Disclaimer: OMG WHY I NO OWN NARUTO!?
OOOOOHHH MYYYY GOOOODDDDD EEEEPPPPPIIIIICCCC FFFFAAAAAIIIIILLLLLUUUUURRRREEEEEE! I only just started this 'Every other day' idea and I'm already getting things late! Oh my god, I'm sorry everyone xD! I did my best with the explanation of the whole thing, but I kept it short because it was so boring to write... O/.\O I did my best with everything... And I was so distracted by the story 'Phoenix Rising'... If was a fanfiction about Sasuke being reverted back into a newborn back, without his old memories... And he chooses Naruto to be his father. Poor everyone who didn't figure out he was adopted xD Naruto was 17 when he became newborn Sasuke's 'father', so... yyyyeeeeaaaaahhhhh... Poor Hinata fainted again... and again... and again... But it was really said because for seven years Naruto couldn't risk going back to Konoha for fear that they would recognize Sasuke and hurt him, despite that he no longer had his skills, intelligence, and memories he once had. So I got so distracted by this beautiful story that I didn't get a chance to write! I'm such an idiot! *gets hit in the head by everyone* I really hope this makes up for the longer than normal wait! Sorry! Don't kill me, and enjoy!
PS: In Japanese, the kanji for nine also means "death" and "torture"
Edit: I know it's been a while again, but I'm really trying to work around writer's block, since I lost interest in Naruto(anime) after the manga ended, because I didn't want to deal with crying over the anime ending as well. But I'm back into it and I'm excited about this story! I've got a few new plot bunnies for it, and character development will start as soon as I can get to it. AKA as soon as I'm finished rewriting. Speaking of, I'm almost half way caught up on my outline(In case I ever lose all I have again *sweatdrop*) and soon will be able to get to what will happen later on in the story!
PS: You should all be ashamed, making me want to update and work for hours even though it was my birthday! *pout*
Minato was the first of his team to make it to the gate that surrounded the Forest of Death, staring at the menacing jungle with an air of calm surrounding him, despite how his stomach twisted with anxiety. Sari appeared next, her dark brown eyes darting away from the location of their next test nervously. Hikaru jumped up to them just as the proctor arrived, the color draining from his features as he caught sight of the Forest. He shivered, shaking his head slightly before joining them, not losing the nervous twitching of his fingertips.
"I will be your proctor for the second stage of the Chunnin exams, so you all better be prepared!,"The proctor announced, holding up two scrolls in her left hand. One was white with a blue-lined seal, the words "Heaven" written vertically down it. The other was a blue scroll with a white seal and had the words "Earth" written vertically down the side. Minato took careful note of their appearances; it could come in handy later, after all.
"These are the two scrolls you must capture before you can finish this stage. You will have five days to make it from your assigned gate to the tower in the center of the forest! Each team will start out with their own scrolls. Since there are forty-four teams left, twenty-two of you will have the heaven scroll, and twenty-two of you will have the earth scroll. Again, you must collect both of them by any means necessary before you may continue. If you fail to do this, you will be disqualified from this exam!"
Minato listened intently, his azule eyes never straying away from the proctor. His body tensed in anticipation, yet he remained patiently still and silent. "You will have five days to get through the forest and collect the two scrolls. Send one member of each team to a tent to received your scroll and gate number, then head to your assigned gate. When all teams are ready, the gates will open and the stage will begin! Finally, I leave you all a warning. Do not, under any circumstances, open your scrolls. I don't care what happens - it must remain closed!"
Minato turned to Sari and Hikaru with a smile. "I'll go,"He suggested happily; he needed a chance to look over the competition anyway. He received a sharp, nervous nod from both of them and he quickly left, heading in the direction of the closest tent. He tried to make it quick, flashing forward so that he was closer to the front of the line. He sat behind the rows of people in silence, his eyes scanning the people in front of him carefully. Before anyone could really catch his eye, a muffled gasp from behind reached his ears just as a weight hit him from behind. He spun around quicker than he should have, sky blue eyes widening. Kushina had fallen into him - most likely having tripped while getting in line - and had already pulled away rather quickly. When she looked up from dusting her skirt of, she seemed to slip into a daze, her indigo eyes staring at him intently. He could feel his face heat up slightly at her intense gaze - almost a glare, but not quite - and she seemed to jolt out of whatever daydream she had been in.
"Kushina-san!,"Minato greeted with a grin. Kushina looked away from him without a word, her hair whipping around her beautifully like the rays of the sun. At the obvious gesture of disinterest, Minato felt his heart drop into his chest, his eyes trailing to the ground. He slowly turned back around, his lips drawing into a thin line. An awkward silence enveloped them, and Minato didn't have the courage or words to break it. Time seemed to stretch longer than it was; minutes became years, each one slipping by at a snail's pace. As they reached the front of the line, a voice called for Minato to enter, and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty at the relief that bubbled up when the silence was broken and he could finally slip away.
An older shinobi handed him the heaven scroll once the tent entrance had swished shut. "Make sure not to let anyone see it until after you have started,"The man warned quietly as Minato slipped the scroll into his ninja pouch,"And I wish you good luck, boy. You are gate number nine. Remember it."
"Thank you,"Minato bowed politely before leaving the tent and joining his team across the field. "I got the scroll. I'll tell you which one when we get to Gate number Nine." Now that Minato had said it himself, he shivered at the number on his tongue. They walked in silence down to the gate, watching as other teams passed them to get to their own entrances. Eventually, they were left alone in front of the gigantic, locked fence with a large number '9' on the front that would act as their entrance. Minato sat down on the ground, stretching out his limps for a moment. Sari and Hikaru joined him, sitting in a semi-circle on either side of him. He glanced up at them before carefully pulling the tip of their scroll from his weapons' pouch, just enough so they could see it. "We have a heaven scroll, so keep watch for any earth scrolls,"He slid the scroll pack into his pouch before continuing, "That aside, we should probably check if we have all our supplies. I brought the water canisters we needed - what about you too?"
Sari smiled, thankful for a distraction. "I made sure to pack my medic kit - not that I go anywhere without it anyway. One of you always manages to get injured in one way or another,"She joked, trying to lighten the mood. "I brought some blankets for warmth,"Hikaru put in, shrugging his backpack on a little tighter with a glance at the Chunnin that was standing beside the gate with a timer. Minato looked them over quickly, his eyes flashing to the gate. He stood up, turning to face it slowly. "Remember our plan?,"He questioned as they followed his example, remaining on either side of him. They nodded in confirmation, tensing their bodies as the Chunnin began the countdown. Hikaru took a deep breath, trembling slightly. Sari shook her head out, letting a confident smile rest on her lips as she straightened her back. Despite being two years younger than both of them, Minato felt pride swell at how well they were taking this.
"Go!,"The Chunnin finally shouted. With a loud creak, the gate doors swung open. Minato immediately shot out both his hands, gripping his teammates' arms as tight as he could - to the point Sari actually winced but Minato paid it no mind - there was a real risk of letting them go and getting separated, and that would be the end of them. The blond ninja bolted into the trees, half-carrying both his friends. Their heavy forms weighed him down and he had to concentrate every bit of his chakra into his feet to keep moving at his top speed. He zigzagged between trees until he found one low enough for him to jump into it without pausing. He leaped into it's sturdy branches, hopping between trees as fast as he could. Adrenaline rushed his system as screams of agony began echoing around them, forcing him to his limits. Each step he took left a deep crack in the branches, and with a few choice words, the young protege struggled it keep his chakra more controlled. They couldn't risk leaving a trail, surrounded by fighting. As another cry reached his ear, Minato knew their theory had been correct.
"I took a look at the Forest of Death this morning before I got here. The gates aren't very far apart, and with so many people running out at once, it's bound to be one of the biggest war zones other than the tower itself,"Sari explained as they left the examination building. Hikaru nodded,"You're definitely right, Sari. Minato, do you think you could carry us both out of there as fast as you can? We can't risk losing our scroll so soon into the challenge."
"I'll do everything in my power to make sure we don't,"Minato promised, his azule eyes sparkling in determination.
Through the trees ahead of them, Minato made out the shapes of shinobi fighting. The sounds of kunai clashing and the loud roar of fire filled the air. Yelps and screams and roars and whimpers seemed to have taken over the air around them. Twisting around with a growl, Minato pushed off a tree quickly, changing his direction to go around. Many forms shot overhead, knocking each other away and disappearing. The blond ninja dodged kunai and shuriken aimed at someone else and twisted around falling bodies and the occasional attacker. All along, he kept his eyes glued ahead of himself, the his thoughts focused on the chakra in his feet and his friends beside him, making sure to keep them close to him; they could get hurt at the breakneck speed they were traveling at.
Finally, the cries for help faded into the distance, and Minato skidded to a halt. He dropped his teammates' - probably bruised - arms and fell to the ground. He gasped for breath, each gulp of air stinging his lungs. Now that the adrenaline was fading, he felt the full extent of his exhaustion. His body trembled from exertion, his lungs burning. He felt completely drained, his chakra reserves extremely low. His hands felt cramped from remaining remained around his friends' forms for so long. Sweat ran down his forehead, and he seriously regretted not working more on his stamina.
"Minato!,"Sari gasped, dropping down beside him,"Are you ok?" She helped his trembling form into a sitting position, her brown eyes darting over him worriedly. "J-Just pushed myself a bit more than usual...,"Minato managed to gasp out between breaths. Hikaru pulled Minato's backpack off him, taking out a canteen of water and handing it to his exhausted teammate who gulped it down thirstily with a murmured 'thanks'. The black-haired male took off his own backpack, placing it beside the blond ninja's, lifting the younger boy onto his back carefully. Minato would have laughed at the treatment had he not been struggling for each bit of air in his lungs. "We still aren't safe here, but it's much better than in that War Zone. You really saved us, Minato!,"Hikaru stated with a grin, "We need to keep walking, though. And you're in no condition to do so." Hikaru added with chuckle.
"I can keep going,"Minato insisted, trying to push himself off of Hikaru. His teammate simply tightened his grip, almost laughing at how Minato flailed slightly, struggling to pull away. "I'll be carrying you until you can walk on your own,"Hikaru demanded, his hazel eyes glaring at his teammate, as if daring him to refuse. Minato ceased his struggles with a sigh, watching as Sari shrugged his and Hikaru's backpacks onto her shoulders. "Let's go." Hikaru moved to the front and Sari took the back guard.
"Don't get separated,"Sari ordered, her head moving back and forth slowly, scanning the forest as they walked, "Thanks to you, Minato, we got further than any other group, in only a short amount of time." Minato shook his head. "But now I'm just slowing you down...,"He sighed in dejection. He hated being a burden to anyone. "Only for a little while! And we're at least a day ahead of everyone else, now!,"Hikaru reassured his teammate with a grin. Sari nodded in agreement.
"We should try to find the stream that runs through the middle of the forest. It will lead us straight to the tower, as well as provide food!,"Sari explained,"But first, we need shelter. I need to see if I can do anything about you chakra, Minato," Sari informed them. When Minato opened his mouth to reject the help, she cut him off, "Don't you dare say you don't need you, Minato. You're no use like this! Plus, I might as well heal our arms while I'm at it; I swear I almost lost feeling in my hand while you were carrying us!"
"I-I'm fine,"Minato tried to convince them, despite his pale face and heavy breathing. "No, you're not,"Sari snapped, taking the lead in the search for shelter. After a few moments, she paused, squinting her eyes through the trees. Suddenly, her pale face lit up excitedly. "I think I see somewhere! Follow me!,"She yelped happily, rushing ahead. "Wait up!,"Hikaru whined, trying to keep up with their friend. Sari led the way towards a large tree past a large clearing. It's roots stretched out to provide an area underneath for shelter, and ferns hid it from the sight of those who weren't looking.
Sari pushed the ferns out of the way, a grin splitting her face. "I knew it! Helping out the Yamanaka's really does come in handy sometimes, doesn't it?" She didn't elaborate anymore as she pulled a blanket out from Hikaru's bag, spreading it out on the flat ground. "Lay down here,"She ordered, her eyes snapping up to her male teammates. Hikaru stepped into the shelter, the ferns swishing shut behind them and sending the hollow into semi-darkness. He laid Minato out on the makeshift mat, sitting down cross-legged beside the entrance to watch.
Sari closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of air as she let herself drop her her knees beside Minato. She opened them slowly, placing her hands on Minato's chest. A green glow surrounded her hands, and Minato winced in pain. The feeling of a needle piercing his skin had accompanied the green chakra, but there was no sign of blood, nor had his skin been broken. "Activate this chakra point here...,"Sari murmured to herself,"And then..." She pointed out one finger, the chakra sharpening around it's tip,"Cut the chakra wire here..." She pushed her finger into Minato's skin. Pain ripped through Minato's entire body for a split second, before all pain disappeared. Suddenly, it felt like everything below where she was working was disconnected from him. He could no longer feel it at all. For a moment, he was terrified that if he tried to move, his body wouldn't react.
Minato clenched his teeth shut; he had to trust Sari on this. She knew what she was doing. "Now apply chakra into the break...,"She murmured. Minato shivered at the feeling of foreign strength flowing back into his body, and the numb feeling seemed to lift sightly. "Then concentrate all chakra on the break, and condense it into a bandage...,"She muttered, sweating slightly. Feeling suddenly rushed back into his body, and Minato let out a rather undignified yelp at the sudden sensation.
"Done!,"Sari sighed, falling backward with a grin. "You should have more energy to keep moving, now that I've given you some of my chakra. I cut the chakra wire, but not all the way through. It should heal before tomorrow, since I barely scrapped the top. Until then, you should still be able to move. Be careful for today. Okay Minato? Tell us next time you've pushed yourself too far."
"But we need to keep moving!,"Minato protested, trying to push himself to a sitting position. He flopped back to the ground, a feeling of worthlessness swrlling inside him painfully. "Hikaru and I'll split up and search for the river. We will meet back here if we don't find anything in two hours. You, Minato, need to get some rest, understand? Doctor's orders."
"Fine...,"Minato sighed, resisting the urge to comment on her orders that sounded oh-so-much like that of a nagging mother. Instead, he let his tense, sore muscles relax at last. Though not exactly comfy, it was good enough for Minato to rest, the pain of exhaustion finally numbing away. The sound of swishing ferns confirmed that his friends had left already. The world slowly faded into darkness and the blond felt his consciousness slip. Even as the world disappeared around him, the feeling of worthlessness continued to weigh down his heart, following him into his dreams.
I'm horrible with names. Also, if you wanna know what Team Jiriaya looks like, search up those words are Narutopedia. Sari is the one with the hair over her head. I know it is a boy, but the team needed a girl, and the other one didn't look anything like one, so I chose that guy. Hikaru is the other one, and Minato is obvious. XD Who would miss a giant mess of blonde hair?
Minato: STUPID HAIR! THEY WOULDN'T LET ME INTO ANBU BECAUSE OF IT! Yet they let Kushina in... *sniffle sniffle*
Shut up! I'm trying to write an Author's note! Not a sob story! Anyway, again, I'm sorry for missing my deadline again! I'll do better next time, I swear it! If you liked the story, please look up my others, and favorite/follow my profile to become part of the Sacred Army and support my work! I love when people favorite or follow my story, so please feel free to! See you next chapter!(Hopefully on time, too :D)