I own nothing except the stuff I made up idea and characters by Freelancer1989

A Battle with Death! The Mysterious attacker!

Riku and Kiki stared her down. The woman smirked and pulled out an Earth scroll, they gasped at it. "That's right you'd love to get your hands on our Earth Scroll, wouldn't you?" she sneered. "It would go so nicely with your Heaven scroll…." She said lifting it towards her face and to their shock, she opened up and let her long tongue wrap around it, and casually shoved it down her throat. Kiki and Riku gaped in horror as it disappeared passed her lips. "Well when this is over….one of us will have both scrolls." She said the two gasped at the sinister tone in her voice her hand hiding her eye. Instantly they looked into a brown slit eye. "And the other will be dead!" Instantly they saw images of their blood splattering everywhere Kiki's screams of agony as they were pushed back from the deadly force everything happening so fast before two kunai went straight between their eyes. The vision faded, Kiki fell to her knees hyper ventilating as Riku stumbled, trying to stay up.

"Is this….a Genjutsu?" Riku asked before feeling his stomach lurch, he fell to his knees vomiting and coughing. He fell on his butt before thinking in horror. "No it's more than that…her bloodlust… it's palpable, just looking in her eyes I saw my own death!" He thought his eyes wide as they could go with his pupil and iris shrunk to a tiny size. Cold sweat was running down his face and the back of his neck. His heart was racing so fast it was hitting against his ribs and throat. "Who is she, what is she?"

Riku glanced over at Kiki, he could tell she was trying to move but couldn't. "We've got to get out of here!" Riku thought frantically trying just as hard to move. "We've gotta get away from her, she's death!"

X X X

Naruto was trying to use Wind Jutsu to break out of the snake. But none of the moves he had were powerful enough. And he was running low on chakra. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" he groaned feeling the stomach acids tingle on his skin.

"Save your chakra you none of the wind style techniques in your arsenal are going to get you out." The Kyubi's voice said rolling its eyes in the back of his mind.

"Why do you even care?!" Naruto shouted.

"Because I'll be damned if I die, from you getting eaten by a snake," The Kyubi hotly replied.

"So if I die, you die?" Naruto asked.

"Yes that's what I was implying." The Kyubi sighed. "And while I would come back it would take years of tiny bits of chakra rebuilding, themselves; back into my original form. But I guess destroying the Leaf village would be worth the wait." He added with a sneer.

"Not gonna happen! I won't let you out! And I'm not gonna die in this snake believe it!" Naruto snapped.

"Oh really and how are you going to accomplish that?" The Kyubi asked. "Like I said no wind styles in your arsenal are powerful enough to break out."

Naruto sighed, he suddenly got an idea. "I've gotta pop it like a balloon….I hope, here it goes; Multi-shadow Clone jutsu!" He shouted instantly more and more Narutos started filling up the snake's stomach. It groaned feeling itself expand. Looking like an inflated balloon animal before exploding in a surge of guts and blood that splattered everywhere. The head had flown off somewhere with the rest looking like a burst pipe that exploded. The Naruto clones cheered and congratulated themselves. But the real one called out to them. "No time for that we've gotta find Riku and Kiki!" Naruto said as he dismissed the jutsu and ran off.

X X X

The woman laughed at them. So far Riku was doing a better job of moving then Kiki was. She could get her arms to twitch but that was it. Riku groaned as he was forcing himself. "What's wrong with me?! Come on, Move Riku Move!" He shouted looking down at his arm going slowly towards his Kunai. "That's it! Just a little more…" He encouraged himself managing to get to his feet. "Good even if it's just a little bit you've got to move!"

"Very good, now what happens?" she asked simply making eye contact. Riku froze again.

"It's no use I can't move! Damn it!" Riku cried in his mind.

"Don't worry, I'll make it quick," She said taking out two kunai and walked towards them casually. "But I don't have to tell you that." She said with a sweetly venomous tone. "You've already seen it with your own eyes." Riku was shivering trying to move, Kiki was trying to force herself to stand. The lady sighed. "I expected you to be more of a challenge, how disappointing." She said tossing the kunai.

"Move Riku, you've got to move!" She suddenly saw his arm make a swift motion, "MOOOOVE!" Blood splattered. But it wasn't from her kunai. It was from Riku's leg, he had stabbed himself, grabbed Kiki and run off.

"He overcame the fear with pain, a desperate move but a clever one." She drawled slightly impressed and smiled. "So this prey isn't so helpless after all."

Off a few miles away, Kiki was recovering and gasped at Riku's wound, she helped him pull it out. The kunai then rested limply at his side. His breath was shaky. Kiki instantly started to work to get it patched up. Within seconds a bandage and antiseptic was covering Riku's leg. But he didn't notice; he was too busy looking back where they had come from. She could tell he wasn't thinking clearly.

"Gotta get away from her… but how, where?!" Riku thought frantically.

"This isn't good; he's got it worse than me!" Kiki thought, noting she was still pretty shaken up. It taken all his will to move a shadow loomed over them she looked to see a snake looking at them hungrily at them it opened its mouth Kiki screamed and instantly responded with a full power, Wood style cutting sprigs jutsu that exploded in its mouth impaling its brain, eyes and jaws the two jumped away as it came crashing down breaking the branch and falling to the ground below.

"I didn't even notice, I'm losing it." Riku groaned as he and Kiki landed a few branches away from each other.

"Riku you have to calm down! You're too panicked!" Kiki called.

Another snake suddenly appeared and rushed at Riku she gasped rushing after them. Riku gasped watching it with his Sharingan. He suddenly saw her face in the snake. "NO GET AWAY!" he shouted fearfully as he threw shuriken at it, killing this one as well. Unlike the last one it laid on a branch across from them. Riku panted but both gasped as something started to emerge from the snake. It was her.

"I sense your fear, your desperation, it's only natural… the prey must never let its guard down…" she said licking her lips, chuckling. "At its predator!" she said laughing maniacally and rushing at Riku her body extending and rushing like a snake.

"RIKU!" Kiki shouted rushing up and getting between them as Riku screamed in fear. However before she could react, shuriken and kunai were thrown between them.

"Looks like I made it just in time!" called out a familiar voice. They looked up and Kiki smiled in relief.

"NARUTO!" she cheered happily.

"In the flesh, I'd like to see those Demon Brothers fight me now!" He grinned.

"Naruto get out of here, you're no match for her!" Riku cried.

"So Naruto, you managed to escape from my friend." She sneered. "Well done."

"If that's your friend, I'd hate to see your enemies!" Naruto growled.

"So that wasn't some random snake attack then…." The Ninetails thought. "I wonder who this is….This might present me with an opportunity, let's see…."

"That Snake was sent by her or it….or whatever this demon is…." Naruto growled in his thoughts as she looked at him.

"He doesn't get it, he doesn't know what he's dealing with….what do I do?!" Riku growled to himself.

"I don't know what you're deal is, but nobody attacks my friends and gets away with it!" Naruto threatened. "So either slither back where you came from or I'll make a pair of shoes out of you!"

"YOU IDIOT, YOU'RE GONNA GET US ALL KILLED!" Riku shouted indignantly.

"Riku….he hasn't recovered from that attack….I've gotta figure something out before it's too late…." Kiki growled in her mind bringing her hands together ready to weave hand signs at any time.

Riku wracked his own mind for an answer to save them. He could tell Kiki was trying to think of an attack none of them got it or knew what this thing was. It hit him. "There's only one way…. Wait I get it!" he shouted, deactivating his Sharingan. "You win." He said slowly pulling out the scroll and showing it to her. "The scroll that's what you want right? Take it and leave us in peace!" he shouted.

"What!?" Naruto cried out.

"Riku don't!" Kiki shouted. The Lady just smiled.

"Are you crazy?! We can't just hand over the scroll to the enemy!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up and stay out of it!" Riku snarled, glaring at him. But there was fear evident in his voice.

The lady showed off a sneer. "Very wise, very sensible sometimes. If the helpless prey is to save their own skin, they realize the only way is to distract the predator with something more precious." She said in a sickly tone.

"I am getting so sick of her metaphors….." Kiki growled in her thoughts…. It came to her; she would rush for the scroll grab it and get her with a Cutting Sprigs jutsu. It was their only hope she had to get this right. Riku tossed the scroll. Kiki went to react but a burst of orange lit up under Naruto's feet and he veered between Riku and their hunter before she had a chance to react, snatching the scroll and landed on the adjacent branch.

"NARUTO THIS IS NO TIME TO PLAY HERO!" Riku shouted only for Naruto to turn around before he could continue and slug him knocking him back he managed to flip and land on a branch further away. "You Idiot, why can't you leave this to me!?" he shouted desperately.

"Are you sure…you're the real Riku, maybe I should ask you which ninja we fought first while escorting Tazuna….you're not acting like who you say you are….The Riku I know has faced worse than this freak….He faced Fugaku Uchiha and Zabuza… and now some snake lady is giving him cold feet. BULL SHIT!" he snarled glaring right into Riku's soul.

Naruto's words resonated but the truth was both times he was terrified….It made him think back to when Kala would bully him the first time they met, Riku had several of his chakra points closed and was bruised.

"Is that all the Uchiha clan can do?" Kala asked kicking him hard. "I thought you guys were supposed to be one of the strongest clan…..I guess not now that the Hyuga are around." He sneered. "Or maybe you're just a weakling, a scrawny, cowardly, weakling…"

Riku, in anger tried to punch back Kala saw a teacher and took a head he proceeded to cry crocodile tears causing the teacher to instantly discipline him, Kala pulled an eye lid down and stuck his tongue out at him when he looked back as he was escorted to detention.

"All those times I was scared…..but I didn't show it because of you guys….now….now I can't….." Riku thought. "Maybe I am nothing…..maybe I am weak…."

"Riku he's right, don't let her scare you! I know that was a horrible genjutsu, but it didn't happen you stopped it, you can stop her!" Kiki shouted.

"Don't make excuses for him Kiki! I may not know how powerful this chick is. But I do know that this Riku is choking out and if he doesn't get his act together I have to assume that he's a fake! Riku would never surrender to the likes of her! He didn't surrender to the other two who have gotta be way worse why start now?!" Naruto snarled.

The lady chuckled. "Sad but true, as for the scroll it doesn't matter." She said pulling up her sleeve. "I could simply kill you all and take it!"

Naruto pulled out a Kunai Kiki rushed at her as well turning her arm into a wooden spear. "Let's see you try it!" Naruto shouted. "It's up to me and Kiki now!"

"Summoning Jutsu…." she said simply as a wind appear bursting from the tree was a snake who snarled at them.

"NO DON'T!" Riku shouted as Kiki wove hand signs Naruto had yet to see. "Wood style forest arrow jutsu!" She shouted the branches around them stiffened and shot out sharp spears that pierced the snake all over blinding it and killing it as well. Another snake appeared in its place however. "Wood style cutting Sprigs!" She shouted unleashing a large branch that exploded. But with every snake they took down another would simply appear.

X X X

Stika was training nearby when he suddenly saw three corpses he remembered seeing these three entering the village. "What are they doing here….I'd better get help!" he said rushing to find three of the Chunin sentinels. Kotetsu went through their belongings. "They were registered for the Chunin exam."

"Thought so, I remember seeing them enter the village the other day." Sitka replied. While Kotetsu was searching through the rest of their belongings Sitka out of curiosity turned one over he screamed in horror seeing nothing but twisted flesh and melted muscle the other two corpses were instantly checked, same thing. Their faces were gone! "Why the hell would you….take a face…from the corpse…." Sitka half shouted getting an idea. "Oh no!" he gasped rushing off almost instantly. They shouted after him too late to grab him all they could do was report this to Anko, who was busy drinking down some sweet red bean soup.

"Guess it's about that time, after this little snack I'll go see how the kiddies are doing. The quicker ones should be reaching the tower by now, guess I'll go meet them." She threw the last skewer making a perfect leaf insignia, looking at it proudly. "There a perfect leaf symbol!" She said giggling and standing up as the sentinel who went to find her appeared.

"Pardon ma'am, there's a problem." He said.

"Hmmm what kind of problem?" she asked.

"Corpses ma'am, three of them; There's something strange about them, you might want to see this!"

"Other than being dead?" she asked curiously. Soon she saw the three faceless corpses including the one Sitka had flipped over earlier.

"I went through their belongings they were registered for the chunin exams. What's more their faces are completely gone." Kotetsu told them.

Anko held her shoulder shivering and glaring as her fist clenched remembering a sinister figure. "No doubt about it….this is his jutsu! But what's he doing here? During the chunin exams….what does he want?!" She asked herself in horror. "Okay I need photos of what these three used to look like where are their IDs?!" she growled.

"Right here ma'am." The sentinel said passing them too her. She looked them over glaring at the woman in the picture.

"So this is the face he stole….." She growled to herself. She gasped. "Had it already happened when…" She asked thinking back to the moment that ninja had handed her knife back to her with his tongue. How could she have been so stupid only he could do that with such dexterity? "Okay I want you to tell Lord third exactly what's happened here, and while you're at it tell ANBU black ops they'd better get a couple of convoys out here. As for me I'm going in after these guys now go!" she shouted. "He's comes, he's here in the hidden leaf village."

"Right!" they shouted as they all went their separate ways. She rushed into the forest of death. Hoping she wasn't too late. Sitka was already rushing towards one of the gates of the forest of death.

X X X

Naruto had been cornered by a snake as Kiki was backed into a corner not too far from him. The demon chuckled. "What a tasty meal you'll make for him. But careful, he likes to play with his food." She warned as the snake swung his tail just missing the branch they were on and smashing it. Kiki jumped up and held on.

"Naruto!" she shouted looking back and seeing the boy fly through several branches.

"NARUTO!" Riku shouted, his heart thumping loudly begging him to fight. His mind was swirling and screaming. Naruto let out a yelp and spat out some blood when he hit a nearby branch and fell.

"Enough playing, finish him off." She said as Naruto fell towards him. Kiki rushed as fast as she could to catch him but suddenly, his eyes opened the glare revealing red eyes with slits for pupils. He seemed way more in control this time however. "He's controlling a bit of the Kyubi's chakra…." Kiki gasped in awe.

"EAT THIS!" he shouted slamming a chakra powered foot into the snake's nose making it rear back in pain and hiss. Naruto jumped back. She noticed the eyes, as did Riku. Fortunately this time Naruto seemed to be control.

"It can't be…." The hunter muttered, almost intrigued and impressed. Naruto rushed forward and mindlessly punched the snake over and over making it hiss in pain. It looked like he didn't have as much control as Kiki had thought, but it was directed towards that maniac so that was something. The snake licked him and sent him towards a tree but he landed on it with his feet and used orange chakra to propel himself forward.

"RAAAAAHHHHHHGGGG!" Naruto shouted as lunged forward but was hit by a fire jutsu that sent him falling down.

"No doubt about it, that was the Nine-tailed Fox inside him." The Hunter glanced at Riku. "Let's see how you do Riku…" she said as the snake reared back and lunged at Riku. Kiki rushed over to Riku, but Naruto beat her to him, making it just in the nick of time, pushing against the snake and stabbing kunai into its nose. He looked at Kiki.

"Move him!" he barked. Kiki grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"Give them Hell Naruto!" she shouted as she pulled Riku to a higher branch.

"I will not allow you to hurt my friends….I will defeat you and become the Greatest Hokage!" He snarled making Riku gasp, remembering his own dream.

"My Dream is to show that the Uchiha Clan is just as valuable to the Leaf as any other clan even the Hyuga. I want to show we're nothing like the ones who left!"

"Naruto…" He glanced at Kiki, who wanted to be like her great grandfather, putting a protective arm in front of them. He felt so stupid and hung his head.

"Riku you have to fight! If you die here you can't show the world that the Konoha Uchiha, are different from the rogues!" Kiki told him in a firm tone; the woman's tongue suddenly wrapped around Naruto.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Naruto shouted struggling in protest.

"This can't go on!" Kiki snarled, weaving hand signs. "Wood style cutting-"

"Wait Kiki, you might hit Naruto!" Riku cried. She stopped as the Hunter chuckled at her.

"She could or she could hit me and leave her friend unscathed, or miss me completely. And even I could easily use him to block the attack… but go ahead take that chance."

"Kiki don't worry about me, just skewer her!" Naruto shouted struggling trying to pull out the tongue as it pulled up his jacket.

"The seal has appeared... so when his anger rises, a little of its chakra is released. Very interesting… but right now you're in the way." She thought as her fingers glowed with purple flames and white symbols within them. "Are you going to attack or not?" she asked Kiki mockingly who was frozen her mind swirling her hands slowly moved but it was too late she slammed her fingers into areas around the seal "Five Prong seal!" Naruto gasped, instantly passing out. She smirked and let him drop but all of this went in slow motion as Kiki threw a kunai and pinned Naruto to the trunk the hunter had tossed him towards so he didn't fall.

"Naruto…." Kiki muttered before turning to Riku, eyes burning. "STOP COWERING! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY GOING TO LET THINGS GO ON LIKE THIS?! ARE YOU GOING TO LET HER THINK OF YOU AS A COWARD AND PROVE HER RIGHT! YOU FOUGHT FUGAKU, DESPITE THE DIFFERENCE IN SKILL RIKU. YOU. ARE. NOT. A. COWARD. NOW PROVE IT!" She shouted.

Kala's cruel words from their academy days came at full force in Riku's head, "I've never seen an Uchiha as weak and cowardly as you. You won't even fight my gentle fist. Too worried about your precious eyes? I'm surprised you haven't slaughtered everyone in the academy. Probably because you're too scared of the teachers!" he added with a sharp laugh.

"No…" Riku growled in his thoughts desperately his eyes squinted shut.

"Why don't you just go kill yourself? No one would miss you. Not even your mommy or clan would miss you, you cowardly little waste of slime."

"NOOOO!" Riku suddenly screamed, jumping forward at a blinding speed and slamming his fist into their attacker's cheek sending her flying towards the tree. She managed to break her fall but she looked at Riku who stood there still in a position of having released a powerful chakra punch. He moved his head glaring up at her his crimson Sharingan sparkling brightly with vengeance. Kiki smiled with relief.

"I knew it, his Uchiha blood has come to a boil... he has his mother's fierce spirit. I think I'll play with him for a bit to test the extent of his power." She thought as she dismissed her summon and got into a fighting stance.

Riku pulled out a kunai putting it in his mouth and holding the other two in his hand. "Kiki, Naruto I'm sorry. I was scared the thing is I've always been scared even with Zabuza and Fugaku and yet I fought. I need to fight against this demon…I'm afraid but I will FIGHT!" He shouted running as fast as he can forward.

He leapt into the air throwing several shuriken and kunai. She weaved out of them all without effort. He then rushed forward screaming to land a powerful kick. "Ah, ah, ah, I let you get a hit in but that won't happen again!" she shouted throwing her own kick. Then the two were in an intense Taijutsu match blocking and throwing blows. Riku tried to drop kick her, only for her to jump onto a different branch. But Riku instantly used a Fireball jutsu at her, watching the large plume of smoke and debris cloud where his opponent had been standing.

She smiled. "Excellent, you've anticipated every move and struck with excellent aim and ferocity. You can see my moves can't you?" She asked in her thoughts as Riku growled in his fighting stance.

X X X

Itachi was on his way back from training in the sixty sixth training area. He looked in the direction. Beyond a few fields as the crows flew was the forest of death. "I wonder how they're all doing?" He suddenly felt a presence. Sitka who had rushed towards him. "You, me, Forest of Death now!" He shouted grabbing Itachi's arm and trying to pull him along.

"What are you talking about Sitka?" Itachi asked.

"There were three corpses that had their faces ripped off and they were gonna participate in the Chunin exam but now they're not because Cobra killed them!" Sitka shouted.

"Cobra?" Itachi asked, it clicked in his mind why Sitka came to that conclusion almost immediately. "You've been going through the Bingo book again haven't you?"

"Not the point, come on!" Sitka shouted as he ran towards the Forest of Death Itachi following. Anko meanwhile was making her way through the Forest of Death.

She looked up at what little red and orange sky she could see the trees dyed in twilight. "The sun's going down and my odds are bad as it is. They'll only get worse at night. But he is here…time to finish this; But why now?!"

X X X

The Hunter unleashed a blast of wind chakra; Kiki yelped, bracing herself as she had pulled Naruto off and laid him behind her. The impact was so great it shattered the larger tree branches but Riku dodged it. He managed to grab her and flip her over. They screamed, one in shock, the other in rage as they plummeted Riku making sure she landed on her head as they fell onto a branch several good feet below.

The Hunter's body shook violently and then went limp as Riku jumped away from the corpse, only for it to dissolve into mud. Riku gasped but a sudden swarm of kunai came his way. He jumped, pulling out string and threw it to hang on a tree branch. It burned into the tree as he used it to swing, only to be suddenly blindsided by a flurry of taijutsu that knocked him away.

"RIKU!" Kiki called from above. She'd never get there in time without jumping straight down. She gulped hoping for a miracle.

"What a disappointment you are." The Hunter drawled. "Your ancestors weep, the Uchiha should thank me for killing you, little worm." Riku's eyes opened, he grinned at her just as the small explosions he placed at her feet exploded. Leaping away, he spun around a tree and threw a curved shuriken the size of his head at the Hunter, which she ducked. Riku followed with a kunai, flowing chakra as he threw it. Again the hunter before them dodged, only to suddenly notice a wire both on the kunai and clenched between his teeth. Glancing behind, she saw the shuriken come back like a spinning guillotine pulled by the wire. "Incredible, a Sharingan windmill triple attack!"

"Yes!" Kiki shouted

"Hehe… too bad…" the Hunter smirked, the shuriken firmly caught between her teeth before the razor sharp blades could take her head off. Suddenly her eyes widened as Riku gave an evil grin, a tiger hand seal on the wire connecting him to his shuriken.

"Fire Style Dragon Flame Justu!" orange and white fire surged from Riku's hands down the wire and into her face. The hunter shrieked in agony as her head became a fireball.

"YES!" Kiki shouted, running to hug him. But as she put a hand on his shoulder, their bodies froze, paralyzed by the same jutsu as before.

"To be able to use the Sharingan so well as this age… You're a true Uchiha after all" The flames stopped, revealing the hunter was still alive. Her face was melted by the fire, but it wasn't a true face, more like a mask and the flesh underneath was untouched. Her voice, suddenly changing to an older slightly raspy male one. "I've had fun testing your powers."

"No way…." Kiki groaned.

"What are you…..It's not possible!" Riku groaned trying to move.

They could see that her, no, his eye was now yellow with slitted pupil like a snake. Purple markings ran around her eye and the insignia on the headband changed to a sound note.

"Just as I thought… I want you" He smiled hungrily, "You really are her son. In fact your eyes are even more keener than Isis's."

"WHO ARE YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Riku shouted.

He laughed taking out their Heaven Scroll and burning it in front of them. "My name is Orochimaru, as for what I want that will have to wait, until you beat this test with the absolute best score. And to start, you'll have to defeat the sound Ninja who serve me."

"NO!" Kiki shouted, "The Scroll!"

"If you're finished then leave asshole!" Riku snarled. "If we never meet again, it'll be too soon!"

"Oh but we will meet again much sooner than you think." Orochimaru sneered

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!" Kiki tried to move her arms, to move anything, but it was useless.

"Oh poor little Senju girl, you can't stop what's coming." Orochimaru sneered doing a hand sign. His neck suddenly stretched rapidly like a flying snake and he sunk his fangs into Riku's neck He yelped in pain unable to move from the shock. When the head finally retracted and a mark appeared on his neck Riku began to scream in absolute agony.

"Riku!" Kiki shouted turning to him, regaining movement. "What did you do to him!?"

Orochimaru smiled. "I merely gave him a gift. Very soon Riku will seek me out. He'll desire my power." He sneered laughing as Kiki screamed in rage trying to send a Cutting Sprigs Jutsu but he disappeared without a trace.

Riku fell to his knees in pain; his breathing was ragged and irregular. Kiki pulled out some pain killer trying to get him to take it.

"You have to calm down so you can take it!" she said trying to get to his mouth open but he whacked her away making her drop it. She gasped trying to reach for it but it fell into the forest below. It was at that point, Riku fell to his side too exhausted and in pain to stay conscious. Kiki gasped, her eyes stinging, she turned to Naruto who was still out cold. She sat there wondering what to do. She hung her head and against her will, Danzo's words from before crept into her mind in a mocking tone. "You're not cut out for this girl. You're not prepared to make the hard choices. What if one or more of you had been killed because you couldn't make the choice that could save that mission? You don't have what it takes to make these decisions and indecision leads to disaster." The last of the words rang over and over as she screamed throwing up her arms and slamming her fists into the ground, crying a little in pure frustration.

X X X

Orochimaru had reappeared somewhere in the forest that night. Slowly rising like a ghoul as he detached himself from the wood he had hidden himself in only slightly to rest the face he had stolen damaged. Anko was running through the trees sensing him. "I can feel him he's somewhere close by!" She said as she jumped down several feet and rushed towards her destination. Orochimaru he smiled at his former student.

"Well, well Anko." He said chuckling. "It's been a while."

"This is no time for catching up! You're an S class criminal the most wanted of them all! You need to be taken down. And it's only fitting that I'm the one to do it!" She growled, letting knives fall between her fingers as she gripped them. "After all you're the one who taught me everything….right, Sensei?"

"Not quite everything." Orochimaru replied cheekily. He unleashed his tongue as Anko got into a fighting stance. As it rushed out, she back-flipped away from the tongue's attack. She watched as it followed her up the tree and wrapped itself around her wrists. Not only making her drop the knives but pulling her down, she managed to right herself and land on her feet, grabbing his tongue with both hands.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!" Several snakes rushed out from her sleeve and sank their fangs into his tongue as Anko roared and gave a mighty heave. "GET OVER HERE!"

Ripped from the tree, Orochimaru landed hard on his back and began to reel in his tongue. Approaching faster than she'd expected, her former master slammed into her, but she twisted him around and slammed him into the wood behind her. Dismissing the snakes, she stabbed both of their hands into the trunk. She smirked. "I got cha! Now let me just borrow your left hand!" she said managing to position hers against his in a way to make signs. Orochimaru's eyes widened.

"That's right, you and I are going to die here!" she stated as she sucked in a breath. "Twin Snake Sacrifice Ju-!"

She suddenly heard a familiar laugh. "I'm afraid you're going to die alone Anko…." It was Orochimaru as he suddenly came out of the wood behind her making her gasp in horror. She slowly turned as it dawned on her.

"That's right…." he said pulling off the face to reveal pale white skin with long purple stripes down his face around his eyes and a very thin nose. "Substitution." He sneered as moonlight revealed him completely shining down on both of them.

She turned back to the one she had pinned finding it to be mud. She growled hanging her head trembling with frustration. "That's right; you're one of the Elite Jonin of the Village now. How naughty of you to be using the forbidden jutsu I taught you for good." He walked towards her as she yanked the kunai from her hand and threw it at him, only for him to casually catch it between his fingers. "It won't work Anko." He then did a hand sign and unleashed a force. Anko immediately felt a strong burning almost corrosive sensation in her shoulder and clutched it in pain as she hissed. It paralyzed her as he moved closer.

"Why are you here?! Are you hoping to assassinate Lord Hiruzen? Do that and Lord Minato will return faster than you can blink."

"You're exactly right. I don't have quite enough followers to fight either of them yet. But I've been hearing such good things about the young ninja this year; I thought I'd see them up close." He sneered as Anko glared at him fighting the urge to pass out. She dropped on her knees as Orochimaru gave her a mocking sympathetic coo.

"It's the mark isn't it? I put that mark on a young man not too long ago; he's a very promising prospect." Orochimaru said.

"He'll die before he serves you." Anko spat.

"Possibly," Orochimaru replied callously. "I'd say the odds are one in ten. The boy may survive like you did."

"You must want him bad huh?" Anko asked mockingly and froze when he caressed her face.

"Oh are you jealous?" He asked, "You can't forgive me for using you and then casting you aside?"

"In some ways he has more potential than you had. You see he's inherited and mastered the abilities of the Uchiha clan. His body is also in peak physical condition." He said, an evil and creepy smirk twisted up around his face. "Yes he might be the one I'm looking for. At the very least he makes things interesting. Whatever happens, make sure no one stops the exam early."

"Three of my followers are also candidates. I look forward to seeing how they fair." He said disappearing in black smoke. "And keep this in mind if anything should happen to deprive me of my fun…it'll mean the end for Konoha…."

X X X

Team Guy had stopped by a river. Tenten was drinking the water from her canteen as Neji looked up to the sky. "I think it's time. The other teams will be calling it a day soon. You know the plan, split up and fan out whether or not we make contact with the other teams; we meet back up in this spot." He said throwing the kunai into the ground as a marker.

"No sweat." Tenten replied.

"Roger," Lee replied as they took off. One of them had passed by a nearby tree where Kiki had hidden the boys and herself. She'd brought up roots and used chakra to encourage parts of the tree to grow and give more concealment. She removed Riku's forehead protector for the time being and put a cold compress on his head with a cloth and some cold water. "I've gotta keep that fever down as much as I can." She sighed having managed to give him some medicine. "At least he's breathing easier now. I don't know if it'll help but it's something…." She glanced out the trees and sighed. "I'll make up for this I promise…"

X X X

Anko had wrapped her hand and was making her way through a rocky field. She had wasted enough time. She had to tell Hiruzen and fast. The Curse mark's pain was still lingering. She paused and squinted at the nearby forest. It was a tiger a large one almost as big as an elephant found in the forest of death. She had thought of bringing them up to spook the candidates….now it didn't seem so funny. She glared.

"I don't have time for this." she suddenly saw two more appear they got in front of her and backed her into a corner. Before she could do anything, her curse mark acted up, causing her to grab her shoulder and hiss in pain. However something jumped down between them and the tigers' eyes reflected a sudden red light; immediately they turned around and ran off.

Anko looked up to see who her savor was. "I have never been happier to see you Itachi…" she panted.

"Hey Anko!" Sitka shouted as she ran forward. "Listen we've got trouble." He started before noticing her difficulty standing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm….I'm fine…." She muttered trying to stand.

"Don't push yourself." Itachi said sternly.

"This isn't like her at all….I don't even feel scared of her…." Sitka thought to himself worriedly.

"How'd you beat the Anbu out here?" she asked.

"Sitka dragged me along believing the Culprit to be Cobra." Itachi said.

"The guy who takes body parts for souvenirs…sicko….I'd sooner take him over who we're dealing with though." She sighed.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked.

"The guy who killed those Genin he didn't take the faces for souvenirs he needed a convincing disguise, one that can't be dispelled from an attack." Anko replied.

"Orochimaru…." Itachi growled darkly as she nodded.

"The Legendary Sanin that went bad? I thought he was killed." Sitka stated.

"No, that was a story given to the public to keep them calm….but the truth is he escaped all those years ago."

"What's he doing here? If he tries to kill lord Hiruzen, mom and Lord Minato will just jump him!" Sitka stated.

"He knows that, it's not what he's after... Listen Sitka, Itachi; get me to the tower immediately." Anko replied.

"Let's wait for the Anbu I can sense them coming I'll let them know what's going on and we'll get alarmed raised up."

"NO! I need to get to tower NOW!" she growled.

"Raising the alarm against Orochimaru is more important than the Chunin exams." Itachi scolded they knelt by her when the Curse mark stung. Itachi's eyes narrowed when he saw it. "That's his mark alright…."

Sitka gulped, wishing for something that didn't seem like the devil. He shook his head. Orochimaru was human, no matter how scary a ninja was, they were still human. And humans can be killed.

"Listen, just have Lord Hiruzen come to the tower and I'll explain everything there." She gasped. Sitka placed one of her arms over her shoulder.

"Okay," Sitka responded quietly. He used her right hand to summon a shadow clone of himself. "Get Hana to the tower in the forest of death as quick as you can to help Anko."

"Got it." the clone replied as he took off the real Sitka heading off in the opposite direction.

Several minutes later the Anbu had come. "Itachi what's going on?"

Itachi looked at them grimly. "Orochimaru has returned…"

Note: Sorry this took so long But I was the one who had to move now I've been away from my Computer for a few weeks. Also we're in the Apocalypse! Stay safe Healthy and clean!

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