Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice

Lee and Tenten opened up a combined attacks, shurikens and Lee flew into Group 7 and Teriyaki.

Neji caught Naruto off guard, catching the real one with his byakugan. He striked with decisive intent leaving Naruto hurt before he could even cast a substitution jutsu.

Naruto staggered back, clutching his arm where Neji's strike had hit. His chakra points were disrupted — his arm hung limp at his side, leaving him vulnerable.

"My chakra is messed up." Naruto coughed. 

"Naruto!" Sasuke barked, stepping in front of him.

"You shouldn't have interfered," Neji said coldly, his Byakugan's veins still bulging as he calmly approached. "None of you here can defeat me. This is simply the way fate works. If fate held you all in higher places, I would be the one set to lose this battle."

"I don't believe in fate," Sasuke shot back, his Sharingan spinning to life. "I don't rely on anything, I wonder if those inferior eyes of yours will do anything."

Neji smirked faintly. "You think your eyes can see everything?"

"Watch." Sasuke blurred forward, striking with a kunai. Neji twisted aside with precise footwork, palm flashing outward. Sasuke barely dodged the strike, feeling the rush of chakra graze his ribs. His Sharingan locked onto Neji's movements — fast, but predictable. Sasuke countered with a spinning kick, but Neji intercepted it, striking at Sasuke's knee.

"You can't win," Neji muttered. "The Hyuga Clan's vision surpasses yours. There is a reason one clan is in the ground whilst the other thrives."

"We'll see about that." Sasuke spat out. His Sharingan gleamed, reading the flow of chakra in Neji's movements. As Neji lashed out with another palm strike, Sasuke twisted back, avoiding the hit by a hair's breadth before countering with a sharp elbow to Neji's side. Neji staggered, but quickly recovered.

Meanwhile, Lee's eyes sharpened as Naruto struggled to stand.

"I won't let you interfere," Lee declared, removing his leg weights and tossing them aside. They struck the ground with a dull thud, sinking into the earth. The air vibrated, Teriyaki felt a sense of doom arise in the back of his mind.

"Oh... great," Teriyaki muttered. "I feel like I've seen this before."

"I'm sorry," Lee said solemnly before dashing forward. Teriyaki barely managed to raise his arms before Lee's fist slammed into him. He staggered back, only for Lee to reappear at his side, striking again. The blows came fast — too fast. Lee's form blurred as he danced around Teriyaki, landing a brutal kick to his ribs that sent him skidding across the ground.

"I can't match his speed..." Teriyaki coughed, spitting blood. His curse mark writhed beneath his skin, burning fiercely. His vision darkened. He gritted his teeth, he would have to accept the transformation. 'How weak am I? I don't stand a chance?' Teriyaki could barely think as the hits kept coming.

"Snake binding."

Lee dodged the snakes with ease.

"That won't work here."

His green outfit became a blur as he sprinted forward again — faster than before. His muscles tensed as his aura ignited with green energy.

"The First Gate: Gate of Opening... OPEN!"

Lee became a green blur, hammering Teriyaki with a barrage of punches. Teriyaki's body flickered away with a desperate low-grade Body Flicker, but Lee caught him mid-movement, bashing him into the ground.

"Agh." Teriyaki cried out, his entire body had been thrown into a world of pain and agony. Lee gave him no mercy, every bone is his body felt shattered or broken.

The curse mark's power surged — lines seared across Teriyaki's skin as dark energy erupted from his body. His muscles bulged, his chakra flaring violently. It felt like he had to release it, or it would destroy him.

"You forced my hand." Teriyaki muttered.

He formed hand signs — "Water Release: Rising Water slicers!"

Five enhanced water arcs erupted from the earth, flying at Lee. Lee dodged mid-air, flipping and landing with incredible speed. But Teriyaki pressed the attack, sending another arc surging behind lee. Lee couldn't avoid all of them — water struck him hard, knocking him off balance.

"So much chakra and the control... It's that mark isn't it." Lee spoke as he blitzed around the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Tenten faced Sakura in the distance. Already weakened, Tenten struggled to summon her weapons efficiently. Sakura closed in, landing a clean punch that sent Tenten to her knees. Panting hard, Sakura stepped back. "Just... stay down," she muttered. "You're already at death's door."

Back in the clearing, Lee recovered, shaking with exhaustion. "I can't... hold this gate open much longer without consequences. I'm sorry but you have to lose now!"

"I'm different now, I can feel it." Teriyaki snarled. "You can't hit me for free anymore."

Rock lee rushed in with inhumane speed but as he aimed for a kick at Teriyaki's head he realised Teriyaki was no longer in his sight. Behind him, Teriyaki stood. A perfect body flicker, only possible due to the curse mark.

Teriyaki grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground. He raised his kunai, like a thunder strike he was ready to end it all. 

"What is my mind?" His emotions were funelling through his body. Was it the curse mark? It was changing how his emotions worked, he felt like a storm was ripping through his morality. He wanted death, he wanted to satisfy the burning inside him.

His curse mark blazed further, dark lines spreading across his face. It was too much, he needed to kill.

"I need to kill." His eyes lit up with bloodlust.

He slashed toward Lee — but before he could strike, Sasuke intercepted him, landing a brutal kick to Teriyaki's side.

"Stay down!" Sasuke growled. "We didn't save you so you could murder our shinobi."

The curse mark's energy flickered. Teriyaki's body trembled violently — but before the curse mark could consume him fully, Naruto leapt in between them.

"That's enough!" Naruto shouted. His face was bruised, his jacket torn — but his voice was firm. "We're not here to ruin each other's chances, we were just stopping an injustice."

Neji staggered to his feet, clutching his side. "You... you're naive... Those who lose should face the consequences, from this point on even I don't know who would win."

"No," Naruto growled. "I just know there's more than one way to go through with this." He stepped back, watching as Teriyaki's curse mark receded. The dark lines slithered back under his skin, leaving Teriyaki breathless and weak.

"So you want to end it here... Don't get the idea that you spared us." Neji muttered.

"Yeah," Naruto said simply. "I don't care what fate says — we make our own choices."

Teriyaki barely managed to push himself up. "Thanks..." he mumbled, stumbling toward the trees. "For the help."

"Don't get yourself killed out here," Sasuke muttered. "Can you tell me about the mark?"

Teriyaki paused, glanced at him, as he was about to open his mouth a strange whisper ran through his mind.

"Remain silent..." It was Orochimaru's voice.

Teriyaki's entire body began to shiver. In the distant he saw Orochimaru standing on a tree branch. His golden eyes gleaming, staring into his soul.

"Of course he's here..." Teriyaki mumbled, his eyes trembling. Should he tell Sasuke? What would happen if he exposed the curse mark, or Orochimaru? He saw Sasuke already had his implanted.

"I can't discuss it yet." Teriyaki walked away. At this point in time he was still a flick away from death when it came to Orochimaru, he needed to reach a point where he was no longer in such a position.

"Stay safe." Naruto grinned, offering a high-five.

"I will, you saved me. I'll never forget that." The two made impact. Clap.

The clearing grew quiet — just the wind stirring the branches overhead. Neji's team regrouped, beaten but alive. Naruto stood tall despite his injuries, grinning faintly. "I can't believe we all have heaven scrolls, at least that means we won't need to fight each other."

"For now," Sasuke muttered, still watching the trees where Teriyaki had disappeared. "Anyone could become our enemy."