Chapter Nine: THE SECOND challenge
"Wow. You guys look good," Ino said, genuinely surprised.
Team Seven and Team Eight turned to stare at Team Ten. Sakura and Sasuke both raised their right eyebrows in unison.
"We all do," Kiba agreed, gesturing vaguely to encompass the nine of them. He grinned, a fang threatening to pierce his bottom lip.
Ino and Kiba were right. Team Seven was decked out in neutral colors; Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had exchanged their ensembles for long sleeved black shirts and dark grey pants with deep pockets, each having sewn the metal of their hitai-ate into the material across their left shoulders. Their hair had grown even longer, and each member used a way to keep it away from their eyes; goggles, a nondescript red leather thong, and simple, black pins. Team Ten sported identical steel bars through their eyebrows. Ino and Shikamaru both wore high ponytails, and Chouji left his hair wild and free. Their clothes were mixes of greens and browns, their long-sleeved shirts made of dark brown, weighted mesh under green flak jackets and loose pants that gathered at the mid calf.
Perhaps the most startling change was Team Eight.
Kiba and Shino had been the first to tap into puberty's growth spurt, standing several centimeters over the other boys. Gone were the various jackets sporting different emblems of their respective clans; they had forgone the jackets, revealing immaculate, fitted, black pants and matching shirts with sleeves that covered the their knuckles and had a small hole for their thumbs. On their feet were thin, sock-like shoes. Their hitai-ates were strapped to their thighs. Both boys sported slightly overgrown crew cuts, their hair in the front longer and spiked. Hinata's hair was still indigo, still wavy, but longer and parted down the middle, the piece that once constituted her bangs shorter and framed her face. Everyone could see the black, odd seal that seemed to be tattooed on her forehead.
Team Seven wore their kunai pouches on the sides of their right thighs. Team Ten's were absent, presumably within their flak jackets. Team Eight's were missing entirely. Each team had already concealed their scrolls.
"Mou~!" Naruto sing-songed, startling Chouji, "this will be fun, minna!"
Sakura cut her eyes to him before rolling her eyes to the sky above. Shikamaru gave a husky chuckle. His voice had deepened, seeming to pass the squeaky, broken phase and steamroll right toward grown man. "What's got you shook, Chouji?" he drawled.
"Heh," Sasuke smirked.
Hinata gave a small sneeze, delicately burying her face into the crook of her elbow. The last thing she wanted was someone to get sick before the challenge.
Kiba placed an affectionate hand on Hinata's elbow, wishing her quiet blessings. She smiled at him sweetly before she gave a shy wave to Naruto, who had watched the whole thing and didn't quite know how he felt about Kiba's closeness with his friend. He waved back enthusiastically and watched a bit of pink kiss Hinata's cheeks.
Sakura met eyes with Chouji and Shino, giving sharp nods to each as a final bell sounded, reminding teams to report to their entering points.
The Rookie Nine sobered, suddenly transforming into ninja again. They started to move toward their respective points, Team Eight passing Team Seven.
"Let's represent our village gracefully, shall we?" Shino said coolly. Sakura gave a small, appreciative sound of agreement.
"Iku ze," Sasuke said.
DAY ONE: AFTERNOON
"I never knew how large the trees in this forest are," Kiba observed as his partners walked up a nearby one, twenty, thirty, forty feet vertically. Hinata nodded in agreement as Kiba continued, "Let's hope it get denser within the heart of it. More cover that way."
"Well Hinata?" Shino asked once they were situated, "Did any of those teams have the counter to our scroll?" He was referring to when Hinata had "sneezed" while activating her Byakugan at the same time.
Hinata nodded. "Team Ten h-had our opposite, b-but it isn't worth taking."
Kiba nodded, Akamaru making a small howl to signify his agreement. "Shikamaru's too observant, and we're not sure how well versed Ino's gotten in Yamanaka techniques."
"But we do know that Team Ten is loyal. They'll make sure to stay away from other Konoha teams. They'll probably search for someone from Kiri," Shino mused.
"Why Kiri?" Kiba asked.
"They possess earth natures. Chouji's clan style isn't suitable for the forest, Ino's is null if she can't make clear eye contact, and Shikamaru's Kagemane is viable if there is enough moonlight. They will have to rely on ninjutsu if they decide to hunt at night, which they'll be able to evade many other teams. Water techniques are weak to earth-"
"A-and r-remember the Kiri teams we observed during the first exam? T-They've all got night goggles on t-their persons. They're planning on moving during the night. Shikamaru noticed it, too. T-Team Ten will make their move at night."
Shino nodded. "Let's get our scroll during the early morning of the third day."
The rest of Team Eight nodded. The first day of this challenge, everyone would be on their guard and hungry. The second day, each team would be moving toward the center of the forest and starting to hunt for their counter scroll. The fourth and fifth days, many shinobi would be done or desperate to get their counter. But the third day would be prime hunting day, and the early morning would be when nocturnal teams just started to settle down or the day-active teams would start moving. Ideally, Team Eight could gather intel the first and second day, spend a bit of time obtaining a scroll the third day, and spend the rest of the five days filling in gaps of their village profiles before meeting their envoy.
"Let's split up," Kiba suggested, "We'll go after Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri first. I'll take Iwa."
"I'll take Kiri."
"U-Un. K-Kumo is mine."
"Withdraw, hide, or distract if they sense you," Shino said.
DAY ONE: NIGHT
The forest was alive, buzzing in the curious way forests do at night time. The crickets chirped at Team Ten as it passed a patch. Their steps were light as they hurtled through the trees, eyes forward.
Any prospects, Ino? Chouji asked. Though he couldn't see it, he sensed Ino shake her head.
Not... yes, actually. 300 yards forward.
It's Kiri? Shikamaru asked.
I'm betting it is. I can hear water rushing and the team is active. Even if it isn't, they've got some water jutsu up their sleeve.
It's worth a shot, Chouji said.
They charged forward, stopping in the trees right before their location. Before them was a clearing with a small stream rushing through it, and they could make out the faint shapes before them. The team was smart-they hadn't lit a fire and kept their voices low.
Remember the plan, Chouji warned.
Ino stepped through the trees, looking around as she went. She made sure to make her steps heavy and her breath ragged, as if she'd been searching frantically through the trees to find her fellow teammates.
"Well, well, lookie here," leered the leader of the team. Sure enough, his forehead protector beared the Kiri symbol. "A little lost rookie."
His two male teammates both chuckled. They look several years older than Ino. With their night vision lenses and multiple senbon in their hands, they looked formidable. Ino gulped, taking a small step back.
"I-I don't have my team's scroll," she said shakily. The older nin looked at each other in amusement.
"Of course you don't. Teams would place their scroll with their strongest male member, girlie," the Kiri leader sneered.
Shino narrowed his eyes. Interesting. Could there possibly be some sort of sexism within Kiri ranks? Seems Doubtful, seeing as the Mizukage is female. But I have noticed less female Kiri nin than male. And their claim to fame is the Seven Swordsmen. Perhaps there's been a recent upheaval in gender equality, and some are still upset about it?
Ino cowered, seeming to fold into herself as the three nin advanced on her. "We all know what women are really good for..." the leader said, reaching out to grasp Ino's ponytail.
Now.
Chouji signed, muttering, "Doton: Chidōkaku (Moving Earth Core)!"
Twin columns of rock formed under the Kiri nins' feet, propelling them high into the air, near the canopy of the forest. Not two seconds later, Shikamaru used the shadows cast by the columns to possess the leader. Ino straightened, snatching the scroll from his pocket before the air around her seemed to bend. Ino shot up in the air, bouncing between the rock pillars before leaping on top of the canopy and disappeared from sight. Chouji soon followed her suit as Shikamaru retreated further into the trees.
Team Ten reconvened on a tree top about half a mile away. "Good work," congratulated Chouji, nodding at his teammates. A sliver of the moon provided enough light to reflect off the three's eyes.
"Are we heading to the tower now?" Ino asked.
"It'd be best," Chouji mused.
"Is there any way we could make it there in one night?" Shikamaru asked.
"Probably not, even if we traveled by treetop. Is there a problem?"
Shikamaru shrugged as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. "I don't trust this place. Too many variables..." Too many possibilities. Too little supervision. Too little interference.
Ino nodded as well, running her hands up her arms. "Let's try though."
"Hn. We'll stick to the treetops."
"Mendokuse. Let's be out of here before the third day begins."
DAY TWO: MORNING
Light filtered through the dense forest, greeting the moss carpeting the ground as birds chirped at one another. The foliage tinted everything with green-even the brown bark of the trees. If it had been any other day, Hinata would have taken time to appreciate the way the forest dampened the breezes coming through the area, the way the moss muffled the sound of heavy footsteps, these old Konohan trees that had once started as little more than a prayer of strength. But it was not any other day. She was tasked with a mission—spying on the three Kumo teams that had joined the Chunin Exams. Yesterday she'd spent time locating them, taking stock of their weapons and chakra natures. The three teams she'd seen were well-organized, prepared, and didn't stay too far away from each other either. Convenient for Hinata, who had contorted her body to mimic thin branches of a tree overhead, masking her chakra signature as she listened to the conversation below here.
"Kami, I'm thirsty. Where'd you put the thing?"
"What, this?" one team member held up a spile. The other snatched it from him and walked to the nearest tree, pressing her ear against the trunk as she tapped against it. Her other teammates soon followed suit, making their way to other trees.
"This one," called one. The girl rushed toward it, driving her kunai through the wood. She stuck her spile in the hole and turned the lever.
Thin runny syrup rushed out. "This won't sustain us, Sui," said another teammate, annoyed.
"It's enough until we can make it to that stream. We won't make it till midday at least, and I don't want to get dehydrated."
"She's right. Let's drink."
A couple minutes passed before they resurfaced from the spile and gathered their things, moving away. The female looked back at the spile. "Should we just leave it there?"
"Yeah. Akira's team shouldn't be too far behind us."
Hinata blinked. Akira was the name of the leader of the Kumo team behind this one. Why... These Kumo teams must have made a pact to stick together during this challenge. And how did this team know which tree to tap? Even if they'd been to Konoha before, this species of tree was contained within this training ground. The Forest of Death was only open to nin chunin-level or higher, not new or season genin. Someone must've told them which tree to tap if they got dehydrated without a true water source. Hinata thought back to the night goggles she'd spotted on various teams, including Konoha's Team Ten. How were these teams so prepared.
As she waited in the greenery above, her brow furrowed.
DAY TWO: EARLY AFTERNOON
BOOOOOMMM! The sound shook the ground, almost dislodging Kiba from his hiding place along the muddy shore of the pond. He'd submerged himself in the deep, muddy water, covering his hair with a mat of growing algae. The Iwa nin had lured other teams to this spot using a genjutsu that made the water of the pond inviting and clear. When traveling teams touched down to drink, the Iwa nin immobilized and crushed their bodies with large boulders in quick succession. The method was brutally efficient. They'd already made work of four teams this morning. Or maybe it was afternoon now, Kiba thought. The beams of light are shining straight down instead of slanting.
Business must be good in Iwa. The weapons he clocked on the Iwa nin had not been properly sharpened, which meant that they'd come from a manufacturer that 1) kept the blade slightly dull for shipping over long distances and preventing undue wear to the shipping pallets and 2) was not local, perhaps as far away from Iwa as possible. Their clothes were well tailored and made of light knitted fabric. Sturdy leather boots with spiked, rubber soles covered their feet. Their hitate-ates were made of platinum and set on silk ties.
"Finally, Chie, an earth scroll," said one Iwa nin, reaching toward the discarded scroll. Behind them was a small pile of four light colored scrolls. "Let's get ready to go."
Whoosh. An umbrella opened over the three shinobi, releasing a veritable cloud of senbon. They went down as if someone had cut the strings to their limbs. The Ame team touched down, grinning. One member went to pick up a light scroll when another three pairs of feet arrived. Suna nin.
Akamaru let out a small whimper as a person with red hair came into the frame. A gourd sat heavy across his back, and black rings outlined his light-colored eyes. Kiba internally swore, praying that no one noticed Akamaru. Thankfully, everyone was focused on the odd, small redhead. A curious rustling sound filled Kiba's ears as the cork within the gourd unscrewed itself. Then, Kiba felt something strange.
Foreign chakra. Very foreign chakra emanating from the Suna nin with the gourd. On the surface, he could sense normal, human chakra. Underneath, he sensed another mass. A mass very similar to an animal's chakra signature, except it was larger and more... malevolent than anything Kiba had ever encountered before.
"A rain of senbon, huh?" rasped the Suna shinobi. "Let's make it rain blood instead."
The Inuzuka registered a swell of the malevolent chakra before screams echoed through the forest. This time, Kiba swore aloud and Akamaru gave a louder whine as the sand settled down. The three Suna nin whipped around the space, and Kiba saw grains of sand creep toward the pond. They reached the water and slowed. He noted it as he held his breath and hoped his cover wasn't blown. Seeing nothing, Temari shook her head and nudged Kankuro in the shoulder.
"We shouldn't be too far from the tower. Let's go."
Withdraw, hide, or distract if they sense you.
DAY THREE: LATE AFTERNOON
"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan, I've got ta take a leak, -ttebayo," Naruto alerted his leader.
She waved him off. Naruto disappeared into the brush, whistling softly to himself.
Sakura pondered what would happen next. They'd already obtained their two scrolls. It'd be easiest to travel toward the tower; they weren't that far away. But she wanted to take out some of the competition. Team Seven had already set multiple traps as they passed certain areas of Training Ground 44, but already Sasuke had shared some ideas of even nastier, virtually undetectable ones. Sakura wanted to use the extra time as a chance to expand her and her team's strengths; composing traps would be helpful in the future if multiple enemies were pursuing them and they needed to whittle down their numbers.
"You all right, Sasuke?" she asked, cutting her eyes at him. He'd been semi-friendly since the trip to Nami, but Sakura trusted him as much as she trusted the lie newly sharpened kunai didn't slice skin.
He grunted as Naruto came back, steps heavy, hands stuffed in his pockets. He passed by Sakura, walking in the spot between Sasuke and their pink-haired leader. The Uchiha and Haruno exchanged discreet glances before simultaneously turning toward the impostor and decking him. Their blows were so heavy that they dispelled the hedge.
As one, they jumped back several spaces, eyes locked on the form emerging from the smoke. A tall, pale Kusa kunoichi with long, lifeless, oily hair covered with a straw hat appeared. A husky, seductive chuckle, and then, "How'd you know?"
"The steps were too heavy, don't you think, Sasuke?"
Sasuke gave a smirk. "Way too heavy. And the gait was all wrong. Not confident enough."
The Kusa nin's long, obscene tongue made a circuit around her thin lips. Something sparked in Sakura's memory. That's familiar...
As if he was a television turning on, Naruto's image flickered near the side of the Kusa nin, leg prepared to deliver a kick. The Kusa nin anticipated his presence, leaning far enough that Naruto's sandals grazed her face. Srrrr. The sound echoed, like rubber ripping. As Naruto jumped back to join the rest of his teammates, the Kusa kunoichi clutched her face. Just then, Sakura got a very bad feeling. Her entrails flushed themselves through her lower stomach to rest at the soles of her feet.
"Run, you two, straight toward the tower," she said quietly, removing a single, short sharp blade from a pocket. It was a longer, more slender kunai. She put in her her teeth as she reached up to fix her ponytail. She dug the toes of her sandals into the mossy bottom before she dashed forward. She could hear her teammates running up the trees.
As she neared the kunoichi, she ripped the blade from her teeth and jabbed forward. Her enemy moved to the side. Sakura crouched, slashing at the woman's ankle ligaments, drawing first blood before her opponent took her by the ponytail and sent her skidding across the ground, following her doggedly. Sakura scrabbled for purchase on the ground, managing to find it and blocked the knee aimed at her stomach. She drove the hilt of the dagger into the wrist that went for her hair again. She retreated, but the Kusa nin kept on the offensive. They exchanged blows for a mere two seconds before Sakura had to throw herself up the nearest tree, chest heaving.
She got a chance to really see her enemy's face. Her eyes widened as she matched the face to the Bingo Book. "Orochimaru."
The other tilted his head inquisitively, voice losing the girlish edge. "Hello."
Sakura's brow furrowed. She slowly put the blade away. Orochimaru's voice traveled to her from her spot among the trees, "Where are your darling teammates, child?"
Poker face. Sakura cocked a hand to her hip. "What? Bored already? Won't you play some more?"
Orochimaru released another chuckle, "Perhaps later, Sakura-san. But I do have some matters to which I must attend. Won't you let me leave?"
Sakura took stock of herself. The Sannin wasn't after her—there was no reason to be after Naruto-he must be after Sasuke. She remembered what the Academy teachers told them about Orochimaru; specifically, she remembered that his more horrid experiments dealt with kekkei genkai. Sasuke's Sharingan was newly emergent... It all crystalized in half a second.
She didn't like Sasuke, but she'd protect him with her life before he fell into Orochimaru's capable hands. The Sharingan was precious. She needed to get to Sasuke. And she needed to burden the Sannin before her. But how?
The spine, her mind whispered. The ankles. Traps. Aim for both.
"I just want two minutes of your time, Sannin-sama," she called to him. He inclined his head, humoring her.
She threw a kunai straight at Orochimaru's head, charging down the tree toward him. He sidestepped the kunai. As much as Sakura wanted to smirk, she didn't. Just as she reached the Sannin, the kunai reached it's true target and triggered the trap. A series of loud bangs displaced the birds from the canopies, and smoke obscured the two's vision. Sakura quickly unsheathed another kunai, slashing and stabbing at the ankle and the base of his spine. She could tell she hit one target—she felt something give before she shot away, toward the tower. Toward her teammates.
The whole encounter had lasted at most a minute and thirty seconds.
She had never moved this fast in her life. Sakura shot from tree to tree, reaching her teammates quickly. The adrenaline shot through her veins as her team turned to face her.
"Move," she said tersely, almost hysterically. "He's bound to be right behind us-"
A husky chuckle sounded through the trees. "Time's up, Sakura-san."
The genjutsu shattered.
As Sakura shook herself lucid, she heard a strange, choked scream come from her left. She saw the Sannin bite into Sasuke's neck with razor sharp fangs, leaving two perfect bite marks. That horrid tongue licked the area in some gross imitation of affection before Orochimaru drew back. Sasuke collasped. Naruto gave an enraged yell, rearing his fist back to attack the snake. Quick, the Sannin grabbed the jinchuuriki by the throat, lifting him from the ground. The other hand glowed with chakra.
"Gogyō Fūin (Five Elements Seal)," he said calmly, driving his limb into Naruto's stomach. Naruto gave a gurgled gasp before slumping in Orochimaru's hold. The snake dropped him, absently brushing his hand on his pants before reaching for Sakura. She flinched back, eyes wide.
He grasped her hand, kneeling on one knee before drawing her hand close to his face.
"For your effort, Sakura-san," he murmured. His tongue came slithering out his mouth, warm and slimy against the smooth skin of her palm. He placed a ginger kiss on it before meeting her eyes, yellow on emerald.
Then, as if he were smoke or a wayward, unpleasant dream, he dissipated into the forest air.
The only thing that remained were her two unconcious teammates and the perverse wetness he left on her hand.