Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heavens lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back with another chapter for the story and we will be getting into the Forest of Death Arc. I can't wait for you guys to see all that I have planned as it is going to be great. I don't really have much to say so let's get right into the chapter.
Chapter 34
Second Stage: Forest of Death
"I guess I'm the last one here huh?" Naruto spoke up with a yawn as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He was decked out in his full shinobi outfit. Blue short sleeved shirt with mesh armor underneath, sleeveless orange hoodie with orange pants on. The pants had a blue stripe going down each side of it. Around his leg he had his Kunai holster and on the back of his waist he had a beige colored pack filled with essential weapons and tools. He no longer carried his large backpack around anymore due to his many months of studying up on Fūinjutsu. On each of Naruto's arms in invisible ink are dozens of storage sealing arrays filled to the brim with all of his equipment and tools. Any and everything both domestic and militaristic was sealed away inside the storage arrays waiting to be used. On his forehead Naruto had his blue clothed headband that he treasures very much secured tightly, he cleans and polishes it every week to keep it in mint condition. Finally, around his neck covered up by the fabric of his hoody was his black chained choker with the teddy bear pendant attached to the end of the chain. This was Chaos and Iris in disguise.
"You look like you're ready to pass out." Shikamaru commented as he looked at his friend who had bags underneath his eyes. "Well working 16-hour shift with barely any breaks in-between and 3 hours of sleep would do that to ya." Naruto fired back with a mumble. The rookie nine had gathered at the park down the street from Naruto's apartment. It was early in the morning. 7:20 to be precise and the exam starts at 8:00 on the dot. After exchanging greetings with one another the group got down to business. "Ok I'll cut right to the chase. I came up with a basic plan for us since we don't know the specifics of the exam. What we do know however is that every time during the second exam for the last 5 years all the participating teams are pitted against each other with only a hand full making it out on top. I don't know exactly what we are going to be doing this time around but I can safely bet we will most likely be fighting against the others." Shikamaru explained as he looked at everyone present.
Shikamaru took out a map of the Forest of Death that he was able to get from his father's study. "At the center of the battle ground is a large tower. This is most likely our final destination. A large river runs nearby which splits the entire training ground in half. There is some small mountainous terrain to the north but nothing too serious and everything else is completely covered in thick, dense forestry. There are a few swamps just south of the rivers on the southern portion of the area but nothing that should slow us down." Shikamaru continued as he noticed everyone paying him attention.
"Most teams are going to avoid the swamps since it would slow them down and it is the perfect ambush point for people who know how to take advantage of their surroundings; just east of the swamps is a large clearing. The only clearing in the entire forest to be exact. No one would be stupid enough to walk in the wide open like that which just leaves the small patch of forest in between the swamps and the clearing. Someone is going to come through them to maintain their cover and that is the perfect place for our ambush." Shikamaru explained while taking a quick breath. He wasn't used to talking this much. "Not only that but if need be we can escape towards the swamps or the clearing to draw out our attackers in case of an emergency then change direction to head towards the rivers in the middle." Shikamaru further added.
"That's a well thought out plan Shikamaru. I didn't know you had it in you." Ino commented as she sat next to her teammate. She was impressed. Most of the time Shikamaru would fall asleep during their team exercises. "Yeah, yeah… it's a drag but it needed to be done. Whatever our objective for this exam is going to be we will find it in this spot. For that reason, our teams will be assigned different roles based on what our teams were designed to do. So guys listen up." Shikamaru said as he grabbed everyone's attention.
"My team, Team 10 will be our immobilizing team, we will capture our enemy in whatever trap we come up with. Team 8 will be our tracking and scout team. They will scout out any potential enemy teams in the area and it will be their job to lead them to the rest of us. Team 7 will be our strike team. In case things get ugly or if our targets prove to be stronger than anticipated then it will be your jobs to fight them while the rest of us gives up backup. 9 against 3 is a great advantage for us to have, we shouldn't waste it." Shikamaru instructed as everyone nodded in agreement.
"Shikamaru… what if the objective of the test is for us to fight against each other. What if our teams are pitted against each other for some reason?" Ino asked in worry. Some of the others perked up at this since that notion didn't come to their minds. "We won't." Naruto spoke up catching the others attention. He was being rather quite this entire time, instead letting Shikamaru doing all the talking. "We shouldn't be too hasty to stab each other in the back. If we are forced to fight against each other than quit. We are all teammate here so we should act like it and watch each other's back. I highly doubt this test is just going to be a simple free for all where we just have to eliminate the rest of the teams. That's to straight forward, there is going to be a bigger objective in mind and we should not let it blind us." Naruto stated while raising everyone's spirits. Seeing everyone relax some Naruto leaned back with a small smile on his face.
The three teams talked for a few more minutes before they all got up since then needed to be at the training grounds in half an hour. "Hey what's with you?" Shikamaru discreetly whispered as the nine Genin headed over to the location of their second exam. The lazy boy hung back to match pace with Naruto who was silent for most of the time. "It's not my lack of sleep if that was what you were wondering." Naruto jabbed back in jest. "I never thought it was. You look like something is troubling you." Shikamaru correctly guessed. "Yeah something is… I met a person who honestly terrifies me." Naruto mumbled back with a look in his eyes which silently shocked Shikamaru.
Monte Carlo Casino
"Sir how do you plan on dealing with this?" Shoko asked as she was sitting in the chair in front of Dino's desk. The Kingpin of the Mafia was sitting behind his expensive desk with a cup of tea in hand as well as an expensive tea set placed on a small rolling cart next to his desk filled with tea for him to refill his cup with if needed. The rounded old man looked up with his amber eyes at his senior advisor, bodyguard, agent, and surrogate adoptive daughter with a tired sigh. "There isn't much we can do at this exact moment my dear. It's quite troubling to know that we have people like him starting to move again." Dino commented as he sipped some of his tea. A report was in his old wrinkled hands as his amber eyes glossed over the confidential words written neatly over it. Another sigh escaped his lips as he sat the paper down on the wood of his desk.
"Does the Hokage know about this sir?" Shoko asked as she eyed the paper herself from across the desk. "Of course… Hiruzen knows that his baggage is out their causing some trouble. He can't actively look into this matter himself or else it would tip of that slippery little brat that we're on to him. That is why Hiruzen asked us to head the investigation in his stead." Dino explained as he took another sip of his tea. "I'm worried sir. First that woman shows up again and now him of all people popping up after all this time in hiding. This can't be a coincidence." Shoko stated with a bit of venom in her voice.
"I agree with you on this Shoko. Whether they are secretly working together or not is a subject for another debate but the fact that the two of them have been so active lately is definitely cause for alarm. We must handle this very carefully. We don't know what that unpredictable snake is after or where he is and until we know these things we must tread carefully. Especially with Balalaika hanging around once again." Dino speculated as he placed the documents he was just reading into his desk cabinet.
"Speaking of which why would you and Lord Hokage let her back into the village for a second time? You know how dangerous and unpredictable she is. I'm more worried about her being here than whatever that pale freak is up to." Shoko expressed her worry and distain for particular people known. "I understand Shoko but in reality it would be a lot more trouble if we refused her entrance into the village. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all of that…" Dino said with a flippant wave of his hand.
"But why is she so interested in Naruto? Is she that obsessed with him? Did Kushina really leave that big of an impact on her?" Shoko stressed as she leaned back in her chair with stress and worry clearly written on her face. "You knew them both very well my dear. You tell me…" Dino idly said as he took a sip from his tea. Shoko was staring up at the ceiling reminiscing about what happened a few short hours ago.
Flashback Begin
The party was in full swing and Naruto could honestly say he was not only overwhelmed but now he was secretly scared. Naruto showed up to the Casino in the afternoon after receiving the summons by Dino. He was greeted to the sight of his fellow co-workers hustling about setting up the casino and prepping it for the party to come. Everything was being cleaned up, polished, and special equipment for the night was being unboxed and set up. Taking a few minutes to let this all sink in Naruto then got his directions from Chef Adam who as usual was coordinating the multi-crew operation that was going to take at least another two hours to set up. Well that is until Naruto showed up. His fellow colleagues were going to abuse his use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu to help make things go easier and faster for everyone involved.
With Naruto's help things quickly got set up far faster that it should and it gave the other mafia members a chance to rest. Soon the party guess started to trickle in as the day started to turn to dusk. Famous people and more importantly wealthy individuals with a lot of influence started to make their appearances. Naruto had to be on his best behavior and be as professional as possible. That was fine by him. It wasn't that much pressure and he's done this many times. An hour later he was severely eating those words when the last person on earth he would ever expect to show up did just that. Show up.
Balalaika showed up to the party with the exact same imposing presence as last time and Naruto had no time to hide since the older woman immediately zoomed in on him the moment she arrived. She was aware he was there so he knew it was pointless to hide. Naruto tried to convince himself that everything would be fine as long as he kept his contact with the mysterious woman as close to zero as possible. So with that in mind Naruto made sure to stay as far away from the woman as possible for over an hour but all of that was thrown right off the tallest mountain when Balalaika specifically requested him to serve her for the night. Naruto tried to worm his way out of this by making the excuse that since only the senior members were present tonight they were a bit understaffed and he would need to attend to other customers but his hopes and dreams were crushed before his very eyes when the blond haired woman pulled out a special card that had his face on it.
The card was very similar to a ticket in its function. Whichever client wins the card with an employee on it they get to have that employee serve them exclusively for the rest of the night. This happens every night which was fine since Naruto usually ended up with a regular to the Casino or his card wasn't entered into the raffle. Only 10 employee's cards were picked each night for this game and those 10 cards are randomly picked from a hat with everyone's cards in it.
Naruto couldn't get a read on the older woman. He couldn't understand her true motives especially since her body language gave nothing away. The Kingpin of the Hidden Stone was as calm as ever as she forced Naruto to engage in conversation with her throughout the night. From random everyday subjects to more shinobi related aspects she grilled him in all of it. In the game of word play and mind games Naruto was absolutely no match for the veteran woman who was picking him apart. Looking for things that he had no idea about. It frazzled his nerves but he was trying his best to hold on through the night. The overprotectiveness and one-sided animosity Shoko was throwing out the entire night in their direction wasn't helping matters either. None of the other clients could sense it but you could easily cut the tension with a knife.
"I hear from your fellow colleagues that you're quite good at these games of luck. Will you play with me?" Balalaika asked politely while resting her head on one of her open palms. She was perfectly relaxed and content as her intimidating dark blue eyes bored into Naruto's skull. The shade of blue her dead eyes took on was far different to people like Naruto, Iris, and Eva who all shared a very similar eye color. In fact, the three of them almost had identical colored blue eyes with Iris's just being unnaturally brighter by a fair margin due to being a supernatural being. Eva also had this same phenomenon but not to the same degree. "Sure…" Naruto answered stiffly as he sat down with the tall woman by a slot machine. A glass of expensive wine was in her other hand as she watched Naruto work the machine and they instantly won a high prize. "I guess your co-workers weren't exaggerating." Balalaika idly commented as she watched Naruto place her winnings inside a bag.
Poker, blackjack, Russian Roulette which was Balalaika's favorite, and many more. The duo toured the casino and played many games which with Naruto's unnatural luck made it so that Balalaika racked up an uncanny number of winnings which the older woman expressed her gratitude very excessively.
"Those cute little whisker marks on your cheeks are quite interesting. I don't know why you tried to hide them underneath that transformation the last time we met but I must say they remind me so much of a fox that its uncanny." Balalaika commented idly as she watched Naruto squirm and slightly flinch at her mentioning of a fox. Her smile grew an inch as she noticed these things from the boy she was silently tormenting just with her very presence. "It's probably just a coincidence. I get that a lot." Naruto responded as he refilled her wine glass. Naruto almost dropped the expensive bottle of glass which was 4 times as much as his monthly check when Balalaika placed her hands on his cheek.
"Your face kind of reminds me of a tomato. It's so round." Balalaika commented as Naruto froze up on the spot. "I… uhmm…" Naruto didn't know what to say as this has never happened to him before. He could feel and sense the near limitless amount of chakra underneath the surface of her skin as she touched him. It far outclassed his already impressive reserves by a mile and it was even bigger than the Hokage's. To have that much chakra inside your body was insane to Naruto and it scared him even more. "Then this unkempt spiky blond hair and blue eyes. You know you have some very unique and peculiar features. Certainly none I've seen in this village so far…" Balalaika continued as she trailed her hand up to Naruto's hair and Naruto was trying everything he could to pull away before the older woman's hand could reach Eva but his body just wouldn't respond. He felt paralyzed by her monstrous aura and chakra reserves.
"Are you enjoying yourself tonight miss?" Shoko asked as she oh so conveniently showed up at that exact moment with a professional aura surrounding her but in reality it was anything but. "Oh yes, I'm enjoying myself quite nicely tonight. If there is anything you guys here in the leaf know how to do, then it's definitely how to throw a party. The music is excellent, the food is always a plus especially when you have that handsome chef in the back making it, and the excellent customer service can't be beat." Balalaika complimented in what was supposed to be her cheerful voice but because of the fact her voice was so husky and deep it was a hit or miss in Naruto's opinion. Her voice did trail off as she looked directly at Naruto when she said customer service. Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine when Balalaika looked at him.
"Naruto I need for you to go get our guest here another bottle, I'll fill in for you while you're gone." Shoko said as she not so subtly moved Naruto out of Balalaika's grasp. "Oh… ok." Naruto trailed off as he mindlessly walked off. He knew that the particular bottle Balalaika was drinking was a special brand so it would only be found in the back with the rest of the stock. Once Naruto was out of ear shot Shoko leveled Balalaika with a smoldering glare that would make any man have a heart attack. The Kingpin returned the stare with an amused glance filled with cockiness and enjoyment. "Don't you touch him like that again or I will kill you." Shoko growled as her radiant purple eyes darkened to almost black in intensity. "As if you could. Poor little Shoko… the only Titan of the Leaf left alive. Oh how the mighty have fallen." Balalaika belittled as she took a sip from her almost empty glass of wine.
Shoko's facial features were twisting into something ugly but she was holding herself back with all her will. "You know Karasuba misses you so much. She's been so lonely this past decade in a half without her favorite playmate to fight. Maybe you two should meet up one day and catch up on old times. It's a real shame I forgot to bring her with me." Balalaika conversed idly while watching Shoko crumple the metal tray tucked underneath her arm. "I'd rather you keep forgetting to bring her." Shoko spat as she glared down at woman in front of her. "Oh well your lost… anyways how long do you intend to protect their son? Poor Kushina is probably rolling around in her grave with how much you baby that boy. You can't protect him forever; he's eventually going to need to learn the truth. Maybe it's best he learns it from an old family friend like me." The Kingpin goaded with a sadistic gleam to her eye.
"You stay away from him. I'll be the one to decide when he learns of his heritage. Not you or anyone else." Shoko growled as she nearly bit her tongue to keep from screaming what she wanted to say out loud. The purple haired woman was lightly trembling as her breath picked up. She was seriously holding herself back form out right attacking the woman in front of her even though she knew that would be the worst possible thing for her to do. Not only would everyone else around them quickly die in the crossfire and collateral damage but Shoko knew deep down that she would also die as well if Dino doesn't intervene in time.
Balalaika looked off to the side and saw Naruto making his way back with a new bottle in hand and Dino himself was on the main floor as well. A cruel smile worked its way onto Balalaika's face as she turned to address Shoko. "You can keep playing your pitiful game of house with that boy for a little while longer but the time will come when he must face the real world in front of him. I will not allow Kushina's legacy to be some weak ant that I can crush without lifting a finger. For his sake he had better live up to his parent's level or he won't last very long and I'll personally see to that." Balalaika threatened with a dead look.
"I will never let that happen…" Shoko said slowly with a lot of passion and overprotectiveness in her voice. The emotions were all in her purple eyes as she stared down one of the most powerful and dangerous person to ever live. "Poor little Shoko, can't give up that dream of being a mother." Balalaika said with a shake of her head as a cruel smile was on her face. Shoko's chakra exploded from her body shaking the very foundation of the building itself. All of the customers inside the building instinctively grabbed on to the nearest object to keep themselves from losing their balance. Naruto dropped the bottle of wine in his hands since he was caught completely off guard by the sudden explosion of power by Shoko. The bottle smashed against the floor and Naruto knew that those bottles were extremely expensive, if not for the urgent predicament happening a few yards away he would feel his heart sink at the punishment Mr. Dino would no doubt give him.
"Ladies I trust everything is going well over here?" Dino asked pleasantly as he placed a hand on Shoko's forearm and the building immediately stopped shaking. Shoko's shoulders were trembling with rage as her eyes burned a hole into Balalaika's skull. "I'll kill you…" Shoko seethed as she attempted to summon her sword but Dino squeezed Shoko's arm which forced her oppressive chakra back inside her body. "Now, now Shoko that's no way to talk to a customer even if they were out of line. Come now I need you to go attend to those new merchants who took over Gatō's old shipping company. Now go get yourself calmed down and do your job my dear." Dino said as his short stature didn't stack up well compared to the two woman who were both over six feet tall.
"Yes sir." Shoko gritted out as she methodically made her way over to the exits so she could find a restroom to compose herself in. "Balalaika I don't know what game you are playing but I must warn you. Don't do something like that again. Am I clear young lady?" Dino reprimanded with a stern voice as he leveled the much younger woman and fellow Kingpin with a smoldering glare. "Crystal." Balalaika replied with a dangerously confident look in her eye.
Flashback End
The rookie nine made it to the clearing outside the Forest of Death with a few minutes to spare. At least 2 dozen other teams were in attendance already with the last few remaining teams trickling in as the hour hand approached 8:00. Naruto didn't elaborate further to Shikamaru about their earlier conversation but it did leave the lazy genius silently wondering.
By now Naruto was more awake and alert especially with so many foreign team's around. Naruto's eyes roamed across the gathered participants and his eyes landed on a team he saw in the hallway the day before. Looking at their white clothed headbands and the stylized cloud symbol on the metal plate Naruto knew they were from the Village Hidden in the Clouds. The first one was the girl he spotted the previous day with the dark skin and amber eyes with burgundy red hair. On her back was a katana in a sheath ready to be used at a moments noticed and based on the tone muscles he could clearly see on her exposed arms he could tell she was in excellent shape and she knew exactly how to use that sword she carried.
Next to the girl standing close to her was a boy with dark skin just like his teammate and he had white hair and black eyes. Oddly enough he had a lollipop of all things in his mouth but Naruto wasn't one to judge. If given the chance, he would gorge himself on candy all day long but that wouldn't be setting a great example for the girls especially Chaos who would eat every piece of candy in sight. He also had a long katana on his back that looked almost identical to the girl's and the way the two expressed their body language Naruto could easily tell from a mile away that they were great partners and were very skilled at tag team style fighting.
The final member of the three-man team was another girl who had short blond hair in a bob cut and piercing blue eyes. She was white with cream colored skin and she was just a tad bit taller than her two teammates. On her back was a medium sized Tantō strapped horizontally across her back in easy reach of her hands. She looked to be about a year older than them so that placed her about 13 to 14 years old while her teammates were Naruto's age of 12 in a half. Based on this and everything else Naruto noticed about that team he correctly guessed that they were a team that excelled and specialized in Kenjutsu which was a common theme among shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. One thing that Naruto fortunately or unfortunately noticed depending on who you ask was the fact that the girl was rather curvaceous for someone so young. She already had what looked to be a C-Cup and her hip, waist, and thigh ratio was already shaping up despite her age. Before he finds himself in the dog house again Naruto adverted his eyes quickly only for them to land on another girl.
This girl was dressed in brown and had a red headband on her forehead with a stylized rock symbol on the metal plate. It was the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Stone. She had short black hair in a bob cut as well and large round black eyes. She had a rather laid back disposition but something was warning Naruto that she was not to be underestimated and that she was very talented. Next to her was a taller and rounder boy with chubby cheeks and slicked back black hair hidden under a red bandana with the Hidden Stone's symbol on it. He had a large backpack on his back and his flowing clothes helped to conceal anything else he may be hiding. The third and final teammate of theirs was another boy with generic looks that would help him blend in with a crowd.
'Those two teams are going to be handfuls if we run across them in the forest. I really hope we don't.' Naruto thought to himself as he gazed at a few other teams of interest. The weird girl with red hair and red eyes. She had two generic looking teammates but as he looked towards her she suddenly perked up and looked in his direction with a look of momentary shock. Naruto almost let out a startled gasp since that couldn't have possibly been a coincidence but he adverted his eyes to defuse the weird situation.
His eyes quickly found the girl with dark skin and mint green hair from yesterday. She wasn't hard to spot since she stood out quite easily. She also had two generic teammates but her very presence as well as a few others like Gaara and that strange red headed girl stood out to Naruto in the crowd of participants. Naruto also noticed that strange team for that unknown village with the music note and he instantly got a bad vibe from them. He didn't know what it was but something about them set him on edge. He made a mental note to try and stay clear of them during the exam for as long as possible.
A tall pole with a clock on it was at the main entrance to the area and the hour hand struck 8:00. Right on que a large cloud of smoke erupted in front of the large group of participants and out of that cloud of smoke appeared Anko with a total of 44 Chūnin and 6 Jōnin dressed in uniform and in a crisp neat line.
"Alright maggots listen up! The second stage of the Chūnin Exams are about to begin!" Anko declared loudly for all to hear. The crowd grew alert as they all turned their attention to the weird and unusual proctor they met yesterday. This time Anko wasn't drunk but she still had a somewhat relaxed disposition. Her much more experienced eyes roamed the crowd looking at all the most prominent and interesting participants before finally resting her eyes on Naruto who gave a tiny smile back in greeting. He hasn't seen Anko at all since yesterday afternoon in the classroom.
"Ok brats let's cut to the chase. I'll explain the rules to you all once and you'll listen. Simple as that. I won't repeat myself so let's get started." Anko began as she put on a more serious demeanor. "This place behind me here is Training Ground 44 otherwise known as the Forest of Death. It was created by The First Hokage over sixty years ago and till this day it still stands in the same condition as it was on the day it was created. For the next 5 days you will call this training facility your home." Anko narrated as she scanned the crowd for any people not listening to her.
Anko could hear the whispers of the participants who were not expecting to here this. "Your objective is simple… you see these two scrolls here." Anko began as she took out two scrolls from her large trench coat. One of them was brown and had the Kanji for [Earth] written on it and the other scroll was cream in color and had the Kanji for [Heaven] on it. "Each team will be given one scroll. Either it will be a Heaven scroll or an Earth scroll. In the end the process is completely random… however one thing that is one hundred percent guaranteed is half of you will end up with a Heaven scroll and the other half will end up with an Earth scroll." Anko said cheerfully with a smile. The gears in some people's heads started to turn as everyone began to contemplate what was being told to them.
"Your mission is to make it to the tower at the center of the training ground with both a Heaven and Earth scroll in your team's possession by the time the five-day time limit expires." Anko said with a smug smile once she saw the looks on the Genin start to change. She saw that the Genin were starting to catch on to the purpose of the test. "That means we have to fight another team and steal their scroll from them." Sakura mumbled to herself as she looked towards her teammates. Naruto and Sasuke both nodded towards her in encouragement to calm her nerves which worked as Sakura composed herself.
"What about food? What are we supposed to eat for 5 days?" Chōji moaned in devastation as he couldn't imagine himself going 5 days without eating his favorite foods. "The forest is teaming with all types of wildlife. I'm sure you can find something in their edible. Although there are a lot of carnivorous animals in there and we humans are kind of on the bottom of the food chain once you step through those gates… but oh well not my problem, I'm not taking this test." Anko cheerfully said as she tried to console Chōji but her attitude became carefree and heartless towards the end. The woman had no tact whatsoever.
"So we have to get the opposite scroll that we have from another team and make it to the tower in five days. That should be easy." Kiba cockily said with an air of confidence which was easily bordering on arrogance. "Hold your leash their kibbles I wasn't finish yet. I still have to explain the rules and guidelines of this test." Anko said in a patronizing tone as she wagged her index finger in Kiba's direction who was both embarrassed and enraged as he was visibly seething at Anko's comment. The special Jōnin was using her old pet name for Kiba back during the time she was a teacher in the Academy months ago.
"I'll go through the list of rules quickly so listen up and do not interrupt me." Anko said as she cleared her throat.
"Rule 1… if your team does not make it to the tower in 5 days' time you fail."
"Rule 2… if your team shows up at the tower missing a teammate or with a dead teammate you fail."
"Rule 3… if your team shows up at the tower missing a teammate but still with both scrolls… you still fail." That particular rule got whispers and words of conjecture but Anko quickly put a stop to that.
"Rule 4… if you show up to the tower with two of the same scrolls you fail."
"Rule 5… if you show up to the tower with a fake scroll, or one scroll being real while the other is fake then you fail either way." This rule got a few individuals to let out a disappointed aura as their plans were cut down before they could even start them.
"Rule 6… if your team shows up at the tower with both scrolls but there is damage done to them; even the slightest bit. It could be a small tear in the fabric. You fail." Anko said without remorse. This rule got a lot of complaints that were way more vocal than the last but once again Anko cut them down without missing a beat.
"Rule 7… and this one is the most important of them all… if your team tampers with or opens the scrolls at any point in time before being within the central tower not only will you fail but there's also about a 90% chance that you'll die… and now that I think about it, probably almost instantly too. Also not only do you guys probably die but the rest of the participant's lives become even more endangered than before. So yeah do not open the scroll under any circumstances until you are inside the tower and only if you have both a heaven and earth scroll." Anko warned as she was seemingly talking about the nice weather they were conveniently having today since the grim reality of their test was not reflected in her tone of voice or attitude.
"So that is all the rules that you need to know. Now my subordinates here are passing out waivers here and you must sign them or you will not be permitted to take part in the exam. Now before you ask I'll just answer it for you. These papers are basically shields for us so that the Leaf is not held responsible for your inevitable death. As per Shinobi law and culture once you become a Genin you are legally an adult even if you are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of rank and experience. So you get to decide here and now if you are ready to step into that forest and more than likely potentially die." Anko said happily while clapping her hands together. Her voice did take on a mature and serious tone as she mentioned the waivers and what they really mean but she was still pretty laid back with her explanation.
'Ok there are a total of 28 teams here. I expect at least half of them to be cut from this stage of the exam.' Anko hypothesized but she quickly amended her thought process when she saw a total of two teams quit the exam as their hearts gave into the dread and realization of potentially dying. 'Ok never mind… so 26 Teams are going to be entering the forest. At least 13 of them are going to be eliminated right off the bat. This is going to be so much fun.' Anko thought to herself as she watched the remaining Genin signed the forms handed to them.
Once everyone signed the waivers Anko clapped to grab everyone's attention. "Ok everyone sends one member of your team to this booth over here to receive your teams scroll. Line up in this line over here." Anko instructed as a booth could be seen with a curtain keeping prying eyes out. Two of the six Jōnin were sitting behind the table in the booth ready to hand out a scroll to each team. Two more Jōnin were outside the booth loitering around close to the line that was forming and the last two were in the crowd keeping an eye on the large group of Genin while also collecting their signed waivers. Anko herself was standing around the booth collecting the stack of waivers from the Genin.
Soon enough Naruto was able to collect his scroll from the booth. It was a Heaven Scroll. The Jōnin at the booth also told Naruto that his team would be entering the forest through Gate Number 12. Naruto quickly sealed up the scroll into one of his many storage seals. Heading back over to his teammates Naruto informed them of the Gate they would be entering. "So it would seem like our plan is a go then." Sasuke commented with crossed arms with Naruto agreeing.
"We got Gate 27 so it's going to take us longer to meet up with you guys." Shikamaru revealed while keeping his voice down. He didn't want anyone to hear them. "We have gate 16 so we won't be too far away from your team Naruto." Hinata said with a small smile which got one to appear on Naruto's face as well. "Then that means that our two teams should find a place to meet up and then we both make our way over to Shikamaru's team since his Gate is closer to our ambush point." Naruto suggested since it was the most viable plan. "Agreed. Once we all get their it will only be a matter of time before someone shows up then we can get them." Shikamaru stated as he scratched the back of his neck. His lazy expression hadn't changed but the others knew he was serious.
Before anything else could be said a kunai whizzed through the air and cut Naruto's cheek which startled him. He instantly grabbed a kunai from his holster and stabbed backwards just in time since Anko herself was latched onto his back. "That was for yesterday in the classroom. I had to eat take out because of you." Anko whispered into his ear as she licked the blood trickling down his face off. Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine at the action and Hinata was blushing with her hands covering her eyes. Anko's other hand was stopping Naruto's kunai from impaling her in the stomach while her other arm was draped over Naruto's shoulder. "Well learn how to cook then, or better yet don't waste all your money on Dango and booze so much then maybe you wouldn't be broke all the time." Naruto growled back in irritation to his surrogate older sister.
"Excuse me." A new voice spoke up which silently set both Anko and Naruto on edge. "You dropped this ma'am." A brass like voice slithered out as an impossibly long tong extended out of an older teens mouth. The voice sounded extremely feminine and based on the long silky black hair Naruto was almost incline to believe the person standing behind him was a female but the posture, physique, and a few more indicators were making him reconsider his judgement call.
"Oh why thank you. I do tend to drop these things." Anko thanked graciously with a pleasant smile. "But just for fair warning in the future don't ever approach me or another shinobi from behind like that again. You might just die." Anko warned as a sliver of danger entered into her voice. "My apologies then. It's the scent of blood… it's exciting me." The mysterious boy said from beneath his straw hat. "Well keep that bloodlust in check next time." Anko said as she walked off leaving Naruto with the rest of his teammates. Naruto idly placed his kunai back in its holster while looking over his shoulder. That mysterious boy freaked him out greatly.
"Ok everyone in a few minutes after all the teams have gathered their scrolls you will all head off towards your assigned gate. The Second phase will begin at exactly 8:30 on the dot." Anko announced as the line was about half way through. It was now 8:17.
"Well, guys I guess it's time. Good luck." Naruto said as he wished all of his classmate's good luck. This was going to be a hard task to complete even with the nine of them agreeing to work together. Their entire plan was based on their strengths and faith in one another. They had no idea how strong or skilled the other teams were; so even if they set up a successful ambush that didn't' necessarily mean they would walk away from the encounter without a scratch or injuries. Not to mention there is no telling if the enemy team could escape.
Everyone wished each other luck as the teams split up to find their assigned gates. It was almost time and the rookies could feel their hearts beating out of their chest. They could feel the pressure of this exam and they had no idea what type of challenges they would encounter during their time in the forest but they all silently promised to do their best.
Back at the booth Anko was quiet as she silently wished Naruto good luck. {Anko are the teams in position?} The Hokage's old voice came in over the small wireless radio in her ear. "Yes Lord Hokage the teams are moving into position. We will begin on schedule." Anko replied to her leader by pressing the small button on her ear piece. {Very good. Keep me informed of any developments.} Hiruzen stated as he talked into a microphone on his desk. "Yes Lord Hokage, as you wish." Anko replied while taking her hand off of the button.
Hiruzen sat back in his comfortable chair behind his desk with a sigh as he turned off the microphone with a press of a button. A black cord could be seen trailing off the desk onto the floor where it plugs into a socket. The telephone wires and other cables seen crisscrossing throughout the buildings and streets of the village had many uses. Inconspicuous reception towers were dotted all over the village and loosely connected to the normal telephone wires these reception towers allowed for the remote communication between radio headsets. However, they only worked within a certain range of the village and the further away from a reception tower you were the weaker the signal became. Luckily Anko was standing next to one of these towers. The pole with the clock on it was the hidden reception tower in her area so she heard her leaders voice loud and clear.
"I take it you aren't here for a social visit Danzō?" Hiruzen sighed as he looked up at his oldest friend who crawled out of the shadows of his office like he normally did. The tapping of his walking cane against the floor was once again heard in the office as Danzō took his seat. "Unfortunately not Hiruzen. I have some interesting news to share with you." Danzō said as he pulled out a scroll and placed it on Hiruzen's desk. The Third picked up the scroll before unraveling it. His eyes darted across the parchment paper with decades of experience and his eyes slowly rose up in shock.
"Danzō you didn't." Hiruzen asked in disbelieve. "It had to be done Hiruzen. They are unknowns and as such they needed to be tested." Danzō defended himself when Hiruzen leveled him with a look of anger. "They are just children Danzō! Children! They could have died!" Hiruzen exclaimed as he slammed his hand down on his desk. The action didn't phase Danzō one bit who continued to look at his best friend even if the nature of their friendship tends to be rocky in most aspects.
"No. They are unknown supernatural beings with exceedingly dangerous abilities and untold amounts of power. Who's to say that they are really children. The could be shapeshifting their appearances just like how they can transform and hide themselves in plain view on the boy's person with no one being the wiser. Or they could be far older than they are letting on but still retaining a child's body. The list goes on Hiruzen, there could be any number of scenarios to explain what they are." Danzō pleaded his case with carefully constructed words. He didn't know what they were but based on the reports he received from his men he could make a general guess in the right direction.
"That doesn't excuse what you've done Danzō. You used the Hidden Sand's Jinchūriki to conduct this little test of yours. We already know he is unstable and that we warned the Sand to keep a tight leash on him. What if his Tailed Beast broke free for whatever reason? Hundreds would die before we could quickly bring it down. There are consequences to your actions Danzō." Hiruzen admonished as he was far from happy with what his friend did behind his back. "Be that as it may the test revealed unforeseeable results. That little girl controlled the Jinchūriki with just her words alone and forced him into an all-out retreat. Not to mention her actual combat abilities with her Fire and Wind manipulation. From what she's demonstrated and the data gathered both yesterday and from the Land of Wave's incident she is clearly Chūnin Level if not a bit higher and she is biologically six. That type of potential is almost unheard of. Very few in the last few generations not to mention this day and age could lay claim to such accolades." Danzō pushed as he leaned forward in his chair to get his point across.
Hiruzen sighed as he leaned back in his chair to contemplate all that he has learned. "It is clear to me that you went behind my back even though I warned you a few months ago not to do so and it is also clear to me that you will continue to do so against my wishes so with that in mind I'm giving you permission to continue to observe them but under no circumstances are you to touch them and you are not to pull such a reckless stunt again Danzō am I clear." Hiruzen conceded before he laid out his offer with an order and demand at the end to show he meant business. "Understood. Thank you Hiruzen. I promise that no harm shall come to those children in the future." Danzō thanked graciously with a nod of his head.
"Danzō…" Hiruzen glared as he easily caught on to the word play Danzō was using. It was clever and if he was any an inexperienced person he would have completely missed it. Danzō's last words could easily be interpreted in many ways and Hiruzen wasn't foolish enough to put it past his oldest friend to do something shady in the background and get away with it. Finding proof of Danzō's dirty work was just as impossible as getting his old students back together. It just wasn't possible in the old man's eyes despite how optimistic he was.
"One more thing." Danzō said as he changed the subject causing Hiruzen's glare to intensify as a frown creased his face. "What do you plan to do with Balalaika now that she has again made contact with Naruto Uzumaki? It is only a matter of time before she decides to reveal something that she shouldn't and the only person in the world with a one hundred percent chance of stopping her or reining her in is dead and ironically enough it's her son who is the focus of this problem. I can count on my hand the number of people left in this world who she'd actually tread carefully around and none of us are getting any younger as you so eloquently like to point out every time we talk." Danzō explained with concrete evidence as he watched the gears turn in the Third Hokage's head. Hiruzen sighed as he lit the tobacco in his pipe without lifting a finger using his mastery and a subtle use of Fire Nature Chakra.
"Ok we will have to change our plans then…" Hiruzen said as he blew out a cloud of smoke.
"Ok guys are you ready?" Naruto asked as he looked towards is two teammates. He's really bonded with them over the last few months and at his point he could honestly call them his friends and he was proud of it. This was a major step for them and it would change their lives forever and open up so many new doors for them form this point onward. "Hmm. Do you even need to ask?" Sasuke replied with a challenging smirk on his face. His hands were in his pockets and his posture and body language was relaxed but coiled in anticipation. He couldn't wait for the test to start. There were 26 teams including them entering this forest who they would have to compete and survive against with 24 of them being their enemies. It was going to be a thrill in Sasuke's mind.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." Sakura said in a confident voice. She was a little scared but she was pushing as much of her fear to the back of her mind. She had her two teammates to back her up if the going got tough and she had no intention of letting them down. Naruto smiled at this as he felt proud of Sakura. Sasuke's smirk widened by just a degree but it was definitely a change.
"Are you ready Eva?" Naruto whispered as he rubbed the top of his head where Eva was resting comfortably in peace. It was still early in the morning and Eva hasn't had a reason to wake up this early in a long while unless for a specific reason. But she could feel the excitement bubbling up within herself and Naruto and she couldn't ignore that fact. "I'm ready Naru. Let's do this." Eva said with her catchphrase as Naruto felt her Yōki activated within his body as the partners synced up yet again. He felt calm and at peace. It felt right to sync up with Eva and go into battle with her. He couldn't imagine it any other way.
'Girls are you ready for this?' Naruto asked with a soft tone. He wanted to make sure his girls where especially ready for what could possibly lay ahead. He was greeted by a pause as Iris soon responded with a cheerful reply. 'I'm ready daddy let's do this!' But something was missing from it. Naruto could sense that Iris was distracted by something again and this time it was a lot worse.
'We'll teach them all about love Dada.' Chaos responded with an eerie giggle that sent a shiver down Naruto's spine and instantly drained his excited mood. He knew without a doubt that something was wrong with Chaos as a frown came to his face in the real world.
'I have a bad feeling about this.' Naruto thought as a pit of anxiety settled into his heart and stomach.
"3…2…1… Begin!"
…and the gates flung open.
Author's Note (A/N): With this ending comes the beginning of Team 7's trials in the Forest of Death. It will be a wild and dangerous ride to be sure. Teams 7, 8, and 10 are working together to all pass as one big group. It's risky for them but something new that I wanted to try out since over the last few months they have been building up a friendship with each other. It's also something I've never seen done before and I've been reading Fan fictions for a long time. So I wanted to attempt such a scenario on my own.
Balalaika is hanging around again and she seems to know some things about Naruto's family that he's entirely unaware of. Balalaika seems to have a history with Kushina but exactly what it is remains to be seen and Shoko herself doesn't like the fact Balalaika is hanging around Naruto with this information on the tip of her tongue.
Finally, Danzō has informed Hiruzen on Iris and Chaos's unique abilities and just how powerful they are. What does this mean for the future? We will have to see.
That's the end of Chapter 34 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 11/11/2016