Chapter 9 - Sinister Intentions


A/N: I do not own Naruto!

I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned, please ask permission before using her!

Warnings: Contains dark themes, such as depression, murder, experimentation, emotional, mental and physical torture and mentions of sexual activities!

Please read responsibly.

Hey guys, here's the rereleased version of chapter 9! This one took the longest due to it's 16,000 word count.

Enjoy!


Silence coated the village of Konoha that night, the large spherical moon creating a soft glow on the safe streets below. Very few awake at such an hour, and for good reason, tomorrow was the day the Second Exam would take place, and many of the taking part Genin had to rest well for what would come.

Well except one, in an inn not too far from the Ichiraku Ramen shop, Akari was sat up in bed with her arms crossed behind her head, watching the moon through her slightly opened window. Despite knowing the severity of her mission, she couldn't find it within herself to sleep for the night, plagued by the deed she would be forced to act out.

Uchiha Sasuke...

Before leaving the First Exam, she had managed to sneak a peak at the black haired boy's paper, and had confirmed that he was, without a doubt, her target. Therefore, tomorrow would be the day that Uchiha born child would be killed by her hand. It made her gut sink as she closed her eyes to avoid the feeling. He was barely out of the cradle and she was going to greedily snatch his life away for her own ambitions.

She sensed the flickers of self-hatred inside herself, and huffed out a laugh, smirking bitterly at the sensation. "Oh yeah? Makes sense I guess..." She muttered to herself, shuffling down so she was resting against her pillow, one arm moving from behind her head to rest on her flat, scarred stomach. "But that's the price y'pay for your goals..."

The Ninjutsu Expert narrowed her eyes slightly before closing them. "There's no point dwelling on it. I already swore I'd do what it takes anyway..."

Her morality continued to be eaten away by the darkness seeping into her cold heart. Soon she'd be nothing more than a shell of her former self.

And she'd accept it if it meant she'd find peace.

~BHBL~

No matter how many times Akari saw it, it would always send a chill down her spine, reminding her of what was to come, and how many hardships would have to be faced to get to the end goal. Even the other shinobi, who hadn't seen this place before, felt a sense of dread and discomfort at it's dark depths, understandable, it was one of the most dangerous places in all of Konoha.

Before them stood a large forest, spanning so wide that the curve leading around to the other side was unseen due to the horizon blocking it's path. This forest was one Akari had visited once before, during her second to last Chuunin Exam. It had been a mere miracle that she was able to make it to the end at all!

As she stepped closer, finally spotting her team, she was passed by a man with long black hair and prominent lips, his voice, though warped and higher pitched, echoed in her ears, making her freeze with the familiarity. "Now I will see the results of our training..."

The Ninjutsu Expert spun round and watched the man walk away towards his own team, her eyes widened with realization. Only one person had trained her recently, and that was Orochimaru.

What the hell was he doing here?!

Anger seemed to bubble slightly under the surface as she glared after him, her teeth grinding together softly as she pushed back the feelings, in addition to the glow that threatened to overtake her. He was a selfish man, why send them on this mission if he was just going to interfer himself? What was the point?!

Taking a few deep breaths, Akari turned back to the area ahead, the Second Examiner...Anko wasn't it? Stood by the gates to the forest with a small kiyosk of sorts nearby where three Chuunin sat, waiting patiently for the exam to begin. "This is where the Second Exam will take place." Anko explained, looking at all of them one by one, zeroing in on the more scared of the bunch. "The forty fourth training area...Also known as the Forest of Death."

"This sure is a creepy place..." The girl with pink hair from the last exam muttered, within ear distance of the Oto Genin and their unexpected leader.

Akari disliked the sinister, sadistic smirk that curled the younger Special Jounin''s lips at the girl's words and grimaced herself, which could be taken as a form of displeasure towards the area itself, not her. 'God I get so many creepy vibes from this woman...'

"You will be able to experience why this place is called the Forest of Death." The Orochimaru clone stated, only to get a childish repeated comment from Naruto, who mocked her in plain sight, amusing the former Suna Jounin and embarrassing his teammates.

"There's no point in trying to scare us like that!" Naruto said strongly, smirking with all the confidence he had gained from the First Exam. "I'm not scared at all!"

'This kid...' Akari thought with a soft snicker.

Anko's smile turned brightly innocent as she tilted her head to the side slightly and closed her eyes happily. "Really? You sure are energetic." No one seemed to register what happened next. Well, aside from the two more experienced Jounin hiding among amateurs. Her eyebrow only quirked slightly and then, in a flash, a kunai was drawn and tossed towards Naruto, shooting right past Orochimaru into the ground below.

Although the attack happened over a second ago, it was then that the cut formed against Naruto's cheek and one of the Sannin's strands of long, black hair seperated in two, falling to the ground while the disguised man remained emotionless.

The Proctor was quick to move before Orochimaru's hair even got halfway to touching the floor and she appeared behind Naruto. "Boy's like you die the fastest." The poor boy was frozen with shock as Anko held his uninjured cheek and leaned down, trying to intimidate him further. "After spilling out that red blood I love all over the place."

Just as the woman went to touch the blood, she felt something behind her and pulled another kunai from her sleeve, turning quickly in an attempt to attack. However she stopped just before reaching the person's neck, looking over as the disguised snake shinobi let his tongue unfurl with the kunai held inside, offering it to her. "Here's your knife." He said, his voice still holding that familiar creepy tone, despite the change in pitch.

'Those two know each other...No one is that similar to Orochimaru without prolonged exposure.' Akari thought as she sweatdropped, placing a hand on her hip with a roll of her eyes. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

"Thank you!" Anko said happily, her eyes locking with Orochimaru's both holding a sense of warning as she continued. "But don't stand behind me like that. That is, unless you want to die young." She took the kunai without so much as a change in her facial expression.

Orochimaru retracted his long tongue and a sadistic smirk overtook his lips. "Well, I get itchy when I see blood. Also my precious hair was cut, so I got a little excited."

She watched, fueled with an alert sense of caution as the mysterious 'Genin' turned and walked away from them, amused by the events that just too place. "I'm sorry!" She said, oddly polite as he passed the pink haired Genin, who watched him like he was a deadly monster.

Even little Naruto peeked out from behind the younger Orochimaru clone. When Akari saw the boy, she actually let out a soft laugh as he tried to stretch his tongue. She could tell his thoughts instantly without having the ability to read minds, even she was startled by the length of his tongue when she first saw it. Luckily they'd sparred enough times for her to grow accustomed to it.

"It looks like there are a lot of hot-headed people here today." Anko said with a grin matched one she'd seen on the Sannin many times. Seriously, was she related to him or something?! "This is going to be interesting~"

Naruto glared at her as she turned and walked back towards the gate. "Before we begin the Second Exam, I'm going to pass these out to everyone." With a quick spin to face them, the Proctor pulled out a pile of forms from her brown coat.

"Ah, here they come..." Akari breathed, only her teammates able to hear her. But neither of them needed to question it, knowing she was a Jounin who had taken many of these exams before.

"These are consent forms." The young Chuunin explained, lifting the papers so the examinees could see them more clearly. "Those taking this exam must sign these."

"Why?" Naruto asked innocently, only a select few from the Genin unsure what the forms were for, while some of the more frequent participants understood them perfectly.

"From here on out, people will die." This Examiner may be creepy, but she was direct and honest at least. "Therefore, we need people's consent before we continue. Otherwise I'd be held responsible." Her grin and words at the end however, made her sound a little irresponsible. She even laughed.

Akari wondered how the hell someone as twisted as her managed to gain the trust of the Third Hokage. She seemed far too similar to a certain rogue from the same village. Was it possibly out of nostalgia for his former pupil?

Everyone shared looks of determination within their cells, Akari not even glancing at her's as they looked between one another. She was completely aware of the yellow eyes boring into her back but ignored them. Orochimaru could get stuffed, she didn't trust him or this mission, so anything he wanted right now could wait until later.

"Now, I will begin the explaination of the Second Exam." Anko began handing the forms to Naruto who took one, then handed them to the next person, starting a not-so-fun game of pass the papers. "To be concise, you will all go through an extreme survival match." She pulled out a large brown scroll and unrolled it to reveal that it was a map. "First, I'll explain the training area's geographical features. The forty-fourth training area is a circular region surrounded by forty-four locked gate entrances. There is a river, a forest, and a tower in the middle. The tower is approximately ten kilometers away from the gates."

Akari glanced into the gates at the lush forest sourrounded by danger, from this distance, the tower wasn't visible, but she knew from memory where it was situated.

"Inside this limited space, you will have to go through a certain survival program. The program consists of..." The Examiner cut off for effect, causing the Ninutsu Expert to roll her eyes as the proctor rolled up the scroll and put it away. "...A competition where everything goes...Over these scrolls." In addition to putting the scroll back, she pulled out two new scrolls, one dark, one light, both marked with symbols.

"Scrolls?" One of the Genin pondered out loud.

Anko lowered her hand with a swift nod. "Yes." She held out the lighter scroll for them to inspect, the symbol now clearly visible as opposed to before. "The scroll of Heaven, and the scroll of Earth." By the symbols, anyone could tell that the Heaven Scroll was the light one, and the Earth Scroll was the dark one. "You will fight over these scrolls."

She looked up at the group of examinees before her. "Twenty-six teams in total passed the First Exam. Half of the teams will get the Scroll of Heaven. The other half will get the Scroll of Earth." She lifted them for the others to get a proper look, more specifically for those who were further away. "Each team will get one of these scrolls. Simply, you have to fight over these."

"And?" Sasuke called out in question. "What's needed to pass?"

"Bring the Scrolls of Heaven and Earth to the tower with your teammates."

It was then that the girl with pink hair interjected. "In other words, the thirteen teams, or half the people here, that get their scrolls stolen will fail."

"But it needs to be done within the time limit," Anko said. "This second exam has a limit of one hundred and twenty hours." She finally slipped the scrolls back into her jacket. "Or exactly five days."

"Five days?!" The girl with blonde hair exclaimed, her fat friend interrupting her. "What about food?!"

"Scrounge it up yourself." The Second Examiner told her with a no-nonsense tone, not interested in their complaints. "This forest is a treasure box of nature. There should be plenty of food."

"However..." A familiar face called out, Kabuto looking back at some of the other examinees before facing forward towards the forest once again, his expression more than just a little serious. "There are a lot of man-eating beasts, poison bugs, and poisonous plants.

Akari took those words to mind, she'd never luckily enough, she had never been poisoned, now was not the time to find out what it felt like. Though she'd been here before, she had not been in charge of food collection, if anything, she was the long-range attack force, and was in charge of the water supply.

Here she'd have to take charge, which meant avoiding dangerous food items and creatures.

Another Genin, with long brown hair and white eyes, obviously part of the famous Hyuuga Clan, spoke after the fat rookie finished complaining. "Also, it is not possible for thirteen teams, or thirty-nine people, to pass."

"As time passes, you will be required to move more." His comrade continued for him, a rather unique individual with large eyebrows and a very shiny bowl cut. "So, the time to rest your body will become shorter." His smirk showed how much he enjoyed a challenge. "This seems quite rough."

'Heh, all the Genin here seem really eager...' The hidden Jounin mused, placing a hand on her hip with her trademark smirk, amused by their words and actions, everything here reminding her of her own time as a Genin looking to improve.

It filled her with an odd sense of nostalgia.

"And we're surrounded by enemies..." Sasuke said softly, looking around at everyone as if suspecting them of crimes unknown to even themselves. "We won't be able to sleep in peace."

Anko made a noise of uninterest and brought the conversation back to her. "People will get hurt in the process of fighting over a scroll, and those who cannot bear this program's strictness will emerge as well."

"Excuse me." Pineapple called out, raising his hand as he stood between the blond girl and the fat rookie. "Can we quit inbetween?"

"As a rule, you are not allowed to give up during the exam." The proctor's strict expression melted into a cheerful smile. "You will spend the five days in the forest~"

"Just as I thought...How troublesome."

What kind of ninja was this guy? Never had Akari known someone so lazy as to wish they could quit in the middle.

"While we're on this topic, here are the conditions that will fail you." Anko lifted a single finger. "First, a team that cannot bring both scrolls to the tower with the three teammates will fail." She raised a second finger. "Second, the team that loses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail. Also, just as a note...You are not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What happens if you look?" Naruto asked.

"That's a surprise you'll see when you look at it!" The examiner's words were filled with taunting, a tease to make their young minds curious as to what lay inside the rolled up parchment. "If you become a Chuunin, you will be handling top secret documents. It's to determine your reliability. That is it for the explaination. We will exchange three consent forms for one scroll at that hut." She pointed to the kiyosk with the three other examiners sitting inside. "And after picking your gate entrance, everyone will begin at the same time." With a deep sigh, she looked away and closed her eyes. "Here's a last piece of advice. Don't die!"

This, strsangely enough, caused a wave of determination to flood through the group of examinees, all of their eyes hardening with the severity of their choice.

And with that, everyone disbanded, either alone or in groups, to read and sign the forms. They were given a generous amount of time to make their decision. Live and quit, or take the exam and risk dying.

Akari had already made her choice as she walked over to a rock and sat down, taking out a pen she was given and writing her name, not even reading over the form. 'There's no way I'd back out now.' Just with this simple action, her serious side had surfaced and she sat there, scanning the area for any signs of danger.

Obviously, Uchiha Sasuke was one of them, he was an Uchiha, though her fire jutsu was stronger, his Sharingan made things more difficult. He could copy and use her moves against her, the psychological advantages that came with the eye weren't something to sneeze at.

Then there was Orochimaru himself, standing with what she assumed were two Oto Jounin in disguise. He was hiding in on the mission he had ordered them to ackomplish, that meant he had something else planned as well.

Just what was did he have in mind?

She could see Zaku and Dosu conversing some distance away, glancing back at her once or twice, but she ignored them. Her strength was double their's at least, if they tried anything against her, she could wipe them out. Of course, it'd take effort, they may be Genin, but they were, in no way, considered weak.

'Nothing'll get in my way...I just need that paranoid, pale, snake-eyed bastard to trust me long enough for me t'enact my plans...' Akari thought, running her fingers through her hair. 'I have t'be patient and clever about this...That's all.'

One of the examiners poked their head out from the curtain they had put up to keep the scrolls hidden and spoke loudly so the separated Genin could hear him. "It's time to trade your forms for a scroll." He then pulled the curtain closed again as they all stood or started walking towards the kiosk with determination, forming a line to collect their rolled up parchment.

When Akari, Zaku and Dosu entered the little hut, they handed in their forms and Akari was given the Earth Scroll. "This means we need t'find someone with the Heaven Scroll." She said to the others, who nodded. With a grin she tucked it away into her sleeve. "Alright then! When the exam starts, we get the scroll as soon as we can!"

The three of them left the Kiyosk and waited as Anko checked her watch, then looked out at the teams. "If you have received a scroll, follow the person in charge and move to your designated gates." As she said this, more Chuunin, enough for each team, appeared. "We will begin in thirty minutes!"

With a swipe of her hand, the Chuunin approached the groups and began leading them towards their gates. Akari noting that Orochimaru was being lead in the opposite direction, which was good news for her, the less time she spent around him, the more sane she would be by the end of this mission.

"The chance has arrived..." Dosu spoke as the three of them hovered by their gate, the Chuunin not hearing him as he spoke in a very quiet tone. "To accomplish our task."

On the opposite side of the circular region was Orochimaru, sitting with his subordinates in dusguise, waiting patiently with his hat tipped as his comrade spoke in a much creepier tone than Orochimaru could even muster. "So we're going after the rookies first, right?"

Orochimaru lifted his sedge hat slightly and glanced at the man by his side. "It seems we can kill from here on, so it will be easier for us."

He enjoyed the thought of testing Sasuke's power for himself, licking his lips at the thought of battling an Uchiha who is directly related to Uchiha Itachi, one of the best ninja from the clan.

He felt impatience bubble under the surface as he lifted his head, hearing the distant shout of Anko as she made the announcement they had all been waiting for. "We will now begin the Chuunin Selection Second Exam!"

As soon as the gates were flung open, Akari's and Orochimaru's cells both kicked off into the woods. "Find the kids!" Orochimaru ordered his subordinates at his side, who looked just as entertained by this task as their leader did.

"Those three, right?" The same one as before asked.

"Yes, the one with Uchiha Sasuke! If found, report to me immediately!"

"Yessir!"

Akari however, gave different orders as she and 'allies' jumped into the trees. "First thing's first, Sasuke can wait 'til we collect some supplies, our mission will mean nothing if we starve here!" She said, glancing back at them. "Zaku, you're on water duty, Dosu, you and I will collect a sufficient supply of food using whatever edible sources we can find!"

"Why should I do what you say?" Zaku sneered, not liking the thought of this experiment leading their group.

Kaede grinned back at him. "Because if given the chance, I can kill y'instantly! Orochimaru put me in charge, so you'll follow my orders!"

Zaku tsked, he didn't like her one bit, but knew if he disobeyed her and they failed the mission, Orochimaru would kill him without question. "Fine, but one slip up and I'll work alone!" The young teen vowed and Akari huffed, kicking off another branch as they continued to vault the forest, as to avoid any other Genin for the time being.

"You two understand that our target is one thing, right?" Dosu asked, "The annihilation of Uchiha Sasuke, that should take full priority."

The Ninjutsu Expert nodded her head with a swift motion. Her expression matching the seriousness she felt deep within her form. "I know, but if we can't find them and end up losing our energy out of hunger or dehydration, then what's the point in even trying?"

"Like you could dehydrate!" Zaku taunted, only to feel her fist slam into the top of his head. "Ow, dammit!"

"One more word, and I'll kick the crap out of you, understood?!" She was sick and tired of his attitude, repetatively mentioning a part of her life she truly wished she could forget. Since then, she couldn't come into sustained contact with water, therefore was in a permanent state of dehydration, however, it wasn't life threatening due to the fact that she could still drink certain fluids, as long as the water levels were exceptionally low.

Just then, their argument was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a scream and the three of them stared off into the direction the sound came from. "Seems like one team is already down and out..." She said, narrowing her eyes. "Keep your guard up while you're scavenging, otherwise the next ones to scream might be us."

The two Genin nodded and Akari smirked. "Alright, split up, we'll meet back here in two hours! Move out!" With that, Zaku went in one direction, while Dosu and Akari went another, preparing to collect the supplies they would need.

~BHBL~

"This is harder than I remember..." Akari muttered with irritation as she waded through the overgrowth in search of edible plants. Most of the ones she had found had been harmful if consumed therefore the pile in her arms was far smaller than she expected it to be. Already she had been attacked by a giant spider, and that thing had been really difficult to kill, infact it almost bit her, she hated this forest, it was worst than she remembered.

Of course, it had been over twenty years since her last visit here, it was bound to become more difficult and dangerous, creatures evolve and grow in numbers as years pass. She was lucky to have trained so much before this mission, otherwise, she'd be dead right now.

"I can't go fishing, so I have to leave that t'Dosu..." Akari said, looking around, she was alone right now, having sent her junior to do his new job. It was nice to be on her own for a little while, so as long as she kept within the time limit she had set, she'd enjoy some peace.

Looking around, she spotted some leaves and hummed, crouching down and checking them over, out of all the poisonous plants she'd seen, this didn't seem like one of them. If anything, it looked like a type of herb. "Agggh!" She groaned, glaring at the leaves as she picked them. "If only I'd paid more attention in the Academy! I ain't got a clue how t'check if they're poisonous or not without eating them!"

With a bundle of 'herbs' in her arms and some other things she managed to find along the way, Akari shot up into the trees and made her way back to the rendezvous point, hopefully, her comrades would be able to figure out if they're poisonous or not.

She could swallow her pride enough to ask them that, after all, she didn't want to die by the hands of an iffy plant.

Looking around as she made her way back, she couldn't find anything else that she deemed edible and landed on the branch where she had separated from her group. A kunai sticking out of the trunk near the expanse of green leaves which swayed softly in the wind.

"Yo."

Akari hummed and turned her head to see Zaku sitting on a higher wooden surface, looking rather comfortable as he held the containers he'd filled with cool water. "I found some berries that can be eaten too." He said, tossing the vine to her, which she caught quickly, with only a slight hint of surprise. "Will that do?"

"Will that do for what?" Akari asked, confused, these berries were small, they would not make a fitting snack, let alone a meal.

Zaku just rolled his eyes. "Did you lose your smarts out there in the forest?" He snapped, lifting one of the water containers. "You can't drink water, idiot! Will those berries keep you alive long enough?"

The strong ninja was both shocked and very much insulted as she glared at him, processing his words. Even if it barely worked, he got her some form of hydration. It was enough to stop her dying of thirst, therefore she was grateful.

"Heh." She huffed out, smirking as she took a berry off the vine and inspected it, glancing up at him with distrust. "How do I know they're not poison?" She questioned, suspicion dripping from her tone of voice.

Zaku rolled his eyes and mimicked her expression as he pulled out one lone berry, flicking it into the air and popping it in his mouth. With a few chews, he swallowed and stuck his tongue out with a gaping jaw, proving his mouth to be empty.

With an amused chuckle, Akari accepted his proof and slipped one of the small fruits into her mouth. "Show off~"

Though she'd never like him, she had to admit, he was slightly smarter than she first anticipated. However she would not thank him, she didn't trust any of the Oto shinobi, it was only because he gave her proof that she ate these berries in the first place.

It was then that Dosu made himself known, landing on a branch near Akari, a makeshift basket in his grasp filled with fish. "This should last us at least three days alone."

"Good work, the pair of you." The lone Jounin of their little group said, yanking the kunai from the trunk at her side, spinning it a few times before slipping it into her sleeve. "Since we have time, let's spend the rest of the day searching out another team and take their scroll...The sooner we get both, the sooner we can focus on our main goal."

Both the Genin nodded having no words against this plan. They agreed their priorities were important, but it would all be for naught if they were kicked out of the running now.

"Right, let's get moving!" With that, she kicked off the branch in a random direction, her two 'comrades' following behind, silent and quick, the true vision of shinobi at work.

They spent a majority of the day searching the forest for their victims. Their teamwork may not be perfect, but all ninja had to learn to adapt in order to be used to their full potential and being an experienced Jounin, Akari learned to do this quickly.

She hated her team, but if it got her closer to Orochimaru, she'd tolerate them as much as she could.

Suddenly she heard a sound to her left, and kicked off the trunk of a thick jungle tree, shooting off in that direction, her juniors following behind her. "I hear movement!" She told them, looking back as they kept up with ease.

Dosu closed his eyes and listened closely, his sensitive ears calculating the noises that he heard. "They sound like ninja sandals...It's a rhythmic set of steps, but neither match the other sources of sound...It's a team of Genin, and by their actions, they haven't noticed our approach."

"Perfect!" The Ninjutsu Expert grinned at the thought of getting a little exercise, the three of them stopping when they were above the team. "I'll weaken their ranks...Dosu, I want you t'secure the scroll, and Zaku, take out anyone left behind. Don't kill them!" She glared at the pair of them. "I may be on your team, but I don't want pointless bloodshed!"

"Heh, when did you become an angel?" Zaku taunted her, pulling out his kunai. "We're Oto ninja, we don't give mercy!"

"I don't care if y'kill for sport!" She snapped, grabbing his shirt and pulling him so close, he could see every form of anger in her eyes, she wasn't angry enough to glow just yet, but neither of her 'allies' were willing to risk it. "If I tell y'to spare their lives, y'do it! Got that?!"

"Guys, we've got company!"

Dosu looked at them with a stale sense of irritation as Akari and Zaku's gazes quickly snapped down to the alerted Genin below, who were making their way towards them quickly. She tsked sharply at the sudden turn of events and spun away from Zaku, diving down towards the Genin. "It doesn't matter, just knock them out!"

Zaku huffed and leaped down as well, Dosu following behind. "You don't have to tell me twice!" The stubborn teen yelled as they made contact, a full-on battle commencing between the teams.

Akari had to fight with a lowered level of power, at least the level of a rookie Chuunin, which would be difficult, she'd never had to suppress her powers before, but for the sake of the mission, she'd do her best. "Katon: Gokaku no Jutsu!" She roared, jumping back from the scuffle, inhaling deeply before spitting out a massive fireball.

The three Genin panicked and jumped away from the fireball, only for Zaku and Dosu to appear behind their separated ranks and slam their hands into the sides of their face, only to kick the other side and send them flying with full force concussions due to the shock of the double impact.

Akari then appeared behind the three of them and inhaled deeply, spitting out a sweep of fire, engulfing the lot of them, hearing their pained cries within the scorching flames. Her eyes twitched with regret as the flames died down and the three Genin landed on the ground, unconscious and burned almost severely.

Zaku and Dosu landed on one knee on the ground, the two of them straightening up as their leader crouched down and began searching for the scroll. "Your flames weren't as strong as they should have been..." The bandaged Genin spoke, looking down at her as she kept her eyes on the task at hand. "You were showing mercy."

"It wasn't mercy..." Akari told them, pulling out two useless jutsu scrolls, tossing them aside. Though she was lying to some extent, it was the truth as well. "If I showed my true power, whoever has t'clean up their bodies would see that whoever killed them had a level far beyond a Genin...If I exposed my full strength in this exam, our mission would fail then and there..." She looked up at them. "Call it mercy if y'want, but I won't risk this mission over bloodlust. If sparing my enemies is the only way t'continue this rouse, I will do so without hesitation."

Zaku huffed, rolling his eyes. She was just making excuses, and the last thing he needed was some sentimental old fool leading them.

With a little more rummaging, Akari pulled out the scroll she was looking for, however, it wasn't the Heaven Scroll. "Crap." She hissed out, her expression turning to a sneer as she stood and tossed it to Dosu. "Well we might as well take it, we can use it as a bargaining chip if necessary..."

"Like that would ever happen!" Zaku said arrogantly.

"It's better to be prepared..." Dosu interjected, pocketing the scroll. "The sun will set soon, we should find the Heaven Scroll as soon as possible, at this time, people should be getting tired."

"Dosu's right." Akari said, walking towards them, letting her sleeves fall over her hands once again, clenching her fist around the scroll she herself held within the depths of her clothing. "By nightfall, we should have a second scroll, let's get moving."

The three of them nodded with acceptance, their plan in place as they kicked off into the trees once again, their target, the Heaven Scroll.

They will not fail this time!

~BHBL~

"There he is..."

In the trees, far above three very memorable Genin from Konoha, stood the three Oto shinobi disguised as Kusagakure Genin. Their eyes locked on the young forms of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and a pink haired girl who's name continued to elude them.

They had just watched Uchiha Sasuke fighting an Ame Genin who had fled soon after being injured, the young prodigies fighting causing a stir of glee in Orochimaru's gut as he licked his lips with anticipation.

'Uchiha Sasuke...' He thought, eyes widening slightly with the excitement of battle. 'Let me see that power for myself, show me your Sharingan firsthand!'

The Sannin looked from one subordinate to the next, both of them sharing his gleeful amusement. "Let's go." He said simply, performing the seals needed for his jutsu. "Stay in hiding, for the time being, don't let down your guard, they're more in tune with their instincts than they appear."

He lifted his arm and a snake slithered out onto the shoulder of his 'ally', hissing gently in his ear. "This snake will give you the signal, once performed, use a kunai to distract them, then force them to separate."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." The more talkative one agreed and Orochimaru just chuckled darkly. His body began to melt into the branch, the look in his eyes pure evil in comparison with the innocence of the rookie ninja below.

The fun he would have with them.

Once hidden in the tree, he made his way into the ground and poked a bamboo shoot out so he could hear their words, listening in as Sasuke sat them down and spoke quietly. "If the three of us get separated, don't trust anyone, even if he looks like one of us." He said, scouting the area with his eyes, alert at all times. "There's a possibility that an enemy will transform into one of us and approach."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, nodding once.

"So, what should we do?" The pink haired Genin asked.

Sasuke was silent for a minute, looking around quickly, sensing some form of sinister aura nearby, someone was listening in. "Let's decide on a password." He said, narrowing his eyes for a moment before looking back at his allies.

"Password?" Naruto asked, not sure what Sasuke was getting at, this boy was purely working off brute strength and instinct it seems.

"If a different password is given, assume that he's an enemy no matter what he looks like, got it?" Sasuke asked, raising his hand slightly as if to explain his point. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully. First, you will ask, 'the ninja song 'Ninki?' The answer is the following..." He took a moment to remember the song, then looked from Naruto to his female comrade. "'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired and has his guard down.' That's it."

The girl had a large smile on her face as she memorized it and nodded. "Okay."

However, their less intelligent friend looked completely dumbfounded. "Can you say it one more time?" He asked stupidly, rather lost.

"Huh?"

"I said that I'm only going to say it once." The young Uchiha explained, he had a plan, but he couldn't let the others in on it, or their little mole may find out.

"Could you not remember it all?" The girl teased, smirking at the blushing young blonde. "You're stupid. I memorized it right away!"

Naruto made a soft sound of irritation, offended by her cheek. "I remembered it perfectly, too!" He demanded stubbornly, though it was a lie. "I just wanted to be sure by hearing it one more time..."

Sasuke slowly got to his feet. "I'll keep the scroll." He said as the others joined him.

"Hey, wait, Sasuke!" Naruto complained suddenly, however his words were cut off when the snake with the Oto shinobi hissed gently, tightening it's grip. Taking that as their cue, they tossed a kunai from the trees, slicing open Naruto's other cheek.

The rookies all looked towards the direction the kunai came from with alert confusion and caution. "What was that?" Naruto asked, holding his bloody cheek.

"Now!" The ninjutsu expert of the two said strongly, slapping his hands together in the form of several different seals before shooting out a massive torrent of air towards Sasuke, Naruto, and the girl, causing them to let out noises of surprise.

"A new enemy?" Sasuke shouted above the sound of the gale, however, his rhetorical question was interrupted by the wind suddenly increasing in pressure. Causing a large cloud of dust to overtake them, forcing them to either duck away from it to avoid injury, or to be swept far off into the distance.

Sasuke and the girl managed to hide, but Naruto wasn't so lucky, crying out as he was sent flying away into the darkness the forest leaked out naturally.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Once the dust settled and the wind calmed, Three sinister figures, each wearing wicker hats, and Kusa forehead protectors stood in the center, in front of a large groove in the ground they had made. In the middle was the man from the exam explanation earlier, head low, hiding his dangerous eyes, but not his devious smirk.

"You two go have fun somewhere else." He said to his subordinates, who only glanced in his direction. "I will go in alone from here."

"Yes sir!" They both said simultaneously, shooting off into the trees to find another team to kill. Leaving Orochimaru alone among the debris of his attack.

Laughing darkly, he licked his lips. "Now then..." He began walking alongside the delve he had made. "Let the games begin~"

~BHBL~

A fair distance from the place of attack, Sasuke lay crouched under a thick layer of brush, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of the new enemy they had come into contact with, armed only with a kunai at this moment. However, he heard a sound from behind him and gasped, spinning to see his female ally stood there, surprised by his movements.

"Sakura!" He said with his own hint of surprise. Why had she snuck up on him so suddenly?

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, relief flooding her voice as she kicked off towards him, only to stop when he raised his kunai.

"Stay back!" Sasuke demanded with an air of dangerous strength, glaring at her with cold black eyes. "Say the password first. The ninja song 'Ninki?'"

Sakura made a noise of realization and nodded, the password leaving her lips flawlessly. "It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired and has his guard down."

He relaxed slightly when she'd finished. "Okay." She was Sakura, only Sakura could memorize something so perfectly.

"Ouch..." The two pre-teens turned when they heard a very familiar voice and saw Naruto running towards them. "Hey everyone, are you okay?"

"Naruto, wait a minute." The pink haired genin called, forcing the young blond shinobi to halt mid-step. "Say the password."

Naruto looked a little confused for a second before placing his foot on the ground, grinning at his comrades with his usual bold enthusiasm, a boy amongst men. "I know." He said confidently. "It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when the enemy is tired and has his guard down."

Sakura sighed with relief, but Sasuke wasn't fooled, smirking he suddenly tossed his kunai at Naruto, forcing the boy to quickly turn to avoid the blade, landing hard on the ground. "What are you doing?!" He asked, an obnoxious tone of irritation coating his words.

"This time, we have someone good enough to dodge my attack?"

Poor Sakura was left out of the loop. "What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun? Naruto said the password correctly."

"That's why we have a problem."

"What?"

Naruto sat up while Sasuke tried to pry the realization out of Sakura. "Do you think he could remember such a long password?" Sakura gasped and turned to look at 'Naruto' with an alert, cautious gaze. "If I asked 'What's the password?' What do you think the normal Naruto would say?"

"Sorry, I forgot." She recited. This was not Naruto.

"And the movement he showed when he dodged my attack is different from Naruto." Sasuke clarified, his guard never down, not even when he saw the young teen for the first time. "Show your real self, faker."

It was in that moment that the confused, innocent face Naruto wore warped into something far too sinister and unsettling for his personality. Licking his lips with a tongue that was too long to be his. "I see." He said, voice dripping with malice and amusement. Suddenly he was engulfed in smoke and the figure wearing the thick purple rope belt and wicker hat made himself known. "But if you knew that he was going to forget it..." His small black irises locked onto Sasuke's own. "Why didn't you use a shorter password?"

The prodigy smirked, a standoff of genius. "I knew that you were eavesdropping on our conversation inside the ground. That's why I made a long password."

Orochimaru removed his hat and smirked knowingly. "I see. So you don't let your guard down. Looks like I can have more fun than I expected." Once again he licked his lips sinisterly, eyes narrowing with the glee he felt. Uchiha Sasuke, the only surviving member of the Uchiha clan and Uchiha Itachi's younger brother.

Just how much did this boy know? How strong was he?

The Sannin would have quite an amusing time finding out for himself. With the real Naruto wrapped up in a dilemma involving one of his larger snakes, there would be no interruptions.

This little Sakura girl was no concern either, according to Kabuto she had no recognizable skills, one flick of a kunai and she would be out of his hair.

Slowly Orochimaru reached behind him and pulled something out of the rope belt he adorned, revealing it to the others as the Earth Scroll. He laughed when the clumsy little female kunoichi gasped, revealing exactly what he already knew. "You want our Scroll of Earth, right?" He asked, mocking them as he lifted the scroll up towards his face. "Since you have the Scroll of Heaven."

Sasuke showed no outward emotion as the Rogue shinobi allowed his tongue to fall out of his mouth, wrapping it around the scroll., He slipped the rolled parchment between his lips and pushed it in until it was enveloped by his jaw. Lowering his head, he swallowed the thing whole, a remarkable feat among men, horrifying the pink haired novice, while the Uchiha brat just raised his guard further.

What else could this enemy do?

"Now let's begin..." Orochimaru started, licking the remnant saliva from his lips. "The fight over our scrolls..." He put his fingers to the bottom of his left eye and yanked the lid down slightly, showing off his slitted black irises to their view. "By putting our lives on the line."

It was in that moment that Sakura and Sasuke were overwhelmed with images of blood and violence, their deaths behind their own eyes as it ended with a kunai digging into their foreheads, causing them to fall back slightly.

The images faded from their minds and the two young children shook with the revelation of what happened, poor Sasuke staggered, breathing heavily. 'Genjutsu?' He asked, vomiting everything he'd eaten earlier onto the ground in front of him before falling back onto his backside. 'No...It was just an intent to kill! I can't believe it. After seeing his eyes, I was imprinted with an image of death.'

The child stared at Orochimaru with wide, frightened eyes, the older man not moving an inch, not showing any emotion, a cold, detached psychopath in front of the mentally sane. 'Who is he...?'

"S-Sakura..." He started, looking towards his comrade, only to stop as he noticed her sitting there, crying, unable to move an inch, unable to hear him as she kept her eyes locked on the insane Sannin. 'This isn't good...' He thought. 'We need to run! Otherwise...Only...' He looked back at their enemy, whose lips curled into a chilling smirk. '...Death awaits us!'

Orochimaru let out a deep, cruel laugh as he looked at the quivering pre-teens before him, amused by their fears, their inability to move. Mice in front of a vicious snake, baring its fangs and threatening their lives. "You can't move already?" He asked, taunts and mocking filling his already frightening tone.

No matter how much Sasuke wanted to get up and run, his entire body was locked in fear, twitching, but frozen in place. 'He's going to kill us!' He told himself, gritting his teeth in frustration. 'Move! Move! Move! Move!' The scared boy looked down at his hand as he reached towards his shuriken holster. 'Move! Move! Move!' Picking up a kunai, he managed to get to his feet, albeit slowly due to his trembling, unstable limbs. 'I don't care if I can only move a little bit...Move!'

The sinister adult before them lowered his head slightly at the sight of his foe and his kunai. "What are you going to do with that?" He asked, though there was no fear, no caution in his tone, at his current level, the Uchiha was no threat to his life.

Just those words alone had the boy locked in place once again, unable to make a single motion, his hand shaking, the grip on his kunai so tight his knuckles were white. 'I can't move...'

"Relax..." Orochimaru told him as he began walking forward, pulling out two kunai from his belt. "I will end it in a won't have time to suffer."

Silence filled the opening in the trees as he stopped and raised his arm back, aiming his weapons at their heads. "I wanted to have a little more fun, but..." The malicious man stated, sounding almost bored. "Now I'm disappointed."

With a flick of his wrist, the small daggers were sent hurtling towards the terrified Genin, and no one could prepare for what happened next. Orochimaru only had time to blink before Sasuke was suddenly on the move, taking Sakura and diving off into the trees. Blood smearing the ground where they once stood as the two kunai hit the root of a nearby tree with two audible 'thunks.'

Looking around the area, assessing the damage and the situation he came to a conclusion. "I see." He said, amusement filling his tone as a smirk curled his lips and he looked down at the blood beneath his feet. "He must have hurt himself at the last second, and got rid of fear with pain."

It was a shame he had missed that split second of action, but the proof of their missing bodies was enough so that he knew now he could freely chase his enemy without holding back. Leaning back on his heels, he looked up in the direction the boy and his teammate went with a knowing smirk.

"He's not normal prey."

~BHBL~

That was close, far too close for comfort.

Sasuke and Sakura were hidden a decent distance away from the psychotic 'Genin.' The poor Uchiha looking at the kunai embedded into his leg while the pink, useless kunoichi tried to process what had just happened. "Sasuke-kun..." With a sudden gasp, she watched as he yanked the kunai from his leg and tossed it to the side, droplets of red blood flying into the air before spattering against the dirty wood of the forest trees.

"Sasuke-kun..." She repeated, now more aware of her surroundings, the concern in her eyes proving how severe the situation was, but Sasuke wasn't having any of it. "Are you okay-" He slapped his hand over her mouth, keeping her quiet as he leaned out to scan the area, alert, far too alert for his own good.

He looked borderline frightened. 'We need to run!' He thought, his form shaking with each ounce of fear that rushed through his system, hopping him up on nothing but adrenaline. 'He's going to find us out soon. How?! How should we run?'

The terror in his eyes overtook so many of his senses, that he didn't notice anything around him until Sakura yanked his hand off her mouth. "Sasuke-kun! A snake!" She called, catching his attention, the two of them barely had enough time to dive in opposite directions to avoid it's venomous, large fangs as it dug them into the splintering wood of the thick branch they'd settled on.

"I was so upset that I didn't notice the presence of a snake...?" Sasuke questioned out loud in shock, how had he not seen that creature, it was massive. It's body coiling around a thick, unimaginably thick, trunk before it lunged at the Uchiha child without mercy.

In the way that the snake moved, he could see the deadly eyes of their new enemy and actually screamed out in fear, tossing kunai and shuriken towards the massive serpent. "Don't get near me!"

The snake let out a pained hiss as the blades entered it's mouth and sides, falling against a branch, blood spilling onto it as the creature died. He landed on another wooden surface far from the dead creature and his eyes widened in shock when the scales began to crack and split.

As if Orochimaru wasn't creepy enough, his body began to slowly ascend from inside the snake itself, like a parasite who'd lost use of its host. "You can't let your guard down, even for a second. Prey need to strain their minds all the time and run around..." He lifted his head and his eyes were filled with insanity and a sick sense of glee at their fear. "In the presence of a predator." Hell, he even went as far as sticking his overly long tongue out and wiggled it like a snake would it's own.

This man gave even the toughest men a chill.

It was then that the insane Sannin lunged forward, his legs seeming to stretch from the body of the snake. Taking on the attributes of the serpent's tail as he coiled around the trunk, making his way towards Sasuke, who just screamed in terror.

However, it was then that several kunai and shuriken came from out of the blue and pierced the bark of the tree right where Orochimaru was heading, forcing him to stop before they could inflict harm upon him. "Sorry, Sasuke!" An all too familiar voice called out as the villain raised his head to look up alongside the Uchiha in question.

Several high branches away, standing with his arms crossed and a mischievous smirk on his lips, stood Uzumaki Naruto; the number one shinobi at surprising people.

"Naruto!" Sakura called in glee.

Naruto only just acknowledged her words, his eyes locked on the events playing out in front of him. "I forgot the password."

"Good Naruto! You look kind of cool!" The pink haired genin called, she was useless in both her fighting and her words with how she acted right now. The only thing she knew she was good for, was cheering her teammates on. So that's what she was going to do.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called up to him, getting the arrogant young boy's attention. "You must have come here to show off by helping us, but don't get involved! Run!" The prodigy turned to Naruto with a look of desperate fear. "He's way above our level!"

Orochimaru smirked at the conflict that was starting to arise and let one hand drop, getting comfortable for the moment. "Looks like you defeated that big snake, Naruto-kun."

Naruto made a noise of surprise, looking at the man's bent legs, remembering how his tongue moved earlier when his cheek was scratched. 'That guy looks like a snake...' He mused, his smirk falling as he pictured the snake that attacked him in his mind. 'I see. So it must have been that guy's doing.'

While the reckless rookie assessed the situation and the Snake Master turned ever so slightly to assess him in return, the fire wielder of their little group was struggling to keep a grip on himself. Frustration taking over now that his other useless teammate was here. 'There has never been a situation where things got better when he came. What should I do...?'

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Naruto called repetitively, not knowing who he was messing with, he had missed all the action up until now. "Looks like you were picking on the weak, eh?" He shot out his hand to point at Orochimaru, not an inkling of fear in his bright, blue eyes. "Now that I, the great Uzumaki Naruto, am here, I'm going to beat you to a pulp!"

While the Sannin felt pure amusement at Naruto's words, Sasuke flinched at the heavy burden they caused. 'Crap!' He cursed mentally. 'All three of us are going to get killed at this rate! What should I do...?'

He looked from a concerned Sakura, to a confident Naruto and finally at the bringer of all this commotion, Orochimaru, as he thought over his slim options. He only had one solution that contained even the slightest hope that they would somehow survive. 'Crap...This is the only way I know of...'

Changing his eyes back Sasuke relaxed, calling out to the silent group. "Wait." The Snake Wielder hummed, surprised by the sudden vocalization as everyone's eyes locked onto the black haired genius of the Uchiha Clan. He slipped his hand into his equipment bag and pulled out the Heaven Scroll. "I'll give you the scroll." He declared, tossing it into his other hand with as serious an expression as he could muster.

Well, well the boy was drawing his last cards, so soon? Perhaps he wasn't as good as Orochimaru originally thought.

"Please..." Sasuke continued, holding it out. "Take this and leave us in peace."

A cold chill shot down Sakura and Naruto's backs as they heard their fearless comrade utter those words. "Hey, Sasuke! What are you doing?!" Naruto yelled. "What are you trying to do by giving the enemy our scroll?"

"You shut up!"

"What?"

sensing the tension, Orochimaru lifted himself up by his arm, as if sitting comfortably, smirking with amusement at Sasuke. "I see, you're smart. The only hope the prey has from a predator...Is to hand over something else to eat to save itself." The two intelligent shinobi locked eyes, a brawl without words, so to speak.

The boy didn't even honor his senior with a response as he tossed the scroll towards him. "Take it."

However, Naruto didn't allow this trade to take place as he kicked off from his spot on the wooden platform and dove at the rolled up parchment. Without giving enough time for even a beat of the heart, he grabbed the scroll and kicked off another trunk, landing beside his sensible ally.

"You...! Don't butt in!" Sasuke snapped as Naruto began to turn. "Do you understand the situation you're in?!"

It was sudden, as sudden as his last move, but Naruto didn't just turn, he slammed his fist into Sasuke's cheek, hard, sending the Uchiha back with blood dripping down his lips. The anger in the young Uzumaki's eyes and body language enough to know that he didn't agree with any of this.

When did his rival become such a sniveling coward?!

Sasuke latched onto a branch and swung around, facing the blonde rookie once again as he wiped the red fluid from his chin. "Why you...Why did you do that?!"

Naruto stood there, catching his breath for a few seconds with clenched fists, before looking up at his comrade. "I...Forgot the password, so I can't make sure of this, but..." He paused for a second, fury and denial building in his blue eyes as his words echoed through the silent area they stood in. "You're a fake Sasuke, aren't you?"

"Naruto, what..." Sakura started, her presence forgotten for a moment until she spoke up. "What are you saying?"

"You idiot!" Sasuke hissed out, anger rising in his own eyes as well. "I'm the real one!"

"Liar!" Naruto said simply, but strongly, causing Orochimaru's lips to quirk up further, this was becoming far more entertaining than he thought it would. "The idiot and coward I see in front of me right now can't be the Sasuke I know. I don't know how strong he is, but there is no guarantee that he'll let us go even if we hand over our scroll!"

His teammates were shocked by his words and logic, while the Sannin suppressed a chuckle, to avoid suspicion. This little fool was slightly smarter than he first antiscipated. How amusing.

"You're the one who is scared, the one who doesn't understand the situation."

Now Orochimaru couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped him. "Naruto-kun..." He started, the boy's blue eyes locked onto his from their widened corners as the older, wiser man unwound his legs and stood up. "You're correct!" With yet another creepy lick of his lips, he slipped into a more aggressive stance. "I just have to..." Pulling up his sleeve he revealed a symbol-like tattoo beneath it, two snakes in the middle, symbolizing his very nature. "...Kill all of you to take the scroll."

The Sannin bit his thumb with one of his dagger sharp fangs and wiped the blood over the symbol, revealing it's purpose as Naruto reacted, yanking out a kunai and running at his far more superior senior. "Don't mess with us!"

"Stop! Run Naruto!" Sasuke called out, fear gripping his heart, he's going to get himself killed!

'Damn it!' The brave boy thought to himself as he jumped up above the unfazed Orochimaru and prepared for attack. 'I've lost faith in you, Sasuke!'

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" The Snake Master called out, forming the correct signs before a large torrent of wind broke through the air, forcing Naruto back a little and destroying the thick trunk of a nearby tree with ease. The reckless rookie's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake that appeared beneath its summoner's feet, it looked like the daddy of the snake he fought earlier!

Within a beat of his heart, the snake lunged up towards him. "Naruto!" Sakura called out in fear as it drew closer, however, he just managed to maneuver out of its path, causing the creature to slam the bottom of its jaw into another large, sturdy tree instead of his small, fragile body.

The winds that whipped around him forced him to cover his face with his arms, splinters of wood from natural platform to scratch his body as they flew around him in the torrent.

As the winds died down, Naruto did a flip in the air and landed on a solid branch only a small distance away, breathing heavily. The force of the small hurricane had knocked the air right out of his lungs.

Orochimaru let out an unsettling laugh as he looked down at the little Genin trying to outfight his superior. "How cute." He commented in a demeaning tone. Mocking the boy's efforts. "What a cute prey."

Suddenly the snake's tail swung towards the branch, not giving Naruto time to react as it slid beneath it, before shattering it from below, pushing him into the air. "Naruto!" Both his teammates called out in panic as he flew further into the air, smashing through several more branches before hitting one that was too hard to break through. With a harsh gasp, blood sprayed from his lips and Sasuke felt something inside him twinge at the sight.

Naruto began to fall towards the serpent, and Orochimaru's dark smirk only widened as he realized he'd knocked the brat out. "Eat him for now." He told his pet, which hissed in response and waited for its dinner to fall closer.

Sasuke felt helpless, this was completely out of their leagues, yet there his teammate was, risking his life to keep them alive and well. Just what kind of ninja let his comrade die because of fear?!

However, it seemed the childish Genin had more in store for the Snake Master than he originally thought. Naruto opened his eyes and let out a feral noise of anger as he slammed his foot into the serpent's nose, making it shrink back slightly with the pain. Another hiss left it as its tongue flicked through the air, smelling the change in Chakra.

Orochimaru was surprised, to say the least, using his Chakra to cling to the reptile's head as it moved, unsure how the boy had caused harm to his summon. Of course, when the blonde rookie started falling towards them with an anger that looked almost wild, he saw a pair of blood red, slittled irises looking back at him, his own slitted eyes narrowing as realization shot through him within a second.

"Is this kid...?"

Naruto was quick to land on the reptile's nose, slamming his fists into it's scaled nostrils with roars of pure rage, he had truly lost it, even Sakura believed he'd gone berserk. The snake felt only slight pain at his punches, using it's tongue to flick him off, but the boy wasn't having any of it, kicking off a trunk towards the serpent and it's master once again.

The Sannin let out a sinister smirk as he raised his hand, causing Naruto's eyes to widen, not giving the child enough time to react as he blew into his palm and a large torrent of fire shot out towards his opponent, enveloping the possible Jinchuuriki in flames, causing him to cry out in utter agony before falling through many weaker branches, landing on a solid one further down with a pained gasp.

"Those eyes..." Orochimaru mused, spoken under his breath as he watched the boy struggle to move. "I'm sure of it now." This boy was the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, the ultimate weapon of Konohagakure.

Why would they put such a powerful beast in the hands of a boy who couldn't even control his own temper, let alone the beast's power. The curl of his lips that had fallen during his musing returned once again with a huff of entertained laughter.

'This is getting interesting.'

He turned towards Naruto's black-haired comrade with a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "You're next." He called out, the snake he stood on turning towards the boy. "Sasuke-kun. how will you fight?" Without giving him a chance to answer, the serpent and it's master lunged towards him, both determined to take him out.

However poor Sasuke couldn't find the strength to move, fear coursing through him, even with encouragement from a terrified Sakura.

At this rate, he was going to die!

~BHBL~

Akari was stood in a clearing, awaiting a team to pass that she believed held the scroll they were missing, her eyes scanning the nearby areas like the Jounin she was. She had heard a commotion before and chose to avoid it, knowing that her being alone would probably end with a full group being able to take her out with ease.

'I may be hot-headed, but I ain't no fool.' She thought to herself, hearing footsteps, singular, her eye's narrowed and she looked around quickly. 'Who's there?'

With a hum of confusion, her eyes locked onto the moving form of their Second Examiner, rushing through the trees with an alert stance and a hurried pace.

"The hell...?" Akari breathed out, curiosity urging her forward. Shaking her head, she ignored the urge to follow and continued her task. "She's probably searching for any dead or fatally injured examinees. I can't get distracted out here, it'll get me killed."

With a sense of her former kunoichi attitude, she moved through the trees, continuing her pursuit of another scroll.

~BHBL~

The dust cleared from the snake's movement, both Sasuke and Sakura staring in shock, while Orochimaru was mildly surprised by the sight. In front of the large serpent, with two kunai sticking out if it's tank-like scales, stood Naruto, using all his strength to keep the beast at bay, able to stop its attack before Sasuke was harmed.

"Hey..." The brave young blonde rasped out, breathing heavily from over-exertion. "Are you hurt..." Naruto raised his head, Sasuke seeing nothing but red eyes and sharp teeth. "...Scaredy-Cat?"

The Uchiha Genius couldn't speak due to shock, staring at his friend as he remembered a time when he once called Naruto that. Had the tables turned? Was he the scaredy-cat now?

"This idiot and coward I see isn't the Sasuke I know." His friend said, those red eyes and tone speaking volumes of disappointment and annoyance.

However, the distraction this conversation caused gave Orochimaru an opportunity to wrap his tongue around the boy's arms and torso, yanking him up above head level, rendering him immobile.

"Let go!" Naruto demanded, wriggling, thrashing and struggling uselessly to break free. "You snake bastard!"

The Snake Master had to chuckle at those words, the image of one other defiant, hot-headed fool he knew coming to mind. She even looked a little like him too, spiked hair, obnoxious sense of determination, even their language was the same. How amusing.

Pulling Naruto close, he took a good look at him. 'I'm surprised that the Kyuubi kid is still alive.' He thought as he formed a sign with both his hands and moved a little closer to the struggling pre-teen. 'So he got excited emotionally, and let a part of the Kyuubi's power leak out..." Moving one of his hands to his wrist, he turned the other and a small purple flame sprouted out of each of his fingertips. 'He has grown in an interesting way.'

Naruto was just able to see the man use his tongue to lift his shirt, revealing a strange tattoo of sorts against his stomach. 'See?' Orochimaru mused silently, looking down at the markings. 'Your seal has surfaced.'

The boy shook as he finally stopped his thrashing and watched as the Sannin reared his arm back. "Gogyo Fuuin!" He called out, slamming his five fired fingers into different points of the seal. Naruto gasped from the sudden impact of his touch while the embers turned to steam which hissed out of the points the Otokage had touched, burning new symbols into the permanent mark on his stomach.

"Sasuke-kun! Please help Naruto...!" Sakura called out, her voice high with fright, unable to do anything herself as the boy fell limp in Orochimaru's grasp, his eyes returning to their usual blue.

Sasuke wanted to help, he really did, each and every word or action he heard that involved the events happening right before his eyes chipped away at his fear, he needed to move. Now!

'Twelve years have passed since it has been sealed.' Orochimaru thought, staring at his victim. 'Naruto-kun and the Kyuubi's Chakra are starting to mix together with each other.' Noticing something in the boy's pouch, he reached in and his sinister smirk widened as he pulled out the Heaven Scroll.

It was no surprise that he could take it so easily, after all, this boy had snatched it before, and was too foolish to pass it to one of the others before being captured. Despite this, Orochimaru had to praise his courage, even the genius he'd sought out was currently quivering with fear, while Naruto had openly attacked him, without a care for how strong he was.

'But you're in the way right now.' He thought as if speaking to Naruto himself. Using his tongue, he tossed the Jinchuuriki behind him without so much as looking back, knowing he would hit the tree behind him, and not caring one bit.

However, Sakura finally managed to make herself useful as she pulled a kunai out of her pouch, tossing it towards her ally. "Naruto!" The blade caught his jacket and hit the tree with a 'thunk' keeping the boy suspended there, safe from falling for the time being.

Relieved to have saved him, the pink haired Genin turned to the remaining member of Team Seven with hard eyes and a harsh tone. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" Her eyes widened when she saw the state of turmoil he was in, stuck between fear and duty, friendship and survival. Tears filled them and her eyebrows knit together with aggravation. "Naruto is different from you, Sasuke-kun...He's dumber, and a nuisance sometimes, but..." Her expression turned sharp once again, she wasn't having this now! "At least he's not a coward! Right?!"

Her words actually managed to reach the boy and he closed his eyes, shaking as memories of the man he wanted to kill, his brother, passed through his mind.

"No!" Suddenly his eyes opened and two red Sharingan were visible, the resolve in them causing Sakura to relax slightly. There was no way Sasuke would be beaten by Naruto, that wouldn't aid him in his ambitions at all!

Orochimaru met his gaze and huffed slightly with amusement, his curious frown turning to a slight curl of one side of his lips as he spotted the doujutsu he had wanted to see from the start. 'He is definitely part of the Uchiha Clan.' He mused, glee flooding his nerves. 'His blood must be making him excited.' Now he could really have some fun.

"I will take my time and see how strong you are."

The psychotic 'Genin' let out a dark laugh as he called back his summon, which vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the man to fall onto the branch, landing perfectly on both feet. However he didn't just straighten up, he stretched out his arms and hunched forward slightly, intimidating and ready to fight.

Sasuke took this as a sign for him to prepare and slipped a kunai between his teeth, his determination unwavering as he rushed forward with his arms behind him, picking up speed as he drew closer to his enemy. The Sannin let out a burst of chakra, preparing for any jutsu he'd need to defeat the boy as he jumped above him in rough spin-like motions, tossing several weapons down as he did so.

Orochimaru dodged them without effort, his lips curling back to show his white fangs, amused and not even remotely serious. This gave the boy the perfect opportunity to land on the trunk of a tree and kick off, infusing his jump with chakra so he would fly further, a roar of might leaving him as he hurtled towards the target.

His enemy couldn't deny the boy's speed as he blocked his kicks and tried to attack him as he flipped overhead, showing the true strength he held within. With a backflip, he landed a fair distance away from the Snake Master, who moved forward in a zigzag motion with such speed, Sasuke was only just able to keep up with his Sharingan as he too rushed forward.

The two fighters met in the middle with a flurry of kicks and punches, blocks and blows heard and felt by all those watching as they matched each other punch for punch, kick for kick and speed for speed.

Orochimaru had to admit, this is far more power than he thought the hatchling would have, considering his young age and fearful disposition earlier. Perhaps with a little training, he would surpass his brother and become the true genius of the Uchiha Clan.

Jumping into the air he landed behind Sasuke, only to use extreme speed to vanish out of sight, leaving the boy to use the power of his eyes to find him as the Sannin rushed towards him at a pace even the Konoha Jounins would struggle to achieve. Slithering through the trees without a breath between, his legs transformed into the tail of a snake and he dove up, slamming into the ground where the boy had been.

Oh ho, he evaded his attack pretty well.

Sasuke skidded to a halt nearby and blew out several strong fireballs at Orochimaru before taking a deep breath and exhaling a large torrent of fire, finishing off his combo.

The man could only grin as he covered his face to shield himself from the heat, quickly forming seals, the man fell into the tree before digging his way towards the young Uchiha, bursting out and swiping at him, as if to grab his ankle. However, Sasuke was quick to jump back, staggering before the dust settled and the two of them exhaled, recreating their alert battle stances.

'Pretty good.' Orochimaru thought silently watching his opponent's movements. 'He was able to predict where I was going to move, and attacked accordingly.' Black slitted orbs locked with red patterned ones. 'He must be able to see me.'

Neither of them had noticed the sky beginning to turn a burnt orange as the sun started it's descent into a twelve-hour sleep, letting the moon take its place in the sky. Soon Sasuke and the others would lose visibility and the Snake Sannin, a natural ruler of the night, would gain the advantage.

With a noise of strength, Orochimaru formed a sudden seal and hit the ground, causing large fragments of wood to crack and rise up as potential daggers, which Sasuke reacted to quickly. bounding up into the air with all the force he could muster, diving off the pointed top of the branch as the jutsu followed him, stopping when the branch cracked and fell like a chopped tree would.

The young genius hit the branch above his enemy's head and kicked off, grabbing the man who called out in shock and sending them both hurtling down towards a larger wooden platform below them. The distance so vast, whoever hit the ground first would not survive!

"I got you!" Sasuke called, being the one to use this move, he would be safe as long as his head didn't hit the floor. However Orochimaru wasn't so lucky, his skull slammed into the wood so hard, it reverberated and his entire body locked up with a shock of his nerves.

Then within a moment, his arms sagged and Sasuke jumped back, away from the body, allowing his legs to fall too. Watching, the corpse trembled and shifted, only to smirk stiffly before collapsing completely, turning to mud.

It wasn't Orochimaru!

"A replacement?!" The boy exclaimed with a surprised tone, only to hiss as something sharp sliced his cheek, forcing him to turn towards the weapon's owner and perform a series of flips to avoid the many more projectiles coming his way. With a gasp, he noticed the edge of the branch coming up behind him and jumped off, pulling out wires and attaching them to a lower natural platform, using them to swing around and land on the wooden structure further down safely.

Still a novice, Sasuke looked behind him to see if Orochimaru was following, unaware that he was actually in front of him, running at him with high speed. The pre-teen made a startled noise and turned only to receive a heavy blow to the face, followed by another and another before he was sent hurtling back with force, landing hard on his side a mere few meters away.

Orochimaru relaxed slightly, hearing the shrill whine of the pink haired child above. Slowly walking forward, he laughed cruelly, watching the barely moving form of his prey. "That was too easy." He said sinisterly. "You're not living up to the name of Uchiha." Little did he know, there was a small surprise awaiting him. "Oh well. I'm going to slowly beat you, and then kill you...Just like a bug!"

Sasuke sluggishly opened his eyes and hid a smirk as the small bombs clinging to Orochimaru's clothes exploded, forcing his superior opponent to fall forward. Without waiting even a second, the boy dove into the air and tossed several shurikens attached to wires, which whirled in the air around him.

"This is..." The psychotic Sannin started, looking around as Sasuke moved the wires and shuriken with his teeth and hands. "Sōfūshasan no Tachi!" Of course just as he was about to move to avoid them, a hard tug was given and the wires tightened around him, forcefully pinning the older man to the tree at his side.

From this angle, he could see Sasuke and his movements, but even a slight shift of his own may result in the wires cutting his throat and killing him. Watching the boy form seals, he could do nothing as he exhaled fire onto the thin, bendable metal between his teeth, sending a dragon made of burning embers towards him without mercy.

All that was heard as the fires hit their target and broke through the tree were the agonizing screams of a man who was being burned to a crisp.

"He did it!" Sakura rejoiced as she watched the event play out and the fire slowly dims down into nothing, leaving a motionless figure behind, only standing by his wire prison. Sasuke relaxed then, letting out an exhausted gasp as all the fires died down at last.

Sakura ran down to his side with a gleeful smile. "Sasuke-kun! You did it!" But the boy wasn't as happy, only just able to stay standing. His enemy had been powerful, pushing him past all of his limits just to end his life. "Are you okay? Get ahold of yourself."

'It looks as though playing dead was the right choice...' Orochimaru thought as he yanked himself free of the loosened wires and walked forward, slapping his hands together with a glare as his purple accented eye was revealed by the burned mask that was slowly melting away.

This motion and that one yellow eye left the two children frozen, Sakura falling to her knees with the numbness she felt. His own form of Genjutsu, now they were completely at his mercy. "I'm impressed that you can use your Sharingan so well at your age." He called out to them, smirking darkly as his voice transformed, returning to the creepy, hoarse tone he usually held. "You live up to the name Uchiha."

"I want you after all." Were the words that sent a horrible shiver down Sasuke's spine as the man uncovered his Oto symbol he had hidden on his forehead protector.

Sasuke let out a roar as he tried to break the paralysis, but it was ineffective.

"You two are definitely brothers. Your eyes say that you carry more potential than Itachi."

Ther boy froze up. How did he know about Itachi? "Who are you?!"

The strange man tossed their former Heaven Scroll into the air and caught it, his sinister eye holding more knowledge than Sasuke could fathom. "My name is Orochimaru. If you wish to see me again, get through this exam as if your life depended on it." Suddenly the scroll burst into a ball of green flames.

"The scroll!" Sakura gasped.

"In other words, you'll have to defeat my subordinates, the three Oto ninja."

"What nonsense are you chattering about? We never want to see your face anymore!"

Orochimaru could only snicker at Sakura's naivety. "It doesn't work that way." Forming a sign, his head suddenly rose up as if made of elastic and shot towards Sasuke. Unable to move, the man bit into the boy's neck and a noise of pain left his victim and he twitched involuntarily.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Letting go with a grin, the cruel man reeled his head back in and a mark appeared on Sasuke's neck, causing him to react as if it was burning, excruciating pain rocketing through his nerves. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out, worried for her comrade and obvious crush. "What did you do to Sasuke-kun?" She snapped, giving Orochimaru a glare he found purely amusing.

"I gave him a farewell present." The mysterious man explained, his fingers pointed up, Shunshin no Jutsu. "Sasuke-kun will seek me. He will seek me for power. It was fun being able to see a lot of your moves." He began to melt into the ground, a Shunshin Sakura had never seen before.

And then, like that, the stranger was gone and Sakura had to protect both of her comrades in a forest filled with death.

~BHBL~

Akari stood before three unconscious Genin, holding the Heaven Scroll they had been missing. The night was almost upon them and she had spent the last few hours searching them out, before taking their precious parchment with little hesitation.

Though she felt a sense of guilt as she looked down at their burned, pain addled forms, she knew if she hesitated even once, it would end in her demise. "Sorry kids." She said quietly, pushing away her morality as she pocketed her prize and stretched her arms out over her head, looking up at the forest trees as the orange light touched them. For those who enjoyed the beauty of small things, like she did, this sight made her grin boldly.

After being locked up for so long, she appreciated these little moments that made the world truly beautiful. With the lighting, the forest almost looked like it was on fire, and it was gorgeous. "Heh, too bad it didn't take us long to get the scrolls." She said, hearing her comrades approach as they landed beside her, looking irritated at how long she took. "I could stay in this forest for a few more nights before that sunset would get boring~"

"You know why we can't leisurely take our time." Dosu told her with a serious tone, almost like he was scolding her, which was met with a brown-eyed glare. "Since we have our scrolls, we can start the attack tomorrow. We have to kill Uchiha Sasuke, no matter what."

Zaku laughed and walked over to the unconscious Genin, kicking one of them in the head, hard. "Heh, like that's going to happen with this wuss in charge!" He taunted, hearing a huff of irritation from his 'leader.' "If she can't even kill these little scraps of trash, how is she going to finish off someone like that?"

She moved quickly, pinning Zaku to a tree with her hand clenched into the collar of his shirt, if she looked any more ferocious, her skin would glow. "Don't underestimate me, brat." She warned, her sharp words filling the air full of tension. "I could kill y'right now if I wanted to."

"Prove it!" He said, his tough act really starting to piss her off, her skin looking just a little brighter.

"Stop it, the pair of you." Dosu spoke, pushing Kaede away from Zaku, who fell, landing on his ass with a curse. "If you fight, we'll draw attention to ourselves and we'll become targets, especially with three scrolls." He stepped back and Akari ground her teeth as her anger began to subside, her skin returning to its normal bronze hue.

"Fine." She snapped with a tsk, running her fingers through her hair. Her anger was getting worse, she had noticed since the start of the exam she had quite a few little moments where she nearly lost her cool and revealed who she was.

She needed to calm down and think about this rationally, if she had killed Zaku, they would be at a disadvantage and they would fail at their mission. 'Keep it together. I ain't some weak kunoichi who can't keep a lid on her emotions.'

Shaking her head, she looked at her comrades and crouched down, the three of them settling as she drew out a plan of attack in the dirt, tonight, they would prepare.

Tomorrow...They would destroy their target.

~BHBL~

Once the night had fallen and the forest grew silent, the sound of shifting matter was heard and Orochimaru slowly peeled himself from the ground, standing in a quiet area far from any of the other teams. Due to his lack of seriousness, that boy had harmed him, even if it was only slightly.

He needed to sit back and rest his body in case of any other attacks. He shifted the remainder of his form that was still within the wood upwards until he was hanging upside down in the tree and sank in further so he was settled.

'Even though I have a secluded place to rest, I can't let me guard down.' He thought, knowing that he would soon be found out, one way or another. 'I didn't exactly hide the evidence of my attack. Soon I will be approached by Konoha shinobi. Even if I rest, I have to keep myself alert for any sort of movement.'

And of course, he was right as he heard a ninja move through the trees in that moment, before stepping towards him. Slowly opening his eyes, the upside down sight that met him surprised him to say the least and this time he couldn't help the twisted smile that curled his lips. "It's been a long time...Anko."

If there was one thing he wasn't expecting, it was his cute little student coming back to end his life.

"You are an extremely dangerous S-Ranked wanted criminal," Anko explained flatly, without emotion. "That's why I'm going to kill you, even if it costs me my life." With a gentle flex of her fingers, four sharp acupuncture needles shot out of her sleeve and she caught them. "It's my job as your former subordinate who learned everything from you, right...Orochimaru?!"

He couldn't hide the glee he felt as her expression went from serious to harsh, his words tipping her over the edge. "You can't." He said simply, which in turn, lead to her moving back to toss the needles at his vital points. However, though he couldn't move his tongue still could. The large muscle shot from his mouth, knocking away all the little pins before slamming into the ground at Anko's feet, forcing her to jump up out of the way to avoid harm.

Just as she landed against the vertical trunk, using chakra to stick to the surface, she let out a gasp as the tongue followed her up and coiled around her arm, pulling her down towards the ground. Anko managed to land expertly on the wooden natural floor as the muscle continued to retract, and flexed her hand, pointing her fingertips at her former sensei. "Hidden Snake Hands!"

Four strong green snakes lunged from her sleeve and slammed into the bark of the tree around Orochimaru. "I won't let you get away!" She ground out, yanking her arm back and forcing the man to emerge from the tree using her four snakes. As he hurtled through the air, she controlled his movements with her serpents and slammed his face into the ground before swinging him into a nearby trunk, where he stood motionless for a second due to the shock of impact.

Pulling back the summons with no hesitation, she rushed Orochimaru and slammed her hand against his, piercing them both with a kunai before giving him a pained grin. "I got you." She said confidently. "Orochimaru, I'm going to borrow your left hand."

Without waiting for permission, she used his hand to create a sign, which Orochimaru knew but didn't respond to, oddly, only surprised that she would use this jutsu. 'That seal is...' He looked at her with an eye that said it all and she just gave him one of his own malicious smirks as a response.

"That's right. You and I are going to die here."

Taking a deep breath, she began the jutsu, only to freeze up when she heard Orochimaru's voice somewhere in the distance, an eerie disembodied chuckle that shocked her to the core. "Are you trying to commit suicide?"

She heard movement behind her and didn't have to turn to know that Orochimaru appeared from the roots beneath her feet, standing there, she let out a soft gasp as his overwhelming presence surrounded her. Truly he was the predator and she was the prey.

And the prey made one fatal error, she turned her back to her attacker. Soundlessly she looked behind her and the sinister snake took hold of his mask, ripping it off to reveal his usual white flesh beneath, accented with purple and topped off with a gleeful grin that sent unsettling chills down her spine.

"That's a replacement." He told her as the moon shone down upon them, giving him an unearthly, dangerous look which frightened her almost as much as his words. She quickly looked around and watched as the body she had pinned turned to wet mud and her former sensei laughed at her stupidity.

Feeling a sense of regret and disgust in her own impatience she looked down and ground her teeth. If she had thought this through, she would have seen the signs. Orochimaru wasn't so weak as to be defeated this easily, even after battle. She should have known that first hand, but she had just been too scared.

It was Orochimaru that returned her attention to him. "You're one of the village's Special Jounin..." She tsked and stepped back as he made his way towards her slowly. "So don't just use the Kinjutsu I taught you." She spun to face him and yanked the kunai from her hand, hurtling it at her opponent in hopes of slowing him down.

However, the man, keen with his senses and strong beyond his many years, caught it without so much as a bat of his eyelids. "I told you that it's useless." With a raise of his hand forming a two-fingered sign and a noise of strength, he forced chakra into the mark on her neck, activating it, causing her severe pain and inhibiting her movements.

He only had to glance at the weapon to know it was of no use to him and dropped it without a second thought, smirking all the while as he walked over to her, standing before her trembling, trapped form. "Why did you come...?" Anko asked through gritted teeth.

"We haven't seen each other in a long time, but you're treating me so coldly," Orochimaru spoke with sarcasm, not even trying to sound hurt, he couldn't care less what she thought, but the idea of taunting her even now was too tempting to pass up.

"Did you come to assassinate Hokage-sama?" She pressed on, ignoring his obvious attempt to steer away from the topic. This man would spill his secrets, she'd be certain of it.

The man could only laugh as he shook his head. "No, no." He lied. "I still don't have enough men to do that. So, I was planning on 'reserving' some outstanding ones in this village." He watched as Anko's pain increased and she dropped to her knees. "I just gave someone that cursed seal as a present a while ago."

It was unnerving her greatly that he would openly speak his plans, but what unnerved her more was how comfortable he was as he crouched down to her height, knowing she wouldn't have the strength to kill him. He was confident in his abilities, and he had every right to be, being one of the three Legendary Sannin.

"There's a boy I want." the madman said with a sinister, hushed tone as if telling her a secret.

Anko tsked and glared into his eyes, she feared him, yet opposed him, like many he met, she was nothing special. "As usual, you do what you want...But that boy is going to die!"

"Yes, there is only a ten percent chance that he'll survive. But he might be like you and not die."

She smirked at his words. "You seem quite interested in this boy." If she could kill him, his plans would be foiled. Even if this boy was Konoha's comrade, sometimes sacrifices had to be-

Her thoughts were cut off in fear as Orochimaru raised his hand and cupped her cheek, stroking it as if with affection, even though all it was, was another of his taunts. "Are you jealous?" He teased. "Are you still angry that I used you, then cast you off like trash?"

When he removed his hand, her expression harshened once again, she hated how easily he could manipulate her fear. "Unlike you, he seems like an excellent shinobi." The Sannin continued, making sure to really grind his foot down on her feelings. "After all, he is the boy that carries the abilities of an Uchiha." Oh the grin that spread across his lips was more disgusting than any of his words. "His body is beautiful, and he is capable of becoming my successor." He rose to his feet once again. "If he survives, things will become interesting."

Spreading his arms to emphasise this, he just looked down at his former student like the garbage she was, not even remotely worried about the threat she could be. "Whatever you do, don't cancel this exam." Then he turned and walked away. "Three from my village are under your care."

He paused with a hum, as if remembering something important, looking at her over his shoulder, a single eye fueled with amusement caught her attention. "Oh, and one of them is like you...A subordinate whom I teach. However once again, unlike you, she is an excellent kunoichi..."

Anko's eyes widened in shock and she watched the man continue on his way. "I'm going to enjoy this." Suddenly he vanished in a ball of purple flames. "If you take away my joy...It will be over for the village of Konoha."

Not only was Orochimaru trying to corrupt one of Konoha's young Genin, but he had another who he was training, someone who by his words, far exceeded her power when she was being taught.

Just who was she, and what was Orochimaru's full plan?!


A/N: And that's the end of that! Originally Chapter 9 and 10 were one full chapter, but I thought the word count would be far too high, so I split it. The next chapter will feature more of Kaede and her team, and less of Orochimaru. We'll finish the Second Exam in that one!

Thank you for reading!

Japanese = English

Kuchiose No Jutsu = Summoning Technique

Sōfūshasan no Tachi! = Sharingan Controlled Triple Windmill Blades!