Author's Note: Woohoo! Reached a milestone!

Last Time:

"There's not much I can do in my current position," Minato said in a solemn tone. "I'm doing what I can, but my hands are tied. I'm sorry. Just promise me you'll stay out there, okay?"

Orochimaru thought to press his ear to the door, but when he took a step away from the door and saw it open, he simply smiled at Minato, "Good afternoon, Marshal."

"Marshal," Minato greeted him in return. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"Not at all," Orochimaru replied. "Is everything all right? You look worried."

Minato gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru, "What kind of question is that, Orochimaru? After all that has happened in the last three weeks, you want to ask me if everything is all right?"

Orochimaru put his hands up in defense and continued to smile, "I was just trying to make conversation, Minato. There's no need to get so hostile."

"Please refrain from lingering outside my door and eavesdropping on my conversations," Minato requested before stepping back into his office and slamming his door.

Orochimaru similarly rubbed his chin to how Hiruzen usually did, "Interesting."

Synchronicity: Chapter 10 – Headmaster Senju Tsunade's Proposition

As the week progressed, Headmaster Senju continued to observe Alpha Class in all of their training sessions. With her presence, it forced all of Alpha Class to push themselves during training, and by the time Sunday's training session concluded, the students were exhausted.

Kakashi felt bad for them, but there wasn't anything he could say or do with Headmaster Senju constantly lurking over his shoulder and keeping a watchful eye over Menma and Naruto. Luckily her request to lessen the amount of Suppressant Tape Naruto and Menma had to wear had gone through, but at times, it put a damper on their performance during training. Nevertheless, they continued to persevere and push past their points of exhaustion with ease.

"Hatake-sensei," Headmaster Senju spoke and gained his attention, "would you inform all the Alpha Class instructors that I would like to speak with them later this evening? I want to review progress reports with you all and the other instructors from the other classes."

Kakashi nodded, "I'll let them know."

She gave a slight nod of approval before turning on her heel and beginning to walk away, "You're free to dismiss your students. They did well. Keep up the good work, Hatake-sensei."

"Thank you, Headmaster Senju," Kakashi responded before looking down at his battered and exhausted students. "You're all dismissed! Make sure you get some rest."

"Yes, sir," they responded with a relieved tone.

Naruto groaned as he stood up and began to rip away the Suppressant Tape he wore up and down the entirety of his right arm. He let out a sigh of relief as the last piece of tape came off, and he flexed his hand and arm to help regain proper circulation in his arm.

"Here," Sakura walked up to him and removed a small tin canister from a pouch on her waist, "take one of these. It'll repair any Linkage Damage you sustained."

"Linkage damage?" Naruto repeated as he picked up one of the black spherical pills and looked it over.

Sakura nodded and held out the canister for Menma as he walked over and took one, "It's when you start pushing your body beyond its limits and start causing damage to your Chakra Network. I know you two have been pushing yourselves to keep up with training, and there's a possibility you've been burning out your Chakra Networks while doing so."

Menma sighed and popped the pill into his mouth as he continued to rip away the Suppressant Tape on his left arm, "Thanks, Sakura. We appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all," Sakura confessed as she put the canister back in her pouch. "You just need to be a little more careful when you're pushing yourselves. Linkage Damage can be permanent if you go too far."

Naruto popped the pill he'd taken and swallowed it, "It wouldn't be a problem if we didn't have to wear the tape. We've been training since we were five, you would think they'd have a little more faith in us to maintain control over Kurama."

Sakura shrugged, "Your mother was the host for Kurama for years, but she lost control suddenly. So I guess they're worried about that happening with the two of you someday. They must think the Suppressant Tape'll be enough to prevent anything like that from happening again?"

Menma rolled his eyes and muttered, "They're going to need a lot more than Suppressant Tape if they want to stop Kurama."

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing," Naruto answered. "I think I'm going to go take an ice bath. My muscles are screaming right now."

"Well, since that sounds like torture, I'm going to go back to my room and take a shower like a normal person," Menma claimed, and Sakura giggled. "Where are you headed Sakura?"

"Back to the dorm," she answered. "I'll walk with you, Menma."

"We'll see you at dinner?" Menma asked as he dapped up Naruto.

Naruto nodded, "I'll see you at dinner." Naruto picked up his duffle bag and headed in the opposite direction as Sakura and Menma.

Up in the arena seats, Anko stood beside Kakashi and let out a sigh, "It's nice that Sakura-chan was able to make friends with them. I was starting to get worried that the other kids would bully her into leaving."

Kakashi shook his head, "Nah. She's stronger than that, but it is nice that she was able to make friends with them. And it looks like the others are starting to ease up around them as well."

"You think so?" Anko asked. "I know a lot of them are still uneasy around them."

"That's to be expected, considering the circumstances," Kakashi admitted. "But they're starting to see they're more than what they painted them to be when they first heard about them. They're good kids. They'll see that soon enough."

Anko smiled, "You sound like such a doting older brother."

Kakashi chuckled and looked at her, "An older brother?"

"I mean, yeah," Anko turned her back to the railing and leaned against it, "Minato practically raised you after your father passed away. And if I'm not mistaken, even before then, Minato would watch you while your father was out on assignments. Not to disrespect your father in any way, but Minato was like your dad."

Kakashi sighed and leaned against the railing, "I can't argue with that."

"So, like I said," Anko nudged Kakashi, "you're such a doting older brother."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, and Anko laughed.

In the adjoining Recuperation Facility, Naruto scanned his Aide and entered. Sakura had introduced him and Menma to it after a grueling training session on Wednesday. It was a specialized facility that focused on helping students – mainly those in Alpha Class – rehabilitate and recuperate after training. They provided massage therapy, hydrotherapy, vibration therapy, and various others on top of a full-service spa with specialty baths to help ease muscle fatigue and replenish Chakra Reserves.

This week had been the busiest the Recuperation Facility had been in a while. After Naruto dropped off his duffle bag in the locker room, he made his way towards the back of the facility and scanned his Aide once more. A door slid open, and he entered into the room where they held the ice baths. Very few people used it, so it was usually quiet, but today Naruto found Sasuke dumping a bucket of ice into one of the tin tubs.

Ever since their match, Sasuke hadn't paid any attention to Naruto. It shouldn't have bothered Naruto, but the constant aura of disappointment that emanated off of Sasuke every they were near one another irked him. He had half a mind to leave and settle on taking aspirin and showering in his dorm, but he knew his muscle would be torturing him by tomorrow morning if he didn't.

He walked over to a tin tub near Sasuke and saw it'd been recently refreshed. He removed his sneakers and saw Sasuke submerge himself into his own bath. Naruto did the same shortly over, and let out a low groan as he felt the cold rush over him.

There was silence amongst the two of them for a long while, but Naruto looked over at Sasuke and looked at the three tomes marking on the side of his neck. He'd looked at it several times throughout the week and only heard from Sakura that it was called a Curse Mark.

"If you want to ask about it, go ahead and ask," Sasuke grumbled as he opened his eyes. "I'm getting tired of you staring at it whenever you get the chance."

Naruto considered feigning ignorance, but he somehow knew Sasuke wouldn't buy it, so he asked, "How'd you get it?"

"I got a really bad sepsis infection when I was twelve," Sasuke answered. "The infection spread from my blood to my Chakra Network, and it became infected. After I recovered, this thing showed up, and it hasn't gone away since."

"A Chakra Infection, huh?" Naruto said as he leaned against the side of his tub and looked at Sasuke. "People rarely survive that and a sepsis infection. You must've been lucky."

"That's what Orochimaru likes to say," Sasuke grumbled.

"Orochimaru?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded, "He's been investigating the Curse Marks for years apparently. He still doesn't know what causes the Chakra Infection, and he can't figure out why some people who have had Chakra Infections come out unscathed while some of us get a Curse Mark. It's all just one unanswered mystery that probably won't get solved."

Naruto eyed Sasuke for a moment, "Does it do anything?"

Naruto noticed Sasuke's hesitation. He thought to drop the issue, but Sasuke answered, "It affects my genealogy if it activates. I don't really know how to explain it very well, but it affects the DNA and your brain. If it activates, you become this…monster, for lack of a better word. It's Hell."

"I know what that feels like," Naruto muttered.

Silence fell between them. After a few minutes passed, both Naruto and Sasuke climbed out of their ice baths. Naruto pulled off his shirt and wrung the water out of it while Sasuke pulled off his socks and walked over to the wall nearest the door where robes were hung up. As Sasuke stripped down, Naruto joined him and did the same.

"The Suppressant Tape," Sasuke spoke up as he pulled on a robe and tied it around his waist, "how does it feel?"

"Horrible," Naruto admitted as he picked up his wet clothes and dropped them in a small laundry bin. He scanned his Aide against the screen on top of it and watched as the conveyer belt it was on began to move and take the basket towards the back. "It feels like it dulls all your senses, and then it attacks your core and just drains you. It's exhausting just to wear the stuff."

"So the other day when we fought," Sasuke did the same as Naruto with his clothes, "you weren't near your full potential?"

"Nowhere near it," Naruto confessed as he walked out the room with Sasuke. "I was at ten percent at best, five if we're speaking realistically. Trust me, I wish we could've had a serious fight, but I'm required to wear the Suppressant Tape when we're training. If I try and use Chakra without the tape on, my brother and I could get in trouble with Grand Marshal Sarutobi."

"Hm."

Naruto shrugged, "Maybe when my brother and I are trusted residents of Eden, they'll stop looking at us as walking death carriers and start treating us like human beings. In the meantime, we're nothing more than individuals to be monitored."

"I'm sure they'll lighten up eventually," Sasuke said. "If you prove yourself useful, then I'm sure Grand Marshal Sarutobi will grant some leniency over time."

"Probably," Naruto muttered. "It'll explain why my father didn't receive a punishment we thought he'd get for hiding our mother and us."

"Like I said, prove yourself useful, and you'll be granted some leniency," Sasuke reiterated.

After that, Naruto and Sasuke made their way into the locker room and showered. They didn't say a word to one another as they finished up, and both went to the lockers that held their things. They both put on the standard sweats issued to them by the academy, and once they were dressed, they headed out the locker room together.

"Say, Sasuke," Naruto scanned his Aide and exited out of the facility, "you should sit with us at dinner tonight?"

"Huh?" Sasuke scanned his Aide and exited as well. "What makes you think I want to eat with you now just because you and I had a conversation?"

Naruto chuckled, "Because you don't hate me as much as you did before that conversation."

"I never hated you," Sasuke argued.

"Really?" Naruto teased. "So if you didn't hate me, then that means you liked me."

"I tolerated you," Sasuke countered and couldn't help but crack a bit of a smile at Naruto's reaction.

"Ah," Naruto cut Sasuke off, "you smiled! I didn't know you could do that. Did it hurt?"

"I didn't smile," Sasuke lied. "Plus, I have to go to my evaluation tonight, so I won't be eating here tonight."

"Well, eat with us tomorrow night," Naruto said as Sasuke walked past him.

"We aren't friends," Sasuke called.

"But we can be," Naruto called and watched as Sasuke wandered off. Naruto smiled a bit at the headway he'd made with Sasuke. It wasn't much, but he considered it enough of a start.

Later that evening, as Headmaster Senju had mentioned to Kakashi, she met with the instructors of Elemental Academy after dinner.

"All right, everyone," Tsunade removed her glasses and wore a warm smile for the faculty and staff of Elemental Academy, "our first week back was more successful than I could've hoped. Before we proceed with this meeting, I just want to thank each and every one of you for transitioning so flawlessly and encouraging participation in the new system."

"About that," Asuma stood from his seat, "a lot of students are complaining about their inability to accept assignments right now. I thought you said that this system would go into effect on Friday?"

"Ah, right." Tsunade nodded before standing. She gestured for Asuma to sit, and once he did, she cleared her throat, "That's part of the reason why I asked for this meeting so last minute. Not only did I want to discuss the progress of the students, but I have a proposition."

There was a low murmur from the staff, but once Tsunade raised her hand, they fell silent.

"I realize that a lot of the students here have never really faced real combat," Tsunade began, "so I want to do a practical exam for every level of this academy on varying degrees. I understand that our student body is extensive, so it will take some time to get through these exams, but I do believe it's necessary. Because you see, a student can perform well in controlled environments and earn perfect scores, but when it comes to the real thing, they may perform just as well as the lowest performing student here if not lower."

"So what do you recommend?" Kakashi questioned.

"As I said before, the practical exams will be different depending on classes, but I already have an exam in mind for the Alpha Class students," Tsunade explained. "Seeing as Alpha Class is comprised of our best students with promising – and hopefully guaranteed – futures in the Elite Special Forces, I believe they should undergo an exam similar to what new recruits of the Elite Special Forces have to pass before being accepted."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Anko asked. "I mean, if they pass the exam, then a lot of them are just going to demand that they be named Hunters and Huntresses with the Elite Special Forces."

"Not exactly," Tsunade argued. "I want them to undergo a week in Momobami Forest."

There was stunned silence from every instructor, but Kakashi shot up from his seat and slammed his hands against the desk in front of him, "Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm sorry?" Tsunade genuinely seemed confused by Kakashi's question.

"The Momobami Forest has been a restricted area for nearly twenty years," Kakashi explained. "It's not nicknamed 'The Hundred Devouring Forest' for nothing, Headmaster Senju. If we send our students there, they won't survive."

"I understand the concern, but it's necessary," Tsunade countered. "Elemental Academy prides itself on producing exceptional students, and Alpha Class is supposed to produce students better than the exceptional students. I'm simply holding Alpha Class to the expected standard."

Anko stood and let out an incredulous chuckle, "You can't be serious? Headmaster Senju, they stopped using the Momobami Forest twenty years ago because they lost nearly an entire recruitment class that year."

"I'm aware," Tsunade responded. "That was the year I was proctoring, and I'm sure many of you don't know this, but that was Minato's recruitment class. He's one of the few that survived that week."

There was an uncomfortable silence now as all the instructors there remembered the stories about the Elite Special Forces infamous "Sacrificial Class." One hundred and twenty-five recent graduates of Elemental Academy and Haven Academy – Elemental Academy's sister school – had made it to the final phase of recruitment exams when they were taken to Momobami Forest. Back then, recruits were left in the Momobami Forest for a week, and at any point and time, a recruit was allowed to leave if they felt they were unable to survive the week, and usually close to seventy-five percent of a recruitment class would drop out before the fourth day. Unfortunately, during the year of the "Sacrificial Class," they never made it past the third day. An abnormal Terror had appeared and gone on a rampage in the middle of the night, and before sunset on the second day, one hundred of the students had perished, and the remaining twenty-five were escorted out. After that, Grand Marshal Sarutobi along with the other Grand Marshals declared Momobami Forest a restricted zone and made it off-limits for Hunters and Huntresses alike.

"With all this nonsense going on with abnormal Terrors and hordes, are you sure you want to throw our students into The Hundred Devouring Woods?" Anko questioned. "Headmaster Senju, I don't mean any disrespect when I say this, but this idea is absolutely insane. You'll be sending those kids to their death."

Tsunade was completely unphased with the arguments of Kakashi and Anko. She let out a heavy sigh and laced her fingers together in front of her, "If you lack faith in your students Mitarashi-sensei, Hatake-sensei, then let me know now so I can find suitable replacements for the two of you."

"Excuse me?" Anko visibly flared up, and Kakashi placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi had his eyes fixed on Tsunade, "I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't question my faith in my students, Headmaster Senju. With all the lives that have been claimed in the Momobami Forest, along with the unexplained abnormal behavior of Terrors recently, I can't help but be concerned for the safety of my students seeing as the Elite Special Forces seem to be struggling with the way things are."

Tsunade shrugged, "If things become too dangerous, then we'll end the exam early. However, I stand firm in wanting Alpha Class to undergo this exam, and I've already submitted the request with Grand Marshal Sarutobi to reopen Momobami Forest for this exam. He's discussing it with the other Grand Marshals as we speak, and it appears that the Headmaster of Haven Academy is in agreeance with the idea and would like to send his students here to participate in the exam as well."

"What? The aristocrats of Haven Academy are actually going to come down to Earth? I doubt they'll do that without putting up a fight," Anko scoffed as she plopped down into her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "Haven Academy and Elemental Academy haven't done anything together in decades."

"Times are changing, Mitarashi-sensei," Tsunade said with a smile. "When things are approved, and the details are finalized, I'd like to make a formal announcement to Alpha Class. If we're lucky, we can do the exam in two weeks. As for the rest of you, I am working closely with the Shadow Council of Eden to think of suitable practical exams for your classes. Hopefully, by the end of the week, everything will be situated and organized, and we can begin practical exams for everyone as soon as possible."

There was another series of low murmuring from the instructors, and Tsunade simply smiled. Kakashi reluctantly took a seat, and he couldn't help but feel the deepening pit of worry settled in his stomach.

"Moving on," Tsunade spoke up as she looked down at her table, "regarding the results of some of the students from Zeta Class. They're slightly under what I would like for Zeta Class, so I would like to implement some training regiment changes to hopefully increase these numbers for next week."

The meeting carried on with Headmaster Senju wanting to make minor adjustments to training regiments here and there, along with pitching possible ideas for practical exams for the remaining classes. Meanwhile, the instructors of Alpha Class could barely focus on the remainder of the meeting. The idea of their students entering the Momobami Forest terrified many of them because they'd heard the stories from their parents and grandparents who'd been through "Hell Week" there. Many of their parents had gone through Hell Week in the Momobami Forest, and the stories alone were enough to give them nightmares when they were kids, so they could only imagine what kind of trauma their students would face when – no if – they survived.

When Tsunade had adjourned the meeting, Kakashi had thought to approach Headmaster Senju and plead with her to reconsider, but he knew that there was nothing he could say or do to convince her otherwise. For a moment, he thought to approach Grand Marshal Sarutobi directly, but he was hesitant because a part of him was hopeful that he had more sense than to reopen the Momobami Forest, but another part felt that he would open them.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi snapped out of his train of thought and saw all the Alpha Class instructors had stayed behind while everyone else, including Headmaster Senju, had left. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry. I spaced out for a second."

"What are we going to do?" Kurenai questioned. "Our kids are strong, but they're not strong enough to face the Momobami Forest on their own."

"She's right," Might Guy, the usually boisterous and energetic one, seemed to appear the most worried out of all of them there. "We've heard almost every story that's come out of that forest, and there's no way that our students are prepared for something like that. Many of them haven't even gone through a full year as members of Alpha Class yet."

"And our class is changing," Anko added. "With Headmaster Senju's new system, several of our students didn't meet her requirements and were dropped down to Beta Class while some moved up, which means we have brand new students we've never taught before. From what we've heard of the Momobami Forest, that place is almost the size of Eden, if not larger."

"And it's been years since any Hunter or Huntress has gone in there," Tanaka Samui mentioned. "There's no telling how many Terrors are going to be wandering around in there, and if they've been left unattended for so long, there's no telling how large some of them have gotten, especially with all these abnormalities and changes going on with them right now."

"Grand Marshal Sarutobi wouldn't approve something like this, would he?" Anko questioned, and everyone suddenly turned to Asuma.

Asuma let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know. A part of me wants to believe that my father wouldn't put our students in danger like this, but if he feels it's necessary to test their true strength, then there's a strong possibility that this may happen."

"If that's the case, we need to make some adjustments to the training regiment," Kakashi added, and everyone looked at him. "My father stressed the importance of teamwork when it comes to Momobami Forest. Even though the proctors would stress the importance of individual performance, your chances of survival nearly tripled if you teamed up."

"They don't start team training until after they're accepted into the Elite Special Forces," Anko explained. "Sure, we do the basics, but nothing specialized like combos and all of that."

"So we change that," Kakashi argued. "We'll set them up into three-man cells like they did with us when we entered into the Elite Special Forces. We have all of their new data gathered after this week, we can run the numbers and group them together based on their abilities and various capabilities like what they're capable of doing with mana, their fighting styles, their weapons of choice, and even their written exams and previous practical exams."

"Will this work?" Guy questioned. "A lot of them are still too immature to even think about working in teams."

"We'll just have to stress the importance of this then," Kakashi said. "If we want our kids to survive a week in the Momobami Forest, they're going to have to trust us and make the right adjustments."

Anko let out a heavy sigh, "Fine. We're going to be up all night if we want to get a head start on all of this."

"Let's get to work then," Asuma suggested.

With that, the instructors of Alpha Class made their way out of the main administration building and headed towards Genesis. That night, the instructors pulled together all of the information of Alpha Class' two hundred and fifty-two students and began pouring over each individual students capabilities. While many of them poured over his information, Kakashi worked alongside a few others to begin reconfiguring Alpha Class' training regiment, and by the time Monday morning came, they had the basics laid out.

Throughout the week while they further solidified the new training regiment and figured out the three-man cells, the instructors worked day and night tirelessly to ensure that their students were able to handle the trials and tribulations of Momobami Forest. And, through the week, the instructors couldn't help but worry over the possibility of their students facing a horror they'd never faced head-on and worried about the possibility of not seeing some of their students again.

When Sunday rolled around again, an unbearable pit weighed on the instructors' stomachs as Headmaster Senju called for Alpha Class to assemble on Sunday evening after dinner. None of them had heard anything from Headmaster Senju directly, but they didn't need to, they knew what was about to happen, and luckily they'd been preparing for their students.

"Good evening," Tsunade addressed the entirety of Alpha Class, "I would like to apologize in advance for calling you all here on such short notice. I know many of you are looking forward to getting some rest before tomorrow, but this evening's announcement is important, and I thought it best that I deliver this news to you directly."

"We didn't do anything, did we?" Menma questioned as he looked at Naruto.

Naruto shrugged, "Not that I'm aware of."

Sakura stifled a laugh, and both Naruto and Menma did their best not to grin.

"In two weeks, Alpha Class will be undergoing a practical exam," Tsunade announced, and all the instructors visibly turned pale. "For one week, you all will be required to survive in the Momobami Forest."

"The Momobami Forest?" Ino repeated, and many of the students were noticeably confused. When Ino looked over towards Shikamaru, she could see the furrow of his brow, "Shikamaru? What is it?"

"Is she trying to kill us?" Shikamaru questioned aloud.

Tsunade smiled a bit, "I see. Many of you aren't aware of what the Momobami Forest is. Well, allow me to explain." She cleared her throat and began to slowly walk the length of the stage, "The Momobami Forest is located a few hundred miles East of Eden. It used to serve as the final testing site for recruits of the Elite Special Forces, but twenty years ago, an unfortunate incident occurred where one hundred recruits of a recruitment class of one hundred and twenty-five were killed by an abnormal Terror. A popular nickname for this forest is 'The Hundred Devouring Forest.'"

"Why would she want us to participate in an exam in a place called 'The Hundred Devouring Forest?'" Sakura complained. "It's like she wants us to die."

"Do not fret," Tsunade said, "you all will be closely monitored twenty-four seven while undergoing your exam. If your Aide remains intact, all of your vitals will be monitored, and if it's noted that you are in a dire situation, either an Alpha Class Instructor or soldier with the Elite Special Forces will enter and pull you out of the Momobami Forest. On top of this, provisions will be air dropped into the Momobami Forest three times a day, and these provisions will range from first aid kits to ammo and food. All that is expected of you during this week in the Momobami Forest is that you survive."

"With rules that simple, a week in the Momobami Forest isn't going to be easy," Kiba murmured as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I wish you all the best of luck during your practical exam," Tsunade said. "On the morning of the exam, you will be required to be in front of the Hub fully packed with what you feel will be instrumental to your survival that week."

"What will we be graded on?" a student called out and asked.

"Everything," Tsunade answered. "Your grading begins that morning when your bags are checked, and it's noted what you packed. And once you arrive in the forest, the number of Terrors you kill, along with your combat abilities and survival skills will be scored as well. If you are pulled out early because of life-threatening injuries, this will also reflect in your scores. You can earn points, and you can lose points, so I recommend you act wisely while in the woods because every situation should be treated as a matter of life or death. If you take this exam lightly, I can guarantee that you will not survive."

The was a deafening silence in the room now.

"As I said before, I wish you the best of luck," Tsunade reiterated. "You're all dismissed."

"With that in mind, is it possible to opt out of the examed?" Ino questioned as she stood up with Shikamaru and Chouji. "I really don't want to risk my life during a stupid practical exam."

"I doubt the consequences of opting out of this kind of exam are going to be light," Shikamaru suggested. "Not only that, Uncle Inoichi might not like the idea of you trying to back out of an exam."

Menma stood with Naruto and Sakura and filtered into the aisle, "A week in the Momobami Forest, huh? Has Dad ever mentioned the place?"

"Not really," Naruto responded. "I think Okaa-chan mentioned it once, but then Otou-san got this look on his face that I've never seen before, and that stopped the whole conversation. Okaa-chan moved onto something else like it was nothing."

"That's probably because your parents were a part of the 'Sacrificial Class,'" Sakura commented.

"The 'Sacrificial Class?'" Menma repeated. "Wait, is that the nickname of the recruitment class that Senju just mentioned?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah. After that, they closed those woods off, and no one has been allowed into them since."

"You need to opt out of the exam."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder and saw Neji had caught up with Hinata. He could see the conflicted expression on Hinata's face while Neji's face was one of genuine concern.

"Your Chakra Deficiency still isn't under control, and it's not going to be safe for you to be in a place like that," Neji explained. "What are you going to do if you run out of Chakra and you're caught off guard by a Terror?"

"If I opt out of the exam, I may lose my spot here in Alpha Class, and I'll never hear the end of it from Father," Hinata argued.

"I think he would much rather have you alive rather than risking your life because of some practical exam," Neji countered. "Lady Hinata, I understand that you want to prove yourself to Uncle Hiashi, but you need to consider your circumstance and do the logical thing. At least promise me that you'll consider opting out of the exam."

Hinata pursed her lips together. She sighed and nodded, "I'll think about it."

Neji let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

"Something like this would be unrealistic for Hinata to participate in," Sakura murmured. "With her Chakra Deficiency, she probably wouldn't survive past the first day."

"Senju didn't mention anything about the repercussions of opting out of the exam," Menma mentioned. "Maybe they're not as dire as everyone thinks it'll be."

"Realistically speaking, you'll probably be dropped from Alpha Class if you opt out of this exam," Sakura suggested. "And I don't blame anyone here for being worried about losing their place. Alpha Class has privileges and prestige you don't get in Beta Class. No one wants to drop down, so they're not going to risk the possibility of it."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh, "I suppose this exam'll reveal a lot about some of the students here then. If there's the looming threat of failing and being dropped to Beta Class, some students may take desperate measures to ensure their place."

"Desperate measures like what?" Sakura asked.

Menma shrugged, "Humans are constantly desperate to survive and strive. If they're threatened in either one of those, they'll do what they can to ensure their place no matter what it takes. With that in mind, I suggest you be just as cautious of your classmates as you are of the Terrors we'll be facing in there."

"Hey."

Naruto and Menma stopped and saw Gaara standing nearby with Temari and Kankuro at his sides. The expression on Gaara's face was enough to make things clear for Naruto and Menma, and Menma nodded.

"Say, Sakura," Menma looked at her, "we'll see you tomorrow."

"Hm? Sure, see you tomorrow." Sakura watched as Naruto and Menma walked up to Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara before wandering away from the crowd.

Together, Kankuro, Temari, Gaara, Naruto, and Menma made their way to the academy's temple located a few miles away from Genesis. Considering the time of night, it was empty, and therefore the ideal spot for the lot of them to sit and talk, because it was the only place on the academy's ground that wasn't monitored.

"So," Menma sat down in a pew and propped his feet up on the pew in front of him, "what're we meeting about?"

"How much Suppressor Tape do you have?" Kankuro asked as he leaned against a row of pews and crossed his arms.

"A lot," Naruto answered as he took a seat on the steps to the altar. He leaned back against the steps, and he saw Gaara take a seat in the front pew with Temari taking a seat beside him, "Do you need it?"

"If we're going to go into Momobami Forest, then we can't run the risk of Gaara letting…him out," Temari explained.

"You mean Shukaku?" Menma said aloud and saw the way Temari cut her eyes at him. "Everyone knows that they're not allowed to put any kind of cameras or recording equipment up inside buildings dedicated to religious faith. We can say whatever the Hell – whoops, sorry Lord Hagoromo – about anything."

Gaara let out a heavy sigh, "I can only maintain Shukaku in low-stress situations, but with a practical exam in Momobami Forest, it's going to be a high-stress situation, and that'll complicate things for me. I won't be able to control Shukaku long, and I'll ultimately expose myself if I don't have any kind of preparation to prevent that."

"Are you sure?" Menma asked. "Suppressor Tape is a nightmare, and from the sound of things, you're going to want to be on high alert if you want to survive Momobami Forest."

"I don't have proper training like you two," Gaara confessed. "Shukaku was implanted in me when I was born, and he's been Hell on me all of my life. It wasn't until we got here that Shukaku stopped trying to take over my body, but I don't know what's going to happen once we get into Momobami Forest."

"Don't worry," Kankuro spoke up, "we'll do everything we can to stay by Gaara's side and keep him at bay, but we decided that the Suppressor Tape would be an added benefit."

Menma and Naruto shared a look.

"I can give you some of mine," Naruto offered, "but I'm warning you now, you're going to hate it."

"I'd hate losing control even more," Gaara added. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, "You're welcome."

To Be Continued…