Sorry it took so long to update guys. Here is the new one. Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Shizuko's POV

This means thoughts

"Alright listen up maggots. This is the forest of death where the second part of the exam will take place." The violet-haired ninja pointed to the creepy forest behind her. "You'll find out soon why it's called that for yourself."

"Do your worse, you're not going to scare me away!" Naruto yelled out. I reached out to Naruto as a swift kunai was thrown at him scratching his cheek with Anko showing up right behind him taunting him. I froze as a Grass nin handed Anko her knife with her tongue reminding me of a snake.

It looks just like a snake tongue! I thought as a took a step back, so I was behind Sasuke. As I stared at the Grass nin, I distantly heard Anko explain about the scroll. The Grass Nin turned her head to me as we locked eyes, her eyes a bottomless pit of darkness. I turned around quickly as she licked her lips looking at me.

A piece of paper was pushed into my hands by Sasuke who looked annoyed.

"I don't know what has you spaced out, but you need to get your head in the game, hear me?"

Blushing lightly I nod my head and look down at the consent form. As I read the waiver and about to sign when I am knocked into from behind and onto the ground catching myself on my hands.

"AH! I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz" A loud voice exclaimed above me. Looking up a girl with short light blue hair and wide blue eyes stared down at me. She helped me to my feet, and I got a better look at this klutz. She was wearing boots, short shorts, and a crop top that was covered with a breastplate similar to mine, and an overcoat that was green. (Picture on Pinterest)

"It's okay! I'm kind of just standing in the middle of everything." I scratched my cheek lightly as my cheeks warmed.

"I'm Shiori from Konoha. I'm with Kabuto's team, I was hoping to run into you actually, I saw you earlier in the first test. I actually copied your answers! Neat light trick…." Shocks went through my body, as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Thank you... I'm Shizuko….Hoga" While I talked to her I spied Naruto talking to Hinata. I felt a stone in my gut as I saw her blush and diverted my eyes.

"Hmm, so the loud mouth? Never would have guessed." I looked at her face flaming hot as I waved my hands in front of my face.

"It's nothing like that! We're just friends!" I laughed nervously, but I could see the amusement in her eyes. I felt my face growing hotter as Naruto came and stood next to me and smiled at Shiori.

"It's team 7's time to get our scroll, let's do this Shizuko!" Naruto yelled.

"It was nice to meet you Shiori, good luck!" I yelled over my shoulder, but I was stopped at her comment.

"Good luck Shizuo and…. Be strong, believe in who you are; be strong, believe in what you feel." I froze at my family's saying and turned my head so fast looking wildly around for her, but she was nowhere to be found. I only caught sight of Lie peering at me curiously with her team holding the scroll in her hand. I contemplated waving at her for a moment, but she willingly left us for her old ways. Clenching my fists, I turned around and followed Naruto and Sasuke into the tent.

Sasuke looked at the scroll for a second before offering it to me. I looked at him eyes wide before taking the scroll at his confident nod. I was surprised he trusted me to keep it safe. We were sent to gate 12 as our starting point.

"No matter what happens, we stick together." Naruto and Sasuke nod determinedly and run towards the forest of death. Not knowing this is going to change our team.

"So, now what?" I asked as I looked around suspiciously around the dark forest.

"I say we go find Lie's group and take down Akumu…" Sasuke said darkly with a murderous glint in his eye.

"Don't be stupid Sasuke, at our level they'd take us down in 30 seconds." I chastise him, as Naruto looked back and forth at us with a grin. "Also, I don't know where Lie's allegiance lies. We may have to hurt her…" I continued softly and scuffed the ground. I felt a hand on my clasped hands, looking up Naruto was grinning at me.

"Nah, Lie may not be with us now, but she's still with us in her heart. We're all friends, believe it!" I nod and smile back before looking at Sasuke hopefully. He turns his back to us with a scoff as my smile diminishes.

"You can't trust anyone, everyone always betrays you." Sasuke began to walk off into the forest, hands in his pockets. "Even you Shizuko Hoga, you're not who you say you are. According to the data, you don't exist until a few months ago, with Lie and I know the truth about her." I just looked away and saw Naruto in the corner of my eye looking confused and hurt.

"That's bullshit Uchiha! You're just trying to push us away, and make us feel the pain you're feeling now from Lie leaving." At my curse, Sasuke turned around and looked at me his brows furrowed.

"God, you think you're the only one who is in pain, you're not the only one in this group who lost everyone they cared about." Striding toward him, I started angrily poking his chest as I spoke, blinking back hot tears that well up in my brown eyes.

"You use the poor orphan who lost everything to keep everyone at a distance with conceitedness, while you are nothing but a scared little boy who is grieving and running scared!" I yelled out the end, my voice echoed in the clearing.

It was still around us, no sound except my heavy breathing. My index finger even on his chest. For once, Naruto was utterly silent. Gulping, my eyes travel up his chest, to his face, finally to his eyes. If looks could kill, I would be dead. His eyes were like a black hole glinting, with murder in his eyes.

I screamed as a kunai swished in front of my face, almost striking me. I scrambled backward almost tripping on my feet as Sasuke kept lunging with a kunai in his grip.

"Sasuke, I didn't say that to hurt you!" I yelped as my back hit a tree. I pulled out my kunai and frantically blocked his assault.

"Shut up! I'll show you weak!" our kunai created sparks of light as they clashed around the clearing.

Our kunais ground together as we locked. His eyes were still dark, while I tried to plead with my eyes. When a realization dawned on me, I lost strength and felt a sudden pain in my arms. Stumbling back I felt wetness going up my sleeve.

"Sasuke stop! Naruto's gone!" I yelled at him as I held my hand up at him to stop when I realized I haven't heard Naruto utter a word in 30 seconds. He paused in his lunge and peered around the clearing.

"Naruto!" he held the kunai aloft in his hand as he yelled.

"Naruto!" A wave of panic was rising in me, I couldn't breathe, my throat was tight as I yelled desperately.

This is all my fault. I thought hysterically, I told myself I'd keep him safe. I needed him to be safe.

"We'll find him!" Sasuke yelled at me as he looked around, "You panicking and losing your head won't help him." Sasuke and I locked eyes, this time there was just determination and compassion in his gaze. Nodding at each other I take a deep breath.

"Okay, we should stick together, whoever took Naruto has to be around, probably wants us to panic and separate." Despite my heart screaming at me to find him Sasuke and I placed our backs to one another.

"Sasuke!" I tried to grab his hand before I was pushed away from him. We were separated by a massive gust of wind, I felt pain radiating through my body as I hit the tree branches.

I let out a yelp as my back collided with a tree. I have to get up, they need me. I have to save them all! Shakily I got up, I could feel my healing jutsu tattoo working at a slow pace. My whole body pulsed with pain and my forearms were still bleeding from the fight earlier.

I hobbled back to the area we were in when I heard yelling close to it. Sasuke!

My body screamed as I ran to it. I almost collapsed when I reached it, leaning against a tree as my head spun.

What I saw surprised me, Sasuke was frozen on the ground with the creepy tongue women in front of him. I darted in front of him Kunai in my hands as kunai was thrown at him, blocking him.

"Back off, I won't let you lay a finger on him." I snarled at her, but the tongue lady laughed.

"Brave words from a coward who let her family die." As she stared into my eyes, I saw flashes of the attack on my village and my family's death. Reliving it over and over as tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn't move, no matter how much I screamed in my head.

"Move Shizuko, I don't need you to protect me!" I heard him yell as searing pain consumed my body. I could feel the blood cascading down my cheek. As I came out of the genjutsu, only being able to move my eyes, I saw the snake lady right in front of me as the kunai twirled in front of my face as she caressed my face with it.

"Oh don't worry, I won't kill you yet my angel pet I have need for you still." She said as I felt a searing pain on my neck and something wet trailing down my top.

"I need to move!" I felt my body being lifted and gently put down on a tree branch. I was ashamed, but I clung to Sasuke my knuckles white, my body trembled like a leaf in the wind. I thought I became stronger than this….

Feeling something to my right, I saw a giant snake coming towards us.

"Move!" I grabbed Sasuke and leaped to another branch with the snake coming at us.

"Stay away!" Sasuke yelled as he held onto me with one arm and with the other threw kunais at the snake's mouth. Landing on a branch we thought we were safer, but out of the Snake came the lady. Who came slithering towards us, both of us were useless in fear.

"Looks like I came just in time!" I felt my insides glow and warm as I heard the Knucklehead ninja.

"Naruto, run away! You don't know what you're dealing with!" Naruto looked over confused at his words. Shakily I moved away from Sasuke and went closer to Naruto.

"Naruto! You're okay!" I smiled with joy wrapped in my words. Naruto's face went blank when he saw me. Looking at the grass nin his face an expressionless mask.

"You can hurt me, you can kill me, but don't you….dare touch her!" When he blinked his eyes his eyes were red with black slits as he charged toward the snake, kunai clutched in his hands and a snarl on his lips.

Sasuke and I watched in awe and shock as Naruto sliced up the snake and pummeled him.

"Naruto, watch out!" I yelled as her tongue wrapped around his body. I saw her making hand signs and as I was about to help him my wrist was gripped from behind. Whipping around, Sasuke was looking back at me looking like a child holding onto his mother. Both of my teammates needed me, I was lost. Turning around I watched eyes wide as she shoved her hand onto his stomach and go limp. She threw him like a ragdoll.

He'll die! I yanked my hand out of Sasuke's and sprinted to Naruto, catching him and feeling the wind knocked out of my body as we landed on a nearby branch. Naruto landing on top of me, head on my chest.

"Naruto!" I tried shaking him awake as I lifted up and held his head on my lap. But, his face didn't change as I shook him. I tried using a healing light jutsu to heal him, but there wasn't anything physically wrong with him.

Staring resolutely at Sasuke and the snake lady as they fought I laid my hand on Naruto's chest, feeling his steady heartbeat. I could only hope that Sasuke would beat her, and team 7 would make it out of this forest alive.

I wanted to help him, but all my chakra is being used up to heal my body. I would only be in the way, I needed more power to keep everyone safe. Even Sasuke was stronger than me, he was taking down the grass nin like an anbu ninja.

At the last fire attack I watched in horror as her face started peeling to show grey skin and a golden eye.

"How interesting, you're even better than Itachi, more clear." Her voice got deeper with a hiss in her voice.

"Sasuke! We have to run! He'll kill us all!" My voice was shrill to my ears as I recognized that voice anywhere. I stood up shakily and looped Naruto's arm around my shoulder. Orochimaru gave me a smirk.

"Now, now can't have you leaving the party too early.." with a few hand signs we were frozen again. I wanted to scream to the skys why they hated me so much, why this was happening to me.

"I'll see you soon Sasuke, but first you guys have to beat my team first…" He turned his golden eyes back to Sasuke. "You'll seek me out, to gain more power for your ambition. I'll see you soon."

"Don't you dare touch him Orochimaru, I'll kill you!" I could only threaten as I watched him elongate his neck and bite Sasuke in the back of his neck.

"Sasuke! It'll be okay!" I tried to reassure as he screamed in pain. The painful wail chilled me to my bones as it echoed in the forest. We were unfrozen, but I was still frozen where I stood, feeling the weight of my team resting on me as Sasuke passed out hearing his whimpers.

"Told you I haven't forgotten about you pet." Orochimaru came from the tree in front of me his body liquidating from it. I laid Naruto down gently and faced the snake demon. Pulling out my angel blade I held the tip pointing at Orochimaru's throat.

"You won't hurt him or me again."

"Hurt you?" Orochimaru cocks his head. "No, I just wanted to help you." His words were slimy with lies.

"Sasuke will come to me for more power, and you know Naruto will do anything to protect his teammates, so he'll probably be hurt. I want to offer you a different choice…" I lowered my sword slightly as confusion washed over me, even though I knew what he said was true.

"When the time is right, you can find me and I'll leave Sasuke all alone, he can go off on his own miserable life, but alive. You see you have that book of yours that has something I want. So Sasuke's and Naruto's life or the book really." Looking over at Sasuke who was passed out, the thought crossed my mind to do it. I gasped and trembled as I saw Orochimaru was in my face, but he just caressed my face and melted into the ground with a smile on his face.

"You'll make the right decision angel." Shaking out of my stupor I move Naruto and Sasuke to an open hole in a tree on the ground. Both of them are burning up so I place wet towels on their head from my bag. I sigh and look around the clearing. Time to place some traps, I won't be able to take teams by myself.

With my body bruised and scarred I can only hope and pray that I'm enough to keep them safe. I don't have anyone else to rely on, but myself. I can't help, but to think how familiar this was to after my people's massacre on the road. I won't be able to rely on Lie this time….Angels above please watch over me. Resolutely I look above as I send up a prayer.