Again i'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get another chapter up but like i said before i'll be putting out about one a week from now on. School demands too much of my time. Yet again i'm forced to say it, i don't own Naruto...end of statement.
Jiriaya took Naruto out for food when the boy returned exhausted after the first day's test. Naruto and the other two members of Team Seven had met with Kakashi directly after the test to discuss it and find out about the location and time for the second test. After a fairly brief meeting the team broke up and headed home, they agreed to meet at the test location at one.
The old Sennin had intercepted his student and directed him to his favorite ramen stand where the boy packed the noodles away by the bowl. Naruto related the day's happenings to his sensei and then told him about the location of the second test and who the examiner would be.
When Jiriaya heard that Mitarashi Anko was the second examiner his face darkened. He had known the woman well, as she had once been Orochimaru's protege. The feisty purple haired girl had followed Orochimaru around like a love struck puppy, until the day she had discovered Orochimaru's true character that is. She had tried to stop him, to convince him to change, but had been "rewarded" with a cursed seal as a going away present from snake Sennin.
*I know she tried to bring that fool around. She went through a lot and I do feel sorry for her but I just can't shake the fact that she was the baka's pupil.* Jiriaya scowled at his ramen bowl. *One thing's for sure,* the old hermit thought, *Naruto's going to have to be on his toes around her. She always loved putting the fear of the kami in anyone younger then herself, just like Orochimaru.*
Jiriaya noticed his own pupil was staring at him and quickly put his thoughts aside and smiled. Naruto had finished his tenth bowl and would have gone on to another but the strange expression on his sensei's face and the fact that the man's ramen had gone untouched for several minutes had disturbed the boy.
"Well then we should be getting home. You'll need all the rest you can get before the next test. I think I know what the examiner is planning."
Naruto's eyes lit up at the thought of having an advantage coming into the test. "Well, what do you think it is sensei?"
The white haired Sennin fingered his chopsticks, clicking them together as he thought. "The 44th training area is one of the most dangerous training areas Konoha has" Jiriaya explained. "People call it the forest of death. It's a huge place, 20 kilometers across if I remember correctly. Big trees, river or two, and a central tower. It's most often used as a survival training ground."
"Huh, survival?" Naruto looked incredulous. "If that's it then we'll have no problem."
Jiriaya shook his head. "It won't be just survival though. You'll probably have to fight other teams along with the forest itself. Anko isn't someone to screw around with. She'll make the test extra hard I'm sure."
Naruto nodded, his former attitude washed away by Jiriaya's assessment of the test and the examiner in charge. Naruto had learned to trust his sensei's views of people and how they operated because he was usually right.
The two men, student and teacher, left and returned to their small apartment. They pulled out all the survival gear they had and began sorting out what Naruto would need. Extra weapons were of prime importance as well as ration bars and food pills. Naruto decided he would need an extra back pouch to handle all the extra stuff. He also put together two more pouches for Sasuke and Sakura. He was going to make sure his team was prepared.
The next day the team met outside the main gate of training area 44 at one o'clock. There were only a few teams there so the three sat down to discuss the next test.
"Ero-sennin said that this is probably going to be a survival test" Naruto said as he passed his teammates the pouches he had prepared the night before. Sakura was impressed the Naruto would have thought of such a thing. Sasuke took a look through his new pouch and saw that it was actually better stocked then his own. *He thought of everything* he thought as he pulled out a hand held water purifier and examined it. Only Anbu carried them to his knowledge.
"So if we assume it's a survival test then how will the other teams figure in?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura tapped her head with a finger. "Well Anko-sensei said she would cut our numbers in half or worse so that probably means that teams won't just loose because of a couple days in the forest. There will be enemies, either the other teams or the instructors."
Sasuke nodded. "We should make a plan for either case then. If it's teams verses instructors then it would be wise to join up with another team for protection. Even though it would make moving difficult it's advantages outweigh the disadvantages. But if it's team verses team then it gets more interesting. If that's the case then they'll need some way of showing that a team was beaten by another team. Markers of some sort I'm guessing."
Naruto agreed but didn't know where to go from there. "Ok, so what's the plan if it is team verses team? Do we go looking for a fight? Do we ambush another team? What?"
The three fell silent for a moment or two as they each thought about the problem. It was a difficult choice. They had seen very little of their opponent's abilities, they had seen the sound ninja in action and Lee but that was about it, so ambush didn't seem like a great option because of the possibilities of it turning against them. The same went for a straight on attack. They all looked up at each other. They had all come to the same conclusion.
"It looks like the only good option is to watch and wait" Sakura said. The two boys nodded assent.
Sasuke didn't like it, he preferred a straight fight, but he would take any advantage he could and right now watching his enemy was probably the best. Naruto too did not like the conclusion he had come up with but if it meant getting beaten up less and still winning he'd go with that any day.
"Ok, so how do we do that?" Naruto asked. "There's a lot of ground to cover in there."
"We're not splitting up." Sakura said firmly. "It's a good way to scout but it'll get us killed easier. Better to keep the team together."
Further discussion was halted when a very large group of other teams arrived along with the examiner and her team. Team Seven joined the growing group and observed the teams around them.
Anko looked at the assembled teams with a critical eye. None of them looked very prepared for what she was about to put them through. *As it should be* she thought. Then she caught sight of Team Seven. She had gotten the brief just like every other Jounin and examiner about the "special" Team Seven. She studied the group carefully. The girl didn't seem all that great, it was the two boys that really drew her attention.
The Uchiha she knew by reputation as an up and coming genius. He was smart and well versed in all types of jutsu. He had also recently activated his bloodline's signature trait and had, at least in the reports from Kakashi, made great strides in learning to use the sharingan.
The second boy, the blond one, was even more interesting to her however. She knew the boy's mentor well. She had never liked the old pervert but she did admit he was a damn good ninja when he put his mind to it and any student he trained seemed to turn out the same. *Just like his father then* she mused. The presence of the nine tails inside the boy only made him a more interesting one to watch. It wasn't every day that you had a Sennin trained son of a hokage who also bore a monster inside of him as a student.
The presence of a second back pouch on each of that team's members alerted Anko to the fact that not everyone here was as unprepared as she had thought. *So the boy must have told Jiriaya who was in charge of the next exam.* An evil smile slipped across her lips. *This will be very interesting to watch.*
Anko called everyone's attention to her and began explaining the second exam for them. Team Seven's grins were the only ones to be seen as the instructor continued describing each team's mission and the rules for winning. They had been on the right track. The purple haired instructor handed out release forms for everyone to sign and a short time later they were being traded for scrolls at the small booth near the fence.
Sasuke pocketed the scroll for Team Seven, they had gotten a scroll of heaven, and together they followed an examiner to their assigned gate. They passed several of the other leaf genin teams. Lee and his team eyed them as they passed and Kiba glared daggers at Naruto.
Once they had gotten to their gate the team spent some of their remaining minutes in whispered conversation. They finalized their plan of action and discussed who they might go after. When the examiner unlocked the lock and chain around their gate they broke up and moved closer to the fence line.
The examiner watched them as they prepped for the opening of the gate. They looked like they were going to make a quick start by the way they had set themselves in formation. Muscles were tense and ready to run. *Such fools* the examiner thought, *ready to waste all of their energy on the opening dash.* His watch clicked over to 2:30 and the doors shot open.
All around the gated forest similar doors opened and ninja rushed in, all intent on finding their first opponents.
Team Seven looked no different. As their gate opened they bolted forward into the forest. But instead of continuing on they stopped, only fifty yards or so from the gate entrance. The examiner watched closely as the blond boy created shadow clones which then transformed into exact replicas of his teammates and himself. The three clones continued running forward into the woods. The real team however jumped upwards and latched themselves onto the side of a tree. A smile crept over the examiner's face as he saw what they were planning. *Make your opponent's think you've continued ahead and confuse them while you're really just waiting for the appropriate time. You're smarter then I thought.*
As he watched the team scaled the huge tree and slipped inside a natural little cave in the tree trunk. Seconds later a camouflaged cover had been placed over the entrance, sealing it completely from view. If he hadn't seen where they had gone he would probably never have found them again. *I think we can expect a lot from these genin* he thought as he re-bolted the gate and walked off, his task complete.
Inside the hidden cave Team Seven got as comfortable as possible. They had spotted the perfect place to hide just a few minutes after arriving at the gate. Deciding on it as their waiting spot first allowed them to build their plan around it. They would wait a day or so before actually heading out. By that time the ranks would have thinned and those remaining would have grown tired. Team Seven could move through quickly and pick up a scroll at their leisure. They would be fully rested and would have the advantage of surprise. Naruto's offer to send a clone Team Seven ahead while they rested up only made the idea more full proof.
Naruto had perfected his shadow clone technique to the point where they were independent extensions of himself, able to last for up to several hours if they stayed low or up to an hour moving at high speed or in combat. Once they had transformed they were none of Naruto's concern anymore. He could deactivate them if he wanted to but they retained enough smarts to do it on their own if Naruto didn't. They were as perfect as shadow clones got.
Sakura took the first watch, listening and stretching her senses carefully to detect any intruders before they got near from behind the protection of the blind. Each of them had erased their presences so as not to give away their hiding place. A blind didn't do a very good job if an enemy could sense you hiding, even if they couldn't see you.
So Team Seven rested, content to let the other teams duke it out without them. They would have their chance.
A little short but fun all the same. Thanks to all the reviewers, i've gotten some cool ideas from your posts and actually intend on using one or two here in the future. As of yet i have no idea what pairs will be, if any, so just keep guessing and speculating ; )
Jiriaya took Naruto out for food when the boy returned exhausted after the first day's test. Naruto and the other two members of Team Seven had met with Kakashi directly after the test to discuss it and find out about the location and time for the second test. After a fairly brief meeting the team broke up and headed home, they agreed to meet at the test location at one.
The old Sennin had intercepted his student and directed him to his favorite ramen stand where the boy packed the noodles away by the bowl. Naruto related the day's happenings to his sensei and then told him about the location of the second test and who the examiner would be.
When Jiriaya heard that Mitarashi Anko was the second examiner his face darkened. He had known the woman well, as she had once been Orochimaru's protege. The feisty purple haired girl had followed Orochimaru around like a love struck puppy, until the day she had discovered Orochimaru's true character that is. She had tried to stop him, to convince him to change, but had been "rewarded" with a cursed seal as a going away present from snake Sennin.
*I know she tried to bring that fool around. She went through a lot and I do feel sorry for her but I just can't shake the fact that she was the baka's pupil.* Jiriaya scowled at his ramen bowl. *One thing's for sure,* the old hermit thought, *Naruto's going to have to be on his toes around her. She always loved putting the fear of the kami in anyone younger then herself, just like Orochimaru.*
Jiriaya noticed his own pupil was staring at him and quickly put his thoughts aside and smiled. Naruto had finished his tenth bowl and would have gone on to another but the strange expression on his sensei's face and the fact that the man's ramen had gone untouched for several minutes had disturbed the boy.
"Well then we should be getting home. You'll need all the rest you can get before the next test. I think I know what the examiner is planning."
Naruto's eyes lit up at the thought of having an advantage coming into the test. "Well, what do you think it is sensei?"
The white haired Sennin fingered his chopsticks, clicking them together as he thought. "The 44th training area is one of the most dangerous training areas Konoha has" Jiriaya explained. "People call it the forest of death. It's a huge place, 20 kilometers across if I remember correctly. Big trees, river or two, and a central tower. It's most often used as a survival training ground."
"Huh, survival?" Naruto looked incredulous. "If that's it then we'll have no problem."
Jiriaya shook his head. "It won't be just survival though. You'll probably have to fight other teams along with the forest itself. Anko isn't someone to screw around with. She'll make the test extra hard I'm sure."
Naruto nodded, his former attitude washed away by Jiriaya's assessment of the test and the examiner in charge. Naruto had learned to trust his sensei's views of people and how they operated because he was usually right.
The two men, student and teacher, left and returned to their small apartment. They pulled out all the survival gear they had and began sorting out what Naruto would need. Extra weapons were of prime importance as well as ration bars and food pills. Naruto decided he would need an extra back pouch to handle all the extra stuff. He also put together two more pouches for Sasuke and Sakura. He was going to make sure his team was prepared.
The next day the team met outside the main gate of training area 44 at one o'clock. There were only a few teams there so the three sat down to discuss the next test.
"Ero-sennin said that this is probably going to be a survival test" Naruto said as he passed his teammates the pouches he had prepared the night before. Sakura was impressed the Naruto would have thought of such a thing. Sasuke took a look through his new pouch and saw that it was actually better stocked then his own. *He thought of everything* he thought as he pulled out a hand held water purifier and examined it. Only Anbu carried them to his knowledge.
"So if we assume it's a survival test then how will the other teams figure in?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura tapped her head with a finger. "Well Anko-sensei said she would cut our numbers in half or worse so that probably means that teams won't just loose because of a couple days in the forest. There will be enemies, either the other teams or the instructors."
Sasuke nodded. "We should make a plan for either case then. If it's teams verses instructors then it would be wise to join up with another team for protection. Even though it would make moving difficult it's advantages outweigh the disadvantages. But if it's team verses team then it gets more interesting. If that's the case then they'll need some way of showing that a team was beaten by another team. Markers of some sort I'm guessing."
Naruto agreed but didn't know where to go from there. "Ok, so what's the plan if it is team verses team? Do we go looking for a fight? Do we ambush another team? What?"
The three fell silent for a moment or two as they each thought about the problem. It was a difficult choice. They had seen very little of their opponent's abilities, they had seen the sound ninja in action and Lee but that was about it, so ambush didn't seem like a great option because of the possibilities of it turning against them. The same went for a straight on attack. They all looked up at each other. They had all come to the same conclusion.
"It looks like the only good option is to watch and wait" Sakura said. The two boys nodded assent.
Sasuke didn't like it, he preferred a straight fight, but he would take any advantage he could and right now watching his enemy was probably the best. Naruto too did not like the conclusion he had come up with but if it meant getting beaten up less and still winning he'd go with that any day.
"Ok, so how do we do that?" Naruto asked. "There's a lot of ground to cover in there."
"We're not splitting up." Sakura said firmly. "It's a good way to scout but it'll get us killed easier. Better to keep the team together."
Further discussion was halted when a very large group of other teams arrived along with the examiner and her team. Team Seven joined the growing group and observed the teams around them.
Anko looked at the assembled teams with a critical eye. None of them looked very prepared for what she was about to put them through. *As it should be* she thought. Then she caught sight of Team Seven. She had gotten the brief just like every other Jounin and examiner about the "special" Team Seven. She studied the group carefully. The girl didn't seem all that great, it was the two boys that really drew her attention.
The Uchiha she knew by reputation as an up and coming genius. He was smart and well versed in all types of jutsu. He had also recently activated his bloodline's signature trait and had, at least in the reports from Kakashi, made great strides in learning to use the sharingan.
The second boy, the blond one, was even more interesting to her however. She knew the boy's mentor well. She had never liked the old pervert but she did admit he was a damn good ninja when he put his mind to it and any student he trained seemed to turn out the same. *Just like his father then* she mused. The presence of the nine tails inside the boy only made him a more interesting one to watch. It wasn't every day that you had a Sennin trained son of a hokage who also bore a monster inside of him as a student.
The presence of a second back pouch on each of that team's members alerted Anko to the fact that not everyone here was as unprepared as she had thought. *So the boy must have told Jiriaya who was in charge of the next exam.* An evil smile slipped across her lips. *This will be very interesting to watch.*
Anko called everyone's attention to her and began explaining the second exam for them. Team Seven's grins were the only ones to be seen as the instructor continued describing each team's mission and the rules for winning. They had been on the right track. The purple haired instructor handed out release forms for everyone to sign and a short time later they were being traded for scrolls at the small booth near the fence.
Sasuke pocketed the scroll for Team Seven, they had gotten a scroll of heaven, and together they followed an examiner to their assigned gate. They passed several of the other leaf genin teams. Lee and his team eyed them as they passed and Kiba glared daggers at Naruto.
Once they had gotten to their gate the team spent some of their remaining minutes in whispered conversation. They finalized their plan of action and discussed who they might go after. When the examiner unlocked the lock and chain around their gate they broke up and moved closer to the fence line.
The examiner watched them as they prepped for the opening of the gate. They looked like they were going to make a quick start by the way they had set themselves in formation. Muscles were tense and ready to run. *Such fools* the examiner thought, *ready to waste all of their energy on the opening dash.* His watch clicked over to 2:30 and the doors shot open.
All around the gated forest similar doors opened and ninja rushed in, all intent on finding their first opponents.
Team Seven looked no different. As their gate opened they bolted forward into the forest. But instead of continuing on they stopped, only fifty yards or so from the gate entrance. The examiner watched closely as the blond boy created shadow clones which then transformed into exact replicas of his teammates and himself. The three clones continued running forward into the woods. The real team however jumped upwards and latched themselves onto the side of a tree. A smile crept over the examiner's face as he saw what they were planning. *Make your opponent's think you've continued ahead and confuse them while you're really just waiting for the appropriate time. You're smarter then I thought.*
As he watched the team scaled the huge tree and slipped inside a natural little cave in the tree trunk. Seconds later a camouflaged cover had been placed over the entrance, sealing it completely from view. If he hadn't seen where they had gone he would probably never have found them again. *I think we can expect a lot from these genin* he thought as he re-bolted the gate and walked off, his task complete.
Inside the hidden cave Team Seven got as comfortable as possible. They had spotted the perfect place to hide just a few minutes after arriving at the gate. Deciding on it as their waiting spot first allowed them to build their plan around it. They would wait a day or so before actually heading out. By that time the ranks would have thinned and those remaining would have grown tired. Team Seven could move through quickly and pick up a scroll at their leisure. They would be fully rested and would have the advantage of surprise. Naruto's offer to send a clone Team Seven ahead while they rested up only made the idea more full proof.
Naruto had perfected his shadow clone technique to the point where they were independent extensions of himself, able to last for up to several hours if they stayed low or up to an hour moving at high speed or in combat. Once they had transformed they were none of Naruto's concern anymore. He could deactivate them if he wanted to but they retained enough smarts to do it on their own if Naruto didn't. They were as perfect as shadow clones got.
Sakura took the first watch, listening and stretching her senses carefully to detect any intruders before they got near from behind the protection of the blind. Each of them had erased their presences so as not to give away their hiding place. A blind didn't do a very good job if an enemy could sense you hiding, even if they couldn't see you.
So Team Seven rested, content to let the other teams duke it out without them. They would have their chance.
A little short but fun all the same. Thanks to all the reviewers, i've gotten some cool ideas from your posts and actually intend on using one or two here in the future. As of yet i have no idea what pairs will be, if any, so just keep guessing and speculating ; )