This chapter includes:

The Chunin Exam Stage 2: The Forest of Death

Eat or Be Eaten: Panic in the Forest

Naruto's Counterattack: Never Give In!

The Sharingan Revived: Dragon-Flame Jutsu!

"This whole place just completely creeps me out.." Sakura said, clasping her hands together. Anko chuckled.

"It should, they call this place The Forest of Death, and soon enough, you're gonna find out why." I crossed my arms, looking up at this place. It had...a really bad feeling about it. It made me feel uneasy. Not because it looks scary or anything, but...I felt like something bad was gonna happen in there.

"Hm. 'They call this place The Forest of Death, and soon enough, you're gonna find out why.'" Naruto put his hands on his hips and shook his butt, imitating Anko. "Do your worst, You're not gonna scare me away. I can handle anything!" Anko just smiled.

"So..looks like we got ourselves a tough guy." Anko quickly pulled a kunai out of her sleeve, and threw it towards Naruto, scraping his cheek and hitting the ground with a thunk. I chuckled a little. She's brave, fast, and crazy. She appeared behind Naruto whispering. "Are you tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid, are you?" She asked, putting her hand on his cheek. "Guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest." She started playing with the blood on his cheek, when she turned around, holding another kunai in her hands. A grass ninja was right behind her, holding her tongue out long and holding her kunai. Um, eww?

"I was..just returning your knife."

"Why thank you, grass ninja." I looked at her, and she really freaked me out. But that tongue...it couldn't be...could it..? I felt myself get cold, and I rubbed my arms, looking away a little. I think it was, but..I'm not sure..

"You know, I really only recommend you stand this close behind me...if you wish to reach a premature end." She took the knife. The grass ninja's tongue snaked back into her mouth fast.

"My pardon. With the sight of blood, and your blade slicing through my hair..I'm afraid I just became a little excited. I meant you no harm." She said, and turned around, walking away.

"Likewise." Anko said. The grass ninja passed me, but looked at my face. She stopped, and her eyes grew a little. I looked at her, not sure what to make of her at first.

"Got a problem?" I snapped at her. She smiled.

"Not at all, child." She said, walking back to her team. "Not at all.." I shivered. What a creep. Anko went back to the front, and grabbed forms, saying that we had to sign it so that if we died, it wouldn't be her fault. She explained the rules to the test, and set us off. We had to go around and sign the papers though, so we did that first. I leaned against a large boulder, and curled up, resting my head in my lap for a moment. I hated this. I really don't want to do this.

"Tessa?" I heard the familiar voice. I didn't even look up.

"Hi, Lee." I felt him sit next to me, and gently nudged me.

"Are you alright?" I barely looked up at him.

"I..." I hesitated. He smiled gently.

"It will be alright, Tessa. Whatever it is bothering you..just come find me in there, alright?" He asked. I nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Lee..." I looked up and signed the form quickly, before nodding my head at him again. "Good luck. Hopefully I'll see you in there as a teammate.." I smiled, and walked away.

I stood with my hands in my pocket nervously with the others at gate 12. I hope everything will be okay.. When the time came, a ninja unlocked the padlock, and let us in. We started walking, and Naruto smiled bright.

"Well alright! Here we go, guys!" I smiled at Naruto again a little, but still felt my hands shaking out of nervousness. I jumped then, when we heard screams.

"That sounded like someone screaming.." Sakura said, turned around. "I do not like this place."

"Oh come on, it's nothing to be scared of, it's gonna be a piece of cake!" Naruto paused, his arms behind his head. "Uh, excuse me a second, I really gotta, you know." My eyes widened a little, and looked away.

"Not here, Naruto!" I yelled, blushing a little.

"Yeah right! Get out of here, what is this, a kennel?! Not in front of Tessa and I, you don't, find a bush or something!" Sakura yelled, pointing into the forest. Naruto came back, and put his hand on his head.

"Aw man, that was a lot! I wrote my whole name!" I exclaimed in disgust, looking away.

"You are such a pig! You are really disgusting sometimes, you know that?!" Sakura shouted. Sasuke appeared behind him, and punched him in the cheek really hard, making him fly back into a tree. Sakura looked over at Sasuke, as did I. "Sasuke, it wasn't that bad. Don't you think you're going a little overboard?"

"Yeah, what the heck was that all about?" Naruto asked. Sasuke sent a kick to his face, but Naruto dodged to the side, rolling away. Sasuke attacked again, and Naruto went onto a branch. Sasuke kept following him, until Naruto hit the ground hard.

"Better watch out, Sakura, I think he's gone crazy."

"Yeah, you wish. I just struck before you could!" Sasuke said, holding a kunai at the ready.

"Sasuke, no!"

"It's not Naruto!" He replied.

"Huh?" Sakura looked at me confused.

"Take a good look at him." I looked at him, and glared. "Talk. What have you done with Naruto?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I am Naruto!"

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?!" 'Naruto' gasped in realization. "Also, Naruto is right handed. Your transformation skills are worse than Naruto's. Tell me who you are!"

"Alright, you got me, so what? I'm still gonna take your scroll." There was a poof as the person transformed back into their regular form. "Now hand it over or else." I pulled out a kunai, as did Sakura.

The guy wore a pale suit, and it looked like he had a respirator on. "So which one of you has it?" We all stayed silent. "Hm. Fine then. I guess I'll just have to take all three of you out." He ran right at us. Sasuke jumped up into the air, making handsigns, and blowing out flowers of fire at the enemy. He jumped up, and they clashed kunai, and while they did that, I ran to where Naruto went, looking for him.

"Hey, get me outta this!" I threw my kunai at the rope holding him, and cut it, watching my back. "Thank you!"

"Ha! Better keep your mind on the game!" The enemy yelled, throwing kunai in my direction. I jumped back away from them, sliding a little, and gasping.

"A paper bomb! Naruto, look out!" I jumped towards Naruto, rolling and snatching him up, using my back as cover. I felt the heat on my backs as it exploded, and groaned a little, making him look up.

"Tessa!" He said worried. I shook my head.

"I'm good. Get up!" I said, and forced myself to my feet. I looked over, and saw the man holding a kunai to Sasuke's back.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted. The man looked away, and I smiled, as Naruto jumped and threw Sasuke's kunai at the man. He dodged, and I started running towards Sakura, seeing Sasuke use chakra on his feet, and snatch the kunai under it. I smiled. That was a good move. He swung his leg around, and sent the kunai right for the man, who was in the air. He moved a little, but that's when he lost. Sasuke jumped up in front of him, thrusting a kunai into his shoulder, spurting blood everywhere. "Sasuke, are you alright?!"

"Watch out, Sakura! He might have teammates nearby! Don't let your guard down!" The guy backed away, holding his shoulder.

"I wish..I came alone so not to arouse suspicion! Big mistake!" he groaned, running.

"That proves that we can't just trust each other's appearances. We need a password or something."

"Alright, so what is it?"

"It's a secret one..and we can't trust it to anyone but the four of us. The question will be...When does a ninja strike? And the response is.. A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps, and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike. Got it?" I shrugged. "What?" He looked at me annoyed.

"Seriously? That long?"

"I got it." Sakura said with a smile making me roll my eyes.

"Ehhh, got one a little shorter?" Naruto asked. Sakura groaned in frustration.

"No, Naruto. That's it."

"Ugh, come on! What's wrong? Didn't you get it? I memorized it easy!"

"He's not you, pinkie. We don't have your fat brain." I said, defending him. She looked at me a little offended.

"Yeah, sure, I got it, I got it, No problem! I just thought it was gonna be a password not a passpeech."

"Alright then. I'll take the scroll."

"Wait a minute Sasuke, I-" Naruto stopped, groaning. When I looked, his other cheek had a cut, and he was bleeding. "What was that?" He looked over to his right. I looked to where he was, and a huge gust of wind appeared.

"What is it now?!" Sasuke yelled. We all went separate ways. I landed on the ground on my stomach, and groaned, sitting up a little.

"Dammit.." I forced myself up, and closed my eyes, looking for Sasuke and Sakura's chakras. God knows where Naruto went this time. I felt them to my left, and I started going that way, running. When I got there, Sasuke held up his kunai.

"Don't move! First, answer this question. When does a ninja strike?" I nodded, struggling for a moment and then recited the answer to him correctly. "Alright, good.

"Hey! What's up! You guys okay?!" Naruto asked, running towards us.

"Don't come any closer!" Sakura told him. He stopped dead in his tracks, trying to balance himself again.

"Huh?"

"What's the password?" Sakura asked.

"Ooooh, sure, no problem! Okay, A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps, and drops his guard, when his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night, that is the moment for a ninja to strike." Sakura let out a relieved sigh, but Sasuke stood there with a smile on his face. He threw the kunai in his hand at the Naruto there. He dodged to the left, hitting the ground.

"Huh?"

"What was that, you could've killed me!"

"Gotta hand it to you, you're quicker than the last one!" Sasuke said, getting ready.

"What are you talking about, what was wrong with that? He just got the password right, word for word!"

"Exactly, that's what's wrong." Sasuke replied.

"Huh?"

"You really think Naruto could memorize all that? And get it word for word? Not the Naruto I know, not in a million years. You'd have a better chance teaching it to a hamster." I rolled my eyes.

"ANYWAY, that's not Naruto." I said.

"Besides, you saw the guy move when he dodged my attack. That was definitely not a Naruto move. Alright, come on out, whoever you are. Parties over." The Naruto laughed, and licked his lips. Then the voice that came out was the grass ninja's, from earlier.

"Aren't you a clever one?" Smoke appeared in the forest as she transformed back, and she stood there with a grin on her face. It was that Grass Ninja! The grin on her face was making me really uneasy. "Tell me, if your teammate is really that dimwitted, why would you come up with a password he'd never be able to remember?"

"You see, it wasn't meant for Naruto so much as it was for anybody who might happen to be nearby, trying to ease drop on us. It was meant as a trap, and you stumbled right into it." The woman smiled bigger.

"I'm impressed. You certainly haven't dropped your guard, have you? This promises to be very entertaining." I glared at the woman. I don't know if that's a woman. I think... I felt myself shudder. Please no. But...where's Naruto? The woman then pulled out a scroll. It was the one that we needed! "Ah...you'd love to get your hands on our earth scroll, wouldn't you? It would go so nicely with your heaven scroll.." Her tongue extended, wrapping around her scroll, and she shoved it down her throat with a gulp making Sakura gasp, and me stare in disgust. "Well..when this is all over...one of us will have both scrolls...and the other..will be dead!" She opened her eye wide. I looked in her eye, and suddenly felt as if I had died. I felt pain, and I backed up, a little, and hit the ground on my knees. I panted heavy for breath, and tried to move.

I...I have never been this...terrified in my life..except..when... I looked up at the woman in front of us. She was who I thought it was. We had to leave. Now. While we still could, with our lives. I felt my whole body shaking bad, and then tears fell down my face. I didn't want to die like this...She..she would murder us..I slowly reached for a kunai, as did Sasuke, after calling Sakura. Sasuke might be able to fight, but...I couldn't even get up to actually fight..I gripped the kunai tight, and stayed sitting on my butt. I saw Sasuke starting to move, getting up. As he did, for some reason, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. So much, that it hurt.

"Very good. Now what happens?" She asked. Sasuke didn't move any more, but I could see his will to fight. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick. But I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've seen it with your own eyes." She continued to say, walking closer with three kunai in her hand. She stopped not too far from us, and held up the kunai, ready to throw. "I expected you to be more of a challenge.." I looked over at Sasuke.

"Sasuke...I-I got myself covered...get Sakura.." I said, digging the kunai into my hand, making it bleed. Pain beats the fear. I'm good now.

"W-What? Are you sure?"

"Yes!" I hissed. "Get her away!"

"How disappointing." The woman said again, and threw the kunai easily. I leaned back till my back touched the ground, watching the kunai hit the tree behind me, and let out a sigh. I looked up at the person, and glared at them.

"So it is you." I growled. She smiled.

"It is. Tessa. Good to see you again." I smiled grimly.

"Too bad you're not in the ground." I said, standing myself up. "What the hell are you doing here?!" She smiled at me.

"Well, now that I found you.." I growled again.

"Leave." She chuckled.

"I don't think so." She smiled, and changed into a large snake, crawling up the branch Sasuke was at.

"No!" I yelled, starting to follow. With a flick of her snake tail, I hit a tree branch and groaned, seeing her go up and following him.

"No! Stay away!" He yelled, and threw shurikan at the snake. It hit a branch with a thud, but after a moment, its skin broke, and she started to come out of it.

"I sense your fear, and desperation..its only natural..the prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment..in the presence of it's predator!" She started to laugh, and her body stretched, wrapping around a tree branch, headed straight for Sasuke. I jumped, and despite how terrified I was, I hurried as fast as I could, and landed in front of Sasuke, holding a kunai towards her. Just cause I was scared, didn't mean I would let her do anything to my comrades. I heard Sasuke scream behind me, but she only stopped when shurikan and a kunai hit the branch in between us.

"Looks like I came just in time!" Naruto's voice shouted. I stared in surprise, not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing he was here.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled joyfully. She must think he can save us. Nobody can save us, now.

"Oh, and by the way...what was that password again?"

"Forget it, I know it's you! You made it!" Sakura shouted.

"Naruto, get out of here! What are you thinking?! You don't know what you're up against! Hurry...go now...while you still can!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto from behind me.

"He's right Naruto, hurry up, take Sakura and go!" I added, warning.

"So Naruto, you managed to escape from my friend. Well done." The ninja smiled a little bit.

"Okay, okay, I dunno what's going on here, but you've been picking on my friends, and I don't like that! So you better just slither on back into your hole, snake lady, before I make a pair of shoes out of ya!" No one would want to wear even her as shoes. I looked back at Sasuke behind me.

"What's the plan, Sas?" I mumbled. "What are we gonna do?" He didn't answer me, but put a hand on my shoulder.

"You can have it!" I turned my head to look at him, and he held up the heaven scroll. "The scroll, right? That's what you want? Alright then. Take it and leave us in peace." I turned my head at him, and held out my hand. I'd give it to him, even though I'd hate it.

"Sasuke, are you crazy, or what?! We're just gonna hand the scroll over to the enemy? No way, what's wrong with you?!" Naruto yelled, pissed. Its understandable, but there's nothing we can do about it.

"Shut up and stay out of it!" Sasuke yelled at him.

"Just trust us, Naruto!" I yelled at him.

"Very wise, very sensible..sometimes the helpless prey, even if they are to save their own skins, realize that their only hope is to distract the predator with something even more..precious." I growled, and tossed the scroll at her.

"Take it, bitch." I said angrily. There was a flash, and I followed it back onto the branch we were on, and saw Naruto leaning down with the scroll in his hand.

"Stop playing the damn hero!" Sasuke yelled.

"Naruto, just stay out of this, and leave it to us!" I groaned, when Naruto sent a punch at Sasuke and I, making me fly into him. He grabbed me, and took me to another branch with him, gently setting me down. I spit out blood over the edge and looked up at Naruto in anger. "Naruto, you're gonna pay for that!" I growled loudly at him.

"Stupid fool! You don't know what you're doing!" Sasuke yelled at him.

"I may not know the password..but I know who I am...you two are the one's I'm not so sure about..how do we know you are who you say you are?"

"What do you mean?! It's them, don't be so stupid!" Sakura replied to Naruto.

"What sort of nonsense is this? It's us, you loser!" Sasuke growled.

"Liar..liar! You may look just like them..you may sound just like them..but there's no way you're the teammates I know! I don't care how tough a fight you've both been through..surrendering..giving up the scroll..when did my teammates become such cowards?! You keep saying I don't understand what's going on, but I do! You've choked, that's what it is!" The grass ninja smiled. I looked away. I was being a coward. Not as much as Sasuke, but still! I have a reason to be terrified of this person!

"Sad..but true." She then laughed, swinging her long ugly tongue around again. "It doesn't matter." She raised her sleeve, showing some kind of tattoo or something. "As far as the scroll goes, I can just simply kill you and take it." She bit her thumb, making it bleed and put blood down her arm on the tattoo. Naruto growled, and grabbed his kunai.

"Let's see you try it!" He ran at the ninja.

"No, don't!" Sasuke yelled and warned.

"Dammit Naruto!" I started after him.

"Summoning Jutsu!" The ninja said, making handsigns. Wind blew everywhere, and a large snake appeared, throwing it's head down at Naruto. The ninja just chuckled. "What a tasty little meal you'll make for him. Careful, he likes to play with his food." The snakes tail came around, and hit the branch he was on. I moved over to where he was, and jumped behind him, trying to hug him to catch him, but the force of the hit made him hit me harder than I realized, and my back slammed into a branch, making me gasp and spit out blood past Naruto's shoulder. The grass ninja laughed. "Enough playing. Finish them off." Naruto fell with me on top of him, and I felt my eyes open in anger. He was coming again.

Time to play.. I heard him say.

No! He chuckled.

Yes..he won't have us again!

Then..give me half control! Please! I begged him. He growled.

Are you bargaining with me, brat?

Please. There was a long pause and he snarled.

Fine.. I felt claws come out of my fingers, and my teeth grew to points. The power in me surged, and gave me a boost. I was about to grab Naruto and spin, to hit the snake as we fell, but before I could grab Naruto, he flipped.

"Yeah?! Eat this!" He yelled, and slammed his foot into the snake's nose, or where it would be. I gasped a little and landed on a branch, turning to look at Naruto. His eyes were blood red, and he looked angry. He then jumped back to the snake, and yelled, repeatedly punching it. I watched Naruto, carefully, thinking that I may not need Itama. I heard him laugh.

You will ALWAYS need me..

Yeah, yeah.. I said, not paying attention. Naruto kept trying to attack, until the ninja blew a fireball at him, knocking him to a branch.

"That fire in his eyes...there's no mistaking it!" The ninja said. I gasped a little, and jumped down.

Shit! He knows! I went towards the top of the snake, and slammed my foot into the top of its head, knocking it down, and out for a few seconds. The ninja looked into my eyes, and smiled as well.

"I recognize those eyes too.." He smiled. I growled.

Dammit!

I told you to let me fight..

I know, but now's not the time to lose control! The ninja smiled bigger.

"I'll deal with you later." He swung the snakes tail at me, slamming me into a tree trunk, and making me hit my jaw and stomach on a branch. I groaned, and looked up a tiny bit. "Now, let's see how you do, Sasuke.." He smiled. I struggled to get up.

"N-No.." Sasuke just stood there in fear, and yelled, but the snake suddenly stopped, Naruto in front of him with a kunai in his face. Naruto panted for breath.

"Hey kid..you're not hurt, are ya.." He looked up at Sasuke. "you scaredy cat?" Sasuke seemed to be surprised. "Standing there like a frightened rabbit. No way. You're not the Sasuke I know!" I shakily sat up, and watch the ninja's tongue go down, and wrap around Naruto, picking him up. "Hey! Oh man, disgusting! Put me down before I yank this tongue out of your head!" He struggled. I jumped over, and started running to help him.

"Put him down! Don't hurt him!" I warned. She made some kind of handsign, and smiled.

"I see..when your anger is roused, some of the ninetailed fox's chakra is released. What an interesting childhood you must of had." He used his tongue to lift up his shirt and jacket.

"I mean it!" I screamed, and landed next to him. He smirked, and slammed his fingers into Naruto's stomach. I gasped, and saw some kind of seal on his stomach, as he screamed.

"Quick! Sasuke, do something!" Sakura screamed from below. Naruto's eyes turned back to blue, and he passed out quickly.

"Stop!" I yelled, trying to get his attention. She barely looked at me after taking the scroll from Naruto, and threw him aside. I gasped a little, watching him with wide eyes. "Sakura, catch him!" I yelled at her, as I went to sweep her off her feet. She jumped, and then kicked me up into the air, making me groan. She appeared next to me, and grabbed my throat, holding me tight and squeezing. I gasped for breath, digging my nails into her hands, and tried kicking her a little, as she squeezed harder.

"Hang on!" I heard Sakura. I looked over a little bit, and saw Naruto pinned to a tree with a kunai. "Sasuke, what's wrong with you?!"

"You are a thorn in my side, girl." The Grass Ninja said with a small frown, ignoring the other two. "I tried helping you...and you betrayed me. Now you are paying for it. I gave you a home, I gave you a family...and you gave it all away." I gasped for breath as I spoke.

"Y-You killed people...f-for fun..a-and..you forced me..t-to help you..t..t-that's not..w-what I call..a life..." My vision started having black spots in it.

"I pulled you into a life you'll regret leaving.." She grinned, and lowered me to the ground, making a handsign. Without warning, her head extended, and her teeth sank into the left side of my neck, making me gasp. She pulled away, and I screamed, hitting the ground. I put my hand against the side of my neck, and screamed louder, falling to the ground. I panted for breath, and my eyes barely opened, seeing myself slide a little, and fall off the branch, towards the ground.

"Tessa!" Sakura screamed. I suddenly stopped falling, and I knew she sent another kunai my way.

"S..Sakura.."

"Okay, say what you like about Naruto, that he's a pest, that he gets in the way, that he's just a kid. But at least he's..he's doing something..at least he's..he's no coward!" I heard her scream at Sasuke. I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

I heard loud screaming, that pulled me out of my sleep.

That..that sounded like...Sasuke..I barely opened my eyes, and groaned. Come on...get your ass up...do it! I looked up, and saw I was hanging by a kunai. I gripped it, pulling it out, and fell a little more, hitting a branch hard. I groaned, rolling a little, and forced myself up. My neck burned like crazy, but I did my best to ignore it. I heard Sasuke's screaming, so I forced myself to another branch, and when I looked up, he was passed out on Sakura.

"S...S-Sakura...?" I asked. She was sniffling and crying, holding him close.

"Naruto! Sasuke's hurt! I need you! Naruto!" She screamed. She looked over towards I was, and gasped a little. "Tessa! Please, help! Sasuke's hurt!" I groaned again, and forced myself to the branch she was on. When I touched it, I fell again, sliding on it and almost falling, but I caught myself pulling myself up. She sniffled more, hugging Sasuke close. "I don't...I don't know what I'm supposed to do.." I looked up at her a little bit.

"W-We're not in good shape, Sakura...l-let's get somewhere safe..I-I'll try grabbing Naruto..f-find somewhere we can be safe.."

Sasuke groaned in his sleep, and furrowed his eyebrows next to me. I sat on my knees, breathing hard, and looking at Sakura. I couldn't leave her. I WON'T pass out and leave her.

"At least he's breathing easier...but he still has a high fever.." I nodded a little.

"They'll be okay..I promise..do you have some towels we can use to calm his fever a little..? Same with Naruto, maybe.." She nodded, and started falling asleep. "Sakura...get some sleep...alright..?" She shook her head.

"You sleep..you need it more than I do.." I stared at her uneasy.

"Are..are you sure..?" I asked her gently. She nodded.

"I'm sure.." I sighed a little.

"Alright..thank you.." I said seriously. I leaned against the tree trunk, and closed my eyes. I'll set an alarm clock in my head, that will go off if there's anybody too close. Hopefully we'll be alright..