Chapter 5: A Part of My Heart
"If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them? Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn't be filled?"
― Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes
Sakura
The Forest of Death.
This is where true physical skill is put to the test and where she's sure not all of them will come out of this part of the exams alive. It's humid out to match the atmosphere, wild fauna shades of deep reds to light violets are spread out among the lush greenery goes on for miles in front of them. Anko-sensei's bemused smirk doesn't help matters, a reminder their upcoming challenge will test so much more than Ibiki's did.
'Don't be nervous, don't slow your team down!' It's been a mantra she's told herself over and over in preparation for this day.
And yet still, she doesn't feel ready.
She peeks down towards her red thread, the tiny rip that was once a reminder of her rushed mistake now sealed courtesy of Lady Tsunade.
"Sakura, come with me." Tsunade orders, stopping her in the middle of a dressing change. She gestures towards Reina to take over her position and she fights the urge to squirm as she follows her out into the hallway.
Did she make a mistake in breaking the sterile field? Maybe she was wrapping Mr. Hamasaki's bandages too tightly that they would cut off circulation.
She worries her lip, masking her fears as they finally come to a stop at the hospital's mini 'park', an open area where children can play by a sapphire blue pond and take in a bit of sunlight. She takes a seat on the nearest open bench, collecting her thoughts.
Tsunade meanwhile grabs them two green teas from the nearby café, Sakura unsure she can keep anything down with the way her stomach is knotting, accepting the drink anyways to avoid her giving her a worried stare.
"I'm sure you knew I was going to notice it at some point. As fast and good as you are with your hands, I'm still an expert in this field you know." Tsunade begins.
Sakura looks away from two kids playing tag, frowning. "Sorry?"
Tsunade gestures towards her fingers then, amber orbs narrowing. "Your red thread, why were you tampering with it?"
She says the words so breezily, though she can sense the ice beneath them and she nearly burns her fingers squeezing at her cup making tea splash out.
"I didn't-"
"Don't lie Sakura, who do you think taught some of those Heartbreaker Women in the first place?! The 'job' if you can call it that requires expert chakra control and a strong understanding of medical ninjutsu to perform a clean cut tear or in rarer cases; repair." Tsunade interrupts.
Sakura fumbles for words, grip on her cup tightening. How long has she known about it?
She'd thought some of her genjutsu techniques she read up on at least masked it, drew attention away from it.
'I need more practice.' Sakura immediately decides, ready to add more shifts of rounding on the psych unit and post-surgery recovery units like Kurenai-sensei recommended.
"I'm waiting." Tsunade interrupts her thoughts.
'She's probably known about this since I came in for my shift that very morning.' She answers herself.
"Oh, you know about that?" Sakura murmurs.
Tsunade arches a brow, hiding a half-smile with her cup.
"Yes, oh! You're my mentee so I know about when you're trying and failing to keep secrets from me! So explain yourself, we're not leaving from here until you do."
Sakura's gaze drops to the cobblestone, scuffing her shoes against the pavement. "Sasuke. He's going to tear it anyways and I wanted to do it on my own terms before I felt the pain of it at any random moment."
Tsunade snorts, pulling out a flask from her green haori and pouring it straight into her tea ignoring Sakura's aghast look she's day drinking now of all times.
"Sakura, you're my brightest student so sometimes I forget you're still 13 and naïve when it comes to matters like this. Sasuke isn't going to tear his thread because it's going to hurt like hell just like it did to you and it would be too much of a distraction to whatever these goals of his are." She muses after a long chug of her now tea cocktail.
Sakura huffs, waiting for her to go on.
Amber meets emerald, sighing at her stubborn look. "It hurt like a bitch, didn't it? Don't give me that face, I know it did! It's good whichever Heartbreaker you went to had enough sense not to tear the red thread of a girl who's barely just become a teenager; more like teach you a lesson in the repercussions of trying such a thing. Anyways, I'm going to repair it and moving forward, you will tell me when you get these wavering thoughts again." Tsunade instructs.
She holds out her hand at Tsunade's insistence, studying her concentrated gaze on her thread as she carefully fixes the tear.
"It's not easy to tear or repair a thread as I'm sure she explained. It requires a precise amount of medical ninjutsu and concentration to the area without creating further damage." Tsunade murmurs in explanation, reviewing with her over the nerves and joints in their fingers and hands.
Sakura nods, testing it's hold, this invisible thread to near everyone else that still bounds her to Sasuke.
She has to learn this too she decides, learn the skills to see other's threads, to repair and destroy with the same ease like her.
But more than that, she needs to learn her strength, be strong enough to handle her own in a fight.
"Teach me how to see other people's threads, to have so many tricks up my sleeve that my opponent will realize too late that they've already lost!" Sakura blurts out.
Tsunade laughs, nodding. "Why do you think I agreed to become your mentor in the first place? I saw the potential; you just needed the right spark."
Sakura beams then, posture relaxing.
The pair sit in comfortable silence then, Sakura gazing back towards the children at play. Since becoming Lady Tsunade's mentee there's so much she wants to ask her about, so much she's seen of the world...
"Why did you leave the village so long ago?" She finds herself asking, nearly slapping a hand over her mouth at her rudeness.
Tsunade chuckles anyways, waving off her concern. "It's fine; you're not the first to ask. I really wouldn't have come back if not for Lord Third's insistence and the recent reports he's gotten."
Sakura leans closer then as her voice drops an octave.
"Orochimaru. Ah, that name probably doesn't mean anything to you right now, though he's an old comrade of mine turned...dark. That's the best way to put it with how grisly his experiments and actions became after the Second Shinobi World War. He, that old pervert Jiraiya, and myself were a part of the 3 man squad with Lord Third as our squad leader during our Academy days."
Sakura nods, this much she knew from reading the old history books of their class and glancing through old class photos.
"Orochimaru has become active again in recent months, Hiruzen feels responsible for taking him down knowing he was once his best student. He's a danger to the village now hench him stepping down to investigate these rumors properly and hopefully get to him first before he does any damage. Maybe Sasuke has mentioned him to you, maybe he hasn't but there's a high chance he wants to take his body for experimental use to become his own."
Sakura swallows, coils wrapping around her throat robbing her voice.
'I've heard Sasuke whisper that name in his sleep...'
And now she will soon need to put that name to a face to deal with in reality.
Tsunade pats at her hand and she calms herself. They know already the harm Orochimaru can do, but this is a man who can apparently disguise himself, can easily blend himself into the crowds.
"You sound so sure about Sasuke, why?" Sakura asks after a moment.
Tsunade gives a half-smile then, hazel eyes softening as she pats at her head affectionately.
"13 is that stubborn age Sakura, hormones starting to fire up and intrude upon your thoughts. Despite what Sasuke might've told you and Orochimaru prowling about, I've seen the way he looks at you from time to time."
The way he looks at me?
Sasuke doesn't look at her any different from their peers at least when she glimpses his way now, dark eyes focused on their new objective. Whatever Lady Tsunade saw, she isn't able to see it yet for herself.
"Alright, for some odd reason Ibiki thought all of you were worth passing to the next round! Welcome to the Forest of Death! Each genin team has 5 days to make it to the building in the center with both a heaven and earth scroll in hand!" Anko announces.
She holds up a consent form high in the air, the agreement that Konoha won't be held responsible in the event of their death.
A knot tightens in her chest; a warning.
'It's fine, use the skills Lady Tsunade and advice Kurenai-sensei taught you!' She pumps herself up.
From the corner of her eye she feels an intense gaze on them. No, on Sasuke. Naruto is too focused on trying to see into the depths of the forest if it's truly as bad as Anko says while Sasuke stays quiet, stare looking ahead as well most likely forming the best routes to take.
So it is only her that seems to immediately notice this man with dark eyes and equally jet black hair observing their team with a smile.
Hinata
"Heh, so I heard Shikamaru has the misfortune of his red thread being tied to one of those Sand Siblings! That's going to be awkward when it comes time for any courtship at seeing how her brothers are!" Kiba snorts, retelling the rumor he heard as soon as the Written Exams had ended.
"It isn't something to joke about Kiba. The one with red hair, Gaara is the most dangerous of the three that we need to actively avoid getting into a direct fight or even crossing paths with. They move faster than other shinobi we've gone up against and specialize in wind, sand, and puppetry." Shino retorts.
Kiba huffs, crossing his arms behind his head.
'Since when is he our team leader?!'
"Whatever, you always have to be such a buzzkill just because you're tied to nobody." He grunts, Akamaru barking his agreement at their usually silent teammate.
Hinata nods along absently trying to focus on their conversation, trying to avoid the itch to look down to her fingers. Naruto already seems to be encased in a battle somewhere deep within these woods.
'Don't get reckless Naruto, you can't do this alone.'
Kiba notes her quietness, smirking.
"Heh, you got any suggestions for a plan of action Hinata? Your red thread being Naruto isn't much use to us since he's on a totally different team I'm sure you realize!"
Hinata stiffens, ignoring the way she feels her cheeks start to burn. It feels pointless to deny Naruto being her match when Kiba and Shino are among the best tracker shinobi from their class.
That and perhaps they caught Naruto's scent on her even with all her efforts to mask it.
'Father isn't going to find out the truth from either of them; relax.' She reminds herself.
"He...He separated from his team for a moment I think and other teams are trying to use that to their advantage by getting surprise attacks on him." She relates.
Kiba rolls his eyes, leaning back against the bark of the trees. A drizzle starts up again and he wrinkles his nose in dismay at the bundle of gray clouds overhead, rain makes it harder to pick up on scents, always puts him and Akamaru on the slightest edge.
"Well, that's not a shocker. Probably went to take a leak and got jumped mid piss or something!"
Her blush only worsens at the image that creates, looking away from Kiba before she gives him more fuel for teasing her.
She turns her attention back into the forest, activating her byakugan.
The closest team nearby is about 20 meters ahead.
"Don't forget like Anko-sensei said, we aren't meant to show mercy. No matter who we come across. My beetles predict that the team up ahead are about to activate our pitfall trap. Hopefully they have the earth scroll that we need to progress." Shino points out.
Kiba lets out a low whoop of agreement. Considering it's still the first day, they might be one of the first teams to make it to the tower!
A minute later all 3 hear the ping of their trap activate, Shino's beetle and caterpillars set nearby confirming Team Kugiri has the scroll they need.
Kugiri scowls once they come into view, black eyes wild with pain, figure nearly blending with the rocks and mud upon them. Hinata takes in the splatter of blood along his legs, his teammates equally worse for wear with hands and arms twisted in mangled positions.
"Shit, not only is it a Konoha team taking us out; it's just a bunch of kids!" He curses.
Kiba snorts, side stepping as Shino's insects carry their scroll upward to them, squirming as one with green-gray eyes and crystalline silver wings briefly glances in his direction. He doubts he'll ever get used to seeing all these creepy-crawly creatures Shino uses and allows to be upon his body as a second home.
"Your fault for not paying better attention to your environment!" He bellows back.
Eiji open his mouth slowly only to let out a broken cough and Hinata narrows her eyes, reading his swollen lips.
'Run?'
Her heartrate spikes, they ran into their trap running from a danger far, far worse than them.
Sachihiro shares his sentiment, not caring that they've been bested by fellow Konoha shinobi half their age. The least they can do if they die here is help shinobi from their own nation to get out of this horrid forest alive.
"That Sand trio, they're nearby. Get out of here! He killed 3 men just now with no hesitation; no mercy even with their begging and giving up their scroll!" He hisses through cracked teeth.
Eiji manages a weak nod confirming his teammate's words, Hinata feeling a chill race over her.
'His bloodlust isn't sated.' She reads from his lips once more.
And they're all still within his range of being detected, of all his sand and desire to kill.
Akamaru trembles as the words leave his mouth, sniffing the air before leaping straight into Kiba's jacket. The rain quiets, last remnants of late afternoon sun slipping through the trees in gold and red rays.
Night will soon be upon them if they don't get going.
Shino straightens, already directing a centipede and dragonfly to find the safest and fastest routes away from here.
It's too late for the trio below, perhaps they'll be ignored by the Sand Siblings in the best case scenario or they'll make their deaths quick...
"We're not engaging." He orders to Kiba, noting that this time he has no qualms about agreeing with him seeing his skin turning an ashy white. Akamaru's shivering worsens, letting out a low whine.
"Akamaru says that Sand guy has been itching to kill anybody who crosses his path, his siblings don't seem to have much control, if any over him." He whispers.
With earlier bravado gone he takes to the ground, sniffing the forest floor and then the air once more.
This lingering rain doesn't help, but it doesn't matter when this scent they all know coats everything from the mud and dirt below to the trees and moss above.
Blood lingers in the air, is getting far too close to them next.
Sasuke & Sakura
"None of us leave this area without having a way to first confirm we are who we say we are." Sasuke motions, Sakura and Naruto huddling closer to hear him out.
They sit at the base of a tree covered in thick moss shades of green to brown, sunlight filtering patches in the trees and branches up above. The only sounds they've heard so far aren't human, hearing the low growls of tigers and bears that hopefully stay far from them.
His gaze turns pointedly to Naruto whose eyes have been on his hand for the last 5 minutes annoyingly so.
'Moron is focused more on what's happening with his match than what's going on around himself.'
But then he can't really talk when Sakura is for now, safe and sound beside him.
Naruto glances up feeling Sasuke and Sakura's stares, putting his hands quickly behind his back.
"Sorry, I think my red thread match just got a bit spooked is all, you know!"
'I don't blame her. They're shinobi here who have taken this exam before and have more field experience than us.' Sakura considers.
"Anyways, what were we talking about?!" Naruto chimes out.
Sasuke rubs at his head, sighing.
"A password. We need to create one so that should we get separated, we can confirm each other's identities quickly."
Naruto raises his hand, cocking his head in puzzlement.
"Wait, what if we need to go to the bathroom or something, you know?!" He worries making Sakura roll her eyes and Sasuke grunt in annoyance.
"I'm not saying we can't separate to take care of bodily functions, but need to come up with a password first before anyone moves from this spot. One that only we will know." He responds dryly, emphasizing each word to make sure he understands.
Naruto nods brightly in agreement before confusion and worry once more settle across his features.
"It's not going to be something like a math equation; right?"
Sasuke shakes his head, level of patience thinning.
"I'm only go say it once, we'll use the creed from this: Ninja Song, Ninja Chance."
Sakura easily understands the explanation with a nod while Naruto looks utterly lost.
"...You're really not going to repeat that again; are you?" Naruto chances.
Sasuke shakes his head, eyes already roaming to the thick vines and fauna that could easily hold someone eavesdropping. He already gets the sense they've been watched this whole time, but whoever it is, is waiting for the right moment to come out.
"No, I told you only once." Sasuke replies.
Naruto only huffs, gaze returning back to his hand.
Sakura notes it quietly, but her lips remain still. Whoever his match is, his worry for her is clouding his mind too much. Part of her can't find it in herself to get too frustrated with him at the rare look of seriousness in his gaze, she's going to need to learn not let her own thread distract her.
"I'm going to take a quick leak and scope out the area, be right back! I'll just be by these shrubs to the left incase you guys need to look for me or anything happens!" He calls out.
Sakura bristles in disgust at his bluntness, or maybe Naruto is just being his usual self.
"We'll need to be on guard once he returns, he won't remember the password." Sasuke regards.
And Sakura can only nod, tongue going dry.
Because once Naruto's truly gone from view she turns her full attention to Sasuke, trying and failing to calm the rising throb of her heart at all the questions she wants to ask.
She decides on the first one that's burning on the tip of her tongue, the man or maybe it was a woman that was watching them at the entrance of the Forest.
"Who's Orochimaru?" She asks point blank not so different from his usual dry tone.
Sasuke at least to her mild amusement didn't expect that of all questions, stiffening just slightly.
He stays quiet watching a hummingbird with blue-green feathers skitter into the bushes, a blackbird taking flight above them.
"...Nobody you need to worry about." He finally says after a long minute and Sakura sighs, reminding herself to be patient.
She picks at the blades of grass beneath them, nails digging into fresh dew and dirt.
"Okay, well let me just say it this way then since he's a danger to all of us right now I'm sure you realize. I know from what Lady Fifth has told me and my own research in the Central Library that he's a Sannin, that he's one of the former students of Lord Third and he feels responsible for how he is now. That he dapples in forbidden jutsu and unethical experiments of both civilian and shinobi." Sakura starts.
Sasuke says nothing to this, though his onyx eyes widen a fraction listening to her spiel.
"I didn't know he was one of Lord Third's old students." Sasuke muses, stretching out his legs. It doesn't change anything though, he doesn't care about his experiments really as long as he can give him the power he needs to kill Itachi.
Sakura's gaze burns on him and he actively makes himself avoid looking into those bewitching green eyes, eyes that wait for him to say more and despite knowing it will entangle her further into his own decisions, he goes on.
"He was in the Uchiha district one night months ago, he came with a proposition."
"Who are you?"
Sasuke grits his teeth, the figure leaning against the remains of the wall directly adjacent to his parent's old room merely shrugs in response.
"Just a passing stranger who enjoys looking into the old relics within Konoha. Itachi truly did a number on this place that fateful night, nature has returned back to some of these walls, but it can't completely erase the people who once lived here." The man describes, pale fingers slipping through the vines that crawl up the wall, flicking up shards of glass at his feet.
Moonlight finally passes over him, golden snake eyes boring on him with an intensity that makes him freeze.
He licks his lips revealing an elongated tongue and his chest knots in surprise.
'What is he? Is he even human?' Sasuke scowls.
"I've been watching you in action for awhile now Sasuke. You're able to use your sharingan for a far longer period of time than I expected. Itachi would be proud, though he's quite busy at the moment with other matters as I last heard." He describes, beaming in pleasure taking a step forward.
"What do you know about my brother?!" Sasuke spits out harshly.
The man shrugs again, eyes flashing with specks of haunting greens and blacks.
"Perhaps I'll tell you what I know if you can prove yourself to me." He jests, taking another step closer.
'Move. Move back!' He warns himself, flicking out a kunai at ready.
His heart is knocking against his chest in a wild beat, legs refusing to follow through.
The man laughs at the weapon, fangs shining silver in the moonlight. "You think a simple blade like that will be enough to take me on?"
Sasuke ignores his taunting, twisting his palm open. Briefly, a part of him hopes Sakura isn't the middle of performing some type of surgical task before he drives the kunai forward.
Pain beats fear, thoughts clearing.
He leaps back onto his rooftop, fighting off the shake of memories of hiding up here to avoid Father's wrath, attempting to follow Itachi on missions or training in the woods...
The tiles are broken and warped in certain spots, poising himself not to get too close to the edge.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!"
Spitballs of fire coat at the man's clothes and hair, sliding out of his current form with ease before the fire can run down his body. The rest of the flames hit the grass, blacken them to ash.
"I go by Orochimaru, that power you seek to take on Itachi; I can give it to you." Orochimaru purrs, right beside him in a second making Sasuke jolt back.
"What?!" He sputters, balling up his hand as blood trickles out.
Orochimaru nods, stretching out his neck ensuring they're eye to eye should he try to avoid his gaze.
"Power. I've seen enough of your matches at the academy and heard of your exploits in the Land of Waves that you've made me curious, hence my approaching you now. However, I'll need to truly put you to the test to be sure you can be of use to me. You'll see me again during your chunin exams, I'll have my sound shinobi with me then."
And then he stretches his neck back, body seeming to melt into the grass leaving him alone once more.
True to his word, he's sensed Orochimaru here among the candidates...
"He can't be trusted; we need to avoid him and any of his associates." Sakura whispers and that may be so, but he's the only one that knows what he truly wants, understands his darkest thoughts.
Revenge.
Jade orbs look back to the bushes where Naruto went, moving to stand.
The sadness in her voice is replaced with steel, hardening on a rustle within the shrubbery.
"Naruto's been gone too long; let's go."
Naruto & Hinata
His thread has never throbbed this much.
He really did need to pee, but he also wants to pinpoint where Hinata is!
So he looks northward tracking the direction of his thread, making a split second decision.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
He unleashes 3 clones, each looking ready and alert for his commands.
"Alright, I need one of you to check on Hinata and her team to make sure they weren't ambushed!" The original Naruto orders.
All 3 immediately raise their hands to volunteer.
"I can go, I'm sure she'll be happy to see me!" The second clone decides.
The first clone puts his hand down, scowling.
"What?! She'll be happy to see any of us, you know! Besides, I should go because I can get to her and her team the fastest!"
"We all move at the same speed." The third clone retorts.
'Ugh, we're wasting time and Sasuke and Sakura are going to wonder where I went!' The original groans.
He points to the 3rd clone who at least doesn't seem to want to argue, ordering it go.
It leaves right as he hears a tree branch snap behind him, figure coming upon him he dodges out of the way.
The man scoffs, slowing himself before he can slide any deeper into a thicket of jagged branches and leaves. He twists back around, glint of his kunai shining in a flicker of sunlight.
"You would make things a lot easier on yourself and your team if you just hand over your scroll now."
Naruto snorts, the remaining two shadow clones getting into position for a sneak attack out of the way.
"What makes you think I'll listen to you?"
The third clone meanwhile pinpoints on Hinata, popping out of the trees nearly earning him a direct jab in his face.
Hinata quickly retracts her hand, deactivating her byakugan.
"Naruto, what-"
"Your heart was racing earlier! I just wanted...well, I'm just a clone really, but I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Hinata reddens, grin creeping up.
"Thank you. Clone or not, I'm glad to see you."
Kiba grunts in impatience, interrupting the pair.
"We don't have time for a friendly chat! We already got both our scrolls and need to get away from that trio!"
The clone Naruto arches a brow, looking to Hinata to explain.
"The Sand Siblings. The one with red hair just killed an entire team with his sand." She explains, shuddering at the memory of blood stained sand and grass.
'Gaara?' He recalls that name was the one whispered throughout the Rinne Festival while they had strolled around.
Suna's jinchuriki.
His eyes widen at that, Shino confirming her words with a nod.
But before he can say anything else he senses the other clones in distress.
A snake approaching?
He gets dispersed abruptly, Hinata frowning and gazing down to her thread.
"Don't worry about him, let's keep going." Kiba states, keeping posted for anyone else potentially trying to follow them.
Shino nods his agreement. "It's every team for themselves right now."
Hinata purses her lips before nodding, forcing Naruto to the back of her mind.
"Right."
Sakura
"The real Naruto would've already forgotten the password!" Sakura hisses.
This imposter "Naruto" didn't even put his pouch on the correct side, clicking her tongue.
"Huh, and here I thought you only paid attention to your precious Sasuke and nobody else!" "Naruto" sneers, dispersing the transformation revealing a woman with long ebony hair, eyes equally dark with mischief.
Two other shinobi hop down beside her, Sakura taking in their headbands.
'Sound shinobi. They could be connected to Orochimaru.'
The man to her right regards them silently, straightening out his arms.
"So this is the supposed great Sasuke Uchiha Lord Orochimaru keeps speaking of?" The guy to her left questions.
The woman nods, scoffing after looking at him up and down.
"I don't know about you Zaku, but he doesn't look like anyone special to me!"
Sasuke steps forward beside her, sharingan activated assessing each of them.
"What do you all want?!" Sakura snaps.
The 2nd guy to her left steps forward.
"Kin, don't disregard him so soon. There's a reason Orochimaru wanted us to test him. I go by Dosu, we've been assigned by Orochimaru to evaluate Sasuke Uchiha's prowess." He announces.
'Though really, he instructed us to kill him. Maybe he only meant to test him in the sense of if all the rumors of his skill can be truly backed up in the field.' Dosu observes, sure he can take him on.
Sasuke's gaze sharpens on him, balling his fists.
"Test?" He repeats.
Dosu nods, readying himself while Kin focuses on Sakura.
Sasuke hops back unleashing a burst of flames Dosu dodges, chasing him into the upper trees, screech of metal left in their wake.
'Ah, Sasuke's going too far; he might be heading straight for a trap!' Sakura frowns, trying to find some sign of him in the darkness. She resists the urge to look at her red thread, a signal of their deeper connection that would only make their attacks all the more worse.
"Hmph, I know your type! Only focused on makeup, boys, and staying pretty. Why did you even become a kunoichi in the first place?" Kin sneers. Sakura bristles, but shrugs off the remark. A few months ago she would've been right after all, it's by working with Lady Tsunade and Kurenai-sensei that her outlooks on a kunoichi's life have changed.
She recalls the broken bones she's helped set back into the place, infections that have left patient's skin a mottled purple or endless black. The young and old constantly walk through the doors of Konoha's ER for the most mundane to complicated issues.
She's held the hands of moms giving birth and moms listening to their son's last breaths...
"I'm not that girl anymore." Sakura whispers.
Kin launches out a series of senbon, Sakura crouching just as few needles scrape at her shoulders, pierce into the bark of the surrounding trees.
"Hah, you won't be able to duck and run for cover for long!" Kin taunts.
Bells rustle up the leaves, make birds the colors of bright blues and dark browns scatter up into the canopy.
'Don't focus on the bells, she's still there perched on the tree directly opposite my left.'
"Wait it out; be patient." Sakura reminds herself under her breath, ringing in her ears slowly returning to the quiet of the forest. She's counted how many senbon she's tossed out, the second one always the silent one she uses to strike.
"Going to crouch in fear until Sasuke comes back to save you?" Kin huffs.
Tightening her fists Sakura waits for her to get closer, activating her own trap as she watches her hop to the tree directly above her. Poisonous flowers and tree leaves call this forest home, can be deadly to both humans and animals. Ino's told her enough about the language of flowers in passing, Kurenai-sensei has told her how they can be used in battle.
She pulls at her thread letting the toxin escape, mountain laurel is most dangerous when consumed...
And in Kin's case it's combined with oleander and foxglove being directly breathed in, balance shaken as she moves out of the burst of fine powder.
"You bitch, what did you do?!" She shrieks as she tries to regain her footing, reaching for her only to come back with air.
'No time to waste!' Sakura decides moving up her hands, they're on even ground now.
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears!"
The ground quakes, two spikes of mud and dirt rising up.
'It's not enough!' Sakura chastens herself, exhaustion already starting to seep into her.
The first pillar strikes at the side of her head, second one jabbing straight into her stomach. A sharp gasp of blood and spit erupts from Kin's lips before she rolls over; completely stilling.
'Thank goodness.' Sakura sighs, heartbeat calming.
A screech resounds in her ears not a second later, twisting to see Zaku blasting at her, force of air slamming her back into the trees.
"Forgot about me, huh girlie?! Kin was too slow taunting you with her senbon needles, though now I know thanks to her rushing in all of your tricks!" He beams, smile warped and goading for her to try another tactic.
All of her muscles scream at her, brain telling her to divert; escape.
Her heart argues back, her thread burning in reminder.
'No, I can't just leave Sasuke here to fight on his own, not when Orochimaru is still somewhere within this all!'
"No need to fear Sakura!" A familiar voice beckons to her hopping down from the trees in a swirling kick keeping Zaku back.
Even with all the greenery surrounding her she'd recognize that green spandex anywhere.
"Lee?" Sakura murmurs in shock.
He glances to her with a nod. "Though we weren't fated together by our red threads, my love for you still burns as brightly as the sun and a 1,000 pushups! I will prove my worthiness and youth to you by joining you in this fight!"
Sakura blinks before hurriedly shaking it off.
A sharp pain blazes across her body as soon as she takes a step forward, knocks the breath out of her and her gaze flickers to her hand watching her red thread blur for the faintest second.
Her eyes widen, swallowing feeling the rise of bile at the back of her throat.
'Don't look at it; stop looking at it!'
She forces herself to ignore it, that Sasuke is and will be fine.
"Everything alright Sakura?" Lee questions at her expression, Sakura giving a quick nod as she straightens herself beside him.
"Yes, let's do this!"
Naruto
Of all the things he expected to happen to him in this forest, being eaten by a snake wasn't one of them.
He squirms as the snake attempts to digest him sliding him around, stomach acid looming in the distance slowly creeping his way.
Time for another multi-shadow clone jutsu.
"No way am I letting the end of me be from a snake swallowing me!" Naruto grunts as he climbs out of torn flesh, taking in the snake's corpse as it's body slumps over the branches. He scowls, shaking off blood and slime. There's no way his little cracked washer back at the apartment will be able to get out stains like these.
'I'll have to ask Hinata for some tips.' He decides.
Metal rings out from the treetops getting his attention, that and a drizzle of ash that can only be from Sasuke's fire techniques.
"I'm starting to see why Lord Orochimaru is so interested in you. Perhaps he wants to use that body of yours for one of his experiments or as a puppet?" Sasuke's opponent suggests as Naruto creeps closer.
He makes out the metal on his arm, a speaker that amplifies any noise he makes throughout the forest.
Naruto clasps a hand over his ears, force of sound enough to crack at the nearby trees and even keep Sasuke at bay.
"I'm nobody's puppet. Orochimaru has answers and power; I merely want those for myself." Sasuke answers, volleying back a burst of fire.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Fire scorches and wraps around the trees, pours down in a blaze of soot and smoke. Naruto observes from an underbrush of thorny leaves and dense moss, wrinkling his nose not to breath too much of it in.
The scroll, does he or Sakura have it?
When the smog clears they both remain standing, Naruto frowning seeing the way Sasuke starts to slow.
Crap, he needs his backup; now!
'I just need to direct that guy's soundwaves in the opposite direction!' Naruto determines, leaping forward with basic plan in place.
"Adamantine sealing chains!"
Sasuke looks up at him in a mix of alarm and surprise, 1 sealing chain escaping coiling around Dosu's leg.
'Just one?!' Naruto internally whines, he read that scroll dozens of times!
However mercifully, his soundwaves stop, glowering when said chain won't come loose from his leg.
"I'm disappointed in you Dosu." A new voice croons at their side, sliding out of the torn branches taking in the area. The air smells of ash, everything encased in a pure blacks and grays.
Golden snake orbs pinpoint on Naruto, brows furrowing.
"Ah, I understand now. The Nine Tails boy." He chortles at Naruto's flare of rage, the flicker of scarlet in those cerulean eyes. He should be used to being called that by now, it's what a majority of Konoha's civilian and shinobi alike think of him after all.
"Naruto, get back from him! It's you isn't, Orochimaru?" Sasuke yells out, sending out a warning stream of flames.
Naruto winces at how near the fire gets to him (how is this supposed to help him?!), he can't exactly move and hold this Dosu guy in place...
'This guy is Orochimaru?' Naruto stiffens, vicious smirk edging up his lips when he glances his way again.
"Now, Now, Sasuke. You're going to have to lose all your bonds if you truly want to get a taste of my power and my secrets. I saw enough of you and Dosu's fight that I believe it's time." Orochimaru hums.
Naruto moves for a low sweeping kick while he's looking away from him only for him to see a burst of violet flames along his fingertips.
"I can't have that beast of yours interfering in my plans." Orochimaru goes on, jabbing straight into his gut.
And then his whole body feels set aflame.
'Don't pass out, you can't pass out idiot! If I do...Hinata's going to feel the pain of it too.' He commands himself.
But it's no good, his vision starts to blur, watching as Orochimaru roughly shoves Dosu aside with ease to the ground, elongates his neck towards Sasuke.
The last thing he sees before he blacks out completely is his teeth pierce into him, Sasuke wince before collapsing.
Elsewhere-Hokage Tower
"Well, what's the latest update?!" Tsunade barks out, stopping her pacing to listen to the proctor's words.
"Ah, it's just like Anko reported after studying the camera feeds and the finding of the 3 bodies without faces. Orochimaru has infiltrated into the exams for a purpose we don't fully yet know." He blurts out in a rush.
Tsunade looks to Hiruzen as he straightens in alarm.
"Is it confirmed to be his work?" He asks.
The man nods, Tsunade dismissing him with a wave of her hand.
As soon as they're alone again Hiruzen sits up from his chair, adjusting his vest.
"Oi, you of all people know we can't just rush out there with Orochimaru having the potential to kill more examinees." Tsunade mentions.
Hiruzen bristles, brown eyes narrowing.
"So do you intend for us to just sit here and do nothing Tsunade?! I very much understand you as Lady Fifth now that you can't just go yourself. You should know as my former student as well that I made the mistake of 'doing nothing' before causing Orochimaru to become the way he is now." He retorts sharply.
Tsunade's shoulders sag, amber eyes darkening at the memories that fill the room. Missions they took on into fields of yellow-green grasslands taller than them to capture a rogue shinobi, late evenings getting meals from the night markets, the comforting ear when having to report a death...
"It's not your fault." She murmurs, but Hiruzen shakes his head, grabbing his gear.
"It is Tsunade; I blame myself. Jiraiya struggles with it too and I'm sure you do as well. You 3 grew up together and saw so much only to be so broken now in different ways as adults. I'm going." Hiruzen reaffirms.
Tsunade clicks her tongue, watching as he leaves.
She reaches for her flask once she hears the click of her door shut, rubbing at her pounding head. The migraine pushes through, laughs at her attempts to bury it away with sake and painkillers.
'None of this forebodes well.'
I always thought it would be cool if Sakura and Lee had like a back-to-back badass moment!
This chapter was nearly done so finished it up and posted. (Also I just really like writing this story at the moment lol!) Hope you guys are excited for more, let me know your thoughts as always!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!
