A.n: I know it's been ages so without further i leave you chapter 6.

~Previously~

A low rumble of laughter brought their attention back to the man standing in front of them. Clicking his neck joints back in place, Orochimaru fought back the fit of hysteria that was threatening to consume him. "And here was me hoping It'd all be over by the time you showed up."

"You sent those two Grass ninja after me didn't you?" Snarled Akari, her eyes roaming around the area trying to devise an escape plan.

"Sound ninja actually," He corrected, smiling coyly at the girl glaring at him. "I must say I'm disapointed Akari-chan, was a kick to the face really neccesary? It's been what? A year, maybe two?"

"Nearly three," She answered back in a low hiss, "I was hoping to add more time to the counter before seeing you again but it seems we just can't stop our paths bumping into each other can we? Orochimaru!"

~Worst fears confirmed, make it to the tower under 24 hours! ~

Amongst the dense canopy of forest terrain a few cackles of crows could be heard as the sun made its way west preparing to disappear on the horizon and bathe the earth in darkness. Standing on thick tree branches someplace inside the forest were four ninja, all standing tense, except for the eldest male who seemed to be enjoying himself. Akari glared at the man standing in front of her straight in the eye not blinking at all as she awaited his next move.

Orochimaru smiled at the girl crouching in front of him. "Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm actually not here for you. What interests me is the boy standing behind you," He said breaking the thick silence.

'He's after Sasuke?' She thought, as she erased the surprised look that adorned her face as quickly as it had come. Stealthily she placed herself in a position where she was guarding her male teammate better. "What business do you have with Sasuke?"

"He just happens to have something I want," Replied the elder man, his smirk remaining firmly in place showing off a set of pearly white teeth and fangs. His lackadaisical attitude stated just how confident he was in his strength to be able to talk calmly to four opponents without a care in the world.

Akari grit her teeth in anger at his response. "You haven't changed at all have you, you sick bastard? People aren't yours to use and then throw away! I won't let you ruin his life like you did mine…" she broke off, firsts shaking slightly with uncontrolled anger. Taking a deep breath she carried on in a low voice, "that day… five years ago, you killed my parents and my teammates didn't you?"

Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. Neither of them had known their fellow teammate was an orphan.

'She's always so calm and collected, how were we supposed to know?' Thought Sakura feeling guilty for not having established a better relationship with the girl protecting her.

'She's just like me,' Thought Sasuke, 'All these years she's been tormented by the shadow of this man just like I have by my brother's.'

"Now, now don't go jumping to conclusions," Began Orochimaru, "I didn't lay a hand on any of them."

"Liar," She growled barely controlling her temper, "It was all a setup… don't tell me it was a coincidence… their death and you appearing offering me a way out. You planned it all just to be able to use me!"

Nobody spoke or moved for a while and once again the silence began to thicken making it impossible to breath, or rather giving them the feeling that if they did breath, the whole world would shatter around them. After what seemed like an eternity Orochimaru carried on.

"That's true, but like I said I didn't lay.-"

"JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T PERSONALLY KILL THEM IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU ANY LESS GUILTY!" bellowed Akari across the clearing freighting the life out of her two teammates. They had never seen her this riled up before, she was always the one getting them to calm down.

'She's scary…' Thought Sakura, 'this is nothing like when we fought Zabuza, she's gone completely mad… her chakra signature is heavier too… to be able to feel the hatred seeping out of her like this, who exactly is this guy?'

Straightening up after the brunette's outburst, Orochimaru proceeded talking in his own calm sombre voice. "You talk big… but you're weaker than the last time we met. D'you really think you can keep Sasuke-kun away from me?"

"My strength is none of your damn business, how the hell would you know whether I've gotten stronger or not?" She yelled infuriated by his cocky attitude. She was taking deep breaths now trying to calm herself down. No one had ever made her this mad before and she hated the feeling of being controlled by the man's mere presence.

"I know you haven't used that 'gift' of yours since you came crawling back here," He sneered enjoying the effect he was having on the girl in front of him, "I know you're living with Hatake Kakashi for, what was it they said… oh yes for your protection and in the hopes of triggering your memory," he finished off with a cold laugh ripping off what was left of the fake melted face he had been adorning all along.

'Crawling back? Living with Kakashi? What the hell is going on here?' thought Sasuke, eyes darting from the man standing meters away from them to his teammates back.

Akari took a step back in surprise; the fists that had been clenched at her sides in anger were now trembling with slight fear. "You've been spying on me?" She asked hating the way her voice sounded weaker than what she had intended.

"No, no my dear girl, like I said I am no longer interested in you. I've been spying on Konoha, you just happen to live here. Now if you'll excuse me I'm in a bit of a hurry," He said flicking his tongue around his lips.

Body reacting instinctively she re-enforced her defensive position. There was no way in hell she'd let him get to Sasuke if she could avoid it. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fight but if she could just earn them some time. Without turning around she bellowed behind her, "Why are you still here? I told you to get Naruto and run!"

Snapping out of his daze, Sasuke nodded and turned to face Sakura who was still trembling slightly on the tree branch beside him when he felt his body freeze up again.

"Not so fast," Whispered Orochimaru, thoroughly amused by the outturn of events. "Are you really gonna get in my way, Akari-chan?"

Growling darkly, Akari stared him straight in the eye. "You can't have him."

Orochimaru lowered his gaze to stare at his feet and started chuckling. "So be it," He whispered before raising his head to meet Akari's penetrating glare with one of his own.

A sharp pain shot through her left shoulder abruptly, sending shockwaves down her spine. Knees giving in, she collapsed onto the branch clutching her shoulder, gritting her teeth against the pain that had her paralysed. A gush of wind against her cheek and the surprised gasp of 'Sasuke-kun' she heard behind her told her Orochimaru had probably just branded her teammate with the same mark she had on her own shoulder.

Hands shaking she grabbed a kunai from her pouch and aimed it for the elongated neck beside her when a strong grip around her wrist made her gasp in surprise. Orochimaru had pulled his body towards his head instead of the other way round and blocked her attack in the process. He wasn't called a legendary sannin for no reason.

"We'll have none of that," He said when his neck shrank back to its normal size. His tightening grip on her wrist had her palm opening up involuntarily letting the knife fall against the wood with a soft thud.

"You won't get away with this," She grit out staring up at the face of the man that had turned her world upside down.

Lowering his face so it was level with her ear he whispered darkly; "I believe… I already have." He released her suddenly causing her to stumble slightly in surprise but before she could properly get a grip on her surroundings a swift kick to her chest sent her falling down into the underbrush. He watched her fall down through the foliage with an apathetic expression adorning his face. "And when I'm done with this, not even the Hokage will be able to stand up against me."

Akari managed to grab onto a thick protruding branch. Panting slightly she melded chakra into her hands to stop herself from slipping when the seal on her left shoulder shot another surge of pain through her. Unable to meld any chakra she felt the last of her strength leave her as she fell down into the eternal darkness of the forest ground. All she could do was feel her body crash and slip against more protruding tree branches before slumping onto the hard ground with a resounding slap.

She lay there for a while against the cold dirt catching her breath feeling the throbbing pain in her shoulder reside slowly. Even from down here, she could hear Sakura crying and asking for help, but she knew they were alone now. Dragging herself to her feet ignoring her aching muscles she ran up the length of the trees until she made it back to her teammate's side.

"A-Akari-san, Sasuke-kun was…" stammered the girl chocking back her tears.

"C'mon, I'll get Naruto. We have to find somewhere to spend the night."

XxX

However dangerous The forest of Death was during the day, it was all the creepier at night when the darkness that covered the area was blinding and when all the nocturnal creatures hunted. Crickets could be heard throughout the area only stopping their singing when something disturbed them.

Akari and Sakura had managed to find shelter easily enough not far from where they had fought Orochimaru. They were using the giant tree roots as a means of protection from any possible enemies.

Exiting their hiding place after placing a wet cloth over Sasuke's forehead and making sure Naruto was comfortable, Sakura stood behind her teammate who was staring up at the treeline.

"Naruto seems fine but Sasuke-kun is still burning up." The girl in front of her nodded in understanding. "That guy… Orochimaru, what did he do to Sasuke-kun, what is that mark on his neck doing to him?"

"Sakura, can I trust you to look after them?"

"Huh? Of course you can trust me we're team… why does it sound like you're leaving?" asked the younger girl panic threading her voice.

"That man… he's an S-class criminal; I have to inform someone about him. Right now that takes priority over the exam."

Sakura stood stock still trembling slightly as she listened to her teammate, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Y-you c-can't leave me alone here… what if someone attacks us while you're away? I can't protect them on my own I'm weaker than you, I'm the weakest mem-"

"Sakura listen to me," Said Akari fiercely turning around and gripping her friend by the shoulders. "You are not weak! I'm not abandoning you do you understand? I just need to find someone and tell them what's going on, it's my job as a Konoha kunoichi but I need to be positive that I can leave you alone for a while."

"B-but I can't do anything for them," Sobbed the girl in her arms.

"We stopped playing ninja when we graduated from the Academy, this is our job. Naruto, Sasuke, both of them need you, I need you. Remember what I told you shortly after we became teammates?"

Sakura blinked the tears away as she remembered their first proper training session together.

"Sakura, you completely lack confidence and strength. You're not comfortable in your own skin when fighting fearing that you'll make a complete fool of yourself when in fact you could be capable of fighting just as well as Sasuke or Naruto."

"I meant every word that day," Said Akari staring her teammate in the eyes. "Show me I wasn't wrong."

Getting some strength from her teammate's words she remembered every time Naruto and Sasuke had protected her and set her face into a firm look.

"How long will you be gone?"

Akari smiled at the determination that flashed behind the girl's eyes before releasing her and turning around to face the treeline again.

"I'll head to the tower, if I don't run into an examiner or get to the tower in 24 hours I'll come back. I promise." Giving Sakura a final stare down to make sure the younger girl would be okay she turned and jumped up into the tree tops, jumping swiftly from branch to branch. It was quicker than zigzagging around all the trees from the ground and safer.

A couple of times she'd hear running footsteps of predators stalking her but her shinobi skills and speed allowed her to get away quick enough. It didn't matter what she bumped into as long as she kept running in the general direction of the centre tower.

XxX

Eight hours had passed since Akari had left Naruto and Sasuke in Sakura's care and now a full moon glowed brightly ahead. In a couple of hours the sun would be rising and four kilometres still separated the girl from her objective. She had been running non-stop from the start which any shinobi could manage to do easily enough. It was knowing when to steer clear of areas to avoid enemy ninja that was becoming increasingly tiring. Avoiding wild animals was one thing. Avoiding shinobi was another and Orochimaru had said there were Sound ninja among the candidates. If they were like the two 'Grass nin' she had had to fight she'd never make it to the tower if she bumped into them.

Running out onto a clearing she sighed in relief when she saw the people she had been desperately trying to find.

"Anko-san!"

The three figures across the field turned when they heard someone shouting out to them. They watched the figure of a young girl making her way towards them sporting a few tears in the fabric of her shinobi attire. She looked like she had been running for quite a while.

"What are you doing here? Where are your teammates?" Asked one of the Anbu agents, his mask covering his face as was normal.

"Orochimaru is back," said Akari ignoring the masked man and speaking directly to Anko. Silence surrounded the area for a while, the only sound being heard was the grass and leaves moving in the wind.

"We know. I found him in the forest a few hours ago," Said the older woman in a calm voice.

"So then the exam…"

"The exam shall continue," She said cutting her off.

"Huh? But why?"

"My orders! Now go back with the rest of your team," She replied while turning her back on the younger girl.

Akari clenched her fists and ran around the three figures blocking their path. "He gave one of my teammates the cursed mark Anko, you better than anybody should know what that means! Have you forgotten what it did to you? Have you forgotten what it did to me five years ago?"

The two Anbu men shifted slightly in surprise. Neither of them had been informed a candidate had been bitten. Anko had a lot of explaining to do when they met up with the Hokage in the tower.

"Listen Akari, right now you have to focus on getting through this test, I appreciate you coming all this way just to inform us, but this is something us Jounin have to take care of. Go back to your teammates. They need you," she said firmly, staring the girl down. The determined glint in her eyes was remarkable for a girl her age. Kakashi had taught her well.

Nodding in understanding, the younger girl walked past them before turning into a blur as she sped towards the treeline.

Anko watched her leave and remained staring at the forest for a couple of seconds after she had vanished. They had known each other for a few years now. When Akari returned to the village the Hokage had personally asked her to help the girl out and give her some advice but in the end it was Kakashi she ended up with. She smiled a little before addressing the Anbu nin and began the few kilometres left to the tower. It wasn't that she disliked the girl, far from it. She just couldn't help her right now. If anyone was to report her having received help from an examiner her whole team would be disqualified and as much as she wanted to check up on the Uchiha boy, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

XxX

His white eyes stared down at the scene before him. Two teams were bustled in the area and neither of them interested him much. He'd just come along to find his lost teammate which his female companion was currently attending to on the ground below him. Feeling the added weight on the tree branch he was perched on he turned to regard the newcomer. Her clothes were scratched in some places and she looked thoroughly worn out but on the whole unharmed.

"Thank god they're alright," Akari panted as she stared down at team 7 and team 10 alongside Tenten and Lee.

"They were lucky to have backup in the imminent area," said the long haired boy standing beside her, "just a while ago there were three Sound nin here, Sasuke scared them off though. They left their Earth scroll as compensation for letting them live. You have an interesting teammate."

'Sasuke was going to kill them? The cursed seal seems to have taken its toll on his body and mind. Damn you Orochimaru, messing around with people like this,' thought the older girl.

"Thanks for helping them out," She said.

"We didn't, we only came looking for Lee. It was that other bunch of weaklings that helped."

Akari stared at him for a while before looking down once again at the members of team 10. "Either way, you still came. I'm grateful," She said before jumping down onto the ground below to help her teammates. It was going to take them a while to recover from everything that had happened, but as long as they remained together, they could pull through anything.

XxX

It had taken them five days to make it through the second part of the exam but now team 7 stood in a single file alongside the other 25 contestants in the centre tower. They had used two days to recover after Orochimaru's attack leaving them with only 26 hours to get the second scroll and make it to the tower. In fact, if Kabuto hadn't shown up they probably wouldn't have made it.

"V-very well…I will proceed to explain the rules…of these preliminary… battles, but first, if anyone isn't feeling well enough to fight… they may leave now," explained a young looking examiner between constant coughing fits.

The crowd of contestants talked amongst themselves after Hayate's speech, each deciding whether they would carry on or not. Akari could hear Sakura pleading with Sasuke to drop out. His curse seal had been acting up recently making it difficult for him to fight. Akari's seal had also reacted a couple of times when she had used a lot of chakra in one go but it was nothing compared to the way Sasuke's seal was hurting him. Opting to tune out their argument she looked over at the other participants. Five teams from Konoha had passed including their own. Sakura had identified the Sound team as the group that had attacked her when she was on her own. That left one team from Sand and the furthest team away from them was one she recognized from Kumogakure, Hidden cloud. Even without being able to see their forehead protectors she would recognize that toasted brown skin anywhere.

It was funny how each nation could be recognized by simple features such as skin tone. Konoha was sunny all year through giving the citizens a nice sun kissed skin, whereas the sun in Suna was too strong to be able to be under without protection giving the citizens creamy pale skin. Hidden Cloud had a funny type of sunlight. It was treacherous, toasting Kumo's citizens skin a warm brown colour without them even realizing it.

"I give up. I don't want to carry on," said Kabuto in a cheery voice with his hand raised in the air.

It took Naruto some time to accept his decision, the young man had after all helped them out since the start of the Chunnin exams but in the end he let him go.

"We give up too," Came a female voice on the opposite side of the room. It belonged to the only girl on the team from Hidden Cloud. With people turning to stare at them Akari could now properly appreciate her features. She had long black wavy hair and rich teal coloured eyes. Combined with her naturally suntanned skin she gave off the image of some tropical delicacy.

"Kaori-chan, why won't you at least try?" asked her blond haired teammate. He had a heart-warming air about him and was actually quite handsome for his young age. His hair was a fine straw coloured blond that meshed nicely with his topaz blue eyes.

"Hiro-kun we really are too worn out to carry on, if it wasn't for you we wouldn't have even passed this second part," she replied sweetly.

"Moo Yuki, convince her," pleaded the boy. The other man, who greatly resembled Kaori, just clapped his partner on the back.

"She's right Hiro, people who have made it this far on luck won't go any further. You're strong. You can do it. My sister and I will come back another time."

"Very well then, Souta Kaori, Souta Yuki, please leave the building, you will be escorted back to Konoha by a Chunnin," said the examiner his voice echoing across the hall.

As the two siblings gave their final best wishes to their teammate a big screen was revealed on the top left hand corner of the wall. The computer would make a random selection of two participants who would then face each other in battle. Only the winner would participate in the final tournament. Akari ignored the funny shuffling sound the machine made as she watched the two Cloud ninja turn around the corner out of sight. An audible gasp from Sakura and a whispered "No way" from Naruto made her turn around to look at them. They were both staring up intently at the television screen with bewildered expressions.

'Can it be that bad?' she thought as she moved her gaze over to the big screen. Her eyes widened when she read the words printed on the screen in bright green letters. Beside her Sasuke smirked holding his hand over the cursed mark on his sholder.

"This should be interesting," he whispered.

"You've got to be kidding," said Akari in a low voice as her teammates turned to stare at her, their eyes flicking from the monitor to her face.

"May these two people please remain here," said the examiner in a low voice, "The first battle is about to begin."

Taking one last look up at the screen before moving to her designated place she couldn't help the cold tremor of despair that enveloped her as she read over the names once more:

Seishin Akari vs. Seishin Takahiro

Dun dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuun :)