Authors Note: I am trying to improve my writing so any feedback, advice or criticism is highly appreciated. This is part of my collection of experimental fics so I will only bother updating if someone actually likes it, please fav, follow or review, it's helpful for me to know where I've gone right or wrong.

Chapter One

Who swallows scrolls anyway?
Okay, maybe it was a good technique, it would sure make it difficult to get the scroll, but Sakura could have done without the image. She shifted her weight backwards, stifling a gasp and noted Sasuke doing the same. Creepy women was creepy, Sakura had a really bad feeling about this, out of the corner of her eyes she concentrated on Sasuke. She couldn't let him down, she had to stand and fight, no matter what, she had decided to take this Chunin Exam, she had to do her part for her team.

The other genin slowly lifted a hand, smirking. "Now, let's begin the fight over our scrolls".
With obvious deliberateness she swiped out her long pointed tongue, and shoved a finger in her eyeball.
Scare tactics? If so, they were working.
"By putting out lives on the line".
The wave of nausea hit with so much force it could have been a physical blow. Sakura could feel herself being ripped apart, her own blood splattered so thick she could barely see anything else and Sasuke, Sasuke was still right there next to her, she knew it even if she couldn't see, he was being torn to pieces and she couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Her lungs suddenly expanded, breath coming in painful gasps as she fought the suffocating fear. The terrible pressure that had torn her apart now held her in place, her mind blanked over, disconnecting from her surroundings. It was the only escape she had. A distant part of her was aware of Sasuke retching and staggering to his feet and she wanted to help him, she really did, but she couldn't even feel her limbs anymore let alone move them.

"Sakura-chan"
The pressure faded and her vision cleared abruptly, focusing on Sasuke in front of her. They had moved somehow, the genin no longer in sight. She was trembling all over, and didn't know if it was from relief to have escaped or an after affect from the killing intent that had numbed her. She didn't even know if she'd been capable of shaking before.

"Sasuke-kun", she titled forward as Sasuke ripped a kunai from his thigh. "Are you okay?" Could they even be okay, to be left in this state after a genin had stared at them.
Sasuke clamped a hand over her mouth, it was a tight grip, every muscle in his body was tense and Sakura momentarily relaxed looking at him, no doubt, he had just saved her again.

There was a low hiss through bubbling saliva of something huge, Sakura glanced upwards and would have screamed if it weren't for Sasuke's tightly clamped hand. She grabbled with his arm, fingernails clawing – she could apologise later, after he'd seen.
"Sasuke-kun! A snake!"
They coiled their muscles and sprang away in unison, diving for the safety of the higher branches, as the snake attacked. Sakura spun around trying to see where Sasuke had landed but was distracted by the body of the snake plummeting down. The large body snagged on a lower branch, it's corpse cracking open, and out of it, slowly rose the creepy genin.

Sakura could only watch on is disbelief, it was impossible; this was all happening too fast. Staggering back, she fought her trembling limbs into action, leaping for a branch that would put her further away from the genin. It was so obviously hopeless, they couldn't help to win.
"Sasuke-kun", she gasped out, but she was moving back to quickly to catch a glimpse of him.
"Very good", the women's voice hissed as she lifted her head, long tongue flickering. "Prey should always be trying their best to run away in the presence of a predator".

She was right in front of her, how could she have moved to fast without her seeing. Sakura shrieked, grasping for a kunai, and leaping from the branch at the same time. She couldn't see her team anywhere, just the cold eyes for the genin, burned into the back of her mind. Sakura fumbled backwards, tumbling of one branch and catching herself on another. All Sakura could see in front of her now was the twisted branches and thick leaves of the forest, but she could still feel the presence of the genin, feel the tremors of the rush of killing intent that had knocked them down before. She was separated from her team with a person out there she couldn't hope to beat, she had to get away.

Sakura tried to tell herself she was running to get help, that it didn't matter if they didn't become chunin, as long as they lived and surely the examiners would agree, but she was running blind. She had no idea where she was, or where she was going, only that she was in danger and had to get somewhere safe. The forest seemed to growl around her, and Sakura, lungs rasping and muscles shaking, dropped. She didn't have the power to defend herself and with dawning horror she realized she wouldn't even be able to find her way to her team. Sasuke would be fighting a hopeless battle and she had no idea where Naruto had gone if he was even still alive.

Sakura did the only thing she could do, reduced to her state, hide. There was a hole under a tree not far to her right, and heedless of any nervous thoughts about what kind of bugs could be making such a hole a home, crawled for it. Just a safe place for long enough to get her bearings back, that was all she needed.

Sakura pulled herself backward, into the sheltered darkness and away, making herself small and tight, she groaned as the tree roots snagged at her dress, impeding her ability to move further into hiding. Inside her head, she was being angrily scolded, how cowardly was it to run away, how suspicious and convenient the hole seemed, how worthless she was as a ninja. Sakura buried her head in her hands, trying desperately to draw breaths and clear the clamour of her mind.

Something shifted behind her, a tree root gave slightly and Sakura could only watch on in horror and a creature snaked out from behind her, shifting its long body around to block her view. She just couldn't get a break.
"What is this? A genin! Don't tell me the Chunin Exams have come around again", the creature muttered, it's brown head flicked up and its eyes narrowed as it studied her.
Sakura's breath stuttered anxiously, if this was another one of the genin's summons, she was doomed.
"Well", the creature snared. "Are you going to get out of my den or do I need to drag you out?"
It bared its teeth, revealing them to be sharp and plentiful, and definitely carnivorous. Sakura gulped, pressing one shoulder into the damp dirt of the hole, she fumbled around for a kunai.
"None of that!" the creature lunged forward, grabbing for her throat, teeth sinking down on the cloth of her dress, it quickly wrenched backwards, Sakura had no choice but to lean forward at the pressure that dug into the back of her neck. There was a ripping sound as the fabric gave away and the creature spit it out quickly.

Sakura quickly crawled the rest of the way out of the hole, maybe the weird creature wasn't a summons and only wanted back in the hole to be left alone. Maybe she was safe after all.
The creature tilted its head, studying her with black beady eyes.

"A ninja like you will die quickly in the battlefield", it drawled, twisting around her, it wasn't anywhere near as big or as long as the snake summons had been but it was still alarming as the creature effectively prevented her from running. "Though the question must be asked, what is your name genin?"

Sakura turned her neck around awkwardly, trying to see the creature's face clearer.
"Why?" she squeaked out to her horror.
The creature snorted softly and shifting itself around a bit more so that she could look it right in the face.
"Could it be, Tsunade's student"
"Eh", the name sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. "No, that's not me"

The creature suddenly slunk away, sliding around to face her now at a more comfortable distant, Sakura relaxed slightly, hoping it was about to let her go without a fight.
"What year is it? I've been sleeping for so long…I can't have run out of time", the creature whipped its tail in irritation and moved its face closer. "What is your name?"
It was sounding so much more frantic and less dangerous now that Sakura didn't feel there was any harm in answering this time. "Sakura Haruno".

The creature stilled, its eyes narrowed. "I see", it muttered. "Interesting".
When it didn't move again straight away, Sakura stumbled up to try and flee but it moved faster, easily sliding over the ground to block her path.
"What of your teammates? Where are they?" It continued its assault of questions.
Sakura flinched, she didn't know, she really had to get back to them, they could be injured…or worse, she glanced back at the creature, at least it didn't seem interested in attacking.
"I need to go find them", she gestured ahead of her, hoping the creature would let her go. "Please".
"Fine, fine", it drawled. "If you let me come"
"What!" she hadn't expected that, the creature bared its sharp teeth, looking pleased.
"I'm feeling charitable,. Do you really think you can survive the Forest of Death alone, or find your teammates in time?"

"Just what the hell are you?" Sakura shifted back and allowed herself to fall back to her knees, it was all so hopeless, even if she escaped the creature, the creepy genin was still out there.
"I'm a stoat", was the too happy reply. "See my tail", it flicked its black tipped tail and Sakura nodded numbly. She had seen weasels and their larger cousins before but they normally stayed pretty hidden, she had definitely never seen a stoat this large or talkative before though.
"Okay", Sakura whispered, her brain hurt, she could feel a headache starting. This really was all too much.
"My name is Hina", the stoat continued easily, it starting walking away, in the direction Sakura had run from. "Come on, if you stay there, you'll get eaten by the carnivorous beetles".
And now she had to fear carnivorous beetles too, lovely.