A/N: So I received a very good question, and I have a not-so-good explanation to make…
haha21 commented on the last chapter:
You wrote 26 teams passed. If so, it'd be 26 times 3 plus 1 (for Reika), which is 79 people. Also 81 people passing wouldn't make sense. 81 divided by 3 is a perfect 27. I was under the impression that Team Seven was the only 4-man team, so that doesn't make sense.
The question is, have you ever thought of a possibility that there are 4-membered teams other than Team 7? ;) So my reasoning is that there are 2 other teams other than Team 7 that has 4 members, so that's why there are 81 people and 26 teams who passed instead of 27 teams of three. Sorry for not explaining things better. Good job for pointing it out, haha21! :D
Thanks for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! Enjoy~
The next day, with the information they got from Kakashi, Team 7 finds themselves in front of Training Ground #44 amongst other examinees. From what Reika sees from the outside, it looks like a vast, dark forest with big trees and a 'NO TRESSPASSING' sign stuck in front of the tall wire gate surrounding it. Reika has such a bad feeling about this.
"W-What is this place…?" Naruto wonders.
"This is the location for the second exam, Training Ground #44; also known as… The Forest of Death," Anko explains with a sinister smile on her face.
"The Forest… of Death?" Naruto murmurs. Reika has her focus on the forest, ignoring everything that's going on around her. She has always liked being in a forest. Sure, they've got their rivers and tall trees, but as long as Reika stays on ground, she'll be fine. She has never found a forest she doesn't like, but… she has a feeling she won't like this one.
"There's something kind of creepy about this place," Sakura comments.
Anko chuckles, "This place is called the Forest of Death, you'll soon realize why."
Naruto huffs and imitates Anko, "'The Forest of Death, you'll soon realize why'. That kind of threat won't work on me one bit! I'm not scared!"
Anko gives him a bright smile that actually sends shivers down Reika's spine, "Really? You've got a lot of energy," and with that same bright smile on her face, Anko throws a kunai that slices a scar on Naruto's left cheek, stabbing the ground behind him. Anko flickers behind Naruto, "A kid like you dies at the very beginning," Anko takes Naruto's right cheek in her hand and runs a finger on his bloodied cheek, "…dappled with the red blood I like."
Another sadist. Chuunin Exam sure is full of… interesting people, Reika thinks.
Suddenly, Anko pulls out another kunai and turns around, when someone's – ew – tongue holding her kunai appears beside her. Reika grimaces at the sight.
"I'm returning… your kunai," the lady with the long tongue says.
Reika shudders. This woman is also… not good news.
"Thank you for taking the trouble…" Anko says with a smile on her face, but Reika can tell she's not sincere and she's got her guard up, "But… don't stand behind me, thirsty for blood. If you don't want a quick death…" Anko says as she takes her kunai from the kunoichi's tongue.
The kunoichi retracts her tongue – Reika winces – and says, "Well, it's my nature to act up at the sight of red blood," she smirks dangerously, "And my precious hair was cut, so I got excited…" she turns around and returns to where, presumably, her teammates are, "I'm sorry," she says as she walks away.
Anko smirks, "Evidently, we've got a lot of hot-blooded kids this time," she chuckles excitedly, "This will be fun."
Anko walks towards the very front, "Well, before we start the second exam, I have to pass this out to you!" she turns around holding a stack of paper in her hand, "It's a consent form. Before you can take part in the test, you have to sign this."
"Why?" Naruto asks.
"From here on out, corpses are going to come out. I have to get your consent for that, or it'll be my responsibility!" Anko says, finishing her sentence with a laugh.
Reika sighs. She's not just a sadist. She's a psycho.
"Well, I'm going to start the explanation for the second exam. In a word, the limits of your survival will be challenged," Anko says as she gives the stack of paper to Naruto, who's standing closest to her, for him to hand out to the other examinees. Anko pulls out a scroll in her hand and unrolls it.
"First, I'll give you step-by-step instruction on the terrain of this Training Ground. Training Ground #44 is surrounded by 44 locked entrance gates, there are rivers and a forest and a tower in the middle. It's about 10 kilometers from the tower to the gates. In this confined area, you will go through a certain survival program. The contents of which are…" She rerolls the map and puts it in her pocket, "…an anything-goes scroll battle!"
She pulls out two scrolls, one blue and the other is white.
"Scroll...?"
"Yes," Anko shows them the white scroll with the kanji of Heaven and the blue one with the kanji of Earth in front of it, "I want you to fight for two scrolls, the Heaven scroll and the Earth scroll. All together 26 teams got through the first test. Half of them, 13 teams, get the Heaven scroll, the other half gets the Earth scroll. I'll hand over one scroll to each team. To put it simply, that's what you're vying for."
"And the conditions to pass?" Sasuke asks.
"All members of one team bring both the Heaven and Earth scrolls to the tower in the center."
"That means that of the 13 teams, half of them will fail for sure…" Sakura says.
"Except it has to be in time. For this second exam, the time limit is 120 hours. Do it in exactly 5 days!" Anko says as she puts the scrolls back in her pocket.
"Five days?"
"What do we do about food?" Reika sighs. Chouji, is there anything in your head besides food…?
"Be self-sufficient! It's a treasure trove in the wilderness. There's more than enough for food," Anko says.
"However…" Kabuto starts, "It's teaming with fierce people-eating animals, poison bugs, weeds, and much more."
"No way…" Chouji moans in devastation.
"Idiot, that's why it's called survival!" Ino scolds him.
"Besides, it's improbable that 13 teams will pass," Neji comments.
"The interval for activity gets longer with each passing day, while the time for recovery gets shorter… seems pretty grueling!" Lee says with an excited smile.
"On top of that, you're surrounded by nothing but enemies…" Sasuke says.
"Even falling asleep will be a problem," Reika says, seemingly finishing Sasuke's sentence.
"And, besides those injured during attempts to capture scrolls, there will definitely be people who are unable to endure the rigors of the course," Anko says.
Shikamaru raises his hands, "So… can you quit in the middle of it?"
Seriously? Reika rolls her eyes. For someone so smart, you can be such a fool, Shikamaru…
"According to the rules, you cannot give up in the middle of it!" Anko smiles at him, "I want you to spend 5 days in the forest."
"Just as I thought…" Shikamaru says, "This is going to be a drag…"
"Moving on, conditions of disqualification: number 1, if all members of the team can't make it to the tower with the Heaven and Earth scrolls within the time limit; number 2, if a team loses a member or if a member became incapacitated. There's that, and this is a supplement… absolutely do not look at the contents of the scrolls until you have reached the tower!"
"W-What happens if we look at it halfway through-ttebayo?" Naruto inquires.
"When you look at it… you'll find out!" Anko says mysteriously with a smile, "There are times when a Chuunin must deal with super-secret text. This is to test your reliability. That's all the explanation! I'll exchange your team's consent forms for the scrolls in that hut over there," Anko says, pointing at the hut in front of one of the gates, "After that, pick your entrance, and all the gates will open simultaneously!"
Anko heaves a deep sigh, "Finally, just a word of advice…" she looks at the crowd strongly, "Don't die!"
Reika's eyebrow twitches at her words. After everyone has been dismissed, she follows Sasuke wordlessly (ignoring Ino and Sakura's protests) towards a rock a couple of meters away from the hut, which is now covered with a red curtain. Well, without it, we'll know which team has which scroll, and which member is holding on to it, and that would just be no fun. She sits beside her brother and reads through the consent form.
So this is what Ibiki is talking about, fighting for information with your life… everyone's lives are in danger, Reika sighs softly and signs her name in the consent form. She turns to look at Sasuke. Nii-san's life will also be in danger. I have to protect him.
"Reika-hime," Sasuke whispers without turning to look at her. Reika jumps slightly. She never expected him to call her with her nickname in public, even if it was with a whisper; that has never happened before. They can never be too careful.
"Y-Yes?"
"…I'll protect you."
Reika's eyes soften. She nods at him, "…I'll protect you too, nii-san."
xXx
"It's about time for the scroll exchange," a shinobi from within the hut says. Everyone starts to get up from their seats and gathers with their own teammates. One by one, each team enter the hut and exchange their consent forms with a scroll, and they all pick their own entrances. Team 7 receives a Heaven scroll, and they pick their gate.
By the time the clock strikes 2, Anko shouts, "Teams who have taken the scroll, stay with the representative and move to the gate! We'll all start simultaneously in 30 minutes!"
Team 7 makes their way to Gate #12 and waits out the 30 minutes. Naruto is pumped, as usual. Reika ignores him as she yawns. Nearing the 30 minutes, the representative unlocks the gates.
"We will now start the second test of the Chuunin Exam!" Anko's voice shout from their starting point. The gates slam open and Team 7 walks through the gates with smirks and smiles on their faces.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Not even 10 minutes inside, they can already hear screams coming from somewhere within the forest. Team 7 stops in their tracks and turn their heads towards the source of the scream.
"Wasn't that someone screaming just now?" Sakura asks, a scared look on her face.
"…seems like it's already started," Reika mumbles. In the sky, a flock of birds fly away from the direction of the scream.
"I-I'm kinda getting nervous…" Sakura says.
"I-It was nothing-ttebayo, Sakura-chan!" Naruto says, feigning courage. He then squirms, then says, "I-I have to pee…" he then runs towards a bush. Reika's hand twitches in annoyance. Before she can hit him, Sakura beat her to it.
"Y-You fool! What are you doing in front of me and Reika?! Go to the grass!"
Reika winces when a huge bump swells from where Sakura hit Naruto in the head. Sasuke, Reika, and Sakura wait as Naruto obliges Sakura's command. Not long after, he comes back.
"Ahh, that was a lot! I'm refreshed!" Naruto says. Reika frowns. Since when is Naruto a lefty? And where's the scar Anko-san gave him?
In their team, even though they have two left-handed people, namely Sasuke and Reika, the only one who puts their kunai holster on their left thigh is only Reika. But this 'Naruto' has his kunai holster on his left thigh.
"Like I said, not in front of–!"
Before Sakura can finish her sentence, Sasuke moves behind 'Naruto' and backhands him. 'Naruto' is thrown against a tree.
"S-Sasuke-kun… no matter what, you don't have to go that far!" Sakura says, shock still evident on her face.
"W-What was that for…?" 'Naruto' asks. Reika suddenly appears before him and sends a kick to his face, which he dodges by rolling to the side. Sasuke is waiting for him and kicks him, but he jumps towards a tree branch. The second he lands on the tree branch, Sasuke follows him and kicks him off of the branch. Before 'Naruto' can land, Reika kicks him with all her might and he's thrown against a tree once again. Before he can collect himself, Reika presses a kunai against his throat.
"What are you doing… all of a sudden?!" 'Naruto' protests.
"That's my line," Sasuke says. 'Naruto' pulls out a kunai and deflects Reika's. She flips backwards until there's a considerable distance between them while Sasuke and 'Naruto' engage in a kunai battle. Reika respectfully stays in her spot.
"Sasuke-kun, please stop!" Sakura pleads.
"Sakura, look closely at him," Reika says.
"Huh?"
"Talk! Where's the real Naruto?!" Sasuke asks.
"Eh?!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" 'Naruto' claims.
"What happened to the scratch on your face?" Reika asks with a glare, "The one you got from the proctor earlier?"
"And your kunai holster is on your left leg. The only one who does that in Team 7 is Reika! That guy's right handed!" Sasuke says, "You're worse at transformation than Naruto, you phony!"
'Naruto' transforms into a spiky haired Amegakure ninja with a gas mask on his mouth. Even with it, Reika can tell that he's smirking at them.
"Unlucky! You got me. In that case…" the Ame shinobi says, "Which one of you got the scroll?"
Sakura takes a kunai in her hand.
"If you listen to me obediently, I'll spare your lives," he says. But neither Sasuke, Reika, nor Sakura budge, "I see… then I'll resort to force!" he dashes forward towards them. Sasuke jumps upwards and makes hand seals midair.
Reika pushes Sakura to the side as Sasuke shouts, "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu)!" he shoots out small fireballs from his mouth to stop the Ame ninja from approaching them. The Ame ninja jumps and Sasuke attacks him midair with his kunai, and the Ame ninja deflects it with his own. The Ame ninja jumps to another tree and runs away, Sasuke on his trail.
"Heeey! Sasuke!" Naruto screams from the ground, where he is tied up. Sasuke clicks his tongue and throws a kunai that slices the ropes tying Naruto's upper body, "Alright!"
"I caught you off guard! Lucky!" the Amegakure ninja throws knives and kunais at Sasuke, and he dodges it below a branch, but one of the kunais is actually an explosive kunai, and Sasuke is thrown back. He lands back on the ground in a crouch, and the Ame ninja appears behind him with a kunai, "This is lucky! I'll kill you if you move! Calmly hand over the scroll!"
Reika and Sakura arrive to where Sasuke is, and their eyes widen when they find Sasuke at the end of the Ame ninja's kunai.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaims. Reika narrows her eyes and throws a senbon at the Ame ninja's hand and he loses his grip on his kunai. Sasuke smirks, and another kunai comes from above, and the Ame ninja jumps to avoid it.
Naruto jumps down from the branch, "I won't let you get away!" and starts chasing the Ame ninja.
Sasuke uses his chakra to lift the kunai Naruto threw with the soles of his foot, sends it towards the Ame ninja, and jumps. The Ame ninja avoids it midair, his eyes following the trajectory of the kunai, and his eyes widen when Sasuke slams him with a kunai in is hands. The Amegakure shinobi widens his eyes and looks down at his feet. Sasuke follows his eyes and smirks when he finds three senbons stabbed to his feet.
"Sasuke-kun…!" Sakura calls out from beside Reika, who already has three more senbons in her hand.
"Don't just stand there, Sakura!" Sasuke scolds, "There's no guarantee that this guy's alone!"
"Don't let your guard down, or you'll really get killed," Reika says from beside her. Sakura flinches at her words.
The Ame ninja pulls himself away from Sasuke and escapes. His movements are slower because one of his legs is stabbed with senbons. Sasuke lands and glares at the direction of the Ame ninja.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura calls out as she runs towards Sasuke, Reika following her slowly along with Naruto.
"You okay?" Reika asks. She may not show it, but she's relieved when he nods at her. He blinks out his Sharingan and they sit around in a circle.
"If there's an instance that we become separated, don't trust him if he looks like your teammate," Sasuke says, "Just like now, there's a possibility that an enemy will transform to get close to us."
"Yeah," Naruto says with a nod.
"So what do we do?" Sakura asks.
"…Password," Reika says.
"Password?"
"If the password is incorrect, no matter what he looks like, presume he's the enemy," Reika says.
Sasuke nods at her, then he turns to look at his teammates, "I'll only say it once, so listen closely. You ask, ninja song, 'Ninja Chance'. And the answer is this: 'The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard'. That's it."
"Okay!" Sakura says with a smile.
Reika sighs, but nods nonetheless. She stores the password in her head as codes, so she'll remember it easier. While she may love literature, she's not too fond of long sentences as her memory is on the worse side. She remember better with codes or her body. She decides to just stick with Sasuke so she doesn't need to use it.
Naruto frowns, "Could you say it once more?"
"I told you I'd only say it once," Sasuke says exasperatedly.
"Could it be that you couldn't memorize it?" Sakura asks mockingly, "You're such a fool! I got it right away!" Sakura says arrogantly.
"I-I memorized it perfectly-ttebayo! I thought just in case, I'd listen one more time…" Naruto defends himself.
"I'll carry the scroll," Sasuke offers as he stands up.
"Hey, wait, Sasuke," Naruto stands up, but then something whizzes past his right cheek and slices it. Suddenly they hear wind coming from somewhere, and Naruto turns to his right, "What is it…?"
A huge gust of wind attacks all of them, and sends Naruto and Reika apart from Sasuke and Sakura.
xXx
Sasuke manages to hide under a bush before the gust of wind can throw him off. He clicks his tongue as he remembers his twin sister getting thrown off balance and carried by the wind. He hears a rustle from his back, and he brandishes his kunai with a snarl.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura says.
"Don't move! First, the password… Ninja song, 'Ninja Chance'!"
"Ah! Um… The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard," Sakura recites perfectly.
"Good."
"Hey, everyone, you okay?" Naruto asks as they approach them.
"Naruto, wait!" Sakura stops him, "The password."
"I know," Naruto says with a smile, "The chance to sneak up when a large number of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard."
Sakura sighs in relief, but Sasuke throws a kunai at him, which Naruto evades.
"What are you doing-ttebayo?!" Naruto asks incredulously.
"This time it's someone who can dodge my attack, huh?"
"What are you saying, Sasuke-kun?! Naruto just said the password properly!" Sakura says.
"That's the problem!" Sasuke says.
"Eh?"
"Do you really think that guy can remember a password that long?"
"Oh!" Sakura's eyes widen in realization.
"If we asked the normal Naruto what the password is, what do you think he'd say?" Sasuke asks.
"'Sorry. I've forgotten it.'"
"Besides, his movements when he avoided my attack was clearly different from Naruto's. Show your true self already, faker!"
'Naruto' gives them a dark smirk, licks his lips, and says, "I should've transformed into the other girl instead of this boy, huh…? My bad," he goes up in smoke and transforms into the lady who returned Anko's kunai with her tongue earlier in the starting point.
"Actually, if you had transformed into Reika, I would've known as well," Sasuke says with a smirk. I'd never mistake her for anyone else. Unless you can alter your own chakra signature, I will always be able to recognize the feel of her chakra, Sasuke thinks.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Her memory's bad. She'll take her time remembering it, then she'll say it word by word."
The lady smirks, "But if you knew they'd forget it, why didn't you make the password shorter?"
"I knew you were underground eavesdropping on our conversation. So I chose that password on purpose."
The lady takes off her hat and reveals her Kusagakure hitai-ate, "Oh really. So you're not tired or letting your guard down. This will be more fun than I thought," she finishes her sentence with a lick to her lips.
This person is too creepy… and where are Naruto and Reika? Sakura wonders.