Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 11- The Forest of Death: The Search for a Heaven Scroll

"We…pass?" Katsu asked in disbelief, her eyes wide and filled with confusion.

Just moments before, Squad Twelve was facing disqualification because of their refusal to comply with the rules Kiba had laid out before them. All of a sudden the roles had switched, and it appeared as though Squad Twelve, along with one other squad from the Mist Village, would be the only two squads moving forward to the next round that hadn't received perfect scores.

"See, the last proctor of this exam was a master interrogator," Kiba began, raising a single finger. "He could make even the strongest of Jonin crack, forcing them to reveal any information he wanted. So, of course Genin had quite a difficult time moving onto the next round once he was through with them. See, I'm not like Ibiki- I'm a fighter, not a strategist and, to be completely honest, I couldn't answer most of the questions on the test myself. So, I figured, if you could, or you could at least cheat without getting caught, you have every right to move onto the next round."

A Genin should never have been able to answer all of the questions right on the exam they had been given. He had set up Chunin, dispersed within the Genin, already in possession of the correct answers. Students with the correct set of skills should've been easily able to procure the answers to the ten-question test, and Kiba felt that a Genin who employed enough stealth and couth to evade the constant gaze of twenty Chunin and a Jonin should be able to move onto the next round.

"So…we had to cheat?" Akira frowned, shaking his head.

"Well, you didn't have to cheat," Kiba shrugged. "It's actually more impressive if you were able to answer the ten questions on your own. God knows Akamaru and I cheated when I took the exam. Isn't that right boy? Anyway, I know that some people just don't have the skill to cheat on this kind of exam, nor the intelligence to do it on their own. So, I gave them a way out- to pass onto the next round. As a ninja, you'll be given choices. Some will be tougher than others, but you can never just sit around and do nothing. You will need a decision and you will need to take actions. Some of you will do things that will put your partners in danger for the sake of the mission, and sometimes that will be necessary. You'll need to trust them, believe that they can get the job done. However, there's a difference between trusting your teammate, and downright throwing them to the wolves as a sacrifice. If you chose to benefit from your comrade's suffering, you're no better than worthless trash."

Kiyoshi stood up from his chair raising both hands high above his head in triumph and exaltation. He had never felt so relieved in his life that and he wanted nothing more than to shout to the sky that he was on his way to becoming a Chunin. However, if there was anything he learned from this exam, it was the Kiba didn't like to be interrupted. Apparently Katsu didn't care.

"WE PASS!" she shouted, throwing her paper into the air with a cheer.

The Forty-Fourth Training Ground, better known throughout the Five Great Nations as the Forest of Death, had claimed more young Genin than any other obstacle of the Chunin Exams. Even the treacherous deserts of Sunagakure had a death toll that failed in comparison to the hundreds of children lost within the deep woods of the Forty-Fourth Training Ground. The Forest of Death was a large, open stretch of land about 10 kilometers in diameter, surrounded by a sturdy metal fence with barbed wire strewn about the top. Scattered about at predetermined integrals, were 44 separate metal gates so that Genin who could not stomach the atrocities within the fenced walls could leave at almost anytime. From the outside, it was almost impossible to see because of the foliage, there is a large brick tower in the direct center of the compound. Few Genin would never live to see the impressive structure that towered over even the tallest of trees within the forest that sometimes measured over a hundred feet tall.

"Alright," Tenten said with a huff. "Those are the rules, any questions?"

The rules were simple enough. Each of the remaining 26 teams would be given a scroll, be it heaven or earth. The heaven scroll was a light tan, bordering the color of white with the kanji for heaven written in the middle. The Earth Scroll was a deep and dark blue color imprinted with the kanji for earth in the center with black ink. Within five days, Genin were expected to procure both a Heaven and an Earth Scroll and travel to the large tower in the center of the forest. Anyone who failed to do so, or dared open the scrolls before being told to, would fail and be forced to wait another six months before participating in the next Chunin Exams.

No one said anything, so she had the teams line up so that scrolls could be evenly distributed. It was oddly quiet, and Akira took the time to ponder the parameters of the exam. If what Tenten said were true, thirteen teams would be given a Heaven Scroll and, the other thirteen, the Earth Scroll. If that were the case, at least half of all the teams would be disqualified by the end of this round of the exams..

"Akira…Uzumaki right?" said someone from just behind the young Genin. He turned to see the older boy from the Hidden Mist Village holding his hand up almost as if to wave "hi." He was smiling with his eyes closed and Akira could tell by his demeanor that he meant no harm.

"Yeah, how did you…" he began to say, but the boy interrupted him.

"Know your name? You practically shouted it right in my ear earlier. I figured I'd just introduce myself. Swordsman of the Hidden Mist in training Isao Date," he smiled, extending his hand to shake. Akira hesitated for a moment. Everything up to that moment had taught him to be skeptical of those around him, and to always try to find out an individual's ulterior motives. However, in the last few days, Akira had made it his goal to be more like Kiyoshi, light-hearted and friendly. Besides there was just something about Isao that made Akira drop his guard. He couldn't tell if it was his soft smile or his kind eyes, but the normally tense Akira took the Mist Ninja's hand and the two exchanged a friendly handshake. "Are you alright? Your hand is… trembling."

Akira drew back his arm as quickly as he had given it just moments before. He turned away to hide his face and took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't understand why he was getting so flustered. Was he under some sort of Genjutsu? Was this all just some sort of trick? Why was his head getting warm and why wouldn't his hands stop shaking?

"Um… uh… ya see… I'm fine!" Akira stuttered, finding it difficult to formulate the words in his throat.

"Alright," Isao smiled again. The boy pointed to something behind Akira, and the Genin spun around to see both Kiyoshi and Katsu with an Earth Scroll in hand. Akira went to turn around once more, but Isoa had already started to walk back to the rest of his team. Akira wanted to call out to him, to thank him for standing by him in the previous exam. However, he thought against it, realizing that soon the two would be enemies.

"What was that about?" Katsu asked, annoyed that her teammate was fraternizing with the enemy. After the difficultly of the last exam, she didn't want anything standing in their way of safely traversing through the Forest of Death. Of course, she wouldn't spurn the idea of gaining an ally, but, unlike Akira, she wasn't going to drop her guard for a second.

"He was just so…handsome," Akira said, again finding it difficult to enunciate his words. His face again turned red, and he tried to bury his blushing cheeks into his jacket collar so that the others wouldn't see his expression. He knew Katsu was right, he couldn't allow himself to be taken by a pretty face.

Though, he was a Mist Swordsman in training. How devious could he really be?

"Long time no see," Suigetsu shrugged, taking a nice long sigh.

"Thank you for coming…my friend," said the hooded figure in return.

Suigetsu Hozuki was a short man, much shorter than his comrade who stood just a few meters away. His hair was ghastly white in color, but possessed a strange bluish hue around the edges and he had dark purple eyes that appeared similar to the all powerful Rinnegan in appearance. Unlike most shinobi his age, Suigetsu's outfit was virtually unchanged from that of his childhood counterpart, wearing only a purple, sleeveless shirt and grayed pants that fell to his lower-mid calf. Like all Mist Swordsman, Suigetsu possessed sharp, shark-like teeth. He wore a single brown band across his chest that allowed him to wear the Kubikiribōchō, the Mist Sword that Suigetsu had been trusted to wield and carry. Around his waist, in a similar fashion to that of Rock Lee and Might Guy, Suigetsu wore the Mist Headband, proudly showing off his loyalty to Kirigakure.

Long ago, Suigetsu had shrugged off his loyalties to the Mist and sought power through Orochimaru's teachings after the death of his brother Mengetsu. Desperate for any sense of direction, Suigetsu felt the Sannin would assist the boy in achieving his goal- the attainment of all Seven Mist Swords in an attempt to rebuild the group with him as their leader. Of course, the snake had no intention of allowing Suigetsu to complete his ambitious endeavor and instead experimented on the young boy, in an attempt to attain the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique. It was only years later, when Orochimaru was "killed" by Sasuke that Suigetsu was able to return to his previous aspirations. Again, however, the boy's own goals were put on hold until after the Fourth Shinobi World War, when, together with Chojuro, Suigetsu was able to rebuild the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. No longer were they devious assassins without a code. They were respected, far and wide, as the protectors of the Mizukage, and heroes of the Hidden Mist.

"Can we make this quick?" Suigetsu asked, glancing around to see if he had been followed. "I'd rather not be seen with a fugitive."

Sasuke removed his hood and extended his hand, which Suigetsu took half-heartedly. He had made such a good life for himself. If anyone from the Mist saw him with a fugitive with such a high bounty in the Bingo Book, his reputation would've been ruined. There would've been no trial, and Suigetsu would be forced to flee the village once more. And this time… there would be no second chances. Still, he wouldn't allow Sasuke to know he was nervous.

"Of course," Sasuke responded. "I'll keep this short. Is your mole in place?"

"Relax will you?" Suigetsu shrugged. "This kid's in the Chunin Exams. Everything will turn out fine."

"For our sake it better," Sasuke remarked, looking away from his companion. "No one else was able to send anyone else in. Apparently your little protégé is our only man on the inside. I can only hope he is as strong as you say."

If there was one thing Suigetsu wasn't concerned with, it was his protégé. There were many things that could go wrong with their operation. There were so many holes and obvious rifts in this "plan" of Sasuke's that Suigetsu didn't know how everything was going to turn out. However, in regards to his man on the inside, Suigetsu was confident in his abilities. What he lacked in brute strength, the child made up for in tactical prowess and ingenuity. He would get the job done, Sasuke needn't worry about that.

"So Taiki and Nori couldn't send anyone else in? And… what's that girl's name from the Cloud that agreed to join us… Maruni…Mabuni? Think you could put in a good word for me? She's rather-" Suigetsu began, but he was paused by a look of dissatisfaction on Sasuke's face. He clearly wasn't amused.

"You're…unbearable," Sasuke shook his head. The Leaf Shinobi turned to leave, but glanced back at Suigetsu before something else crept into the back of his mind. "At the Kage Summit, the soon-to-be-appointed Otokage, what do you make of him?"

"Right now, like the others, he stands in our way," Suigetsu answered truthfully. "But soon… very soon, he'll make a valuable ally."

Suigetsu smiled back at his companion. It was nice to be his own man. He no longer had to follow Sasuke's orders nor did he have the constant fear of Orochimaru still looming just behind his back. It felt good, almost felt like a relief, to help Sasuke now. However, it wasn't as a minion or some sort of second rate laky, but as a favor to a close and personal friend. It was a new experience that Suigetsu relished, despite the dangers that he knew lie in wait.

Suigetsu extended his hand when something cold touched the Mist ninja's backside. Sasuke's eyes grew wide with terror and the former Leaf Ninja disappeared as quickly as he had come. Suigetsu knew better to turn around, and instead remained perfectly still with the flat side of the blade pressed up against his backside. He had known the feeling well as he had felt the blade over many times before. The long and slender, fish-shaped blade only had one wielder, and Suigetsu felt his heart sink. It was the Hiramekarei.

"Suigetsu Hozuka, you are under arrest for conspiring with the enemy," Chojuro's voice rang in Suigetsu's ear. "Please… just…come quietly.

Suigetsu could hear the tension in Chojuro's words. It must not have been a pleasant experience, finding your friend conspiring with a known enemy of the Five Great Nations. Over the past twenty years, the two men had become quite good friends. It was a very painful impasse for the two of them.

"Chojuro put down your weapon," Suigetsu demanded, placing his hand on the hilt of the Kubikiribōchō that hung from his back. Chojuro knew he couldn't wait any longer. If Suigetsu wasn't going to surrender, the master of the Hiramekarei was going to have to treat his comrade as hostile and would have to take him down just as he would any other enemy of the Mist. It wasn't going to be a pleasant battle.

"I'm sorry… my friend," Chojuro shook his head, disgusted with the battle he knew would soon unfold. Chojuro gripped the blade tightly in each hand and turned it sideways so the sharp edges were pointed up against Suigetsu's clothing.

"Chojuro!" Suigetsu screamed, unsheathing Kubikiribōchō.

"What's the plan?" Kiyoshi asked, putting his hand on Akira's shoulder.

It was quite possibly the most sensible question Kiyoshi could've asked. Most of the ninja that had passed the first round had gotten a perfect score of thirty on the written exam. With such a difficult test at their back, Squad Twelve was assured that only the best-of-the-best managed to break through to the next round. Even Kiyoshi knew that they weren't going to be able to out brawn any of the opposing teams. They were going to have to play smart.

"We find Shikawa," Katsu interjected before Akira had a chance to answer. As much as she disliked Inoki and Shikawa, joining forces with Squad Fourteen seemed to indicate their best chance of success. Alone, she didn't find the trio capable of defeating any of the competition. Katsu felt it was in their best interest to increase their numbers and work together to procure whatever scrolls the two teams needed. The mission was in jeopardy; she didn't mind making a few sacrifices to do the Leaf Village proud.

"I disagree, I think our best chance of survival is to get to the center of the forest and wait it out there," Akira argued. Like Katsu, Akira's plan was rather sound. Without clear knowledge of which teams possessed which scroll, Squad Twelve could wait by the tower, lying in ambush. When another squad came their way, equipped with both scrolls in hand, the trio could completely surprise their opponents to gain the advantage. "In case you haven't realized, we can't exactly let out a distress flair for Shikawa to find us."

Kiyoshi frowned. He wasn't too thrilled on having to team up with Shikawa, but he realized he wasn't the "thinker" on the team. If the others could come up with a coherent strategy that they both agreed on, he didn't find it his place to argue. To him, both plans seemed rather sound, and, even though he disliked Shikawa, he wouldn't mind the extra helping hand.

Katsu didn't respond. Instead she let a sly smile creep across her face before biting down on her finger, just hard enough to draw blood. She took a deep breath, and placed her hand firmly on the ground before releasing a large amount of chakra from her hand. After witnessing the puff of smoke they had all grown accustomed to, Katsu's three summons sat wagging their tails just a few meters away. She then pulled out a small bit of clothing from her kunai holster and held it up to Konjou's nose. After the pup took a deep whiff of the fabric, she then passed it on to Yuuki and, finally, Takeshi.

"Choya and I already thought of that," Katsu remarked, giving her teammate a sly shrug. "But I guess a dobe like you doesn't know how to think ahead."

Akira felt the sting of Katus's insult, but decided not to give Katsu the satisfaction by responding to her harsh words. He wanted to argue, to explain that wondering aimlessly to look for Squad Fourteen was a death sentence. However, before he could get a word out, Kiyoshi and Katsu had already made their way up the closest tree trunk, wavering for Akira to do the same.

"Are you coming Aki-san?" Kiyoshi questioned, noticing that his teammate had still remained flatfooted and seemed to show no indication that he was going to move any time soon.

"I... still don't know how to climb trees," came his truthful response. The shinobi hung his head to hide the shameful expression that was plastered across his face. Katsu couldn't bear it. Her laughter literally shook the tree on which Katsu and Kiyoshi stood. She was so amused; she almost fell off the branch, tumbling to the floor below. Luckily Kiyoshi was there to steady her. "It's not my... Neji-sensei says I don't have the knack for chakra control. He says it's in my genes."

Kiyoshi rationalized that there was some truth to Akira's claim. Shikamaru had explained to Kiyoshi that his mother was adept in controlling the ebb and flow of chakra, making her the first of her class to climb trees and walk on water. She also utilized her chakra-charged, fists in combat to decimate her enemies. Likewise, Kiyoshi's father, while unable to utilize chakra in the form of jutsu, was also adept at chakra control. The weights Kiyoshi wore, which were gaining in weight everyday, had to be offset with chakra. By forcing chakra to his joins, Kiyoshi was able to make the training weights seem weightless, teaching him how to accurately control his chakra, a tactic that his father had previously utilized in his younger years. It was no wonder the boy already possessed the skill to seamlessly walk on the water's surface just after a few weeks of training.

Kiyoshi extended his hand, allowing for Akira to use his momentum to propel himself up the side of the tree. Just as his forward momentum was about to fail, Akira clasped onto Kiyoshi's wrist, and the boy helped his teammate onto the nearest branch.

"Thanks," Akira nodded, giving Kiyoshi a smile.

"We're teammates; it's what we do," he responded.

"Speak for yourself," Katsu scoffed, trying her best to stifle her giggling. "You really are a dobe."

Akira lowered his head, refusing to look up at the Uchiha. He was not dead last. He was an achiever, a survivor. He thought he was stronger than the other two, Kurama made it so, but this scum, this idiot, mocked him at every turn. He was tired of her constant jeer. So what if he had poor chakra control; he was stronger than them, faster than them, and smarter than them.

"Enough," Akira whispered, his fists shaking in anger.

"What, strike a chord?" Katsu shrugged in response. "Man, for such an emotionless guy you're showing all kinds of feelings today aren't you?"

"Shut up!" Akira yelled again, the whiskers on the side of his face flared slightly as he continued. "No more jokes! I'm done with you!"

"Aki-san, calm down," Kiyoshi panicked, placing his hand on Akira's shoulder. The Genin recoiled at Kiyoshi's touch, jumping to another tree branch that was just slightly away.

"He's right ya' know. Put your claws away before you get hurt," Katsu shooed.

Akira didn't plan on playing with claws. He drew one of his katana from its sheath, and held it in front of his face with both hands. When Katsu didn't back down, Akira took it as an invitation to strike. He leapt off the tree branch, weapon drawn and ready for combat. Katsu responded very much the same way, jumping forward with her kunai in hand.

"First Gate: open!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, thrusting both arms down to either side. He wasn't going to allow blood to be shed among his teammates. He had resolved before the Chunin Exams, that he was going to stop crying, to stop being a burden to his teammates and there was far too much at stake for a petty argument to tare them apart. He was tired of feeling useless, and he was going to prove his might- right here and right now!

He leapt forward, using his increased speed opening the first gate warranted, to tackle Akira midflight, taking the slash of Katsu's kunai to his backside. The two tumbled to the forest floor below, hitting the harsh and unforgiving ground. The kunai had barely nicked Kiyoshi, only managed to tear his brand new jacket. It was a small price to pay to keep unity among the ranks.

Katsu took a step back; a horrified look was painted across her face when she realized the damage that she could've done to her teammate and friend. Kiyoshi assured her that he was fine, but she took of his jacket to check for blood just to be sure. Akira didn't have the same reaction. He still felt angry, and, being tackled out of the air didn't do anything to quell that rage. He sheathed his sword, gave his teammates another look, and took off through the woods. Katsu went to rush after him, but Kiyoshi grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No," he frowned. "You've done enough."

"At least take Konjou. He'll help you keep up with Akira," she shook her head. Kiyoshi nodded, looking for something of Akira's that he kept on his person. However, that appeared to be completely unnecessary. Despite asking for Konjou's assistance, Yuuki took off in Akira's direction, rushing through the foliage. "I trained each of the dogs to recognize our scents, Yuuki knows Akira's. Konjou has yours, and Takeshi can smell me from miles away."

Kiyoshi nodded just before sprinting to keep up with the excited dog. It was a useful skill to remember that each dog could potentially locate one of the members of our team. In addition to their ability to use basic elemental ninjutsu, Katsu's summons were growing in usefulness. Unlike Kiyoshi's summon, Ninoga, who just sat around all day.

Kiyoshi called out for his comrade as Yuuki did the same, letting out a few yelps for Akira. They had to catch up to him soon; who knew what dangers lie in wait for them just around the corner? Luckily, Akira didn't make it very far before he broke down in tears. He looked so defeated, holding steadfast to the large oak tree that sat in front of him. Kiyoshi felt it best not to say anything. He knew better than anyone that sometimes it was best to just have a good cry.

"You and I are the same," Akira quivered, rubbing both of his eyes with his sleeve. "We were below average in everything we did. Every goal we set, someone would achieve them faster and with higher marks."

"That was along time ago," Kiyoshi frowned, trying to push away the terrible memories of the ninja academy, wherein Shikawa, and most of the other children, used to torment for his pathetic performances in ninjutsu and taijutsu. "But... Aki-san..."

"Let me finish," Akira said, turning so that Kiyoshi could see his reddened faced and agitated eyes. "But Katsu... everyone liked her. She was just so 'perfect.' Ninjutsu... taijutsu... genjutsu... nothing was outside the realm of possibility when it came to her. But you, for the longest time you couldn't use ninjutsu, had no aptitude for formulating tactics, and you were about as stealthy as an ox. I was terrible with ninjutsu, and my taijutsu was subpar compared with those around me. I was a failure."

"Come on, Aki-san," Kiyoshi said, trying to smile. He extended a friendly hand in hopes that Akira would take the bait and come back with him. "Now's not the time to-"

"What's the point?" Akira screamed, slamming his fist on the tree trunk on which he had just previously clung to. "How do you keep fighting when everything just comes so easy to them? We have to work so hard when people like Katsu or Shikawa are just born with so much raw natural talent? How do you compete with the geniuses?"

Kiyoshi shook his head and let out a long, deep sigh. He had been down this road countless times, questioning his resolve. However, he had recently come to an answer, but he didn't think it would help Akira. His reason to continue training was rather person specific.

"Well... I keep trying to get harder to help you guys," Kiyoshi replied honestly, rubbing the back of his neck out of embarrassment. "I keep messing things up and, well I figured, if I could just... not screw up long enough... you two can become Chunin like you want. Then the whole village will stop looking down on you and Katsu. See, cause you think you're like me, but really you're like Katsu. You want to be recognized for your own skill, not held accountable for your parent's actions. I think she's hard on you because, well, she knows you two have a lot to work towards. She really cares about you."

"Not as much as you care about her," Akira remarked, trying to make himself laugh. Kiyoshi's face instinctively turned red, but just as he was about to argue, a loud howl rang through the trees. The hair on Kiyoshi's neck stood on end, and tiny dog at Kiyoshi's feet began to yelp and bark.

"Katsu!" Kiyoshi screamed as the trio made their way back from whence they came.

"Who has the scroll?" Akira panicked, pushing a few tree branches out of the way so that he could pick up speed.

"Forget the scroll!" Kiyoshi yelled back.

They couldn't run fast enough. Every second that passed by seemed like an eternity in Kiyoshi's mind. He knew the team shouldn't have split up, but that was irrelevant at their current juncture. He had to get to her before she was hurt; he promised himself and he promised Kakashi-sama that he would keep Katsu and Akira out of harms way.

"Katsu!" Kiyoshi shouted, once he could hear the sounds of battle.

Akira looked over to his comrade; Kiyoshi was clearly seething with anger. The young Uzumaki could not understand the other's rage. One minute, Kiyoshi had been calm and collected. It took only a mere second for his docile attitude to transform into blind rage. A ninja was supposed to remain calm in the face of danger, a rule that Akira exemplified quite nicely. His emotional outbursts were few and far in between, even in adversity. He felt it was the best chance for survival. The young ninja couldn't quite understand why Kiyoshi flew off the handle all the time.

"Stop yelling," Akira scolded. "You'll give away our position.

Kiyoshi didn't respond.

They came to a clearing in the middle of the woods as Yuuki disappeared in a puff of smoke, indicating that Katsu had just recently lost consciousness. Sure enough, resting unconscious in the center of the glade was a collapsed Katsu. From their viewpoint, Katsu appeared to be breathing and any injuries she had sustained seemed minimal with no blood of any kind in sight. However, they had to get closer to be sure.

That posed a problem. Standing over Katsu was a young man dressed in a black, hooded shirt that shrouded most of his face in shadow. However, Kiyoshi could just make out his dark black hair and brown eyes through the few rays of light that broke through. His pants were a light gray, and Kiyoshi could distinctly make out the Otogakure 'sound' symbol on the headband tied around his left thigh.

While Kiyoshi was blind with rage, Akira instantly activated the Byakkugan to search the surroundings. He could sense two entities in the distance, however, one was lying stagnant on the forest ground. The other appeared to be using some sort of healing jutsu to heal the unconscious teammate, but Akira couldn't be sure. As far as he could tell, there weren't any tripwires or traps set up in the vicinity, but, if Shikamaru had taught him anything, there were just some things that even the Byakugan couldn't see. Even though he couldn't see anything, the whole situation still felt rather... fishy. With the Sharingan, no single ninja should've been able to take down Katsu so quickly. If this Genin's teammates were indisposed, that must've meant he possessed immeasurable power. He planned to remain on guard.

"The girl for your scroll," the Otogakure ninja remarked, making the first move.

Kiyoshi didn't hesitate, reaching into his pants pocket to retrieve the scroll imprinted with the kanji for Earth. Just as he was about to toss it, Akira grabbed onto his arm to pause him for a moment. Akira wasn't ready to just hand over their ticket to the next round. Even if they were going to lose, Akira didn't want to go down without a fight. He pulled one of the katana off of his backside and held the blade pointing to their foe.

"Who are you?" Akira asked, taking a bold step forward.

"Don't you know it's impolite to ask for another's name before first giving your own?" the boy scoffed. "I guess that's typical of Leaf trash- no manners. The name is Kensho."

"Listen Kensho, if you think we're handing over our scroll you're a moron! Kiyoshi, I'll take care of this guy!" Akira shouted, rushing forward. The Sound ninja pulled a kunai from his pocket, tossing it toward Akira before taking off into the trees. Akira narrowly managed to block the oncoming projectile with his sword, but, with the threat gone, he decided it best not to pursue.

"Go!" Kiyoshi commanded, pointing towards the direction their foe had fled. "Take him down!"

Akira nodded as he didn't dare argue with Kiyoshi any longer. The younger Uzumaki had never quite seen his teammate lose his temper. He had seen him annoyed, but never had he seen Kiyoshi's anger raise to this sort of intensity. Akira knew had had to take this guy down for Kiyoshi. Even if he didn't particularly like Katsu, he had to do it for Kiyoshi, no matter what the cost.

Kiyoshi took the chance to run to Katsu's aid, kneeling beside her. He immediately began searching her for any signs of bruising or cuts, but he couldn't find any. Katsu seemed perfectly fine except for the fact she wouldn't wake. He used his thumb and index finger to pry one of her eyes open, but he was immediately thrown into a state of confusion. Katsu's eyes, when her Sharingan weren't activated, were completely black. Like the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, the Uchiha clan had black, almost soulless eyes. This Katsu had distinct green pupils.

Katsu's other eye shot open, staring directly into Kiyoshi's eyes. After a short moment, the kunoichi's mouth opened wide as well, emitting a deep purple cloud of smoke. Kiyoshi couldn't help but to involuntarily gasp, accidentally inhaling a large amount of the smog. He panicked, pulling backwards and scrambling to his feet. He tried to ask what was going on, but the shock quickly gave way to an uncontrollable cough. Katsu stood. Only, she didn't resemble Katsu anymore. The illusion wore off, allowing Kiyoshi to see her for what she really was. With long black hair, and pale skin, she was almost a dead match for Katsu, even without the transformation jutsu. However, her outfit no longer appeared to match that of Kiyoshi's teammate. Like Kensho, the girl wore a hooded jacket, but she kept the hood down so that Kiyoshi could get a better look at her. The inside of the hood was made of some sort of fleece-like material.

"It's poison you know?" she shrugged, slowly walking to Kiyoshi's side. "It slowly creeps into your blood stream, attacking each organ individually. It's a painful process and it takes roughly ten minutes before your body shuts down and movement becomes impossible. It takes another ten or so minutes after that for the sweet silence of death to come."

Kiyoshi coughed again, this time more violently before. He tried to take a step forward, falling to one knee due to a strange feeling of disorientation that overcame him. He tried to stand, but his vision started to blur all at once.

"Where... is Katsu?" Kiyoshi managed to retaliate, struggling to his feet. It took everything in his power to steady himself with the strange feelings of uneasiness that overcame him.

"Hmm," she smiled, drawing a few senbon from a pouch at her side. "It's amazing your still standing. Right about now your vision should be impaired and the poison should start seeping into your brain. In only a few minutes, it should find the central nervous system, messing with your pain receptors to make your body believe it is in immeasurable torture. If you want to find your friend, you better go soon."

Kiyoshi put one hand forward, taking a deep breath to find his center of balance. Fighting back every urge to cough, Kiyoshi managed to take the Iron-First fighting stance. If he only had a few minutes, Kiyoshi planned to enjoy every minute of it taking this girl down.

"May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Heh," Kiyoshi tried to laugh. "Don't you know it's impolite to-"

"Don't play coy with me!" she screamed, throwing a single senbon in Kiyoshi's direction. While the latitude of the throw was spot on, it was the longitude that Kiyoshi found rather strange as the projectile soared high above his head. Just as he was about to chastise the female for her terrible aim, the girl made a hand seal and exclaimed the words "Metal Rain Jutsu."

The senbon's forward momentum ceased in midair. Rather than floating in place, the projectile fell, aimed directly at Kiyoshi's skull. With the single threat clearly in view, Kiyoshi was easily able to sidestep the weapon as it stuck into the ground. He was about to rush forward to hopefully close the gap between himself and his opponent, however something nicked his right arm. His initial reaction was to cover his wound, but then another pain rang in his left and then another and another. Before long, Kiyoshi realized senbon were raining from the sky and the young Genin did the only thing he could think to do to deflect the oncoming attack.

"Gate of Opening: open!" he exclaimed, thrusting down each of his arms to open the first gate. The release of energy completely deflected the senbon, sending them sprawling out into the ground around him. The Genin rushed forward, intent on closing the gap between him and his opponent, but the Otogakure Ninja threw a surprise punch that caught Kiyoshi off guard. Still, with his increased speed and agility, he was able to block the blow with his upper arm. He was about to retaliate with a powerful upwards kick, but a loud, high-pitched noise resonated within the Leaf Genin's ears. He panicked, trying desperately to cover his head and stop the terrible screech, giving the Sound Ninja the perfect opportunity to deliver a powerful roundhouse kick in retaliation. The kick proved strong enough to send Kiyoshi sprawling backwards quite a few meters.

"Like it?" the ninja shrugged, lowering the sleeves of her jacket so that Kiyoshi could see the strange piece of machinery attached to her upper arm. "This gauntlet emits a high-pitched noise to anyone within its range; standard Otogakure equipment. And you my friend have about… oh two minutes. I wonder how your teammates are doing. That girl… what did you call her… Katsu? She went down so easily. The sound waves from our weapons were enough to do her in quite nicely She kept crying out for help, but no one came. It was all rather pathetic."

Kiyoshi stood up, tightening his hand into a fist.

"Two minutes?" he winced, holding his side. "That's one more than I'll need."

"You insolent little-" she rushed forward with another few senbon in hand.

At that point, Kiyoshi was no longer listening to his opponent. He had only used this technique once before, while Guy-sensei was watching him train. As when opening the first gate, Kiyoshi raised both arms and took a deep breathe. All at once, the young shinobi thrust his hands down to his sides, releasing another wave of energy that completely paused his opponent's forward momentum.

"Second Gate, the Gate of Healing: open!" Kiyoshi screamed, increasing his speed and stamina once more. Within a blink of an eye, Kiyoshi appeared in front of his adversary, delivering a kick that launched her high into the air. Using a nearby tree trunk, Kiyoshi followed suit, launching himself into the sky while simultaneously using his momentum to spin wildly, delivering a spectacular spinning, midair, head-butt to the Sound Ninja's stomach. Just as the two were about to begin their decent back to earth, he flipped out from under her, and delivered a decisive downwards kick that connected with her midsection. With a gasp, the kunoichi plummeted down to the ground below.

"Leaf Burning Sky," Kiyoshi exclaimed, barely managing to land on his feet. He tried to make his way over to the unconscious shinobi to search her for a scroll, but his vision once again became distorted. A single misstep, forced Kiyoshi down to his knees, grasping wildly for air. He coughed once more, using his hand to cover his mouth. When he pulled his hand away, he could see that it was covered in a deep red, sticky liquid. He tried to stand once more, but his legs gave way.

Omake

Shikawa: Hi, today we're going to talk about the Swordsmen of the Mist.

Choya: Don't Kiyoshi and his gang normally do these things?

Inoki: They're currently indisposed.

Shikawa: Right. Anyway, the Swordsmen of the Mist were an elite squad of assassins that answered directly to the Mizukage.

Choya: Sort of like the ANBU?

Shikawa: Right, only sometime in the past the swordsmen lost their way. For a string of about fifty years or so, they began operating as mercenaries for hire, working for whomever would foot the bill.

Choya: So, they were the bad guys for a while?

Shikawa: More or less. However, now the Swordsmen of the Mist have begun acting as the Mizukage's personal guard. The most prominent members of the guard are Suigetsu and Chojuro, the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, the Mist's Executioner's Blade, and the wielder of the Kiramekarei, the Mist's Twinsword, respectively. There are seven blades in total.

Inoki: The Samehada, the Nuubari, the Kabutowari, the Shibuki, and the Kiba are the others.

Choya: Well that's cool and all, but what about Isao, that guy who claims to be a Mist Swordsmen in training.

Shikawa: That's easily explained as the swords are passed down from generation to generation. Isao Date happens to be the start of the next generation and functions as Chojuro's replacement as the newest wielder of the Kiramekarei.

Choya: He doesn't look so tough and from what I hear, Akira has a crush on him.

Shikawa: R-really?

Akira: You don't say?

Choya: How did you get in here? We thought you were in trouble?

Kiyoshi: Well how about you three get off your butts and you come SAVE US?!

Katsu: You're in my spot Inoki.

Inoki: Baka.

Katsu: Fine, don't want to move? Try this! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!