Naruto groaned as his mind and body suddenly shut on. It felt strangely difficult to open his eyes, like he had weights tied to his eyelids. He also woke up to the sounds of many loud voices, as if he woke up in the middle of an argument between a half of a dozen people.
He also noticed the massive headache pounding at his head. And the cold, hard floor resting under his sore posterior.
After a minute or so, he successfully managed to open his eyes, although the absolute lack of light made hardly any difference. His other senses also started to turn on, as he could suddenly taste blood in his dry mouth.
He could also hear the yelling voices a bit better.
"I said I don't fucking know! I'm just as confused as you guys!"
"Well, one of us has to know! And seeing as how none of you are telling me who you are, you're all seeming very suspicious!"
"You wont tell anyone who you are, either!"
Naruto groaned as the loud voices were pounding away at his already aching head.
"Ugh... What... What the hell is going on...?" He mumbled.
"Because I don't know or trust any of you! And I can't see shit! So unless someone throws on a light switch, I may be more inclined to talk."
"Same here! But I can't move! And can't see!"
"Me too!"
"Yeah, same here!"
"One of you are liars!"
"What?!"
"What the hell is even going on?!"
"Can someone just tell me-!"
"Everybody, SHUT UP!" Naruto suddenly yelled, feeling as though his head would explode if everybody continued their senseless yelling. This seemingly got a response from everybody, as no one said anything for a while.
"Was that... Naruto...?"
Suddenly, in a blast that blinded everyone in the room, the lights shut on. Naruto flinched, almost sure that someone was trying to blind him. He could tell that everyone else in the room had a similar reaction, telling by all the painful groans and grunts as it happened.
His vision soon adapted to the light, and he was soon able to make out everything and everyone in the room. His eyes widened at what and who he saw.
Sakura.
Tenten.
Hinata.
Neji.
Sasuke.
Ino.
Shikamaru.
Kiba.
Choji.
Shino.
Lee.
All of them sitting down on the floor, with what looked like a spiked collar with a pad lock attached to it wrapped around their necks. The collar was also connected to a thick chain, which lead to a small hole in the wall behind them.
Basically, it made them look like dogs on a leash. And it took Naruto a second to realize that he was in the same predicament.
Everyone looked around at their setting, and the people around them with shock. They were in an all white, circular shaped room with twelve walls, with each person evenly spaced out and connected to every wall in the room.
"Wha... Guys... What's going on...?" Sakura asked breathlessly, the shock of the situation taking all the breath away from her. It didn't seem like anyone knew who anyone was before the lights were shut on, hence the earlier hostility.
Everyone muttered out words of confusion, and some with fear.
"Okay, wondering out loud about how confused you are isn't gonna help any of us." Shikamaru spoke, "We're all in the same predicament, and it doesn't look like anyone knows whats going on."
"Yeah," Ino agreed, "At least we all know each other, and we're all friends. So at least we know one of us couldn't have put us in here like this."
"I wouldn't say we're all friends here..." Kiba grumbled, looking at the quiet Uchiha in the room. Everyone followed his gaze and set their eyes on Sasuke, who simply sat there with closed eyes. He was just as bound as anyone else in the room.
"Hey, yeah... Why is Sasuke-san here, anyway?" Lee wondered out loud.
Sasuke said nothing, seemingly tuning them out.
"I know you hear us talking about you, Uchiha." Neji growled at Konoha's traitor.
Sasuke slowly raised his head and eyes to look at them. "Don't look at me. I'm just as confused as all of you."
"This doesn't make any sense..." Tenten mumbled, "Why are we here? Tied to a wall by a spiked collar and chain? Who would put us here like this?"
As if it were a cue, a voice suddenly rings inside the room through what sounds like a speakerphone, "Hello, Konoha-nin. I hope you all had a nice slumber."
Naruto and everyone else could make out the owner of that voice, "Orochimaru..." Naruto spat. Sasuke seemingly reacted to this the most, as he yelled out to the voice.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this, Orochimaru?!"
The crackling laugh that followed after sent shivers down half of the group's spines.
"Nothing at all, my dear Sasuke-kun. I would just like to play a game."
Everyone grimaced, "I don't have time for your petty games, Orochimaru. I demand that you release me immediately!" Said Sasuke.
"Aw, always such a buzz kill." Orochimaru cracked, and everyone knew that he was grinning as he said that, "But I have no intention on releasing any of you. In order to get free, you have to play by my rules."
Naruto clenched his teeth and fought against the chain he was tied to. He also tried breaking it with his bare hands, but to no avail.
"A noble effort, Uzumaki-kun." He heard Orochimaru's voice taunt him sarcastically, "But there is no hope in breaking free from that chain and collar."
"Yeah, we'll see about that..." Naruto scoffed. Just as Naruto formed a hand seal to create a shadow clone-
"Ah-ah-ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Naruto-kun." He teased, "I guess it would help to mention that inside each of you, are chakra-powered explosives that I have just activated, located right in the base of your stomachs. If any of you use enough of your chakra, then the explosives will go off, and... well, I don't think I have to say much more."
"N-Nani!" Ino shouted. Seeing as Ino was the only one wearing an outfit that exposed her mid-center, she could see the large scar across her stomach, as clear proof of surgery. Everyone lifted up their shirts in response, seeing the same exact scar.
"And, by the way, Naruto-kun, I would especially recommend that you not use your chakra for not only your sake, by everyone else's. The explosives sealed inside you are far more lethal than everyone elses. And if yours goes off, everyone within a fifty yard radius will be caught in the blast."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"And seeing as I can't do anything about the Kyuubi's chakra, I should also suggest that you watch your temper. Just an ounce of Kyuubi's chakra can be enough to turn this place into Ground Zero."
"Shit..." Naruto grunted, then tried relaxing himself as to not allow the explosives to trigger, "Where are you, Orochimaru?!"
"While not only that it doesn't matter where I am, I don't think that it's any of your business." Orochimaru taunted. Naruto clenched his fist.
"When I get out of here, he's dead..." Naruto promised in his head.
"Now, as I was saying before, I would like to play a game." There was a brief pause, "Well... twelve games, actually."
Everyone's faces hardened.
"But I'll start off with explaining the rules with this game. As you can see, you're all bound by a collar and chain. And these..."
Suddenly, all twelve walls to the room lifted up into the ceiling, exposing many sharp gear-like constructions that looked as though it could tear anything that were to enter it apart with ease if they started.
Many people in the room gasped.
"...are my little toys." Orochimaru finished, "When I start the timer, the gears behind all of you will start. And whether or not you all may have noticed, there is one key in the middle of the room, which can fit the locks on your collars and free you. Now before you all get antsy and start reaching for the key, know that all of your chains are connected. This means that the farther one of you pull from the chain, the rest will retract and get closer to the things that can turn each of you into mincemeat. So if one of you happens to get close enough to the key, it will be too late for the rest of you."
Orochimaru took a pause, loving how their fear kept them silent, "There is also another way to get free." Everyone's ears perked up, "Hidden below the room is a container. A container that can hold up to three gallons. If this container fills up with a certain liquid that is kept inside all of you, the gears will stop, and all of the locks on your collars will unlock. However, the only way this container can collect liquid is through the bottom of the machines behind you. Heh, I don't think I have to elaborate any more on how to fill it up..."
"That sick bastard..." Naruto growled.
"Now, how you all plan to get free is up to you. But you all have twelve minutes to choose how this game will turn out. After twelve minutes, the chains will automatically retract and anyone still attached to the collar will face a cruel and awfully bloody demise at the hands of my machines."
"Why are you doing this?!" Sakura demanded. Orochimaru's eerie laugh echoed throughout the room again.
"Because, Konoha's teamwork and legendary Will of Fire has done nothing but make me think that it's all just a false sense of confidence, and nothing more. You guys are here to prove that to me. If you pass all twelve of my games, then you are all free to go, and I will note that Konoha truly is a remarkable village with impressive shinobi. If you all fail, however... well, then I shall forever ridicule Konoha and you all shall perish. Also not to mention that this is very entertaining for me, as I do grow bored from time to time."
"Unbelievable..." Shikamaru uttered, "He's not even sick, he's just... completely evil..."
"Now, since I am in a fairly great mood today, I shall give you all a word of advice." Everyone was listening, "...All must become one, in order to prevail."
"...What kind of freakin' advice is that?!" Kiba barked. Orochimaru only chuckled.
"Now the question is, will all of you sacrifice one for the sake of others? Or will the survival instincts of one overcome all others? Take what I have told you in deep consideration, my young friends, and start thinking fast because the clock has started... now." Suddenly, the sharp metal machines behind them began to accelerate and grind angrily at an alarming rate. And a beeping noise was heard every second, as the four timers posted on each corner of the room started counting down from twelve.
"The clock is ticking, young ones. Prove to me that Konoha isn't all talk."
"Orochimaru, I swear when I get out of this, you're dead!" Sasuke threatened. Orochimaru only responded with laughter, as usual.
"Let the games begin." Orochimaru declared before the intercom clicked off.