I do not own 'Naruto'

Chunin Exams: Forest of Death II

Deep within the Forest of Death.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm tired." Sakura stated.

The Uchiha was tired as well. They both had to stay on their guard in the forest if they wanted to survive, as well as put as much distance as possible between them and Orochimaru. They didn't know how the conflict ended, they just assumed the worst and continued running.

They had very little sleep. Sasuke didn't trust Sakura not to fall asleep or get killed during her watch. Sakura was just too scared to sleep, even with her Sasuke around. Add that to the exhaustion of their battle the day before, they were running on fumes. Usually they would have Kakashi watching over them, or one of Naruto's many clones.

Well he's dead. Sasuke thought with a hint of dark joy. That's one off of my list, now there's only him, the murderer of my clan.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the squirrel that moved towards them.

Or the explosive note on it.

Now, even deeper within the Forest of Death.

No.

We needed to go further than that, deeper. Inside of a seal.

"That snake thinks he has control over my vessel, ha!" The fox laughed at the audacity. "The only one with control here is me!"

When Orochimaru placed the cursed mark on Naruto, he forgot on important thing. When placing a seal on another seal, there can be adverse affects. The blond already had a seal on him, one that contained the Nine-Tailed Fox demon.

Thanks to Orochimaru's recklessness, Kyuubi was given the slightest bit of freedom. That was all the fox needed.

Noticing the seal, he immediately began altering it for his own purposes. Though the snake was of a foul evil, the Kyuubi was hatred incarnate.

"Now, wake up!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura cried out for the umpteenth time.

The Uchiha was getting his tail handed to him by the Sound team and Sakura was making no attempts to help.

"This is the one he wanted?" Dosu asked in disappointment. "The famous last Uchiha?"

"Isn't there supposed to be a third member?" Zaku asked as he looked around. "Some tough guy?"

In the trees above was Team 10, hiding from the fray.

"We have to get out of here." Shikamaru urged.

"No." Ino stated firmly. Not until I find out what happened to Naruto-Kun.

"Hey, who's there?!" One of the Sound nin demanded.

They all turned towards the tree to see Team 10.

"We have to get out of here!" Chouji stated frantically.

"Go ahead and leave." Zaku mocked. "Fatty."

Ino and Shikamaru face palmed when they heard the insult. It looked like they were going to enter the fray after all.

Naruto was examining his body.

He had a strange marking that spread across his entire body. It started from his neck where Orochimaru had bitten him. It expanded in a spiral patterns that ended at the start of another.

His eyes were glowing a crimson red.

It wasn't the red of his bloodline. That was a pale red that only replaced the blue and gave his eyes an empty look. This one was a darker shade of red with a fox like iris in the middle.

There was no hollow emptiness in them. They were filled with raw hate. The last time Naruto had these eyes were when he threatened Haku.

Unlike then, this wasn't a passionate spur of the moment. This was more...stable in it's purpose, lasting.

No, the Kyuubi was not in control, it was still 'Naruto' but the fox was influencing. It was another version of Naruto.

Just as he had an empty 'Shinobi mode', he now had this one.

Let's put it to use, shall we. He thought in anticipation.

With a mere thought, he felt his body leave in a pull. If anyone had seen him, they would only see him disappear in a flash

"Now we end this!" Kin shouted as pulled her kunai over head.

Only to be kicked away by Naruto.

"Naruto-Kun!" Ino cried in joy.

The joy quickly faded when she saw the difference in him. He didn't have the usual coldness she had become familiar with during serious moments, nor his reserved but well meaning personality. Instead, he seemed eager to fight, to hurt someone.

Then there were the physical differences, like the strange markings on his body. How his nails seemed like claws and his hair was wilder. But his eyes were what really unnerved her.

What's going on? She thought to herself.

"Who are you and where did you come from?" Zaku asked.

That wasn't a Body Flicker or a summons. Dosu thought unnerved. What was that?

The blond raised his clawed hand and brought it down on Kin's face, tearing most of her flesh away. She howled in pain as she raised her hand to cover the wound. Naruto then thrusted his arm through her stomach, she looked down in shock before succumbing to the wound and dying.

Decapitating Air Waves

Zaku blasted pure air and sound at Naruto in an attempt to kill him. The blond was ready, raising the arm with her still on it, he through it at Zaku's attack. Kin's body was torn to pieces.

Zaku raised his arms to attack Naruto again, but he never got a chance to finish his attack.

Naruto was behind him already. Grabbing the Sound Genin's arms, he forced them apart. There was a popping sound before a wet tear was heard. Then came the inevitable sight of Zaku's arm being torn off.

The blond raised them over his head in a display, like a trophy. He smiled at their horrified faces as the blood from the arms showered him

Dosu had taken this moment to attack Naruto with the Melody Gauntlet. He managed to strike the blond in the chest, but all that he gained was a twitch, the blond was completely fine.

That's impossible! He thought in fear.

Naruto grabbed the Sound Genin's hand and examined the weapon.

This could be useful. Naruto thought.

He was full of blood-lust, but that didn't mean he didn't recognize an asset.

Much to everyone's surprise, he began to calmly remove the weapon from Dosu. The Sound nin didn't even try to stop him, to scared and confused to attempt it.

"I-It's yours!" He stated as he began backing away. "And the scroll if you want it, just let me go!"

He handed Naruto the scroll, which the blond took. They really needed it seeing as how theirs was destroyed by Orochimaru. But the Sound Genin thought he could use it to barter with his life?

"Ha." Naruto giggled as he watched the Genin flee. "At the very least, I do love a moving target."

Everyone in the field was terrified. Team 7 and Ino had seen Naruto be ruthless, but not like this. He was always quick and clean, never doing more than what was necessary for efficiency. This was being cruel and messy.

Like a demon.

They could only wonder what would happen once he was done with the Sound ninja. Would he turn on them as well, two of them deserved it.

Ino was torn, she wanted him to snap out of this madness, but she was too afraid to interfere.

No! She thought with a shake of her head. I'm a kunoichi, not a coward!

Ino charged and tackled Naruto with a hug. She held him tightly

"Please stop Naruto-Kun!" She begged as she held him. "This isn't you!"

Naruto was mentally torn with indecision. Part of him wanted to kill her for interfering with Shinobi affairs and another part wanted to kill her just to feel her flesh tear. Either way, he wanted to kill her...and the others in the clearing. Both parts were pushed away by the part that truly cared for her.

The Curse mark began to recede.

"Okay, he can go." Naruto stated. Though it's a bad move as a Shinobi.

"Thank you." Ino whispered as she hugged his chest.

Naruto rubbed her back soothingly as he enjoyed the hug, but all things must come to an end.

"Ino-Chan, I'm going to pass out for a few hours." Naruto stated. "Please watch over me."

Before she could say anything, he collapsed in her arms.

Aw, he's so peaceful. She thought. And heavy.

Dosu hunched over to gather his breath.

He hadn't stopped running once the blond had let him go. Honestly, he had though that Naruto was going to kill him regardless of the scroll.

That was insane! He thought. Exactly what is Orochimaru planning?

He was disturbed from his thoughts when he heard the rustling of leaves and the snap of a branch.

"Come on out before I kill you!" He shouted.

"Kukuku, someone's having a bad day."

Dosu paled when he heard the laughter and turned towards the voice to see Orochimaru rising from the Earth.

"O-Orochimaru-Sama, what're you doing here?" He asked as he took a step back.

This didn't go unnoticed by the snake. "Why Dosu-Kun, aren't you happy to see me?"

The Genin didn't answer, he just stared at the man he called master.

"Why did you give that blond the curse mark?" He asked. "He butchered my team!"

"I saw." The Sannin stated. "And I must say, it was quite the display."

"Y-You saw?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, and how unfortunate for your team." He sighed. "But all is not lost, I still have use for you."

"What do you-"

Before Dosu could react, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his skull before everything became nothing.

It was a little over two hours before Naruto awoke.

He was laying down on the ground, but his head was resting on something soft but firm. He took a moment to nuzzle his head further into it, enjoying the feel of it.

Well, better get up now. He thought as he

"Feeling better?" Ino asked.

"Much." Naruto answered.

"Good."

SLAP!

"OW, what'd I do?" He asked as he rubbed his sore cheek.

"That's for worrying the hell out of me with whatever that was!" She answered as she rested her head in his chest. "Don't do that again."

Though the last part came in a whisper, it was loud in his heart. (Man that sounded cheesy.)

"What was that marking!?"

Naruto looked at the Uchiha who had just made a demand of him. It seemed that he would never learn.

"Answer him you baka!"

Naruto blurred from their vision as he reappeared in front of them, his fist firmly planted into Sasuke's stomach. The Uchiha fell to his knees with blood dripping from his mouth. With a quick twist of his arm he smacked Sakura so hard that she fell to the ground with a torn cheek.

"Naruto!" Ino shouted.

"You two abandoned me." He stated without looking at them. "I knew you were a coward Sakura, but you Sasuke..." The blond trailed off.

"H-How did you beat Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked through the pain. Is he that strong?!

"I didn't." The blond answered. He unconsciously rubbed his neck.

Naruto picked up the scroll from the ground, it was a Earth scroll.

"What scroll do you have?" Naruto asked Team 10.

The team tensed at the question. They had forgotten it was still a life or death competition and that they were supposed to be enemies. After what they saw, Naruto was the last they wanted to compete against.

"We have an Heaven." Ino answered.

"Hmm." Was all Naruto said.

"What're you waiting for?" Sakura asked. "Beat them and take their scroll!"

"No." Naruto stated as he pocketed the Earth scroll. "I have a proposition for your team Ino."

"We're listening."

"I'll help you to get another scroll if you keep silent about what happened here today."

Ino was...conflicted. On one hand she wanted answers, on the other she wanted out of the forest as fast as possible.

"Deal."

"What about us?" Sakura asked.

"I demand answers." Sasuke growled.

"You two were killed by an enemy Shinobi that had taken us by surprise." Naruto suddenly stated without looking at them. "Orochimaru of the Sannin, we never stood a chance as he killed Sakura and fled with Sasuke for his Sharingan, never for the Uchiha to be seen again."

They noticed that as he said that, his finger was tensed, ready to execute them on the spot.

"H-hey, that's a little-"

"Team 10 tried to help, like good Leaf comrades only to be cut down." He stated as a smile formed on his face. "All that was left of them were mangled husks of-"

He stopped mid-sentence and everyone saw why. Ino was hugging her fellow blond from behind. There was a conflicted look on his face before he relaxed and the markings on his body began receding again.

"Let's go find those scrolls and get out of this forest." She whispered into his back.

"Okay, there's a team ten yards to our East." Naruto stated. "They have both scrolls."

"How do you know?" Choji asked.

"I do." Was his answer. "Anyone have a plan?"

"Let's draw them out and..."

"No." Naruto stated. "If you have a chance then take it, but never let your enemy get on even ground with you. For all we know, they could specialize in open combat."

"Troublesome, what do you propose?" Shikamaru asked.

"Let's see if my lessons have paid off." Naruto stated as he looked at Ino.

The blond blushed when all attention turned to her. She new what this was, Naruto was testing her to see if his lessons had been working.

"I'll use my mind transfer Jutsu to take over one of them and find out who has the scroll." She stated. "I will then create a distraction, letting Shikamaru capture them."

"What about me?" Choji asked.

"Be ready for combat in case one of them escapes or breaks free." She answered.

Oh man, I might actually have to fight. Choji thought with dread.

"Good plan." Naruto stated. "Simple yet effective."

"Alright, let's begin." Ino spoke.

Mind Transfer Jutsu

Her technique hit the desired target, the apparent leader of the group.

Success! She thought.

Ino reached into 'her' pouch and pulled out two kunai with explosive tags added. This caught the attention of the other teammates.

"What's wrong, do you sense an enemy?" One of them asked.

"Yes." She answered. "There are two enemies around me."

She through both kunai to the feet of her 'enemies', the guy's teammates. The Genin jumped back in shock just as the explosives went off.

"What the hell are-"

He stopped mid-sentence when he realized he couldn't move.

"Hey, what's going on?!" He teammate

"Handover the scroll." A disembodied voice spoke from the trees.

"Never." One of the Genin stated.

"I wasn't talking to you."

They noticed that the 'traitor' of their group was the only one not caught in the Jutsu. Ino, using the body searched the host's team's pocket to find the scroll. She found them.

With great aim, she through them into the bushes where her real team was.

Release. Ino thought as she cancelled the Jutsu.

Ino awakened to find herself back into her own body.

"What about them?" She asked as she stood.

"With any luck, they'll conflict among themselves." Naruto answered.

"That's pretty cold and underhanded." Shikamaru stated.

Naruto only gave the Nara a smirk, he took it as a compliment.

"What now?" Choji asked.

"Now, I take the scroll I need and you take the one you need." Naruto stated.

"Why didn't you take ours in that clearing?" Shikamaru answered.

"We're comrades." Naruto answered.

"Not for these exams." Shikamaru answered. "Here it's every team for themselves."

Naruto just gave the Nara another smile. This time he was impressed, the Nara was very curious and perceptive, excellent traits for a Ninja.

He'll do this village good. Naruto thought.

But you can do better. A voice whispered. Better than all of them.

Naruto suddenly tensed in pain and his hand went towards the Curse mark. It was only for a second before he composed himself.

"Is everything okay Naruto-Kun?" Ino asked.

"Fine." He lied without looking at him. "Let's go."

"Which way?" Choji asked.

The blond simply grabbed their arms.

Sasuke and Sakura were sitting at the entrance of the tower. They had waited as the blond had ordered, too afraid to do otherwise, though Sasuke would never admit it.

They nearly had a heart attack when Naruto and Team 10 appeared from nowhere.

"How did you get here so fast?" Sasuke asked.

"I placed a seal on Sakura that brought me here like a summons." Naruto answered. "Same way I got to the clearing."

"When?"

"Back when I patted her on the back, before you all abandoned me." Naruto answered. "I had a feeling that I would have to use it, unfortunately I was right."

Sakura began looking over her body to find the seal. Naruto placed another on top of the previous, removing it and keeping it secret.

Damn you dobe. Sasuke mentally growled.

"Let's go." Shikamaru stated as he entered the tower. "This forest is too troublesome."

Review

I'm sure some of you were wondering about Team 9. Well Lee wouldn't have found them if not for the squirrel, which Sakura sent away because of the trap and sleep deprivation. And the others only searched for them when he was late.