Yo sorry about the not posting thing, I had a few things to get through first. Well I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for the reviews!

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Kyuubi"

(Standard Disclaimer)

Chapter 25: The Forest of Death

All the Genin teams took off in a blur the second their doors opened and their examiners gave the go ahead. Naruto's team took a blurring pace in an attempt to reach the central tower quickly. From there they could set up a base with several traps then after they captured an Earth scroll they would be close to the end.

"This is going to be cake," Naruto thought out loud as they stayed to running through the trees. Sure it was a lot of work and they had trouble sometimes with cracking branches but they managed to keep a swift and steady pace rushing through the trees. "So what's the plan oh great leader?" Itami asked with a sarcastic side glace to Naruto.

"What? Me leader?" Naruto asked, he had never been a true team leader before. "Yes, you are Naruto. Now explain the plan if you will," Zaiaku said with his calm and collected tone. "Oh, well...I was thinking that if we get to the central tower before the first day is up then we can set up camp and set traps. We need the Earth scroll and if we run into another Heaven scroll we take it, to you know weed out the competition," Naruto offered with excitement. This was the first time he was a team leader!

"That's not a half bad idea, good job fox boy," Itami said with a smirk. "Much better then...HIM," Zaiaku spoke with venom on his tongue. "Ok, who the hell is this him?" Naruto asked with an impatient tone. "He was the one who made us FAIL ALL THE TIME!" Itami yelled in anger seconds before she realized she needed stealth on this little escapade.

"Even though she probably gave our position away to everyone in a ten kilometer radius she is right. First he refused the tenth question but we solved that the second time by letting Itami give him a taste of her Sake," Zaiaku said with a smirk to Itami. She nearly burst out laughing but held it in and settled on light snickering. "The second time the idiot opened the scrolls before we got to the tower and boom we were out like lights," Itami finished.

'Wow...' Naruto blinked as he thought, 'the first time I came here I nearly did both of those things.'

Far away, in the control room of the forest of death the energetic Jounin Anko sat in her chair, enjoying her most favorite treat in the world. "AH! Nothing in the world is better then Dango," she said with a satisfied sigh. She watched the teams fall to the traps and other things in the forest, this was all to funny for her. "Oh that had to hurt," came a voice from behind her that made her jump from her seat only to slip and somehow end up under the monitors.

"Who the hell!" she screamed as she jumped up from her falling spot and glared the other person in the eye. "Eh, heh sorry about that. Just worried about my team," the Jounin said with a sheepish grin. "Oh god, not you. Taishou don't you have anyone else to bother, better yet go watch your team...FROM THE BALCONY!" Anko ranted causing Taishou to blink. "Oh yeah...thanks Anko," Taishou said with a smile and with a snap he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Anko put her palm in her head as she sat down in her chair once again. "That guy is driving what little sanity I have up the wall," she muttered as she turned her head up and watched the monitors closely. What she watched over the next couple of hours might just warrant Taishou's sudden interruption.

Naruto's team made it to the tower in record time, even topping the time Gaara and his siblings had set years before. However unlike the siblings they lacked their second scroll. When they arrived they secretly set up traps and several other insidious devices to capture other teams. Afterwards they set up their small camp and lay in wait like a spider in their web.

"God this is boring..." Naruto groaned as he lie with his back on a rock. "You've been saying that for six hours! If you're so bored go get more supplies you brainless fox!" Itami yelled her eye twitching in anger. Zaiaku looked just as tense as Itami but he held his temper and said, "That sounds like a good idea, why don't you go get some supplies Naruto."

Naruto hopped off the rock with a sigh, "might as well. Any preferences on food?" Itami twitched but didn't say anything while Zaiaku said, "nothing poisonous Naruto." Naruto put his hands behind his head and said, "well duh, I mean anything you want in specific?" After receiving two very dangerous glares he quickly made his way to gather some food. This shouldn't be hard. After all he WAS a Kitsune with excellent senses.

"Finally!" Itami said as she took a deep drink from her Tokkuri. "Indeed," Zaiaku said as he crossed his arms and sat against a tree, his mind in his thoughts. Both of them were completely unaware of the impending doom that was slowly making it's way through their traps in to their camp.

Soundlessly rushing through the forest the odd Snow team made their way directly for the camp of the Naruto team. Their steps were light and completely silent, avoiding all the traps the team had set to detect intruders in their safe little circle. The only reason they could find them in the first place was the girl screaming. Most ninja couldn't pinpoint where a scream like that originated since it ran all throughout the forest but these were specially training Genin.

"Kireru, stay back just in case we need back up," said the female as they closed in on the clearing which held the campsite. "What?" he asked in a loud whisper, "I wanted to kill him Pon!" "Kireru this is a mission that needs a touch of...finesse. You stay here while Katsu and I deal with this in a much more...tasteful method." Pon said with a domineering smirk. Kireru glared but nodded and retreated into the shadows as the mysterious Katsu stepped up. "Lets go," Katsu said with a rumbling whisper as they leapt into the clearing.

Inside the clearing of the Naruto campsite Itami and Zaiaku had little warning before two strange ninja leapt into the clearing. "Who are you?" Zaiaku said as he slowly got up from his seat. "Damn, we must have just missed the fox," Pon said with a sneer as she surveyed the two Genin, neither of them her target. "He can't be to far off," Katsu said with his dark gravelly tone.

"Hey dumb ass!" Itami yelled as she stood next to Zaiaku, "I believe he asked who the hell you were." Pon locked eyes with Itami, her tyrannic glare having no effect on the half drunk girl. Pon reached to her belt and grasped her tonfa. "We don't need to answer to you," Pon said as she drew her tonfa. "We could always use a warm up though," Pon said as she rushed Itami and held out her tonfa.

Itami blinked then simply dodged the strike, that was way to slow to be an actual attack. She watched as the tonfa spun and in an instant the hole on its end was facing her. Pon then used her thumb to press the handle of the tonfa and a loud POP sound was heard.

Itami was thrown back as a massive wall of air crashed into her from Pon's tonfa. "That was not even worth my time," Pon began but was suddenly side swiped by a large waves of metal disks. "I'll kill you," Zaiaku said as he controlled his coins to strike at Pon like a massive whip. Suddenly Zaiaku felt the rush of air behind him and held out his arm to deflect the oncoming open palmed strike.

Katsu smirked as his palm made contact with Zaiaku's heavy arm and with a swift burst of his chakra the small beads on his glove began to vibrate. They moved with such ferocity that they penetrated Zaiaku's clothes and rendered the coins that lay beneath mere dust. Zaiaku backed away holding his slightly injured arm. "I'll kill you," Katsu said with a smirk as he charged at the coin ninja once again with his palm wide open.

Pon took deep breaths, trying to get over the pain from the massive coin whip that had nearly crushed her ribs. She swiftly shook off the pain and looked around for that girl that smelled like Sake. "Lookin for me?" came a voice from her side. She turned only to come face to face with an angry Itami. Pon dodged Itami's initial punch but was a victim to her next kick and punch combo.

Pon flew back but then aimed her two tonfa at Itami, pressing the handles and sending out two large waves of sound. Itami swiftly dodged the twin blasts and the many more that followed but in time she found that she had been cornered. Oh crap this was not good. "Any last words drunk?" Pon asked as she aimed her tonfa. Itami smirked, she still had an ace in the hole. She swiftly formed ahand seal much to Pons confusion.

Katsu had rolled up both of his sleeves and was furiously striking at Zaiaku only to be blocked by a wall of coins each time. However these violent attacks did serve a purpose. As Katsu destroyed more and more coins the less of a defense Zaiaku had each time he reformed his coins into a shield.

It came to a point that Zaiaku had only a small shield separating himself from the vicious attacks of Katsu. With one double handed attack the coins were rendered dust and Zaiaku was open for attack. "Out of coins," muttered Katsu in his gravelly growl. Zaiaku panted in exertion, it took a good deal of his chakra to constantly control his coins like that but now he didn't have time to mess around.

Zaiaku held up his right hand and in a flash he had form two single handed seals. He blinked his eyes and as he opened them his left eye was pure gold with the black crossed center. Zaiaku took a deep breath feeling his chakra return to his body. His eyes stored a good deal of chakra in each eye so they could be awakened separately for long lasting attacks or all at once for a full on powerful blitz. Zaiaku smirked as he removed the black bandaged item from his back, "I may be out of coins but I weight so much less now, try and keep up."

Zaiaku spun the black bandaged object removing the bandages in a blur. When he was done in his hand stood a massive double bladed sword, its steel tempered to a pitch black sheen. Each blade was shaped with a wave edge on one side and one the other it was like a massive tidal wave like serrated edge. Nestled in the exact center of the handle that connected two blades was a bright and shining silver coin.

Zaiaku and Katsu didn't say a word but in an instant they were attacking like lightning. Zaiaku slashing at Katsu while Katsu tried to crush each and every one of Zaiaku's bones. Zaiaku parried a open palmed attack from Katsu leaving a good opportunity but hehesitated his attack when he heard a horrendous scream.

Itami quickly took a drink from her Tokkuri. She then sprayed the concoction all over Pon blinding her with the alcoholic drink. Pon dropped her one Tonfa and stumbled away trying to wipe the Sake from her eyes. Itami took this opportunity and formed several hand seals in an instant.

On the ground below both Itami and Pon a large symbol array appeared and in a flash Itami called out her attack, "Kami Hi San Mittui Hontai!" Itami opened her bright green eyes and smirked as they revealed something that was once invisible. All along Pons body there were points that slightly glowed, her pressure points.

Itami rushed in, striking with three carefully placed and very powerful hits to Pons blinded form. Pon stumbled back and found that her right arm and left leg were useless. She fell to the ground and wiped her eyes only to see Itami standing in front of her with a grin. "You bitch!" Pon growled as she grasped her remaining tonfa and pointed it at Itami.

"Whatever," Itami said as she formed a hand seal. With that deft motion the Sake that covered Pons face and clothing erupted in flames and she did the only thing she could at that moment. She screamed.

Zaiaku's pause presented the perfect opportunity for Katsu and he rushed in his palm aiming directly for Zaiaku's chest. His hand connected and with a wave of chakra Zaiaku was blown back, his shirt smoking with a hole in it from blast. Katsu smirked and walked up to Zaiaku, his body completely relaxed knowing nothing could survive that. Suddenly Zaiaku sat up revealing the gaping hold in his shirt had been backed up with two layers of coins.

As the cracked and broken coins fell from Zaiaku's chest it revealed his bare skin to the air which caused a surprised glance from Katsu. Covering Zaiaku's chest and undoubtably most of his body were several hundred if not thousands of tattoos, all of them coins.

"Well now you really have me unarmed, but not for long," Zaiaku said with a laugh as he stood up and shouldered his weapon so he had both hands free. He was just about to begin another jutsu when he heard another scream, this one caused him to stop his jutsu and rush to find the source completely forgetting about Katsu.

Pon groped her waist for her canteen of water and the second she found it she nearly broke the cap off and poured it on her face, extinguishing the flames. Pon then dropped her canteen and covered her face with her hands, it hurt worse then imagination but she refused to scream out once again.

Itami walked over to the disabled girl with a cocky stride and smirk then said, "how'd that feel cause I know this is going to be a thousand times worse." Itami formed several hand seals then raised up her Tokkuri to take a drink but just before it touched her lipsit split in half breaking the seal and spilling her Sake all over the ground.

Itami lowered the half bottle and looked to the sake swiftly soaking into the ground. She knew that with her Tokkuri gone she only had a few hours until the withdrawal kicked in andthen after that only two hours until she died from shock.

She turned her eyes up to see a new ninja, Kireru, standing in front of Pon with a smirk. "Oh did I break your precious bottle? Sorry," he said mockingly as he rushed to her then raked her stomach with his claws. This was a warning, a warning not to get in their way any more. With that he kicked her in her bleeding stomach which caused her natural reaction, a scream.

Kireru quickly gathered up the blinded and burnt Pon and disappeared in a blur leaving the shocked and in pain Itami lying on the ground, her eyes locked on her broken Tokkuri seal and the Sake that it had spilt.

End Chapter

Well how was that? Not that good I know but my creativity and thought processes are at an all time low...well time for Q and A!

Q: Chuunin Exams?

A: Ok, first off I DID mention in earlier chapters that the Chuunin Exams were held in villages OTHER then Konoha. As for the same tests and such I'm sorry I know I could have been more creative with it but cut me some slack ok. I promise I'll make up for it later.

Q: Itami + hangover Genious?

A: Well...let's just say she has more mental potential then she has access to when sob...drunk.

Q: Snow offical?

A: Oh...you'll see...you'll all see...

Q: Naruto Sexy no Jutsu?

A: ...once again you'll see!

Q: Kitsune Seduction on Anko?

A: ...I swear she'd be to insane to notice it...

Well that's it...time for a preview and then I'm gone. I promise I'll do better on the next chapter, later.

Zaiaku donned his look of thought then turned to Naruto and said, "he has to tell us his past first." Naruto sighed, he knew this was coming. He should hold a meeting or something if people are just gonna keep asking him. He took a deep breath and spilled his life story from the Kyuubi in his stomach to his tale as a Kitsune. When he was finished Itami sat wide eyed at him while Zaiaku stared at him with serious eyes.

"That's it, that's all I am," Naruto said with a confident air and crossed arms. Silence prevailed for several long minutes. In that time Itami's face went from shock to sadness as she turned her gaze to Zaiaku who still sat with the same serious gaze in his golden eyes.

"We are...similar," Zaiaku finally said with his cool and calm tone. Naruto held his position but asked, "why do you think that?"

(P.S. NO I AM NOT TAKING THE ROAD SO COMMONLY TRED BY HAVING ZAIAKU WITH A DEMON IN HIM!)