible future summon is currently in the final match, that's why."

[—NTLS—]

Calling the 'Heart' massive was more than an understatement. It was colossal in size, similar to a mountain in the distance that you couldn't really comprehend just how big it was from your comfortable sitting position. The trunk itself was so thick, and every branch looked like its own individual skytree. 'Skytree' was what Naruto decided to call these behemoths, finding it a suitable nickname for plants that rose so tall and were part of the 'Forest of the Sky Monkeys'.

The size still wasn't the most surprising thing.

The arena wasn't actually built on one of the branches like the other buildings. No, it was inside the tree. The tree was so huge that its inner cavity could house a thousand or so monkeys along with a stadium for fighting. Naruto had asked whether or not the monkeys had manually created the hole for the stadium, but Ichiro looked appalled at that question, as if even the thought of hurting 'The Heart' was blasphemous. Apparently the tree had been like that for generations, serving its function as a sparring center for all of their shinobi monkeys.

As they entered the tree, the sound of applause became increasingly intense with every passing second. Naruto held his hands to his ears to block out the ear-splitting noise, instead preferring to observe his surroundings. It was similar to the Chuunin Exam's stadium in structure, with how the center stadium was deeper down and the audience could sit on an elevated stage, but that was where the similarities ended. Everything was wooden, but the sturdiness of the wood made it more akin to stone if anything.

The inside was darker considering it was enclosed. However, the clever usage of some sort of strange lanterns that Naruto had never seen gave a unique atmosphere to the area which was lit up with an esoteric orange color, giving the stadium almost a temple or library feel to it.

Around the audience stage were numerous monkeys cheering and chanting phrases, each of them staring intently into the fight underneath them.

Monkey King Enma was there as well, but he had a private, onlooking section along with some other older monkeys around him. Naruto got severe dejá vu from the Chuunin Exams, where the Third Hokage was sitting similarly with the other Kages. That was, until the unfortunate interruption of one Orochimaru. Does that mean I'm their Orochimaru in this situation? He thought with a grimace, hating to be compared to that man.

An announcer (who Naruto assumed had to be) spoke incredibly loudly. "And the winner…."

His voice, no matter how loud, was drowned out by the sheer magnitude of noise that the crowd made.

Naruto looked over at Hiruzen, who had a wide grin on his face. "Why are they so excited?"

"You'll see."

The noise gradually quieted down.

Eventually, one monkey got out of the arena and walked into the audience's stage.

Naruto's eyes widened as Ichiro kept one sturdy hand on the crook of his back and pushed him forward.

Right towards the winner.

Everyone around them cleared away, immediately giving space to the two.

The monkey in front of him looked like a teenager, similar to Naruto's own age if not younger. He had a cocky, almost swaggering stance, as if daring anyone to challenge him. Light, flexible armor of a dark crimson variety etched with strange markings ran over his body, giving somewhat of a regal look. An absurdly long staff was held against the crook of his shoulder. His fur was a deep golden brown, with hints of red under stones here and there. Unkempt and spiking out in all directions, it reminded Naruto of his own mane. A long, furry tail twitched excitedly.

What stood out most was the playful grin on his face, as if he was in the middle of pulling off a great prank.

He walked forward, swirling his staff with lazy expertise, until he got right in front of Naruto.

"You want to be my master, eh?" The monkey asked a moment later. "You don't look particularly strong. Are you sure you're the right guy?"

Observe.

[Observing… ]

[Observation successful!]

Name: Sun Wukong

Title: "The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal."

Occupation: Warrior Monkey

Level: LV19

MP: 100/100

Chakra: 500/500

STR: 14

VIT: 17

DEX: 22

INT: 9

WIS: 4

LUK: 10

"NARUTO UZUMAKI!" Monkey King Enma's voice rang out loudly. "Your trial begins now! Defeat our strongest apprentice, Sun Wukong, in a fair fight and you will be deemed worthy!"

The crowd roared their approval, sending tremors through his legs.

"Kill him, Sun!"

"WOOHOO!"

"MAKE HIM REGRET COMING HERE!"

Naruto looked back at Hiruzen, who stood with his arms crossed and a mischevious grin on his face.

[Ding!]

[New Quest "Second Step To Greatness" Created]

[Quest Details: Defeat Sun Wukong.]

[Quest Rewards: Exp. 5000, Become a Summoner, ?]

[Failure: Weakness.]

[Does Player Accept The Quest?]

[Yes/No]

"Am I the right one, huh?" Naruto repeated.

He flared his chakra around his body, pumping energy through his muscles that tightened considerably in response. He slapped his fist against his palm, letting the pain course through the nerves of his arm and wake his body up to the moment.

Naruto grinned.

"How about we find out?"

[end]

yo!

My Pa tre on is back online for those who want to read THREE chapters or THREE WEEKS ahead (chapters 47, 48, 49) and support my endeavor to become an author. So if you can't wait for the next update—check out:

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There's obviously a lot of lore drop in this chapter, much of it will be explained further on and some will just have to wait. More importantly, Wukong is here. It wouldn't be Sun if the attitude isn't present xD.

Question of the day:

Who is the most overrated Naruto character in your opinion?

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