"Listen up!" the dark haired woman ordered, "This is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test, Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go! Follow me!"
A thick silence fell over the room as the examinees tried to digest what had just happened.
"I like this one!" Jizouko said with a grin as she looked over to Junnosuke, "She seems like fun!"
"You would like a crazy person like her…" Junnosuke sighed as he shook his head slightly. "Good luck on the next part."
"78?" Anko exclaimed after she counted the remaining Genin. "Ibiki-san! You left 26 teams? The test was too easy this time!"
"This time there are a lot of outstanding ones," Ibiki defended himself as he peeked out from behind the black cloth.
"Bah, that's fine," Anko scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips, "I'll at least cut them in half in the second test. Ahh, I'm getting excited," a bloodthirsty grin broke out across her face, "I'll explain everything once we've changed places, follow me."
"Welcome to the stage for the second test, practice area 44. Also known as 'The Forest of Death'!" Anko declared after they had arrived at a fenced off portion of land.
Jizouko crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head slightly as she looked critically at the trees.
"It doesn't look like much death is going on in there," she commented as she took in the lush green leaves and moss. "I mean, I get it if you're trying to be intimidating, but seriously? The Forest of Death? That's so cliché. Try something more graphic, like 'The Forest of Detached Limbs and Disemboweled Organs' that strikes more fear into the heart…"
"I'm sure they'll take that under advisement," Takashi said as he hit her on the back of the head, "but for now let's try to keep the stupid comments to a minimum."
Jizouko frowned and rubbed the spot he hit as she bit her tongue to keep from talking back.
"You'll soon find out why it's called 'The Forest of Death'," Anko said with a devious grin.
"'You'll soon find out why it's called 'The Forest of Death''," Naruto mocked as he did a strange dance, Jizouko could see him clearly standing in the front of the group. "You think that scares me? That's nothing! I'm not afraid!" he declared as he pointed a finger at the proctor.
"Yeah, you're spirited…" Anko trailed off with a sweet smile on her face. She broke her façade when she threw a kunai at the blonde boy, cutting him on his cheek. "Kids like you are quickly killed, heh heh heh," she chuckled darkly as she leaned over his shoulder. "Spraying that red blood I love," she finished as she licked at the liquid running down Naruto's cheek.
"Here's your kunai," one of the test takers said darkly as she held out the tool with her tongue.
"Heh, I didn't know your mother was competing, Takashi," Jizouko nudged her team mate with her elbow as she chuckled lightly.
"I'm telling her you said that," Takashi threatened with a dark smirk.
Jizouko palled slightly before moving closer to Mirai, not liking the aura her male team mate was emitting.
"Why thank you," Anko said to the kunoichi looming over her shoulder. "But you shouldn't sneak up behind me, unless you want to die." The threat wasn't even veiled…
"No. I just get so excited when I see red blood, plus you cut my precious hair, I couldn't help it…" The kunoichi explained as she withdrew her unusually long tongue.
"Sorry about that," Anko apologized as the kunoichi returned to her team.
"Looks like we have a lot of blood thirsty ones in this test. Heh heh heh, this should be fun," she chuckle to herself before turning serious again. "Now before we start the second test, there's something I have to pass out," she pulled out a handful of papers from her over coat.
"There will be deaths in this one," she explained with a smile, "and if I don't have you sign these, it will all be my responsibility, heh heh. I'm going to explain the second test, and then you can sign it afterwards. And then each team will check in at that booth behind me."
"Ok! I will now explain the second test," she said as she passed off her handful of paper to Naruto. "Simply put, you will attempt the ultimate survival test. First I'll explain the area in which it will take place," she unrolled a scroll to reveal a map of the forest. "Around practice area number 44 are 44 locked gates. Forest, river, and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about ten kilometers."
"During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in a no rules scroll battle. You will fight over these two scrolls, the 'Heaven' and 'Earth'," she explained as she held out two scrolls with the name written on them in kanji.
"There are 78 people are here, meaning 26 teams. 13 teams will get the 'Heaven' scroll, and the other 13 will get the 'Earth' scroll. Your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."
Well, at least she's keeping her word about cutting our numbers in half… Jizouko thought as she digested the information.
"But there's a time limit," Anko added as she stuffed her hands back into her pockets. "This second test will last 120 hours, exactly five days."
"Five days?" "What about dinner?" Were some of the exclamations heard from the Genin.
"You're on your own," Anko shrugged it off as not her problem. "The forest is full of food. Just watch out for the man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, poisonous plants…" she trailed off in her list of things to look out for. "And 13 teams passing is not likely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther. And the time to rest will become shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies. You won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course."
"Well that's a lovely thought," Mirai said softly to her team mates, earning a small smirk from each.
"Now I'll talk about what will disqualify you," Anko said as she held up a hand to silence the murmurs in the crowd. "First, those that don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Second, those who lose a team mate or those who have a team mate. As a rule, there's no quitting in the middle, you will be in the forest for five days. And one more rule, you must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."
"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked nervously, voicing everyone's unasked question.
"That will be a surprise for anyone who does," there was almost a girlish quality in Anko's voice when she said this. "A Chunin will be asked to handle classifies information. This is to test your trust worthiness. That's it for the explanations. Exchange your three forms for your scroll. Then choose a gate and get ready for the start. A final word of advice, don't die..."
Jizouko grabbed a form from the stack that was being passed around and looked over its contents for the blanks she needed to fill out.
"Have you ever been pregnant or are pregnant right now?" she read off of the paper before looking at Mirai with an arched eyebrow. "How often could that have possibly come up?"