Groaning, Naruto gingerly reached up and hissed as he felt the bruise forming on his cheek start to let him know to not touch. After the scene in the first exam room, Ibiki took both him and Anko outside and didn't even warn them before slugging Naruto and kneeing Anko in her gut. After a lengthy lecture/verbal assault, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, letting out a final command to Anko to make sure she got to the next exam in time.
So there they both now sat, in front of a booth that had been set up by the infamous Traning Ground 44, also known as The Forest of Death. Anko had pulled out a small container that held four sticks of dango, ones that Naruto recognized immediately as the special dango that was sold at the festival a few days prior. Watching with a heated glare, he watched as her lips covered one of the sweet red bean paste delights and slowly pulled it off the skewer. He watched, as she slowly chewed and imagined how the special blend of flavors must be exploding over her tongue.
Not being able to take anymore, he rotated on the spot he sat and stared at her. "Will you let me have one!" he begged, trying his best to keep his temper at bay. He shouldn't have to beg! He woke up early just to get at least one, his effort should of counted for something!
Looking over towards the blonde, the dango stick hanging out of her mouth, she actually considered it for a moment. Any kindness she may have had though was a fleeting thing however, as she ate the last ball on the stick and threw it away. "Nope."
"Aw, come on, why not?"
"Because it's mine runt. I don't share my dango."
Well, Naruto thought, at least she's honest. If not completely selfish. Maybe I can find some way to steal them, hm. . . Before he could enact his diabolical scheme however, voices began to drift in on the wind. Looking back over, he saw the examinee's starting to appear over the horizon all looking somewhat nervous as they saw the dreaded forest.
Hinata took a large gulp as she saw the Forest of Death come into view. She'd heard plenty of rumors about the training ground, none of them good. Deadly beasts and insects that could eat a man whole. A book of herbs that she had rented from the library had numerous plants and vegetation that could be farmed and utilized as deadly venoms. Over half the book's listing could be found in this training ground. Just touching a few of them could induce fever, hallucinations and even death if not treated properly. It was certainly aptly named, if nothing else.
"Are you worried?" Shino asked, seeing his teammates distress.
Hinata gasped, surprised from hearing the sudden question as it jolted her from her thoughts. "U-uhm, n-not really. . ." she whispered her reply, looking down towards her feet. It had been a complete lie.
One that had not gone unnoticed by Shino. "You shouldn't be."
"Eh? W-why?" she asked, feeling foolish from the question but she was curious as to why he would be soon optimistic.
"Between my knowledge of all the local insects, lethal and non-lethal, and your expertise on fauna, most of the forests' natural threats should be no problem for us to avoid or handle – depending on the situation."
Hinata looked at the boy in wonder, half-shocked that he had spoken more in one breath than she had heard before and that he had said something that was very profound to the kunoichi. She realized that she had been looking at her knowledge as something to feed her fears and doubts, rather than use it to strengthen herself and employ it to help her team.
"I don't know what we'll face, but I'm sure the three of us will do fine."
"Shino," she started, causing the boy to glance at her, "Thank you." She finished with a smile.
If he had smiled back, or shown any indication of being embarrassed, it was lost behind the glasses and hood of his jacket. "Of course."
Looking back ahead, Hinata felt her heart begin to beat faster as she saw over the hill her crush waving towards her, seated next to the purple haired instructor.
After the all the teams got settled, and Anko finished her lunch, she walked in clear view of all the teams by jumping up on a large rock. "Alright, listen up all of you! What you see behind me is the dreaded Forest of Death! Do not think that the name is for show. The second you step past the fence and until the moment you leave, your life will be forfeit!"
Even though he knew it was all hype, Naruto still couldn't suppress the cold chill that ran down his spine as he glanced around Anko and into the black void that consumed the tree line of the Forest of Death. Unknown creatures slithering through leaves and tall grass, high pitched animal screams shooting through the still air like sirens. The very trees themselves seemed evil and tainted, their bark dark and discolored. Growing in gnarled and bent shapes, as they formed the impenetrable canopy that allowed little light to illuminate the impure ground.
Looking over, he saw Hinata trying very hard to not break out into a cold sweat and keep the brave look on her face. He knew even Shino had to of been feeling some fear.
"The rules for the second exam are simple. For the next ten days you will all be forced into a survival scenario, stuck in the Forest of Death." Anko continued, grinning to herself as she heard the horrified gasps that swept through some of the more easily scared genin. She even chuckled as she heard one large genin freak out at the very concept of being without good food for so long. "Furthermore, each team will be given one of two scrolls, either the heaven or earth scroll." Pulling out each as she spoke, she held them up for everyone to see. "On the tenth day, in order to pass, you will have to have both of these scrolls on your person and get to the tower in the exact middle of the forest between 1200 and 1800 hours. This test was designed to simulate being deep in enemy territory after stealing important documents that are imperative to your home country. Although, I don't know how many fucked up forests like this you'll have to pass through."
Reaching into her trench coat, she pulled out a piece of paper that had in huge bold print 'Death Waiver'. "And, you'll have to sign this. While not encouraged, killing is allowed for this part of the exam." This announcement seemed to really nail down the final idea that this exam wasn't a game. "Over there," she said, pointing towards a small booth, "each team will go in to sign their forms and receive one scroll. In order to get the other, you'll have to get it from another team. Hence the form."
"S-So, we're going to have to f-fight other teams then?" Hinata asked, looking towards Naruto.
"Possibly kill." Shino added, from the other side of the blonde.
Sighing at his input, he had to admit though, he had a point. "Yes, but it'll be okay. Cause we're way better than any of these idiots!" Naruto said, practically yelling the last bit, turning his head towards the crowd behind him.
Growls and threats erupted and Naruto only laughed as he picked out Team Seven loud and clear.
Hearing her teams support, Hinata couldn't help but smile.
"Oh!" Anko shouted, snapping her fingers. "Before I forget, there's one additional quirk to this years test. After the second day there will be a chunin team who will be hunting for you, doing periodical sweeps of the forest. While their orders are to only take the scrolls from you, they have orders to use lethal force if they find it necessary to defend themselves. So, unless you have a pair of balls the size of a rhino's and the skill level of a chunin, I suggest you either run for your life or hand over the scrolls like a good boy." She glanced at Naruto at the end, letting him know that particular bit was intended for him.
In response, he gave her the two finger salute.
After all the teams had been given their scrolls and signed their waivers, they were led by other instructors to various gates around the forest so that they wouldn't have a gigantic free-for-all at the main gate. Anko took Team Eight and headed them out towards their gate, which was located on the far north-eastern side.
Arriving, Anko glanced at her watch seeing there was only seconds until it was time to allow all genin through the gate.
"Hey, runt." Anko said, her voice strangely subdued for her.
"Yea?" Naruto replied, wondering where she was going with this.
For a moment, she tried to think why she even cared, but she had to admit she was impressed with the kid. Not many people could take a punch from Ibiki and call him a fucking asshole sadist who enjoyed hitting kids while looking him in the eye. In a way, he reminded her of herself when she was a kid. "Don't die, okay?"
Blinking, he wondered what possible ulterior motive she was cooking up.
"'Cause only I get to kill you, got it!" she finished with a toothy grin.
That's more like it. Naruto thought with a sigh. Then, a large blaring alarm sounded in the distance and Anko pushed open the door.
"Get going and show those bastards Konoha's the best!" Watching them leave, Anko couldn't help but really hope the kid would be okay.
"No way in hell."
"Naruto, it'll be fine. You need to keep your strength up."
"Is it ramen flavored, Shino?"
"No, snake's aren't usually that flavor."
"No way in hell."
After being released into the Forest of Death, Team Eight headed straight to get deep into the forest and away from the edge in case any other teams were skimming around the fence. So far, the plan had worked. They continued to make slow and steady process into the forest, Hinata heading the front with her byakugan activated and Naruto pulling up the flank. She was only able to keep it up for about three hours before she began to show signs of chakra exhaustion. Both Shino and Naruto were surprised and proud of the young heiress who never once asked for a break and even tried to keep going, despite the exhaustion.
The break came at a good time however, as the already dark forest started to become worse. Trying to navigate this deathtrap then, even with the byakugan, would be suicide. Deciding it was time to make camp, they found a perfect spot. There was a large hole under a tree that you had to crawl under a root to get to. It was rather large and spacious, the only drawback being how the ground was damp and many insects made their homes there. Naruto had a solution to that problem, but Shino refused, saying it was just like an enemy ninja killing him and taking his apartment. While he at first thought it was a bad example, he did suppose being able to talk to bugs would make you more sympathetic to them.
"Naruto, you have to eat something." Shino urged again. Normally, he wouldn't care if Naruto wanted to skip a meal but in this case it was detrimental to the team's safety if they weren't all at one-hundred percent. He expected hesitation from Hinata, given her delicate nature, but not Naruto.
Grumbling, Naruto looked at the dead snake with a scowl. Just because he was a boy didn't mean he was a picky eater. "Remind me again why I can't just go find a meaty boar and cook it over a damn fire?"
"Because, lighting a fire under here would not only be dangerous, but would make our hiding spot easy to spot by the smoke that would be coming out of it." Shino replied, his tone bordering on sarcastic.
"N-Naruto-kun, I-I don't think its that bad. . . besides we n-need to eat." Hinata chimed in, glad there wasn't a fire. She was sitting only inches away from Naruto and could feel his body heat. She couldn't help but think what it would be like if he had his arms wrapped around her and keeping her warm. It was autumn, and the night was starting to get cold.
Hearing her words, he finally shrugged and held out his hand. He grimaced, as he felt Shino drop the snake in his hands, it felt weird and disgusting to the blonde. "So. . .what we eat it raw?"
"It's fresh. It'll be fine."
Shino had already skinned and gutted the snake, even cutting off the head. Looking over to Hinata, he watched her delicately bite off some of the pale white flesh and slowly chew it. Well shit, if she'll eat it so will I. Throwing caution to the wind he bit a large chunk off the body and started to chew it as fast as he could. The flavor hit the blonde in a strange way and he looked at his team, still chewing.
"It tastes like chicken."
Naruto picked first watch that night. At first, he thought it was going to be just like the last watch he'd been on before. But he was dead wrong. The first thing was the dark. He was used to sitting by a campfire, a book in his hands. This time he had nothing to occupy himself with, thus making it hard to keep his mind off being alone and in the dark. Not even moonless nights were this dark. Though his sight had become accustomed to the night, he could barely make anything out besides his teammates shapes and the small entrance. Then slowly, the darkness was compounded with sound. Predators that stalked the night took down prey with effortless attacks that quickly silenced the stark yelps which echoed through the forest. The wind blew through the hole under the tree, if it was strong enough it made a shrill howl. Even the harmless night insects sounded sinister.
He tried to keep his wits about him, but his foot constantly tapping showed his primal instinct which screamed run the fuck away. Only a steel will and ninja training kept him from freaking out. The cold didn't help at all either. It slowly creeped into his skin, then his bones, and slowly felt as if it penetrated his soul, affecting his mood.
About two hours into the watch, he felt like screaming. Then, glancing down and to his left, he saw Hinata. Seeing his teammate wouldn't normally be out of the ordinary, but for some reason the expression on her face made his heart skip a beat. She seemed. . . content as she slept. Her were lips set in a peaceful smile and would occasionally twitch even larger. He guessed with a laugh that she was dreaming something good.
His mind betrayed him, seeing the beautiful princess in a different light for once. Almost the entire time, he had seen her as only a really good friend. She was just Hinata. She cooked delicious meals that she brought for him sometimes, and was the first to always to be at his side when he hurt himself during training. Every time she showed him kindness he always just wrote it off as being a teammate. He was always so engrossed in his desire, his need to become stronger, that he never once looked at anything else. But now that they were alone and his thoughts were free of anything else, he saw the girl in a different light. Or, with what little light there was.
Her bang fell over her cheek as she rolled slightly and it rested on her nose, it seemed to tickle her as her nose twitched again every few seconds. Without realizing it, he reached over and brushed the hair gently behind her ear. Then, noticing what he did, he snatched back his hand quickly and felt the cold completely leave him as his face went red. Even still, he couldn't help but look at his hand. She was really soft and warm. . .
His mind continued it's mutiny, but he started to wonder if it was his mind that was revealing the Hyuuga heiress – noticing all her beauty, or his heart. The confusion led to a silence within him though, so instead of confounding it he kept watching over the girl. A smile graced his face as he watched her and what had to be the cutest smile.
The darkness seemed to become less dark, and the sounds became muted. The cold was replaced by a strange warmth in his heart that seemed to spread through him. By the time he cared to glance back at his watch, he had been awake through both his and Hinata's watch. Sheepishly, he woke up Shino and said he let Hinata sleep through because of how hard she worked the day before. While it was a lie, he admitted if he had thought of it before, he would of let her sleep for that too.
That night, his nightmare didn't plague him and was replaced with something much more pleasant.
Two days later, they still hadn't bumped into another team. After a small discussion, they decided that it was time to stop acting defensively and begin hunting. They also had to keep aware of the chunin team that would of started their own hunt the day before.
Cursing as he jumped off a branch that broke as soon as he stepped on it, Naruto was glad it broke as he jumped. He'd been less lucky before, and falling twenty feet wasn't fun. His musing was cut short by a warning from Hinata.
"There's a team straight ahead of us! It looks like they've made camp!" Hinata announced, her voice rigid and straightforward.
"Let's drop then." Shino suggested, which was quickly done as they all landed behind a large tree. He already began to send his bugs out, keeping them low to the ground and moving silently.
"Can you tell who they are Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, feeling excited at getting some action in after such a long time in the forest with nothing to do besides constantly being on edge.
Feeling the head rush that came with using the byakugan, she focused in on the area as she felt her vision leave it's normal constraints and zoom in onto the camp almost half-a-mile ahead. Concentrating, she almost lost it as she made out the team clearly. "I-It's my cousin N-Neji and his team!"
"Do you know their team very well?" Naruto asked, noticing the fear that sounded foreign in her voice as she referenced to her cousin. Then, his mind finally pulled forth the reason that she sounded so scared. "Wait, was this the same cousin that beat you up in that spar?"
Hinata only nodded slowly, not wanting to admit it, even though he already knew.
Figuring what he was already thinking, Shino extended his arm in front of him. "We need to know more about the team, if their makeup is superior to ours, we'll be walking into a bad situation. Now, what else do you know about the team Hinata?"
Swallowing her previous feelings, she tried to remember anything about the other two members. "W-Well, he doesn't talk much about them a-and they've never been over b-but, I think the other two members are Tenten and Rock Lee. I-I'm pretty sure that Tenten is a weapons expert and Lee is a t-taijutsu specialist."
Shino furrowed his brow, as he started to think. "It could prove problematic, but their team isn't much different than our own. We might be evenly matched, if we decided to attack them. Although I think we shouldn't initiate anything against fellow leaf shinobi."
"What?" Naruto harshly whispered, "Konoha shinobi or no, I got a few things to say to that bastard cousin of hers!"
"Even more of a reason why we shouldn't, we can't have you losing it like that. This is way to personal."
"Uhm. . . N-Naruto-kun, I think Shino-kun is r-right, I-I'm nowhere near as g-good as Neji. I'd only be in the way." Hinata mumbled, eyes downcast.
"Stop that Hinata, your way better than that asshole." Naruto replied, wanting more and more to attack this bastard and beat him into the dirt.
"Okay, alliances aside, they're still more experienced than us and thus most likely more skilled. It would be better to try and fight someone our skill level." Shino spoke, steadfast in his opinion to find another team.
Naruto growled, his anger and want for vengeance overtaking any rational thought. Before he could bring up another point though, he heard Hinata let out a horrified gasp.
"T-Too late! N-Neji's sees us!" Neji had activated his byakugan quicker than she thought possible and smirked as he looked directly at her. But to the timid girl, felt more like it was directly into her.
Shino cursed and began to order his bugs to get closer to the campsite ahead while Naruto only grinned. Thanking God for the chance, he shot up and charged towards the camp.
"Naruto get back here!" Shino yelled out, exasperated. It was too late though, the only course left was to go with him.
Hinata whimpered, but knew she couldn't – wouldn't leave Naruto alone to face her cousin.
Breaking the tree line, Naruto landed about thirty feet away from the other team, all who were already up and standing behind their Hyuuga teammate looking ready to defend themselves. The rest of Team Eight soon trailed in behind.
For a moment, it was like a scene out of the samurai movies the blonde had watched before. Both teams stood silently, looking at each other intently to see who would pull the trigger first.
The first one to step forward and speak was Rock Lee. He had black hair, cut into a bowl style with large eyebrows that rested atop burning intense eyes. What made even more of a announcement than his hairstyle was the green full-body spandex suit. "It seems you are fellow Konoha ninja, as such I will extend the courtesy of conversation and ask you announce your intentions!" he yelled.
"We mean no harm. We were just hiding out in the bushes back there trying to decide whether or not we should try and sneak around or make ourselves known." Shino replied, being the first to speak. He hoped to diffuse the situation that Naruto had put them in.
"Judging by the glare your friend here is giving me, he doesn't appear to agree with you." Neji said, referring to Naruto who was trying to turn his gaze into a weapon and pierce the Hyuuga genius.
"That's because you're the one who hurt Hinata-chan so badly she had to get hospitalized! I can't forgive you for that!" Naruto screamed, hoping that even a fraction of his rage was getting through to the bastard across from him.
Tenten and Lee made sideways glances at each other, they had heard of Neji's brutality towards the girl because of her station, but they had somewhat overlooked and denied it. "Even so, if you fight one of us, you fight us all. Neji is my teammate and I must protect him." Lee replied to the boy, moving into a fighting stance to drive home the point he was prepared to fight if needed.
Scowling, Naruto knew that if he attacked Neji, he'd be putting his team in danger because he wanted revenge for Hinata. ". . .fine. We'll leave."
Shino let out a breath of relief, glad that was taken care of. Hinata was glad too, happy she wouldn't have to fight her cousin. As they turned the leave however, they were stopped.
"Who said we were going to let you go?" Neji asked, his smirk still on his face.
"Uh, Neji?" Tenten asked, finally speaking up. Just what was her teammate planning?
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Naruto demanded, his tone dangerous.
"It's obvious that you don't want to fight us, quite wise of you. We're your senior by one year, our team could defeat you easily." Neji spoke his tone arrogant and full of pride. Before Naruto could retort however, he continued, "So, I present an ultimatum. We can either fight all out and you can lose your scroll, possibly more." He let the suggestion hang in the air before speaking again, "Or, Hinata and I can fight, and decide who gets the scroll by who wins."
Hinata's face broke from it's nervous look and straight into full fear. Naruto however, jumped forward. "What the hell kind of choice is that!"
"It's your choice."
Naruto growled, but knew that no matter what, it looks like they were in for a fight.
Shino cursed under his breath, once again wishing Naruto wasn't so hotheaded. "Give us a moment would you?" he asked rhetorically, as he had already gathered his team in a huddle.
"Listen," he whispered, "there's no way we can get out of this one. We can try to run, but they'd catch us eventually because of the byakugan. We have to decide."
"I say we just beat the crap out of 'em and be done before dinner time!" Naruto replied, not even knowing why they were having this conversation.
"We have to choose carefully, he made it pretty clear he's playing for keeps if we enter into an all out fight."
"And he won't do the same with Hinata?"
"If we let them fight, and it looks like he's going to go for the final blow we can intervene. Then, the only one able to track us would be winded and tired from the fight and we'd have a better chance of escaping."
Naruto knew the other boy's suggestion held logic. Cold, hard logic that didn't include how bad Hinata could get hurt.
Having not said anything, Hinata listened with wavering will. She was teetering between bravery and wanting to just run. She knew what her cousin was capable of and that no matter how much she had improved over the past month training with Naruto it would still be an uneven fight. But, if it came between putting her friend and crush in danger or herself, the choice seemed clear.
The two continued to argue until Hinata finally spoke up. "I-I'll do it."
Though silent and timid, the boys heard her clearly. "You, what?" Naruto replied, not thinking he heard her correctly.
Clearing her throat and looking him in his eyes, she repeated herself. "I'll do it. Let me fight my cousin." She spoke clearly, and smiled as she saw the concern burning in Naruto's blue eyes.
"Hinata. . ." Naruto whispered, not knowing what to say.
"It's our best choice Naruto. If he goes too far you have my permission to chop off his head." Shino added, not joking in the least bit.
Stifling a laugh, Naruto wanted to berate the boy for making light of the situation. "Fine."
Hinata nodded at their approval, and dug deep within herself. Turning towards her still arrogant looking cousin she took a step forward. "Neji-neesan, I will fight you."
"I see, we'll fight in five minutes, I suggest you warm-up." Neji replied, then turned back towards his team and started warming up himself.
Hinata nodded and let out a shaky breath before starting to warm up.
Five minutes later, the two Hyuuga's stood ten feet away from each other, staring each other in the eyes. It was a clash as old as the Hyuuga family itself. A constant struggle between the Main branch and Side branch.
Old hatred fueled Neji as he could only think of his father and the fate that befell him. He had waiting for a moment like this, where he could fight without rules and without the Main branch watching his every move. Mercy would not be part of this fight. The Main branch would be made to pay.
Hinata was struggling with her insecurity, trying to repeat to herself that she could do this, that she can win. As much as she loved her cousin, she knew deep in her heart that he hated her and liked to fight her. Then, she felt a warm hand clasp her shoulder. Turning, surprised, she saw Naruto's smiling face. "Don't worry Hinata-chan. I'll be watching, you'll be okay – I promise!"
She felt her cheeks light up as she nodded. "T-Thank you Naruto-kun." Looking back forward, she felt her heart beat faster and spread the warmth that she could only describe as love fill her veins. "Neji-neesan! I will defeat you!" then, with a even deeper blush and smile she added, "Believe it!"
Woo, another chapter down! I'm so glad to see my normal reviewers return! Thank you all for your patience and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! I hope to get the next one out as fast as I did this one! As always reviews fuel me to write! I'll be hitting the refresh button every hour when I wake up tomorrow lol!
Oh, and as a side note, snakes REALLY DO taste like chicken!