I must say, I feel very disappointed that this hasn't gotten any reviews yet. I don't know if there's a setting that doesn't allow reviews, or if no one felt like reviewing b/c my writing sucks, or if no one's really come across this story yet because there's only been a chapter up. But it doesn't matter, because I'll just keep trying to write better and hopefully, I'll start getting reviews, because that's my way of the ninja!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, b/c if I did, Sasuke would be MINE!!
Chapter One
Distracted by the disappearance of the last Uchiha and the absence of the loud-mouthed, hyperactive shinobi, the other genins were surprised to find that the Chunnin exams had arrived so soon. Konoha was, once again, the host village this year.
A month before the first exam, Kakashi and Asuma had called together their genin and merged them into a new team of three for the exam. They were given a month to be better acquainted with each other and to learn how to work together.
Shikamaru, already a chunnin, was replaced by Sakura on his team. After learning of this, the pink-haired kunoichi sat down beside Ino and Chouji and smiled weakly. She could still remember the time she was in the academy and had first discovered her teammates would be Sasuke and Naruto. But, that was way back when and she knew now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.
Tilting her head to the left, Sakura looked at Ino and smiled. They'd been rivals for so long, it was time to put aside differences and work together. Sounds corny? Well, yeah, but it was true.
"Truce?" she offered. The blonde nodded and the two girls exchanged another smile before directing their attention to Chouji, who was busy polishing off his last bag of chips.
The month of training flew by and Sakura quickly found her role on the team. She had put aside the medic training for the moment and concentrated on learning to fit in with team 10. She replaced Shikamaru's shadow jutsu by physically holding the enemy in place, while Ino used her mind transfer jutsu and Chouji finished it all off. They developed different formations and realized that, despite the different teams they'd come from, working together was very possible.
Two days before the first exam would take place, Sakura was greeted by the arrival of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. She'd been on her way to Tsunade's office, when approaching footsteps caught her attention and she turned to find herself an inch away from a pair of dark, insomniac eyes.
Her first reaction was to scream. As skilled and trained as she was, Sakura was still a girl who valued her personal space. She quickly stepped out of the way to let Gaara pass, then blushed as Temari gave her a look.
Careful to tread several steps behind the sand siblings, Sakura followed them to Tsunade's office. The Hokage invited all four genin in and gave them a pleasant talk about the upcoming chunnin exam. They were sent home shortly after to get some much needed rest. This year's exam, according the Tsunade, would be "unprecedented".
Shikamaru leaned back and looked up at the clouds. Beautiful. The figure beside him shifted slightly and he turned to look at her.
"Another year, huh?" Tsunade smiled lightly at the chunnin beside her. Shikamaru nodded.
His teammates, and Sakura, of course, were probably just getting ready to start the first exam. He knew that if the exam this year was anything like last time, the teams would breeze by the written exam.
"You seem relaxed", Tsunade noted.
"Well, I can't say I'm worried", Shikamaru replied. The Godaime nodded in agreement. They both knew what the rest of the genins were capable of, and they were both confident in their success.
More experienced than the previous year, the group of Genin passed the first exam quickly and prepared to head out into the Forest of Death. Hinata walked nervously between Shino and Kiba, gently cradling Akamaru in her arms. They approached the tall gates along with the other teams and waited for the examiner to arrive.
"Are we ready to do this?" Ino turned to her two teammates and flashed them a smile. Chouji nodded as he pulled open a bag of chips; Sakura looked away.
She hated this forest more than anything. This was the place where her team had first met Orochimaru. This was the place where Sasuke got that stupid curse seal, and she wanted nothing to do with it.
"Sakura?" Ino gently shook her friend by the shoulder and the pink-haired kunoichi snapped her head up. She nodded, faking confidence, and her two new teammates seemed to believe it.
Anko arrived shortly and the gates burst open as each team of genin, encouraged by the fact that they'd passed the first exam, rushed in to continue on their way to bettering themselves.
Deep within the trees outside of Konoha, two dark figures crawled along the forest floor. Their thin shadows, showing more than just the normal pair of arms and legs, crept silently, avoiding the fallen leaves. They approached a lifeless body on the floor and one of the figures stepped closer.
"Kidomaru", the other figure murmured sadly.
"He's still alive", the first figure bent down and pressed his ear against Kidomaru's chest. There was a fain heartbeat, but he knew it was hopeless.
"Who...who did this?" the second figure shuddered at the sight of one of her own kind. She kneeled down beside Kidomaru and gently took his hands into hers. A groan caught her attention and she leaned forward.
"Leiko… Lei -", Kidomaru's eyes were barely opened as he called the girl closer. She gave a soft gasp, her own extra arms clasping around his weakened body. They were of the same clan, lovers, in fact, and she couldn't stand to see him like this.
"This is what happens when you run away and join Orochimaru!" she cried softly.
"No. I was… I made it into the sound five, Leiko. I have no regrets", Kidomaru sighed softly before noticing the other figure that had stood, watching quietly this whole time.
"Kanaye… my brother", Kidomaru beckoned him closer.
"Who did this to you?" Kanaye narrowed hi eyes. Kidomaru opened his mouth to speak, but a jet of blood sprayed out and he choked on his words.
"Who?!" Kanaye grasped his brother's hand and Leiko gave a sharp cry. Kidomaru looked at the two people kneeling beside him with sad eyes. The beautiful girl, Leiko, who had once been his bride-to-be, and his ever-faithful younger brother, Kanaye. He'd left them both to join Orochimaru, and now, they'd found him inches away form death.
Ironic, isn't it?
He could feel the world around him grow fuzzier as the last bits of Chakra faded from his body.
"Who was it?! We'll kill him!" Kanaye yelled.
Kidomaru, using the last bit of strength he had, closed his eyes and whispered his murderer's name.
"Hyugga Neji"
Neji leaped from one branch to another, Tenten and Lee on either side of him. They had been in the forest of Death for two days and had encountered several enemies. It was just their luck that they all had the same scroll.
"What if all the Earth scrolls are gone?" Tenten wondered out loud, closing her hands tightly around the heaven scroll they had been given.
"No! Tenten, you must always remain optimistic, for our youthfulness will definitely help us win!" Lee cheered. Neji narrowed his eyes at the chattering of his teammates and moved even faster. His byakugan suddenly picked up movements and he stopped.
"What is it?" Tenten asked quietly, landing beside her teammate.
"There's a team over there", Lee whispered, landing beside her and pointing to a clearing only a bit away from them. They jumped off the branches and began walking towards the team, careful to hide their movements.
"Wait", Neji reached out an arm and blocked his teammates. He motioned for them to hide behind a tree, then explained, "the wind is blowing towards them.. They'll pick up our scent like this".
"We have to go around", Lee concluded, nodding his head. They moved to the other side of the clearing and crouched behind a row of bushes, watching carefully. A blur of orange crossed Lee's line of vision, followed by a flash of blond.
"Naruto!" he immediately perked up, only to be quickly pushed back down by his teammates.
"Baka! Naruto isn't even taking the exam!" Tenten scolded. Lee looked again and signed sadly. It was just a boy in an orange shirt followed by a second boy with blond hair.
"Wait. Where's their third member?" Neji frowned.
"Looking for me?" a feminine voice, several pitches too high for comfort, spoke up behind the Konoha genin. The speaker was a tall, thin girl, sporting long brown hair and a grass forehead protector around her waist. She smiled upon seeing Neji and boldly held out her Earth scroll.
"I'll fight you for it", she spoke only to Neji, but her eyes had shifted to the Heaven scroll in Tenten's possession.
"Yes! Let us do battle for the scrolls!" Lee yelled, punching a fist into the air. The girl gave him a cold look and took at step closer to Neji, sticking her scroll out further towards him in a taunting manner. Neji looked at Tenten and she nodded in agreement, tucking her scroll safely in her pocket before pulling out several weapons.
"Whoa, wait a sec", the girl whined, her high voice growing even shriller, "My teammates are too lazy to help, so this is just going to be a one-on-one thing, you know, to be fair".
She looked at Neji suggestively, but his white eyes glanced past her and at his own female teammate, giving her a slight nod. Tenten smiled back; they had encountered these scenarios before, where fangirls attacked Neji in different ways. This was, however, the first time a girl had challenged Neji in a battle.
"One-on-one", Neji nodded, looking back at the girl. She smiled triumphantly and shook her hair back in a flirty manner.
"Well then, I'm Izanami and I'm – "
"You're going to be fighting her", Neji interrupted, pointing to Tenten. The look on the grass kunoichi's face was priceless and Tenten could barely suppress her laughter. Another girl, just like the countless who wanted to impress Neji, would have to go through her first.
"Fine", Izanami frowned and followed Tenten to the clearing where the two boys, the one with the orange shirt and the one with the blond hair, stood. They saw their female teammate and looked at her questioningly.
"I will fight the girl for her scroll", she announced. And for her guy. She added silently.
"Tenten smirked and readied her weapons. Kunai in one hand, shuriken in the other. She figured she'd start with the basic weapons to see what this girl was capable of.
And, she found out soon enough. Pathetic. Truly, pathetic. The fight was over before it started, for the first shuriken Tenten threw, just to test the waters, grazed the girl's leg and she began howling in pain. Her two teammates quickly carried her off, leaving the Earth scroll behind.
"You've got to be kidding me", Tenten muttered, picking up the Earth scroll and tucking it in with the Heaven one. "Let's go".
"We can't keep both scrolls together", Neji held out his hands and Tenten, grumbling to herself, pulled out the Earth scroll and handed it to Neji.
"Yosh! We have completed the collecting of the scrolls", Lee exclaimed, "Let us go to the tower!"
Neji raised an eyebrow, but followed his teammates. They arrived within the next day.