Yes this is the beginning of the exam, the written test part is really crappy but I wanted to just breeze through it so I could get to the forest of death. I am so happy I've found my muse for this fic or else I would have dropped it. Thankfully I have overcome my writers block and can continue. Read review and enjoy!
Void
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Sakura let her hands rest on her hips as she walked in between Naruto and Sasuke towards the first exam room. Naruto was currently informing her on the rules and objective of the first test. From what she understood the objective was to gather information without being caught, simply put to cheat.
"Dobe," Sasuke interrupted.
"What's with you teme?" Naruto whined at being interrupted and then insulted while talking to Sakura.
"…Do you really think they'll use the same rules and objectives as last year when half of the class will be returning gennins that were here six months ago?"
"So you think it'll be different this year?" Sakura asked keeping her eyes set on the hall in front of her.
Naruto just huffed crossing his arms over her chest as Sasuke continued. "Yes I believe so. All the same it's still a good idea to cheat for the answers."
"…I don't need to cheat. If I understand correctly the point of this test is to examine a team's teamwork and moral ground. Cheating is irrelevant."
"Yeah that's it Sakura chan, I was about to say that when Sasuke teme interrupted me." Naruto chirped folding his hands behind his head with a laugh.
Sasuke and Sakura just stared at him as they stood outside the doorway to the room where the first exam would be held. Sakura had asked the two if they could come last to avoid the crowds that arrived an half hour early, not wanting to be seen by too many eyes. The boys were both more than happy to comply though they hid their eagerness well, something that confused the young girl.
Gripping the handle Sasuke slid the door open allowing the group to enter and separate to their assigned seats. Sakura slid a stray cherry pink lock behind her ear as she took her seat in one of the back rows. She let her eyes wonder around the room scanning the area, just to be on the safe side. Old habits were hard to drop.
She fingered the headband around her neck as she spotted a few familiar faces Naruto had pointed out earlier. There was the blond haired girl and her cough oversized teammate. Naruto had told her about how their teammate Shikamaru had passed on to become chunin and a Girl named Hinta was taking his place. The shy girl with the blue hair and white eyes sat a few seats away playing with her fingers. Her other two teammates had also moved on to become chunin. Kiba and Shino.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when the empty seat next to her was pulled out. Sakura darted her eyes to her left without turning her head and smiled a bit at what she saw. Gaara was pulling the seat out before sitting down next to her with a stone solid expression. Sakura was glad the person sitting next to her was someone she knew and not some weird stranger. She offered a small smile mostly masked by her bandages before fixing her eyes back on the front of the classroom.
She didn't expect the sand nin to breath a word during the entire exam let alone start a conversation but then she was wrong before. "…How are you doing so far?"
"Considering that the exams have just started I'm doing fine." She replied not bothering to turn her head or meat his gaze.
"…Not the exams. I meant your dreams."
Sakura was a little surprised that he would remember her troubling sleeping fits let alone show a concern for them, no one had done that for her. But then again no one had ever known. "I'm doing fine, it was just that one time. What about you how are you doing with your seeping problem?"
"…I've always had it so it's not a problem." He replied coolly as if he didn't care.
"That's good." She replied before a still yet calm silence settled over the two. She couldn't see it but Gaara was busy shooting fierce filler glares at a few stray males that had turned around to get a look at the hot new girl that had arrived in Konoha.
Soon the Teacher for the written exam entered the room escorted by two chunin. Sakura remembered his name was Ibiki, an expert at interrogations. A wolfish grin played across her hidden lips as excitement too hold of her. With an expert like himself direction the first part of the exam this should be interesting.
After explaining the rules in an intimidating manner he looked up at the clock waiting for the seconds hand to reach 12, when it did he shouted at the group of aspiring chunin to begin. Sakura gripped her pencil as her eyes wandered over the words printed on her paper, much to her desire all those years of studying under Okami were paying off.
Letting one of her eyes wander over to Gaara she saw his palm out, resting on the desk as his other hand covering his left closed eye with two fingers. In the middle of his palm she saw a small swirl of sand gather forming and eye. With one quick movement the eye was crushed within his fist sending the gains of sand flying. She looked over at Sasuke who was using his Sharingan to copy the movements of another student's pencil stealing his answers.
Sakura sat back and thought to herself for a moment, Sasuke and Gaara knew how to get these answers but what about Naruto? Glancing over to her golden haired friend she was shocked to see his hurriedly scribbling away. All she could see was the side of his face and most of the back of his head but when he turned slowly to his side she could see a pair of crimson red orbs replacing his normal cerulean blue eyes.
"So the nine tailed was helping him with his questions, that's good. I'm glad they have at least the beginnings of a relationship like Okami and I have." She though resting a hand under her chin in a casual manner. Soon he would ask the 10 question and then thy could pass after answering it.
She could feel a tension in the air as more and more kids were called out already failing the exam. There was a lot of hostile and negativity in the air in an almost choking manner. She suspected this was meant to be there to freak the lesser students out. After all only the strong would be able to pass.
Soon the red minuets hand fell on the needed number signaling that there were only five minuets left of the exam. "Alright listen up you brats," Ibiki grunted roughly. "Here is the tenth question so make sure to focus you attention on me."
Sakura fixed her cold calculating eyes on the scarred Jonin but winced when a pain shot through her brain. Wincing again she cursed when her vision started to blur. "Kuso, he's using a genjutsu on the entire class." She though as she formed the necessary hand seals before mumbling 'Kai' to break the illusion. When she opened her eyes again she noticed that over half the class was asleep, thankfully Naruto, Sasuke and Gaara were not.
"So the question is…are you awake?" Ibiki asked with a slight smile. "All of you who are awake now pass and may proceed to the next part of the exam."
Groaning Sakura sat back in her seat as Naruto and a few others cheered. She was hoping for the first part to be a bit more…challenging or dangerous to say the least. Their cheering was soon interrupted by a ball of cloth crashing through the window only to separate revealing a woman with spiky lavender hair wearing a long tan trench coat.
"Alright you maggots listen up and listen good, this is no time to be celebrating cause by the time I'm done with you over half of you won't even be here!" She cried pointing a finger out at the silent crowd.
"…Hey Anko lady your early again!" Naruto shouted standing up and pointing at her.
The said woman chuckled sheepishly and turned around to look at Ibiki who was nodding in response. "Ah, well that's to test you ninja skills stupid!" She shot back . "Now hurry up and get out of here the second part of the exam is going to start in a half hour so be there or your entire team will be forfeited." An with another puff of smoke she was gone.
"I'm taking it she did this last time?" Sakura mumbled rubbing her eyes as Gaara grunted a yes in response. "Anyway I hope her part of the exam is more interesting than this kiddy test."
Gaara turned his head quickly to the right to catch Sakura's back departing from the room. "Kiddy test?"
X
Naruto fidgeted a bit standing next to Sakura as he and the rest of his team stood in front of one of the many gates leading into the forest of death as Anko called it. The green eyed kunoichi seemed a little ticked off for some reason and he could practically feel the impatienceness radiating off of her. He took it Sakura was not one who liked to wait.
"Um Sakura chan are you okay?"
Sakura twitched a bit but nodded mealy grunting a reply. She didn't know what was happening to her. Everyone including the teachers were talking about how dangerous this exam was and how hard it would be and that got her blood going. It was almost as if a dormant part of her had suddenly awaken craving…blood and it scared her. Her tongue ran over her fangs from underneath her mask as her lips curved upward in a wolfish grin. Thankfully no one noticed this.
Much to her satisfaction the large looming gates swung open with a loud clang revealing a rugged path leading into the thicket of the forest. Eagerly her legs bent, thrusting her body forward in a arched running position that let her cut through the wind giving her incredible speed even she didn't know she possessed. Sasuke and Naruto were a bit surprised by her speed but quickly recovered pumping chakra into their legs, chasing after her.
"Hey Sakura chan wait up!" Naruto called catching up to her as she slowed down to a stop o a tree's branch.
"What's the matter Naruto, I though out objective was to reach the tower located in the middle of this forest with a Heaven and earth scroll as soon as possible. Why do you want to stop?"
"Relax Sakura chan the teme and I have done this before so we know how to handle ourselves. And besides we have five days to reach the tower with both scrolls, there's no rush." He happily replied in a relaxed tone holding his arms behind his head.
"Baka, if you have an attitude like that you're gonna get us all in trouble. I agree with Sakura we should get to the tower as soon as possible even if we do have all the time in the world." Sasuke remarked crossing his arms over his chest.
Naruto groaned and mumbled something about how Sasuke was only saying that to agree with Sakura chan and how cool it made him look.
Sakura frowned underneath her mash as she bowed her head in a thinking position. "Naruto, you said we have five days to reach the tower right?" Naruto nodded. "And if last night was a…" Sakura then let her voice drift as her mind took over. Upon reaching a conclusion her eyes widened in either shock or surprise or maybe even fright. "We have to reach the tower within three days, four will be too late."
"What's so bad about four days, why dose it have to be within three Sakura chan?" Naruto asked as Sakura suddenly took off with both boys following her.
"In three days… it will be a full moon." She murmured increasing her speed not wanting to explain further.
X
Gaara grunted with displeasure as they stood in front of the tower within the forest where the first part of the test would end. His sister ad brother were both in possession of a heaven and earth scroll that he had retrieved for them by means he wished not to speak of. What can you say old habits are hard to fully break.
"Hey Gaara," his older brother called standing in front of the door ready to enter. "Are you ready?"
The crimson haired sand lover did not reply but continued to stare out at the tree tops almost as if in a trance. His steady gaze was however broken when a loud explosion echoed thought the forest sending a tall pillar of ignition and fire into the air.
"Whoa someone must have been in a sick mood. I doubt anyone within two hundred feet survived that blast." Temari mused giving off a low whistle. "Good thing it wasn't any of us though, right? Anyway let's go on in I'm getting a little hungry and I could use a rest after such a nice little run."
Gaara frowned but followed anyway. That explosion was giving him a bad feeling and he didn't like bad feelings. The only thing he could think of was the pink haired kunoichi that seemed to be taking up most of his thoughts lately. Walking through the double doors a single word escaped his lips heard only by him.
"Sakura."
X
A few hours after departing team 7 was following a chakra trail hoping to retrieve either a heaven or an earth scroll hoping it was the later since they already had an heaven scroll. Sakura was eyeing her surrounding hoping to find an enemy to fight but was greatly disappointed when they all ran off after seeing Sasuke, the last remaining Uchiha. It looked like they would have to track down their pray if they ever hoped to retrieve a scroll.
Her blood raced faster craving something to destroy, something to scream in pain and bleed for her. Shaking her head she tried to calm herself pushing the sick urge down. She didn't really know what was happening to her. The only time she felt anything like this was when the boars attacked and even then it was the desire for revenge not a slaughter. It almost felt like something that was always there that was always held back was finally breaking free into her conscious. It was a weird twisted feeling raging inside of her and she didn't like it one bit. She though about asking Okami about it but decided against it telling herself that she needed to do this on her own.
Returning to reality she listened as Naruto shouted something at Sasuke and Sasuke responding with a brief 'hn' not really caring if he was being insulted.
Something in the corner of her eye caught Sakura's attention bring her to a halt. Sasuke and Naruto also stopped seeing her tensed figure. She brought a finger to her lips signaling for quite and hopped down from the tree to the forest's floor. A few yards away something white was laying on the ground half covered in dirt that was kicked aside. She made a hand signal for Naruto and Sasuke to stay back and cautiously proceeded forward. Towering above it she brushed the clump of dirt away and cursed strongly as an explosive tag stared back at her forebodingly.
Her eyes went wide as she cast a quick glance around, she saw multiple tags scattered around her waiting for someone to fall into their trap. Again she cursed herself for falling so blindly into such an obvious trap. She felt a few chakras close by and cursed once again knowing they were here to activate the tag. There was no time to run, these explosives were the heavy duty kind that would tear her to shreds most likely.
Spinning quickly on her heel she cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted to her teammates. "RUN!"
They didn't need to be told twice and were soon retreating. Sakura jumped into the air hoping to put at least a little bit of distance behind her and the bombs before they detonated knowing she wouldn't get five feet.
Suddenly everything seemed to slip into slow motion as the first tag went off. Naruto and Sasuke called her name almost stopping as the fiery inferno of the next bomb went off. Three…four, five more went off and she was still running at such a slow crawling pace it seemed. Then the core tag was set off and the whole area around her was enveloped in fire and noise as a loud 'BOOM' echoed throughout the forest.
Sakura felt her body leaving the earth as it was flung through the air as lifeless as a rag doll. Her last thought before closing her jewel colored eyes to the awaiting darkness were about how she never had to deal with such annoying bombs in her mountains.
X
Nothing.
There was nothing.
Darkness swiftly descended upon Sakura's body as she felt if drifting through a lifeless void that seemed to go on forever and ever without end. Why did this place seem so familiar to her? Her eyes were closed halfway in a dreary appearance as she suddenly felt very sleepy or maybe just drained of energy. She noticed her body was very cold and yet it refused to shiver or acknowledge that it desired heat.
She noticed that her long bubblegum colored hair was loose and swirling around her no longer in it's usual braid. Her mask was gone and in place of her normal uniform she was clad in a simple lace trimmed sleeping gown that came down to above her knees.
Her pale body drifted through the dream like space with lack of any gravity until something cut the silence and made her chest tighten in agony.
"Mommy?" A soft bell like voice cried out in the darkness
"Daddy?" Only shadows met her vision as she drifted through the abyss.
"Somebody?" The voice called again sounding so young and innocent.
"Is anybody there?" It wailed. She wanted to call out to it and comfort the sadness in the voice but she found herself without speech and unable to do anything.
"Please help, I don't wanna face the nightmares on my own!" It cried again clearly breaking down into tears from loneliness. She couldn't see whoever owned the sad voice but she felt the need to rush to it and murmur soothing words that were never spared on her as a child.
"Please!" It cried again even more desperate.
"Someone!" Sakura's heart felt like it was breaking.
"I don't wanna do this on my own!" It cried through the darkness.
Suddenly the feeling a wind rushing up from underneath her limp lifeless body drew her away from the voice as it grew more and more faint.
"Please…someone…I don't wanna be alone."
X
Done! Wow it's past 12:00 midnight here and I'm still up typing this. I gotta lay off the chocolate. I'm not gonna tell you if Sakura is dead or not but I bet you can already guess. I really wanted to add a little more Sakura Gaara or Sakura Naruto but I couldn't. Next chapter when Naruto finds her all beaten up he gets mad and all so there will bee some Possessive/protective Sakura x Naruto ness in the next chapter, promise! Please review, it means so much to me.
