Another day, Another chapter... Same old angsty Sasuke. Dude seriously needs a xanax, where does he store it all?

Edited: 12/23/19

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...if I did Tenten would've been given a MUCH bigger role in the war and in you know...general

Chapter 5: Adversary

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -Winston Churchill

It wasn't until half an hour later did a squirrel masked ANBU approach them with their scroll.

"These are the tasks that you must complete while in the forest. They will prove if you really are ANBU material, so don't take this lightly." He informed them with a palpable hostility. Sasuke had no doubt that it was all directed towards him.

Feeling provoked, Sasuke crossed his arms and huffed. "Are you done here?"

"People like you shouldn't even be here. Remember whose mercy you are at, Uchiha." The ANBU reminded coldly as Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the disrespectful tone of voice.

Gently stepping in between the two, Hinata raised her head and timidly looked at the masked member with an unsure smile flickering the tips of her lips. "Uh, I think it's best if you leave Squirrel-kun, we can continue on from here. Thank you."

Nodding his head, he handed her the scroll and a bag before leaving just as quickly as he had appeared. Sasuke watched, interested in the way he had accommodated the Hyūga without question. How much of an impact could Hyūga Hinata's words make? She must be very powerful to make an ANBU treat her suggestion like a command.

Scrutinizing her one more time, he took back his early assessment of the indigo haired woman. He would give her a chance to prove her worth, and this test was the perfect platform.

A yawn coming from the direction of his other, more lazy teammate caused Sasuke to pass an annoyed glance in his direction. He surely hoped Shikamaru wasn't as lazy on the battlefield as he was off of it.

Lifting his rather heavy looking eyelids, Shikamaru stifled another yawn and began to stretch, shaking himself of the tiredness. Holding out his hand, he motioned towards Hinata to hand him the scroll so he could properly assess the situation at hand.

Unrolling the parchment, three heads crowded around it to eagerly drink in the words inscribed. The scroll was marked with different goals and which day was given to reach them, each day was a new task and with every task there came the objective of obtaining specific objects needed to prove they had in fact completed them.

"It says here that we will be assessed on skill, proficiency, execution, and reliability." Shikamaru read aloud as his leisurely eyes scanned the paper in front of them. "How troublesome."

"It won't be that bad Shikamaru-kun. If we work together I'm sure we can succeed." Though soft-spoken, an underlying vigor had awoken in her tone, matching her confident yet serene face of determination.

Although she sounded optimistic, he knew that the statement was easier said than done. One look at the Nara and he could tell he felt the same.

How on earth were they going to work together? They barely even knew each other. The test was starting to become more irritating as time went on and he was sure Kakashi had a hand in the new ANBU initiation format. It was different than what he remembered his brother telling him.

He couldn't possibly work together with either of his teammates. Shikamaru, as he recalled, still didn't like him but was acting civilized for the sake of the Hyūga heiress, who in turn was a rather unsettling person for him to be around.

Yes indeed, this had Kakashi written all over it.

Slightly aggravated at his new situation, he nodded towards Shikamaru and prompted him to tell him their first task.

"It says that we'll be tested on our intel gathering skills." He confirmed, referring to the scroll in his hand.

Gnawing at her bottom lip furiously, the pale kunoichi fleeted her pearly gaze towards the strategist, her eyes suddenly uncertain. "What do you think Shikamaru-kun?"

Thoughtfully grabbing his chin, Shikamaru looked momentarily pensive, "I think that we should just stick to plan B, it should be enough to get us to pass though nothing can be for sure."

"The test should be starting soon." She announced looking towards the gate, her hands nervously twisting in anticipation.

No sooner after Hinata's announcement did Ibiki's voice ring clear through the area. The interrogation experts tone emitted confidence and authority as he addressed everyone within radius of it.

Sasuke bitterly sighed as he impatiently waited for the test to commence, the whole exam was taking longer than necessary to start. He didn't care about the building of anticipation Konoha was certainly trying to do, he was losing his patience as they continued to aimlessly drag on. Wasting time was something he avoided at all costs, it was a precious thing that you could never get back and needed to be treated as such. He never wasted time, even when he was younger.

"Now you all have been informed on what to do, the test will commence. Begin."

The doors leading to the forest opened and they were permitted entry. Walking with his teammates he noticed how silent it was in the woodland.

Too quiet.

In mere a second a kunai flew past his face barely missing grazing his cheek. Whipping his head in the direction the offending object was thrown he was met by the forest trees.

So the person was hiding.

He smirked, he had really been itching for some excitement and to have some just seconds after he entered the forest was making his skin tingle in eagerness and exhilaration.

Stalking towards the direction the weapon had come from he felt a chakra flare, a bad move on their part. Looking behind him he motioned his head towards Hinata.

"Hyūga, Byakugan now!" he barked. She slightly flinched at his tone of voice before recollecting herself and following his lead.

"Yes, Uchiha-kun!" she obeyed before bringing her hands into an unfamiliar seal. "Byakugan!"

He watched slightly fascinated by the gruesome appearance of veins surrounding her ocular, signifying her Kekkei Genkai being activated. It was a stark contrast to her normally innocent appearance and gave her an aura of danger.

It was, dare he say it, enticing.

"There is a chakra signature directly in front of you Uchiha-kun. But-"

"Perfect." Stalking towards the indicated direction he reached his hand forward only to recoil at the sound of the Hyūga women's voice. He turned towards her noticing her looking in his direction with her Byakugan still activated.

"Uchiha-kun look out!"

He twisted his body just in time before a flying fist could meet his jaw. Crouching down low, he ducked and rolled away from the foot that later came stomping down.

Sasuke picked himself off of the ground and stood, a challenging grin adorning his face. This person had a lot of audacity to even dream of challenging him.

Looking forward he finally took in his attacker. The man was tall with fiery red hair, and intense green eyes. His clothes were unkempt and ragged, and his headband was blank with no village insignia carved into it. But what really threw him off weren't the abnormal clothes he adorned, or the fact that he wasn't even wearing a Konoha headband.

It was the smirk that was plastered across his mouth.

"We've been looking for you." The man drawled with an accent that was foreign to both him and his teammates, leaving Sasuke to wonder where the man came from and what he wanted from him.

Not soon after, he cleared his mind of those thoughts. It didn't matter who this guy was, he was going down all the same, just like countless others had before him.

Racing towards him with his katana firmly gripped, Sasuke let his carnal instincts take control. If there was one thing he knew his Uchiha blood lived for, it was the heat of battle. The challenge of a fight. It was hardwired into them from birth and only grew stronger as time went on.

Swinging his katana in aim for the man's left shoulder he was surprised to find that it barely made a scratch. That couldn't be right. He was an expert swordsman and knew his way around a sword, specifically his handmade katana. Drawing his arm backwards he found that his sword would not pull out of his opponent's shoulder.

Quickly moving back Sasuke watched as the man drew the katana out of his shoulder and tossed it to the ground beside him.

As if it was nothing.

He didn't know what jutsu or Kekkei Genkai allowed for such thick skin. The blade of his sword was always sharpened to the highest degree. Wiping the dirt from his face- he eyed the man with a snarl.

If there was one thing Sasuke hated, it was being underestimated. He was not going to be undermined by a fool with beginner's luck. Smiling a crooked grin, Sasuke looked towards the redhead with a sense of superiority.

"You were lucky that time, but I'm afraid that I was only getting started."

Running towards the foreign shinobi Sharingan activated, he raced toward the intended destination in mind. The redhead chuckled at his bluntness, getting ready to block his incoming attack as Sasuke knowingly smirked. At the last minute he twisted his body towards the left and swiftly grabbed his fallen katana, effectively surprising the enemy and gaining him enough time to turn around with his newly reequipped katana firmly in his grip.

"Interesting one aren't you? You're as clever as they say," The man cackled. His smile stayed firmly in place as he raced through various hand seals. "Molten Rock Jutsu."

Opening his mouth, the air was soon filled with smoke until it was almost near impossible to see anything clearly. Rocks propelled through the air in various directions, one hitting Sasuke square in the jaw, marring his clean skin. Picking it up to examine it, the Uchiha dropped it seconds later as the now identified ember burned his palm, exposing some of the pink flesh underneath.

He quickly deduced that it was a combination of earth and fire release. But he had never seen or heard of this particular jutsu in his life.

Sheathing his katana, Sasuke utilized his Sharingan as he dodged various flying embers as they tore through the now heated forest. Knowing he couldn't take any more of the enemy's offence much longer he tried to devise a plan, having Shikamaru do it was out of the question as he could scarcely see through the thick smoke and so he could no longer locate his two teammate's locations.

"Uchiha-kun!"

Hyūga Hinata's voice rang out through the fray as Sasuke searched for the direction it was possibly coming from. If he could find Hinata, then he would be one step closer in finding Nara Shikamaru, and hopefully he had a plan.

"Uchiha-kun!" She cried out once again.

Opening his mouth to acknowledge her Sasuke was surprised to find that he could not bring himself to answer. It didn't matter how hard he tried; the words were not coming out. He was aware that he was a very prideful person, but in times like these he expected himself to be able to handle the situation effortlessly. But to find himself with his back against the wall and unable to help himself angered him greatly.

He was an Uchiha, they were better than this.

With newfound motivation he allowed himself to go even deeper with his Sharingan, his eyes straining as they transformed into their final stage: Eternal Mangekyō.

Not soon after did he activate his Kekkei Genkai did he feel a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly he flipped the person over his shoulder only to find his Hyūga teammate lying on her back seconds after.

"Hyūga, what're you doing?"

She impressively picked herself off the ground without using her hands and stood in front of him, dirt covering her whole attire.

"I got worried when you didn't answer me, so I went to look for you," She explained frantically. Her face flushed a childish red. "You didn't hear me calling for you Uchiha-kun?"

Choosing to ignore her question Sasuke replied with questions of his own. "Couldn't you see me with your Byakugan? Why did you come all the way over here just to check on me?"

She cautiously looked around before answering him, her fluorescent eyes flickering from left to right. "I can't see as clearly as I would like with all this fog surrounding us. My Kekkei Genkai wouldn't be trustworthy in a situation like this, so I had to see you up close to verify."

He nodded his head understandably. If anything, she had proven herself trustworthy when the time called for it. It was a step in the right direction towards trusting his teammates if anything.

"Where is the other one?"

"You mean Shikamaru-kun? I left him over there to go look for you, he said he'd be fine." She assured him with an unconvincing smile, Sasuke could tell that he wasn't the one who really needed assurance.

"What did he say?" he nonchalantly questioned, looking at Hinata from the corner of his eye. If Shikamaru didn't have a plan then he would have to take matters in his own hand, and he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't get bloody, a scenario he would prefer to avoid.

Nervously biting her lip, the Hyūga opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it as if to rethink her approach. Heavily sighing Sasuke resisted the urge to thoroughly shake her. He hoped that this wasn't a regular thing with the kunoichi or else they would definitely have a few problems.

"Well, he said that my particular jutsu could work in this case but I'm sure that your Sharingan would work as well." She quickly finished, her gaze holding his own until finally breaking and swiftly looking away.

"Do it." He commanded- his voice stern enough to cause the tense kunoichi to jump as she shakily nodded her head.

Sasuke watched fascinated as her innocent demeanor turned from an easy prey to a focused predator. It was intriguing, and he found himself wanting to see more of this side of her.

Getting in his defensive position, Sasuke situated himself beside her to block any oncoming attacks all the while watching her with significance, curious as to what jutsu she had up her sleeve.

"When I release this jutsu, we are going to have to escape Uchiha-kun. There is a tree two meters directly behind us, it would be best to jump there. After I won't be much help as my chakra will be almost completely depleted, so we'll have to use this to the best advantage." She informed him as he nodded his head in agreement.

She efficiently went through the hand seals as the Uchiha watched absorbing each and every one as they came and went. Snake, Rat, Snake, Tiger and laid her hands before her as she situated herself in an offensive form, Byakugan active.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning."

Sasuke jumped back towards the indicated tree as a cloud of dark smoke flooded the forest upon the opening of Hinata's mouth. This fog joined the smoke their assailant had created and made the area he once stood at denser. From his new vantage point however Sasuke could see better through the fog as it stayed quite low. She then through a series of seals released a fire jutsu from her mouth that ignited the blackened smoke into a cloud of flames. With the added power of fire, the slow moving smoke quickened its pace towards the enemy.

His teammate moved to stand beside him as her jutsu took effect. Sasuke watched as the area they once stood in began to burn, the leaves of the trees that managed to be caught in the crossfire coming to ash. He could see some of the fog clearing, no doubt the enemy trying to dispel the smokescreen he created, but it was too late. Most of his jutsu had already been consumed by hers and, the ball of fire was so large and moving at a too quick a speed that even if he managed to get farther, it would still injure him.

He could feel the heat even from where he stood. It was heavy as it enveloped the whole forest. He could see why she told him to get to a higher altitude as he could only imagine how much hotter it was down there. She had used the enemies jutsu against him, a great display of battle logic.

Sasuke was surprised to see her use this jutsu, he had seen a cousin of his perform it once when he was younger. As far as he could tell it was a B-ranking jutsu, and a fire elemental one at that. One had to be very comfortable with their chakra and elemental nature to perform it properly. He had a feeling where she could've learned such a technique from but the fact that she was able to execute it all was what really impressed him.

Sasuke realized had underestimated his teammate greatly. He could already begin to see the benefits of having her on his team, his previous doubts now forgotten with the prospect of his plan's success.

Looking towards his adversary, who was more visible due to the fog he was desperately clearing, Sasuke could see the smoke that his teammate produced racing towards him and was suddenly struck with an idea.

Jumping down from the branch he was perched on he ignored the pointless call of Hinata to come back. He knew what he was doing, and he had no plan on stopping.

Landing, he knew that he had to work fast if he wanted the jutsu to have any effect. It would soon encompass his enemy and that was the best time to strike.

Though he couldn't see he quickly made a deduction based on what he saw from his higher vantage point. He had about 5 seconds before the flaming cloud completely covered the guy. There was still a chance that even if injured the attacker would still be able to move. Sasuke wanted to make sure that he wasn't.

Grabbing his katana, he placed it in the ground he stood on, and channeled his chakra through it.

"Chidori Nagashi."

Sasuke felt the familiar feeling of static cover him as his buzzing chakra traveled through his body and ignited his sword, electrifying the ground it was perched in. He focused the lightning to travel upward and into the ball of fire his teammate created.

A bright flash of light could be seen several feet away, even through the smoke and flames. It was so bright Sasuke had to look away, covering his eyes with the crook of his arm before the light could blind him.

With the help of the Hyūga and their combined elemental jutsu, he had been able to create a plasma based attack. Even on the low chance the man were to survive he would be too badly injured to do anything.

Satisfied with the result of his jutsu he made his way back to the tree branch he was previously stationed in and was met by the hostility of his Nara teammate, who had made his way over to the tree to regroup.

"What was that?" Shikamaru asked, visibly upset. Sasuke opted not to answer, feeling as if the question was more of rhetorical. He was proven right as his teammate continued. "You could've jeopardized everything. That wasn't a part of the plan."

Shikamaru scolded him as if he were a child, something that greatly angered him. He did not care how smart of a shinobi the Nara was, he would not be treated like he was a lesser person.

"I was making it better." Sasuke said with a certain arrogance only he could produce. The avenger knew how and when to utilize his strengths and he was very confident that the decision he made was a smart one.

"You don't call the shots Sasuke." The Nara fumed. He had never imagined what it was like to see the strategist upset. He had never thought it possible for someone as lazy as Shikamaru to care for such details. It was very… interesting to say the least.

"Neither do you." Sasuke mocked, amused by the accusing tone of voice his teammate was using with him.

"Shikamaru-kun, Uchiha-kun," Hinata's shaky voice rang out as she placed herself between him and the Nara, effectively separating the two. "I think it's best if we discuss our next move rather than argue."

Sasuke spared her a glance, she looked out of breath and near the point of collapse. If anything, Shikamaru should've been happy that he ended the battle before they were forced to take care of an unconscious teammate.

Shaking his head Sasuke walked away from both his teammates towards the edge of the branch, looking at the scene below.

Now that everything was less intense he would be able to efficiently feel for foreign chakra. Scanning his obsidian eyes across the landscape he noticed the familiar chakra of the attacker from earlier was moving in their direction.

His eyes slightly opened in shock. That couldn't be right. He knew the man was hit right on target and should've been incapacitated at the very least.

Something about the shinobi and the situation wasn't right.

Looking behind him towards his conversing teammates he could tell that they were blissfully unaware of the looming threat, lowering their guards to easily be caught without warning.

Sasuke found it kind of disgusting.

A shinobi had to be on their guard at all times, it was one of the first basic lessons learned at the academy and became effortless second nature overtime. For them to be so lax with their guard spoke volumes on their capabilities as shinobi.

He wondered then if he had overestimated them. Given them too much credit than they deserved.

He frowned as he realized he would probably have to speak with Kakashi after the exams were done, a situation he was not looking forward to. Their last encounter had been anything but pleasant.

With his Sharingan activated he searched the landscape until he found the familiar obnoxious shade of red near the far left still moving inwards onto them.

Leaving his branch post once again he landed in the area he had located the foreign man, coming face to face with him once again. The shinobi was badly burned. The flesh that managed to stay on his skin was darkened and looked ready to fall off, and he had the distinct smell of blood and seared skin. He looked like a walking corpse.

Sasuke didn't like the gruesome sight of him one bit. It was like the man wasn't even there, just existing on an energy that Sasuke couldn't place his finger on. Clearly something was a miss. He wondered then if he was dabbling in forbidden jutsu. Whatever it was it didn't matter, Sasuke didn't expect him to survive the next time.

Noticing him the man looked up with a challenging smile prompting Sasuke to get into an offensive stance. He charged forward towards the enemy, Chidori in hand as his adversary did the same with a fist.

And then he froze.

Looking down Sasuke noticed his shadow stretching with those of various trees and coming together in a menacing formation as they slowly crept to overtake the foreign shinobi. Frozen in place the smile had finally fallen off of his wretched lips and was replaced by a vicious sneer.

"Kagemane no Jutsu complete." Shikamaru's voice rang through the forest, a sense of satisfaction laced in his words.

Sasuke was definitely confused as to why was he captured as well. And then it slowly hit him. The Nara had shamelessly used him as bait, playing him like a personal tool.

To say he was mad was an understatement.

"Let me go." Sasuke growled. He was practically seething. He was not a decoy, or a distraction. A simple shogi piece used to be played with. He was more than that, and to be treated as anything less was just plain insulting.

It was undeniable that Nara Shikamaru hated Uchiha Sasuke and now he was certain that he hated him too.

"Let me go." He repeated with more contempt, waiting impatiently for the irritating tactician to comply.

Feeling the compressing strain of the Nara's jutsu lift Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His teammate's jutsu was one to be weary of that was for sure.

He had completely forgotten the Nara clan had possessed this technique. Being in control was something a shinobi thrived on, whether it was being in control of a situation or themselves. Someone able to take that control away and make it theirs was undoubtedly a dangerous person.

He didn't like being used. He couldn't trust Shikamaru, and without trust there was no team dynamic. Sasuke didn't know what Kakashi had been thinking when he put the teams together. He would've been better off with Naruto and Sakura, the three of them would've taken out the foreign shinobi without words.

Looking back towards his teammates, Sasuke noticed that they seemed visibly uncomfortable, Hinata especially. Making the first move Sasuke moved closer towards the enemy, despite the smell. He clenched his jaw as they were finally face to face.

"Uchiha-kun, be careful!" Hinata's voice called out to him seemingly worried. Sasuke almost scoffed. He didn't need anybody to worry about him. He was capable of handling himself.

Looking towards the man who had dared to challenge him by getting up when he should've stayed down, Sasuke grabbed his collar and started demanding answers. "Clearly you're not here to take the exam. So, who do you work for?"

Watching him smile as he prepared to give him his answer angered the Uchiha. He couldn't wait to wipe that stupid grin off of his face.

"Can't say." The man laughed, coughing between pointless chuckles. His voice sounded horse and barely there. But Sasuke could just make out the words.

Provoked Sasuke tightened his grip on his collar making sure to give him little to no space to breathe.

"Sasuke!" Shikamaru hissed. Turning around to face his teammate, Sasuke noticed that Shikamaru's head was uncomfortably upturned though no one was there causing it. And that's when he realized that Shikamaru's jutsu had a deadly flaw. He too was nothing but a puppet.

Sasuke reluctantly let go of the man's collar for the sake of his objective. He the urges that were telling him to hit the man anyway regardless of the consequences.

Calming down as best as he could Sasuke questioned the man again, "Who sent you?"

"I'd rather not say." The redhead laughed. It was a croaking cackle that sounded painful. And it annoyed Sasuke even further.

"One last question, and if you don't answer I'll surely kill you."

"Have at it Uchiha. You won't get anything from me." He proclaimed with another smile although Sasuke was sure that he was just trying to provoke him now, aiming to get a violent reaction.

"What do you want from me?" he growled losing his rather thin patience, this guy was getting on his last nerve.

"You will find out soon enough. This is just the beginning Sasuke."

Sasuke didn't know what angered him more, the idiot's vague answer or the fact that he said his first name with such familiarity. Looking back towards Shikamaru, he gave him a look that he hoped he understood, because if he didn't he was going to be back at square one.

Grabbing the man by the collar once again, Sasuke allowed himself to grin at the enemy who was also defiantly smiling.

"Wrong answer."

He allowed his chakra to gather in his arm and take the form of a Chidori, one he was just itching to plunge into the man's chest.

"Surely you won't hurt me with your teammate connected to me like this."

This time Sasuke was the one to laugh, the audacity of this man was unbelievable. Looking him straight in the eye Sasuke broadened his grin.

"I don't care."

Drawing his arm back Sasuke punctured the man straight through the chest just as Shikamaru released his jutsu.

When he was sure that the man had died he drew back his arm and allowed the body to drop. It was then that he noticed the enemy's smile was gone as well, an added bonus.

Lowering himself, he shook some of the blood off of his hand and wiped it on the grass below. He hated the smell.

After he searched the foreign shinobi only to get back up with an annoyed sigh. "Figures he didn't have what we needed."

Looking back at his teammates his trained eyes read each of their expressions. The laggard Nara was situated into his usual stance, slacked shoulders and heavy eyes. Hyūga Hinata however was paler than usual, though she tried to hide it with a smile he could see it clear as day.

Fear.

"Let's set up camp."

Turning away from his partners he began to walk ahead of them stepping over the body of the foreign shinobi. Surely someone else would come to clean it up.