Orochimaru stood outside of the gates to the Forest of Death, leaning against the sign that read 'Forest of Death,' with a booklet in his hands. The pale Sannin had his eyes narrowed as he scanned the contents of the book before he sensed someone landing before him. "You know, you kind of look like Kakashi in that pose." Orochimaru smiled evilly and chuckled as he snapped the book shut, seeing his former student: Anko, standing across from him. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm on specific orders from Danzo-sama. I'm supposed to go into the Forest of Death during the second stage and find a few new…recruits, for my projects." Anko narrowed her eyes on her former sensei. "You're the proctor for said exam aren't you? That must be a big responsibility for you. To think not too long ago you were just that little girl who I took as my student. You remember your initiation don't you?"
"Kill the other two students," Anko replied with an even tone, keeping her eyes dead on her sensei. She didn't even dare to blink while in his presence. "What type of experiments are you testing for?"
"Oh you know, just the basics. New jutsus, ways to enhance one's capabilities, curse marks…" Anko tensed at the last two words. Orochimaru simply chuckled, knowing he struck a nerve with his former student. "Danzo wanted me to tell you that I may be taking a few of the second stage Genin out of the exam to benefit me. That's not a problem is it?" Anko stepped towards her former sensei until she stood deathly close in front of him. Orochimaru simply continued smiling while Anko looked him dead in the eye.
"If you do anything with my students, if you so much as touch a hair on their heads, I'll make sure you pay. I don't care if you're Danzo's personal crony, you hurt Sakura, Zaku, or Dosu I'll find a way to make you suffer. Got it?"
Orochimaru closed his eyes and chuckled with amusement. The Sannin snapped his eyes open, gazing deep into Anko's. The Jonin suddenly fell to her knees, the air around her growing heavy. Anko reached back and placed a hand over her throbbing curse mark. Orochimaru knelt down and stroked Anko's cheek soothingly.
"Dear Anko, it seems you've forgotten my hold over you. You could never hurt me in this lifetime. Although I'd like to see you try, even if you got close to it, my curse mark will make sure that you stay down." Anko scowled, attempting to bite her sensei's hand. Orochimaru quickly pulled his cold hand away, chuckling with amusement before standing up. "Danzo gave me direct orders to oversee the Forest of Death during the second stage. If you do anything to stop the Exams, you'll have to speak with him, not me." Anko drew in a quick breath, feeling the pressure of her curse mark released. The Jonin stood up, glaring daggers at Orochimaru. "Still, your students don't interest me anymore. That Abumi boy had potential at one point, but he lost it, same with Dosu. But…that leaves Sakura Haruno on your team. Perhaps she has potentials I could unlock…" Anko grinned then started laughing. Orochimaru turned with a faint look of curiosity in his eyes. "What's so funny?"
"If I try to stop the second stage or mess with you I'll have to deal with Danzo right? Who do you think you'll have to deal with if you so much as touch Sakura?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed a bit, his golden eyes glinting. Anko looked directly into her sensei's eyes. "Go ahead and try to mess with her. I dare you." Orochimaru scoffed, a smirk crossing his lips once again.
"You're a cocky little sport aren't you?" The Sannin turned around then started to walk away from Anko. "We'll just see where the Exams go, shall we?" With that, the sinister Sannin vanished from sight. Anko glared at the empty space before turning back around.
In the Forest of Death, Sakura, Zaku, and Dosu raced through the treetops at full speed. "Man, that test sucked," Zaku exclaimed. "Glad that blonde kid yelled at the proctor and got all of us to pass, otherwise I think I would've failed us."
"That doesn't surprise me," Dosu murmured. Sakura's eyes seemed distant, something her teammates noticed. "What's wrong Sakura?" The pink haired kunoichi blinked then looked over at her comrades.
"It's just…does anyone else find it weird that Anko sensei handed just both a heaven and earth scroll?" And image flashed through everyone's mind of when Anko pulled them aside and gave the trio both a heaven and earth scroll.
"She wanted us to pass," Zaku replied, "big deal right? We get to pass and head to the third stage. I'm not complaining. Besides, it's not the first time Anko sensei let us slip under the radar right?"
"Maybe not, but she knows that if she's caught that the punishment could mean she would be stripped of her status or even killed depending on Danzo's mood," Dosu said. "And Anko wouldn't want us to just slip through the cracks on something this important. I gotta agree with Sakura: something's up."
"Anko sensei said we should wait a couple of days before showing up to avoid suspicion, so we should find a small isolated spot to camp out."
"Are you kidding," Zaku snapped. "We should be jumping from place to place. Screw hiding in one spot. We don't know if any of those other ninjas are tracker ninjas or not. We can't take our chances of being ambushed at night and killed."
"Or worse…for some of us…" Sakura narrowed her eyes on Dosu. The hunched over boy averted his eye, whistling innocently.
"Yeah, ha-ha, I could get raped. I'd like to see somebody try it."
"Hey, I just thought of something! What if we run into Hinata's team? We could totally beat the crap out of them!"
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, slamming her fist into her opposite palm.
"Hey, I'm for that as much as the next guy, but maybe we should wait that out. Three on three aren't exactly fair odds in this case. I'd rather take on those three separately."
"Oh you killjoy," Zaku muttered. The three Genin shot through the treetops, towards the center of the forest.
Hinata, Sasuke, and Shino were already in a small clearing in the forest, having a camp set up. "I think we should be looking for a scroll first," Sasuke said, glaring up at Hinata.
"Please, we're the most skilled team in the entire forest. Besides, we've got the plan worked out right? As soon as some idiotic goons show up, we'll spring the trap. Shino, have your little scouts found said goons?"
"Not yet," Shino replied. "It would probably help if we moved deeper into the forest. Most of the other teams wanted to get as close to the tower as possible. That way once they get two scrolls they won't have to make such a long trek through the forest."
"Yeah, but if we head deeper into the forest, then we have to dismantle the other trap we set up at the end of camp, and reassemble it wherever we go next. It's just easier to wait for some idiot to come to us."
In the treetops above, three Genin watched the Konoha team. "The fools," one of them whispered.
"Find that trap, and take them out," a second one whispered.
"Found them," Shino whispered. Sasuke stood up, looking into the treetops.
"Bring them out," the Uchiha ordered. "I feel like having a little warm up to get my blood flowing." Shino nodded once. Without a single movement from the Aburame boy, three Genin shot out of the treetops, being thrown to the ground by swarms of bugs. The Genin landed with a heavy thud. Hinata crossed her arms and pouted.
"Man, and I really wanted to do my plan," the Hyuga heiress stated. Sasuke cracked his knuckles as he approached the Genin from Takigakure.
"Get ready," one Genin shouted. The three pulled out different weapons: one a short blade, the other a ball and chain, and the third two curved sickles.
"Can I play too," Hinata asked with an eager smile on her face.
"Sure, just stay out of my way though," Sasuke replied.
"What about you Shino?"
"I'll sit this one out," the boy replied, staring at the Taki Genin.
"I call the two on the right," Hinata shouted, shooting forward. Sasuke huffed then vanished in a blur.
Hinata sprung forward and twirled to the side as the boy with the short blade attempted to strike her. The Hyuga heiress slid across the ground while the boy with the sickles charged. Hinata smirked then stepped back, ducking and weaving under each strike. Hinata finally threw her hand upward, knocking one of the weapons out of the boy's hand. The boy gasped with shock as he looked at Hinata who grinned as she thrusted her palm forward, striking the boy in the center of the chest with a small burst of chakra blowing out of his back. The boy froze for a moment before he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He fell onto his knees, then on his side in a lifeless heap. Hinata smirked as she looked down at the boy, shaking her hand out a bit. The second boy screamed with rage as he swung at Hinata's head. The Hyuga heiress ducked then struck the boy in the hip, dislocating his leg and fracturing the bone. The boy cried out with pain then fell on his back.
Sasuke pulled his head back as the ball weight on the chain flew by, narrowly missing his nose. The Uchiha threw his leg up, catching it on the chain. The other Genin smirked then pulled back on the chain, bringing Sasuke towards him. The Konoha Genin huffed then slammed his hands into the ground to slow himself down. Sasuke then threw his leg forward, connecting his foot with the boy's face. The Taki Genin flew backwards. Sasuke pulled his leg forward, slipping it through the chain before the boy even hit the ground.
"Is that all you've got," Sasuke asked with a bored tone.
The boy growled angrily before twirling the chain above his head. He threw the weight forward, and the ball shattered like glass. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit as sharp arrows of water shot towards him. The young Uchiha quickly made a series of hand signs then exhaled a wave of fire, which evaporated the water arrows. Sasuke stopped his jutsu, then glared angrily at the now surprised boy across from him. The boy then smirked then jumped back, spinning his chain around again.
"Not bad, but let's see you stop this! Water style: Acid Rain!"
The boy threw the second weight high into the air. He clasped his hands together with the chain in the middle, and funneled his chakra towards the weight. The metal ball exploded above Sasuke, raining down hundreds of tiny droplets of water. Sasuke narrowed his eyes then quickly rushed towards the other Genin. The drops of water started pelting the dirt, sizzling and smoking upon impact. Sasuke moved faster, but a few drops hit him regardless. The boy cried out with pain as the acid burned through his clothes and skin, and then screamed with agony as he soon melted away.
The Taki Genin chuckled to himself before spinning his chain around his arms. The boy turned around with a smile, but gasped when he saw Sasuke glaring back at him. The Uchiha struck his opponent before the other could strike. The Genin landed in a puddle of acid, then began screaming and writhing in pain as his own jutsu started to eat away at him. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and huffed again before walking away, leaving his opponent to die.
Hinata was sitting on the only living enemy, who was now tied up with his hands behind his back. "Bad news champ," Hinata replied, tossing an earth scroll to him. "They got the same scroll as us."
"Whatever," Sasuke replied, throwing the scroll back in the injured boy's face. "Let's just do your stupid idea. Maybe we can find someone who will fall for it."
"Sounds like a plan," Hinata replied, jumping off of the boy. "But what should we do about him?"
"Some wild animal will most likely come along and eat him," Shino said as he knelt down in front of the boy, "once they catch the scent of blood." Shino pulled out a kunai then cut the boy's cheek. The bug boy stood up then turned to his teammates. "Let's go." Hinata and Sasuke nodded and the three were off.
Less than a minute later, the Taki boy could hear the growling of a feral beast in the woods.
In a valley above the rebel's hideout, Zabuza stood in front of a tree with his arms crossed, watching Haku intently as he cried out and shouted as he swung around two katanas in his hands. Zabuza wore a black tank-top with his sword imbedded in the ground next to him, with Haku's shirt hanging from the handle. The black haired boy was sweating due to hours of practicing, and his hair fell down in strands from the sweat.
"Faster," Zabuza ordered. Haku stepped back, pulling both blades towards his body then struck forward quicker than before. "Good, now finish your opponent."
Haku stepped back two paces, one sword held straight up in front of him, and the other pulled back with the blade pointing forward. Haku charged forward and stabbed forward with one blade. The black haired boy pulled the blade back then swung the second sword sideways, spun around and swung with both swords. Haku then twirled the blades then made an X with them high above his head before slashing them both apart.
"Not bad," Zabuza admitted.
"NOT BAD? HE WAS GREAT!" Haku and Zabuza looked over, seeing someone pulled back into the bushes. There was some whispering and then silence. Zabuza glanced at Haku who chuckled nervously before sighing.
"I'll go deal with it," the boy said, walking towards the bush. During his approach, Haku sheathed his swords on his back before getting to the bush. Haku looked behind the plant, seeing Tenten and Ino squatting behind it, smiling sheepishly up at the boy.
"Hi," Ino replied with a quick wave.
"You two have got to stop this," Haku sighed out.
"Why can't we watch you train," Ino asked. Haku looked over at Tenten, who immediately held her hands up in defense.
"Don't look at me, I'm keeping an eye on her, not you."
"Oh you're so full of it Tenten! You said that nothing turns you on more than a man who knows how to handle weapons!" The brunette blushed and glared at Ino while Haku groaned with frustration.
"Listen, can you two please just leave me alone right now? Zabuza-sama doesn't like people watching or interrupting our training sessions."
"Fine," Ino replied with an exaggerated sigh. The two kunoichi stood up, looking over at Zabuza as they walked off. To their surprise the man didn't seem too horribly upset. Ino was bold enough to dare a wave towards the swordsmen. Zabuza simply nodded in response. The two girls then looked to each other and shrugged before walking out of sight.
"Please forgive that interruption Zabuza-sama," Haku replied as he spun around on his heels and bowed. "It won't happen again…I hope."
"It's fine," Zabuza answered, still looking down the trail the two girls walked down. "I'm surprised you're such a lady's man though Haku. Seeing as how you look like one to begin with…"
"Gee, thanks a lot," Haku replied sarcastically. Zabuza smirked under his mask then tossed Haku his shirt.
"Come on, break time." Haku smiled then put his shirt on as Zabuza pulled his sword out of the ground and placed it on his back.
The two walked through the forest towards a nearby stream. Haku looked up, seeing two birds flying through the trees, one chasing the other. The boy simply smiled as he watched the two animals play. Zabuza looked at his ward then followed his gaze up to the birds. It always amazed Zabuza how Haku managed to find beauty in some of the simplest things. Ever since they joined the rebels, Zabuza decided to be more lenient on Haku. He knew that by joining this group of renegades that it would put the tracker ninja from Kiri off his trail for awhile at least. Plus they had more allies to help them if the tracker ninja ever found them. The two finally arrived at the small stream. Haku quickly knelt down then splashed his face with water. The boy sighed with relief before shaking his head to get the water out of his hair. Zabuza simply walked knee high into the stream. Haku fell backwards, holding himself up by his hands.
"So…does this rogue group actually have a name," Haku asked. Zabuza turned his head around with a curious look in his eyes. "I'm just wondering. I mean I haven't heard an official title yet, and I figured due to your high status some of the leaders in this group have talked to you…"
"I haven't heard," Zabuza replied laughingly. Haku smirked in response as his master turned back around. "You think a name would make us more formidable?"
"It'd be better than: 'that one group of rogues,' wouldn't it?" Zabuza chuckled then shook his head. Haku took in a small breath as he looked up to the sky.
"OW," Naruto shouted before slapping his neck with an earth scroll. "Stupid bugs!"
"Shut up will ya," Kiba snarled. "We don't know who could be watching us right now! And don't use the scroll as a bug squasher!"
"Please! Between your nose, and his eyes, there's no way anyone could sneak up on us!" Naruto growled then swung the scroll at another bug buzzing around in his face.
"He's right," Neji stated casually. "However we should still be as quiet as possible."
"Alright," Naruto agreed quietly. "So what's the first order of business? Setting up camp right?"
"We should look for other teams first," Neji replied. "If we can find another team quickly enough and move onto the next round then there's no reason to set up a camp we won't use. Once it starts getting later towards the night we'll set up a camp. Kiba, you're the tracker of the team so you'll be on point. Naruto, you'll be taking the middle, and I the rear."
"Alright, let's head out," Kiba shouted before he and the rest of the team shot into the treetops. Kiba landed in a hunched over position, sniffing the air carefully. Naruto and Neji landed on either side of the young Inuzuka. Kiba's eyes scanned the entire area, as if to follow the trail of the scents. "Well…it smells like there are three or four teams nearby. I can hardly tell how strong their chakras are individually. It's all sort of a big blur to my nose."
"Well tell your nose to focus," Naruto snapped. "We don't want to run into someone with a crazy amount of chakra!"
"Says the Jinchuriki of the group," Kiba shot back smugly.
"He can't show his chakra to anyone," Neji sniped. "If he does then our cover is blown, and just about everyone in our group will kill us if we survive. Just pick the weakest scent of chakra and we'll scout them out." Kiba nodded then turned his head to the left, sniffing twice before his eyes snapped open with shock. "What is it?"
"An entire team of Genin was just…wiped out…"
"What," Naruto questioned. "Who did it?"
"I don't know," Kiba replied. "There's no chakra signature of any kind. In fact: there's no scent at all. It's like the team just…disappeared…"
"Maybe it's a technique of theirs," Neji suggested. "There are various types of countermeasures people have developed to outsmart tracker ninja."
"But how're they supposed to figure out someone's tracking them with their nose and not by sensing them with chakra," Kiba asked, his temper flaring a bit.
"I don't know, but regardless I don't like it either way. But I still don't think we should give into crazy superstitions like a ghost took out the Genin or something. Just pick the next team." Kiba sighed then turned his nose in the other direction and began sniffing.
"This way," the young Inuzuka said quietly. Kiba shot forward, followed by a worrying Naruto, and an unfazed Neji.
Deeper in the forest, a figure wearing nothing by a trench coat and mask, with short hair stood before three Genin corpses. In the figure's hand: a heaven scroll. "This should be good enough for now." The man let his hand fall by his side then vanished in the blink of an eye.
Sakura, Dosu, and Zaku landed in a clearing and looked at the surrounding area. Zaku groaned as he threw his head back and ran his hands through his hair in a rage. "Damn it! There were almost a hundred other people coming to the second stage! How freaking big is this forest!"
"Keep yelling and I think someone will find us," Dosu stated.
"GOOD! I want SOMEONE to find us! Someone to fight with or something to-,"
"Help, someone help me!" The three turned their heads to the sound of the voice. The bushes in said direction began to rustle a bit before Hinata came bursting out. "Help, oh help me he—oh damn it! It's you three!"
"Man, and I was ready to help some pretty woman," Zaku sighed, placing his hands on his hips while shaking his head. "And it turns out that it's just you."
"Oh stop it, you're gonna make me cry."
"I'll be: the ice princess can feel emotions other than pure feral bitchiness," Dosu snapped. Hinata frowned heavily while glaring at Dosu. "Why don't you run along with your other two teammates? I'm sure they'd love to brood while you bitch."
Suddenly, Shino appeared behind Zaku and Sasuke behind Dosu. Zaku ducked under Shino's strike, and then used the air tubes in his hands to launch himself back into the young Aburame. Shino cried out as Zaku slammed into him then smashed him between the boy and the ground. Zaku rolled back off of Shino and into a combat ready stance.
Dosu raised his arm to block Sasuke's kick. Unfortunately it wasn't the arm carrying his sound device. Dosu used his other hand to brace his arm, managing to hold his ground against Sasuke's strike. The young Uchiha placed his foot on the ground then shot back as Dosu swung his left arm. Sasuke slid across the ground and threw a pair of kunai. Dosu raised his arm, deflecting the shuriken off of his device.
"We don't have the scroll you're looking for," Sakura shouted, turning mainly towards Sasuke.
"Worry about yourself!" Sakura turned around to see Hinata right in her face. The pink haired kunoichi yanked her head back as Hinata's palm narrowly missed her face. Sakura swung her leg around, knocking Hinata's arm out of the way. The Hyuga heiress stumbled as Sakura came around then slammed her fist against Hinata's face. The young, blue haired girl cried out then stumbled away, rubbing the corner of her mouth a bit. Hinata looked at her blood that stained the back of her hand then glared up angrily at Sakura. "You're going to regret that bitch!" Hinata's Byakugan flared as she rushed forward.
"Great," Sakura muttered to herself.
The pink haired kunoichi sprung into the air as Hinata struck forward. Sakura smiled deviously as she pulled out a kunai, threw it past Hinata and cut a nearby rope. Hinata looked over with confusion before looking back up, seeing an entire tree falling straight down on her. Hinata snarled then thrusted her palm upward, striking the bottom of the massive log. Chakra quickly spearheaded its way through the wood, splitting it perfectly down the middle. Sakura landed on the inside of one of the halves of the log, running down it as she threw a kunai with a paper bomb at Hinata. The Hyuga heiress saw this with her Byakugan then quickly spun around.
"Rotation!" Hinata's chakra barrier ate away at the bottoms of the logs. The kunai struck the barrier and exploded. While the rotation saved Hinata from any damage, it interrupted her spinning. The chakra quickly faded away as Hinata spun around, facing Sakura as she closed in from the log.
Sakura threw four shuriken forward. Hinata held her stance, but simply moved her upper body back and forth between the throwing stars. Sakura pulled out another kunai, raising her arm up to her chest in preparation. Hinata thrusted her palm forward with a brief cry. Sakura flipped over Hinata, landing behind the Hyuga heiress before striding forward to take a swing at her. Hinata ducked, pivoted around Sakura then thrusted her fingers into Sakura's side. The kunoichi cried out, and was quickly engulfed in a cloud of smoke. Hinata's eyes widened with fury as a log appeared out of the smoke. Suddenly, a kunai with a paper bomb attached struck the wood with a dull 'thunk.' Hinata gasped before the bomb went off.
Sakura slid down the base of a nearby tree. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she looked up at the cloud of smoke. Hinata skidded out of the smoke, eyes focused directly on Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi couldn't help but fight the smirk that formed across her lips. Hinata merely glared at the annoying kunoichi.
Dosu flipped backwards as three kunai flew past his body. Still standing on his hand, Dosu looked up and saw Sasuke flashing in front of him. Dosu brought his lower body around, his feet barely skidding against the ground, before he threw both feet up at the young Uchiha's face. Sasuke pulled his head back. Dosu's feet narrowly missed Sasuke's nose. The young Uchiha grabbed Dosu's feet, spun around, and then hurled the boy across the clearing. Dosu landed on his hands, and quickly rolled forward into a bush. Sasuke walked towards the bush. A quick, thin, snapping noise was heard. Several rounds of kunai flew out of the bush and shot towards Sasuke. The young Uchiha growled as he jumped backwards, flipped back on his hands, sprung into the air, and landed on his feet. Sasuke threw his bangs out of his face, looking forward at the bush Dosu hid in and was shocked to see two more kunai coming at him. Sasuke raised his arms over his face to shield himself. One kunai struck in the boy's arm, and the second in his gut. Sasuke groaned and kneeled over in pain, quickly pulling the kunai out of his gut. He threw the knife to the side and looked up to see Dosu's fist moments before connecting to his face. Sasuke hit the ground face first. Dosu chuckled menacingly and raised his device up to the side of his head, then gently flicked it with his finger. A soft ringing sound moved through the air and into Sasuke's ears.
"One down," Dosu told himself. Sasuke quickly threw the other kunai, formerly stuck in his arm, at Dosu. The hunched over boy quickly raised his arm up and deflected the blade with the device. Dosu scowled as the sound his device emanated was distorted. 'Damn it!' Sasuke quickly flipped to his feet, keeping his stance calm. 'Don't tell me he knows hot to disrupt my jutsu? That's just my freaking luck…'
Zaku ducked under Shino's strike, then threw his fist forward. Shino pulled his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow before jabbing his fist towards Zaku's stomach. The young Abumi pulled his stomach back, gasping with a raspy tone. Shino huffed then threw his fist across Zaku's face. The boy stumbled around, before looking at Shino.
"Alright, you're annoying, you know that?" Shino made no response. Zaku sighed then shook his head. "Whatever, screw it."
The boy slammed his hands through the dirt, blasting air through the ground. Zaku quickly pulled his hands out of the ground, grabbed a kunai, and then threw the blade up in the air. Shino watched the blade, but cried out as the ground fell out beneath his feet. Shino hit the bottom of a pit with a grunt. The kunai Zaku threw, sliced through a rope to another log that fell towards the ground. Shino looked up, realizing that the size of the hole was large enough for the log to crush him. The log smashed into the pit, sending dust flying outward. Zaku simply rubbed the tip of his pinkie inside of his ear casually, then flicked the wax off before walking away. The boy stopped then looked back at the log sticking out of the hole in the ground.
"I swear, that is the most sexually suggestive trap in the world…" Suddenly, the log was being eaten by a swarm of black bugs. Zaku rolled his eyes and groaned. Shino soon jumped out of the pit, clothes slightly tattered and dirtied. Zaku and Shino simply looked at one another, the former looking rather casual. "Um…no hard feelings right?" Shino cried out as he threw his arm forward, millions of bugs shooting out of his sleeve. Zaku threw his hands forward, blasting the bugs back before he ran further back.
"They set up traps in this area," Shino shouted.
"We noticed," Hinata snapped, flipping backwards before two shuriken from Sakura threatened to strike her.
"Looks like we were the ones who walked into a trap," Sasuke stated.
"That's right little man," Dosu replied venomously. "And it's only gonna get worse!" The hunched over ninja got ready to charge, by he and Sasuke both were thrown back by a powerful gust of wind.
Zaku and Shino looked over upon hearing the wind, but they both jumped apart when a strange, repetitive clicking noise was heard. A bizarre creature in a black, tattered cloak threw six arms outward, launching four kunai in Shino and Zaku's directly. Zaku used his slicing sound wave to stop the blades, while Shino used his bugs to do the same.
Sakura looked past Hinata, eyes filled with shock and confusion. The Hyuga heiress found no need to turn around before she sprung forward next to Sakura. The two kunoichi looked dead ahead, seeing a wave of sand pulling backwards and into the gourd of a short boy with red hair, along with his two partners: a woman with blonde hair and four pony tails, and a boy wearing all black and face paint.
"Oh great," Sakura muttered, looking over to her side instinctively. Hinata returned the glance and the two quickly sprung away from one another. Hinata got ready to strike, but another wave of sand flying towards her captured her attention. The Hyuga heiress sprung into the air and landed on a tree branch.
"It's rude to interrupt a lady," Hinata snapped. "Especially when she's fighting!" The redheaded boy simply moved his eyes up at Hinata. "Go away and we'll deal with you and your team next little boy!"
"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with," the taller boy in black stated. "Apparently you've never heard of Gaara of the Desert." Sasuke's eyes snapped towards the redhead, while Hinata and Sakura looked in shock at the boy.
"The Land of Wind's Jinchuriki," Hinata questioned. "In the freaking Chunin Exams? AGAINST ME? Could life get any better?" Hinata jumped down and landed on the ground, a devious smirk crossing her lips. "If I defeat a Jinchuriki, just image how much honor and glory that'll bring to my clan."
"Don't you mean: 'how much honor and glory you'll get'," Dosu asked.
"Either or," Hinata replied with a casual shrug. "Defeating a Jinchuriki could give me my own title! Like the Blood Red Beast, or Kakashi the Silver Fang!"
"Yeah, you could be Hinata the bitchy," Zaku shouted.
"Or Hinata the arrogant," Dosu added.
"SHUT UP! Sasuke, Shino, you two back me up. No telling if Gaara's little friends will help or not."
"I do not need their assistance to deal with six insects," Gaara stated in a quiet and cold tone. "Stay out of this Kankuro, Temari."
"You've gotta be kidding me," Kankuro snapped. "That one bitch is obviously a Hyuga, and there's no telling what the others are capable of!"
"Stay out of my way," Gaara repeated, his tone slightly more dangerous. Kankuro scowled then stepped away. "If you wish to fight me I will kill every last one of you."
"Bring it on," Hinata replied with a cocky smirk.
"Whoa, wait, she doesn't speak for us," Zaku shouted.
"Yeah, taking on a Jinchuriki is way down on my to-do—WHOA!" The two boys dove apart as two giant hands of sand threatened to grab them. "Damn it, now we're in this fight too!"
"Deal with it," Sakura shouted. "I want to be the one to take little miss prissy Hyuga down, not some…Jinchuriki…" Sakura turned to her two partners then screamed; "this is a stupid idea!"
"Agreed," Zaku replied before running towards the edge of the clearing. Suddenly, Temari sprung forward, standing between Zaku and freedom. "Oh crap!" The girl swung her fan quicker than Zaku could raise his hands up, throwing the boy back into the center of the clearing. "I take it we're not going anywhere…"
"Then you'll die," Gaara stated, his sand once again moving outward. Zaku rolled onto his hands then shot back as the sand smashed a hole in the ground.
Anko was knelt down in front of three Genin corpses, inspecting them curiously. "Anko-san," a voice called out. The Jonin turned her head as a squad of ANBU landed around her. "We got your message…is this what we're supposed to inspect?"
"Yeah. These three Genin were killed, but look around the area." The ANBU scanned the surrounding, enclosed area. "They were completely surrounded by trees, which would mean there is little to no chance that a normal Genin team found them. And there's no sign of a struggle. There's no way any team of kids could track these three, find them in this closed off area, and sneak up on them. And look at the corpses: there are no wounds or anything. And I checked the bodies and there's no internal bleeding as well. Whoever killed these kids wasn't a Genin…"
"B-but then who," one ANBU member asked. "Only Genin and a select few picked by the Hokage are allowed to enter the Forest of Death during the Exams." Anko's eyes snapped up as she rose to her feet.
"I think I have a good idea who…" Anko turned around, and quickly gasped once she saw who was standing behind the ANBU. The squad spun around, and all shifted uneasily when they saw Orochimaru behind them: eyes fixated on the three corpses. Anko's look suddenly became hardened, "Did you do this to these children?"
"No I didn't," Orochimaru replied, snapping his eyes up at Anko. "If you recall: my experiments require live subjects. These children are dead, and thus would serve no purpose. I'm just as intrigued as you are as to how these three youths met their untimely demise." Orochimaru walked through the squad of ANBU then knelt down next to one of the corpses: a young girl with panic stricken, lifeless blue eyes and soft, now dirties, brown hair. "It seems as if there's a mouse hiding in our humble little forest. Whoever it is is obviously NOT a Genin." Orochimaru turned to the ANBU behind him. "We're going to need more scouts in the forest."
"But if we were to be spotted by anyone and it got out that there were ANBU in the Forest of Death during the Chunin Exams-,"
"Fine, Anko and I will scout the forest." Orochimaru rose to his feet. "You all take these bodies back to the morgue and inform Danzo of a possible spy in the forest." The ANBU nodded, three of them quickly moving to take the corpses before leaving. Orochimaru turned to Anko, "Shall we?" Orochimaru turned and took a step forward.
"You weren't lying," Anko stated. Orochimaru stopped, staring straight ahead with no expression.
"You're surprised? Even I don't kill children without reason. And even if I were to do so, I'd make sure and leave a giant mess behind."
"I know," Anko barely whispered. "Let's split up…cover more ground." Without a response, Orochimaru vanished. Anko sighed heavily then looked out into the forest. 'Kids…please be safe…' Anko ran forward, breaking out into a sprint before jumping into the trees.
Neji, Naruto, and Kiba stood back to back in a circle with a Genin lying on the ground opposite of them. "Well that was easy," Kiba exclaimed happily.
"What scroll do they have," Neji asked. Naruto walked up to one of the boys then searched him, pulling out an earth scroll.
"Sorry, they got the same one as us," Naruto answered, tossing the scroll back onto the unconscious boy. "Kiba, any chance that Konoha put separate scents on the scrolls?"
"Yeah, because I'm that freaking awesome! I'm so good that I can pick scents off of scrolls," Kiba shouted. "What do you think I am? A freaking dog?"
"Half of one at least." Kiba growled then moved towards Naruto who quickly moved on the other side of Neji, laughing mockingly.
"Guys, shut up," Neji snapped. The two spiky haired teens froze, looking directly at Neji. The young Hyuga snapped his head around. The spiky haired boys followed Neji's gaze to a man standing up on a tree branch, looking down on them. The man wore a black cloak, wearing a hood to disguise his face.
"Who is that guy," Naruto asked.
"He looks a little old to be a Genin," Kiba whispered.
"I heard that," the man replied with a lighthearted tone.
"Remove your hood coward," Neji commanded.
"Hm…okay!" The man lifted his head up and pulled his hood back, revealing an orange, spiral mask with a black hole on the left side and short, spiky black hair. "Hello!"
"Show us your face," Neji seethed.
"No, no, you told Tobi to remove his hood first!"
"Are there any cases of adult sized five year olds in the world," Kiba asked Naruto.
"Hey, that's mean!" The man named Tobi raised his hand up, showing a heaven scroll to the three boys. "I guess I'll just have to keep this scroll all to myself now!"
"A heaven scroll," Naruto and Kiba exclaimed. Neji scowled angrily, clenching his fists.
"Give that to us!"
"Come and take it from Tobi," the man in the orange mask shouted. Tobi laughed as he quickly turned around then shot off through the woods.
"Get him," Naruto shouted, leaping forward.
"That scroll is as good as ours loser," Kiba screamed, chasing after Tobi on all fours.
Tobi turned his head, looking back over his shoulder at a specific blonde, 'Yes…come and get me nine tails…'
So, did anyone else absolutely love the latest chapter of Naruto? I thought it was cool, even though Konan is probably going to die soon while being cheated out of a chance to have some cool abilities. Guess what the next chapter is gonna be about? Fighting for scrolls. On one side we have an uneasy alliance of six against Gaara, the Jinchuriki of the Sand. On the other side, we have Kiba, Neji, and Naruto chasing after the mysterious Tobi. There will be fights, there will be jutsus, and there will be deceit! Hopefully my college stuff doesn't get in the way of writing the next chapter. There's gonna be a lot of action, so most likely it'll be done soon…sooner than the rest of my chapters at least lol. Read and review please!