I do not own Naruto, this story is for entertainment purposes only. I came to terms with that a long time ago...(Sniffs)

Son of Terumi

Chapter 7: The forested interlude

Perimeter of Training Ground Forty-Four

The tenth question was, in short, a test onto itself: a ruse to weed out those who valued their own lives above the risk of failure under the pretense that, if failing the 'question,' one would never ascend the rank of genin... Even if by some 'miracle' that 'threat' was indeed real, it didn't change the fact that they had a mission to do, unglamorous as it was. Being of the Seven, even the poorest performing members in the entirety of the group's history were expected to make an effort in the least.

But that was not necessarily here nor there.

What remained of the host of genin had been gathered and left to wait in an open field before the designated grounds for the second phase of the exams. As they waited it was only natural for the gathered shinobi to segregate themselves in the open space to enjoy the company of their team and their comrades that were a part of their respective villages. For the most part at least; here and there were a few groups belonging to this or that village which refused to associate themselves their respective allies. Regardless, the tense air that once belonged to them at the very beginning of the exams before the first proctor had arrived had dissipated by a large degree between the massive reduction of competing teams as well as the freedom to enjoy their own space for a change. It was still there though, made evident with cursory by careful glances and even open glares. Some of whom even began to sharpen their weaponry whilst staring at some particular target while others took a more... proactive approach toward psyching out the competition. Thankfully however neither Kiri team suffered such tactics.

Whether they were successful in effectively unnerving their rivals or not was another matter however as the newest proctor, one Anko Mitarashi, and her assistants had arrived and began to give each team a slip of paper with a number on it as well as a waiver for legal reasons... This number, as they explained, was for a predetermined gate they were to enter through after being given the signal to do so. Needless to say each team were also escorted to their respective gates as well where they were free to plot their tactics for their latest exam objective: to find and retrieve either a scroll of Heaven or a scroll of Earth to compliment the scroll they were given within five days; for them, Naruto's team, they needed an Earth Scroll.

When the gates finally opened and they ushered through it a number of teams undoubtedly leapt into the forest at first chance where the shadow of the canopy threatened to plunge the world beneath it into a realm belonging to the night. Not them however in spite of an urgency to do so. For better or worse they simply walked into the shade just in time for the screaming, both distant and 'close by', to start as either enemy teams ripped into one another or else met something else entirely. In the meantime though they plotted much to Ken's chagrin.

"So are we going to hunt them down in there or not?" he grumbled as his grip tightened on the handle of his sword, the back of the blade tapping against his shoulder in an effort to contain his agitation.

"We just need to agree to a plan first."

They came to a stop within the shade and, hopefully, away from prying eyes and ears.

"Basically the way I see it we have two options," Naruto said as he lazily turned in his spot to address his other teammates. "We head straight for the tower, hope we find another team with an Earth Scroll and head inside. If not then we wait and ambush any team that gets close enough in the hopes they have one as well. Or we can pretty much wander around and hopefully hunt down a team that has it."

"I'm liking the second one."

Sio sighed and shook her head. "There is no guarantee we'll be able to find an enemy team in time if we blindly amble about. Though we risk them slipping by us during this five day period, we may be able to find such a team if they themselves are heading to the tower after collecting their own scrolls. Who knows, we may even find another team not only with the same idea but with the Earth Scroll as well."

Ken couldn't help but scoff whilst his kitten mewled from his shoulder. "Come on. It'll be boring if we have to wait for them to come to us."

The two of them wasted little time in glaring at one another. Not even Naruto's heavy sigh could break them from it.

"How about a compromise?"

The both of them glanced to him; Ken's head more directly staring at him whereas Sio gave him the corner of her vision.

"We search the forest for two days. That way even if by some luck we can't find someone we would at least have an idea as to what to expect. Who knows, maybe we can incorporate the terrain into our traps. After that though we'll hightail it to the edge of the tower and wait for someone, okay?"

The two other shinobi glanced to one another.

"Fine," Ken snorted.

"Let's not wait then," Sio sighed with a reluctant roll of her head to work out any latent kinks in place.

"Good. Let's get going."

All three darted to the trees.

XVX

Forest of Death

It was perhaps an hour into the search before they found their first quarry. With luck they were already engaged with another group thus not keenly aware of the ambush about to befall them, of the wooden arm carefully equipped with two glass canisters filled to the brink with a purple concoction. None of them even noticed it as it sailed through the air with a tether whipping behind it Nor of when said tether was detached from its original source so as to sail true to the epicenter of the conflict. Only the furthest from the conflict were unaffected by the resulting gas cloud, a grand total of two who were set upon by Ken with wanton glee.

Surprised, poisoned and outnumbered, the unaffected members shortly fell under the onslaught of three whereas their addled comrades succumbed to the fast acting agents carried in the ensuing miasma. Needless to say they were ransacked as well for both their scrolls and supplies as well for good measure least by some miracle they were treated soon after or else somehow managed to make it to the final exam, thirsting for vengeance. Regardless however, fortune favored the Mist shinobi, a spare scroll for Heaven and a scroll of Earth. As such they, much to Ken's chagrin, immediately headed toward the tower in the middle of the forest...

XVX

Elsewhere

This was just... pathetic.

She knew he wouldn't be happy about this but at this point she couldn't help but take advantage of the friction her team suffered; there was little to no point in partnering with such layabouts who only shined when a fire was lit right under their asses. Her teacher was barely any better! As such in a situation like this she was far better off on her own. With luck neither of those idiots would get themselves killed long enough for her to do some actual work! That and take care of some... errands in the form of an untested nuisance who had little right to a tongue much less an opinion toward their betters.

But this... while she wasn't cold enough to discount obvious injuries from a previous skirmish, especially since it seemingly decommissioned two of their teammates, him included, it was in no way an excuse that their greatest ability toward their defense amounted to academy level tactics and training at best. In fact if she hadn't been hiding throughout this encounter in the branches above she would've been none the wiser to the fact that the only reason the remaining kunoichi had survived as long as she did was nothing less than pure dumb luck between her attacker's hubris and the collective pity of her associates in the other Leaf teams. And though she might indeed be the weakest link, if she was in any way to gauge the team's strength as a whole then she may as well just sit back and let the other shinobi do the job for her. If she was lucky then they simply wouldn't find this team's scroll after crushing them as well as the help which they simply overpowered through force and heartless will. Perhaps they'll find what their looking for in either team and leave a spare scroll behind. If not then she would have to try her luck elsewhere.

Alas though it would be something of a long wait. With the arrival of yet another team from the Leaf, presumably the teammates of the one in green if she heard the apparent leader's bark for retribution correctly, one more advanced than the other two teams if the green one was a rough estimate onto himself toward his team's strength, the only enemy toward in plain sight was in for a fight of their lives against opponents of their caliber. Even though they generally lacked any genuine respect and care for each other's lives the teamwork and tactics of the ones in urban camouflage, especially after they reclaim their teammate imprisoned by a strange mind controlling jutsu, they would no doubt prolong the fight as long as they can to work out in their favor.

It was almost sad really.

Before anything could happen however their attention swiftly drew to the brat as he rose up at long last. It was an action mirrored by everyone else no less, each one gawping for reasons lost to her. From this distance she couldn't hear anything that wasn't on par with shouting, nor was she able to properly see any valid reason as to why they were seemingly apprehensive. In fact the previous shinobi responsible even let go of their jutsu in order to devout the entirety of their focus toward hiding in a bush like a pathetic coward. They weren't in the wrong however. A moment later one of the attackers raised his arms in the direction of the most beleaguered team and seemingly emitted a cone-like wave of destruction from a blast of pure noise. In its direction it tore at everything in its path as well as savaged its surroundings throughout its duration. Sadly however it didn't hit its mark.

With a frown she was barely able to observe the sheer ludicrous speed her brother's stalker was able to move at. In the time it would take someone to blink he had managed to grab his useless teammate and the fake one out of harm's way and purposefully positioned himself to the side of the would be killer, just out of his peripheral sight. With a half formed backhand he had sent his enemy clear across the clearing as a tumbling and confused mess. By the time he had managed to stand his own attacker had flashed through a series of hand seals and shot out a swarm of fireballs. In response the shinobi attempted to retaliate and block them at once by firing off another blast of air from his palms but to no avail. Strangle enough in spite of the heavy streamlined gusts the fireballs were neither diminished nor diverted in the least. Even when they were extinguished, and by no means seemingly from the counterattack itself, they revealed to have freshly heated shuriken cores that ripped and tore at the surprised and hapless Sound shinobi. Even as he was being pelted by the barrage of shuriken the dark haired teenager charged at him with the same speed as before, yet with the vast distance between them he was far easier to track if only for a moment. When he stopped it was after he had forced his opponent to painfully kneel with a foot on his back to keep him there. Not only that but both of the Sound shinobi's arms were being forcibly drawn back by his wrists thanks to his newfound abuser whose lips peeled back to form a manic grin whilst everyone else watched on in horror.

Needless to say as the shinobi's arms were being snapped in half she watched him rather intently with a frown on her lips as she noticed something at long last: markings. Black markings covering his skin, she knew weren't there before. An active seal perhaps? Amplification of chakra, hence the boost of his apparent skills and power? Or perhaps some sort of reservoir to store unused chakra which now overloaded his system, again 'amplifying' his capabilities? Perhaps it affected his judgment as well; once he was done with the shinobi's arms he had taken to stalking toward the remaining members much like an animal on the prowl. In fact it looked like he was ready to attack his own teammate when the pink one launched herself and latched onto his back to keep him from attacking them! Alas though whether it was a distraction, revealing the seal to be on a timer or perhaps by will the marks receded to the confines of his shirt. In their absence however he collapsed onto his rear, sitting up only because of the support of his teammate.

From that point the enemy team seemingly surrendered. They even left their scroll on the ground as an incentive toward not pursuing them or even accosting the sole member who was still able to walk under his own power whom collected his battered comrades before leaving. They didn't leave without being challenged in the form of a shouted question however... They were particularly still at the mention of someone named "Orochimaru..."

Whatever was said was lost to her do to the distance. Regardless they shambled away, undeterred by anyone or anything in the least. Soon afterward the other leaf team emerged and began to help the first team from the Leaf as well as the beaten taijutsu specialist in green. Eventually they all left their separate ways.

When they did her lips quirked in a smirk at long last as she stood up and worked out the kinks garnered from her prolonged rest.

Fundamentally it was risky, one versus three. But with them as battered as they were and the seal having been played before her eyes she was confident in her chances, not to mention her abilities. As such with only a partial awareness of the sense of smugness which crept onto her lips as she fell back from her position only to ultimately circle the clearing in the direction the first team from Konoha had went. In the meantime her hand went to a canteen on her hip...

XVX

In the relative silence of the forest the whistling of a kunai flying through the air was nothing less than a dead giveaway to even the weary of an attack. As such between the grace afforded by an ambush combined with their beleaguered status the blond managed to whipped around and deflect the kunai with a swipe with his own. By the time he or anyone else noticed the burning tag it was too late to dodge it as a whole team.

While the blond was flung away into the brush by the sheer force of the resulting explosion his pink haired teammate were tossed onto the ground, banging her head against the dirt and forcibly dazed. The Uchiha however managed to jump away in time though his landing wasn't graceful nor sturdy; tired from the fight, drained, the bomb affected him enough for him to lose his footing and again fall onto his rear with his hand planted behind him so as to support his weight. It was those same arms in conjunction with the unmistakable sharingan that not only caught movement above him but helped propel him away from the flying axe kick aimed at his head.

Having been cleared of the immediate danger the Uchiha flipped himself up to his feet and armed himself in time with a kunai to block a bull rush from his newfound enemy, their blades crashing into one another in a bid for dominance as the two glared at one another.

"Who are you!?" Sasuke demanded vehemently as his teeth ground amongst themselves. His lavender haired girl's red eyes merely bore into him with a disturbing sense of purpose. Like with Naruto before him it was too late to notice a minute detail: her cheeks, however slightly, were puffed up. However before he could wonder the purpose of which they were dispelled. She spat a fine mist into his face before jumping away and gaining distance whilst he did the same.

Yet it was too late for him.

The sensation of burning came first before the flaring pain followed. Before long he was screaming in pain, dropped his knife and clutched at his face in an attempt to sooth his reddening, blistering and soon bleeding skin. With his focus on his afflicted flesh he was made unaware of the kunoichi charging him once more.

Her fist connected with his stomach long before he realized she was upon him once more. As he lurched forth in response she followed up with a blow to the side of his head to keep him disorientated. Dazed, his senses were focused only when a new pain presented itself to rival his mutilated face: a kunai was driven into his shoulder and hammered in as deep as it could go with a reinforcing strike to its pommel. The knife was then left where it was so two hands could violently grasp the back of his head. As much pain he was in he wasn't able to offer a halfway proper resistance when those same hands then slammed him face first into the trunk of a tree, again disorientating him... His attacker wasn't satisfied with that however. Not even a moment later her hands pressed his head against the bark and forced it down, leaving a crimson trail along the protective covering of the tree.

With a final blow to the head Sasuke landed onto his side and was finally abandoned long enough for his assailant to observe him. A second later she derisively snorted at him before leaving him alone altogether.

As she left him to writhe and struggle to stand to no avail Ayane gave her surroundings a quick glance for any signs of an ambush upon her person. More specifically she was looking for any telltale sign that the fake one had somehow recovered from the blast despite his vicinity to it. Even then there were injuries to consider: the flames which should have melted the flesh from his bones, the sheer shock to his system from the force of the explosion, and, if she was lucky, whatever he smashed into in his landing; he could've landed in a spike pit for all she knew. Regardless however she confidently strode to the weakest link just as the kunoichi managed to finally stand up, her eyes barely focused and hand trembling as it held a kunai in a reverse grip.

"J-just who are—!"

She didn't do anything to challenge her quick but observable advance. She didn't even have the mental wherewithal to even take an unsteady step back to at least buy herself an extra second. No. Her eyes flicked over to the Uchiha and she gaped in horror. Her already pathetic guard, further ruined by the suspected concussion, diminished into nothing that could resist the backhand that not only knocked her off her feet but rendered her unconscious as well. With one last glance toward her surroundings, even sparing a moment to ensure the Uchiha remained in his seemingly well deserved place only to note the markings were returning, she knelt down and rummaged through the kunoichi's belongings and retrieved an Earth Scroll with a frown.

Looking back once more she saw the Uchiha managed to finally push himself onto standing on his knees before reached up and grasping the knife plunged into his shoulder. As he fiddled with the handle his screaming renewed itself in the form of heavy grunts of pain. Satisfied that he was distracted for the moment and secure in the knowledge that his 'berserk state' was indeed capable of feeling pain should push come to shove she reached into her holster. A moment later she withdrew a bomb tag and slapped it onto the scroll and paused for but a moment as she considered what to do. After a quick decision that her unsaid point was made, that any further action would only serve to disgrace her and her family, she stood on her feet and nonchalantly tossed the scroll at the first spot that met her fancy before leaping out of view. A moment later the scroll was blown to oblivion alongside some of the shrubbery, not that she noticed as she abandoned them. Her work was done.

After all, what hope did they have now?

XVX

By rights he should be dead, or in agony. Skin and muscle melted down to the bone over half of the left side of his body, the sheer shock of the explosion should've killed him. If not that then the hellish pain that no set of words could begin to describe or thought could imagine should have either mercifully knocked him out if not outright kill him. Even if that wasn't the case then logic would dictate he would be screaming for all that he was worth, clutching himself if not clawing or else flailing about uncontrollably till death finally took him.

Only the last opinion bore any truth.

Soundless screams tore through its throat as a cloak of red engulfed the pitiful creature. From bare but scorched bone flesh grew anew at a sickening pace. From flesh came skin. From skin, hair, nails and an eye. Yet with everything set right the creature continued to writhe in untold agony, from its throat a strangled gagging in lieu of screams, he clawed at the ground like an animal bearing the same inordinate amount of pain.

From above and below anbu leapt or crept out of the shadows, weapons at the ready whilst some rushed in with syringes full of clear viscous substances which plunged into the renewed flesh just as it was beginning to darken and thicken. Once the substances had been fully dispensed the members of the anbu fled from the cloak as it disintegrated the syringes and waited as the cloak began to dissipate. It was only after it disappeared completely that they dared to approach him once more whilst the others vanished in the direction of the blonde's teammates.

XVX

Elsewhere

Before either Kiri genin could react a pair of hands reached out and grasped both of their heads. Before either of them could reach down and grasp their respective weapons the hands squeezed with an authoritative force, paralyzing them with pain.

"I am getting very sick and tired of this crap about you three."

Naruto Terumi then shoved the two genin from the log they were sitting on with such force that they were launched into the clearing surrounding the perimeter fence belonging to the tower. The moment they crashed into the ground and were scrambling to stand, sputtering all the while, Naruto and his team emerged from the darkness of the forest. As he slowly stalked toward them his wooden hand reached up for Shibuki's handle.

"Hey-hey!" one of them spoke up as he held up his hands in a placating manner, a nervous cheesy grin fixed on his face. "We agreed to split up and meet here!"

The zanbato was lifted from its holster.

"You're just making it worse you idiot!" the other genin hoarsely whispered as he began to step back in terror.

"She's here."

Immediately Naruto came to a halt and shouldered his weapon of choice as he looked over his free shoulder. Soon enough he found her, she herself making it easier by jumping into the clearing and landing in a crouch. From her mission pouch she produced both of the required scrolls whilst she stood up and met Naruto's gaze. She then looked down to the dirt, her face downcast the moment she seen the half lidded look of reproach on his part in spite of the mask he wore. As such she didn't dare look up as he silently approached her. She did flinch however when he pointedly but painlessly reached over and smacked the back of her head as his rebuke. But still her gaze was still lowered even as he walked away, she herself following him. The only time she raised her head by a fraction was when the solid sound of metal smacking flesh resounded through the air. She even allowed herself a smirk at seeing one of her lousy teammates having been laid out on the ground, eyes glazed and utterly senseless whilse the other looked to be on the verge of wetting himself while they passed them.

"Drag him in," he grumbled to the other genin even as he drew away to the gates. While doing so he finally holstered his weapon; his teammates weren't far behind.