A war to further his own prestige and reputation... that's Machiavellian to say the very least. A bit dramatic and over the top, as well. What is he, 13? I would have liked if he was aged up a touch in this fic. It'd be much more believable if he were a couple years closer to 18.

Good fight. A little insight into Naruto's mind, to boot.

I knew Naruto would win when he was able to defeat the Sound Trio all by himself. It was a forgone conclusion. I'm also glad that Hinata is not dead.

What was different here that Sarutobi was able to figure out it was Orochimaru? I don't think he had a clue in canon until Orochimaru pulled off his face behind the Sound Four's barrier.

I expected Sasuke to get stomped. Was that a tie or a Rock Lee win? I don't think he'd be able to fight in the next round after unlocking the 5th Gate.

Is that Rasa or Orochimaru up in the booth? If Jiraiya stays up there I doubt that Orochimaru would even make a move. Why has Kabuto let Naruto keep the info cards?

If Hinata is truly dead, this only makes me think that everything Naruto touches wilts away. I wonder how another death of someone he had spent a great deal of tome with would affect him? I refrain from calling them friends, but Naruto doesn't really have any of those. I would say that Hinata is about the closest thing you could get to that, as of right now. It's interesting that we were not shown Naruto's perspective during that entire fight. What's he thinking right now?

Hinata's gullible as all hell, and Naruto is probably going to rip Kankuro in half with water.

Hinata surprising everyone.

Where is Sasuke, anyway? Did he go to Sakura's side? I'm going to assume Sakura's death awakened the Sharingan. Then there's Kakashi... another death. He's damn near used to it at this point, but I'm sure it doesn't make it any easier.

I'm hoping for some Jiraiya and Naruto interaction. Have no idea how that'll go. If anything, Naruto will be interested in his spy network.

Well, my idea just went out the window. Still, I think Naruto is feeling something about Sakura's death. It's just been so long that he doesn't know what it truly was. It feels alien to him.

This was one of the only ways Naruto could possibly get out of this. Having Sakura die a second time and have people believe it was a stroke of luck. If he hadn't fought first there is a very good chance he would have messed that up. Practice with Kin in combat was essential in pulling this off.

Lastly, how is Naruto more skilled in covering up the curse mark than Kakashi? Seems odd. Is simply hiding it's existence from Sasuke enough? I guess that makes sense as to why Kakashi couldn't do that in canon. Sasuke never fought the Sound Genin, which means he has no idea that the cure mark exists. I would have thought that Kabuto's team would push them, but Team 7 finished the exam so fast that they probably couldn't.

Does Orochimaru know he killed Sakura. Kabuto would also know that, correct?

What the fuck. That threat of turning Sakura into a puppet just became way too real. I did not expect this.

Against the Demon Brothers, Naruto wondered if he was normal for not feeling anything after his first kill. Now he's convinced that not feeling something is normalcy. Interesting.

My question is: Did Naruto actually not feel saddened by Sakura's death, or is needing her for the exam some rationalization his brain came up with to deflect the human emotions he may be feeling? Naruto hasn't cared all that much about promotion, though he has wanted to test his mettle against foreign shinobi. Maybe it's both? I could see him using Sakura as a puppet as a way for him to 'keep her alive.' That way he wouldn't actually have to accept her death.

No matter how you slice it, that's some dark shit.

What the hell is he going to do now?

Did Kabuto just get robbed?

I don't see the point in talking about how Anko is dressed all the time. It really isn't all that scandalous in the series, and no characters ever comment on it. Just seems unnecessary to me.

Oh no... poor Hinata. I don't know if Naruto has truly realized the Hyuga's feelings for him, but only bad things can come of it. She's so pure and naive; those traits are sure to be exploited by him.

I wish Team 7, mostly Kakashi, would be more worried about what Naruto is doing to himself or how he is acting. Sakura was creeped out that Naruto tests his own poisons on himself, when a team member should be concerned for the persons wellbeing. They aren't exactly friends, but still.

Hell, Hinata admired Naruto for giving himself doses of poison. That unnerved me. He's totally different from his canon self, and yet Hinata is still fixated on him. It seems unhealthy, to an even greater degree than her canon self.

The spar seemed out of place, if a little bit forced to me. Even if Zabuza resonated with this Naruto's personality, I don't think he'd be so willing and understanding. Zabuza was a total bastard before Talk no Jutsu, while you have him acting somewhere in the middle. Odd characterization.

Naruto's level of manipulation is ridiculous for someone who has never done something on such a grand scale before. I get that he's had a lot of inconsequential practice within the village, but this is a whole new ballgame. I would have liked to see this 'trial and error' Naruto mentioned. Because, as of right now, it's looking more like 'trial and success.' I won't judge too harshly in case this is the beginning of a house of cards.

I'd also like to see Naruto's goal become deeper than 'I want to become a better puppeteer than Sasori.' It would add another wrinkle to the plot, which would be great.

I hope Naruto is smart enough to realize that he shouldn't be that one-dimensional in battle. Without his puppets he has to have prep time to be decently effective. Maybe someone like Rock Lee will beat him bad enough to where he has no choice but to accept that while puppetry is extremely effective, it is limited in application and certain situations.

I'm interested to see how he will interact with Kankuro in the next arc. That'll be fun to read.

If he's that excited to add needles to his arsenal, I wonder what his reaction will be to learning about human puppets. The isolation, treatment from the village, and sleep deprivation have already contributed heavily to his indifference in taking lives. He's slowly turning into Sasori; I love it.

Hm, maybe this won't be as dark as I thought. The Naruto in chapter 3, while coming off as very manipulative (not a bad thing), didn't seem as jaded and angry as he did in chapter 2. It was a surprising shift in demeanor, though that may be chalked up to being able to finally leave the academy that he hated so much. Guess we'll just have to see what happens going forward.

Interesting chapter overall. I like the applications of puppetry displayed so far. If I have one minor complaint, Naruto's clothing isn't something I like. The hooded Naruto clothing is usually something I see in those cringy, edgelord stories. My opinion on it has soured as a result.

Naruto finally finds something he's good at and is proud of, but even the Third Hokage doesn't seem all that interested. He's still shunned by the village. His peers and supposed instructors are putting him down for his dream/goal/hobby. All of that is making the isolation he spends inside his apartment with his puppets that much more preferable, and potentially damaging. With the sleep deprivation and the disdain for the village that is bubbling underneath, I could see this taking a very dark turn.

This time, there doesn't seem to be a bond that can pull him out of this downward spiral. Will Team 7 be there to catch him before he falls too far?