Author's Notes: Welp. Here's chapter 25, folks! You may hate it for being so short...but I'll explain why later. ^_^¦¦¦
Question of the Day: What are three of your favorite Naruto fanfics? I'd like it if you tell me the author of the fic, too.
Answer: "Rotted Rowan" by Darkpetal16, "New Blood" by JFalcon, and "It's For a Good Cause, I Swear!" by Sarah1281. These three are my Naruto fics, I guess. I actually have SO many more...but more than three would be a little much, ne? I'll also give the summaries at the end of the chapter.
Summary: Imagine your favorite anime. You love it, right? Would you love to live there forever, though? Jalen, a 12 year old boy, doesn't. But is the Naruto world as unreal as he thought? Or is the "real world" as real as he thought? Will he survive? Will he ultimately mess up the storyline? Only time, and a substantial amount of sulking, will tell. Rated T for language. OC Self-insert
Disclaimer: After 24 chapters, I'd think you all could take a hint.
Grey Eyes
Chapter 25
The world slowly becomes visible as I grow conscious. I hear leaves swishing and the sound of cicadas in the distance, and I feel something gritty under me that feels exactly like dirt. After a minute or so, my vision is once again perfect, so I sit up to figure out where I am.
Green.
Everything is green.
I'm sitting on green grass. The trees looming over me have green moss on them, and their leaves are a bright green. The trees are so gigantic that I can hardly see the sky - just green.
Green. Green. Green.
The feeling of panic builds up in my chest, but it's quickly overcome with anger. That purple haired psychotic snake-loving bitch! She knocked me out and left me in the Forest of Death! A forest! Of death!
"ANKO MITARASHIIIIIIIIIII!" I scream with every ounce of air in my body. Crows fly from the trees to the sky, wanting to get as far away from me as possible. They should. I feel like I'm about to explode.
I scream again, this time out of pure frustration...but it's not enough. I want to hurt her so freaking bad! How dare she do this to me?! How is this training in the slightest?! Her lazy ass just wants me to either get strong by myself and take all the credit, or have me die in here and...and...I don't even know! I'm so pissed I can't think straight!
"Grah!" I hop up and punch at a tree, getting some weird satisfaction at seeing it crack. I used chakra to reinforce my hand, so my knuckles don't bleed, but they do sting. The pain just makes me angrier, but something tells me getting angry is just going to get me killed faster.
Breathe in...breathe out...
Okay...
...
What do I do now?
I look deep into my thoughts on survival...and the first thing that comes to mind is to get my bearings straight. Therefore...I need to remember exactly what happened before getting knocked out, and then I need to make a plan on what I'm going to do...yeah...
The idea preoccupies my brain a bit, and since I'm not thinking of ways to kill my sensei, I decide to continue with it.
So... What first? I remember trying to run away. I remember that bitch knocking me out.
...
I remember that bitch explaining the Forest of Death to me. The Forest of Death where there are man-eating, poisonous plants and animals lurking around. The Forest of Death where I have to stay until that bitch decides to take me out.
...How am I going to survive in here..?
Y'know, the Other Me starts casually, me almost completely forgetting about him. Why don't you just - oh, I don't know - escape?
I twitch.
That's...it's...
I'm stupid.
Thanks, I reluctantly say in my mind. I am thankful that he brought it up, but it's almost like admitting I'm an idiot. Why didn't I think of that, though? That bitch didn't say I couldn't leave myself, did she?
I close my eyes and concentrate, trying to find a source of chakra. Maybe the place with the most chakra is the village? Ah, actually...can I even sense that far? I sense a group of people far away from me...all together in one place. Is that the tower? She did say there was a tower in this forest, right?
...I'm also sensing something a lot closer, though...
I look up to see a boy, probably no older than me, coming down at me with a sword. I hold in my gasp and jump out of the way at the last second, the sword cutting my shoulder.
"Ow!" I whine, falling on my butt and staring in shock, confusion, and anger at the random boy. What's wrong with him?! Who is he?! And why the fuck did he just attack me?!
Breathe in...breathe out...
"Sorry," he mumbles, face contorted in sorrow. I jump to my feet as he gets in fighting position, sword glinting dangerously. "I...I don't like this, but it's what I have to do to become a Chunin. Please don't hate me."
That sounds familiar...
"What are you talking about?!" I demand, but he's already charging at me. I jump to the side to dodge a swipe and hop back to avoid being beheaded. "Why are you trying to kill me?!"
"Because I have too!" He responds, getting angry all of a sudden. "Stop trying to get in my head! You signed up for this, too!"
With that angry exclamation, he slashes again, but I take out my dagger and parry his blow. We both push our weapons against each other, face to face, and I have the opportunity to actually look at him.
Pale complexion, brown eyes, black hair...he sorta looks like a zombie. I don't have time to laugh at my joke as he gets the upperhand and swipes my dagger away, leaving me momentarily defenseless.
He quickly brings his sword up, eyes softening. He actually looks like he's about to cry. "Once again - I'm sorry." He brings the sword down-
"WELCOME, WELCOME!" Anko-sensei's loud voice rings metallicly in the air, shocking the boy and making him miss my body, instead hitting the dirt at the side of my head. I use this opportunity to jump up and tackle him to the ground, grabbing his wrists and pinning him down.
"THIS YEAR WE SEEM TO HAVE A BLOODTHIRSTY BUNCH, DON'T WE? I LIKE THAT. MUCH MORE ACTION." She cackles insanely as I continue to hold the thrashing boy down. "ANYWAY, SINCE I FEEL A BIT OBLIGATED TO REMIND EACH OF YOU IN THE FOREST, THIS IS THE GENIN GAMES! TWELVE GENIN ARE PIT AGAINST EACH OTHER TO THE DEATH, AND THE WINNER GETS A PRIZE OF 5 MILLION RYU AND TO BECOME A CHUNIN! ISN'T THAT EXCITING?!"
...What? What...how...why..?
I'm actually at a loss for words right now. Is this actually what's going on in this forest? Did...did that bitch really sign me up for this?! Twelve kids fighting to the death in the Forest of Hell, with the winner getting the measly prize of becoming a Chunin? Does the Hokage know about this? This is fucking stupid!
"A LOT OF BETS ARE BEING MADE AS WE SPEAK. HOPEFULLY, THE WINNER IS WHO IT BETTER BE."
Isn't it obvious she's talking about me?
"HAPPY GENIN GAMES, AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!" She cackles maniacally again while I'm completely left speechless. This...I don't even... "DO YOU UNDERSTAND, BRAT? I'M BETTING ON YOU, SO YOU BETTER SURVIVE. ALSO, CAMERA'S ARE WATCHING EVERYTHING YOU ALL DO AND BROADCASTING IT TO THE WHOLE VILLAGE. MEANING," her voice lowers a few octaves. "Your precious brother will be watching. Have fun!"
And whatever was amplifying her voice clicks off...but I can still hear her last words. That Naruto...he's...he's watching me. He's going to watch me either kill...or be killed...on live television.
Wait, we don't even have a TV! But...I don't put it past my psychotic sensei to have lent him one...urk...
This...this is perfect. This is going to be good...very, very good...
The boy under me, seeing my expression, talks softly. "She was talking about you, wasn't she?" I can only nod, and his eyes instantly water up. "You...you were forced to be here, weren't you? You didn't even know what was going on...and I...I almost...I tried to kill you..."
I don't respond. The emotions in my body are too strong...I don't even know what to do right now. And it's a good bet that it'll be impossible to escape...
"I'm pathetic," he says under me. Tears stream down his face, making him look more like a little kid than a trained killer. "I signed up for this...because there's no other way I'll be able to make Chunin. You...should just kill me. I hate my life. I hate this. I just want to die."
Instead of doing that, however, I quickly get off of him. Slowly, I walk over to my dagger and pick it off the ground, pocketing it.
"Why aren't...you going to kill me?" His sorrowful voice rings through.
"Because I'm not that kind of person," I answer dully. "And I promised my brother that I wouldn't kill...anymore..." I suddenly feel really self-conscious. That bitch told me that I'm on camera right now...meaning hundreds of people are watching me right now. Then again, the camera could be on someone else...but what's happening right now is probably the most interesting.
Argh. Why do I have to be so interesting?
"You have to kill sooner or later," he says, voice suddenly a bit stern. "If not in here, which is very unlikely, then soon...because you are a ninja."
"Unless I die in here," I mumble. "...I'll die keeping my promise..."
"You shouldn't say those things!" He yells, jumping off the ground. "Y-You seem like a good person, and you're strong, so you can't just give up! That's not...that's not right!"
"Helping me isn't going to help you," I mutter indignantly. Why is he trying to cheer me up? "If I win this, you die, remember?"
"I...I'm not planning on it..." He looks away. "I'd never forgive myself if I won this game. I really, really don't like this at all. I just...I thought I needed to do this...because I'm usually so boring and weak...so useless. So when my sensei asked me about it, well...I just went for it.
"I hate killing, though," he continues. "And I'm self-loathing. I overthink things too much...and now that I've met you...someone who's here against his will...I could never, ever kill you..!" His voice rises tremendously. "I'd rather die and let my pitiful excuse for a life actually end in someone else's favor!"
Wow. And here I thought you two would fight to the death. How borin'.
Shut up.
Usually, I'd try and maybe comfort him...somehow. But I'm really, really not in the mood for it. All I want at this point is Anko-sensei's blood on my hands. Like, how could she betray me like this? I thought...y'know, there's no point in thinking about her right now.
Apparently, she's at the tower, so that's where I'm going.
"...You don't have to cheer me up," I say, walking in what I think is the direction of the tower. The trees make it hard to see where it really is, so I'm just relying mostly on my sensing abilities. I'll go to the tower and kill her. "I don't plan on dying here anyway." I'm not leaving Naruto alone...
"That's great!" He suddenly looks very happy again, following me with his sword sheathed. Is he bipolar? Wasn't he just crying? "We'll be allies, then! When the rest of the competition is dead, I'll just kill myself and that'll be that."
We continue walking through the dark forest, moss hanging off of trees and faint growling sounds being heard. This place is really creepy, actually. I hate forests. Bugs and all...coupled with no shower...and then I have to find food by myself...
I really, really hate forests...and I hate that bitch for putting me in here.
"...I don't like the idea of you killing yourself," I say after a while. He mumbles a "huh?" while I continue talking. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just let you kill yourself for me. As far as I'm concerned, you have a life just like me...it'll be just like me killing you."
"...What do we do, then?"
"We both do nothing. We go to the tower and demand they stop this shit," I proclaim, crossing my arms. "Seriously, this is ridiculous. I'm not dying here, and you aren't either. Those idiots can kill themselves if they have a problem with it."
As if they heard me and don't like what I just said, a tiger - a freaking tiger! - jumps out of nowhere and lunges at me!
It all happens so fast.
I'm frozen, eyes wide, as the tiger gets dangerously closer. The boy, my ally, suddenly jumps in front of me with his sword unsheathed. He swiftly slashes at the animal, but the sword is like a stick to the tiger as it bats the weapon out of the way and chomps it's fangs on my ally's body. Redredred blood squirts out of his pale body onto mine, the sticky liquid feeling like acid on my skin. He shrieks, dropping the sword and thrashing in the tiger's mouth. I scream, eyes wide and unbelieving, and fall on my butt. The ferocious animal continues to tear my ally to shreds, clawing and biting and chewing...it's all just too much! His screams ram into my brain and keep me frozen to the ground. I have a front row seat to such a malicious act - blood and skin and red solids flying at me.
I...why...move..!
Abruptly, as if being called, the tiger stops devouring him and runs away into the denser parts of the forest. My ally stays on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding him. He isn't even screaming anymore...
He looks completely unrecognizable...
How could something like this happen so fast? I...I don't even know...know what to say...
"H-H-H-Hey," he chokes out, blood dripping out of his mouth. Or what's left of his mouth. It looks half torn off... "Y-You can win this... S-Sorry...f-f-for not...staying..."
"Stop talking!" I cry out, bending down beside him. The blood drenches my knees, but I pay it no mind. Oh God...p-please... "Y-You're going to be alright..! I promise!"
"...No..." is all he can say, before his eyes gloss over...and his breathing stops. A spike in his chakra...then emptiness...
I just stare. Tears slide down my face. Everything is abnormally silent. The blood is uncomfortably sticky. My chest constricts painfully. It's like someone just punched me in the heart.
He's dead. He sacrificed himself for me to win. He probably has a mom at home waiting for him...who's now crying over her son's death...and now hating me. Maybe even a little sibling who just saw their big brother mercilessly mauled by a tiger...so horribly mauled that he's unrecognizable...
...
I didn't even ask for his name...
"...DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! WHY, ANKO-SENSEI?! WHYYYYYYYYYY?!"
I...I promise...I won't let his death be in vain. I promise I'll get revenge...I promise I'll kill all those bastards who put us in here...
...I promise...
Naruto's POV
My eyes are glued to the TV screen. Even after the camera gets off Jalen and to a group of other kids, I can't look away. Is this really happening right now? I don't want to know. The answer may kill me. It's like my whole body is numb, so numb that I don't even feel the pain from biting down on my bottom lip until blood drops on my lap.
And even then...
Jalen...my brother...he's on TV right now...in a forest...with eleven- ten other kids...who're all out to kill him. To kill Jalen. To kill my brother.
...
How...did this..? Why...is this..?
Jalen...he has to fight...he has to kill to come back to us. To come back to me, Sakura, even Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei...
...What's going on?!
Anger overtakes my body, seeming to smother me. Who did this?! Did that scary snake lady really force Jalen into that forest to do some stupid Genin Games?! I haven't even heard of any bullshit like that! What kind of people find pleasure in watching kids kill each other - in watching kids kill my brother! I won't...I won't let them! I have to STOP this!
I wipe the blood off my lip and jump off the bed, rushing over to jump out the balcony. I need to find Kakashi-sensei! Or...or Old Man Hokage! Even Iruka-sensei has to be able to do something!
I want my brother out of there - believe it!
Just as I'm about to jump off the balcony, a horrifying thought settles in my mind. What if...what if Jalen...he gets killed...and I'm not there..?
I gulp, suddenly frozen. Why...can't I move..?
"Yo."
I gasp, turning my head to see Kakashi-sensei nonchalantly standing on my balcony! He's here!
"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!" I abruptly grab his arm and rush him over to the TV. As of now, it's showing a fight between two girls. No Jalen. "Do you see this?! Do you see this, Kakashi-sensei?!"
He inspects the TV dully. "Ah. Yes. Where'd you get a new TV from?"
"That's not it, Kakashi-sensei! It's the Genin Games! The Genin Games, dammit!"
He looks back at the TV and smiles. What is he smiling about?!
"Ah...the Genin Games. Is it really that time of the year already? Time sure flies, doesn't it, Na-"
"THIS IS NOTHING TO BE SMILING ABOUT! JALEN'S IN THESE HORRIBLEGAMES AND HE HAS TO KILL AND FIGHT TIGERS AND THE CRAZY SNAKELADY PUT HIM IN THERE AND-"
I stop, panting, realizing that tears are running down my face. I fall to the floor, gritting my teeth hopelessly. Jalen...
"What's wrong, Naruto? And what did you say about Jalen and Anko?" He suddenly sounds worried...
"Jalen...he's..." I pause, sniffing pathetically. "...in those...Genin Games..."
"What?! Why would Anko do something like that? That's a bit too much for someone like Jalen..."
I look up and see his eyes widened, staring at the TV screen.
"Ka-Kakashi-sensei," I whine, still sniffing. "What are we going to do..? We...I...can't lose him because of these stupid..."
"...Naruto, nothing bad is going to happen to Jalen," he assures, speaking carefully.
"How can you be so sure?! He...he has to kill, o-or he's going to be killed and..!" I pause, and anger once again surfaces. "What is that shit anyway?!" I demand. "What kind of game is that?! That's horrible, and it's even more horrible that people actually look at that stuff! I don't like it at all - believe it!"
"Naruto-"
I don't want to hear it. If he can't help get my brother out of there, I don't want to hear it! "I'm going to Old Man Hokage and demand he stops this before Jalen gets killed! And-and-and I don't want this happening in our village!"
With that, I hop off the floor and run to the balcony. Sending chakra to my feet, I jump off and to the old man's tower!
I'm not losing my brother to these stupid games! I'm not! Believe it!
Jalen's POV
It's now night time, and I still haven't gotten to the tower yet. I think I'm close...but seriously, how far away is it? I guess I should be able to get there by tomorrow...if I'm even going the right way...
But right now, I'm tired; my feet are killing me, my legs are suddenly very heavy, and I'm both hungry and dehydrated. I don't even think I can sense people coming towards me...even if I tried.
I step into a clearing surrounded by giant trees. And instantly...instantly I regret it. A girl with her dark hair in a ponytail is kneeled down, rummaging through a bag. A dead body - a dead girl is not too far away.
Did...did the ponytail girl kill her..?
I'm about to turn around and run when a loud crack cuts through the silence. I look down to see I accidentally stepped on a tree branch. I quickly look back up to see shuriken flying at me!
With all the speed I can muster, I try and jump out of the way. I'm able to avoid a serious hit, but I'm cut up on my legs, arms, and even face! The stinging pain is enough to make me cry out pitifully, and I fall painfully back down to the ground.
I try to get back up, but a pitiful sob escapes my lips instead. It hurts. Not just the fact that I'm physically in pain...but the fact that I'm also mentally in pain. I...I let him die..! I let my ally die..! The tiger was coming straight for me, but instead of me being the one brutally maimed, he jumped in the way to save me...
...And he died.
He died saving me. I was supposed to die, but he died instead. He's dead right now...while I'm still breathing...even when he's obviously the better person. He was too selfless...and that was his downfall.
I can still hear his screams. See as his skin is violently torn off. Feel his sticky blood on my knees and hands. Yes...his blood is on my hands. I'm the one who murdered him...
I murdered him without even knowing his name...
...
Y'know, it's amazing how much one can think before their death. Shouldn't I be dead right now..? All she has to do is walk over and stick a kunai through my back...if that. A thrown kunai is just as effective at this point. Right now, I'm too messed up to do anything. My whole body is cut up, I'm tired, and...and I just can't take all this for much longer.
I've already seen one person being literally torn to shreds. I've even seen a girl lying in a pool of her own blood - dead. What more am I going to have to go through in this goddamned forest?! Am I really going to have to kill someone else? I've killed four men...but...but this time, I'll have to kill a kid. Probably someone my age. Can I do that? Can I really do that..? Will I really be able to live with myself?
...
As much as I love this angstin' goin' on...you do want to go back to Naruto and the rest of those idiots, don't you?
...Yes...
Meanin', you're goin' to have to get out of here alive. And to do that, you're goin' to have to kill your fellow Genin.
...I...
Naruto's watchin'. Give up now - give up and leave him - and he'll never forgive you.
...As much as I don't want to admit it...the Other Me's right. If I give up now, I'd be leaving Naruto all alone again, and he'd never, ever forgive me for not trying my hardest. And for Naruto to never forgive me, I'd never forgive myself. I...no matter how hard...I have to kill my ninja way and win this...
So I can go back to my dysfunctional team...so I can go back to my brother's grinning face...
...But, what am I going to do in the state I'm in? I can barely open my eyes...and what happened to the girl? Is she a sadist..? Maybe she wants me to feel as much pain as possible before finishing me off...on live television...Naruto watching all the while...
"Urk..!"
Using every bit of strength I have, I slowly, painfully push myself on my knees. Blood leaks out of almost all of my stinging cuts. I turn my head back to the clearing, expecting to see the girl aiming her kunai for my eyes...
And see nobody. Nobody's there. Not even the bag she was rummaging through. The only thing in the clearing is the other girl's fallen body, her dead smell making me nauseous even yards away.
She's gone. She's really gone. She let me live...even when she didn't have to. She could have easily shoved a kunai in my head...but she didn't. She...let...me...live...
So many people I'm owing as of now. My ally. The ponytail girl. Heck, even Sakura's on that list. Naruto is, too, obviously...
A split second of silence...before I reluctantly get on my feet. My body practically begs me to lay down...but I need to find water urgently...and there has to be a river here, right..? I try to do a chakra check around me - to make sure nobody else is nearby - but I'm so tired and injured that the world is basically a giant spinning blur. There's no way I can sense anything that's not directly in front of me.
"Wa...ter..." The words come out hoarse. I stumble along the clearing, trying to ignore the dead girl, and after what feels like hours, I reach back into the dense forest.
I don't know how long I continue walking. I just know that my feet feel like they're being stabbed, my legs feel like solid cement, and even my arms don't want to work. My jacket is bloody because I tried to press it down on my severe bleeding, and now, basically unwearable. My bleeding is gone now, though, so that's the only good thing. My tongue has an eternal dry patch on it, though, and I don't even think I can produce spit anymore. I'm so, so very thirsty...
...
Finally. Finally. In front of me is a small river. A small river. Water. Water! There's water in front of me!
As fast as I can go, I wobble towards the water source and jump inside the lake. Instantly, I feel like my whole life has led up this moment. I'm just so happy! Bathing my wounds in cold water makes them feel so much more bearable, and-and-and I can't help myself from drinking gulps of the watery goodness!
After about thirty minutes of bathing and drinking the river water, I feel very, very content. I'm still hungry, of course, but I can easily find some food in a forest. Actually, I can catch some fish and cook it...but then I'd have to make a fire and that'd bring attention to me.
As I'm lying on the ground, staring out at the giant trees, I can't help but think of how lucky I am. I found water. My tongue's wet again, my body doesn't ache as much, and I feel clean. I can sense regularly again, I have the peace of mind to correctly use my Jutsu, and everything's just looking up!
Sure, I'm still a bit shaken from the events that have happened, but...but I can't look down! I have to continue smiling, because Naruto's watching, and I don't want to give up in front of him. I can't give up in front of him!
Uh-oh. Looks like we're goin' to be having company.
As soon as the words leave his mouth, that's when I sense the large amount of chakra coming near me. They're close, but not too close. I can still run. I can get away.
Jumping off the ground, a stab of pain hits my stomach, but I ignore it and start running away. As soon as I get five steps, I notice how unnaturally cold I am. And then it hits me. My jacket. My orange jacket littered with blood spots. I turn around to run and grab it, but a rustle in the forest stops me cold.
Run. Run! Get away!
With as much speed as I can muster, I jump behind a large stone boulder and instantly stop myself from panting nervously. They're here. I can sense them - sense them all.
I shut my eyes and steady my breathing. If only I didn't stop running! If only I didn't leave my jacket! No. No, I can't think negatively. Naruto's still watching, and no doubt all cameras are on me and the gang of five - yes, five. Maybe...Maybe they'll leave? Maybe-
A male's stern voice cuts off my train of thought. "Great. We've found water. We'll let this place be our base for the time being."
...They're staying.
They're staying, meaning I can't escape until they either leave or go to sleep. Can I make a run for it? Will I be able to make a run for it? I'm not fully healed, obviously, but I can surely find the strength to get away...right?
A cheer from a couple of the kids cut through the silence, chilling me to my very core. What if one of them decides to check behind the boulder? Then what? I...I can't- I won't kill another kid because of this stupid game. My goal as of now is to make it to the tower and kill Anko-sensei for putting me in this crap...and then leave. I'm not killing some poor unlucky-
"Aww! I wanna go hunting!" Another boy whines. "Can I go hunting? I wanna get a kill in before I get to sleep!"
...They...they aren't poor nor unlucky. I almost forgot - they chose to do this. They signed up for this twisted game. That boy successfully clarified it for me: If he or one of his allies sees me, I'm as good as dead.
I gulp. This...this is way too much to stomach...
"Hey, what's that?" A girl asks this time, voice blunt and uncaring. "Looks like a bloodied jacket." So they've seen my jacket...
Instantly, another girl quickly inhales a gulp of air, and though it seems too familiar, I can't decipher who it is. My sensing abilities are completely out of whack during the time I need it most - must be the rising panic that seems to have overtaken my mind.
"Aww? You scared, Cherry? Surprised? Never seen blood before?" The same boy that was whining just a second ago taunts. Cherry? Why would he-?
My blood suddenly runs cold.
"HAHAHAHA!" Anko-sensei's loud metallic voice booms through the forest, almost giving me a stroke. That was too close. I almost, almost screamed. "WELL, WELL, WELL... LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE GETTING REALLY INTERESTING. TWO ARE DEAD SO FAR, AND ANOTHER ONE'S GOING TO BE IF HE'S NOT CAREFUL."
She's hinting to me what I already know. Carefully, ever so slightly, I peak my head around the rock to get a good look at my enemies. Just to, y'know, clear some things up...to prove to myself that I'm just being totally ridiculous...
"Y'know, it's annoying how she's giving who's obviously her student hints. Makes me wanna skin her." Oh, it's irritating me, too...and Anko-sensei would literally eat you. Don't think you're all big and bad just because you're in some oversized alliance.
"ANYWAY, THERE'S TEN MORE GENIN LEFT. NINE HAS TO DIE IN ORDER FOR THE WINNER TO BECOME CHUNIN. WHO'S IT GONNA BE? I'M LITERALLYSHAKING IN ANTICIPATION."
My head's completely uncovered. Their backs are turned. I can see them, but they can't see me. They're all sitting on the ground, a muscle-y black haired boy making a fire out of two small stones and some sticks. A black haired girl is sharpening her kunai, eyes sharp and cold. A green - green? - haired boy is talking silently with a small blue haired boy, grinning widely.
The last girl is what has me struggling for breath, what has me swiftly hiding back behind the boulder, what has me clutching my heart and feeling my throat constrict. It's her! Why is- Why is she here?! Why is she with such a dangerous group?! Why?! Why, damn it?! Why?!
Anko-sensei's voice comes out as a metallic pur. Almost sad. Almost excited. Completely insane.
"Hopefully they kill her...before you have to..."
Sakura's image - mouth agape, staring at my bloodied jacket in horror, silent tears streaming down her face - sticks in my mind. She's here. She's in the Genin Games...
Hopefully...they kill her...before...before...
Author's Notes: First Mirai Nikki, now Hunger Games. What other series am I going to steal from before this whole thing is over? The world may never know. Just know, though, that this is more of an OVA than anything that important. Therefore, the next chapter will be the end of the Genin Games, and after that will be the longly awaited Chunin Exams arc. Just think of this as a special arc that may or may not have anything to do with the regular series. Remember, this is still just training...at least, according to Anko.
So, if you hate me for doing this...don't. Just...don't. If you have any questions, just review or pm.
Reviewing the Reviewers
Kage Kurai: Oh...my...God. Y-Your profile pic. S-So...amazing. /shot Haha! Anywhoozies, I will definitely check those books out...if I can find them in my school library or at Walmart. lol. AND YES! Juby-sama sings amazingly! I literally go into spasms when I see she has a new cover. Aha! And he may have beat those canni- I mean other people, but now he's in something a lot more tough. Pray for him, ya hear?
DaOneInDaCorner: Yay! I'm glad you liked it, and I really was laughing when Ibiki did that, hardly containing his anger. And...The DarkTower series? Too...mature? Hmm... ⊙﹏⊙ I'm going time find it, and I'm going to read it.
AnimeWarrioress 359: Yep. Killing criminals is the next best way to become a super awesome Jonin! /Shot. Hehe...Anyway, I've read a bit of the Maximum Ride series (really, really like it), but I haven't seen those other ones. Guess I'll have to check 'em out.
Dark-Wings the Kind: School...urk...just the thought makes me sick. And the thought that my mom says I'm slacking while I have A's and high B's manages to make me hate it even more. Lol. And those two books, huh? I'll have to check 'em out. •﹏•
Jayrock102: The Chunin Exams arc will definitely be soon. After the next chapter, actually, so I hope you enjoy it! (*^﹏^*) OMG DIVERGENT! I've already read a bit of Maximum Ride, but I really, really, really wanna read that book! It's like all the girls in my class are reading it (the boys in my class just sadly don'tread) and I WANNA READ IT SO BAAAD! ::_::
Three of My Favorite Fics
"Rotted Rowen" by Darkpetal16: The stories go with someone always trying to do good in the Narutoverse, but good is a subjective term. What qualifies as 'good' for them, could be drastically different for those who actually live in the Narutoverse. Realistic Antagonist OC. OC SI Self-Insert Antagonistic!OC
"New Blood" by JFalcon: For three years the ninja of Konoha and their allies have fought a losing battle. When Konoha becomes so short handed that Shikamaru must train a Genin squad no one could have predicted the effect he and his team would have on the war. ShikaTema
It's For a Good Cause, I Swear! by Sarah1281: After receiving a time travel jutsu as payment for a mission, the original four members of Team 7 each get a chance to go back to one event in their life and change it. Surely they will use such an awesome power responsibly...right? Don't count on it.
Preview of Next Chapter
Anko-sensei's cheery voice seems really strained now. "Two Genin left. The winner becomes Chunin, and the loser dies. The winner gets riches, and the loser dies. The winner will become...respected deeply by his or her peers...and the loser dies. No matter the circumstances...only one can win. May the Genin Games commence, and may the odds be ever in your favor."
Sorry again for the very short chapter. I'm working on the next one immediately, but I just thought right there would be the best stopping point. What do you feel about Sakura being in the games? Happy? Sad? Let me know in the reviews, yo!
Also, let me allow some insight on those three stories. The first one, Rotted Rowan, is far from finished. But with a whopping two hundred reviews already...you know it's good. The first chapter is actually SUPER long, because it was meant to just be a oneshot...but it was just too good to leave as a oneshot. The fans wanted more. So, it now has three chapters so far.
New Blood is honestly one of the fics that brought me into reading and writing fanfiction. The original characters are all golden. The original villains are all golden. This story is absolutely golden, and you'd be (excuse me) an idiot for not reading. I love this to the moon and back, and I just hope you all do, too. With a whopping 170 chapters...and a prequel...and a sequel... This is one of the best fics on this site, in my opinion.
The third one, It's For a Good Cause, I Swear...what can I say about this? It's HILARIOUS, I Swear! Seriously, absolutely the funniest fic in all of history. I love it to pieces and I just can't get enough of it. The laughs having you in tears at some points. It's really that funny, and I hope you all read and think so, too.
Well, that's about. I'll see you guys sometime soon…
Bye nii~!