THE SHINOBI PROJECT
by Tap-Chan
Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto
Note: As I was writing this chapter, I realized the year of Team Seven's return to Konoha would have only made their training one and a half years. So I have revised the dates by a year and done the same to chapter 2. So the calendar now is the year 43. Two and a half years since they all left the Academy to continue under their personal instructors.
Chapter 3: The Forest of Death
Academy,
Konoha
430627
After being briefed on how the exam worked, the students filed slowly out of the assembly hall, many looking quite worried. There were even some who looked green in the face at the thought of the Forest of Death.
Naruto scowled at his pamphlet that every student had received from the instructors.
"And here I thought we were done with everything and would officially be graduating." grumbled the blonde petulantly. "Look at this! A theory exam on the first day!" muttered Naruto as he continued to flip through the pamphlet and the information it contained.
"Well, that's trouble for you right there, idiot." came Sasuke's snide retort. "You suck at theory."
"Hey! I'll have you know I can memorize every single title in Kakashi-sensei's collection of books."
Sakura frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Sasuke-bastard said my memory sucked!"
Sakura blinked before turning her confused gaze on Sasuke.
Sasuke merely gave her a shrug. "I rest my case. He's not only an idiot. He's a perverted idiot."
"You were looking at those book titles too, asshole. I wouldn't be surprised if you used your weird red-eye thingy that you got last year, on it too."
Sasuke froze at the mention of his eyes.
"Naruto!" hissed Sakura.
Naruto scratched a cheek awkwardly. "Uh, I mean..." Naruto swallowed as he looked at Sakura and then at no one in particular trying to think of something to say.
"It's obvious lack of intelligence when you can't even finish a sentence."
"Yeah! I mean- hey!" exclaimed Naruto. "I'm just hungry is all." protested Naruto as his shoulders relaxed at the change of topic Sasuke had afforded them.
"Uh-huh."
"It's true! Let's get to the town already. I haven't had Ichiraku's ramen in months." called Naruto as he started off ahead.
As Sasuke shook his head and started forward, a tug on the back of his shirt stopped him. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw Sakura's slim hand attached to the hem of his shirt.
The girl was looking down at her own hand, her pink hair hiding her face from view.
"Sakura?"
Sakura looked up, her eyes locking with Sasuke's own. Two seconds passed before she abruptly released her grip, looking away towards Naruto, a nervous smile on her face.
"Naruto's such an idiot. Ramen's the only thing he thinks of every time we come home to Konoha." babbled Sakura. "We should follow after him before he starts a ruckus." she laughed as she started to move off towards the direction Naruto was in.
As Sasuke watched his two team mates walk ahead of him, he gave a shake of his head.
"Sakura."
The pink-haired girl stopped, turning her head to look at him as he caught up with her.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry." commanded Sasuke as he knocked lightly on her forehead with the back of his hand, flashing a small smile.
As both team mates walked in silence after Naruto, Sasuke's thoughts moved backwards to the events resulting in the manifestation of his red eyes.
One year prior on a mission in Water Nation, Sasuke had encountered a wandering deserter on his way back to his team mates. Said wandering deserter had promptly attacked him with no given reason other than what Sasuke assumed must be insanity.
The attacker's skin had been ice cold and favoured the ancient use of senbon rather than the modern hand gun. The senbon themselves had been so cold that the many that had pierced his flesh had felt like burning needles as the icy chill seared through his nerves leaving numbness.
Also, the attacker's speed had surprised Sasuke with its startling frenzy, faster than even Kakashi who Sasuke thought moved like liquid quicksilver.
Sasuke had nearly died in that battle if not for the manifestation of his red eyes and the timely arrival of his team mates.
He remembered Sakura bent over him, frantically patching up his injuries, tears falling from her eyes to land on the skin of his cheek.
The vague recollection of a furious Naruto attacking his assailant at the sight of his wounds.
But the memory that was burned into his mind was the whispered dying words of the boy that was the wanderer.
"Red eyes... Gen-E... like me."
Sasuke had flinched at his words and the reference to his eyes. His mind flying back to that horrible night and the eyes of his brother.
After they had buried the boy and his injuries bandaged by Sakura, Kakashi had pulled him aside to speak privately with him.
Kakashi had explained his red eyes were a genetic trait found in his family, the Uchiha, called the Sharingan. An ability that had been carefully bred and cultivated throughout the ages of his family's history. His eyes apparently had the ability to estimate and predict movement patterns, allowing for his brain to receive visual information faster than any other living human, allowing for a faster reaction time. His eyes also gained him a photographic memory when used, allowing him to copy and mimic any movements or skills by others along with an immunity and natural skill for hypnotism.
While Kakashi had not explained what the term 'Gen-E' had meant, Sasuke had not felt the need to ask either, the words of his brother thwarting all intention.
"We're not 'natural-born'."
Besides, there was hardly any need to dwell on the words of a crazy dying drifter. Since that incident a year ago, his 'Sharingan' had not manifested itself again despite his attempts to do so.
Sudden shouts from the front gate of the Academy broke through his thoughts as he recognized one of the voices to be Naruto's.
"What's going on? What has that moron gone and done now?" asked Sasuke as he turned to look at the companion by his side.
His team mate Sakura bit her lip, shaking her head. "I don't know, Naruto just suddenly ran off ahead. C'mon."
Academy,
Front Gate
Konoha
430627
Hyuuga Hinata watched on with growing horror as her cousin, Hyuuga Neji and the boy she had a crush on, Uzumaki Naruto started arguing with each other, Naruto's voice rising in volume the longer he continued on. She almost wished the scene in front of her was some distorted waking dream and all she had to do to make it stop was to wake up.
It had all started with her running into her cousin, Neji and her ending up on her backside on the ground.
The boy, older than her by a year had looked down, eyebrows raised as a slight expression of confusion and shock crept across his features. The expression had almost immediately turned cold and hard though as he stared his nose down at her as if she were a bug.
"Hinata-sama, what a surprise."
"Neji-nii-san." trembled Hinata.
"You're participating in the graduation exam as well?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Your personal instructor must be insane or lazy. I've seen your skills whenever you're back at the compound. I can't imagine how your instructor deemed you ready." sneered Neji in derision.
Naruto appeared then almost immediately, standing in front of her in a belligerent pose, demanding her cousin apologize for his 'rude bastard-like' attitude and speech. Neji had eyed him contemptuously before proceeding to ignore the blonde, turning to walk away.
That had been the point where Naruto had thrown his shoe at the back of Neji's head.
The situation had then deteriorated down hill from there, with both Naruto and Neji spitting threats at each other, both looking ready for a fight.
Hinata looked around, searching for help. Where were Shino and Kiba?
The boy at her cousin's side tried to urge Neji away but her cousin merely shrugged him off.
"Neji, let's go. Don't do this."
"Yeah, go on like the asshole coward you are, Neji." sneered Naruto.
"Leave off, Rock Lee. You may be my team mate, but I don't answer to you. The fool is asking for it, anyway."
The girl by the boy called Rock Lee's side gave a sigh, her head shaking. "Why do you bother, you know he never listens to you, Lee."
"Naruto! What in Konoha are you doing?" came a shout from behind.
Hinata turned and almost breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Naruto's team mates approach. If there was anybody Naruto listened to, it was his team mates. Especially Haruno Sakura.
As both Sasuke and Sakura reached the group, Sasuke noted Naruto's shouting opponent appeared to be a member of the Hyuuga clan. The boy had to be the Hyuuga prodigy he had heard of when he had first entered the Academy.
Turning his gaze on Naruto who was still locked in a glare with the Hyuuga boy, Sasuke gave an exasperated mental sigh at the blonde's actions. The idiot always went picking fights with people bigger than him.
"Naruto, what in blazes are you trying to do? Are you asking for Kakashi-sensei or one of the Academy's instructors to bust your head?" reprimanded Sakura as she caught the blonde's ear in a death grip.
"Ow! Sakura-chan!"
"Sakura's right, you idiot. They told us no trouble."
"If they decide to revoke your right to the graduation exam, Kakashi-sensei is going to murder you." continued Sakura as she continued to pull the blonde away by his ear.
"Okay, Oo-kAY! Ow! Ow! Sakura-chan, my ear!" whimpered Naruto.
As Sasuke turned to follow his team mates, they were stopped by the voice of the Hyuuga boy.
"Hey! You!"
Sasuke stopped in his tracks as did Sakura and Naruto, as Sakura still had Naruto's ear in her grip. The blonde tried to turn his head to glare at the Hyuuga, failing miserably with his ear caught in Sakura's fingers.
Turning to look over his shoulder, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Hyuuga.
"You three are the students of Hatake Kakashi?"
"What of it?" answered Sasuke.
"What's your name?"
Twisting around the gaze at the Hyuuga, Sasuke's eyes narrowed further. "If you want my name, you should state yours first. It's common courtesy."
"I'm Hyuuga Neji."
Sasuke smirked. "Uchiha Sasuke."
"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" shouted Naruto.
"Shut up, Naruto!" hissed Sakura as she twisted his ear further.
"Ow! But Sakura-chan, Sasuke-bastard - OW! Shit!"
"Uchiha..." murmured Neji. "I've heard you're the best of your year. I look forward to seeing your skills."
Sasuke smirked.
Before Sasuke could reply, a familiar voice broke the tension.
"Hmm, what are you three doing?"
"Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto.
"Oya, why are you pulling Naruto by the ear, Sakura?" mused Kakashi as he noticed his two students.
"Because Naruto was being an idiot." muttered Sakura as she released her team mate's ear. Naruto stood up from his formerly bent position, rubbing his abused ear as he shot dirty looks at Hyuuga Neji.
"Come along, Sasuke. I believe it's lunch time." called Kakashi as he pulled his book out from his pouch. "And I suggest the rest of you disband your little party as well." he continued cheerily before his tone of voice changed, his single eye going from a warm cheer to a flat cold look in seconds.
"There will be no trouble from any of you before the exam. You want to settle your disagreements with a fight, you do so during the exam. Not before. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." bowed Neji in deference.
Kakashi turned to stare at his team, eyebrow raised.
Sasuke merely gave a snort, turning his head away.
Naruto hung his head. "Yes, sensei."
"Wonderful. Now that we're done here, let's go." smiled Kakashi as he flipped open his book and proceeded to exit the Academy gates.
Sakura sighed and followed after her sensei as Sasuke shrugged, his feet moving in Kakashi's direction.
"C'mon Naruto! Let's go!" called Sakura.
Naruto moved to follow before spinning back to face Neji and his team mates, a finger pointing at the Hyuuga boy.
"We're not done with this. But Kakashi-sensei is right! So I'll wait to kick your butt in the Forest of Death!" declared Naruto in a huff before turning back and running after his team.
Neji narrowed his eyes after the disappearing team.
"You're right. We're not done. Not by a long shot." whispered Neji to himself before turning in the other direction to stalk off. "Let's go. We have to meet Gai-sensei." said Neji as he ignored his cousin.
Tenten started to follow after her cranky team mate and stopped when she noticed her other team mate, Rock Lee stood stock still, staring in the direction the other team led by Hatake Kakashi had disappeared in.
"Lee?"
"She was so pretty..."
"Huh?"
"The girl who was filled with the powerful spirit of youth!" exclaimed Lee.
"Lee, really... you're sounding more like Gai-sensei everyday. It's creepy." sighed Tenten.
Lee ignored Tenten's words, turning to the still quiet Hinata.
"Say, who was she?" asked Lee as he pointed in the direction Team Seven had disappeared to.
Hinata gave a jolt, "Wh-What?"
"She, the pink-haired youthful beauty!"
Hinata blinked.
"Pink- you mean Sakura-chan?"
"Sakura! Sakura-san..." exclaimed Lee as he turned back to stare in the empty direction, his eyes burning with some unnamed intensity that had Hinata edging away from the obviously enthusiastic, if somewhat odd, boy.
A distant shout for Hinata caught the Hyuuga girl's attention as she locked eyes with Tenten a scant second before bowing politely and scampering away, a sigh of relief on her lips at the sound of her team mate, Inuzuka Kiba's voice.
Tenten sighed and turned her attention back to Lee who was still spouting his praises about the Sakura-girl and of youth and flaming determination.
With a sigh of defeat, Tenten snagged Lee by the collar of his ugly green jumpsuit and dragged him off in the direction Neji had gone.
"Yes, Lee. She's pretty. She's got youthful pink hair. Now, shut up."
Really, why were her team mates either half insane or just plain insane?
Ichiraku Ramen,
Konoha
430628
It was the next day and again, Team Seven found themselves sitting in Naruto's favourite shop in the whole of Konoha. Ichiraku Ramen, a small ramen restaurant just as they had done the day before.
Sakura watched in disgust as Naruto all but inhaled his third bowl of ramen before wolfing it down, his undisguised slurping of the noodle broth especially loud in her head. Naruto was once again holding the exam pamphlet and flipping through its pages.
"S'hay, Shha-kura-chy-an..." mumbled Naruto between a mouthful of noodles.
"Naruto, that's disgusting. Don't talk to me with your mouth full."
The blonde grinned sheepishly before swallowing his mouthful and tried again.
"Sorry. I was gonna ask, this place they're holding the exam is that big ol' dark forest outside the bio-sphere, right near the outskirts right?"
"That's right. The Forest of Death." nodded Sakura as she took a slow sip of her tea.
"Why's it called that anyway?"
Sasuke at the other side of Sakura, stopped his chopsticks from his lips in mid bite of a kamaboko to turn his attention on Naruto.
"You really didn't read the textbooks in general ed, did you, idiot."
"Those books were really boring!"
"This shows why you're retarded."
Sakura sighed as she rubbed her head. "You two fight like a married couple. Sasuke-kun, stop baiting him. Both of you are shouting in my ears."
Sasuke gave a soft 'hnh' before turning back to his meal.
"And Naruto, you really should brush up on Konoha's general education. The Forest of Death is called that, simply because it's just that. A forest of death. Notice that it's outside of our bio-sphere, but it's not dead or dying like most of the vegetation we saw in our travels with Kakashi-sensei. It's a mutated forest that was created as a deterrent of our borders back in the early days of the first War of Nations. Konoha's surrounded by a mountain on one side after all, but the area where the forest is was empty. Vulnerable to attack." explained Sakura.
"So they made a forest?"
"Yeah... thing is, the forest kind of grew in a way no one really predicted. The text book says it's twice as big as the area that was seeded to grow it, and that most of the plants in the place are either carnivorous or poisonous. Really unpredictable. Also, I think in the last few decades, many of the mutated beasts have made their homes there."
Naruto blinked, staring at Sakura, his mouth open, slack jawed.
"Anyway, since the end of the war and the fact that it's near impossible to get rid of all the dangerous things in the forest, it's usually off limits. But apparently, now they use it as an exam ground." muttered Sakura as she chewed on one of her dango skewers.
"Hey, if it's so dangerous, wouldn't there have been people who died in this?" asked Naruto.
Sasuke looked over at Naruto, catching the blonde's eye, a smirk gracing his lips.
"What's to say there hasn't been any deaths before?"
"But it's an exam..."
Sakura shook her head. "Naruto, you do realize that in the last two years...we could have died any time then?"
"That's different. Kakashi-sensei was there." nodded Naruto tightly, though it was obvious the blonde had become slightly uncomfortable at the thought.
"Well, I guess this is what the exam is about then. If you really can survive. After all, a sensei can't be there beside you forever." mused Sakura aloud.
"Hmm... fatal exam. You pass if you survive. If you don't..." Sasuke trailed off with another smirk.
Naruto looked suitably horrified.
Main Square
Konoha,
430701
It was three days later when the foreign examinees began to arrive, like a steady trickle from their respective bio-spheres. Activity within the military sector increased, bustling like a hive of busy bees as accommodations were prepared, cleaned and security installed.
Sitting in the shade of a large tree, Team Seven watched the many examinees passed them by on their way towards the designated accommodations within Konoha's military bases.
"This is boring. Why'd Kakashi-sensei ask us to wait here?" exclaimed Naruto in annoyance. There were many things he'd rather be doing at the moment. Eating ramen, training or even trying to sneak into that "adult's only" section at the bookstore. He had to work hard to beat that white-eyed Neji's hoity-toity attitude after all. Watching the multitude of examinees enter Konoha was hardly fascinating nor battle enlightening.
Sasuke spared a disinterested glance over towards Naruto before flicking his eyes back to the crowd, his hand constantly flipping a pebble he had picked off the ground. While he rarely agreed with Naruto, this was one time he had to concur. Watching the examinees did not really serve any purpose as this was neither about security or surveillance. There were plenty of soldiers watching and observing the outsiders, his eyes finding each and every Konoha soldier, disguised or hidden.
He would rather preferred to have been training.
On a higher branch, Sakura bit her lip as her fingers twisted her long hair together, her eyes watching the many outsiders as they passed by the tree they were in. Many looked fairly intimidating and much older than herself and the others. Her eyes ever so often flicked over to the top of Sasuke's head before skipping away to stare at some distant object or person. Glancing at Naruto's irritated expression, Sakura sighed, releasing her hair to rest her chin on her hands. Both her team mates were so relaxed and unperturbed by the ever encroaching date of the exam, while she on the other hand was greatly insecure.
Another half hour passes by and Naruto unable to sit patiently any longer, drops to the ground from his perch in the tree, startling several civilians.
"Naruto!"
"This is stupid. I bet Kakashi-sensei won't even show up for another hour and I'm hungry." complained the blonde.
"Your stomach is always hungry! I bet it's because you only eat ramen!" snapped Sakura as she jumped off her branch and landed on the branch once occupied by Naruto and Sasuke.
"I imagine you'll starve to death during the exam."
Sasuke eyed his team mate lazily. "Leave the idiot alone, Sakura. Who cares if he goes and stuffs his face with his noodle broth."
"Hah, see. Even Sasuke-bastard agrees this waiting around here is pointless."
Sasuke smirked as his hand tossed the little pebble once again. However, before it landed in the palm of his hand, another hand had already caught the little grey stone.
"Hey, so you three are examinees as well?" came a voice.
Sakura turned from glaring at Naruto and came face to face with a teenager dressed in black, his face painted and hanging upside down as he eyed the little pebble he had pinched out of Sasuke's hand.
Sakura gave a little screech as she back-pedalled from the stranger, losing her footing from the branch, starting her backward fall downwards.
"Sakura!"
"Sakura-chan!"
Sasuke cursed and pulled the weapon he had grown to favour in the last two years, an ebony black kunai blade connected to one of his pouches by sturdy thin wire, from its holster, throwing it to attach to a branch as he swung to catch one of the falling girl's arms. A grunt of pain escaped his lips as her weight coupled with gravity jerked at his arm.
Naruto at the bottom of the tree, moved from foot to foot in anxious worry as he watched his two team mates dangle in the air suspended by only Sasuke's strength and a thin wire.
"Are you alright, Sakura-chan!" hollered Naruto.
"Yeah. I'm alright. Sasuke-kun, are you alright?"
"Hnh."
"Hey, you asshole! What do you think you're doing! You could have gotten Sakura-chan hurt!" shouted Naruto from below.
Sakura was about to shout at Naruto for calling Sasuke names until she realized the blonde was glaring at the foreign boy on the branch who was now right side up and watching them from his squatting position on said branch.
"Hey, it's not my fault she's so useless to be surprised by such a little thing." shrugged the black hooded boy. Sakura observed the teenager and speculated that he was perhaps slightly older than their own fourteen. Well, fourteen for herself alone as both Sasuke and Naruto had yet to celebrate their fourteenth birthdays.
As Sasuke released both of them safely to the ground, Sakura watched as he glared at the teen in the tree.
"Judging from your symbol, you're from Suna in Wind Nation." stated Sasuke as he nodded at the teen's hood.
"Uh-huh. That's right. I'm here for the exam. But what's three pip-squeaks like you doing in the exam? You can't have finished your training yet." mused the teen.
"You will apologize to Sakura."
The teen blinked. "What?"
"Sasuke-kun, leave it. He's right, I shouldn't have reacted that badly." said Sakura as she tugged on his sleeve.
"Bastard is right, Sakura-chan! He needs to apologize!" exclaimed Naruto.
"Not you too. I'm fine. Just leave it. No trouble, remember?" hissed Sakura as she tried to pull both her team mates away from the foreigner.
As both boys gave her a mutinous glare, Sakura glared back. "I said, leave it. I still know how to disable you with pressure points."
With one last glare at the teen, both boys followed after Sakura in angry silence.
"Hey! Wait!" called the teen.
The trio ignored him, with Sakura pulling at both boys.
"Hey! I said wait! What? So she calls the shots does she? You Konoha types are such pansy losers-" began the teen but was cut off when a sharp kunai embedded itself in the wood beside his head.
The teen blinked as he was suddenly practically nose to nose with the dark-eyed Uchiha, a hand gripping the kunai that was next to his head.
"Please, continue." came Sasuke's chilly voice.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Hey! No fair, bastard! I want a shot at him too!"
"Naruto!"
The teen reacted, putting distance between himself and Sasuke. "What the hell, how did-"
Sasuke followed after him, throwing several senbon.
The senbon never made their mark as an iron fan or tessen, intercepted the needles with audible clinks, dropping to the ground.
"What are you doing, Kankurou?" came a husky feminine voice.
Sasuke studied the new-comer. She was slightly taller and maybe a year older than the other teen she had called Kankurou, with dark green eyes and dirty blonde hair. She was glaring at Kankurou, a hand on her hip as the other tapped a steady tattoo on her thigh with another tessen.
"You were supposed to ask for directions. Not pick on kids." snapped the girl.
"But Temari-"
"Can't you do a simple task?" continued the girl called Temari as she bent swiftly to collect the tessen she had thrown to intercept his senbon.
Sasuke heard muffled sounds behind him and raised an eyebrow as he noted Sakura had Naruto's head in a headlock and one hand over his mouth as the blonde struggled, most likely to vehemently protest the 'kids' bit.
The two Suna teens continued to bicker when a chill shot down Sasuke's spine. He noticed both teens and Naruto had gone silent as well. A short boy around their age with dark red hair stepped out behind a tree, his pale green eyes seemed almost empty as he frowned at the two Suna teens.
"Gaara-"
"You're taking too long." came the boy's flat statement.
"We were just going to ask for directions, Gaara." said the Temari girl, her voice placating. Turning towards him, Sasuke noted the girl blinked, giving him a second look before nodding.
"From the symbols you're wearing, I'll hazard and say you three are in the Military Arts, we're examinees from Suna and we were wondering if you knew where Base Tower 8 is."
"That way, turn left on the second junction and straight on." answered Sakura as she released Naruto's mouth to point in a direction.
"Kids? Kids?" shouted Naruto at last.
"Shut up, idiot. You're too noisy. "
"But Sasuke! We're examinees just like they are! We're not kids anymore!" exclaimed Naruto heatedly.
Temari did a double take as she stared at the three of them. "You're kind of short to be over fifteen aren't you?"
"That's cause I'm not! I'll be fourteen this year!"
Sasuke was beginning to get a headache from all of Naruto's idiocy.
"Fourteen? Don't they start you kids older here? That's what I heard anyway..."
"What about him?" asked Naruto as he pointed towards Gaara.
"Gaara's different-"
"Let's go." came the redhead's voice.
"Leave them alone, Temari. Who cares why they're in the exam. They were probably bored with their life." muttered Kankurou spitefully.
Sasuke's black eyes caught Kankurou's and the Suna teen shut up as he noted the cold flat look on the dark-haired teen's face. Having faced the Uchiha's speed once, Kankurou was not in a hurry for another demonstration.
Gaara watched the scene, his face hardly changing.
"Problem?" came a voice.
"Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed Sakura in relief.
"Hello brats." said Kakashi fondly as he patted Sakura on the head. "Sasuke?"
"Sensei." acknowledged Sasuke. "There's no problem." he continued as he spun on his heel and stuffed his clenched fists into his pockets, walking away.
Kakashi watched his dark haired student walk off before turning back to the foreign examinees.
"Accommodations for examinees are that way, chuunins are stationed at the base gates to help you find your way. I trust that there has been no trouble here."
The short redhead was still staring after Sasuke but at Kakashi's query, gave the jounin a cursory glance before sauntering off in the direction of the base.
"Gaara, wait!" called the other male teen.
Temari merely nodded. "Our thanks, there has been no trouble." she answered before turning to catch up to her team.
The next two days saw many more foreign examinees pouring in from the four corners of the land and finally, on the third day with over two hundred teams present, the Graduation Exam officially commenced.
The first day of the exam consisting of written theory passed by with relative peace with hardly any trouble other than a fight that broke out between Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee, two hours prior to the start of the exam. According to Naruto, the 'Fuzzy Brows' had attempted to hit on Sakura which promptly had Sasuke dragging them away to head towards the assembly room.
Rock Lee had then proceeded to challenge Sasuke in hand to hand combat, ending in Sasuke's defeat.
Base Camp
Area 44,
Konoha Perimeter
430705
It was only the second day of the exam and Hyuuga Neji watched the remaining examinees with flat disinterested eyes. Of the teams that had enrolled for the exam, a total of a hundred teams had passed the theory exam. Still too many in Neji's opinion.
His eyes narrowed as he found the form of his cousin and the Hyuuga heiress, Hyuuga Hinata, huddled together with her team mates, her eyes wide, and an expression of trepidation on her face. He glared at her small stature a few moments more before flicking his eyes towards the annoying blonde that had stood up in his cousin's defence.
The short blonde boy was standing with his team mates, the Uchiha and the pink-haired girl, nattering away. It was a surprise to him that the blonde had managed to pass the first exam at all. After all, the blonde did not look like he had any sense in his head whatsoever. His lips turning downwards in a frown, Neji turned his head away in disgust.
As he blinked, an image of Konoha's downtown flashed in his mind. Blinking again, Neji frowned, shaking his head. The strange flashes of images had steadily increased since he'd started his training at the academy. There were times when multiple images seemed to be displayed in his retinas that made his head ache and spin.
"Are you alright? The sightings again?"
Looking at his team mate, Neji nodded his head. "I'm fine, Tenten."
As he blinked again, the flash of bare skin had his face flaming. Turning his head to the sky, he waved Tenten away, his team mate giving him a strange look. Concentrating on the blue sky and birds, Neji waited for the heat in his face to subside. Gritting his teeth, he forced his mind to focus as he went through the simple mental exercises his uncle and Gai-sensei had insisted he learn to control his flashes of vision. The last year when he'd suddenly seen the whole town naked and then as masses of body organs had not been pleasant.
Finally, their head proctor for the second exam made an appearance. The woman was loud and brash as she spoke while eating skewers of dango.
"Alright, listen up you rookies! The second part of this exam will consist of a three day hunt and survival mission." called the woman as she thumbed the forest behind her.
"Survival is self-explanatory, worms. The hunt bit is what you need to pay attention to."
Several murmurs broke out among the teams as many shifted in either discomfort or anticipation.
Neji frowned in irritation as Lee who was standing beside him began to fidget in excitement once again. He often wondered if perhaps Lee and Gai-sensei's constant hyperactivity was due to a daily consumption of excessive sugar. Probably not.
"Each team will proceed to those tents over there and you will receive either this white or black data disk. Here's the hunt bit - within these three days, you will need to retrieve a pair of these disks and make your way to the command tower in the middle of the forest by the third day." smiled the woman evilly.
Once more, voices broke out amongst the teams as they realized possibly only half of the candidates here would be advancing on to the third and final part of the exam.
"Settle down, worms!" ordered the woman. "We will also be providing additional weapons to those you already have and bio-armor. No personal environmental shields as no chargers are allowed. Weapons limit is as much as you can carry."
Tenten frowned. "Bio-armor slows reaction time a bit." she murmured.
Neji gave her a slanted glance. "I've hardly noticed any reduction in your time during training, Tenten."
Tenten gave a laugh. "I tend to slack, but I need everything I can give in bio-armor. That's why you don't notice it."
Neji raised an eyebrow. "That is hardly appropriate, Tenten. You should always give it your all."
Tenten looked away. "Alright, alright."
"The bio-armor tracks your positions in the forest for us proctors. But no assistance will be forth-coming in the allotted three days. This means, if you die within the three days, that's your problem. After the third day, if there are any survivors within the forest-" (which I doubt) she muttered under her breath, "-and not at the tower, the proctors will come in and retrieve you. Questions?" asked the woman.
A rather heavy looking boy raised a hand.
"Yes!"
"What do we eat?" came the boy's question. His team mates beside him groaned in exasperation with several mutters of "Chouji!" and the question, "Is that all you think about, food?"
The lady proctor eyed the boy with amusement.
"You're gonna catch your own food of course. In there." she smirked, pointing at the forest. "Just make sure they aren't poisonous first. Of course, if you cannibalize your victims-"
A loud chorus of 'ewww's and 'gross' echoed from many of the girls in the teams gathered.
Neji wrinkled his nose at the disturbing thought as well. While it was probably doable, but it was not something he wanted to try any time soon.
As soon as the data disk, bio-armor and additional weapons were swiftly distributed to the teams, they were quickly herded to their assigned entry points by the many proctors. After calls for final checks on equipment were completed, the gates were opened and shouts of commencement were made.
Forest of Death
Area 44,
Outlands
Hidden in the dense foliage of the tree tops, they watched as the examinees poured into the forest, running and dodging vines and plants as each team searched for a suitable defence position before attempting to hunt the other teams. Watching them scurry about, they were like bugs.
Insignificant.
Pesky.
It would be so easy to just kill them.
But that was not what they was here for. They had other duties assigned to them on this day.
Seeking out the link to their bio-engineered blooms they had placed throughout the Forest, they searched for the Konoha teams. Their task was to observe and relay information back to their leader.
One of their blooms detected a strange substance.
"Sector 5, senses detect traces of clone matter, White."
"The traitor must be nearby. Let's go see, Black."
"No, our objective today isn't to hunt the traitor. We need to find the Gen-Ees."
"That's really no fun at all. Isn't Number Nine confirmed already?"
"Leader will not be pleased if we do not assess the other eleven subjects."
"Alright, alright. One Konoha team has been located to the south. Still scanning for the others."
The green-haired man stood up from his crouch on the tree branch and disappeared into the leaves of a nearby tree, his black cloak with red printed clouds making nary a sound except a soft gentle swish.
On an adjacent branch, a snake curled lazily in repose.
'Why, if it isn't Zetsu... my old colleague. What a coincidence. I'm assessing the brats myself as well, though for my own goals of course.' snickered a pale man who was in reality a good distance away as he observed through the snake-construct's eyes.
Well, as interesting as all the Konoha Gen-Ees were, the one he was most interested in was the Gen-E of the Uchiha bloodline. How different was this Gen-E to his prototype brother?
Snickering, the pale man headed in the opposite direction of the one Zetsu had taken.
To be continued...
This was actually a shorter chapter than I had hoped, and was finished maybe a week ago but I was waiting to see if anything more came to mind. Also probably that my luck sucked that I need to do surgical extraction of my wisdom tooth. ( I can already see the pain and the money that's costing.)
Next: Survival
1/08/10