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Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto's

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'Dobe' -Thoughts

'{Shannaro!}' -Inner Sakura

"Ningen" -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'Brat' -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"Kage Bunshin!" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

Beta'd by BigCC

Chapter 36: Forest of Death PT6: Mind, Body and Spirit

Later

Checkpoint of the Mind, Forest of Death

"Geh, Suzume-sensei?!" Naruko said instinctively as Teams 7&8 landed in the clearing. Standing in front of a tent was a woman with oval glasses and curly hair.

"Humph. I see you are still as inelegant as ever, Genin Uzumaki." Asakura Suzume sniffed as she adjusted her glasses with one hand. "Some things never change."

The Uzumaki Heiress scowled. While Iruka had by far been her favourite teacher at the Academy, the woman before her had been in charge of the Kunoichi-only classes, the less explicit ones anyway. She had, rather specifically, taught the kunoichi aspirants how to blend in as civilians, ranging from lessons on manners and decorum to traditional 'feminine' hobbies like flower arranging and sewing.

Naturally, Naruko, who was both a bit of a tomboy and not the least bit interested in the infiltration portion of a kunoichi's duties unless it involved actual stealth, had avoided those classes like the plague. This meant that the teacher and student had bitterly fought for most of Naruko's time at the Academy.

"Suzume-sensei? Why are you here?" Ino blinked in surprise. "With your germaphobia, I'd have thought this would be the last place you'd want to be."

The woman shuddered slightly. "I could think of a million places I would rather be right now rather than here, true, but I was tapped for this duty by Shikaku-sama because there weren't enough regular chunin available due to the greater requirements to the Second Stage. But enough. You are here to take the Trial for this clearing, correct?"

The genin all nodded.

"Very well. This is the Trial of the Mind." Suzume nodded. "This will test the challenger's knowledge and reasoning skills. Team Seven, who will represent you?"

"I will." Sakura said firmly. More so than even genjutsu, theoretical knowledge was her strongpoint. She had received the highest score in the last two years for the Genin Exam's written portion. She was the natural choice for this situation.

Suzume nodded. "Very well. Team Eight, who will represent you?"

"I-I will." Hinata said with only a slight stutter. While she didn't have Sakura's excellent memory, she was still highly intelligent, having placed fourth overall during their Genin Exams' written portion. Naruko had been firmly in the middle of the class, while Ino had been seventh, so she had been the best bet here.

"Very good." The chunin nodded. "Haruno Sakura from Team Seven and Hyūga Hinata from Team Eight, enter the tent to undergo the Trial of the Mind. I will stay out here to ensure that your teams do not come to blows."

"We're allied, so that isn't a problem." Naruko waved a hand dismissively.

"Alliances among shinobi fall apart on a regular basis." The Academy Sensei said, unimpressed. "So I shall still be keeping an eye on ALL of you."

The fact that she stared hard at Naruko as she spoke made the redhead sigh in irritation. Suzume had never gotten along with her, even before the first time the Uzumaki Heiress had ditched her class. She didn't know if Suzume was one of the idiots who thought she was the Kyūbi, if she simply hated Naruko for being the jailer of the Kyūbi (the likelier of the two in Naruko's opinion. Prissy attitude and germaphobia aside, Suzume was still a shinobi and as an instructor had to have at least some basic knowledge of Fūinjutsu), or if she simply hated the redhead for some other reason entirely.

She grinned at Hinata and wished her good luck before the bluenette entered the tent along with Sakura. Then she made a couple of Shadow Clones to keep watch while she pottered about with a minor seal that she had been working on. Ino started to sharpen her sword, Sasuke started doing handsign practice and Kiba sat down and scratched Akamaru behind the ears, much to the ninken's rumbling approval.

Inside the Tent

With Hinata and Sakura

"Genin Hyūga, please go to station 4." A chunin inside the tent informed her as she stepped in. "Genin Haruno, please go to station 13."

As the various stations had numbers hanging over them, it was not difficult to find their respective stations inside, of which there were over twenty, each with a chunin (or the clone of a chunin) behind them.

"Genin Hyūga." A man wearing sunglasses greeted her. "Your task is diagnosing a victim, determine what poison was used on them and recommend an antidote based on the symptoms, movements of the victim and his origins written on this page. You may begin when ready."

Meanwhile, Sakura was given a complex problem that involved calculating the precise angle needed to throw a kunai in order to assassinate a target in a certain set of conditions and a location.

'This is crazy!' Sakura thought as she worked. 'I can do this, sure, but only because I'm pretty good at advanced theoretical calculations to begin with. Naruko, Ino and Kiba couldn't do this. Heck, I don't think Sasuke-kun or Hinata could do this!'

This sort of thing was usually way above chunin grade to begin with; it was more of a jonin-level scenario or one designed specifically for an assassination expert. Even then, Sakura wasn't certain most jonin could actually calculate this kind of thing. So high-jonin level calculations given to a genin on a chunin exam. It made absolutely no sense.

Once she finished, she handed the sheet of paper, full of calculations and diagrams on both sides, back to the chunin, who blinked in shock when she checked the answer sheet.

"Co-congratulations!" she stuttered. "You got a perfect score! Here's your necklace signifying that you've completed the Trial of the Mind."

She handed over a bronze necklace shaped like a cherry blossom petal to Sakura and nodded towards the exit. "Good luck in the Trials of the Body and Spirit."

Sakura slid it on and the kanji for cherry blossom appeared on it.

When she reached the door, she was joined by Hinata, who had a necklace shaped like a violet's petal and the kanji for 'quiet' engraved on it.

"What did you get?" Sakura asked her.

"I had to diagnose a patient who had been poisoned." Hinata answered with a slight frown. "It turns out he ingested a rare poison from Kaminari no Kuni made from a mix of rare plants and herbs."

Unspoken was that the Hyūga Clan, for obvious reasons, had made a point of study the subtler abilities and poisons available to the forces of the Raikage ever since Hinata's attempted kidnapping several years ago.

'I see…' Sakura was starting to understand things now.

Outside, Hinata was tackled by Naruko, blushing bright red as she caught her enthusiastic girlfriend in her arms. Sakura looked at the redhead cuddling a blushing, stammering and highly embarrassed Hinata for a moment before smiling slightly. Most girls in the Academy had known about Hinata's androphobia and her crush on Naruko. They hadn't understood why she felt that way, but they had accepted it. Mostly because the timid Hyūga Heiress had been so adorable when she interacted with the clueless Naruko.

"You got it then?" Sasuke asked as she walked over to her team.

"Yup." She grinned, holding up her necklace.

"Nice. Where to next?" Kiba asked with a grin.

"Follow me." Naruko nodded once she reluctantly stopped cuddling Hinata. She liked cuddling her girlfriend, dammit.

With that, the six genin leapt into the trees again, disappearing without saying farewell to Suzume.

"Humph. Damn kids." The woman sniffed. "So, did Sakura do it?"

"Hai, Sempai." Another woman emerged from the ground, using Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu. "Her answer matched the answer sheet that I memorised exactly. It's incredible; a genin was able to solve a question used for the entry-level ANBU written exam…!"

"She has potential, despite her civilian origin." Suzume said simply. "Now that she's shedding her fangirl tendencies and focusing on her career as a kunoichi for the most part, her talents can bloom properly. What of Hinata?"

"She identified the Kamakiri Poison well within expectations. Her medical self-studying and the Hyūga Clan's training regarding Kumogakure's common and rare poisons seems to have paid off." Was the reply.

"Good…good." Suzume nodded. "Well, we'd better prepare for the next batch. Shuffle the numbers around and use scent erasure jutsu to stop someone smelling out who went where. I'll be washing my hands. Again."

Same Time

Myōbokuzan

"Kashira, Nee-san…we can't delay any longer." Jiraiya said with an exhausted sigh.

The Toad Sage had been in the Realm of the Toad Clan for what felt like months, but it had only likely been one. Day in and day out, he had sat down and argued with the Two Great Toad Sages, the husband and wife team of Fukasaku and Shima, about the Hokage's request.

"Jiraiya-chan…" Fukasaku grumbled. He was a toad about the size of Akamaru, with bushy eyebrows, a goatee and a tuft of hair at the back of his head, all grey. He also had a simple brown cape slung over his shoulders.

"It ain't like we don't understand where you'n the Hokage're comin' from, Jiraiya-chan, but this is a big thing that yer askin' of us." Shima said, arms folded. She wore a similar cape to her husband and had purple hair-like a hairnet with curlers in it.

"I know that, Nee-san." The white-haired man sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But Sensei is also certain of what he is asking. And it isn't just for the sake of Konoha…it's for the sake of a potential Chosen one of the Prophecy of the Great Toad Elder. And my goddaughter."

"Whaddya mean, Jiraiya-chan?" Fukasaku asked with a frown.

"My goddaughter was stabbed in the womb with a poisoned tantō when she was a kid." Jiraiya explained. "She's sterile. The only one who can possibly heal her is her own cousin…Tsunade. Who, as you know, has sworn up and down that she will never set foot in Konohagakure ever again. The only way to get her to give Naruko a once over is to either take Naruko to see Tsunade or get Tsunade to see Naruko."

"Usually, ya take the pilgrim to the temple, not the other way around, lad." The old toad pointed out.

"If it was just about Tsunade diagnosing and fixing whatever the hell's wrong with Naruko, both sensei and I would do that, Kashira, but it isn't." the last loyal Sannin stated firmly. "It's about three other points as well. First, Tsunade's been out of Konoha for well over twenty years, drinking and gambling her life away, not to mention depleting the various Senju account balances. I think if she was gonna recover on her own, she would have done so long before now. Second, Sensei is getting old, too old to be the Kage of a village. He should be spending time with his grandchild and wiling the day away with a book, not slaving at a desk as he has been since he was in his twenties! Third and final, I want my only teammate who isn't a traitor back. I did nothing when Orochimaru started down his dark path, could do nothing rather, and I'll be damned if I let Tsunade do something even more self-destructive than that!"

The raw pain in Jiraiya's voice at that last point was almost palpable.

"Jiraiya-chan…you said it yourself…there was nothing you coulda' done about 'rochi goin' rogue." Shima said gently. "He was set in his path long before any signs were noticed by anyone."

"I know but…it just seems one thing after another." The suddenly old-looking self-proclaimed 'Super Pervert' said with a sigh. "First Tsunade leaves after Dan and Nawaki die, taking Shizune-chan with her, then someone breaks into the top secret birthing chamber and ultimately kills Minato and Kushina and then Orochimaru goes rogue. I wonder if I'm cursed?"

"Feh. Stop feelin' sorry for yourself." Fukasaku snorted. "It doesn't suit ya. None of that was yer fault and stop with all that curse nonsense. Magic ain't a reality, just a child's tale. Now, to return to the subject at hand…all of those're good reasons, but we do not like interferin' with the summoners of other clans. It's not considered polite, y'know."

"I know." Jiraiya repeated. "I know this, Kashira. We've done nothing but argue this same point for the last month in an endless loop. Enma-sama has given his support, I have endorsed it and all the reasons are logical and straightforward. Three days from today is the very last day of the deadline sensei set me, so I need an answer. Either help me get Tsunade to Konoha or help me get to her so I can beat her down and drag her back the hard way."

That had the two toads blinking up at him in shock.

"Ya would really fight her?" Shima asked in surprise.

"I can read sensei's thoughts in this matter." The man informed her. "This is the very last chance that Tsunade will have to come home of her own free will. If I don't bring her with me, sensei will almost certainly be forced to declare her a Missing Nin and have her dragged back by the ANBU. I'd rather do it myself if it has to come to that. Please…I do not want to have to do that if at all possible."

He bowed his head low in entreaty to the two toads who had taught him Senjutsu.

"We really are too soft on you, Jiraiya-chan." Fukasaku sighed a moment later. "Fine. We'll do this for you. Katsuya-chan won't be happy though."

"Eh, depends." Shima shrugged. "I think she hasn't liked being all but ignored by her summoners for two decades."

"Tsunade hasn't summoned Katsuya-sama since she left Konoha?!" Jiraiya blinked in shock.

"Tsunade-chan's summoned her a couple of times, but not often and not for very long." Shima corrected him. "Mostly for training Shizune-chan."

"Why would she need training? By now, Shizune-chan should be at least Tokujō-level, right?" Jiraiya asked in confusion.

"Eh, Tsunade mostly teaches her Iryō Ninjutsu from what I hear." The old toad answered. "Good for practicing your control, not so good when you have a small chakra pool. Even right now, Shizune-chan only has a modest reserve of chakra, so she can't summon Katsuya-chan herself."

Jiraiya sighed. "Typical Tsunade, so damn focussed on passing down her medical knowledge that she forgets to go through the exercises to expand Shizune-chan's chakra pool. Tunnel vision at its best."

That was the main problem with Med-nin; they were incredibly useful, and their excellent chakra control allowed them to use what chakra they had with high efficiency, but what a lot of them did was forget to expand their chakra pools in order to really make the best use out of their advantages. Tsunade, being a Senju, had always had a largish chakra pool, even as a fresh genin. By the time the Sannin had fought Sanshōuo no Hanzō and received their name from him, she had been at least on par with him and Orochimaru in terms of chakra reserves, so it could be that she simply forgot that Shizune would have a problem with the amount of chakra at her disposal.

'Something to ask her when we meet again.' The Toad Hermit mused.

"Well then, I'd better get off to Shikkotsurin to get the ball rolling." Shima nodded. "I'll go by myself and call you two once I've convinced Katsuya-chan."

"Ok, Kaa-chan." Fukasaku nodded before turning back to Jiraiya. "So, this potential Chosen One…and our possible future summoner…tell me about her."

Back with Naruko and Company

"Sasuke, that was embarrassing as hell." Kiba said flatly.

"Shut up." The Uchiha Heir grumbled.

Team 7 and Team 8 had just gotten their hands on the next necklaces, this time from the trial of Spirit. Ino and Sasuke had gone up to bat, with Ino succeeding. She had been put in a genjutsu that removed a great deal of her depth perception and had had been forced to walk through the attacks of a dozen auto-attacking mechanical Mokujin.

Sasuke, thanks to his Sharingan making most genjutsu ineffective (not as well as an active Byakugan though), needed cruder methods for his test. He was blindfolded and had to navigate an obstacle course that changed positions every twenty seconds. One rather embarrassing outcome for the last Uchiha was that his shorts and underwear got torn off, exposing his junk to everyone watching.

Hinata was practically glowing like a lightbulb in embarrassment, which made an interesting contrast with the green as she suppressed her urge to vomit. Her mild androphobia made looking at male sexual organs extremely nauseous.

"Easy there." Naruko was busy rubbing her girlfriend's back to try and sooth her. "Don't worry; the Teme has put his junk away. Good thing he packed extra itty-bitty boy shorts."

"They're just shorts!" Sasuke protested hotly.

"Whatever makes you feel manly, Teme."

That earned the Uzumaki Heiress a glare.

"Wonder what the Trial of the Body will be like?" Ino mused. Her necklace resembled a violet petal just as Hinata's did and had the kanji for 'grace' on it. Sasuke's was a cherry blossom too, with the kanji for 'focus' on it.

"Dunno." Naruko, finally convinced that Hinata wasn't going to throw up, stepped back and said. "I'm surprised we haven't been ambushed by other teams though."

"Either they've been retired by failing the tests or they've been taken out by other teams and the dangers of the Forest." Sakura said with a frown. "Alternatively, they're in the tower at the centre already."

"It's only the second day. No way are ALL of them eliminated or safe." Kiba scoffed.

"It's possible they're waiting to ambush us after we acquire all three charms." Ino offered thoughtfully. "I mean it doesn't make much chance to go after an incomplete set. The symbols don't tell you exactly what test they're from so you have no clue which ones you could be missing, so the only way to be sure you got all three is to either earn the yourself or go after a team that's collected all three already."

"So we're more likely to be attacked once we've completed all three trials." Sasuke nodded his head, agreeing with the Yamanaka's logic.

"We'll need to be careful then." Sakura added. "If that's the case there's likely other teams staking out the areas surrounding each of the challenges, waiting for a team to leave with all three charms."

"In that case we shouldn't take any chances." Naruko finished briskly. "We should get moving double-time to get to the clearing with the last challenge and then we can find a secure place to set up camp for the night. We'll catch some shuteye in shifts and then get to the tower in the morning. Agreed?"

"Sounds good." Sakura nodded. "Let's get moving. The sooner we get the third trial over and done with, the sooner we can get some food into us that isn't ration bars."

That put a bit of energy back into both teams' stride. Ration bars had everything necessary to keep the human body going, could last for years at a time without spoiling, and were even easy to carry without storage scrolls. What they lacked was anything approaching a palatable taste or a chewable texture. No one ate them unless they were starving, not even an Akimichi.

Not even an Akimichi Battle Chef could make those things taste good.

As the six genin leapt into the trees, they kept an eye out for any possible ambushes by rival genin or mutated wildlife. Earlier that day, they had been attacked by a giant white tiger that looked as if it had run afoul of a meat grinder. Mad with pain, Naruko had put the poor thing out of its misery with her clones before sealing the body away.

Strangely enough though, the forest was almost…too quiet.

"This isn't right…" Naruko muttered. Usually, the Forest of Death almost seethed with wild and vicious life and the sounds that it produced reflected that. For them to be in the midst of such a dead calm of sound…it wasn't natural.

"Raiton: Raiso Gekishin! (Lightning Style: Lightning Rat Violent Quake!)" A voice roared from above them and Naruko was hit with half-a-dozen lightning disks, making her drop with a yell of pain.

"Katon: Onidōrō! (Fire Style: Demon Lantern!)" Was roared from directly in front of the genin and they found themselves pelted by Oni-faced fireballs that exploded on impact with anything, forcing them to dodge wildly, separating from one another.

"Shit! Who the hell?!" Kiba snarled. He silently and seallessly invoked the Shikyaku no Jutsu, becoming more feral.

"Byakugan!" Hinata snarled. This made the second time her girlfriend had been singled out as an attack target in as many days. She may not be able to do anything about Orochimaru, but whoever had hit Naruko with those lightning discs was in for a world of pain!

She growled as her sight found the two assailants, both of them kunoichi. The hitai-ate they wore bore the symbol of Takigakure. The third member of their team was to the left, drawing on a great deal of his chakra.

"Ninjutsu attack on the left!" she warned her friends.

"Suiton: Renkō Danretsu! (Water Style: Lotus Light Rupture!)" The ninja shouted. A shining blue light appeared before him as lotus petals appeared, made of water, and floated before him before flying out in a veritable small blizzard that shredded through the leaves and tree trunks in their way with ease.

"Ino-chan, combo jutsu to the left, now!" Hinata called. That was a terrifying water type jutsu that she remembered reading about in the profile of the previous leader of Takigakure, Hisen. It had been his most powerful technique other than the Kuchiyose no Jutsu.

"I'm with you." Ino nodded and made the Tiger Handsign. "Katon: Endan!"

"Fūton: Reppūshō!" Hinata slammed her hands together, unleashing a fierce gale of wind that roared towards the fireball, striking it and enlarging the fireball of the Endan, creating…

"Konbi Ninjutsu: Gōen Ranbu!" the two Konoha kunoichi shouted.

When the hundred or so petals of the Renkō Danretsu met the Gōen Ranbu, the latter jutsu exploded in a pillar of fire, neutralising both jutsu. Before the collision happened, however, Hinata had started to leapfrog up to the kunoichi who had attacked her girlfriend.

The kunoichi was at least twenty, with a nasty scar across her right eye and mauve hair. She was dressed in rough green clothes that looked like the kind that a taijutsu specialist would use, while a pair of sword hilts poked over one shoulder.

"Fuck, a Hyūga!" the kunoichi cursed and turned to flee.

"Oh no you don't! Hakke Kūshō!" the Hyūga Heiress spat in anger, sending a blast of Jūho chakra at the fleeing woman, striking one leg and making her fall.

"Shitburgers!" the woman yelped and grabbed a branch to arrest her fall. Hauling herself up, she looked down at her leg and tried to move it to no avail. "Bloody damned Hyūga."

"Surrender. Or not." Hinata said coldly. "Either way is fine by me."

While Hinata was busy, Naruko, slightly frazzled by the attack she had just tanked, leapt back up to the same height as her friends.

"I hate Raiton jutsu." She grumbled, her hair charred and sticking out at odd angles from the voltage even as her muscles screamed in agony.

Ino was locked in combat with the kunoichi to their front, while Kiba and Akamaru engaged the boy to their left. The girl was of a similar build to Ino and fought in much the same manner, agile movements and powerful kicks with the occasional punch thrown. While the Takigakure kunoichi had experience and reach, Ino's Hanabira no Mai taijutsu style was clearly superior to whatever style her opponent was using.

The boy, dressed in blue, was using what he referred to as Takigakure Ryū: Mizukiri no Yaiba (Hidden Waterfall Style: Watercutting Sword) in order to hold off Kiba and Akamaru, but he was far too slow, allowing the Inuzuka Heir to run rings around him.

"Let's end this turd!" he shouted to Akamaru, throwing a food pill for the dog to eat. "Jūjin Bunshin!"

With an explosion of smoke, Akamaru became a copy of Kiba, snarling at the boy who was their target.

"The dog can use ninjutsu?!" the Takigakure shinobi yelped in disbelief. "That is such bullshit!"

"No, that's how the Inuzuka Clan fights." Kiba bared his teeth in a feral smile. "Now it's time for you to fall! Gatsūga!"

Together, ninken and ninja spun into a combined Tsūga that shot at the boy like a flung kunai, except much faster. Even so, he still managed to swing his water sword at the Gatsūga and connect. The clash only lasted a few seconds before the Inuzuka taijutsu technique shredded through the condensed water sword and slammed into the chest of the Takigakure shinobi, shredding his shirt and sending him flying into a tree. He fell down and landed on his front atop a branch beneath him, utterly unconscious.

Ino, in her fight, was becoming tired of her opponent, who couldn't take the hint that she should surrender. Both of them were covered in bruises and her opponent even had blood tricking down one side of her face from a cut on her forehead.

Unleashing a quick three-kick combination, the Yamanaka Heiress leapt into the air, spinning around to bring a single leg down in a vicious axe-kick.

'Hanabira no Mai: Hanakaze Kyaku! (Dance of the Flower Petals: Flower Wind Kick!)' The platinum blond thought viciously as her heel, reinforced with chakra, slammed into the collarbone of her enemy, breaking it with a sickening crack.

"Gaaaaah!" the kunoichi screamed in pain.

"And…stay down!" Ino huffed as she hit the woman on the back of her head with the dull end of a kunai. Tenacity was one thing, but Ino could've sworn that his bitch was dragging the fight out simply for the adrenaline rush of the combat high.

"That was quick." Sakura remarked as she looked Naruko over to see if she had any injuries.

"Don't underestimate Ino-chan and Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan." The redhead smirked as a yelp of pain from above was followed by her girlfriend landing with the third member of the Takigakure team slung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the older kunoichi's limbs flopping aimlessly like rubber.

"What should we do with them?" Ino asked as she dragged her own defeated opponent over, Kiba's one joining the other two a minute later.

"Leave them." Naruko said with a shake of her head. "Take their scrolls if they have them and leave them here. We don't have the pleasure to muck about with them as we are."

It took a moment or two for the Uzumaki Heiress to persuade Hinata that no, her ambusher didn't have to be stripped naked and hung by her feet over a nest of acid-spitting caterpillars. In the end, Naruko used the Puppy-Eyes Jutsu and a long, luxurious kiss that had the bluenette staring happily into space for a good five minutes in order to persuade her.

"Eh-heh-heh-he…" was all she could say afterward.

"Damn. I think that the lights are on, but nobody's home." Kiba smirked. "You ladykiller you."

"You're just jealous that I have such a cute girl." Naruko shot back.

"Damn skippy." The Inuzuka Heir agreed. "But seriously, congrats. She's been after you for years and there were bets being taken about how long it took for you to notice how she felt."

That made Naruko come close to faceplanting. "BETS?! Wha…!?"

"Think the shortest one was five or six years from now." Sakura agreed. "Ah well. It was only fifty Ryo per person anyway…"

"I am so going to kick your asses for that." the redhead stated flatly, one eye twitching slightly. "Including you, Ino-chan."

"Hey! Why'm I being hit with a stray kunai?!" the blond protested.

"Because knowing you as I do, you were probably the one to start the pool." Naruko said flatly.

Ino pouted cutely. Why did her teammate have to know her so well?

Leaving their former foes behind, the six Konoha genin headed towards where Naruko said the last checkpoint was. Thankfully, there were no further ambushes and they reached the clearing where the Trial of the Body was located.

"Yo, Naruko." Kotetsu greeted her. He and Izumo were the ones in charge of this trial. "Been busy?"

"Yeah. You know, fighting tigers, kicking ass and getting the girl." The Uzumaki Heiress smirked as she drew Hinata to her with an arm around her waist. The timid girl eeped in embarrassment, but still cuddled into her girlfriend's embrace.

"Lucky dog." Izumo shook his head. "So then, here for the trial?"

"Hai." Sakura nodded.

"And this is your last one?" Kotetsu asked.

"Yes." Sasuke said shortly.

"Then I am required to inform you that this will be the most difficult trial yet." Izumo stated. "Please select the person who will attempt this trial first from your teams."

Naruko and Kiba stepped forwards, the latter leaving Akamaru sitting next to Sakura.

"Ah, you decided beforehand." Kotetsu nodded.

"Ino-chan and I decided it via janken before the last trial." Naruko shrugged. She had deliberately lost, as she was the sturdiest out of the three members of her team and was thus the best suited for this particular trial. Besides, Ino had enough spirit to match any two genin, as her performance during the trial had proven.

"Like I'm going to let Sasuke and Sakura have all of the fun." Kiba snorted. "I'm also less likely to lose my pants like duckbutt head did."

"What's this about Sasuke losing his pants?" Kotetsu asked as the Uchiha Heir flushed with embarrassment.

"Nothing!" Sasuke said, glaring meaningfully at Kiba.

"Okaaaayy…" Kotetsu raised an eyebrow at that but let it go. "We can only do one trial at a time, so which of you goes first?"

The two genin shared a look.

"Janken?" Naruko offered.

"Sure." Kiba agreed with a shrug.

Kiba emerged victorious in the rock-paper-scissors game after ten attempts, so he went first. He basically had to run several laps around the circumference of the clearing while wearing a vest that was weighed down by multiple rocks the size of dinner plates.

Fun fact: Inuzuka were built for short bursts of speed, not endurance. This test pushed his endurance to its limit, but Kiba did pass, if barely.

"OK then Naruko. Your turn." Izumo said cheerfully as Kiba lay sprawled out on the ground, panting, at the end of his last lap. His necklace had the kanji for 'determination' on it.

"Bring it." The redhead said, a determined expression on her face.

"Consider it brought." Kotetsu smirked. He ran through a familiar handsign sequence and drew blood before slamming his hand down. "Kuchiyose: Jūryokujō! (Summoning: Gravity Field!)"

In an explosion of smoke, a 50 meter track appeared in front of him. Walls as tall as Naruko herself lined the length of it, with Naruko could see traces of some very complex Fūinjutsu lining it. She made a note to ask to study it at some point.

"Your task is to make it to the end of this course without using chakra. Nothing else." Izumo informed the wary Uzumaki Heiress.

"I smell a trick." She snorted, but stepped up to the start.

"Begin." Kotetsu said simply.

Deciding that as there was no time limit, and running out like a fool would be a bad approach, Naruko started walking forwards. For the first few steps, she felt nothing untoward, but then she started feeling some resistance, as if she had suddenly gained weight.

Between the name of the course that Kotetsu had called out when he summoned it, and her experience with Gai-sensei's insane training regimens, it was obvious what this course was; a variable gravity course, one that increased the weight of gravity upon someone the further down the course that they went.

'Well now…time to see how well I can do.' She thought.

Step after step, Naruko advanced. The weight increased gradually at first, but it was about halfway across that the weight gain seemed to really hit her. Everyone watching her could see her stagger under the weight of gravity.

"How is it that you're able to power this thing with just your chakra?" Sakura asked Kotetsu, having figured out what the track did as well. "Altering gravity on such precise scale over an area this size has to be extremely chakra intensive and you aren't even sweating."

"It's got chakra storage seals built into the sealing arrays, which it draws upon once a charka signature steps into the area of effect." Kotetsu explained. "All I'm doing is acting as an anchor to maintain the device with the chakra I used to summon it."

"I didn't know you could summon things other than animals with the Summoning Jutsu." Ino commented.

"Ibiki-san has a torture chamber and an Iron Maiden that he can use to bind and interrogate people in the field with." Izumo said with a small shudder. "There are others, but he is the most well-known example of a device summoner here in Konoha."

Naruko, in the meantime, had struggled on. She made it to three-quarters of the way across before the gravity redoubled in strength. It felt like an Akimichi was using the Baika no Jutsu to turn into a giant and then sit on her.

'So…heavy…' she though as she struggled to remain standing in face of the gravity. 'Am I…going to fail…?'

Every part of her mind rebelled at the thought. No, she was not going to fail. She was an Uzumaki dammit and she did not plan on tarnishing the name of her Clan by failing here!

"Like I'm gonna fail!" she howled at the top of her voice and started marching forward with grim determination.

"Holy…she's almost made it!" Izumo exclaimed in disbelief.

"Isn't she supposed to?" Hinata asked somewhat sharply.

"No, she's being tested on how far she makes it before the gravity becomes too much for her to bear." Kotetsu answered, just as taken aback as his partner. "The moment she passed the halfway line she also passed the absolute minimum limit for succeeding in the trial. Every step after that is just a test of both her willpower and her body. At the moment, she's withstanding gravity seven times that of normal, which is something usually only taijutsu-focussed Tokujō and up can withstand without chakra. Any further is too dangerous though. Izumo, shut down the field."

"You summoned it, you shut it off!"

"Naruko, stop! You've passed" Ino shouted, and cursed as her lover didn't seem to hear her. "Shit, she's got tunnel vision and isn't responding to outside stimuli."

Naruko stepped forward one final step, an arm's length from the wall, before the gravity became too much for her and she blacked out, the safety features of the field kicking in and making the device vanish in a puff of chakra smoke.

The Hyūga Heiress was by her girlfriend's side in a trice, catching her before the redhead could hit the ground in a very impressive display of speed. The two chunin could only shake their heads at the sheer pig-headed stubbornness that Naruko had shown in reaching the area where only full Jonin could stand without chakra.

"Put this on her. She's more than earned it." Kotetsu said to Ino, handing her a blank necklace shaped like the ones she and Hinata wore.

As the blond-haired kunoichi ran over to join her team, the so-called Eternal Chunin could only look on in admiration. They would have been hard pushed to make the halfway mark back when they were rookie genin, let alone push themselves to the point that Naruko had.

"I think this year is going to be an interesting Third Round." Izumo remarked to his friend.

"Heh…yeah. I agree." Kotetsu chuckled.

Over with Team 8, Ino had just tied the necklace on when not one set of kanji, but two, appeared on the flower petal. One was the kanji for 'Guts' while the other was the kanji for 'determination', just like Kiba's.

"Two sets of kanji? Trust Naruko to go above and beyond." The Yamanaka Heiress snorted.

"I can scan her with some Iryō Ninjutsu I know if you like." Izumo volunteered. "I won't be able to actually heal her, but I can tell you if she's been seriously hurt."

"Please." Hinata nodded.

"Shindan no Jutsu." The chunin muttered as he waved a glowing green hand over Naruko. "Well she'll be out for a while, but her injuries are healing rapidly. She ought to be fully healed by tomorrow morning for certain. I wouldn't let her do anything strenuous of she wakes up in the next couple of hours. Healing is only of any use if the recipient doesn't disrupt it."

"We'll keep her from acting out." Ino said with a stern look towards her stubborn team leader.

"We will." Hinata agreed.

Same Time

Interrogation Cell, Konohagakure ANBU T&I Complex

Kin shuffled nervously on her seat. Upon arriving at the building she and Dosu had been required to change into thin and baggy blue shorts and tops that made her miss her trousers and vest. She hoped that she could get them back; she liked those trousers, dammit.

The (now former) Otogakure kunoichi was in the middle of a plain white-tiled room with a single naked lightbulb dangling overhead, giving stark illumination over the table she was sitting at, but leaving the rest of the room only dimly lit.

She gulped as the door creaked open and Morino Ibiki glided in, trenchcoat billowing menacingly behind him. He glanced at her in a cold, analytical fashion that made her tremble. She was very much aware that her life danced on a blade's edge here and she had no desire to make this man give any kind of negative report to his superiors.

After he took a seat at the table, sitting directly opposite her, he reached into his coat and pulled out a thin file, placing it in front of him and opening it.

"Kin Tsuchi, the only kunoichi of Team Dosu." He said gruffly. "Shurikenjutsu and Genjutsu specialist. High marks in both, middling taijutsu, non-existent ninjutsu, Iryōjutsu and other kinds of Bukijutsu. Is that correct?"

"Y-Yessir." Kin answered hesitantly.

"You have been given a chance to defect from Otogakure, conditional on you and your teammate divulging everything you both know about your village's numbers, jutsu, security and anything else of mote." Ibiki stated in an even tone as he folded his hands on the table and stared her in the eyes. "The information you give must be as full, complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. I am a skilled interrogator and will know if you attempt to lie as soon as you try. If it comes to that, you and your teammate will be given over to Mitarashi Anko to be broken and interrogated. Do not lie."

All Kin could do was nod, now highly frightened.

"Wh-what…what do you want to know first?" she asked, mentally begging Dosu not to lie.

Ibiki smirked. "How about the location of Otogakure and what defences you know of it…"

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Next Chapter: The Forest of Death Part 7: The Last Stretch

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