DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I want it, I do not own Naruto. I am still only borrowing the characters and promise to return them in good condition – well, maybe slightly battered!

AN:

This is a very long chapter and I almost split it, but changed my mind. Please enjoy the rest of the second stage and let me know if it was okay. P.S. I had to include one element from the canon version of the chunin exams because I thought it was so awesome!

AZFAERYDUST

Chapter Forty-Five:

The Road to Chunin: Resurrect the Sun

I pray for mourning, I swear I'll never let you die

These saints within us can bring this moment back to life

And my heart's held high with this battle cry, I'll march on

On the horizon, we will resurrect the sun

~Black Veil Brides~

"Can you see through it with your Sharingan?"

"No. I can't see anything. We had better stay close."

The air felt thick and damp. A heavy rain began to fall. It was odd. No thunder preceded the downpour, no wind. Team seven looked around nervously. There was no reason for them to feel that way, but they sensed the wrongness all the same. The abruptness and wildness of the rain had the urgent quality of a death-defying storm in a dream.

Curious, Sai held out his hand. The glimmering rainfall slipping through his fingers proved to be unexpectedly warm. That was certainly odd. Surprised, he rubbed it between his thumb and fingertips. Unlike normal rain, it had a slightly oily texture. He sniffed it.

There was something odd about it. It had a vague scent, reminiscent of copper and ammonia. The strangely aromatic water left him feeling dirty somehow. He had a sudden urge to scrub his hands clean. Sai rubbed his hands against his pants and drew the hood of his cloak up.

The rain continued to pour down. A large wave of water had swept past their feet and rose to their thighs. Naruto grabbed Honey, threw her on his back, and jumped high into a tree. Face grim and serious, he ordered, "I have a feeling something's seriously wrong here and we don't know what it is so I want you to stay here until we figure it out. Be quiet, okay?"

She nodded at his retreating form, too scared to form a coherent reply.

~Grudge Rain~

Sasuke and Sai stood balanced on top of the earthen spikes that Sai had stabbed through the watery landscape. Their dark eyes were scanning the surroundings intently. Sasuke's eyes turned red and he looked again. They briefly spun, changing into the Mangekyo. Still, he couldn't see through the misty blanket and heavy rain that had settled around them.

Naruto, now standing on the water between them, asked, "Anything?"

Both shook their heads in negation.

The blonde focused his chakra and thrust his hand outward. Blades of razor sharp wind bullets rushed from his open palms. The massive gust blasted through the mist and the rain, slamming into the trees, blowing with hurricane force until the limbs were stripped bare of their leaves. The thick fog swirled and thinned for a brief moment before coalescing back into solidness.

Naruto tried again, this time with different results. The force of his jutsu wasn't nearly as strong. He looked down at his hands in confusion and yelled, "What's going on?!"

"I believe it is the rain…strange as it may seem. I think it is draining our chakra. You should probably get out of the water as we have," said Sai.

Naruto leapt high into the air and landed on top of one of the spikes. He spotted a vague outline and concentrated a burst of wind in that direction. He spotted one of them wearing a yellow jumpsuit and re-breather. He was too far away to make out the symbol on his hitai-ate, but Naruto recognized him all the same - a genin from Amegakure; the Village Hidden in the Rain. He should have known. They were spaced widely apart, just out of range. Their hands were out, holding the ram seal.

Naruto could feel the rain slowly leaching him of his chakra. They had to somehow find a way to disrupt the other genin team's jutsu. "Help me, dad," he thought. "What would you do if facing these opponents?" He gave himself a subtle nod. Yes, that was it. Use the enemy's confidence, their assurance that they're facing any other typical genin and therefore predictable shinobi moves. Do what he did best…be unpredictable.

"Sasuke, do you have enough chakra to hold out for a few minutes?" asked Naruto while removing his cloak.

"Hn. Just hurry with whatever it is you're planning."

"Good… Sai, get drawing. We need to get above them."

With a quick understanding nod, Sai took out his supplies and hastily drew while Naruto held the cloak protectively over the paper. He focused his dwindling chakra and murmured, "Super Beast Scroll."

Together, they hopped on the large bird that burst from the drawing and took to the sky. Luckily the cloudburst was low to the ground and they were able to get above it before the jutsu could be ruined by the mysterious rain. Shuriken shot up from the earth, barely missing them.

Naruto looked down. The cloud had shrunk a bit in one spot. It was enough to see that one of the Ame genin had released his part in the combination jutsu. Naruto threw several kunai at him to which he easily dodged.

"Shadow clone sky drop?" asked Sai as he veered the hawk away from the deadly missiles. He looked down in concern at his other teammate. So far, Sasuke was holding them off.

"I'm going to try," shouted Naruto above the forceful pounding of the deluge.

Though the mist was still completely shrouding the surroundings, they could make out a bright yellow glow and then the massive silhouette of a snarling fire dragon. The rain instantly began eating at the inferno, diminishing it a little here and there. The pure force and power of the jutsu was an impressive sight. The dragon wound its way through the trees, skimming the surface of the water, and raced toward the nearest enemy, hounding its prey.

Trees caught on fire, transforming the swamp into a skeletal forest.

The genin desperately tried to avoid the blazing creature and still maintain his part in the combination jutsu. The other two focused the rain over the fire dragon, thinning its strength. He jumped out of the way before it could devour him, its flaming fangs missing him by inches.

The rain continued to fall down and soonSasuke's chakrawastoo weak to maintain the jutsu. The flames flickered and then completely died out. As one, the Amegakure genin closed in on Sasuke as he fell down.

"Now, would be a good time, Dickless!" yelled Sai.

Naruto was reaching deep within himself, trying to draw out as much chakra as possible. He focused hard until he saw the spark and then the roaring well of demonic chakra. "Multi shadow clone jutsu!" shouted Naruto.

Tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra, hundreds of clones began to fall from the sky and down into the white fog. Many were killed before they had a chance to land on the ground. He spared a quick glance at Sai and gave him a cocky grin and a salute before leaping after them.

"Naruto!" yelled Sai in a panic. "We're too high." Too late, he watched as the blonde was swallowed by the swirling mist and disappeared completely.

Naruto hurtled toward the earth. He should have been terrified at his speed, but instead felt nothing but exhilaration. Turning as he fell, he snatched at a branch from an ancient tree and slowed his descent. But wasn't able to completely avoid another, cracking his head against the rough bark.

~Sasuke~

The rain continued to fall down in torrents, draining Sasuke steadily. Soonhis chakrawastoo weak to maintain the Fire Dragon jutsu. The flames flickered, desperately trying to maintain life, and then completely died out leaving only a small puff of smoke as proof of its existence before the rain washed it away.

Temporarily weakened by the sudden drop in his chakra levels, Sasuke fell to the ground. "Where the hell are you, Baka," he gritted out lowly to himself. He could see two of the Ame genin emerge from the fog, their yellow jumpsuits shining like a beacon in the gloom. The rain had finally stopped, but that was a small consolation. Now he had to fight them using only his taijutsu. Two against one and they could use their chakra…

Sasuke pulled himself upright and got into his stance, unafraid of the odds. Although the Sharingan required the use of chakra, he knew he would just have to risk it when, as one, they attacked with single-minded ferocity. He saw everything in slow motion - blocking a kunai thrust from one and dodging around a hail of shuriken from another.

He blocked the next knife attack with his elbow, twisted, and threw his foe twenty feet through the air. From the darkness the other genin fired a dozen shuriken at the same time, and at least three of the spinning blades finding their mark. He grunted at the impact, weakening. Not by much, but it was only a matter of time if help didn't arrive soon.

The first genin recovered mid-flight like a cat and regained his balance. He and the other male raced towards Sasuke, kunai gripped tightly in their fists. The one-eyed Ame genin flashed his short blade and brought it slashing down at Sasuke's body. With a lithe twist of his torso, he easily avoided the attack. The other male, cast a genjutsu in attempt to hide himself, but with the Sharingan activated, it was useless. Sasuke saw through it in an instant. He sidestepped the kick so smooth and fast, it almost didn't register to the enemy genin, so inhumanly fast.

He blinked and Sasuke's palm snapped up. Blood erupting from his nose, he sailed back several feet. Sasuke's head then snapped to the right as he heard the whistle of a thrown weapon and twisted out of the way, the shuriken missing as he reversed into a roundhouse kick, knocking the weapon away. Fists and feet flew as the battle commenced in earnest. Sasuke was like a machine, for every blow the Ame genin blocked, five more hit their mark, but he was tiring. His movements began to slow.

A noise from above made his heart thud heavily in his chest, thinking there were more of them. He spared a quick glance up and hastily jumped back. A horde of his idiot brother's clones fell from the sky. They landed next to him, brilliant, shining blue chakra starting to hum and whirl with incredible speed between their hands.

"Sorry we're late," shouted one.

The air filled with the high-pitched howl of swirling chakra. "Rasengan!" they shouted as one and raced toward their opponents who suddenly didn't look as confidant as they had a moment before.

Sasuke smirked.

"Yoo-hoo… hello there?!" called Honey from her high vantage point in the tree. "Still stuck up in a tree, you know – which now happens to be on fire. If you're done playing with that other kid, would you mind getting me down?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, leapt up into the tree and brought her down to safety just in time to witness the Ame genin running for their lives and the clones disappearing. He frowned knowing that something must have happened to Naruto.

Honey wrapped her hand around Sasuke's arm and squeezed. "Mmm mm, I'm starting to rethink my whole opinion of shinobi. Maybe there is something good about you all after all. So what is the quickest way to a ninja's heart?"

Sasuke dumped her to the ground and muttered, "Between the forth and fifth ribs. That's the sweet spot."

"Uh, that's not quite what I meant."

"Shh! I hear something," he said as he stood over her and lifted his kunai defensively.

~Sai~

"Naruto!" yelled Sai in a panic. "We're too high." Too late, he watched as the blonde was swallowed by the swirling mist and disappeared completely.

The bird swooped down as fast as it could, but still couldn't catch up with Naruto. "Dammit!" he hissed. He was now too close to the earth. A shower of senbon emerged from the nothingness, giving him no time to evade, and black ink poured from the hawk. As it lost its cohesiveness, Sai slowed the descent as best he could. This was going to be a very rough landing. With the landscape a complete whiteout, he couldn't aim the ink beast even if he wanted too.

From above, the ground seemed to flow beneath him as he hung in flight. A mass of identical Ame genin waited for him. Clones. The muddy earth was over twenty feet down, but Sai's face was perfectly calm, staring at some point on the ground. He ran to the edge of the wing and with unnatural grace, launched himself into the air and dove. Then hitting, somersaulting up, and sandals splashing in the muddy puddles, he ran while the hawk used the last of its chakra to dive at the enemy to distract them.

Naruto's clones weren't far away. They veered towards him to aid in the battle. They met in a thunderous clash - punches, kicks, and blocks coming almost too fast to see. They were fighting the Ame clones, but every hit just went through them and many ended up destroying themselves.

The genin somehow got behind Sai and grabbed him in a choke-hold. Sai was unable to breathe. Veins bulged in his head, as he gritted through the pain and pushed him off.

Right about to strike as Sai lay gasping for breath, his eyes caught something. He flipped back, jumped, as a silver streak cut through the air, a split second too slow to cut the genin's head off. Instead, it sliced cleanly through the triceps of his raised arms, leaving a nick and giving Sai just enough time to jump to his feet.

One of the Naruto clones had thrown his sword.

The genin wore a sash which completed covered his eyes, but that didn't seem to hinder him at all as he attacked again. He unerringly landed punch after punch before Sai was able to get in a kick that separated them.

They took stances a good two distances away. They're about to go at it again when another Naruto clone sprinted into the fight. Performing a flying leap kick, the one-eyed genin grabbed him and swung him down, crashing his body into the ground with a sickening crack-thud. A puff of smoke added to the mist as the clone dispelled.

Sai surged forward in that instant, swinging a powerful punch at his stomach. It sailed through the body and he found himself standing at the edge of the battlefield with a kunai buried to the hilt in his shoulder. Genjutsu. He hissed in pain.

The air began to sizzle with shards of flying steel as the genin threw shuriken after shuriken at him. Sai twisted, bent, ducked just between the screaming metal nimbly evading as many as he could. He knew that most were not real, but some, like the one buried in his thigh, were. He couldn't stop dodging long enough to dispel the jutsu.

Across the way, an old man cowering behind a mass of tall reeds watched the ferocious onslaught in stunned disbelief. To his untrained eyes, the two teens were little more than blurs, clashing back and forth via highly trained ninja speed. Only the dull ring of their weapons colliding gave proof that they were still even there and not just a figment of his imagination. An unbidden thought cropped up – if these were just genin, then what would a jonin battle look like? He shivered in fear.

More Naruto clones joined the fray giving Sai a chance to dispel the illusion. He yanked out his tantō from the strap on his back and handled it like an extension of his body - used with the same deadly precision as his feet and fists.

The Ame genin's face warped with rage as he attacked, fists flying at furious speeds, blows and counters…

The tantō opened his forearm, and a kick sent him slamming back against a tree. Stunned, he ducked just under a punch that crunched into the tree, chunks exploding like shrapnel. He tried to move but found himself immobilized. Odd black snakes had at some point wrapped themselves all along his body and to the tree. Sai leapt into the air, delivering a powerful reverse round-house. The Ame clones disappeared and the genin was down for good.

The battle probably lasted only a minute or so, an eternity in a ninja fight, before it was over. Breathing heavily, Sai looked around and counted the clones that remained… four. One came forward to help remove the kunai. He was about to give them orders, but before he could, they disappeared. Grimly, he acknowledged to himself that something must have happened to Naruto. Sai crouched down next to the unconscious genin and opened his scroll.

The snakes slithered off the body and became one with the paper.

"You may abandon your place of concealment now. I will not harm you," said Sai calmly as he sat down to heal the bleeding wound. He had to hurry. The battle had drained him almost to the point of exhaustion, but the night was still young. He was vulnerable in this state. Sai had to find his brothers.

"How did ya know where I was?" asked the old man as he warily crawled out from the tall reeds.

"Your smell. Next time, stay downwind." Sai turned around and inspected the old man for a moment. He was so thin it looked like a stiff wind could throw him, but Sai knew that appearances could be deceiving. He asked, "Which team was escorting you?"

"Kiri…but they were killed last night by some other team. I've been trying to find my way out of this hell hole since then. Will you help me out of here?"

Sai coldly asked, "And how is it that you alone managed to escape."

"I don't know," said the man with a shrug. "I thought they were gonna for sure, but then they just up and skedaddled."

"What hidden village were they from?" asked Sai skeptically.

"I don't know… it was… it was too dark to see."

"You had a campfire." Sai's distrust grew. He raised his blood smeared tantō, pointed it at the man, and said, "You are lying to me."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes, you are. Your heartbeat has increased, you are sweating, and your body language has become defensive. Tell me the truth or I will assume you killed them." Sai knew that the old man didn't really kill the genin team, but he was holding something back.

The old man quivered in fear. "I ran okay!" he yelled. "I was asleep at the edge of the camp and when I heard the first scream! I ran like a coward all right! I'm sorry, but there was nothing I could do."

Sai still had his misgivings about the man, but knew what Sasuke and Naruto would do. Sasuke would take the man along just to reduce the competition. Naruto would do it because he wouldn't want the old man to get killed in the dangerous environment. Sai pulled a cloth from his bag and wiped the steel blade clean, still keeping his unfathomable eyes on the man. "It's getting late and we need to find a safe place to rest as quickly as possible. Try to keep up."

~Naruto~

Mere minutes had passed before Naruto opened his eyes. The luminescent fog lit up the surroundings and he could see that he was lying on a massive branch spread out over muddy water. Waves of nausea had him flipping over on his stomach to retch. Pain emanated across the top of his head. He raised one hand to his brow and found a trickle of blood; only a small abrasion now thanks to his healing ability. Dizzy and slightly confused, Naruto scratched his head as he tried to sweep the darkness from his mind. He blanched as he suddenly remembered… his brothers!

Searching his mind for the clone's memories, he saw the mist clearing from the battlefield to reveal burnt and ravaged earth where explosions and fire jutsu had burned. Sasuke, covered in cuts and blood, was guarding Honey, a kunai in his hand as the enemy fled. In another clone's memory, he saw Sai, blood staining his cloths in several places but still smiling, and a clone trying to pull out a kunai buried deep in his shoulder.

Shame filled Naruto. They got to fight while he…he got knocked out by a tree. A tree for Kami's sake… How humiliating…

He shakily stood up and flexed his muscles. He had trouble keeping his eyes focused. The foliage around him and rippling water repeatedly blurred together in a greenish haze. He looked up into the densely packed trees, but couldn't see the moon. Naruto had no idea what time it was or where he was. He frowned and thought, "This is not good."

Although his head throbbed worse than ever, and although the abrasion above his right eye continued to weep blood, he was at least having less trouble keeping his eyes focused. The problem was that he didn't like what he saw.

He knew that if he even attempted to locate them now he would become horribly disorientated in the impenetrable fog. He sat down and leaned against the tree to wait for the coming morning. He was content in the knowledge that Sasuke and Sai had at least driven away the Ame team and were safe for the moment.

He hoped.

~Sasuke~

"Shh! I hear something," he said as he stood over her and lifted his kunai defensively.

Sai rushed through the mist towards the murky shapes he recognized as his brothers' and the prisoner. He pulled up short, gasping and panting. "Sasuke, is that you? I've been looking for you everywhere! Have…have you seen… Naruto? I couldn't find him nowhere."

"Oh thank Kami, it's just Sai," said Honey in relief.

Sasuke's hand shot out to grab his wrist with a grip like that of the vice.

"What're you doing?!" shouted Sai in surprise.

The chirp of a thousand birds filled the air as Sasuke's hand smashed into the tree next to Sai's head. It would have killed him had he had his full chakra levels or the other teen a fraction slower in dodging.

Honey screamed, "Why are you attacking your teammate, you moron!"

Sai's fist sailed through the air, narrowly missing Sasuke's temple. He struck again and again. Sasuke twisted aside each time, drawing him off balance, using the leverage of his own grip on him. Sai was strong, but not heavy; he could move him about. Strength was only one element in combat; many people did not realize this, to their detriment.

"Did you honestly think that I would not recognize my own teammate, my own brother? Release your henge – now!"

Sai's body shimmered for a second and was replaced with that of a teenage female Iwa genin. She was built like a bull – sloping shoulders packed with muscle and thick legs. She grinned.

Sasuke punched her in the gut. She didn't even flinch.

She struck again, and he twisted again. His right hand remained clamped onto her left wrist, while his left did the striking. The imposter was strong – very strong. If any of those blows landed squarely, he would suffer broken bones – but he was experienced in avoiding such an elementary attack. He turned about toward his left, drawing her hand and arm along with him, until he faced away from her, his right shoulder blocking hers. He heaved into a wraparound throw. She had to let go, or be hurled into the tree head first.

She was too stupid to let go and crashed into the tree. Now, with his grip wrenched free, he looked down at her. The skin on her wrist was abraded and raw from his tight hold and from the throw. Her broad face was covered with mud, and her hair was in wild disarray. Her eyes were closed in deep sleep.

"How did you know," Honey gasped. "He… she… well, whoever that is, looked just like Sai.

"Tch, she spoke like my brother, Naruto. Sai would never speak like that."

At the rustling sound behind them, Sasuke spun around with a kunai in his hand. A woman stepped out from the trees, covered in grime. "Honey – girl is that you?"

"Candy!"

The two 'females' rushed toward each other and kissed each other's cheeks. They both began to rapidly converse in a language of excited squeals and animated chatter. Sasuke sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat when Honey announced that Candy just had to come with them so that he could protect her from 'those nasty ol' Iwa genin.'

"Fine," he muttered, agreeing only because it would mean that one less team could pass on to the third part of the exam.

Candy sauntered over to Sasuke and, much to his everlasting horror, snatched him up and glomped him against her rather large bosom before setting him down. "Mmm mm, looking at you, I can't keep my legs together."

Sasuke's eye twitched. This was definitely one time he was glad Sai and Naruto weren't around.

"Girl, the sun comes up and you can't keep your legs together."

Sasuke gave Honey a cold look and asked, "Do you even know what's wrong with you?"

"What - besides the fact that we were, like, just attacked by the world's ugliest teenager? I mean did you even see the way her top totally clashed with her pants… and baby - don't even get me started on those hideous shinobi sandals…"

"Tch, not that."

Honey pointed at her groin and commented flippantly, "Well, I have neglected to mow the ole' grass for, like if you can believe it, several weeks now, but I don't see how you could know."

"I mean what's wrong inside your head."

"This really isn't a good time for you to try to shrink my brain. What is it with you Konoha shinobi? You're all, like, obsessed with therapy or something. Next thing you know, you'll try to hug me or, like, something. I suppose you think I want to sleep with my mama…"

"Hn…"

"…or kill my daddy."

"Hn…"

"Well, if that's what you think, then, like, I don't see how we can just go on being friends."

"Tch."

Candy arched her eyebrow and said sarcastically, "Well he certainly seems the friendly chatty type."

"Girl, like, you have no idea what I've been through. He stole my shoes and, like if you can believe it, searched my handbag."

"No!"

"Umm hmmm!"

"Not the Louboutin's?! What a big meanie!"

"Mmm hmm, that's what I said!"

Fed up with their useless chatter, Sasuke raised his voice and uttered the one command that upset them the most. "Would you two shut up?!"

"Oh no he didn't!" Candy marched over to Sasuke and tried to jab her finger into his chest.

Moving faster than she could see, he appeared on the other side of the campsite with a stern look upon his face. "Don't touch me," he warned calmly, "Or you will regret it."

"Look here, ninja-baby, I ain't afraid of you. You can't hurt me or you'll be disqualified and all that."

"Umm hmm, you tell him girlfriend."

She picked up a stick off the ground and yelled, "So what are you going to do?"

He moved fast, appearing before Candy, seizing one of her hands, and bending the index finger backward, savagely, until the pain became excruciating.

The new she-male really should have known better. Sasuke was no kid, he was a shinobi. He knew that radical, violent, backward extension of the index finger could quickly incapacitate any man (or woman), regardless of his (or her) size and strength.

The woman screamed as the pain from the nerves in her bent finger traveled up her arm to her shoulder and neck. Candy clenched her other fist, as though to punch Sasuke.

"Just try it," he muttered and then bent the captive finger back even further. Involuntary tears burst from Candy's eyes when as she dropped her knees, squealing, cursing and helpless.

"Let go of me! Let go of me, you little bastard!"

Sasuke blankly stared at her and; still holding the finger with one hand, stepped backwards and lead her into a clearing in an awkward three-point crawl.

Scuttling, scraping, and hitching herself along on one hand and two knees, Candy glared up at him with eyes muddled with pain and humiliation while Honey stood watching in shock. Sasuke calmly stated, "You are not the prisoner my team and I are supposed to escort, therefore the rules do not apply to you," and released her finger. "Set up camp before it begins to rain again."

The chastened prisoner quickly swiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded as he left to tie up the Iwa genin.

~Sai~

"Can I ask you an honest question?"

"As opposed to a deceitful or ambiguous one? You may."

"When did you draw those snake things and make them come to life? I saw when you fell to the ground – you didn't have time to do that."

"I drew them before I jumped from my ink beast."

"Yeah but how did you know you would need it? Can you see the future or something?"

"No, that is not possible. I simply assessed the situation and calculated my chance of success using what chakra remained at my disposal. That is why I did what I did. I never do something without a reason."

"So what, that mean you ain't ever impulsive?"

A giant spurt of green gas belched up from a hole the ground, preceded by a slight hissing sound which barely missed Sai. Seconds later, there was another hissing sound, then a huge spurt of gas. Sai simply took the old man by his arm as they walked along, moved him out of danger, released his arm, and went right on talking without missing a beat.

"Being impulsive can get you killed. You have to be constantly thinking ahead and making plans how to act or react. I always have a back-up plan or two."

"Uh right," said Shinji, looking back at the gaseous vapor that almost blew on him. "What is that?" he asked apprehensively.

"Judging by the fumes and lack of flora and fauna in the surrounding area, I would assume it is some sort of poisonous gas."

"Are we going to get out of here alive?"

"As long as you follow my dictates to the letter, then yes we shall arrive at the gate tomorrow night at the latest."

"Well that's a relief. What about the other kids on your team? Ain't you gonna search for them?"

"No. We will rest here for the night and in the morning resume our trek towards the exit."

"You ain't even gonna look for them?" asked Shinji is shock. He thought the kid was sort of nice for a ninja… odd… but nice.

"Earlier, I had dispatched several small birds to search for them. They will locate them and lead them to me. It would make no sense for the three of us to blindly search for each other. We all know the route we planned to take, so I will stay on it. I am confidant they will join me soon." He pulled his cloak out of his bag and stoically threw it on seconds before lightning cracked across the sky and a heavy rain thundered down on them.

"Not psychic huh?" muttered the old man to himself as he scrambled to remove the rain slicker from his pack.

~Sasuke~

The soft cluck of chickens was what awoke Sasuke the morning of the third day. Dawn had come. Grey light had filtered through the leaves of the tree they were sleeping under. Drops of last night's rain sluggishly dripped down the leaves and low thunder grumbled across the sky. They needed to get moving. They had a lot of ground to cover before they made it to the exit gate and traveling with two She-males wasn't going to be easy. He released his summonses and stood up, stretching his sore muscles.

The sound of shuffling feet brought his eyes up. Candy was hesitantly offering him a cup of tea she had made from their supplies.

He took it without a word, eyed it suspiciously and sniffed. It smelled okay. He took a swallow.

"See, now aren't you thankful that I am here?" she asked.

"Right now, I can't think of anything I should be grateful to you for."

"What about the tea?"

"Hn, self-preservation on your part."

Her jaw dropped and she was about to snap back, but wisely thought better of it. Swallowing the insults she was about to hurl, she marched back to the sleeping bag she and Honey shared and dropped down in defeat. But Sasuke didn't miss the muttered, "miserable little runt" comment.

For a moment, he stood there, sipping his tea, staring out at the dirty, slow moving clouds and incessant rain. He thought of Sai and Naruto apprehensively for a moment – surely they were all right… right?

A bird fluttered down to his shoulder and stared meaningfully at him. He opened his bag, withdrew a blank scroll and unfurled it. Moments later he said, "Let's go. My brother is waiting."

~Naruto~

Naruto awoke from his light doze abruptly. A little black bird was staring at him with beady little eyes. Naruto grinned wide. "That's my brother," he aloud, "always thinking one step ahead!" Sitting up, he pulled out a scroll so that it could convey its message and then packed his cloak away, preparing to join Sai in the marsh. A cold chill ran down his spine. Goosebumps on his bare arms warned him that something wasn't right. Sensing danger, he hastily jumped to his feet and scanned the area. High in the tree next to him stood an Iwa genin, looking down at him.

He was older than Naruto; late teens - young adult. He looked almost malnourished with his slouch and thin exterior. His clothes were ripped and torn in places from the brief time already spent in the swamp, and it didn't help that they were too short for his otherwise tall body. But though he looked harmless, broken, almost, there was something in those blue eyes that made him seem calculating, vicious. This wasn't a person who should be taken lightly.

His eyes flicked up at Naruto's headband and he frowned deeply. "Konoha," he spat out as though the word itself left a bad taste in his mouth. "I hate Konoha."

Naruto was mystified at the man's words. "Why? I mean I know about the Third Shinobi war and all, but that was a long time ago."

The genin carried a curved sword; one that he had never seen the like of before. The man didn't answer the question and instead, leapt at Naruto, the weapon cutting at the blonde even before the attacker's feet had touched the ground. Naruto, surprised at the other's quickness and ferocity, barely blocked the blow with his own weapon, the blades sliding apart with a harsh rasp. The attacker spun away in a whirl of dark clothing, then attacked anew, swords slashing at his intended prey, face alight with a killing frenzy that promised no quarter.

"Are you nuts?!" shouted Naruto.

The Iwa genin charged again and delivered a chest punch that sent Naruto sailing through the trees. He tumbled to a stop, coughed, and stared in disbelief at him, standing calmly at what seemed like an impossible distance away.

He finally spoke, angering the blonde. "You are my enemy so you must die. You are no match for me; you couldn't even avoid my last strike."

He had to admit that he was stunned, but he wasn't out of the fight. Not by a long shot. Naruto furiously picked himself up and yelled, "Everyone falls the first time. If you never know failure, how can you know success? Just try that again!"

His attacker closed on him again, forcing him back, striking at him from every angle. Naruto knew this man was highly trained in kenjutsu, a skilled and dangerous adversary. Worse, he was older, quicker, and stronger than Naruto, and he was gaining ground rapidly. The Iwa genin blocked him again and again, but could not find an opening that would provide any chance at escape.

The combatants surged back and forth across the flats, tantō and scimitar flashing brightly with each blow struck; not giving the other a pause to try to use a jutsu. Dead leaves and dirt swirled in all directions. Naruto jumped over the man and landed on top of a thick tree branch. He knew he had mere seconds to use a jutsu.

Balanced precariously against the sway of the branch, he fought to keep his footing on the slick moss that coated it. His hands were already making the seal while, simultaneously, his body summoned the chakra needed to complete the jutsu.

Two clones appeared from within the smoky mist. Before it had the chance to begin to dissipate, one began to fluidly weave another series of seals while the other entered the field of battle and rushed the adversary.

A flurry of brutal punches, devastating kicks, and sword slashes had been exchanged between Naruto and the Iwa genin, neither gaining any advantage over the other. Keeping the man off balance, Naruto pushed himself harder and faster than ever before, almost blurring out of sight and leaving a haze in his wake to denote his direction.

When his clones finally joined him, his stamina had been put to the limits as he pushed his rapidly tiring muscles to move faster and hit harder. His sword moved automatically to block incoming attacks as he tried to find any opening that would allow a counterattack. One of the clones winked. Feeling more confidence, he and the clones attacked at once, rushing the other man, closing in on him at the top of a tree. One went low and hard with a knee-breaking sweep kick, the other punching the Iwa genin in the face, leaving Naruto free to break to the side and slam his sandaled foot into his stomach with a vicious side-kick.

They attack is in perfect synch, six arms and six legs working like clockwork, striking their target without getting in the way of each other. The attack slammed the genin back. The Konoha and Iwa enemies stared at each other; a legacy from the Third Shinobi war, their faces were tight with determination and streaked with sweat. Naruto took a step back, leveled his sword, and swung a powerful, two-handed blow at his attacker. The man blocked it, but barely.

He couldn't block the other as the clone also swung his sword and in the process lost his balance completely. The blow's force swept him away, clear of the branch.

The man dropped back toward the ground, landed in a crouch and rose instantly on his feet. He tried to take a step, but it was too late. His feet sunk into the thick, sucking mud of the Swamp of the Underworld jutsu the second clone had created when it first arrived and held him fast. The chase was over. He stood watching in frustration, blue eyes practically aflame, as the boy and clones raced away.

~Sai~

He glanced over at his traveling companion, Shinji and frowned. The old man was slowing him down. He had to constantly take the long way so that the man could walk on a solid surface. He could have just thrown him on his back and walked across the water, but he just didn't trust him enough.

Sai knew he was different from Sasuke and Naruto. He highly respected the tools of logic, method, and reason, but from them he had learned to never discount a hunch. Something was wrong and it had nothing to do with their separation. He was unable to identify the source of his sudden uneasiness. There was a hush in the air that had an eerie quality of expectancy so intense that Sai glanced behind himself and than up into the sky, half convinced that something was rushing or falling toward him. "Stay," he told Shinji, and walked out across the water to look around.

Suddenly, a thunder-like sound rolled beneath him, and than a tremor passed through the water under his feet. The water rose abruptly. It tilted left, right, and then dropped out from under him. He leapt into the air, but had nowhere to go except down.

He landed on one of the high waves. Balancing himself with his chakra, his eyes scanned the landscape to find who was causing the upheaval. He spotted no other shinobi, but he did see a small hill, a dry patch of earth where Shinji stood hugging a tree and waving at him.

Sai blinked.

"What is he doing?" Racing over, he barely stopped himself in time as the earth suddenly cracked open with a deafening boom and opened like a ragged, demonic mouth. He leaped over the crevice and landed next to the old man.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"The ground," he gibbered, "The ground's trying to eat me."

"Hmm, I know of an exceptional place in Konoha where they test people. The doctors they are exceedingly courteous and professional. My father has taken me there four times. I am quite certain they can help you."

"I'm not crazy!"

"I don't know about that. It's one thing to live in the nut house, but it's another to be the guy licking the windows."

"Candy?!" Shinji jerked around in surprise and then leered at her. "I knew I recognized the sound of your voice."

"Aw, what about me? Don't tell me you forgot about little ol' me?"

"Damn me if this ain't the best day of my life! Did you sit in a pile of sugar? Cause you have a pretty sweet ass, Honey!"

Honey and Candy giggled and threw their arms around the old man, happy at last to have someone who appreciated their charms. Sasuke scowled.

Sai smiled as he took in the harassed form of his teammate. "I knew you would come. Everything all right?"

"Hn."

"Any idea about Naruto?"

"Tch, you know him, he likes to make an entrance."

"I heard that!"

Sasuke and Sai grinned at turned towards the shout. Naruto came running across the marsh with a huge grin on his face. He jerked to a halt and slapped Sasuke hard on the back. "What's kickin' chicken?" He slapped Sai next and said, "What's bobbin' robin?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grunted while Sai asked, "What took you so long? I expected you earlier."

"Hey, I had to tie up a few loose ends. Say…um, I'm afraid to ask, but what's with the uh, the umm…uh… well that?" He pointed behind them with a very odd look on his face; part fascination, part horror.

Sasuke and Sai turned. Their faces matched Naruto's. Sai yelled, "Desist that at once and put your clothes back on! Now is really neither the appropriate time nor place to be doing… that."

"I got it," said Naruto when they ignored him. He made a few hands signs and hosed them apart with a water jutsu, grinning at their outraged screams. "So where did they come from?" he asked with a quizzical look.

"I located the old one and Sasuke acquired the she-man."

"Ah… well, I guess we have to take them with us. They're almost dressed now so we should really get going."

"Yes, however, this area is very volatile. I have witnessed seismic activities which have made the water and earth surfaces unstable and apertures which emit poisonous gasses. I would suggest that we each escort one of the prisoners for their safety."

"Tch fine, I'm taking the old man."

Sai whitened as he realized that left Honey or Candy. He didn't know Candy, but one look at her and he knew she was like Honey. "No!" he said adamantly. "I found Shinji. I will accompany him."

Naruto ignored them both and yelled, "Hey, who wants to come with me?"

Honey, just pulling up her skirt, brightened and yelled, "Ooh me-me-me!"

Naruto smirked at his teammates and said, "Problem solved. You two figure it out between yourselves."

Honey latched onto Naruto's arm and said, "So did I ever tell you about the mean old shinobi that arrested me? His name was Fieryknight and he had these scary little dolls apparently made out of something called 'Kakra' with sharp teeth that would…"

"Chakra."

"That's like what I said…"

~o~O~o~

It took the whole day and most of the night to wind their way through the marsh. Every hour or so, the ground would shake and waves of water would rise up, threatening them all. Rain was constant. The poisonous gas holes grew more abundant but finally they emerged in a clearing of marshy grasses and stands of trees with roots tangled so thickly they formed what appeared to be an impassable hedge. Sai had been the first to spot the patch of dry ground.

Land. No sucking mud, no water logged grassy patches, but real, actual dry land. It stood before the entrance to the swamp.

Crossing the marsh had been the most unpleasant experience for all of them. The prisoners were cold, wet, exhausted, and miserable and; unfortunately for the young shinobi, not afraid to inform them of that fact. They were actually looking forward to entering the swamp again. It was wet and dreary as ever, but there was a thick canopy which would at least provide cover from the constant rain that plagued them the past three days.

Sasuke suddenly stopped. "Shh, do you hear that?"

"What? I don't hear any…"

Naruto cocked his head quizzically for a moment and looked around. A hushed, wary silence had taken over the surrounding area as though some dangerous predator had entered the march. In unison, the trio stealthily reached into their pouches strapped to their legs and palmed to their weapons, alert to the danger.

Nearby, leaves on the tree rustled. No wind blew. The hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck bristled. He spun around and ducked.

And almost imperceptible whistle of air announced the second missile that narrowly missed Sai's cheek. A drop of moisture hit his face, bringing a sharp sting of pain. "Acid," he warned as he wiped it off and leapt aside to avoid another volley of barbed thorns.

Sai pointed at the vines, which were swirling, groping, as if alive. "It looks as though it has something," he said in wonderment. At the base of the plant was a tangle of vines that looked like…

"It's a body!" exclaimed Naruto in horror. "Come on, help me."

Sasuke eyed the thickness of the plants and put away his kunai. He pulled out his sword and hacked at the huge vine that had some how crept up behind Naruto and wrapped itself around his leg. The trio then rushed to retrieve the body as the prisoners stayed back and watched. The vines hovered around them, occasionally darting, and then pulling back, as if they were timid animals, hungry, but afraid of a new food-dish.

The plants got worse. Tree branches dropped down to bar their way out of the clearing, dangling poisonous-looking moss.

Sasuke cut the moss away with his sword, attempting to clear the path for his team. Ichor from it soon covered the blade, turning it grey-green. The stuff reeked with a pungent odor. He didn't like this at all, yet he had to keep hacking the encroaching growth away, afraid to let any of the group get caught. Naruto tried wind and water jutsus' with no effect – the plants just seemed to reform at a faster rate.

Sasuke and Sai slashed at the greenery again and again. The vines recoiled and then retracted fully into the shadows.

"Smart freaking plants," said Naruto with a grunt as he yanked the body away from a stray creeper.

"No big deal. Most plants are smarter than you are, Baka."

"Not funny."

"We need to get out of here and keep moving. I can't use any fire techniques here or I might barbeque our prisoners."

"I know I know Teme, but we can't just leave this person here." He laid the body gently down and stepped back to allow Sai room to work. Seeing the vines moving in the shadows, he pulled out his sword and readied himself.

Sai cautiously moved forward and began to pull the creepers off. Smooth, white legs were revealed followed by a short purple skirt. In a heart-dropping instant, he realized who it was.

Frantically Sai yanked and pulled at the growth, fearing the worst. "Ino!" he yelled, "Ino Yamanaka, answer me!" Never before had Sai ever felt so distraught. He put his hand over her chest to check for any signs of life and then desperately covered her blue lips with his and breathed into her.

Naruto and Sai watched with bowed heads as Sai tried to revive the girl.

Her chest moved and her pulse jumped. Recovering quickly, she opened her eyes and coughed.

"Ino Yamanaka…you are alive," said Sai in shock and joy.

She blinked in confusion and then scowled. Hoarsely, she whispered, "Yeah well, you're a dead man Sai Morino if you don't get your hands off my chest right now."

Sai's hand nervously clenched as he realized where it was causing Ino to gasp in outrage. "Uh," was all he managed to squeak out.

"Ooooh," tittered Candy in amusement, "The weird one just felt that girl up!"

Sai froze. He had absolutely no clue what to do as he stared at Ino's rapidly reddening face. Still, he couldn't move his hand. "I-I-I-I am s-so s-s-sorry." His hand twitched again, squeezing unconsciously.

Naruto leaned down and thoughtfully removed Sai's hand while Sasuke pulled her to her feet once she sat up.

"Ino, where's Kiba and Akamaru?"

She glared at Sai for a moment before answering. "I don't know but they shouldn't be too far. They should be with Shēn and our prisoner. I got separated from them a little while ago. We were going to set traps while we waited for the gates to open."

Just then, another pod unexpectedly swooped down on Shinji's back. A beak-like thorn clamped onto the flesh between his shoulder blades. Its pistil shot out like a hypodermic needle, stabbed him and, within the blink of an eye; his skin turned the color of parchment, flaking off him like powder as he screamed.

Sai rushed over and stabbed the old man with his kunai, digging out the barb. Knowing he had seconds to save the man's life, he scraped out the thick, gelatinous poison and healed the open wound.

Sasuke shouldered Naruto out of the way as tendrils from the plant very nearly got the both of them. He slammed his sword into the plant's roots and sent a pulse of lightning through it. The bright, blue current raced through every vine.

The plant shrieked, hideously, as electricity caused fluids to squirt from boils that developed on its flesh, down along its "arms", and into its poisonous pods...which flopped, lifeless, to the ground. A thin trickle of red liquid oozed out.

The trees, bushes, and brambles had closed in behind while they were busy, forming a virtually impenetrable barrier. The trio jumped into formation with the prisoners and the recovering Ino in the center. They began to hack and slash at anything that moved.

Their swords quickly became stained and pitted under the ichor. And holes were appearing in their clothing where drops had splattered. Naruto knew this strategy wouldn't work for long. "Sai!"

"All already ahead of you!" he yelled back as he scrambled away from another creeping tendril. He leaped high into the nearest tree and drew as fast as he could while it tried to shake him off by whipping back and forth.

"Faster, faster!" Sai commanded himself as his feet connected to the branches, sending shocks with each step. Portraits required precious time which he really didn't have, but also stillness to adequately draw. High up in the tree, the sounds of their struggle dismayed him. His major weakness was affecting them.

Finally finished, he yelled, "Super beast scroll!" and leaped as the giant hawk emerged from the paper. Landing safely on its back, he scanned the surroundings and saw it – the gate! The gate was only a few hundred feet away! They were almost there!

~o~O~o~

As Sai took to the air, the swamp was not idle. Plants were visibly growing towards them. There were more of the man eating pods, leaning and swaying. "West!" they heard above them. "The gate is just there to the west."

Grimly, Naruto and Sasuke chopped at the undergrowth with renewed will but they were not able to make much headway. It was then that a barbed thorn caught Sasuke in his lower back.

Sasuke gave a grunt of pain before falling to the ground, twitching and writhing.

"Oh crap!" yelled Naruto.

"I will take care of it," said Sai as he dropped down from the aerie heights of the towering trees just in time. He repeated the same process as had with the old man, Shinji; gouging the barb out of his flesh, removing the poison, and healing the wound.

Sasuke's eyes were squeezed shut in pain, but he made not one sound.

"I am finished. How do you feel? Most of poison has been removed, however, you, like Shinji, will have to be seen at the hospital for an antidote."

Sasuke got to his feet, grunted and rolled his shoulders. "Fine," he said shortly. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"My sentiments exactly," nodded Sai, "and I have a plan."

Sai marched over to the edge of the clearing where a small pond lay. The brackish water didn't exactly inspire confidence, but he squashed down his dislike of all things unsanitary. His hands flowed through a long series of hand seals and then he slammed them down on the earth.

"Can you swim?" he asked the prisoners.

Shinji nodded hesitantly.

"Personally, I don't like swimming, but yes I can," said Honey.

Candy replied, "Well of course I can swim, if the occasion calls for it."

"Trust me," he said as he shoved them both into the water and added, "The occasion calls for it."

They couldn't fly over the forest of man-eating plants, couldn't go through it, so that left only one option…under it. There weren't any plants deep in the water, so he figured they wouldn't be able to follow after them.

Sai used a great deal of chakra to create the hole, but it was still small and cramped. They swam through the tunnel until the prisoners thought their lungs would burst before coming up into an underground cavern. They all had to hunch over as the walked its length. It continued interminably, winding about to avoid the giant roots of trees and buried boulders.

When at last they emerged from the earth, they all straightened in relief. The closed gate stood nearby, beckoning them with the promise of dry clothes, hot food, and even hotter showers. Dawn was nearly approaching; they figured the gates would open any minute.

With an ear-splitting squeal of happiness, Honey and Candy raced for it. Sasuke shook his head in disgust, Sai looked confused, and Naruto just laughed good-naturedly. At the edge of the swamp, three figures emerged.

Naruto heard the excited yip.

Make that four!

As they came closer, Ino blew out a huge sigh of relief. Kiba rushed over to her and they hugged each other while Shēn glared at their sign of affection. He roughly shoved his prisoner towards the gate.

"Hey…is that duck-tape over your prisoner's mouth?" asked Naruto in disbelief.

Ino blushed and then said defensively, "Well, he just wouldn't shut up. The guy actually had the nerve to hit on me."

Sasuke groaned loudly. "I knew there was something I forgot to pack."

Throwing his arms around the both of them, Naruto exclaimed, "Well, we made it, guys!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" asked Sasuke with an oh-so-slight turning of his lips.

"Never," agreed Sai.

"Hey look," said Naruto as he pointed up, "It's the sun."

And there it was, peeking over the horizon. For the first time in four days the sun was no longer concealed behind stormy, grey clouds. Just the sight of it lifted their spirits and banished the darkness that plagued them their whole journey. The swamp around them no longer seemed so forbidding and mysterious. Team seven shared a smile.

Shinji humphed, "Yeah sure…now it resurrects. Four freaking days… What kind of crap is that?!"

AN:

When I first starting writing this chapter, I thought of how some genin collected extra scrolls to weed out the competition and I thought that was a good idea so I did it as well. I didn't realize until after I had finished that it was very Harry Potter-ish (Goblet of Fire). It was completely unintentional on my part, but I apologize all the same. I just couldn't delete it because – well, I really liked the way it turned out. As I said in the previous chapter - there are movie quotes in here - Can you find them!

Thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/commented on the last chapter!

Ja Ne,

AZFAERYDUST