Well, this is chapter three.
I tried my best to make a unique test that showcased their abilities without making them seem too powerful. I'm also trying to make all of the characters stand out, while at the same time keeping an emphasis on Hei.
I don't own Naruto.
If nothing else it was a beautiful maze. If they had to die, there would be no better place to do so. There wasn't much conversation as they made their way through the maze. Putting your life on the line for something was a lot to swallow in such a short amount of time. The other ninja of the village must be very strong if they each passed a test like this.
"How do all of these flowers grow like this?"Katsuki asked quietly, her eyes wide with complete and utter wonderment, even having grown up in a village of beauty and wonder.
"I'm sure there's sombody who comes in and waters them every now and then." Hei said, for some reason not all that shocked ag seeing something so beautiful as what could be his grave. In fact, this place felt more like home than any other place he had ever lived in. It was a strange tingling in the back of his head that sent a sensation of warmth and comfort throughout his body as if he were slowly being filled with warm water.
"That's neither here nor there." Hitomi said shortly, obviously on edge due to their current predicament. It seemed to Hei that any sort of pressure caused her to become angry and nervous. He could only guess that there was something in her past that caused her temperment to change when faced with difficulty. He would have to ask her about it later when there wasn't any chance of them dying. "What we have to focus on is getting three of those flowers before the time runs out."
"I'm sure it won't be that hard." Hei said calmly, his hands moving to cradle the back of his head comfortably "It's just a few flowers in a multiplex maze with a jounin on our heels the whole way. Nothin to it but to do it."
Without any warning whatsoever, Hitomi grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to eye level with her. Hei's gaze met fire, startling him considerably. Clearly he had pushed the wrong nerve inadvertently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a balled up fist shaking dangerously, poised to strike at any moment. He didn't make any move whatsoever to try and stop his frantic teammate from clocking him one. He only stared deeper into her angry eyes in an attempt to understand as best he could.
"Don't be so nonchalant about this...please." Hitomi managed to say through her anger. Slowly she let him go and unclenched her fist.
"I'll do my best." Hei said with a kind smile, laying a hand gently on her shoulder to comfort her. He held no ill will whatsoever, assuming that it was his own fault that he had angered her in the first place.
"You two scared me!" Katsuki interjected almost angrily, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. In the heat of the moment, they had almost completely forgotten about the bright young kunoichi that accompanied them. "Just tell me that we're all friends again and let's get going!"
The odd pair could only smile in answer as they continued on quietly.
>>>>>
The winding corridors weaved themselves in and out of each other and often times led to nothing at all. It was five o'clock by the time they finally stumbled into a large room with a small pond inside that bubbled lightly from its source underground. In the center of the pond floated a delicate looking red and orange flower that was no bigger than a clenched fist.
Hei carefully stepped toward the flower, looking out for their instructor, who could very well be hiding anywhere. While trying not to step into the pond, he reached across the clear water and over to the flower that sat lightly upon the surface.
"Hei! Watch out!" Katsuki cried suddenly, causing Hei to jump back as several kunai hit the ground right where he had been a split second ago.
Standing there serenely with three more kunai in her hand was Yumi, still smiling ever so sweetly at them. Without a word, she threw the three remaining kunai at Hei, who managed to retreat just enough to avoid the assault.
Hitomi came forward and threw her own shuriken at Yumi before flying in to attack. Yumi was off balance by the projectiles and had little time to react against the attack, but blocked the blows nonetheless, proving exactly what it meant to be a jounin.
In the background, Hei scooped up the flower and passed it to Katsuki before returning to the fray in an attempt to give Hitomi a quick break. He did, after all, make good marks in taijutsu during his academy days.
He flew forward with an outstretched fist at his sensei just as Hitomi fell back for her next assault. The smiling jounin easily caught his fist and threw him roughly to the ground without any hint of mercy.
In the meantime, Hitomi had completed a string of seals in quick procession.
"TANGLING GRASS NO JUTSU" Hitomi shouted at the top of her lungs. No sooner had she done so when the grass around Yumi's feet grew longer and wrapped tightly around her legs, all the way up to her knees.
"She's trapped for a while! Let's take the flower and go!" Hitomi said to her teammates sternly "There's no way we can beat her so this is the only chance we have!"
Hitomi backed off along with Hei and Katsumi and disappeared into the maze, trying to put as much distance between them and Yumi as possible. It seemed like each step took a little more breath after a near death experience. Their lungs were pumping something akin to insect repellant and every intake of air felt coldenough to freeze their lungs solid. Their bodies almost felt like they were resisting them. At long last they stopped for a breather.
"Hei…that was very brave of you…back there…" Hitomi said, completely out of breath from running for so long.
"You weren't to shabby…yourself…that was a great technique…you pulled…" Hei complimented in response.
"We still need… two more flowers though…" Katsumi panted heavily "but we only have…less than three hours to find them…and get to the top…"
"I say we should just…head to the top and see if we find any flowers…along the way." Hei said, standing up and beginning to catch his breath.
"At this point in time…we don't have much other choice." Hitomi said, her lungs refilling with air again.
"Then it's settled." Hei said, turning and walking down an especially colorful path "We have to do what we have to do, our lives be damned…"
Hitomi and Katsumi followed him quietly, each one walking in a slow deliberate pace. They knew that two of them would die, if not all of them. They were facing a highly experienced jounin. Yumi sensei was a killing machine by profession. It would be nothing to destroy three genin who couldn't make it through a simple test.
How do you accept your own death at such a young age? What does it take to see your life ending in front of you and continue on anyway? A thousand times they could have turned and fled, but they didn't. Not one of them could explain their reasons for pressing onward, but they did all the same. It was as if the pride, instincts, and ways of their ancestral shinobi were carrying them as if on autopilot through the winding maze up into the sky.
>>>>>
They all calmly walked onto the top floor of the maze and gasped slightly at what they saw. They stood on only golden mist that floated gently around their feet, some unnatural lights illuminating the colors from underneath the layer of dense fog. Above them shone the stars in the sky, burning their lives away while the three genin watching could only look on in awe. This place was one fit for the gods themselves, and they were witness to it.
"This is a holy site among those of Kusagakure." Yumi said quietly from the other side of the roof with her arms behind her back and her same warm smile dominating her visage "It was built as a home for the gods, should they choose to accept it. For years, no one dared to enter here, for fear of punishment by higher beings. When people finally did creep back into their own creation, the site had been surely touched by the immortals. Instead of dying, these plants grew more and more beautiful with no help at all from the people. It was a miracle of sorts. Since then, only a few have ever seen this place. Know that it is a great honor to stand where you are right now."
"We have completed the mission to the best of our abilities." Hei said, holding out the flower in his flat palm for Yumi to see.
"I see that you only have one flower." Yumi said with a smile "Since you're holding it, I'll let you decide who lives and who dies. Do hurry up, I want to get home and watch my soaps."
Hei looked dumbstruck as he turned to Hitomi and Katsuki. Both of them looked pleadingly at him while he stared down at the red flower in his hand. He looked at each of their faces for a long time, and then at his own hands.
With a final glance at his teammates, Hei turned and walked calmly up to Yumi, the flower still in his hand. Yumi stood quietly with her hands behind her back. Hei stood before her for a long time before taking the flower and crushing it in his hand.
Each second passed as if it were a day and each heartbeat could be heard clearly in their throats.Perspiration formed on their foreheads and in the palms of their hands. Now they were all going to die, and there was nothing they could do about it.
"There is no way I can decide who's life is more important than another's." Hei said boldly as the petals floated down into the golden mists below him, dissapearing forever. "I choose an honorable death with my team over a cowardly life by myself. "
"What a brash decision." Yumi said with a smile, spinning around and kicking him across the side of the head hard enough to send him spinning back to Hitomi and Katsumi. "It looks like I'll have to fulfill my duties as a superior shinobi after all…"
Before any of the three children knew it, everything went completely black, a cold sinking feeling flooding over them soon. It took a long time for their minds to stop thinking about what was happening, but they did eventually. In the end, all fades to nothingness.