We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It's a death trap.
-Anthony Hopkins

Chapter 23: Death Trap

"Hurry! We need to get to the tower!" Neji called back. Shikamaru skipped from branch to branch, his back slumping. He had the two scrolls stuffed in his jacket, and he had to admit: they weren't hidden at all. The twin bulges were thinly concealed and jabbed into his side whenever he landed. He was sure that when he was done, he'd have bruises just from carrying the scrolls. There was no reason for him to complain though. After all, he didn't have to carry either of the girls.

He looked over to see Neji jumping from tree to tree. He held Tenten over his shoulder, awkwardly trying to balance her in place. Surprisingly enough, Neji had listened to all the instructions that Kei had given him. Shikamaru didn't think that the day would come where Neji would take orders from someone else, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Then something happened that nearly caused Shikamaru to fall off his tree. A blood curdling scream ripped through the air. Naruto's eyes widened and he felt every muscle in his body clench. He knew that voice. "Sakura-san!" Without waiting for the others, Naruto leaped ahead, using his super-powered shunshin. He skipped completely over trees as he looked for the source of the scream. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Naruto dropped down on a thick tangle of wood. His eyes just perchance glanced over to the side. Sasuke was on the tree just beside him, but that wasn't what made Naruto choke. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, slipping down onto his shirt. The once blue shirt was now stained brown from all the blood. A kunai was embedded in Sasuke's stomach, pinning him to the tree. His arms were stabbed into the tree, keeping him in place.

The kunai were the only thing that kept him up for Sasuke was still. His eyes were shut and his mouth hung open. Naruto rushed over to his side and yanked the kunai out. He grabbed Sasuke as he began to fall, and pulled him over to the branch. Naruto felt for the other boy's pulse and sighed with relief when he felt it. It was weak, but it was still there.

The branch shook as someone else landed on the branch. Blue eyes flicked over to see Lee standing behind him. Lee's eyes narrowed when he saw Sasuke before he asked, "Where are the others?"

Naruto nearly hit himself. It was Sakura's scream he had heard. He had gotten too lost in Sasuke that he hadn't looked for the other part of Team 7! "They must be ahead. We have to find them."

Kei and Shikamaru dropped in beside them. Kei dropped onto one knee, wheezing a bit. "I'll stay with Uchiha-san for now. I'll see what I can do for him with what I have left." She opened up her medical pouch and pulled out a needle and some string.

Naruto nodded to her and then looked at the others. "Let's go." He shot away, following the direction where the sound came from. His heart beat erratically. Sasuke had been the top graduate of the academy. He was much stronger than Sakura and Kiba, probably stronger than both of them combined. If Sasuke had been beaten so brutally, the others would never have stood a chance. Naruto only hoped that Sakura and Kiba would be alive when he got there.

Naruto burst into the next crowd of trees when another scream ripped out. Naruto hurried his pace, jumping swiftly through the trees. He caught a flash of pink and slowed down to a stop. Sakura was thrashing on the ground, trying to kick away someone on top of her. Her arms were being held to the sides as the pallid figure above her whispered into her ear.

Naruto searched the area for Kiba. He hadn't seen the boy on his way over, so he had to be here. He saw a patch of white and started when he realized it was Akamaru. The dog had been violently tossed against a tree and was unconscious against the ground. Above him, Kiba was lying face down on the ground. Naruto stared at the unmoving form before turning back to Sakura. "Get away from her!" He yelled, jumping down from his tree branch.

Yellow slit eyes glanced towards him before turning back to their prey. The man leaned farther in beside Sakura's ear and whispered soft. A malicious smile crept onto the man's face. He opened his mouth ever so slightly, and Naruto could see the gleam of razor sharp teeth. Sakura struggled, trying to get away, but she could not. The man crunched his teeth into her skin, causing Sakura to shriek.

The scaly man released her before stepping out of the way of Naruto's fist. "I have what I want. Do not chase after me, boy. You wouldn't live to tell the tale." His voice was breathy and low. It sounded like nails scraping down a chalkboard. Naruto sent a menacing glare and moved protectively in front of Sakura. The man seemed amused at Naruto's antics and clicked his tongue.

"You are precious, aren't you? If only I had found you first and you didn't have your lackeys coming after you." Yellow eyes gazed up into the tree branches where Neji and Lee were standing, muscles tensed and ready for another fight. "There will always be another day though." He clicked his tongue before turning away.

Naruto held his ground. He knew that they wouldn't be a match for him, especially since they were all tired. The snake-like man didn't even seem winded! Naruto clenched a fist. He wanted to avenge his village-mates, but he would only get himself killed if he tried.Be quiet, boy. That man is dangerous. He has been around since the time of my last container. Do not provoke him unless you want me to take over so badly, Kurama growled in Naruto's ear.

Naruto knew it was smart to listen to Kurama, but it didn't feel like it. It felt like he was giving up.Orochimaru is more than your match. My only limit is your body, which is far too weak. I could kill you on accident if I tried to fend him off. Just stay still!Naruto visibly shook something that Orochimaru took for fear.

"They say the only thing to fear is fear itself, but that's a lie. The only thing to fear is death." Orochimaru gave a Cheshire smile before shunshining away into the forest. Naruto gritted his teeth and crouched down beside Sakura. The pinkette was heaving in and out, her eyes wide and empty. She stared forward blankly, not respond when Naruto talked to her.

Lee dropped down beside Naruto. He reached out to put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. Something inside Sakura snapped, and she screamed. She arched her back and knocked Lee's hand away. "Sakura-chan! Calm down!" Lee held onto her shoulders to try and stabilize her as she thrashed. Blood was streaming down her side, and it didn't take a medic nin to see that she was tearing open her wound.

Sakura gave gasping cries as tears began to stream down her face. Her voice was raw with pain as she trembled weakly. Lee looked over helplessly to Naruto. He gave a silent plea asking what to do, but Naruto just shook his head. No one their age had been in a circumstance like this before. Being here now left them both confused.

Lee hugged Sakura and let her cry, gently patting her on the back. Naruto stood up and looked over to the two heaps on the ground. "I'll be back," Naruto murmured. He ran over to Kiba and Akamaru and knelt on the ground. Naruto bit his lip when he saw Kiba lying face down, crushing Akamaru's back legs. The blonde gingerly rolled Kiba off the small dog. Akamaru gave a small whimper as the pressure was alleviated off of his back legs.

Naruto petted the brown and white dog quietly, and looked over to Kiba. He had no idea what on earth he was doing. He wasn't a medic. Kurama had always healed his injuries, so it had never really been a problem for him. Seeing Kiba like this reminded him again about how fragile people were. They broke too easily.Put your hand on his chest.

"Huh?" Naruto asked blankly.I said, put your hand on his chest. Stupid brat, just do it!Naruto reluctantly obeyed. Kiba took a breath in, and Naruto's hand lifted. Well, part of Naruto's hand. Naruto's eyes widened as the left side of Kiba's chest dipped down as he inhaled.Che. Get him on his side. Keep his good side up.

Naruto slumped Kiba up against a tree, the broken ribs leaning against the ground. He gave a small sigh of relief before turning back to Akamaru. The branches rustled above him. Naruto looked up to see Kei and Shikamaru standing in the trees. Kei cursed under her breath before dropping down to the floor. She wobbled back and forth slightly before stumbling over towards Sakura.

Shikamaru followed after her and dropped Sasuke against the tree beside Sakura. Sasuke's injuries on his hands and stomach had been sown together and the bleeding had stopped. He was still unconscious, breathing in small breaths. The only difference now was that his face was scrunched up in pain.

"Sakura-san, take a deep breath. Look at me, Sakura-san." Kei forced Sakura to look at her. Sakura shook and closed her eyes. She swayed back and forth before slipping forward, collapsing into Kei's arms. Kei jumped slightly before patting Sakura's head gently. "Lee-san, you were here, correct? What happened to her? She isn't hurt like how Uchiha-san was."

"There was this very unyouthful man who had Sakura-chan pinned up against the ground! He..." Lee raised a brow before continuing, "He bit Sakura-chan on the neck. He escaped later though." Lee's voice fell, and he hung his head. He was unable to save Sakura, and he failed at capturing her attacker. He had been frozen in the moment. He was a pathetic excuse for a ninja.

Kei brushed Sakura's long hair away from her neck and frowned. Three black commas were etched into the girl's skin. Kei looked over to where Sasuke was and then back to Sakura. Sasuke had the same symbols on his neck. She knew that Sakura and Sasuke were not close friends, so it wouldn't have been a friendship tattoo. And with the information that Lee had given her, it wasn't hard to piece together the puzzle. The only question was what on earth did the symbol stand for?

"She's suffering from trauma. She has no potentially fatal injuries. Rest easy, Lee-san," Kei said, grabbing her notebook out from her jacket strap. She grabbed a pen and flipped open to one of the blank pages. She drew the seal out into the book before snapping it shut. She moved Sakura's hair back over the mark and stood up. Nausea hit her, and she leaned back against the tree.

She covered her mouth with her hand and shut her eyes. "Are you all right, Kei-san?" Shikamaru asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Kei nodded and walked over to where Naruto was. She brushed away her sickness and told herself to think about that later. There were people who were much more ill than she, and she had to help.

"He has a few fractured ribs. On his left side," Naruto said simply, staring at Kiba blankly. Kei frowned at the monotone in Naruto's voice and looked down at Kiba. She felt his chest and sighed when she felt the broken ribs.

"Four of them to be precise," she commented, standing up. "We need to get him to a hospital." She pushed her out of her face and looked over to Naruto. "Do you think you can carry them? Hyuuga-san is already carrying Tenten-san, and I assume that Uchiha-san and Sakura-san also need to be carried." Kei glanced over to where Lee was daintily picking up Sakura.

"I can work with it." Naruto mumbled. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It wouldn't do any of them any good if they were all glum. He had to try and keep spirits up for now. "So don't you worry, Kei-chan!" He gave a smile and hoped it looked real. He picked up Akamaru and tucked him carefully under his arm. Kiba was a bit harder to pick up, but Naruto managed to prop him up over his own shoulder.

"Then we should go." Kei said tiredly. She looked over to Shikamaru who had Sasuke tossed over his shoulder. Shikamaru gave a weary nod. He wasn't athletic, even after running around Konoha with Naruto. He hoped that it wouldn't take them that long to arrive to the tower or else he would probably strain something.

The genin pushed on through the forest, making their way towards the center of the arena. A white tower could just be made out over the tree cover. It seemed closer than how it was twenty minutes ago. Hopefully, that meant they would arrive soon. Lee ran below them on the ground, his feet a blur. Being the only one that couldn't shunshin, he had to run double time to keep up with them. He kept up his pace as he began to run ahead of the others.

He counted his steps as he ran, keeping himself on tempo. He had failed in protecting Sakura, but now he had to get her medical attention. He couldn't fail again! A blur ahead of him caused him to skid to a stop.

Anko stepped out from behind the trees, walking right into Lee's path. Lee barely managed to stop in time, instead creating a cloud of dust. Anko coughed and waved the dust away to see Lee standing with Sakura in his arms. She raised an eyebrow and looked up into the trees where the other genin were standing.

"Dang. You all look like you've gone through a grinder. What happened to you, brats?" The purple haired kunoichi walked towards them. Anko crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Team 9 helped us when we were ambushed by two other teams, but Team 7... We only saw one guy take them out. He was strange," Naruto said, dropping down to the ground. "His skin wasn't just pale. It was... white."

Anko's head snapped over to Naruto. "Was his hair black?" She demanded.

Naruto thought about what Kurama had told him about Orochimaru. Orochimaru had to be really strong, and if he was from Kurama's time it made sense that he wasn't really a genin. "Yeah, that's right. Do you know him?"

"All too well, brat. You all continue with the exam. I have to deal with this problem," Anko growled before shunshining past the confused genin. She flashed through the trees, using herself as a human compass. She had felt a clenching in her stomach when the exams had started, but she had written it off as nerves. It was her first time proctoring after all. However, a few hours into the exam and the feeling didn't go away.

She had gone into the forest, trying to find the reason for the feeling. However, the pit in her stomach only grew as she looked. Anko found herself unable to shake the sense of foreboding in her, but now she knew the reason why. Her old sensei was here. Anko covered the side of her neck as she ran through the trees. The curse mark burned on her skin. It knew that its master was around here. Anko gritted her teeth and dug her nails into her skin.

She just had to find the snake and deal with him. She saw a glimpse of white to the left and turned to follow after it. She skidded to a stop when she saw Orochimaru sitting calmly on the ground. It was as if he was waiting for her to arrive. "Ahh, Anko-chan. I've missed you so very much," Orochimaru hissed out, a cruel smile on his face.

"Go die, Orochimaru," Anko snapped. "What are you even doing here? Are you trying to start a war?" The curse mark burned deeper into her skin. She flung silent profanities at the man for doing this to her. She felt so weak like this and she loathed it.

Orochimaru just smiled blandly and shook his head. "I met two very interesting children today, Anko-chan. One of them had the sharingan, but the other one had a fire in her heart that desired revenge. They'll be your new family, Anko-chan. They share my mark, just like you." Orochimaru tilted his head to the side and licked his lips.

"You know, you and that girl are quite alike. Always striving to be the best you can be, but always being pushed back down. I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out like you in a few years."

"She won't," Anko said sharply. "I won't let her turn out like me. I only turned out this way because I was alone, but she won't be. I'll be there for her."

Orochimaru gave a rasping laugh. "Oh really now Anko-chan? We'll see about that." He moved his hands together to form a seal, and pain spiked in Anko's cursed seal. Orochimaru walked over to Anko who shook, trying to get a hold of herself. He tilted her head up so that she'd look towards him and said, "You always were a failed experiment. I kept you alive because you'd have some use to me, so try and show me that it was worth it."

His hand fell away, and he disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

-TSUME-

Black coils stretched across Sasuke's skin, giving the appearance of black fire. His eyes were glazed as he took a step back. Shikamaru stepped forward to try and calm him, but only ended up infuriating the Uchiha. "Get away from me! I'll kill you!" He yelled, charging at Shikamaru.

Sasuke seemed to have gotten second wind after his injuries, Shikamaru, on the other hand, had not. Shikamaru ducked and rolled out of the way of Sasuke's fist, but instead received a kick to the stomach. He slipped back a few feet before diving out of the way of a kunai. "We're on your side, Uchiha-san!"

"No one is on my side! You all just want something from me like all the others! Do you expect me not to see that?" Sasuke growled, a black aura seeping from his skin. Kei swallowed. The amount of killer intent he was blowing out was enormous. She hadn't felt anything like this sincethat time. She froze in place as Shikamaru continued to try and dodge the boy.

Naruto set Akamaru and Kiba on the ground and moved to try and restrain Sasuke. "We don't want anything except to get you to a medic! You're going to rip open your wounds!" Naruto yelled, grabbing Sasuke's arms.

The black haired boy hissed and reversely gripped Naruto's arms and flung him to the ground. Air rushed out of Naruto's chest as Sasuke punched him in the head. From the corner of Kei's eyes, she saw Lee looking for a place to set down Sakura and Neji trying to figure out how he could attack without hurting Naruto.

Kei bit her lip and put her hands together and signed, "Gyoushuku Mizu no Hari no Jutsu!" A small ball of water appeared just above Sasuke's head before darting down to strike Sasuke at his neck. Sasuke wobbled before falling unconscious over Naruto. Naruto shoved the clan heir off of him before brushing himself off.

"Good job, Kei-chan! Oi, Kei-chan?" Naruto looked over to Kei, concerned.

Kei had dropped to her knees, a hand covering her mouth. The world had started spinning around in circles. She stared at a rock on the ground, trying to stabilize her vision. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to look. It was the wrong move. She shut her eyes tightly and swayed from where she sat. The darkness enveloped her and she slumped into the hand, unconscious.

"Kei-san!" Shikamaru caught Kei as she fell over. She had knocked herself into a chakra-deficient coma. He clicked his tongue and looked over to Naruto. "I don't think we'll be able to carry all of them."

Naruto bit his thumb. Shikamaru was right. Lee and Neji were already tired and he was already struggling to carry Kiba and Akamaru. He supposed that he could use a Kage bunshin. Those only dispersed when he ordered them to or if they were hit. All of the unconscious ninja had low chances of waking up at this point.

Naruto looked over towards Neji. Lee hadn't studied in ninjutsu, instead spending that time to learn more taijutsu. Lee would be unable to realize something was weird with his clone, but Neji would be more difficult. If Neji used Byakugan on the clone, he would realize that it had a chakra circuit. Most clones were only masses of formed chakra that had no internals.

Naruto looked at all of the ailing genin. They couldn't afford to leave any of them behind. He'd have to risk Neji. Naruto signed quickly before whispering, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke rose as dozens of clones appeared. Naruto used the cloud to conceal the clones as he dispersed all but on. It was a bloody nuisance that he was still unable to summon only a few clones.

Once the smoke thinned, Naruto stepped away from his clone. He had whispered it hurried orders to carry Sasuke. Normal clones just mimed. They were unable of conversing or understanding anything, so he couldn't just command it to do something. The clone walked past a stunned Lee to where Sasuke was splayed out on the ground. It reached a hand under Sasuke's back and slung him over its shoulder.

"Naruto-kun! How did you make such a clone? I have seen nothing like it before!" Lee exclaimed, examining the clone curiously.

"It is a modification I made off a real clone," said Naruto hurriedly. "We should get moving again though. We've already delayed long enough."

Neji looked at the clone skeptically before glancing back over to Naruto. Something didn't seem right about the clone. Naruto wasn't controlling its actions with a seal plus it was touchable. It wasn't an illusion like most clones. It wasn't something that a normal genin would learn. Even if they did learn it, why hadn't he learned about it earlier? He was sure that Hiashi would have told him about it. Naruto didn't have a clan now. It was common knowledge that he was an orphan, so it couldn't be a clan technique.

Neji nodded and waited for the others to get ready. When Shikamaru and Lee were prepared, they all set off again. Naruto hopped ahead of them and Neji took the chance. He whispered a quick "Byakugan". The veins pulsed on the side of his head and the world turned grayscale around him. His line of sight moved forward to where Naruto and his clone were bouncing.

Neji frowned. Naruto's signature and his clone's signature were near identical. The only reason he could tell them apart was because one was carrying Sasuke and the other was carrying Akamaru and Kiba. He had seen enough clones in his time to know that it definitely wasn't normal. He shut his eyes and dispersed the Byakugan as he landed on another tree. He'd have to talk to Naruto about this later.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! My next paragraph or so is going to be a list of excuses and rambles about my life which may or may not matter to you. It will impact my writing though, so maybe you might be interested.

This week has been a very long week for me. As a warning, next week I have an out of state debate tournament. This means I have the joy of being locked in a car for six hours without Wi-Fi. And then I get to debate for... Eleven hours on the first day and nine and a half on the second day. In summation, this is my excuse in case I don't post my chapter on time. My brain will have melted after rambling about military policy, so I may pass out. Thanks for putting up with me though!

I'm a cancer kid, and a few days ago, we bumped up my medication to a higher dosage. I am currently just about as competent as a sick cow. I'll try to keep churning out these updates, but it might affect my fluency.

Thanks to Pokepikachu1 for betaing me again! Sorry this was in late... again. :'D

And thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing!