Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Midday Konohagakure no Sato
Team 7 and various other teams that managed to pass the first part of the chunin exam were all standing in front of the gates of training ground 44.
It was huge forest surrounded by a high metallic fence with multiple signs warning people not to enter.
It was called the Forest of Death.
According to the examiner Mitarashi Anko, this was were the second part of the chunin exam would be held. It was a very dangerous place, filled with hordes of flora and fauna.
After receiving the needed instructions, each team was given a heaven or an earth scroll.
Their objective was to take the opposite scroll from the another teams by any means necessary. Then they would have to bring both scrolls to the tower, which was located in the centre of the forest, if they wanted to head to the next round.
After each team received a scroll they were all given an hour to get ready before they would enter the forest for 5 days.
Team 7 had been given a heaven scroll which was now in possession of Sasuke, he was currently trying to ignore his other teammate Sakura who was desperately trying to get him too agree on going on a date with her. Their blond team member on the other hand was further away stretching under a tree.
Naruto was just finishing his little warming up when he was approached by his former classmate Hinata Yuuhi.
She was once a member and heir of Konoha's most powerful clan; the Hyuuga. A clan famous for their 'all seeing' doujutsu called Byakugan. Unfortunately she was disowned by her father when she was just 6 years old, because he deemed her a weak, too 'soft' and failure who didn't deserve the position as clan heiress.
She was actually a very kind hearted girl that even after her banishment didn't hold a grudge against her father or clan.
Even if they view her as a weakling and failure.
Kurenai Yuuhi, she was the woman who immediately took Hinata in after she was kicked out. Said woman had always been like a mother too Hinata ever since her biological one died giving birth to her sister.
Kurenai who was also Hinata's sensei was glad that Hinata wasn't a member of the Hyuuga clan anymore. She found the clan's high and mighty attitude and the way the viewed themselves better then anyone that wasn't a Hyuuga's just despicable.
Hinata clearly didn't fit there because she was the exact opposite, she unlike them treated everyone as an equal and didn't look down on anybody. Kurenai guessed she got her kind heart and caring side from her mother.
Hinata stopped in front of the blond. "N-N-Naruto-kun." She stuttered.
Said boy turned to face her. "Hey Hinata-chan, how are you?" He asked grinning.
"I-I'm f-fine and y-you?" She asked back. Her cheeks turning pink.
"Great, I'm set and ready for the exam," He exclaimed excitedly pumping his fist in the air. "What about you?"
"I-i think I am." She faintly stuttered her reply. She reached into her jacket pocket and held out a small container in front of him. "I-I wanted t-to give you t-this."
Naruto took the small container and studied it with squinted eyes. "Uh, thank you Hinata-chan. But what is it?"
"I-it's healing ointment it will help heal your wound very quickly." She explained with more confidence still blushing.
Naruto smiled at her. "Thanks Hinata-chan, I think I'm definitely going to need it."
Hinata's face turned scarlet.
A presence suddenly came up from behind Naruto and took him in a headlock. "How is my little otouto and his girlfriend doing?" The female examiner asked grinning and started pinching the blond's cheek.
"Anko-neechan let go of me." He growled while struggling to get free.
"That's Anko-sensei to you, we're not at home. Gaki." She said sternly releasing the blond.
"I wish you were." He muttered under his breath rubbing his now red cheek.
"What was that?" Anko asked crackling her knuckles as she had one of those scary looks her eyes.
"Nothing, forget I said anything," Naruto quickly answered waving his hands in front of him.
"Hm, I thought so," She mumbled.
Hinata just shook her head at both their behaviour. "Do you two always have to fight?" She asked crossing her arms. She sighed. 'They have been living with each other for eight about years now and they still fight .' She thought.
"It's how we show that we love each other." Anko grinned pulling the blond ear.
When Naruto been kicked out of the orphanage at the age of 4 without a reason. He was found by Anko Mitarashi two days later sleeping in an alley, while she was making her way through the village. Because she knew what burden he carried that led to him being treated badly, she requested the Hokage to adopt him.
From personal experience she knew how it felt like to be looked down on and hated for something that wasn't your fault. And after seeing the situation Naruto was living in, she immediately made her decision. He wouldn't be living the same lonely life she had live.
Naruto was happy when he learned that Anko wanted to adopt him, someone other then the Hokage actually cared about him. Moving in with Anko was the happiest day in his life because he finally had some he could call, family. And with Anko being Kurenai's best friend he was also introduced to Hinata when Kurenai took her in.
"So how are my two favourite actors doing?" The snake mistress asked.
"Well if what your implying is, if people still think I'm a loudmouth dobe, then yes, my cover is still intact." Naruto answered with a shrug.
"And what about you Hinata-chan." He asked turning to said kunoichi.
"No one suspects a thing," She answered smiling.
"That's good." Anko said with a satisfied look. "So when are you guys going to drop those ridicules masks." She inquired wondering when they would stop fooling everyone by acting shy or loud.
Both gazed at each other before Naruto shrugged. "Who knows, maybe during this part of the exam." Naruto answered. Hinata nodded.
"Well, the sooner the better, cause I'm really starting to believe that you both truly are spineless or an idiot." The Snake mistress said looking from Hinata to Naruto.
She received two heated glares from both genin when Hinata started to smile.
"Care to repeat that Anko-chan." Hinata asked with a sweet voice that made Naruto shiver.
Anko raised her hands up in defence "Hey I'm just saying." She spoke slightly terrified.
Hinata could really be scary sometimes.
She glanced at her watch and immediately her face turned serious. "It's almost time to start the second part of the exam, so you two should head back to your own team." She told them.
Both nodded and turned to her.
"See you later Hinata-chan and good luck."
Naruto grinned before they parted ways.
"Same to you Naruto-kun." She replied with a smile.
xxxx
Hinata made it back to her own team and went to stand next to her insect using teammate, Shino Aburame.
"Oi Hinata, where have you been?"
Her other teammate Kiba Inuzaka asked curious.
Hinata blushed and started twirling with her fingers. "I-I went t-to see N-Naruto-kun." She stuttered. Her shy mask was in place again.
"What do you see in him Hinata." The dog boy asked with a hint of jealousy.
Hinata's blush increased. "W-well he's nice, h-he never t-t-treats people bad a-and he's strong." She answered smiling while she thought about the blond.
"Well I can agree with you on the first two. But I am stronger than him." Kiba stated proudly, his dog Akamaru barking in agreement.
'If only you knew the truth.' Hinata thought looking the other way.
"If I were you I wouldn't underestimate Naruto, Kiba, cause my bugs and I can sense tremendous power radiating from him." Shino said without a hint of emotion in his voice. 'Too much power actually, for someone his age. What are you hiding Naruto Uzumaki' His eyes focussed the blonde that stood further away with his team.
Kiba huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, I don't know about that but-" He didn't get to finish as the examiner called all the teams.
All the teams stood in front of Anko again. "Alright maggots it's time to start the second part of the exam." She announced. "Every team pick out a gate, from which point you all will enter the forest and start hunting for the scroll that you need." She shouted over the crowd. Everyone nodded and walked towards a gate of their own choice.
"And another advise… don't' die." She told them and walked away.
"Way to make us feel better." A random shinobi muttered.
"Troublesome" A certain lazy genin muttered.
Naruto and his team were standing in front of gate number 21.
"When do these gates open?" He groaned.
"Naruto stop whining the proctor told us to wait." Sakura said annoyed. Sasuke scoffed and turned his attention to the forest in front of them. "Idiots" He muttered.
Naruto caught it and yelled "What was that teme!"
"Hn," the raven haired genin.
"NARUTO! Stop pestering Sasuke-kun." Sakura shrieked.
Naruto winced at her loudness 'Sometimes I wish she would just shut up.' He thought.
"Okay people!" They heard Anko's voice echo all around. "The second part of the chunin exam will start in 3…2…1." The gates shot open and every participant instantly dashed into the forest of death.
xxxx
Team 7 was making their way through the forest when Naruto suddenly stopped and started hopping from one leg to the other.
"What is it now?" Sakura asked annoyed.
"I need to pee." He yelled back running into the bushes.
Sasuke grunted and started to scan their surroundings, noting that the forest was so dense it barley let any light through.
After a minute or so they heard a rustle in the bushes before the unconscious body of an Amegakure ninja came flying out. He wore a strange looking breathing mask and had a cloth over his eyes with two holes for him to be able too see through.
Sakura shrieked while Sasuke on instinct got in a fighting stance.
A furious Naruto came stomping out of the bushes. "Can you believe the nerve of this guy, trying to sneak up on someone while he's urinating." He yelled walking up to the out cold ninja's body.
"Hn" Sasuke relaxed his stance.
"Naruto don't scare me and Sasuke-kun like that." Sakura yelled and tried to punch the blonde but he caught her fist.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Sakura," Naruto said calm tone. "never try to hit me again." He gave her a small glare, that surprised Sakura completely.
It was time to get serious.
He let go of her fist and started searching the 'enemy' ninja for the scroll without uttering a single word.
Sakura moved step back slightly afraid of this new Naruto that stoop up to her.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'What's up with him?' He thought.
"Nothing" Naruto sighed. Getting up he ran hand through his spiky blond hair.
"He must have left it with his teammates."
"Oi dobe." Sasuke called.
Naruto turned to face the Uchiha. "What's is it, teme?" He asked.
'Definitely the dobe' "You can stop this 'serious' act, you're scaring Sakura, not that I care or anything."
Naruto frowned "Why do you think this is all an act, can I never be serious." He asked.
"Because it doesn't sui- LOOK OUT!" Sasuke shouted alarmed grabbing Sakura and leaped back, avoiding a volley of kunai that rained down from the trees. Naruto used replacement to escape.
On one of the high branches stood two Amegakure ninjas dressed in a similar fashion as the on Naruto knocked out.
"Look's like his team came to rescue him." Naruto muttered stepping out from behind a bush.
"Hey! We came for our teammate." One of the two Amegakure ninja's yelled down too them. He had a cloth over his eyes showing only one lone eye.
"You mean him." Sasuke nudged the unconscious Ame-ninja with his foot. "I don't really see the point in just handing him back too you. We could just kill him which will automatically disqualify both of you." He brought a kunai against the knocked out Ame-ninja's neck.
"You wouldn't dare." The second Am-ninja scowled. He had a cloth covering his eyes completely.
"Try me." Sasuke challenged with a smirk. The two Ame-ninjas scowled at Sasuke.
"Or we can just do trade, your teammate back for the scroll you possess." Naruto offered. "Trust me, that would make things much easier."
Sakura was silent the whole time as she followed the interaction between the four. But just in case she was already holding one to a kunai, ready to defend herself.
The two Ame ninjas started chuckling which turned into laughter.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'Why are they laughing when their teammate's life is on the line.'
"Die!" The one eyed Ame-nin shouted throwing a kunai with a tag attached to the back at team 7.
Noticing the tag team 7 leaped back a great distance to avoid the explosion. But as the kunai dug into the ground nothing happened.
The two rain ninjas landed on the forest floor next to their unconscious partner, laughing harder then they were before.
"What's so funny?" Sasuke growled a tick mark appeared on his for head.
One of the Ame-ninja's pointed at the kunai. "It's fake." Sakura exclaimed surprised noticing the 'exploding tag' was a .
"Precisely, one of the oldest but still effective tricks in the books" The foreign ninja sneered.
'Damn it, how could we have fallen for something that stupid?' Sasuke cursed mentally. He glancing at Naruto he was surprised to see the blond still with a cool look on his face, like he wasn't worried at all. 'What happened to him?'
Sakura was now trembling. She felt it again the fear, the same fear and doubt she had before the start of the exam. Were they actually ready for this, she wasn't sure. But she didn't want to let her team down, mostly Sasuke, what would they think of her.
"Your village shinobi must really stink if you can fall for a simple trick like that." The Ame-ninja spat in disgust.
"Even you guys are pathetic especially that pink haired one, just look at how she's shaking, she has to be the weakest link on the team." One insulted Sakura..
The pinkette flinched at his harsh words. But she knew they was true, there was no denying it she was in fact the weakest of their team even Sasuke had told her that.
Naruto glared at the Ame-ninjas, he wasn't going to stand for any of this. Even if he didn't like Sakura and she didn't possess much skill next to what she learned in the academy, she was still his teammate. And he wouldn't allow anyone to humiliated the people he cared about.
"The Uchiha and the blonde can maybe put up a little fight." The foreign ninjas smirked. "But even so you won't stand a chance against us."
Sasuke shifted into his own fighting stance while Sakura shakily raised her kunai.
Naruto on the other hand reached for his jacket zipper and pulled it down revealing his black undershirt with a red spiral.
'What is the dobe/Naruto/blond doing.' They all thought.
Naruto then placed his hands in a ram seal. "Rimittāshīru Kai (Limiter seal release)." He whispered.
They all felt the blond's chakra spike, they couldn't contain their surprise as they felt that the blonde's power had increased tremendously.
"Where did this power come from?" They all thought.
"Now that my full power is not sealed anymore," Naruto got in a fighting stance and grinned "I will give you guys another chance, give up your scroll and you can leave with your teammate uninjured or I'll just beat it out of you." His glare on them intensified. "Choose wisely."
'His power may have grown immensely but we can't let that scare use.' The one eyed Ame-ninja thought. He whipped out a kunai and dashed towards the blond ignoring his teammate's call to wait.
Closing in on Naruto he attempted to stab said boy only for him to duck and elbow the Ame-ninja in the gut, that made him gasp for air. As he bend over clutching his stomach the blond's chakra enhanced fist collided with his head. It ended with Ame-ninja flying into a tree and was also knocked out cold.
Naruto turned the last Ame-nin left standing. "I hope your smarter then him, so what will it be?" He asked with a calm look on his face.
The Amegakure ninja was terrified, he was the only one of his team left standing. He only had one option and reached into his pouch and tossed his team's scroll towards the blond.
Naruto smiled it was an earth scroll, exactly what they needed. "We could have avoided this from the start, now take you teammates and leave." He ordered strictly. The ninja complied, picking up both his teammates and left.
Naruto sighed turned to his teammates who were staring at him in disbelieve.
"Okay guys now that we have the scroll we needed let's head to the tower." He said cheerfully acting like nothing just happened and started walking.
"Naruto." The blond stopped in his path. This was one of the very rare times when Sasuke would actually call him by his name instead of the usual insults.
"Sasuke." The blonde said looking over his shoulder at the raven.
"What was that all about, you act completely different." The Uchiha asked.
"It's called a mask Sasuke." He turned his head back forward. "You should know a lot about that." He added and started walking again.
Sakura was confused but Sasuke had a surprised look on his face. The dobe could see through his mask. How? He wondered as he and Sakura followed after the blond.