Well, I'm back after a month off. Sorry about the late update. A lot of things I had to deal with, not just Christmas. But on that point, I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season. Also, on another note, I did not manage to pass my exam yet again (that test is a bitch). But enough of my excuses, I hope you all can forgive me and that this is good recompense. To those who have reviewed, once again a many thanks to you. Your comments are very helpful and I enjoy your words. And for those who wanted me to continue with the difference in the Forest of Death portion of the exam, I hope you enjoy this. Anyways, on to the chapter.
Chapter Fifteen - The Forest of Death
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"I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say the 'Forest of Death.' " managed Ino, who was sputtering out that statement in sheer horror. The Forest of Death was one of the most infamous training grounds in all of Konoha. Urban legends and horror stories spoke of numerous people losing their life in that place.
For it was apparently more than a forest, it was hell itself, as was spoken by the survivors of the area. The trees seemed to be alive, spectres seemed to haunt the land, and other unknown ghastly things occurred in there. And it was even rumored that if you died in the Forest, it absorbed your very soul, leaving you in limbo.
While these horror stories may not be known by many outside of Konoha, those from Konoha who were about to participate in the next portion of the Chuunin exam were becoming petrified. Anko sensed the growing unease among the group and laughed to herself. 'It appears even fear is contagious. The uneasiness from the Konoha natives is spreading and rattling the nerves of some of these other foreign nin. We might have more teams drop out before it even begins.'
They continued to move until they were in a clearing and surrounding them were towering trees and large gates. A small tent was pitched with a screen set up and there appeared to be two people seated behind a desk. All the genin teams looked around, taking in the scenery there and awaited for Anko to give them further instructions. They didn't have to wait long.
"Alright, kids. This is the Forest of Death." She then spread her arms out and waved while turning, in a gesture of showing them, just in case they couldn't see without proper instruction. She then pointed at the colossal gates. "You see the gates on the border of the Forest?" At the genins nods and mumbles of understanding, she continued. "Those will be your entry points. There are only six gates, so there will be more than one team assigned to an entry gate. The order at which each team will take to the gate will be assigned when you head to that tent over there." Again she pointed, making sure they understood. "Now, for the rules. This area, kiddies, is dangerous." Everyone could hear her derisive tone and quite a few teams disliked the tone. But Anko didn't care, it was her job to make them understand the situation they were about to willingly encounter.
"Before I go further, I will need each team to sign this liability sheet here. One will be assigned to each team and I will need each individual's signatures. This sheet ensures that if anything happens to you while in the Forest of Death, that Konoha will not be held liable. If you don't sign, then you don't enter." She had successfully answered all the unasked questions and so, without hesitation, each team signed the sheets. She was a little dismayed that no one turned heel and quit due to paranoid fear. 'Persistent and stubborn. Doesn't matter, more than half of these teams will be chopped down by the end of this portion.'
"Very good, everything seems to be in order. Now, on to the rules. The rules are as followed. Each team will choose one person on the team to go to the tent. There, you will receive a device. This device is going to help as a radar. With this radar, you are going to be searching for a scroll in the forest. The scroll is blank." She then took a moment to catch her breath and look around just to see their faces. It was of confusion and curiosity, which was good, meaning they would be paying attention. "Why this scroll is important, even though it is blank, is because this is your ticket to passing to the next leg. Only a few have been placed in various points of the forest, so it would be in your best interest to find them before they are all gone.
"Now, if you can get your hands on one of the scrolls, you will have your ticket, but be warned. We also placed dummy scrolls in the forest, as well." Now this caught everyone by surprise, as they started to become nervous. "The difference between the dummy scrolls and the actual scrolls can't be known until you are inside the tower at the middle of the forest. Once inside, unravel your scroll and sign the scroll and fuse your chakra into it, and when I say you, I mean every member on your team. Then roll it back up and place it into the slot of the large door that you will see. If it is the real deal, the door will open. If it isn't, you will be teleported back into the forest where you found that particular scroll." Now everyone's eyes bulged. Some of the genin were pissed, others were very nervous. But still there were a few teams who didn't seem to sweat. Mainly because they thought this wasn't a big deal, as long as they could get back. Obviously the point of this was to test your resolve to be prepared for an unpredictable scenario. And besides, there was no time limit, so they would have all the time in the world.
"Also, for those who still don't seem to be humbled yet by the task before you, I can only guess as to why, and I'm afraid I have to burst your bubble. You all have four days." This sent a bolt down the spines of everyone present, save for Anko, since this was her little project. She was given the task to design an elaborate test and she was awfully pleased with herself. "I won't spell anything else out for you, but this is an exam to test your resolve, as well as your preparation skills. You have knowledge of the consequences of making certain decisions, so you need to prepare properly if a scenario arises that forces you to take an alternate approach to surviving. If you still don't understand, then tough. That's your fault for being unprepared. Now, choose a member of your team and send them to get the radar."
After a few more moments, every team had sent off a member of their team to get the radar, Naruto having been chosen by the team because Hinata would need her eyes ready for possible surprise attacks and to help locate the scrolls' location. Sasuke would've been the better choice but he had suggested Naruto. Though this was a bit weird, in Sasuke's mind it was completely justified.
As Naruto waited in the line, he saw others that were familiar to him. From Team Eight, he saw Sakura in line to receive the tracking device. This made sense since she always appeared to be smarter than most people, except for Shikamaru, but Shika always kept that side of himself to himself. Plus, with Kiba's nose and Shino's kikai bugs, she was the only one without an evident tracking ability so this would cancel out that slight weakness in her team's department.
With slight amusement, he saw Shika from his team, as well, in line to get the tracking device. More than likely, Ino probably made him go get it. It always seemed to be the most amusing thing he had ever had the privelege to see. Shikamaru was one of the laziest, most unmotivated people Naruto had ever met - even if Shika was quite talented - but it never seemed to fail that Ino could motivate him to do something through suggestive threats and clenching fists. Naruto actually wondered if Shikamaru had to be 'motivated' to participate in the exam, but now that he was here, Naruto had no doubt that he would see them in the next part. You could say many things about Shikamaru, that he was lazy, selfish, unmotivated, and generally irresponsible, but once he had actually put forth the effort to get himself involved in something, the boy didn't know how to lose, fail, or give up. If Naruto had to guess, Shikamaru might actually drag his team with that 'Shadow' technique of his if he needed to just to get to that tower in the center of the forest.
Someone else he recognized was the brown-eyed, dark haired girl, with the chinese pink shirt and puffy pants called Tenten. When she saw him, she sent him a friendly smile and wave, which Naruto found himself returning, a bit surprised. But he guessed he shouldn't judge the people who are 'forced' to hang around with that cocky, arrogant ass just because they are his teammates to be the same as him. Actually, Naruto had asked Hinata what the green-clad, hyper boy with the big eyebrows known as Lee, and this girl, Tenten, were like. She told him that they were especially friendly, but were loyal to each other. Despite Neji's behavior and mannerisms, they were teammates and therefore, supportive of him. Naruto actually respected that and respected them for being able to put up with him.
Turning his attention to others in the line, he muttered curses under his breath when he saw one of those genin that tried to instigate him earlier today, but he finally made a careful notation in his mind as he observed something about this person. It was the girl with the long, dark hair, and camouflage gear on, but her hitai-ite was unique, just like that 'Shadow' team from Lightning country. But this headband had the symbol of a musical note on it. 'Sound? That's a bit odd. I didn't hear anything about them. But I guess since they are here still, they must be pretty good.'
He then saw the blonde hair from that one girl from Sunagakure. If he recalled correctly, then her name was Temari. Normally, he would be really pissed off for being regarded by her and her teammates as being inferior, just because he was a rookie. But there was something about all of them that spoke incredible ability. Especially that red-haired boy. His face, voice, and eyes all helped to give him the one thing that Naruto never wanted to admit to feeling from his competition, and that was intimidation, as well as a pang of fear. Gaara seemed to be the strongest person on his team and his team's behavior towards him influenced that judgment. One thing Naruto admitted to himself, which he would mimic and tell Hinata and Sasuke was that they needed to try and avoid that team.
Finally, Naruto had reached the front of the line and after signing another form, they handed him an odd device that he studied for a brief moment. It was a faded black color with a few buttons, and an antenna. Naruto then asked a couple of questions regarding the functions and was given quick, yet bored, responses, as if they were tired of repeating the information. After Naruto thought about it, there had been fifteen others ahead of him and he apologized, but they just waved him off, mentioning something about it being their job. Naruto just scooted away, going over the information in his head.
The device was only going to have a tracking range of, at maximum, 25 yards. While this irritated him, he admitted that the limited range went along with the purpose of this portion of the exam. If he guessed correctly, then this task that they had to do was to test their investigatory abilities, as well as tracking, stealth, and survival skills. And since the forest was probably very massive, each team could choose a sector and carefully scan the areas thoroughly.
He approached Hinata and Sasuke, flashed the odd equipment, and explained very quickly the functions of the device. They seemed to soak it up relatively quickly, which was a good thing, because Anko was calling for everyone's attentions again.
"Every team now has a locator, right? If you don't, then tough shit, you're outta luck at this point because it's time. As you can all see, there are eight gates. Now look to your locators." She watched as everyone did as instructed. "You see the number on there? Hope you know your math. Number's one through eight, your teams need to report to the assigned gates." She watched as eight teams scooted to their respective gates. "Now, 9 through 16, treat your numbers as if they were 1 through 8, number 9 being number 1 and so on. And the same goes with numbers 17 through 24. Go." Every team then moved until there were three teams at each of the eight gates. "At least you know simple math. Now, in a few moments, the gates will open and the first teams will go through their gate. Then the second wave will go one minute later, and same with the third wave. Establish an area you want to search through and begin, but be wary and always...Watch...your...back." She then flashed a particularly malevolent smile at every single team that sent shivers through mostly everyone's spine.
Time seemed to drag on forever as they all waited but all too soon, an alarm began to ring out from each gate as great gears could be heard turning, cranking, and grinding. Suddenly, the massive doors that blocked the entrance to the Forest of Death began to open. Naruto waited anxiously and then felt a nudge from behind him, and saw Kidremé smiling at him with his teammates to his right and left. The young boy extended his hand to Naruto, which Naruto took and shook it. "Good luck to you three."
"Same for you and your team, Naruto-kun."
Then Naruto felt a jab in his ribs and looked at Sasuke quickly before he saw that Sasuke was motioning for them to go. He turned and looked forward, seeing that the two people who were standing as sentry for the gate were motioning for them to go. So he, Sasuke, and Hinata dashed into the forest as quickly as possible, determined to get a good position for themselves.
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Meanwhile, Kid had watched them move into the forest with intense speed and then sent a wary glance to his left, looking at a team from Kumo. This didn't go unnoticed, since Elru sensed his shift in mood. "Is there anything wrong, Kid?"
"A team from Kumo was sending particularly vicious glares at Naruto-kun's team."
Zeke just grunted in acknowledgement. He, too, had felt it and was quite amused. "This long, and yet still, they can't get over it, huh? Petty, just petty." He then chuckled in arrogance.
"No matter how petty it might seem to us, it doesn't change what they will do" spoke Kid.
"It's not our place to get involved. It's not your place to get involved. Let the princes and princess of this village deal with it themselves." Still, Zeke's sarcasm persisted.
"I, as has Kid, have grown a little fond of that blonde boy. And even the quiet, timid girl and their stuck-up partner. But, like Zeke said, it isn't our place to get involved." Elru's words seem to have a great impact on her teammates but before further discussion could continue, they saw that they were being motioned to enter. Doing so, they went right to work.
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"Are you sure you know how to work that thing? We've been wandering around for hours and still haven't even picked up a signal, baka." Sasuke was getting impatient. He wanted to find a few scrolls and hurry to the tower as quickly as possible. The sooner they did so, the better off they would be just in case they happened to choose a trap scroll and get sent back into the forest.
"I'm doing exactly what I was told to, I can't help it if we are in an empty area." Naruto grumbled, mumbling curses at Sasuke for trying to put the blame on him. He continued muttering to himself as they continued jumping through the trees. Since the locator worked by sending the signals in a 25 hard radius all around, they decided to move at a brisk pace. Not too fast that they might pass up a scroll if the device located one, but not too slow so that it would take forever to get through the forest.
What was really pissing off Naruto was that - now another hour later - they still hadn't gotten a signal. 'I swear if this thing is broken, I'm going to get really pis-' but he cut his own thoughts off as he felt something was off.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was seething underneath the surface. The images that kept flashing through his mind from the interview yesterday had done more than it's fair share of damage. It downright pissed him off. He wanted to forget the whole damn thing, but his mind kept returning to the events and he persisted in brooding over it. The only thing that Sasuke was thankful for out of this whole ordeal was that Naruto and Hinata hadn't picked up on his agitation.
(Flashback)
Sasuke stepped into the room and took notice of the stark contrast between this room and the room right outside. He took cautious steps towards the area that was lit. A rather strange design lay on the ground and in the middle, was a chair that Sasuke could only assume was meant for him. He walked up to the chair and looked at the seven people seated behind the desk, keeping a wary eye on his brother.
"Welcome, Uchiha Sasuke. Please be seated and we will begin." spoke the optimistic and cheerful voice of the Yondaime. But Sasuke could tell there was another side to that voice. It was daring him, daring him to sit. But since Sasuke doubted he'd have a choice in the matter of sitting or standing, he accepted the nonverbal dare of the Hokage. "Very well, then. Shall we begin?"
Sasuke then felt something. It was like a trigger was pulled. An invisible trigger that sprung a trap on him, and it was too late for him to escape. 'What the hell is that?'
The answer was subtle and mild, yet it was very abrupt, and since he was making himself aware of any possible changes that might occur, he felt it when it did happen. It was as if a fog was beginning to form around him, thickening slowly but surely, as if gaining mass in his mind, and his mind felt burdened with the weight. He shook his head vigorously, like one would do to 'shake the cobwebs out', hoping it would help, but unfortunately it didn't, and it made him very uncomfortable. He gazed at each person accusingly, knowing it was their fault, that this was probably part of the exam, but it didn't make it any easier to accept.
"Tell us, Sasuke, why did you want to be a ninja?" The innocent question reminded Sasuke of his chats with Yamato-sensei, how the man would try to convince him that the reason he was a ninja was selfish.
"I wanted to be a ninja..." but he stopped as he thought to himself. Now that he was here, under the scrutinous gaze of these seven figures, he had to ask himself that question. But a quick look at Itachi gave him his answer. "I wanted to be a ninja because that was my choice. I had no other path that I could walk, given the circumstances." And that was the truth. If the other six, just like he knew Itachi did, could understand, then they would see the truth behind it. It wasn't some pointless, selfish reason.
He was the youngest child of Uchiha Fugaku, and his older brother was none other than the 'Uchiha prodigy', Itachi. Sasuke, faced with walking in the shadow of his brother, and his accomplishments compared to Itachi's, it set forth an incredible level of expectations. If he didn't even make an attempt to follow in the footsteps of Itachi, then their father would forever think of him as an embarrassment and disgrace to the clan for making him look like a fool.
"Hmm...very well. Then tell us, despite these 'circumstances', did you have a proper grasp of what is required out of you in this line of work?" questioned the Hokage. After the question was voiced, Sasuke felt something happen, a greater something, that seemed to make the heavy fog heavier.
He was now being bombarded with images that were dismal, morbid, and, on a certain level, frightening. He saw himself in certain situations: trying to fight on water but being forced under while fighting for air, being tortured with various sharp instruments of brutality, seeing himself viciously slain, and, perhaps the most perverse images of all, he saw himself doing all those things to people who appeared to be begging for mercy - even obviously innocent woman and children. He only had one thought after that: "What the fuck?"
Sasuke knew that these images were being forced into his mind, and it probably had something to do with what was causing the burdening weight on his mind. He felt like he was actually asleep, even though he knew he was awake, and that he was in a dreamscape, being forced to bear witness to gruesome nightmares. And since he knew it was the seven people before him who had something to do with this, he felt himself repulsed by the depravity.
He suddenly became aware that he had not answered the question, so he forced himself to push through, and fought with himself for his voice. He finally won and answered, "Yes, I had a grasp of what was required out of me. And I also had an understanding of what might occur to me, but this was my choice."
"So you say, but I don't think you had anywhere near the knowledge of what to expect out there, kid. But that aside, why don't you tell us now why you feel that you are qualified to be a chuunin?" This time, the question was voiced by the intimidating form of Morino Ibiki.
"I feel that I am qualified to become a chuunin because that is what I feel. There is, I believe, no point in me remaining a genin at this point." Sasuke was happy that that answer came alot easier. However, his momentary victory was shattered as the familiar voice rose and questioned him.
"So, on a simple belief, you feel that you are qualified to rise in rank? We would all have to question that reason. In light of your 'circumstance', as you put it, the question must be raised on if your reasoning isn't of a selfish desire to prove something. Whether or not that something is acceptable to you, it could be viewed as selfish and pointless to others. Becoming a ninja means dedication to your village. As a genin, and a ninja, you should know this. But the rank of chuunin carries with it responsibilities that far outclass those of genin. If you have selfish intentions for taking this exam, you put not only your life, but the lives of others, in danger if you are not truly prepared for it."
Itachi's words stung. Actually, they more than stung, they downright hurt. He was being very harsh, much more harsh than Sasuke ever remembered. Did Itachi honestly believe that he was trying to go up in rank just because of family pride? It wasn't 'just because' of family pride, it was more than that. But the words just simply wouldn't come, and if he couldn't put up any kind of argument to Itachi's comments, then he might fail. Suddenly, Sasuke's mind was assaulted by more images, but this time of his family. He saw himself being ridiculed and laughed at, and even being banished for embarrassing the clan. And then, he saw it.
What he saw was the situation from that mission, where he and his team, as well as team eight, were being attacked by the imposter, Vega, and that behemoth, Garrett. He saw every little detail. He saw Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino all trying to handle Garrett, while he was trying to watch the fight between Yamato-sensei and Vega. He hoped that he could pick up a few new powerful techniques that he might be able to use later. But what was disturbing about the recollection, was that he could also remember his purpose for doing so. To flash it in front of his father and make him proud.
Sasuke felt the anger rise within himself. A deep-seething loathing for what he had failed to do. He was supposed to be helping his comrades, but he didn't. And for such a selfish reason. He was extremely pissed at himself. He then remembered how he had been awarded that medal, along with everybody else, and felt disgust. And that's when it clicked. His reason for being a chuunin. It was more than to prove to himself and others that he was a strong Uchiha. It was for recompense. He felt a need to repay the debt he felt he owed to his teammates. He was going to take this exam, and help his friends pass.
He looked straight at them all, armed with an activated sharingan - which had activated in his anger and rage - and sent a menacing look at them. He felt it all building up, before he finally let his answer come. "Whether or not my belief is reason enough to go to chuunin is not the real issue here. I have my reasons, as does everyone else. But you want to know my reason?" He then reached into his pouch and felt the medal. He pulled it out and tied it around his neck, with some wire that he had wrapped it in so that he could wear it like a necklace. He pointed at it before he continued, "This was awarded to me, as well as my teammates, for our actions in a mission. I will continue to perform and persevere in order to make sure that this was deserved. I feel that it is what I owe."
He watched as they all seemed to think to themselves for a while before they all focused back on him. It was the Yondaime that spoke. "Very good. That concludes this portion for you. You may leave. If you would ask for your teammate, Hinata, to come in next, please?"
As Sasuke got up to leave, thankful that the cloudiness was slowly dissipating, he nodded in understanding, and left.
(End Flashback)
Sasuke didn't realize that he attracted the attention of Hinata, who gazed at him worriedly. When Sasuke did take notice, he blushed in slight embarrassment about having been so caught up in his own thoughts that he had been noticed. Turning away from her in order to avoid the worried look on her face, he tried to give a viable excuse, but found himself stammering out something instead. "S-Sorry bout that...did you need something?"
"Yeah, teme, I need you to shut up and pay attention. Do you both notice something off?" The question, while coming off a bit agitated, was not meant to be taken that way. He was just trying to snap Sasuke out of whatever funk he was in. And it did it's trick.
"Yeah, I do, baka. You don't seem to know what the hell you are doing," came the spiteful, yet sarcastic, reply from Sasuke.
"No, it's not that...I think something isn't right, but I don't have eyes like you two do. Could you both activate them and scan the area?" It was no longer a question, but a pleading request. Nodding, they both complied.
Hinata shook her head and looked around. "This can't be..." she managed to breath out in fear and startlement. This caught the attention of both Sasuke and Naruto, the former not even having had time to bring forth his sharingan.
"What is it, Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto anxiously. He didn't like that sound in her voice.
She looked up at the sky quickly, then retreated her eyes back to looking around. She did it in a furious manner, as if she were a predator searching for signs of bleeding prey. "I-It's very heavy and equally as strong. I...I think it could be stronger than the genjutsu from the first test." That statement struck more than nerves. It struck them right in their brains, where fear was processed. When she was asked to explain, she gulped and fought for the right words, so as to not confuse her teammates. "It's a field around us, with three focal points. I c-can only assume that th-those points are where i-it was cast from."
Sasuke, now astonished, activated his sharingan. In his studies with Yamato, as well as his family, in the art of genjutsu, he had come to understand that a genjutsu that is personally designed is capable of bending to the creator's will. Also, he remembered hearing about such a thing as what Hinata had currently described to them. It was known as a Trigram Prison, or a three-point genjutsu array.
Requiring three individuals, the genjutsu was created in layers that melded together to form one solid structure. Like a house, this genjutsu required a foundation. This foundation was the genjutsu's ultimate purpose. Then you added walls or, in this case, barriers. And finally, you put the finishing touches. This could range from added side-effects, to strengthening the structure that was the genjutsu. The more one strengthened a genjutsu, the harder it was to recognize and thus becme harder to break.
Now with his sharingan active, he searched for the chakra flow and was amazed. It was true what she said. 'Three points means three casters, but that also means...that this is a much stronger genjutsu than one would expect from these ninja in the exam who are trying to be chuunin. This is more along the lines of a jounin-level jutsu. Just who the hell cast this?'
"Hey, Hinata, your byakugan can find a person much easier than my sharingan can. Can you tell where they are, the people who cast this thing?" He waited patiently as she did one more scan, ready to assault their location. If he was right, then they had been caught in this genjutsu, and the best way to break a three-point genjutsu was to destabilize the casters' positions. Once the points had been established, the casters had to stay in the general area, but if they could force them to move, then this might disperse. What he heard, however, made him realize the position they were in.
"Th-Th-There is no o-one in th-the general area." came her shaky response. She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She could see through the genjutsu and she could see the three points, but they were unoccupied. But she did notice one thing particularly curious. Before she could try to make sense of it, Sasuke's voice broke through her concentration again.
"What do you mean? They have to be there. No genin that is in this exam has given me the feel of this level of ability!" He then realized he was shouting and slow breaths to calm himself while waving a hand apologetically, but when he saw Naruto's questioning glance, he took it as his cue to go on. "Yamato-sensei told me that a genjutsu like this required three people to establish the design. But it usually required the casters of the genjutsu to stay nearby for it to keep on working. If what Hinata says is true, and they are not in the vicinity, then the casters are feeding the genjutsu from a farther location, but that should be impossible for genin. That is definitely jounin-level capabilities." He then gave them both a grim look. "We have to do everything in our power to break it and get far away. If these guys are hunting us, for whatever reason that might be, then I can only assume we are out-matched in terms of skill."
Naruto was, surprisingly, impressed with Sasuke for more than his fighting ability. Sasuke seemed to be very well-versed in this kind of stuff and Naruto felt himself gravitating to Sasuke for leadership in this position. Naruto may be a bit hard-headed, but he did know when to admit he had a weakness. His weakness was definitely genjutsu, because he just didn't associate with that in his training and fighting style. So he felt himself hanging on to Sasuke's every word, waiting for his job in this process of destroying the genjutsu. Especially since Sasuke's mentioning of them being possibly hunted by another team in this exam with more ability than their rank let on, it sorta made him nervous.
Naruto waited, at first patiently but then it started to deteriorate into impatience, as Sasuke and Hinata mumbled to each other and experimented with how the genjutsu reacted to them. It wasn't until a few moments later that Sasuke and Hinata seemed to come to an agreement on something. He saw Sasuke turn to him before the boy spoke. "Naruto, we have a plan. It'll need your Kage Bunshins though. Could you make two for us?" Nodding, while grinning, he set about setting up the technique.
Normally, Naruto would just do the technique and be done with it, accepting what would normally happen. But they were in an exam, and creating two kage bunshins would split his chakra store in thirds, which was unacceptable. So, he formed the cross seal, but instead of leaving like that, he shanged the seal and stuck his thumbs out. If you were to see it, it would look like he was making a cross with his index and middle fingers, while his thumbs came together at 90 degree angles and formed a box. He then applied the chakra he wanted to into the technique and shouted out his command. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The result was two perfectly looking Kage Bunshins to stand next to Naruto, but the difference was noticed by him. He felt that his chakra capacity was still pretty full. He designed the bunshins to each gain only three percent of his chakra storage for the bunshins use. They were weaker than equally created 'kage bunshins' and could be destroyed much easier, but depending on what his teammates needed them for, they might do just fine.
"Okay. Now Naruto, have them walk around a little." Naruto nodded, though a bit confused, in understanding and commanded his bunshins to do as Sasuke wanted. After a little bit, Sasuke had Naruto make them stop. Then Sasuke and Hinata conferenced with each other again. Finally, they stopped talking to each other and sighed in relief. "Naruto, make one more, and then we might be able to break out of this."
He did as requested and waited for further instructions. Surprisingly, it was Hinata who spoke next. "Naruto-kun, we need your bunshins to move to where I tell them to, understood?" Naruto nodded his head, and told his bunshins to follow Hinata's and Sasuke's orders for now. The three kage bunshins nodded their heads in understanding and came close to Hinata. She then set about positioning the kage bunshins to look in a particular direction each. After another few moments of doing that, she then told everyone what the plan was.
Apparently, from what Hinata and Sasuke had come to understand, the genjutsu was more complex than just what had been told already. The border of the genjutsu reacted to their movements, moving away when they tried to approach the boundary. But, it didn't react to the 'Kage Bunshins' that Naruto had created. So the plan was, since 'kage bunshins' could perform independently from the user, they would have the bunshins move to the three focal points and then use the 'Genjutsu dispel technique.' Naruto, somewhat understanding, told his bunshins to do as they were told again. The three bunshins nodded and awaited the final instructions.
After Sasuke and Hinata had finally finished giving the specific details to each bunshin, they made the bunshins look in particular directions. One at a time, they called for each bunshin to walk straight in the direction they faced until they were told to immediately stop. After each one did as instructed, Hinata and Sasuke looked at Naruto and told him to get ready.
"Alright, on the count of three, every one of us is going to dispel this genjutsu." commanded Sasuke. Everyone else nodded in understanding and waited for the countdown. "Okay...One...Two..." Everyone started to build up their chakra in a bubble inside their stomach, ready to make it burst and send the shockwave out, which should dispel the genjutsu they were under. "Three."
"KAI!"
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Meanwhile, a good distance away from Team Seven, a different team of genin waited, seemingly patiently, but it was hard to tell. These individuals, as symbolized by their headbands, were from Kumogakure, and were surprisingly relaxed. The three of them had seemed to be content just waiting for whatever it was they were waiting for to happen. But what ended up happening, wasn't what they expected.
One of the three, a young man dressed in various cloths that were all sewn together as one might think when taking a look at him, looked up suddenly. The cloths, which had once been white - now only a dirty grayish/yellowish color from constant use - was wrapped around his body and hung on his form loosely. In the areas that the strange clothing didn't cover up his frame, bandages wrapped around the exposed flesh. Such areas were his forearms and lower legs.
This action of his did not go unnoticed by one of the other two in his team. This one was wearing a blue vest over a white bodysuit and his legs covered with pants that did not cling to him like the bodysuit. The pants were really only there for modesty sake after enough cracks on looking like a tree-hugger. His gaze settled upon the one who had suddenly looked up. "What is it, Hokumo?"
Hokumo looked at his teammate and gave a quick, bored reply. "They dispelled the Prison, Raizen." He looked upon the man whom he responded and saw the shocked, and then outraged, face of him.
"How is that possible? You said it yourself that the Tri-Field Prison was damn near impossible to break out of. How did these simps break out?" His question was filled with fury and disbelief.
It was unfortunate that Hokumo's response, he knew, would not be enough to quell his teammate's quickly rising anger. "That was why I stressed near impossible. It does have it's weakness to both inside and outside forces. But I am able to tell...they broke it from the inside." Seeing Raizen's face stay angered, but held now more curiosity and questioning, he felt the need to explain.
"The Tri-Field Prison, as I explained, imprisons the target into a three point genjutsu. They will only do as we want them to. But if they recognize they are in the genjutsu, then they will become aware and know they need to dispel it. But the only way to do so is to attack all three points at once. However, I made sure that when we cast the jutsu, that the border of the field affected would expand and contract accordingly.
"The only way anyone should be able to counter that factor was to introduce outside presence. Only a foreign presence can get by that obstacle. And the only way to do that is to either summon creatures...or to create perfect physical replicants of one's self. And if I remember correctly, I witnessed the blonde boy using the Kage Bunshin skill during one of his practices." He waited for the information to sink in before he tried to explain anything more.
"Well, at least they won't be boring, eh Raizen?" The person who belonged to this audible statement was none other than their third and final teammate. He had on a sleeveless vest that was the sickliest looking shade of green with a ragged looking brown longsleeve shirt underneath it and pants, whose color matched the same shade of green as the vest. He, just like Raizen, wore his headband around his head - and the headband's cloth had been extended to cover the entire head and hair. Overall, both men dressed like brothers, but they weren't.
"Yeah, guess they won't be. Good, now I might be able to have some fun." came Raizen's reply to his other teammate, Yensui.
"You might want to hold off on your desires for revenge for just a little longer." The dull drawl of Hokumo's voice snapped the other two out of their fierce reverie.
"And why should we do that, Hokumo? Offer unto us your great wisdom." The sarcasm was intended to be heard and felt, but it shocked him when Hokumo merely looked up into the sky and gaze appreciatively at the cloudy skies.
"Do not mock her message. Her eyes grow weary but she has not yet wept. It might be best to wait until her tribute for the damned is concluded lest we invoke her ill will." Hokumo's cryptic messages had always creeped Raizen out. But not this time. He understood fully well.
Hokumo always seemed to have a knack for predicting what should be unpredictable: the weather. But there were some rare occurances where he would attribute freak storms to the premonition of ill omens. Apparently, on this grim looking day, Hokumo believed they should air on the side of caution. And Raizen was not foolish to tempt that which he did not understand, so he begrudgingly accepted.
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Evening came by quickly for the three of them. Never before were they so on edge than they were this evening. The unknown attack on them had their nerves firing and they were more aware of their surroundings than they had felt ever before. And for a very good reason. An unknown foe might be hunting them and they didn't know where the threat was.
The only good thing that came from this day was that after they dispelled the genjutsu, they found a scroll hidden in a dug-out hollow of an old tree not too far away. Whether it was a real one or a false one, they wouldn't be able to tell until time came to test it.
They each had taken a three-hour shift watching over the campsite for the evening until dawn broke and they continued. Again, Naruto used the device and they started tracking down a second scroll. A sense of unease was still lingering around them all, but they were ever diligent.
Hinata kept scanning the areas, not just for the scroll but also for possible intruders. She believed it to be partially her fault for what happened yesterday and she was determined not to let it happen again. With the new determination, she set about focusing her byakugan's vision to not only see but probe. She took careful precautions to not 'probe' too much when her vision happened to glance by her teammates.
She wouldn't show it openly (at least she tried her best not to openly show it) but the knowledge that a genjutsu was used on them that not even her unfocused byakugan vision could discern from reality was disturbing and haunted her mind. It really scared her, that her one crutch - her one true usefulness - could be hindered. So she continued to scan the area around them until...
BOOM
A sudden deafening roar sailed through the skies above them, alerting them to the impending storm that was about to be upon them. Naruto cursed their fate. The humidity was stronger and thicker today than it was the previous day - so much so that one could even swear to smelling the thickened moisture. And then the rain came...and with it, a feeling of apprehension and anxiety set in. If they were being hunted and stalked like some prey, then this would be their most vulnerable moment. Naruto was nervous, and the feelings his thoughts brought to him shook him to his very core.
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Sakura dashed through the rain and practically leapt in to a safe haven, underneath some of the thickest branches she had encountered on a tree. Though she was safe from the torrential downpour occurring just a few feet away from her, she was not safe from the debris. As the rain fell, drops of water weaved their way through the leaves of the tree and continued to drip onto certain spots of the covering. She just so happened to be under one of those spots.
"Gah, why did it have to rain!? This is going to hold us up for a while." Her frustrated statement was not directed at just herself, but also the surrounding atmosphere and her teammates.
Kiba, along with his dog, Akamaru, were both soaked as much as she was. Kiba's parka was heavy with absorbed water and his hair no longer remained wild and untamed but matted down from being wet. Akamaru was the same way. His fur was matted down as well, his ears droopy, and his tail hung pitifully to symbolize his dislike of these circumstances.
Dog and master - who behaved like a dog himself - proceeded to shake their bodies like dogs in order to dry themselves more efficiently than just waiting it out. Though it helped relieve them of some of their dampness, it did not help their fellow teammates Shino and Sakura. And though Shino remained as stoic as ever as he turned around and cleaned his glasses, the same could not be said for the pink-haired kunoichi.
Kiba immediately sensed her swelling anger and began to cower away from the impending blow. He always hated having to walk on egg shells around the ticking time-bomb known as Haruno Sakura but he had become used to her temper. In fact, that was one of the things that was appealing to him. She wasn't as dainty as she appeared in the academy. She was as big a tomboy as he had seen, despite appearances to the contrary.
Sakura was on the verge of unleashing her doom on the Inuzuka, but when she nearly threw her fist right towards his noggin, she noticed a distinct shift in his attitude. Where he was just a few moments ago cowering from her, he was now alert and his attention wasn't focused on her. Normally, this would only further her rage, but at this point, an alert Kiba could spell trouble. She then heard the telltale signs. The white dog who followed Kiba everywhere began whimpering and jumped up into Kiba's arms and snuggled into his parka, almost obscuring himself from the eyes of everyone around him.
"Hey Kiba, what's wrong with Akamaru?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice. True, she was still upset that water had splattered all over her, but she was already wet, so she could get over it.
"I don't know, but he's upset. Something's got him shaken, and even I can sense it." He then shuddered and Sakura saw his canine tendencies begin to show. Kiba was definitely on edge and he was ready to pounce at a moments notice.
"It can't be that bad, can it?" she asked.
"Normally, I would concur with you, Sakura, but in this case, whatever is getting under his and his dog's skin, is also affecting my hive." Shino's intrusion on the conversation rattled the poor girl and it didn't help when she saw him shudder as well. "My insects are over-alert. They sense a familiarity in the air, but it is also unfamiliar. It is a disturbing conundrum that has me alarmed."
Without warning, there was a mighty explosion in the distance and the resulting tremors did little to keep the queasiness down from the members of Team Eight. They took off at high speed, no longer worried about being wet, seeking distance from whatever caused the great explosion.
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In the tower at the middle of the Forest of Death, an alarm sounded. The constant shrill wail kept anyone from being at ease in the compound. A certain purple-haired kunoichi was among the individuals stationed in the tower whose task was to watch over the goings of the forest.
She approached the nerve center of the tower, the communications/camera room. Here, feedback from dozens of security cameras were supposed to be seen through the many monitors around the room. As she opened the door, she immediately saw the effects of whatever it was that happened, had done. Some monitors were blank, others were showing static, while a great many were rebooting.
"Kotetsu, status report." she commanded.
"Well, Anko-san, there was a massive disturbance in the forest that has knocked a large number of our cameras off-line. As you can see, we are trying to get the feed back up from the cameras that are rebooting, but it might take a few more minutes." His response was not what she was looking for.
"Do we have any idea of the focal center of the disturbance?"
"All we can tell is that it happened around quadrant 4D, but that is all we can tell." Came the reply from Genma, who was one of Kotetsu's partners.
It was after that statement that Hizashi walked into the room. He was also stationed there as an extra precaution. They gave him a quick explanation of what they knew and then watched as a camera was finished rebooting that might give them visual inside of sector 4D.
The camera, when they saw the feed, was on the ground, probably from a tree being knocked down. That meant that it's range-of-motion was limited. So they tried to make it scan as much as it could and what they saw was a cloud of dust that hadn't settled yet and the bodies of three shinobi who were taking the test. The unfortunate identities of these genin were Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuuga Hinata. They were alive, fortunately, but were struggling to recover. It wasn't until they saw that the genin were still alive that a clouded figure could be seen in the unsettled dust and steady rainfall.
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Sasuke was still coughing up dirt when he saw Naruto sitting up while rubbing his temples and Hinata clenching and unclenching her jaw, probably in an attempt to pop her ears. That's when he felt it. A horrible chakra that radiated intent on a level well beyond that of human. This was utter contempt and hatred, something you would only expect to feel coming from a demon. As he looked to it's source, he froze, jaw slack, and eyes wide.
"Oh my god, no..." he mumbled low, but it didn't go unheard from his fellow teammates.
Naruto, who heard him, looked at him and then, after seeing his horrified expression, followed the boy's gaze to the blurred figure. That was when he heard it. A sinister chuckle that turned into maniacal laughter. Naruto froze, unable to make any move. He was trapped. Trapped by his own fear. His mind registered the need to escape and get away, but his body would not cooperate. It was a predicament that would have brought even adult men to tears, and Naruto was close to that. For he had never felt this helpless than when...
That was when he tried to locate Hinata and saw her frozen, tears forming in her eyes. 'Can she see it? What is it? Who is it? Is she really that scared?' The reason he referred to the figure as 'it' was quite simple. He didn't think a human was capable of such maniacal fanaticism for chaos. It was as if this person fed off their fear and kept becoming more imposing the more it drank. And then...the dust settled...and the being spoke.
"Hello, kiddies. I'm so glad we could be reunited." The imposing figure stood before them, the towering bulk of the individual that had haunted their nightmares for the past two months, he stood before them in all his vile glory. His smile was menacing and promised untold mirth and destruction.
Garrett, the nukenin of Iwagakure, had returned.
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Huzzah! This chapter is complete, finished, signed, sealed, and delivered to you all. Hope you enjoyed it. I had a small amount of trouble writing this chapter mainly for the fact it did not want to write itself. But hopefully the next chapter will do just that and I will have it out in a week or so. Until then, go ahead and give me your comments and opinions as you like.
On to the preview of the next chapter: With the reappearance of Garrett, hopelessness sinks into Team Seven as they have to fight for their very lives. As they struggle with this conflict, Sasuke makes a vow. Will they be able to overcome Garrett this time around or are they doomed to join the graveyard that has become the Forest of Death. Questions will be raised and fear will have a new meaning for the genin. (Next chapter is gonna be a bit brutal, so brace for that when the next chapter comes.)