((Disclaimer: I Don't Own Naruto or Any Character Related to the Series))
A/N: Okay if you haven't noticed Team 9 has defining text patterns made specifically for them. I'll share them now so I can avoid constantly explaining who's who in the story.
Sasuke = *humph* (his signature grunt)
Hinata = "unspecified italic" (her random self-thoughts unless designated to other characters)
Haku = "…" (his speechlessness is a sign of his observation)
Lastly Anko = "ALL CAPATIZES LETTERS" (because her levels of excitement are unpredictable)
Now that that's settled, you can get back to RE&R (reading, enjoying and reviewing)
"Then why exactly are we here," Sasuke persistently questioned bringing a grin upon Anko's face. The excitement was slowly building up inside her while the suspense was killing Haku and Hinata.
"Your first mission as Team 9… IS TO ESCAPE THE WHITE SNAKE'S DEN OR SURVIVE ITS FIRST LEVEL OF HELL!" she said laughing manically.
"Escape…" (Sasuke)
"…or" (Haku)
"… Survive…" (Hinata)
"Either way, if all of you aren't able to escape by tomorrow or survive at least three days… I'll consider your mission as a failure."
"What kind of conditions are those?" Sasuke yelled outraged.
"That one's easy… Live."
Without warning, the would-be squad leader vanished in a mirage of dust and leaves. The three fledgling ninja were left astonished and distraught by her abrupt disappearance. As the sun began to set over the horizon the forest started to wake with terrifying noises. At that moment they all realized one thing: THEIR FIRST MISSION HAD BEGUN.
Chapter 4 – The Black Serpent's Test
Escape the Devil's Playpen
"She's gone," Hinata stated, acknowledging Anko's disappearance.
"I can't believe she just abandoned us here," Sasuke voiced his frustration. "And what in the hell did she mean by telling us to 'Live?"
"I think she plans on killing us if we don't," Haku shared his opinion. "Remember… she told us that are lives are worthless. So she placed a double condition on our mission." Neither Hinata nor Sasuke understood. "The first condition was to escape this place as a team. If anyone of us dies our squad, Team 9, won't be formed."
*humph* "…and what about the second condition?"
"I'm guessing she expects us to die within three days."
"Y-you mean she's just going to leave us here."
"Yes," Haku confirmed not sounding nearly as worried as Hinata. "If anyone makes it pass three days she may rescue them."
"Then it's obvious what we need to do," Sasuke took command, "We have to escape before dusk tomorrow or Team 9 will die here."
Elsewhere, Team 9's squad leader had just reappeared outside of the 21st training ground. "Time to test them for real," she cackled before alertly snapping up, "Who's there!"
From seemingly nowhere a man descended down in front of Anko. His entire appearance looked plagued with fatigue, most notably the huge bags sitting under his eyes. "Anko Mitarashi," he suddenly started coughing heavily, "it's been awhile."
"Hayate Gekkó, what are you doing here?"
Anko and Hayate were very close friends mainly because they were in the same squad as genin. She used to always bash him during missions for giving away their position because of his chronic cough. But secretly she admired him because he understood the values of being a strong shinobi: loyalty, honor and sacrifice.
"Hmm… oh, I heard rumors that you were training your new squad here. *subtle coughs*I'm glad to find out that's not true."
"I already left them in the training grounds," Anko revealed shocking her peer.
"You what! *coughs rapidly* But this is Orochimaru's former territory; you of all people know what kind of threats dwell there. *coughs slightly*"
"Are you referring to something in particular, Hayate?" Anko led him to continue.
"Orochimaru's failed experiments inhabit those seven training fields. The jonin that witness its horrors *coughs heavily* call it hell, Orochimaru's personal playpen."
Anko snickered at the thought, "Those babies wouldn't know hell if devil himself said their name."
"You're only saying that because of what you did," he stopped to cough erratically.
"What are you talking about, Hayate?"
"You're the only genin-ranked shinobi to ever transverse all seven areas of the White Snake's Den and survive," he revealed subtly coughing afterward. "It's for that reason alone that Konoha's jonin refer to you as Hidden Leaf's Black Serpent."
Anko only grinned. Honestly that title didn't mean much of anything to her despite the accomplishment it stood for. This was mainly because it attached her to the White Snake that came before her, Anko and Hayate's former squad leader Orochimaru. More than anything she resented him for abandoning Konoha and abandoning her.
"Hayate, if those kids can't make it out alive then they don't deserve to call their selves shinobi."
The young shinobi were still weary of each other but their common goal brought them together. As the night slowly approached they agreed it was best to take up camp and try escaping the forest in the morning. Haku suggested they set up camp near the river in hopes that it'd lead them to the entrance, surprising Sasuke with his intellect. Hinata also surprised the two using her gentle fist technique to cut down fire wood, which Sasuke lit with his own jutsu.
It wasn't much later that the training field was covered in darkness. Hinata was laying down pretending to be sleep but she couldn't; nor could the others. Sasuke had agreed to keep watch using his sharingan to watch over the immediate area but most of his attention was on Haku. Despite knowing of his murderous past Sasuke couldn't help but notice his innocent, timid nature. Compared to Hinata, Haku seemed more frightened than nervous yet his awareness was keen.
*memory*
"I told the Leaf ninja… that I killed them… I killed everyone within my village with my accursed power."
*memory*
"Hey, you're awake aren't you?" Sasuke called out to Haku who was lying beside the river alone.
"…" he set up giving the Uchiha his attention.
"You shouldn't sleep so close to the river, if you get sick you could slow us down in the morning," he suggested. Haku looked back at the river then walked over to the fire joining the group but remained silent. "You don't speak much, do you?" Sasuke grinned.
"I don't really have much to say," he answered, "please don't take it the wrong way."
"Okay I won't," he said smugly, "If you tell me how you found this river so quickly. I couldn't use my sharingan to find it as quick as you."
"It's the moisture in the air; with my kekkei genkai I can sense things like that..."
"Your kekkei genkai…"
"I wonder if that's why we were all put on the same team," Hinata added sitting up. "The Hyúga Clan has a unique kekkei genkai as well."
"The Byakugan," Sasuke stated as if he already knew.
"S-Sasuke…"
"Sasuke, something's here," Haku announced as both of them leapt up.
"Where at," Sasuke hurriedly scanned the dark woods in search of the stalker but didn't see anything. Suddenly, he noticed a strange chakra pattern within the ground. "Hinata, look out!"
It was too late; decrepit hands burst out of the ground and grabbed the heiress by her arms and legs simultaneously pulling her into the ground. "SASUKE!" she yelled, just as quickly another hand reached up and covered her mouth. Sasuke swiftly jumped back into the air as more hands shot from the ground targeting him. He instinctively threw two kunai to break their stem following up with a barrage of shuriken that set free Hinata.
"Watch out behind you," Sasuke warned her as she attempted to remove the fidgeting arms from her body.
*Byakugan* Hinata abruptly dodged the arm reaching for her and the subsequent arms that followed. She stood her ground and began using her gentle fist to split as Haku did the same with his kunai. They both fell back beside Sasuke exhausted by their ineffective assault.
"This isn't working," Haku pointed out despite remaining considerably calm. "It's almost like the forest is attacking us itself."
"Then maybe we should get rid of the forest," Sasuke insisted, forming the hand signs for his technique, "Fire Style-"
"Wait," Haku grabbed his arm, "If you use a fire jutsu here you might start a wildfire or wake something even worst up."
"Then what do you suggest."
"We run," he stated turning towards the river. "Secret Jutsu: Frozen Tundra!" All of a sudden, a cold breeze of air rushed from Haku's lips freezing part of the river into a mass of ice. "Hurry, get on." Haku requested. With no other choice they complied quickly jumping on the ice platform.
The new team of ninja watched as the strange hands that attacked them extinguished their camp fire and receded into ground. Meanwhile, they slowly drifted along the currents of the river atop of the iceberg Haku made with his jutsu. They were all relieved after escaping however Sasuke was more concerned with Haku's mysterious kekkei genkai.
"The Third Hokage said that I was the only Ninja Academy graduate on the squad… but he's… There's no way he could be considered as a normal genin…"
"We should get off of here when an opening in the forest appears." Haku suggested.
"Hinata is your Byakugan's range far enough ahead to see where that is," Sasuke asked leaving Haku completely lost.
"I-I think so," she stuttered. *Byakugan* "Uh…!" her expression suddenly changed dramatically. Haku looked at the river and noticed it was starting to widen. The waves were becoming rougher and the iceberg's speed downstream was rapidly increasing. It was now apparent to him as well what had Hinata stunned speechless.
"What is it?" Sasuke inquired, annoyed by the two's silent routine.
"We're headed down a waterfall!"
"What!" Sasuke finally realized as his sharingan instinctively activated. He frantically searched for a way to escape but there were little options for him to choose from.
"S-Sasuke, maybe we can make it to those boulders," Hinata suggested to which the Uchiha quickly answered by forming multiple hand signs.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke launched the huge flaming orb into river thrusting them forward in between the group of boulders Hinata pointed out before. The crash sent the group tumbling, Sasuke literally colliding with Hinata.
"…" Haku noticed Sasuke's sharingan fade away as he helped Hinata to her feet.
"Sasuke you're out of chakra," Hinata revealed, able to see his chakra with her Byakugan.
"I'm fine," he lied feeling greatly fatigued. "Haku do you think you could make a bridge across to the forest using your jutsu."
"I… don't know, maybe," he wanted to say no. "Secret Jutsu: Frozen Tundra!" Haku repeated his previous technique and froze the river mere feet away from the shore when images of blood flashed in his mind, ending the technique. The strong currents hit the bridge of ice but it managed to withstand it.
"Haku, are you okay," Sasuke worried as the boy seemed startled.
"Yea… I'm fine."
"Good. We should be able to make it across if we go one at a time. Hinata and you can go first."
"But Sasuke… your chakra…" Hinata reminded him.
"Just go," the Uchiha snapped pushing Hinata forward then stumbling to his knees.
"S-Sasuke…"
Surprisingly Haku came over and helped Sasuke to his feet encouraging the Hyúga heir to go on, "I'll make sure he gets to other side." Hinata nodded her head then sprinted across the shaky ice bridge before jumping into the forest. "Our turn," Haku said acting as a crutch for the genin as the slowly walked along the bridge.
"Their halfway through," Hinata thought using her Byakugan to pierce the darkness. Though distracted by her anticipation Hinata noticed a fracture within the ice bridge being struck by the rushing currents. "You have to hurry," she yelled out unnerving her team, "the bridge's breaking right beneath you!"
It was too late; at that moment it split between them. Haku managed to push Sasuke back falling on the broken part of the ice bridge stunning distrusting Uchiha. However his sacrifice didn't mean much because the ice holding Sasuke in place broke from the boulders as well. Hinata could only watch as her comrades were swept away from her falling over the waterfall.
A/N: Yes, a waterfall. I went there. Hope you liked this though because the next chapter will be just as exciting. Remember to share your thoughts within reviews or PMs. Both are nice.