Chapter Thirty-Eight
Naruto toweled off as he stepped out of the shower. In a short span of time, he'd brushed his teeth, gotten dressed, and did his hair as he'd done every morning since he was old enough to do his morning routine without Mom or Dad's help. It's just another morning, no different than any other. He lied to himself; he was nervous as hell.
Naruto looked at his reflection in the mirror as he pulled his new jacket over his shoulder. Something about it made him look distinctly older – appropriate for someone about to face death again. "You've got this!" he pointed to his reflection with a wink, "Ya know!"
He exited the restroom. The sound of cooking hinted Mom was up earlier than usual – his watch said 0524 – to make breakfast. Dad, too, was in the kitchen, helping mom make eggs as she finished assembling a bowl of congee. "Eat up, son," she said, offering him the bowl, "Last real meal for some time."
Despite knowing he needed to eat, his gut almost refused to accept food as he forced it down his throat to add the lead brick sitting in his stomach. The congee thankfully was smoot enough to go down regardless, as did the eggs. Naruto took real effort to finish his last bit of breakfast: two slices of toast with honey and peanut butter. Protein, fat, carbohydrates – everything a growing boy needs to keep going. He checked his watch again, 0545, it was time go.
"Mom, Dad," he stumbled on his words as he got up to put his dishes in the sink.
The folks held each other as they stared at him. "Just leave it, son," Dad said, "I'll clean up before I head out."
"See you at the training ground," Naruto said.
"Good luck, son," Mom and Dad both came forward for one last hug.
"Don't worry," he said as they released him. Naruto was soon out the door with the morning dawn. The Hyūga Compound was already alive with activity when he arrived. The gate guard promptly verified his identity and admitted him. The four teams he'd become unofficial leader of had stored their gear here the night before, a safeguard against tampering by foreign teams and against leaving anything behind. "Good morning, group!" Naruto shouted at parade ground voice.
Much to his surprise, everyone snapped upright and responded, "Good morning, sir!"
Damn, I could get used to this! Naruto grinned, reminding himself not to let his head get too large, otherwise his headband wouldn't fit. "All right everyone, it's 0600, we're out of here in fifteen, so make your final preparations if you haven't," he called out. The teams separated into the buzz of desperate last-minute preparation and Aunt Akemi telling everyone where the nearest restrooms were if they had to go before the exam.
Sakura and Hinata huddled with him, checking their bags for anything out of place – nothing was. Naruto's butterflies circled in his stomach as he looked at both girls. While he couldn't go into details, he had now made it deathly clear they'd both be in real danger above the already placed traps and natural hazards on the course, and to prepare for repeated attacks and evasion. Sakura's normally flashy red top was swapped for an olive-drab one of similar design, she wore a darker shade of khaki pants, and her normally flowing bright pink hair was high and tight in a bun. Hinata wore her usual black bodysuit with an olive-drab vest similar in material appearance to Naruto's Jacket – probably the special type of nylon as well.
After a moment of wordless preparation, Naruto couldn't hold it. "You did bring it, right?"
"Of course," Hinata blushed. "The other teams have theirs as well."
Naruto nodded. Shikamaru managed to get his hands on a detailed copy of the training ground map. While not showing the locations of the scrolls they'd need to recover, it did show locations of known hazards and landmarks. The rules of the test stipulated no paper maps or electronic maps, but it said nothing about cloth maps. "Where is it hidden?" he asked, "in case we need to find it?" Naruto added the last bit not to sound perverted.
Hinata tapped her chest gently, "The one place they aren't allowed to look for it."
"Wait, where did Sasuke hide his then?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"The one place you wouldn't put your perverted hands, mister," Sakura laughed. "Now quit thinking like a female body inspector and let's get going!"
"Before you go," Hiashi called out, "I think a group photo is in order." Uncle Hiashi brandished the camera, gesturing for every to gather together closely. "All right, everyone say, 'Shinobi!'"
"SHINOBI!" the group shouted in unison as the camera flashed.
"All right let's go!" Naruto called out as he pulled on his pack.
"Everyone remember, avoid the central clearing until after we've rendezvoused," Shikamaru remined to almost no one's attention. "What a pain," he sighed.
"Naruto," Neji limped slightly with his walking pole, "Thanks again for everything."
"You sure you're up for this?"
Neji's face grimaced, but soon turned to a grin, "I'll be the first to complete the course with only one good leg; I'm going for the history books one way or another!"
"Believe it! See you at the rendezvous in a few hours." I sincerely hope we aren't putting you back in the game too soon, my friend. Nartuo sighed, there was no talking Neji out of it now.
The walk from the compound to the training ground was silent as they marched down the streets of a still sleeping section of Konoha. Hinata's Byakugan was up, but she remained silent. By the time they arrived at Training Ground Forty-Four, Naruto's bladder had shrunk to the size of a walnut despite having gone twice in the past two hours. This is it! He waited for his turn at the security registration desk.
"Naruto!" an excited voice called from behind him. "Hinata!" Iruka Sensei came into view, wrapping Naruto in a bear hug.
"Iruka!" Naruto hugged back before trading spots with Hinata, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm helping register teams, couldn't pass up a chance to wish you luck, kiddo!" Iruka said excitedly.
"We'll be joining you shortly, then," Naruto replied with a smile – he hadn't seen Iruka since graduation a year ago. Naruto and Shikamaru got signed in and joined Iruka at the other side of the registration desk. Soon, other shinobi teams began approaching the assembly area.
"Everyone, please have your travel documents and registration cards ready for verification!" Iruka shouted as the crowd, forty teams and their sensei instructors approached. Most of the registration went smoothly until a particular group approached. Naruto and Shikamaru turned pale white as the three siblings from the Village Hidden in the Sands stepped up to the table.
"Registration papers, please," Iruka commanded, either oblivious or unimpressed by who was standing before them.
"As you wish," the young, red haired boy with fierce features handed the information packet along with the ID cards for the trio.
"Gaara," Naruto said in recognition. The boys had met once years ago, during a diplomatic summit Dad attended. Gaara had been a troubled child then, not a bad one, but troubled. Being a Jinchuriki will do that to you. Naruto shivered at the thought of how most Jinchuriki were treated in their villages; Mom and Dad had insisted he and Hinata keep it a secret as much as possible, despite the fact that more than a few people had learned by now.
"Hello, Naruto," the boy's fierce features morphed into a slight smile, eliciting a nervous shaking of his older brother Kankuro's right hand. "The years have been kind to you," Gaara said. Coming from Gaara, that was high praise.
Sadly, they hadn't been kind to Gaara. While handsome, Gaara's eyes were largely empty – the product of a hateful father, a dead mother, and numerous assassination attempts. Naruto thought back to the nightmare he'd once had of his parents dying when he was born and him being raised ostracized by the village. One critical change in your life, and that could be you standing there.
"Hello, Shikamaru Nara," Gaara's sister Temari spoke with a voice that could etch glass.
"You are?" Shikamaru feigned ignorance, but he nervously tapped his foot under the table.
"Cut the crap, Shikamaru," Temari said with a wicked glare.
"Everything seems to be in order," Iruka said nervously. "If you'll proceed to the security screening area." With that the trio left. "Be seeing you, Shikamaru," the girl glared as if trying to burn Shikamaru to the ground.
Iruka cocked up an eyebrow, "Who's you girlfriend, Shikamaru?" he teased.
"She's no girlfriend, that troublesome one," Shikamaru shook his head with a mild discomfort.
"Are you sure?" Naruto teased, "I wouldn't stand up if I were you."
"That's not funny!" Shikamaru slammed a hand on the table, "She's bad news and you know it!"
Naruto felt the gears in his head jam, "Wait, how does Temari know you?" He shot Shikamaru a look demanding explanation.
"Temari? The Shrew of the Village Hidden in the Sands?" Iruka asked, "That's who your lady friend is?"
"Dude, stop calling her that!" Shikamaru looked at both Iruka and Naruto fiercely.
"Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much," Iruka said dramatically, "So, how do you know her?"
"His dad put me on a surveillance detail watching her and her siblings," Shikamaru explained. "I've spent the past few weeks trying to follow them here and there and watching their moves."
"Let me guess, you two walked in on each other in the buff at the hot springs district!" Naruto laughed, as did Iruka. Shikamaru remained deadpan, his cheeks turning pink. Slowly, Naruto and Iruka's laughter slowed to a nervous crawl. "Wait a minute," Naruto paused, not sure if continuing was wise, "You actually did sneak a peek on her in the springs?!"
"I was NOT SNEAKING A PEEK!" Shikamaru yelled loud enough to draw the attention of the remaining teams. "Look," he whispered harshly, "I had no idea it was a mixed-gender hot springs. I was taking a much-needed breather after the past month of doing cloak and dagger! We accidently walked in on each other!"
"Wait a…" Naruto's mind began grinding gears as something didn't fit, "she let you live after that?"
"Embarrassing way to blow your cover, I'm sure, but murdering him would be a bit harsh," Iruka chuckled.
Naruto exchanged a troubled look with Shikamaru. He must have noticed, too, as he nodded slightly. "Iruka Sensei, would you excuse use for a minute?"
"Sure," he waved the next group of registrants up.
Naruto and Shikamaru hustled out of listening range of the table. "What's your point, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked. "And don't make any more jokes at my expense, it was awkward!"
"Yeah, I bet you were standing at tiptoe like you are now just thinking about it!" Naruto quipped, "Now focus on me and not her! Remember, she let you live?"
"Big whoop! What was she going to do, murder me over a simple accident?" Shikamaru stretched his neck, clearly missing the point.
"Shikamaru, I'm assuming you've been playing cat and mouse with her, she knows your name; she knows you're an intelligence operative, right?" Naruto tried again.
He could see the process starting to wash over Shikamaru as his face cascaded through frustration, to confusion, and finally realization. "She could have eliminated me and made up whatever story she needed in such a compromising situation."
"But she didn't," Naruto snapped his fingers.
"So, what does it mean?" Shikamaru furrowed his brow. "They know we're friends, they know I've been watching them, why not kill me or get me thrown in jail?"
"I don't know, man," Naruto sighed in frustration, "but something isn't what it seems. What if we're wrong?"
"About what?" Shikamaru asked.
"I don't know, everything!" Naruto threw his hands up in frustration, "Could the assassination attempt be a red herring, a distraction from something larger?"
"Maybe, or you're just a target of opportunity, or maybe nothing," Shikamaru shook his head, "All we know is there is a link between the assassins and the Village Hidden in the Sands."
Naruto rubbed his chin, pondering. "Your report said something about someone impersonating Lord Rasa, right?"
"It was highly suspected, why?" Shikamaru said.
"I don't know," Naruto shook his head, "but I think we're on the wrong track, here."
"You think the genin team aren't part of it?" Shikamaru's voice squeaked.
"Or at least they don't know about whatever this conspiracy is," Naruto replied. "Either way, I think your plan is the best one: trust no one and avoid contact with other teams – escape and evasion tactics."
Shikamaru checked his watch, "Right, I hate to say this, but let's wrap up with Iruka and get to our staging areas." He looked back to Naruto, "Any way we cut it we're in for a long next few days. I'll see you at the rendezvous point at 1800."
"Shikamaru," Naruto said grimly, "be on your guard."
The other boy nodded solemnly, "You, too. Remember, our goal is to get everyone out alive, not winning anymore."
Naruto sat with Hinata and Sakura in front of the gate to Training ground Forty-Four. The next nearest team was at least a kilometer either side of them. As he stared at the massive woods, he felt the damn thing staring back at him. Ten click radius, over sixty kilometers around, and over forty square kilometers of forest to get lost in. He had every intention of getting lost in the woods. The thought of losing anyone, especially Hinata or Sakura, was beyond hateful, even worse than being eliminated in this part of the test. He wouldn't let it happen. Once they were inside, they would use the woods to their advantage. If not advancing to the finals was the cost of getting his friends out alive, so be it.
"Naruto, you'd better finish getting ready," Sakura cautioned, "We've only ten minutes."
He nodded, pulling out a dark olive-green bandanna from his pocket, tying it around and over his golden hair. Hinata pulled on a floppy brimmed hat with a woodland pattern. All three of them pulled out small cases of grease paint. They started with a simple base layer of light green, making sure to cover every inch, including ears, eyelids, and any part of the neck that was exposed. Then came the tricky part. Nature hated two things: clean angles, and symmetry. Darker green and areas of black coated the forehead, the chin, the tip of the nose, and cheeks, making them appeared recessed. More recessed areas were left lighter green or blotched with a redwood brown to make them slightly more prominent. All three of them also draped loose woodland pattern mesh scarves around their necks and shoulders. By the time they had finished, none of them looked a thing like a team racing to find the scroll they needed – they looked like a long-range recon patrol in hostile territory. Naruto completed his look by rubbing black grease paint over the orange trim on his jacket.
0800 buzzed on his watch. A loud horn sounded, causing all three of them to flinch, and the gate on the security fence swung open. They raced through like stampeding animals, knowing the gate would close only thirty seconds later. After that, there was no way for them to get out of the forest except by collecting the needed scroll or by getting rescued. The gate began closing as they raced inward. The final click of the gate locking them in sounded, and there was no noise except the three of them running.
Naruto spotted good cover from a fallen tree and signal for the others to follow. They scurried under cover of the moss-draped tree carcass, and Naruto stared at Hinata, pointing to her eyes. Her Byakugan glowed unnervingly behind the veil of camouflage paint and the netting obscuring most of her face. She gave a thumbs up after a moment, "Clear," she whispered.
"Okay, let's try and get oriented," he said in a hushed tone. "I'll fix our rough direction if you two want to get the map out."
Sakura and Hinata nodded, and Naruto slipped out from under the tree. He spotted a tall, solid looking tree nearby, and climbed with the speed of a frightened squirrel. Reaching the apex of the tree, he spied the temple complex at the center of the woods. Even without the compass, he could tell it was southeast, and they were roughly at the ten or eleven o'clock position from their final objective. Despite the denseness of the forest, Naruto could make out at least two prominent clearings, one roughly due east, the other south-southeast. Further south, there were stone ruins visible. He descended the tree rapidly, dropping the last few feet before joining the huddle under the tree.
Hinata had the silk map spread over her pack. At the cost of almost two thousand yen apiece, he could understand why she didn't put it on the ground and why she had only had one made per team. "We're here, roughly," Naruto pointed to their approximate location.
"Maybe four or five hours to get to our rendezvous," Sakura said, pointing to a point near the river bisecting the training ground, about a kilometer north of the central clearing.
"Should we move ahead and camp out or should we do some prospecting?" Hinata asked.
"Hmm…" Naruto rocked back on his heels. "Probably best that we prospect, see if we can help the others." He took off his pack and opened it, "But first, let's see what our packet says." Naruto withdrew a brown paper bag from his backpack.
Sakura pulled out a pair of surgical scissors, "You're sure it doesn't contain anything hazardous?" she asked Hinata.
"Not unless the scroll inside is."
Sakura nodded and cut the bag open gingerly. Naruto had told her what he had told Hinata about the potential risk she'd be taking by being near him. Sakura didn't even hesitate, saying she'd owed it to him after what had happened with Sasuke last November. "Looks like just a scroll and a letter."
Naruto pulled out the letter and read aloud, "Dear young shinobi, congratulations on your taking the next step to becoming a chunin. Enclosed with this packet is either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll. In order to pass this next exam, you must present one of each scroll to the proctors at the temple at the center of the training ground. You will have five days to brave the forest and your fellow genin in order to complete this task. Scrolls may be found scattered in the forest or acquired by any other means necessary."
"Any means necessary?" Hinata asked.
"Means we can trade with or steal from any other team. By any means includes lethal force," Naruto explained. Hinata and Sakura both looked grim at the thought of defending against an attacking force. Naruto resumed reading, "A final word of caution: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE ATTEMPT TO OPEN ANY OF THE SCROLLS!" Naruto tilted his head as he stared at the Heaven Scroll in his hand, "I wonder what happens if you open it?"
"Let's not play with fire, Naruto," Sakura chided, "We have enough to deal with without discovering if the scrolls are booby-trapped."
"Agreed," Hinata nodded, "I doubt it's something we want to deal with."
"Well, here's the plan," he said as he set the scroll on the map, "We trade the scroll off every hour, and we make sure the person on point isn't carrying it." He stared at them, "Any objection to me taking point first?"
"What's our first objective?" Sakura asked, "If not the rendezvous point, then where? She pointed to the map.
"There's two clearings nearby," he pointed to the rough location on the map, "as well as what look like stone ruins about here."
Hinata spoke, "Shikamaru was fairly certain the hidden scrolls would have to be near easily found landmarks due to the size of the forest."
"He also was certain any scroll we could find would be protected by boobytraps," Sakura nodded, "or other environmental hazards."
"So, one of two options," Naruto squatted low next to the map, "We can check these two clearings in short order and make it to the rendezvous point, or we can head due south and check the ruins." He paused to stare at them. "I have my own thoughts on the matter, but I'd like to hear what you two were thinking."
Sakura and Hinata exchanged looks. Naruto was glad the two had buried the hatchet; he couldn't imagine how much worse this would be if Hinata still hated Sakura. "The ruins sound tempting to me," Hinata said.
"I'm more for the clearing, but I prefer open ground," Sakura replied. "Why the ruins?"
"If we can clear them, we might be able to use it as shelter, especially in an emergency." Hinata suggested.
Naruto nodded, "It might be worth looking into." He got up, "Shall we?"
Sakura Haruno followed Naruto while Hinata brought up the rear. After spending most of the past two months in the hospital, it felt good to be in the field again, away from the sterile white walls and mountains of paper charts. Now if it was a camping trip and not this stupid test! She sighed inwardly as they trudged along the brush at a snail's pace.
The trek through the forest left plenty of time to contemplate everything that happened in the past two days. Naruto and Hinata had come to her the day before, offering her an easy out – Naruto had some foreknowledge of a plot to murder him in the exam, and she'd be in danger if she came along. On one hand, she was disqualified from being promoted to chunin no matter how well she did on this year's exam – no one would blame her if she backed out. On the other hand, she didn't want to be the reason Naruto or Hinata didn't get their chance to shine, either. Sakura surprised them both when she was totally into coming along still. After two months of long hospital shifts, followed by long periods in the classroom, and somehow fitting in training; Sakura needed a release. The exam meant five days without having to budget every hour, every minute. Don't forget about Sasuke.
She sighed as she followed Naruto's path under a fallen tree. While he could be attractive, her staring at Naruto from behind gave her no real pleasure; she assumed if she had a kid brother, the effect would be the same. Unfortunately, Sakura could count on her hands how many minutes she'd spent with Sasuke outside of training in the past month. He wasn't avoiding her, and he'd made it clear this morning when they last spoke. Like her, Sasuke had a lot of pride on the line, even if he was ineligible for promotion. Sadly, her new apprenticeship made little time for them. Maybe if we wrap things up early we can take a day or two for ourselves. A faint smile came to her lips as she thought of just the two of them finding a quiet, safe spot in the woods.
Naruto gave the hand signal to hold position, and all three of them knelt down. The ruins ahead weren't exactly part of a clearing, more like an area of forest that wasn't as dense as the surrounding sprawl. As for the ruins, they were unexpectedly militaristic in appearance, not what she expected when Naruto had said ruins. It'd looked like a surprisingly modern bunker.
"Hinata, anyone inside?" Naruto whispered.
"No one I can detect, better than fair it's abandoned." She replied.
Sakura focused her eyes, looking for anything, any telltale detail that didn't jive with what Hinata suggested. "Observe everything, it's useless to diagnose without sufficient data!" Lady Tsunade's advice rung in her head loudly. Sakura pulled out a small pair of binoculars from her kit and zoomed in on the ruined bunker. "Someone has been in it, recently by the look of things," she said.
"How do you know?" Naruto asked.
"The rust on the door has been disturbed around the handle," she handed him the binoculars.
"She's right," Hinata spoke up, focusing her Byakugan, "and there appears to be a scroll inside… but…" Hinata trailed off nervously.
Sakura felt a chill in her spine at the girl's words, "What is it?"
"It… it's just that…" Hinata's voice bounced nervously, at least she didn't fidget, "It's too easy. Don't you think?"
Sakura and Naruto exchanged a glance followed by a curt nod. "Okay, so we take this one step at time, assuming it's booby trapped or someone hostile is nearby." Naruto looked at his watch, "I'm still on point for fifteen minutes; I'll go first. Sakura, you're my backup, and Hinata, you're on overwatch detail."
"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, "Maybe we should just send clones in."
"Yeah," Sakura said, "Why don't we? It'd be a lot safer than going in ourselves."
"We might have to survive out here for some time," he shook his head. "Even if the scroll is the one we're looking for, we agreed to help the others before proceeding to the exit point ourselves."
Sakura sighed, "And we have to make our chakra reserves last on whatever rations we have." Naruto was right: even with diligently packed rations, surviving in the wilderness would drain their chakra reserves with jaw-dropping speed. And there is the chance we're being hunted. "Fine, I get it, I just don't like it."
"We'll sooner we're done, the less we have to worry," Naruto gave a thumbs up, "Now get ready."
Hinata leapt up to the middle branches of a nearby tree, careful to remain low as to not silhouette herself. She shot a thumbs up, and Naruto and Sakura both drew out kunai. "When I reach the door and signal, advance on my position. She nodded in affirmative, and Naruto began to low crawl, almost slither along the clearing floor. Sakura's eyes flitted back and forth between Naruto and Hinata, watching for any sign of trouble.
As Naruto got close, he rolled and knelt along side the door. He pointed his fingers to his eyes, and Sakura heard Hinata whistle back a nightingale call three times, the agreed on signal for all clear. Naruto pumped his right arm twice, and Sakura sprinted as fast as her adrenaline-fueled legs could carry her. Despite fully expecting something terrible to spring from nowhere, she reached Naruto's side. She was now panting.
Naruto swung around the door jam, pulling the glove from his right hand and putting the back of his hand on the doorknob and the door itself. Sakura inspected the surrounding construction. The walls were concrete and the door was metal, probably steel. While the door was well-rusted, the handle was shiny and slid easily as Naruto pushed down on it, having re-gloved his hand.
He counted down silently with his fingers, three, two, one! Naruto tugged the door outward, careful to keep his body out of the doorframe, probably saving his life. The spoiled eggs smell of flammable gas assaulted Sakura's nostrils as the door swung out, as did the familiar crack of a match striking over a rough surface. "GET BACK!" she screamed.
A wall of flame spouted from the doorway, the blast of heat sending Sakura tumbling backwards – the door jolted outward, missing crushing her by mere centimeters. As quick as it started, it was over. Sakura was laying on her back, drenched in a layer of sweat, and she might have pissed herself. She smelled the acrid scent of spent fuel as she struggled to her feet.
"NARUTO, SAKURA!" Hinata appeared at her side.
In the moment she took to focus, through smoke and heat, Sakura felt her blood freeze. "NARUTO!" she screamed. He was on his side, clutching his right hand to his chest. She and Hinata raced to his side. "Naruto!" Sakura skid to a stop beside him, "Let me see it!"
"Ahhhh!" Naruto wheezed. Some of his hair had been singed by the blast, and he had minor thermal burns along the right side of his face, barely first degree.
"Let me see it, Naruto!" Sakura commanded. She gingerly pulled back the cuff of his jacket. The skin on the back of Naruto's right wrist was angry red, with the outer layer burned off. Carefully extracting the glove, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief to see the rest of his hand was unburned. Thank god for fire retardant material! She pulled out her canteen and poured some of the contents over the burned area, eliciting a protest from Naruto, "Ah! Ah!"
"Naruto!" Hinata screamed.
"It's okay!" Sakura tried to reassure Hinata as well, "it's only a first-degree burn." Sakura pulled off her pack, reaching for her first-aid kit.
"The scroll!" Naruto pointed to the bunker with his good hand.
Hinata summoned several shadow clones, sending them inside, but she remained outside, carefully keeping her Byakugan trained on the surrounding area. "We're clear!" One of Hinata's clones came forth with the scroll. Dammit! Another Heaven Scroll. They had accumulated their first injury for a scroll that was useless to them.
"Anything else in there?" Sakura asked as she applied a medicated ointment to Naruto's wrist and began wrapping it in a moistened cloth bandage.
"The gas bomb looks like it was a one off," Hinata explained as she dismissed her clones, "Had we waited a few more days, the gas might have dissipated on its own."
"Great, we wasted all of that effort on a useless scroll," Naruto chided as he tested the movement of his hand with the bandage encasing it.
Sakura eyed the bunker's inside, "Maybe not wasted," she said thoughtfully.
"Oh?" Naruto said as he got to his feet.
"Now that we 've cleared the trap, the construction is solid," she tapped the blackened but otherwise solid concrete wall. "It'd make a decent base of operations, a secure place for us to set up camp and not have to worry about the local wildlife."
"It would also make a secure field hospital," Hinata suggested. I like the way she thinks!
"We'll bring it up to the others, when we meet up with them," Naruto said, looking at his wrist. "Hopefully, none of them ran into any other weird surprises."
Sakura felt ill-at-ease with Naruto's worry. Sasuke was always one to jump in head-first. The thought of him lying in the woods, bleeding from some trap because he was too pig headed didn't sit well with her. "Well," she sighed, "I guess it is called the Forest of Death for a reason."
Author's Note: Hi everyone, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter. As always, stay safe, stay healthy, and I'll see you all next week.
-Adam