I~~~~I
Naru took a couple minutes to break down all she knew, before she finally decided on just going with the flow. Honestly, if the Sandaime wanted to put Anko in charge of the Second Exam, Naru had no say in the matter. At the very least, no one else would be expecting such a thing.
The fact that they would be holding the Second Exam in the Forest of Death only solidified Naru's thoughts on the matter. The Kunoichi had heard from Genma, Raidou, Iwashi, and the others over how bad Training Ground Fourty-Four was. Genma had often recalled tales of the Training Ground when it was once repurposed for the Jonin Examinations. Seems like they decided putting children through that hell zone was better than seasoned shinobi.
Akihane turned toward her teammates, the three of them walking toward Training Ground Fourty-Four, AKA The Forest of Death, in a sullen silence. Sakura was still confused over Sasuke's reverence of the Second Proctor, and didn't much care for what Naru thought of the woman.
"So…Why are you so worried about the Proctor Mitarashi, Sasuke-Kun?"
Sakura finally questioned her crush, Naru glancing to the Uchiha to watch his face contort from a scowl to a grimace and back to a scowl.
"She'd insane, Haruno. Mitarashi Anko is the top of the food chain when it comes to eccentric Konoha Nin, I have no doubt about that."
Sasuke sighed and stuffed his hands into his short pockets, gazing ahead with steely black eyes.
"When I first met her she was chasing Akihane around Konoha while through Dango Skewers at her…" The Uchiha's hands clenched as he remembered, Akihane sighing herself.
"It was training, Sasuke-San." Akihane tried to cover the whole situation, only for Sasuke to turn his glare in her direction.
The Uchiha's mouth snapped closed, before her commented at her through gritted teeth, "Oh, so when she finally caught you and groped you in front of me, that was training!?"
Akihane's cheeks flushed, the albino turning away as she raised a hand to rub against her neck, ignoring the shocked look from Sakura directed at them both. "N-No Sasuke-San…"
The Uzumaki replied meekly, her Uchiha 'protector' huffing as his own cheeks flushed at the memory, his gaze turning straight ahead while he idly warned Sakura.
"Just stay away from Mitarashi, Haruno."
I~~~~I
Upon arrival at The Forest of Death, Akihane felt a cold shiver go down her spine.
When the blonde Uzumaki looked around for the source of such a reaction, she ended up face-to-face with a grinning Mitarashi Anko.
The Tokubetsu Jonin had grasped at her shoulders, her eyes closed in a damning smile that sent most of the arriving Genin stumbling backward.
"Hello Naru-Chan~."
The Jonin spoke in a sing-song tone, drawing out the two syllables of Naru's name. Akihane merely sighed and offered her own reply to the woman holding her tightly.
"Hello, Mitarashi-San."
Anko huffed, switching herself around so Naru's back was pressed against her chest, her hands ruffling Naru's bound spikes.
"Oi, don't make me feel old Gaki. I'm younger than that Sensei of yours, you know."
Akihane nodded at Anko's refusal over her addressing of the woman. The routine was a similar one, having happened many times over the years Akihane knew Anko.
"Sorry Anko-San."
Anko rolled her eyes, jabbing the Uzumaki in the shoulder as she spun away, avoiding a Kunai sent her way by a murderous-looking Uchiha standing behind Akihane, hand outstretched.
Anko smirked at the Uchiha, twisting to avoid another Kunai launched at her, catching the other as she waggled her right index finger at the Genin.
"Now, is that any way too great a Proctor, Minicha?" (1)
Sakura was quick to grab Sasuke's wrist before the Uchiha attacked again, Akihane stepping back so she was closer to her teammates.
Anko raised a brow at the three of them, all huddled together in a protective formation, before she sighed.
"Geez, what has Hatake been teaching you? I remember when Naru-Chan used to be so cute and innocent, all too interested in learning my methods. Now you are so hostile."
The Jonin seemed to pout, a gesture Sakura found strikingly familiar to Akihane's own face after Sasuke teased her about her horrid skill with Fire Style.
A shiver slipped over Sakura's back as she realized that Naru had to have learned the look from the woman before her. If one Naru was too much for the fangirl-in-reformation, than an older Naru copy was much worse.
Still, even Naru's older copy didn't match the creepiness of the Kusa Nin suddenly appearing behind Anko, tongue outstretched with Sasuke's Kunai held loosely by the slimy flesh right over Anko's shoulder.
Anko seemed to adopt a pained expression, Sasuke's face twisting into a sneer of disgust while Akihane and Sakura shied away.
"You dropped thisss…"
The hiss coming from the woman's mouth itched along their skin, goose bumps rising as Anko took the weapon, her eyebrow twitching in disgust as the Kusa Nin pulled away.
"T-Thank You…"
Anko offered, Sasuke grabbing onto Naru, tugging her against his side.
The gesture drew the attention of the elder Kusa-Nin, the (female?) shinobi's eyes glinting as they accessed the closeness.
The Kusa Nin pulled away completely, leaving behind many freaked out Genin, those who had the first hand encounter and those who simply witnessed the odd event all quietly making a vow to ignore that damned Kusa Team.
Anko, regathering her bearings, turned toward the others.
"W-Well…Anyways!"
Anko's smile broke out full force as she tossed the kunai at Sasuke, the Uchiha allowing it to land at his feet with a twitch of his nose, before the woman tugged out a paper from nowhere.
"Congrats on making it to the Second Exam in The Forest of Death, or Training Ground Fourty-Four. As of right now you all are able to continue, but you have one small thing to do…"
The woman held the paper before her, smirking at every one of the Genin before her.
"You have to sign this Death Waver, stating that if you meet your unfortunate ends in the forest here…well Konoha and I are not liable for that."
I~~~~I
Naru ignored the voices around her as she scrawled her signature out on the paper work before her, idly staring at the scroll she now had. The objective of the Second Exam was the have a heaven and an Earth scroll by the end of the five day time limit that they had been given inside of the forest of death.
They had to reach the center of the forest with both scrolls before the time limit ended, and they couldn't open the scrolls inside of the forest.
Out of the three of them, Team Seven decided that with Naru's skill with Fuinjutsu and modified Storage Scrolls, she was the best person for the job.
So, with a hefty sigh, Naru tugged out her favorite orange scroll from her belt, opening it up.
The aiding Proctors watched as she bit her finger, unsealing the scroll with her blood and a pulse of chakra, before placing the other scroll inside. She closed it up, sealing it with her blood and a quick set of seals she had come up with under Kakashi's instruction just the other day, keeping the scroll more secured than normal.
Naru placed the scroll back at her side, relaxing a fraction with the familiar weight of it, her gaze then settling on her teammates.
Sasuke and Sakura nodded at her, finishing signing their wavers, before exiting the small stand that had been set up so no one knew which member of which team had whichever scroll.
The next team went up while a Chunin called them over, shouting, "Team Seven, you have Gate Twelve!"(2)
Akihane noted the information along with the other Teams' assigned gates, before they all moved to follow the Chunin to their gate.
The Chunin was a brunette who none of them knew, and was obviously all business, based on the silence the four lapsed into on their walk around the gates.
They finally stopped, the Chunin stepping back from the gated entrance to The Forest of Death before them.
"Once everyone has been settled I will tell you that you can go. The gates will open, and the time limit will begin."
The three Genin turned to one another, Akihane pulling out two scrolls.
"Alright, Sasuke-San, Sakura, here are your supplies. I have another scroll filled with six sets of Kunai and Shuriken, then another scroll with a week's worth of provisions, then another scroll with sealing supplies, trap making supplies, and camping supplies. The rest is all in those two."
The two Nin took the scrolls, stashing them on their person.
Naru then reached into her back pocket, tugging out two hefty bindings filled with tags.
The Uzumaki handed one to Sasuke and one to Sakura, the two placing them in their pouches for easy access.
"The one's with the triangle borders are for quiet. The ones with waves are for elemental, and the straight lined are binding."
Sasuke glanced down at his hands, before he reached up, tugging at the bottom of his headband. Three paper slips fell down, having been hiding between the metal plate and cloth. Sasuke handed two slips to his other teammates, taking one for himself.
They all placed the tags on their arms, Sakura doing so with reluctance.
"There, just remember these tags have a one-time use…And if you overcharge them you might end up short-circuiting the tag."
Sasuke reminded his teammates, making the other two nod.
"Got it Sasuke-San…Still this could help at the end when we reach the tower. Alright, Sakura, do you have your things?"
Sakura muttered, glaring at her teammate as she removed to kits from her kunai pouch, handing one to each of them.
"I managed to get a bit more stuff from Haku-San. He said the only thing no in there was blood-clotting supplies, so if one of us end up with a hole in our chests we're screwed."
Naru's lips twitched at the dry humor, her gaze lifting to the others as a sound broke over them.
The creaking of the gates alerted them that the test had begun.
All three turned, springing into the dark forest that lay ahead.
I~~~~I
A hum left dry lips as scarred fingers curled red locks around their digits, dark eyes surveying the scene before them.
Already, Yin could feel Orochimaru's chakra making its way toward the rather docile chakra of his relative.
The warmth of the bright yellow chakra was not lost on Yin, even with the binds wrapped tightly around the radiating chakra, keeping it from spreading over the area.
"She'd be a very powerful sensor…Senshi."
Yin shook his head, gripping at the strands in his right hand until his skull stung.
His eyes, sad but still having spots of madness inside of them, gazed down at the forest below.
His feet lifted off the roof of the tower standing tall in the middle of The Forest of Death, his body becoming a victim to gravity as he began to plummet.
His chakra sprouted outward, wrapping around him, before a pulse was sent outward. Fire flashed before his eyes, his hands reaching out to grasp onto black fur, just before he and his summon vanished in thin air, ash falling to the ground below his previous position.
I~~~~I
Naru ducked under a strike to her head, her right leg outstretching, dragging the feet out from under her opponent.
Chakra rose around her as she shot forward, her palm barely missing the head of the nin she had downed, said enemy twisting away last second.
Form the sidelines Naru heard Sakura's kunai slice through the tendons of her enemy, while Sasuke's burning hot Great Fire Ball tore through the forest.
The Ninja was one of the Amegakure Nin, his headband proudly displaying his loyalty to all.
The boy had dared to attack Naru in an attempt to disguise himself as her and try and ambush Team Seven, only to find himself dealing with more than he could handle.
Once Sasuke and Sakura had been alerted to the threat, they had attacked the other teammates.
Now, Naru found herself whipping out one of her lightning tags while flashing through hand signs.
"Water Style, Water Bullet!"
The element came to her like a friend, though not as easily as wind ever did. Torrents of water built up with her chakra, shooting in a sharp projectile in the enemy's direction.
Foolishly, the Nin thought to use the water against her, summoning a water wall to protect him.
The jutsu met, sending water flying overhead. Behind Naru, Sakura summoned a Mud Wall to keep her and Sasuke Dry, while Akihane wove wind to her defense, calling out a wind cutter Jutsu while she rushed the now-soaked enemy.
The boy was sure that he had his target finally, but upon getting within two meters of him, Akihane launched into the air, tossing the tag down with a kunai, her chakra activating the five second timer.
The moment the tag touched the ground, the foolish Genin summoned another water wall, realizing his mistake a second to late when lightning broke through, the cackling and sizzling sounding across the silent clearing, before his screams rose above everything else.
Akihane landed on a branch, turning away once she was sure the Genin wouldn't escape, her eyes landing on her comrades.
Both Sasuke and Sakura had dealt with their opponents, Sakura holding up another Earth scroll for Naru to see once she spotted her gaze.
"Akihane, get down here."
Sasuke called, his gaze flicking across the area. Sakura stepped back as Akihane launched herself toward her Teammates, Sakura holding out the scroll for one of them to take.
"So who gets this one?"
Naru looked up at Sasuke, the Uchiha sighing as he took the offered scroll.
"Fine then, I don't agree with this though…giving the person who lost the first one the second isn't smart."
Akihane remained tensed, the two Kunoichi realizing why Sasuke just lied about losing their first scroll.
Chakra was rising from around them, no doubt a prelude to a powerful Jutsu from an enemy seeking their scroll.
Making a statement they had one eliminated Akihane and Sakura as targets, putting Sasuke in the spotlight. This also meant that Sakura and Akihane had to be ready to back up the Uchiha.
"Let's get going…"
Sasuke commented idly, drawing everyone back into a group. The Uchiha had taken the role of Leader to paint himself in an even higher light than before, which meant he was worried about the next enemy.
Akihane debated on pulsing her chakra, but when the three of them began running from the gathering chakra, she decided against it.
I~~~~I
Akihane later wished she had used her chakra, her eyes watering as a giant gust of wind cut between her and her other two teammates.
"Akihane!", "Naru!"
Two shouts broke over the torrent of wind that ripped Naru from where she stood on a tree branch, a gasp of pain leaving her lips as she felt the force of the wind knock her further away.
The chakra from before had been gathering for this torrent, one so strong Naru couldn't even begin to mold her chakra to use the wind as her own.
Behind her she heard slithering, and when she decided that pulsing chakra would help, she discovered a very tightly bundled area of chakra, no doubt that of a large animal, outstretching toward her.
Instinct took over, Naru's hands flying down to the scrolls at her sides. She slipped her hand past the seals, two puffs of smoke rising up.
Blood rained down on the ground below.
I~~~~I
Sasuke cursed as he watched Naru being dragged away by a very powerful gust of wind, his instincts screaming even as he grabbed Sakura's arms and tugged her backwards.
A leg slammed into the branch where they had both stood, the monstrous thing snapping under the force, sending it hurtling down to the ground with a large thunder clap while the two Konoha Genin landed on the side of a tree, quickly using chakra to stick to the surface.
"Kukuku…Yin-Kun told me about your prowess…but I never expected it to be like this, Sasuke-Kun."
The chuckling figure rose to their full height, now standing on a branch a bit further down the tree they had nearly demolished, a long tongue flicking out to lick pale lips.
Sasuke shivered under the gaze of a familiar pale-skinned woman. The Kusa Kunoichi was smirking at them both, her eyes sharp and narrowed at Sasuke's burning eyes.
"Come on now…Why don't you show me those lovely eyes of yours, Sasuke-Kun?"
Sasuke pulled back further, his shoulder brushing Sakura's as the tips of his fingers found her wrist.
Quickly, Sasuke scrawled three letters, his body shaking as a pressure began to spread around them.
'RUN'
The two separated, the Kusa Kunoichi smirking as she vanished after them.
Sasuke stiffened when he felt the presence behind him, his body twisting as he grabbed a kunai.
Just as he did, he felt a hand slip over his waist, grabbing the Earth scroll they had retrieved.
The long tongue from before slipped free, Sasuke pushing chakra into his feet against the tree bark.
An explosion rocketed him away, his body twisting mid-air to land in a crouch against an opposing tree. Sakura appeared at his side a moment later, her hands grasping at Kunai.
The Kusa Nin chuckled, lifting the scroll in her grasp to her lips.
"I'll hold onto this for you…"
The woman smirked and her tongue wrapped around the scroll, disgusted looks crossing the Genin's faces as the woman downed the entire thing.
Sasuke grit his teeth, thinking back to his missing teammate as he reached and traced more letters onto Sakura's wrist.
'P-B. Wt 4 Aki.'
The quick scrawl was easily understood after a few moments, leaving the two to scatter once more.
They scattered none-to-soon, the Kusa-Nin's legs hitting the bark of the tree they had just left seconds afterwards.
Sasuke reached into his pouches, tugging out his kunai and wire as Sakura did the same, her kunai having several lightning tags attached.
Sasuke raised his, tossing them at the enemy nin while he gathered chakra.
Sakura followed along, sending her projectiles at the woman whilst she sent chakra into the tags.
The Kusa Shinobi dodged the weapons, twisting in un-human manners to avoid being struck.
Sasuke went through hand signs, grasping onto the edge of the wire as he shouted.
"Fire Style, Grand Fire Lotus!"
Heat rose, the swirling blaze shooting at the smirking Nin, only for the smirk to falter when the tags beside her activated.
Lightning sprang free, shocking the nin, litteraly and figuratively.
The Nin tried to leave, only to find another tag on a wire that was now wrapping around her wrist.
The binding seal sucked at their chakra, even as the blaze Sasuke let loose slammed into the nin.
Sakura rushed back to her teammate, the two of them shooting off in the other direction from the blaze that rose over the tree tops.
They both pulsed chakra to their limbs in efforts to move faster, Sasuke's eyes flickering between his sharingan and normal gaze as fear began to claw at his insides.
Abruptly they found their bodies stilling. The two stumbled onto a branch, Sakura gasping as she collapsed to her knees, Sasuke stiffening further as the pressure grew.
Sasuke recognized the feeling as that of Killer Intent, something that he experienced from Kakashi and Zabuza before. Now, however, Sasuke could safely say neither Jonin had this much power rolling beneath their veins, that neither commanded such a devastating force as effortlessly as this nin seemed to.
The Kusa Shinobi landed before them, her face marred, sagging from her features as she gazed at them.
"Well…You tried. I'll hand you that much, Sasuke-Kun."
Sasuke's eyes widened as the woman reached up, peeling off her face.
The woman's face fell away to reveal a much sharper one, the features feminine but yet still masculine.
"I suppose it's my turn now…"
Sasuke only had a second to curse, before he felt an explosion of pain in his side. His back slammed into a tree, and as he fell forward, a scream ripped through the air.
Sakura screamed as the Kusa Shinobi kicked her into the tree branch she was crouched over, before the Nin removed a Kunai and flung it into the girl's shoulder.
Another scream sounded, the Nin stalking forward with a sadistic smirk gliding across their lips in glee, the Kusa Shinobi lifting Sakura by her neck, glancing down at the boy she had just downed in one blow.
"Hmm…"
The Nin gripped Sakura's neck tightly, the girl's weak arms struggling to grab hold of the hand stealing her oxygen.
Glinting gold eyes glared at the civilian nin, before Sakura was flung through the air to the ground around thirty feet below.
Sasuke, who had managed to drop onto a lower branch, reached out as he watched his teammate fall, his eyes spinning into a sharingan, the picture imprinting itself into his mind.
"S-Sakura!"
The Uchiha called out, struggling to stand as he began to panic.
He didn't like Sakura, had hated her even for how she had treated Naru. Despite that, the girl had tried, even if it was to impress him, Sakura had struggled through her weaknesses, and after the debacle with Wave, she had put forth the effort to beat Naru fairly in combat just to make Sasuke see she was trying.
Sakura had helped them out, she was part of the team, and no matter Sasuke's personal feelings, Team Seven worked together. Sasuke wouldn't lose another one, wouldn't lose someone else he cared even remotely about when it came down to the whole thing.
And yet Sakura continued to fall, and he remained on the branch he was on, forever cursed to remember the moment when he allowed Sakura to be targeted by that monster.
Sasuke's sharingan burned as another tomo built upon the second.
I~~~~I
Sakura felt weightless as she plummeted to the ground, her eyes shutting as her bruised throat struggled to take in air.
Her chest was constricted after being stomped on, her brain not functioning after being denied oxygen.
She was going to die. She would hit the ground and that would be it. Sasuke couldn't save her, based on the frightened scream she had heard.
Her lips twitched at the thought Sasuke did really care what happened to her. Perhaps she could die without too much regret then.
"Oh no way in hell…"
A sharp tone cut into her thoughts, Sakura's eyes snapping open just as she felt arms shoot under her back, a body turning around hers as a thump echoed.
Chakra slowed the fall, making Sakura's head woozy, but it still registered that she had been saved.
At first, Sakura expected to look up and see a victorious Sasuke, but instead, when her blurry vision cleared, she instead saw the face she had last seen stretched out in panic.
"A-Akihane?"
Sakura whispered hoarsely, the blonde sighing as she set her down, her eyes a dark maroon.
"Sorry I was late, Sakura…"
There was a hint of regret in Naru's voice as she looking at the forming bruise on Sakura's neck, before the white haired Kunoichi turned to look at the surprised Kusa Nin watching them with rapt attention.
"You hurt Sasuke-San and Sakura…"
Naru's voice became darker, her tone edging on murderous as Sakura felt the chakra Naru normally kept at bay rush outward, swirling around her like an inferno.
The girl walked among the dancing flames, two copies of her appearing with a single command. One stayed at Sakura's side while the other vanished, reappearing moments later with Sasuke.
The seals along Naru's legs seemed to glow, before they shattered.
Then, the seal on her arm, the Genjutsu seal that Sasuke had provided her with, pulsed.
Naru grabbed the tag, tearing it off, tossing it in a quick swipe alongside a kunai toward their opponent.
The Kusa Nin, warry of such projectiles after Sakura's attack earlier, deflected it deftly.
However, the moment the tag connected with the kunai, Sakura realized what Naru had done.
The Kusa Shinobi reared back in time, just as the seal overloaded and lightning exploded across the area.
Naru's chakra wound together, forming into a large compressed ball of Wind as the Kunoichi flashed through hand signs.
"Wind Style, Gale Bullets!"
Sevrela Wind Bullets shot after the Kusa Shinobi, forcing them to flip and do their odd maneuvering to avoid being struck.
Naru continued flying through hand signs as her eyes began to glow red, the normal faded whisker-like marks on her cheeks beginning to darken. The marks were normally too light to notice, but now they seemed almost black against Naru's skin.
"Earth Style, Mud Rain!"
Earth pellets rose upward, launching toward the Kusa Shinobi still twisting around Wind Bullets.
At Naru's side, Sakura bit her lip, grabbing a handful of explosive Kunai with her undamaged arm.
She flung them at the twisting nin, Sasuke soon joining in with the other two clones, whom were now firing off more Gale Bullets.
"Fire Style, Fire Dragon Lotus!"
Flames curled upward, following the wind bullets. They grew in size, the bullets becoming blazing projectiles as Sakura's kunai sped up under their force, the tags burning up.
The Kusa Shinobi was surrounded, their eyes widening as they realized the situation.
"Sasuke-San, Sakura, let's go!"
Naru called to the others, her clones staying behind as they unsteadily rose. Naru pulled Sakura's injured arm around her shoulder, Sasuke casting her a glance as he managed to rise.
The three took off as the explosion rocked the forest, this one much greater than that of Sakura and Sasuke's alone.
Sakura had almost forgotten just how much she enjoyed Naru's wind jutsu paired with Sasuke's fire, even if she herself could only aid with explosive tags.
I~~~~I
Kin paused at the edge of the forest, wincing as an explosion rocked the grounds.
His eyes flitted over the area, stopping upon the source. His eyes narrowed, his chakra reaching out.
Faintly, he felt Orochimaru's enraged chakra, before he felt the retreating bodies of the Uchiha, Haruno, and the Uzumaki.
The Uzumaki's tightly bound chakra was being bound once more after being released to allow Naru enough time to access the situation.
Kin shook his head, gazing back at the growing blaze. He should make note of the three's prowess in explosions, considering that the Uchiha and Haruno managed another one about a third the size of the second on their own a few minutes ago.
"I have no idea what is with those Namikaze and flashy jutsu…"
Yin looked down, chuckling with a mad sense of glee entering him when the large beast he sat on spoke. The black furred beast looked up at him, its black eyes searching his own as he reached down to scratch his ears.
"You've met Senshi, you'd know Tenshi."
The large wolf glared at him, letting loose a deep growl that sounded almost playful.
"She's his granddaughter, correct?"
Yin shrugged, turning back to the blaze that was quickly spreading and alerting the Proctoring personal.
Yin felt Akihane's chakra plummet, an image of Orochimaru slamming the girl into a tree appearing, along with that of a summoning snake cornering the other members of Team Seven. Yin shook his head to clear the image his chakra provided, glancing back down at his summoned wolf.
"Tenshi, we best hurry and get Orochimaru out of here before he's caught. Knowing the idiot, he'll end up-"
Yin held his tongue when the cruel presence of the Kyuubi No Kitsune's chakra rose from where Orochimaru was 'dealing' with his Genin targets.
"That bastard."
Yin hissed as his head whipped around, his gut clenching.
I~~~~I
Akihane coughed violently when a hand clasped around her neck, the force slamming her into a tree. She heard the sound of hissing, before a cursing Uchiha alerted her that her teammates were occupied.
The Kusa nin now had her in their grasp, their fingers tightening around her throat even as she thrashed and struggled.
Spots entered her vision as she registered the words being hissed into her ears.
"You damn Kyuubi Brat…you should have stayed away…I'm going to get you back for every one of those damned jutsu, and then I'm going to return the favor by burning you alive!"
The voice had changed, now drawing out in a deeper his that spoke of male, and when Naru's eyes managed to open, she gazed into the blurry golden hues of slit pupilled eyes.
The Kusa Nin tightened his grip, shoving her further into the tree, causing another crater to form in the impression of her body.
Naru coughed up blood, her head slamming against the surface as her ears began to ring.
She heard her name being called, but she couldn't think straight.
Her chakra fluctuated, reaching out as she began to lose her grip on the hand cutting off her oxygen.
Fire chakra was building inside the Nin's lungs, assuring her that the nin intended to follow through with his threat.
More chakra built up nearby, the chakra defensive in nature. Sakura's green chakra was combating against a darker chakra, one she felt familiar with. The chakra was like that of the snake she had destroyed earlier, supporting her theory over summoning animals.
There was only one person besides Anko that Naru knew to be able to use snakes as a summoning animal.
"O-Orochim-maru…"
Naru managed to speak, her voice dropping lower as her chakra sight shattered.
The pressure slackened a fraction, a chuckle sounding in her ear along with warmth breath.
"So the old Man didn't raise such a useless Jinchuuriki after all."
The word echoed throughout Naru's mind, along with the words following Naru's revelation.
The Fire chakra faded away as Orochimaru continued to whisper into her ear. "I'm going to enjoy taking the Uchiha from you…ripping him apart piece by piece before plucking those eyes from his sockets."
More words followed.
"An that other girl…she'd make a lovely little test subject, don't you think? So many serums to inject…"
Naru's body stiffened, her heart beating franticly, the oxygen deprivation making her hearing fade out before it returned momentarily, ringing as it caught another sentence.
"Then there's the old man…He's useless as well. I'll enjoy watching your face as I stab the old fool's heart."
Rage burned deep inside of Naru at the words that Orochimaru whispered into her ear.
The pain and humiliation, the burden and the hopelessness all bled into anger as Naru felt something snap.
Orochimaru wouldn't touch anyone else, he wouldn't live past threatening her precious people.
Red chakra blazed around her, a scream of shock and rage sounding from the previous Sannin as he was shoved away.
Burning chakra licked at her wounds, her eyes still shut tightly as her warm chakra became dark, hatred expanding over the area.
Her lungs filled with air, the bruising vanishing as she felt something tighten its hold around her body.
She shot forward, the area becoming clear despite her shut eyes, her chakra providing her all she needed.
Her fingers now represented claws, ones that ripped through the chakra summon threatening Sasuke and Sakura, before they rounded on the man staring at her from his spot after being shoved away from her.
Red chakra had outline Naru's body, growing across her body to form two lashing tails behind her while her hair was ripped from its confines to form two ears, the silver darkening to crimson.
The whisker marks on her cheeks were bleeding now, but the chakra burned away the blood quickly, along with the rest of her injuries.
Akihane faced Orochimaru, her eyes slowly opening, peeling away at the chakra-bound sight she had gained upon giving in to her anger.
Orochimaru gazed at her, his lips set in a thin line while his eyes were narrowed. No doubt, the man hadn't wanted to let her use her power.
Naru released the gravity seals on her legs and arms, her chakra tearing at the regular weights resting there. They dropped as she rushed toward Orochimaru.
The Sannin raised his arms to block, his golden hues meeting her red.
Maroon had become crimson, black pupils morphing into slits as a growl was lifted from Naru's throat.
"Don't ever threaten my precious people, you damn bastard!"
Naru's claws tore at the Sannin's arms, even as he backed away while trying to avoid the blows that the Jinchuuriki targeted him with.
The Sannin cursed inwardly, twisting away from a jab, only to be knocked away by a burning tail. His skin sizzled from where it had contacted the chakra, a pant leaving the man's lips as the animalistic Kunoichi launched at him again.
Perhaps threatening a protective Jinchuuriki with hurting those she cared about wasn't a good way to go about things. Yin was bound to be pissed at him for being so reckless.
I~~~~I
There yah go, cliffy!
Normally don't do these notes, but felt like it this time.
(1)- Minicha. This is Anko's nickname for Sasuke, a combination of 'Mini' and 'Uchiha.'
(2)- Gate 12. This was a really crazy coincidence. I just chose this as Team Seven's Gate, but a day later when checking I decided to find the Cannon one. Turns out Gate Twelve was their actual gate…I didn't even know this!
Omake-A Lost Uzumaki-Time Travel Parody
In all of her life, Naru had never once been stuck in a situation she couldn't think her way out of.
Alright, there was the first kiss that was stolen from her, but that was different.
Naur had gone through war, death, and destruction.
The Uzumaki had faced hundreds, if not thousands of Nin, and yet here she stood, without a damn clue of what to do.
"I warned you about testing that seal, Aki."
Akihane huffed in annoyance at the male before her, hissing through her teeth.
"Tsch…"
Another hiss left her lips as the male rolled his eyes and wrapped her bloody leg.
"Troublesome Woman…"
The fond tone the man had taken, his brown eyes gazing into her maroon, brown locks falling in flat tresses over his head and down his shoulders, all of it made Akihane's cheeks heat up, her head turning to the side.
"Quiet…"
Off to the side, a cough and a throat being cleared was heard.
Both parties turned toward their guests, one sporting bright, white, spiky hair, while the other sported long brown hair.
"You two are just adorable!"
Senju Hashirama cooed at the two, Akihane sighing and rubbing her temples, while the other brunette reached over to grasp the girl's shoulder with a gentle smirk.
"Don't be embarrassed Hime. We both know I will love you, whether you scare the living day lights out of me or not."
Tobirama glared at the male, his hand gripping tightly to his arm.
"I'd appreciate you not sweet talking my Granddaughter in front of me, Nara!"
