Chapter 14: Lamentations in the Forest of Death

Alright, time to see how Arashi handles passing out from blood loss after getting her throat cut wide open.

Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, and adds this fanfiction as a favorite. I think you are all lovely people. :D This is another chapter I've looked forward to. In fact, I'll probably love writing every chapter all the way through the Chuunin Selection Exam. I've also decided to focus a little more on the jutsu being used. Early on it didn't feel as necessary, since new Genin aren't packing an arsenal, but as these guys grow, so too will their pool of jutsu. Hopefully, it'll add a little bit of flavor.

Songs: Naruto Shippuden OST - Kushina Uzumaki, Broken Iris - Broken Inside.

Chapter Summary: Time is almost up and Arashi's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Lamentations in the Forest of Death

Arashi felt sick.

Not the kind of sick that comes from a cold or the kind that comes from any sort of infection. Her mind tried to assess the symptoms that she was experiencing, but she could not form thoughts. She was in limbo and she was slipping away.

She was dying.

It made sense, somehow. Without being able to consider the situation, she accepted it. The bits of broken memories and half thoughts comforted her as she drifted. She had lived a short, but good life. There were people that loved her and she lived in a country that had known relative peace for almost a decade. If she left, it would not be like they needed her. It did not matter.

The wounds that she had from the attack were serious. Most people never would have survived them - let alone a thirteen year old girl.

Her mind wrapped itself around a single thought: never.

She would never get to see her dreams come to fruition, she would never experience her first kiss, she would never get to usher in the next generation or anything. She was to die young - murdered in the Forest of Death.

Mental haze or not, she knew this was not who she was and this was not what was meant to happen to her.

Her pulse began to pick up.

She had a father and a mother, a brother and Naruto, a team and friends. She had a dream. She had a purpose. If she died then she had nothing.

If she died, she would be nothing. She would be nothing but a little doll that was shattered into a million pieces and discarded by a psychopath.

Her existence was consumed by a refusal to be that.

Arashi gasped awake.

Her reality was one of a deep ache that blinded the rest of her senses. She felt like she had been beating her head against Death's door all night.

Unconsciousness beckoned to her from the corners of her mind. Her limbs felt weighted down and her skin was sticky with dried blood. Her throat was dry and swallowing was painful, but she was able to breathe. Discomfort was better than choking to death. Pain radiated from her leg - which she was sure was broken.

I'm alive for whatever that's worth.

She took a breath and held it.

I don't sense Akio or Daisuke nearby. I don't know what to think of that. Either they got away or they're dead right now.

She exhaled.

My ribs healed while I was out. She brought her hands up and felt her ribcage. Pretty good result from my project for a test run, I guess.

She looked around with bleary eyes. Her glasses were within reach, so she steeled her nerves and grabbed them. It hurt to move, but it was necessary. She needed to see if she was to repair the rest of the damage done to her body. Once they were returned to her face, she laid her head back on the ground and looked upward.

It was morning.

I don't think I've ever felt so exhausted before. She turned her head to the side and searched her surroundings. This wasn't where I was yesterday.

Arashi was several feet away from where she propped herself against a tree before. She knew she had not moved on her own - unless she seized and then struggled while she was unconscious. Her stomach turned as she looked over the bloodstained dirt.

How did I not die? She closed her eyes. I must have one hell of a life force. That or Mom's right and I'm the most stubborn girl ever born.

The events of the previous day played through her mind. It made her want to throw up. She felt weak and powerless. She had never felt like a victim before in her life. It made her feel dirty.

She bit her lip and forced herself to think of the situation at hand. She was in the middle of the Forest of Death, there were other squads lurking around, she could not feel her teammates anywhere nearby, she was severely injured, and she was alone. Her situation was bleak at best.

Great.

She mustered as much strength as she could and sat up.

Oh yeah... that's a broken leg. That's definitely a broken leg.

If the situation was not such a nightmare, she might have laughed - or cried - either would have worked, but instead she felt detached. It was like a horror story that one of the older, retired shinobi would tell their grandchildren to spook them, except she was living it and it was not just a story.

I have to set the bone, mend everything back together and get to that tower.

Arashi examined the injury. The area below her knee was swollen, but at the very least it was a closed fracture. The last thing she needed was an open wound with a bone sticking out at her. From what she could tell the swelling was not severe enough to denote an artery was ruptured. A nasty bruise was alright; she would not drown on her own blood from a bruise.

As she was designing her project, she had realized that in its early stage the jutsu would be unable to properly handle severely broken bones. It had taken care of her ribs because, although they were broken, they were not fractured into pieces and they had not punctured into her lungs. Her leg, on the other hand, needed the bone to be corrected before the medical ninjutsu would mend it back together. It was a safety precaution until she could do more extensive testing.

It struck her that she never gave her project a name.

For months upon months she poured her life into creating it but she was too scared it would be a failure to give it a name. She sniffled. Her nameless jutsu pulled through for her.

It deserves a name.

She could feel a couple teams in the area. One was the Lightning squad, the other was a Sand squad. Anything was better than having another run in with Satoshi, but the thought did not comfort her. She needed to get herself functioning before someone found her. She doubted anyone would be merciful after what she and her team had been up to.

Okay, set the bone, heal the damage. No biggie.

Arashi had set her fair share of broken bones, but none of them had ever been her own. She hesitated. It was going to hurt.

Get over it. This has to be done.

Arashi grabbed a piece of bark and bit down on it. She drug herself to a tree to prop herself up. Each jar to her leg sent a scorching, burning pain through her body.

It's good my jutsu didn't mess with this bone. I can't imagine what I'd do if it accidentally melded the bone together crooked.

She took a deep breath and bit down hard on the bark.

Her muffled scream echoed off the trees around her as she slid the bone back into place.

Once she caught her breath again, she channeled her chakra into a Shosen no jutsu and poured it into her leg. Thunder boomed over her head and rain began to pour down. Within moments she was drenched.

Her first thoughts were of trying to find a warm place to take shelter until it passed, but as the water washed the blood from her skin, she felt rejuvenated. She grabbed onto a tree and pulled herself to her feet. Her balance was unstable at first, but she was standing and that was an accomplishment. She turned her face to the rain and held her hands out.

The rain was cleansing her.

Fuin Shugotenshi?

The fuinjutsu hidden within her body had been like a guardian angel, after all.

Terrible name, but it works.

Arashi dug through her pack and fished out a Military Rations Pill. She wanted to gag as she ate it, but it was another necessity. In order to get out of that place, she needed her strength. The pill would replenish her chakra and nourish her body. Normally, she would not have used it. She was skeptical about how healthy it was to consume them.

It's not like these things are candy.

As she swallowed, her throat ached. She reached up to touch her neck and her back stiffened. She could feel a mass of scar tissue that spanned all the way across - exactly where she had been cut. Her breath hitched. Her jutsu was not supposed to leave severe scarring.

All over again, she could feel Satoshi's attempt to murder her. She struggled to keep her breathing even. It took everything in her to keep from breaking down right there.

She wanted to run into the safety of her father's arms and to feel her mother stroking her hair to comfort her. She wanted to be safe at home and not in danger. She wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Holy shit, you're one of those Leaf faggots."

Her mouth formed a thin line and she turned to look at the Lightning ninja that found her while she was distracted.

He was about a foot taller than her, a year or two older, his skin was a deep mocha, and his hair was black. His general appearance was haggard, like he had been running for hours before he stumbled across her. There were bags under his eyes that denoted he had not slept in a long time. His team was close by, but she could tell they were all split up.

Looks like he's been chased by another group.

He looked at her like she was a piece of trash, but when his eyes landed on her neck a glint of surprise and aversion lit up. She wanted to shield her throat from him so he could not look at it that way, anymore.

"Hey, why don't you answer? Huh? Too high and mighty 'cause you're on your home turf?" His hand went to his kunai pouch. "I'll just have to beat that out of you. Looks like another group already had a go at it, but I won't let that spoil my fun."

Great. Just what I need.

There was nowhere for her to run. The pill had not restored all of her strength and she doubted she could fend him off.

"Look, we don't have to fight," It was painful to speak, but Arashi forced her voice to stay steady, "You come at me, my team will come at you. Trust me. You don't want that."

"That's some real bull right there. I'm thinking you're alone. Alone and hurt from the looks of you and this place."

This isn't good.

"Really?" She laughed, "You're pretty stupid. Kinda like the rest of those teams we took down before."

His bravado wavered a little and he glanced around. He was nervous. Despite his act of arrogance, she knew her bluff was having an effect.

"The only reason you're not down for the count right now is because we're in a bit of a rush to get to the tower." She let her hand rest over her kunai pouch.

The muscles of his jaw worked in irritation. The agitation in his body language made her anxious, but she tried to hide it. He was acting like a rubber band that had been stretched too far and was about to snap.

"You know, I'm having a hard time caring whether this is a trap or not. Your country is scum and your team is worse."

"And what will your team say when they have to carry your useless body out of this forest?"

"I'll tell them to shut their damn mouths! I call the shots and I say: screw your team and your threats!"

Arashi tensed. He was snapping.

"If I slow you down enough, you won't make it to the tower in time!"

You have got to be kidding me!

They pulled out their kunai at the same time and he lunged.

The metal blades glanced off each other. Arashi whimpered as his kunai sliced through her arm and she braced herself for another strike.

It never came.

She looked down to see her kunai buried deep in the Lightning ninja's chest. He looked at her with a shocked expression. Arashi's heart lurched - she did not even aim to hit him. Her goal was to deflect his attack.

He coughed up some blood and toppled over.

Arashi dropped her kunai and knelt beside him. She examined the injury with shaky hands. His lung was pierced and the tip of her weapon had punctured his heart. His pericardium was rapidly filling with blood.

Cardiac tamponade.

Arashi looked at him for a few seconds. Either she could let him drown in his own blood, or she could help him. Memories of her recent traumatic experience replayed in her mind.

She pressed her hands against his chest and channeled her chakra into the sac surrounding his heart. If she could stop the fluid from filling his pericardium, then later they could surgically drain it in a sanitary environment. If she did nothing, he was going to die.

He coughed up more blood and tried to struggle away from her. The whites of his eyes flashed with fear as he pushed her hands away.

"Stop!" She hissed. "Let me help you!"

She forced him on his back and pressed her hands against the wound again.

This is bad. This is so bad.

She tried to repair the damage, but already there was too much fluid built up. His signature was fading with each weakening beat of his heart.

"Why didn't you just back down?" Her voice shook. "Why?"

He struggled to breathe.

"Why didn't you just let me go?"

The life faded from his eyes and his chakra flickered out.

"Why?"

She sat by him for moment in disbelief.

Arashi had taken a life.

Why did you make me kill you?

His unseeing gaze burned her. It was somehow accusing. Somewhere, this boy had people that loved him. He had friends, family, dreams, and ambitions. He had a future - until the blade of her kunai stole it all away.

She ran her hand over his face to close his eyes.

Arashi knew being a ninja meant killing and a high possibility of an unpleasant death. Her instructors from the Academy had drilled that into her head. Medic or not, she was a weapon. She was a killer-in-training and if Ibiki did his job right, she would make her living as a well honed tool.

Regardless, killing a teenage boy when violence was unnecessary was the farthest thing from her desire to help people.

Arashi did not know how to feel - then all at once she realized his team was coming toward her location. Panic shot through her. She could try to run, but they were already close and they would try to track her. Even if she got away, she was not sure if she could care for herself in her weakened state. Especially not with desperate squads around. She felt lost without a squad by her side.

A plan clicked together in her head.

She dug through the dead boy's pack and found an Earth scroll. She then unsealed the spare heaven scroll and sat them to the side. It made her stomach clench, but she examined him for a moment to memorize his features.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

She made the dog, boar, and ram hand-seals. With a poof she transformed into the dead boy.

They're going to see right through this. I'm being so stupid. Like basic ninjutsu will trick anyone.

She drug the body into another position and with everything in her, she quickly transformed his body to look like her. It made her sick to look down at her own body, even if she knew it was just a jutsu. She put enough chakra into the it to hold it for quite a while, but time was still limited.

There's no way they'll fall for this. I should've just run.

A couple moments later, the first member of his squad dropped from the trees and walked over to her. The boy was just a little shorter than she was - while she was disguised as the dead Genin. Otherwise, he would have been a few inches taller than her. He had the same gauntness about him that the dead Genin had. He looked down at the disguised body with a sneer.

"Looks like at least one of those scum got what they deserved," Arashi commented. "And look how lucky."

She held up the two scrolls for him to see.

"Holy shit, Jiro!" the Lightning ninja's mouth fell open. "We've gotta get Nobu and sprint to that tower before the Sand team catches up to us."

I can't believe this is working.

Arashi slipped the scrolls into her bag and jumped into the trees with her temporary teammate. The boy next to her looked around frantically. He stopped jumping from branch to branch and crossed his arms.

"He was around here just a little while ago," he muttered.

She knew exactly where he was, but played it off like she was unaware.

"Nobu! Where are you? We need to go!"

He's shouting? Arashi cringed. Yeah, like that won't draw everyone to our location.

The last member of her temporary team dropped out of his hiding spot and sprinted over, "Are you stupid, Takeshi? Do you want that Sand team to find us again?"

At least my team was never that stupid.

Takeshi covered his mouth and squirmed, "Yeah, but," he mumbled through his hand, "Jiro has two scrolls! We're gonna make it to the next round!"

Nobu's eyes widened and he looked over at disguised-Arashi in disbelief.

She nodded with the best arrogant smirk she could muster, "We'd better get to that tower before we're out of time!"

Her temporary team nodded in agreement and they started on their way together.

I wonder if Daisuke and Akio are okay, her stomach sank, I could've passed right over their bodies without even knowing it.

She thought about her time with her team. They had all grown immensely since they formed a squad under Ibiki. From being around them so much, she was forced to acknowledge them as more than just two jerks that made her early childhood difficult. Her near death experience inspired her to look closer at the details in her life. Her Sensei always pushed for an analytical mind, after all.

Akio? Akio was a lonely little boy that had no friends, she could not believe she had not noticed it before. I ostracized him when we were little. No reason he bullied me. I had everything he didn't and it must've felt like I was rubbing it in his face with my bratty antics.

Her temporary teammates were quiet. She was thankful they were too distracted to notice she was an imposter.

And Daisuke? He probably just wanted a friend and he thoughts my clothes were pretty, so he painted on them because that's the kind of kid he was. He only paints beautiful things. I hope he's still alive. She frowned. I've been a terrible person to them, not the other way around.

At that moment she realized that through her life she had been too busy judging people by their clan, family, and aptitude. At some point she stopped seeing the value of a person. She had adopted the ideals of an elite when she was nowhere near being one. When she thought of an elite shinobi, she thought of the ANBU - of Itachi.

I'm never going to walk beside him. It's like he's in a whole different world. I'll never be one of the elite, so I should stop pretending and accept who I am.

Her thoughts transitioned from her team to her family. Her father had specifically stressed that he wanted her to be safe. She fell short of that request.

Maybe stuff like this is why Dad never talks about any of his war stories. He doesn't just sport a few nasty scars like other people. He probably had friends die in his arms.

Her mother's high pitched and catty cackle rang in her ears.

What would Mom do if I died here? What am I even doing with my life? And Kazika? Kazika doesn't even know who I am. No reason he doesn't want to be a ninja. He blames the profession for my absence.

Then there was Naruto. His bright blue eyes and mischievous grin were infectious, to say the least. Her insistence to be in his life - even if just a little - was most of the support he ever got. His grades in the Academy were laughable and he had no friends. The scant amount of time she was able to throw to him was all he had.

What would he even do if I got myself killed?

Arashi did not want to let anyone know what happened to her the day before. If - when - she made it back, she would cover up the trauma and keep it a secret. If she could help it, no one would know. Especially not her family. Itachi would expect her to track him down to tell him the news of whether she was going on to the final round or not, but she was not in the mood to socialize with anyone. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to hide away.

She glanced at the two Lightning ninjas at her side.

They did not even know their friend was dead. Guilt stabbed at her once again, but she pushed it away. She did not have a choice. It was either Jiro or her. Fate decided she was the one to survive. In a sense, what happened had not even set in yet. His blood was drying on her hands, but she refused to think about it.

"Wait and see what Sensei has to say about this," Takeshi broke the silence between them. "Man, the way he told us we weren't ready still makes me mad, but this will show him."

"Whatever. Stay quiet and focus on making it there safely." Nobu hushed him. "Those pricks from before are right behind it. Not sure how they're getting around so good after the Stone squad got their scroll, but they're managing."

Arashi's frown deepened.

Hate was blossoming within her for Satoshi and what he had done to her.

Thoughts of the psychopath were brushed aside as she felt three familiar signatures in the distance.

Although she could not see it yet, she knew they were coming close to the tower - and within that tower her team was waiting. Daisuke, Akio, and Ibiki were there.

So was Satoshi, but she would deal with that issue later.

"We need to take this last bit slow." She announced. "There might be other teams set up to ambush us."

Her temporary teammates fell into a cautious formation around her.

When they made it to the tower, it was perhaps an hour from the cut off time. The tower stood like a beacon in the center of the forest and Konoha shinobi milled about around and within it. As with much of the architecture of the hidden village, it was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle that was missing pieces. Takeshi practically vibrated with excitement to be there. He looked around at everything with wide, bright eyes. Nobu, on the other hand, seemed unruffled and maybe a little let down.

A proctor motioned for them to follow him.

"Cheer up, Nobu!" Takeshi whispered, loudly.

"I guess I just expected more from the tower after we struggled to get here for so long." Nobu muttered.

Arashi looked up at it, I mean, sure it's not going to be featured in any fairytales any time soon, but it's pretty impressive.

"Oh, man, I can't wait to show our sensei!" Takeshi beamed.

I guess it's time to end this whole act.

She did not think she could feel any more guilty than she did then.

Arashi sighed, "Proctor, I need a word with you."

The Chuunin proctor paused and looked over at her, inquisitively, "What is it?"

She took several steps away from her temporary squad and held up the two scrolls, "I have the scrolls. They're disqualified."

The proctor smirked in amusement.

He saw through the Henge jutsu immediately.

Nobu squinted at her, "What? Stop screwing around, dude. You've been acting weird all day."

"Yeah!" Takeshi agreed. "We're all making it through!"

Ibiki was serious about calling some of these squads sheep, I guess.

She sighed and released the jutsu. In the place of Jiro stood a lithe Konoha kunoichi. She stared flatly at the two Lightning genin through a pair of glasses. Their mouths fell open. The proctor chuckled.

"No. You guys are disqualified. Thanks for watching my back. I'm going to go find my team now."

Arashi made her way straight to her teammates.

Now that she was so close to them, she wanted to run as fast as she could, but she remained calm and walked. When she made it to the room where her team sat together in silence, she paused in the doorway.

They really are okay.

She could tell the side of Daisuke's face had a bad bruise and Akio was nursing an arm, but they were alive. The relief that washed over her to see them almost knocked her off her feet.

Ibiki glanced over and stilled when he saw her.

"Hey guys," she whispered and stepped completely into the room, "I've been thinking and I just wanted to say I'm sorry about being such a bitch since we were little kids."

Daisuke and Akio stared at her like they were looking at a ghost.

"And I could really use a shower-"

Akio jumped to his feet and snatched her up into a hug. She stiffened and then relaxed into him. This was the first time she had ever hugged one of her teammates and she did not expect it to be Akio.

"I thought you two said she was dead." Ibiki commented, tensely. "She looks pretty alive to me."

Their Sensei separated the Aburame from her and his dark eyes settled on her neck. She looked up at him, determined to return his hard stare without showing how badly she was bothered by her new scar. Daisuke's face paled when he saw it.

Ibiki tilted her chin to get a better look, but she pulled away.

"I'm not on display," she took a step back.

Daisuke audibly swallowed, "It needs to be cleaned, Shi-Shi-chan. We can't really see it with all the blood dried on there."

"I didn't really get time to wash off," she explained.

She still felt detached. It was the only way she could cope with the situation at that moment.

"Here, I have some bandages," Daisuke's voice sounded weak, "Let me clean it for you, okay? It'll make me feel like all that time shadowing in the hospital meant something."

From his expression as he cleaned the blood away she knew that it was bad.

"We," Daisuke paused, "We wouldn't have left you if we knew you were still alive."

Akio watched them wordlessly, but he stood closer than he would have before the incident.

"I know," Arashi sniffled and covered her face with her hands as her eyes burned with tears. "I really don't want to cry, so let's not talk about it right now, okay?"

Daisuke nodded.

"I know their side of the story," Ibiki commented, "but I'd like to hear yours."

"I'll tell you everything, Sensei, after we're done here. Just not right now."

"Alright," he consented, gruffly.

Ibiki was not happy with what had happened and his team was going to get a piece of his mind over the ordeal, but with a sigh he draped his arm over Arashi's shoulders. It could wait until later.

They still had a riddle to answer before they could advance to the next round.

Alright, this is it for chapter 14! A wolf in sheep's clothing. I hope everyone enjoyed it and will continue reading. If you have any opinions, suggestions, remarks, or criticisms - please share them in a review. I love all forms of feedback, regardless of whether it's positive or negative. If you don't mind, let me know what you think of these turns of events for Arashi and what you think of her progression up to this point from part 1. :)

Also, I was soo tired of naming all these ocs. Siighhh And Arashi now has vicious scar.

Be-Mindful: Thanks! I'm glad that I've gotten a bit better at writing fight scenes, since there will be plenty of them, especially in part 3 and 4. :) And I don't know of any Sensei that would be pleased with their team's situation, let alone one that was so adamant and strict. Thank you for reviewing and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

True Guardian Angel: I suppose it was a little on the dark side. Woops. xD Believe it or not, I'm prone to writing things a bit disturbing. Honestly, it surprises me with how much fluff I've written for Arashi, but oh well. I started her off as a kid with a stable home life, so fluff happens. Thanks for the review! :)

534667lc: Yes, I left off with a dreadful cliffhanger. hahah :) Thanks for your continued viewing and the review. I hope this chapter is enjoyable for you.