"Okay, so what's the plan, you guys?", Sakura asked as they waited for the countdown to finish. "Well, first of all: Who is going to carry the scroll?", Ino asked, thinking which among them was best suited to carry the important object for the duration of the exam. Silence permeated the air until finally Naruto said "I'll do it!". Ino and Sakura looked at him and saw how serious he was.
"You sure, Naruto-kun?", Ino asked and Naruto nodded. "I can avoid teams if I have to and my clones can help me get away if I get caught.", Naruto reasoned as he though it over more. "It also ensures they come after me and not you two, it lets you get away if we get into trouble.", Naruto said, nodding to himself. "Ino-chan, give me the scroll.", Naruto said and the plantinum blond slowly, if a bit unsure, finally surrendered the precious paper to Naruto, who promptly hid it in his pocket.
"Now that's one thing down, but how about the other scroll we need? We have to get the heaven scroll before we can enter the tower", Sakura said knowingly. "I think I know what we can do!", Ino said, getting the others attention. "I say we spend the first days trying to get the scroll ourselves. If it comes down that we don't have it on the third day, then we can try to get a team as they try to get to the tower.", Ino said, making Naruto grin. "Yeah, ambush them at the last second!", Naruto cheered as Sakura mulled over the idea.
"Fine, I guess that's the plan.", Sakura agreed a bit resigningly as the clock neared the final seconds of the countdown. "Alright Team 7, we split up as soon as we get in there. Meet back at the gate in a two hours, got it?", Ino asked getting nods from her teammates as they got ready to enter the forest. "Ino-chan, Sakura-chan...", Naruto said getting their atttention. "... be careful, okay?", Naruto said. The girls looked wondrous for a moment beforey they nodded with small smiles, seeing how caring he was being at the moment.
Finally the doors to the Forest of Death swung open and Team Seven leapt into the forest, gaining top speed rather quickly and splitting from each other as they fanned out into the dense forest. Naruto lost sight of Sakura first, then Ino as she veered away from him. Naruto then found himself alone in with the sounds of the forest filling his ears. Naruto, not having anything better to do, decided to search for possible targets.
For the first twenty minutes, Naruto found no sign of any other team anywhere he looked. 'This is bad, I haven't seen even a foot print! Where can these teams be?', Naruto thought to himself as he leaned against the tree he was standing on. "Maybe I should head back to the meeting spot?", Naruto asked himself quietly before hearing the sound of someone approaching his location. Hiding in his spot, Naruto saw the familiar look of Haku as she landed on the tree opposite to his, obviously looking for something.
Smiling at the girl, even though she didn't see him yet, Naruto walked out onto the branch and yelled "Yo, Haku-chan!". Getting the girls attention as she turned to face him, he saw that Haku smiled as she realized it was him. "Oh Naruto-kun, I'm glad I found you so soon.", Haku said as Naruto laughed a bit. "Yeah, me too. It's good to see a friendly face.", Naruto grinned.
"Hey Naruto-kun, your team doesn't happen to have a heaven scroll, does it?", Haku asked curiously, making Naruto grin. "Nope sorry, we have an earth scroll, too.". That statement made Haku sigh. "Oh and I was so hoping you had one, so when I killed you I could advance even on the first day.", Haku commented with a pout, making Naruto look at her weirdly. "That's a pretty morbid joke, Haku-chan."
Haku gave Naruto a eerie smile that made Naruto sweat a bit. "Now, who said I was joking, Naruto-kun?", Haku asked as she drew out long needles that only a ninja trained in their use would have.
"Haku-chan, what are you doing?", Naruto asked even more nervous as she eyed him like a target. "Why Naruto-kun, didn't you hear me the other day? You're my mark now and my aim never misses!", Haku grinned before Naruto realized she wasn't joking at all. "What? I thought you liked me!", Naruto yelled just as he jumped to get away from the mist girl and for her to give chase.
"Oh, do run, Naruto-kun! It makes it even more fun!", Haku yelled after him as he lept from branch to branch, with her matching his speed step for step. "You're as crazy as that exam lady!", Naruto yelled as he used every trick he could think of to get away from the girl in pursuit, from double backing on his tracks to hiding in the trees, all without much sucess, because whenever he lost her for a minute or so, she seemed right around the next corner, waiting for him and the chase would continue. "Haku-chan this is crazy! I thought we were friends! Now you want to kill me?", Naruto yelled as he looked over his shoulder at the girl to see her right on his tail.
"Oh, but Naruto-kun, I promise it'll be quick and painless.", Haku called making Naruto sweat drop. "That's not the point!", Naruto yelled in aggravation before making a familiar hand sign and creating five clones that lept out from where he was heading. Haku grinned as she took aim and hit every clones except one, who got out of view before she aimed her needle at it.
"Damn it, I hope that clone finds help!", Naruto muttered as Haku laughed like a child at a carnival. "Naruto-kun, it's going to be too late for anyone to come to your aid, when I catch you.", Haku said in a sing-song voice. making Naruto run even faster then he knew he could do himself.
Suddenly, it got strangely quiet, with no sounds from Haku anymore. Naruto turned to look behind him and found no trace of the girl. "Did I lose her?" Naruto asked himself as he landed on a tree branch and took deep breaths to calm himself and his tired body. "That girl is a strange one.", Naruto muttered before freezing at the sound of a familiar giggling voice. "Oh my Naruto-kun, you certainly gave me quite the chase. But I'm afraid this is the end of you!", Haku said as she stood in front of Naruto with a smile, the sharp needles still in her hand.
"Ummm, can't we just kiss and make up instead?", Naruto nervously asked getting the same smile from Haku and making him sigh. "No, I didn't think so.", Naruto said, rubbing his neck as Haku raised her weapons. "Any last words, Naruto-kun?", Haku asked, making him grin. "Yeah. See ya in the next round!", Naruto said, making the girl confused before he suddenly poofed out of existance.
Haku stared for a good long minute at the spot the apparent clone had been. That meant the Naruto she just barely missed hitting before was the real one. Instead of any reaction one would think of her giving Haku giggled, then turned into full blown laughter as she realized the Leaf ninja had gotten away, something no one had ever done before.
Finally gaining control of herself Haku smiled and looked over the forest from her branch and said "My my Naruto-kun, you're certainly an interesting mark". Haku knew right then, this exam was full of surprises and she was going to enjoy them.
Naruto meanwhile was about to reach the meeting spot. The whole chase with Haku had eaten up the entire scouting time he had left. "That was strange.", Naruto sighed as he walked into the gate clearing. "What is strange, Naruto-kun?", the familiar voice of his blond girlfriend asked as Naruto looked up to see Ino waiting. "I tell you, Ino-chan. That Haku-chan is a few leafs short of a tree!", Naruto said, waving his hand around as he told her what the Kiri-kunoichi's idea of a good time was about.
"Naruto, that's terrible!", Ino gasped as Naruto finished telling Ino about it. "Yeah, I just barely got away from that crazy girl. I just want to get out of this place soon as we can.", Naruto muttered as he looked around."Hey, where is Sakura-chan anyway?", Naruto asked concernedly as Ino shrugged. "I don't know, but we have another five minutes, Naruto-kun. I'm sure she's...", Ino began only to be interrupted as a scream filled the air, making both of them stop and look in concern.
"That was Sakura!", Naruto yelled as the two lept to find their teammate.
Naruto and Ino followed the scream inot the forest. It wasn't far, since they were able to hear it, and just after a few moments, they got to a small clearing between the trees.
Naruto gritted his teeth in anger as he saw the scene: Right there in the middle of the clearing stood Sasuke. He had twisted on of Sakuras arms behind her back and held a kunai in front of her. He had obviously expected them to arrive, as he glared right at them.
The two remaining members of Team 7 landed in the clearing, some few feet away from Sasuke. The fear and shock in Sakuras face was evident, she had not expected to be held by Sasuke in this way. She was practically a hostage. "Sasuke! Let her go!", Ino yelled at the Uchiha, her concern for Sakura obvious.
But Sasuke didn't even bother to pay attention to Ino. "You have the Earth Scroll, don't you? Naruto!", he adressed Naruto. His knowledge of those two things was not something he could've found it himself.
Sakura averted her eyes in shame. It appeared as if she had told Sasuke all that. "I-I do, but...", Naruto answered hesitantly.
Letting go of Sakuras arm, Sasuke held out his free hand, his kunai still dangerously close to Sakura. He wagged the finger, motioning Naruto to hand it over. "Give it to me. I need it to become a Chuunin.", he said simply.
"Is that why you've attacked Sakura? Sasuke, you...", Ino gritted her teeth, for the first time seriously outraged at Sasuke. Ever since Ino had chosen Naruto, her rivalry with Sakura had pretty much vanished and the two had become rather friendly with each other again, even if there still was some sort of a friendly animosity left.
Sasuke shook his head. He did not consider this to be unfair behaviour. He had a clear goal, and to accomplish it, he would do everything. "I cannot fail here.". He closed his eyes as he seemed to remember something. "I have an ambition, and for that reason, I have to gain power. I need to become stronger.", he explained before opening his eyes anew.
"Naruto... I want to fight you, too.", the Uchiha growled and his eyes flashed red. Naruto and Ino stared at him for a moment, for they had never seen anything like this before.
Recalling the name of it, Ino gasped. "Is that... the Sharingan?", she muttered, her voice breathless. Ino knew well about her classmates power, her dad having told her all he knew about the Uchiha clan. But she hadn't seen Sasuke with the Sharingan before, until now.
And even if she had no idea of how powerful exactly it was, she thought it better not to find out now. Especially not with her friends life on the line. "Naruto! Give him the scroll, please!", Ino pleaded with Naruto.
Of course, Naruto had exactly the same idea. He wouldn't refuse and risk Sakuras health over this. "I get it, I get it... just don't do anything to Sakura, alright?"
Sakura however shook her head vigorously. "No, don't! We're gonna fail the exam if we lose our scroll!", she begged her teammates, thinking their success to be far more important than herself.
But her teammates didn't think the same way. Ino shrugged her shoulders. "So what? We can take the exam again, next time. But we're gonna do it together, Sakura.", she told her with a confident smile.
Both Sasuke and Sakura stared at Ino for those words. "Ino...", Sakura said weakly.
Naruto nodded. "She's right. The title of the Hokage can wait. And I don't want it if it means abandoning you here, Sakura-chan!", he proclaimed firmly, not a single moment of hesitance or doubt in his mind. He valued his friends much more than such a scroll.
"Naruto...". Sakuras voice was now not much more then a sniffling sound.
Pulling the scroll out of his jacket, the blonde ninja showed the still sealed scroll to Sasuke, who nodded, satisfied with the way things were turning out. Naruto, scroll in hand, slowly made his way towards Sasuke, moving slowly to avoid rousing the Uchiha. He was about halfway there when a chuckle was heard.
"Oh, there you are. Have you any idea how long it took me to find you, hmm?", a voice echoed through the clearing.
"Who's there?", Naruto yelled, but the voice only chuckled more.
Similar to the others, Sasuke got unnerved, Hectically, he threw his head into every direction, hoping to see the onlooker with his sharingan. "Come out and show yourself, you coward!", he challenged the voice.
"I intend to do just that...", the voice said, but this time, there was no echo as whoever owned that voice was drawing closer to them...