~Scroll 11~
In a small clearing, Kiba, Hinata and Shino gathered and began devising a plan of action.
"The tower's where everyone is ultimately going," Kiba began, "so we might as well set traps as close to there as possible."
To which Shino seemed to nod his head in agreement when suddenly Akamaru let out a low whimper.
"Found them already, huh?" Kiba whispered to his familiar, "Where are they?"
~Page Break~
Hidden up in the trees, another Konoha team, dressed in complete black, watched their prey.
"Stupid kids," One of the trio muttered to his teammates, "they might as well be shouting, 'Capture us!' From the sounds of things, they know we're somewhere nearby… but they haven't figured out where yet."
Suddenly he stilled as his back muscles involuntarily twitched.
"What's wrong?" Asked his companion, "You're as white as a sheet."
"Agh!"
SQUIRM
SHLUK
"What is that thing?" His companion gasped when he saw a huge leech-like creature attached to the Nin's neck.
PLOP PLOP
The unaffected shinobi looked up.
"AAAAAGH!"
The Konoha team dropped to the ground. Unaware that they have fallen into a net.
SWOOP
The net flew into the air, capturing the black-clad team as they screamed for help.
Standing beneath them was their prey.
"The flying leeches of Konoha village," Kiba snickered at the other team's predicament, "can sense perspiration and body heat and fling themselves en masse! If you can't get them off your body within five minutes, you're finished. And if you panic trying to get away from them… well… one team down!"
"AAAAGH!"
"Well…" Anko darkly chuckled, "that was fast!"
"Did you guys hear someone," Sakura whispered, "scream? This place is creeping me out!"
"It's nothing, 'nee-chan." Naruto assured the pinkette, "Someone was just stupid enough to fall into a leech nest."
Sasuke arched a brow as he observed his blonde looking around.
"And how would you know that, dobe?"
"The forest told me… be right back!" The petite houshi chirped as he bounded toward a cluster of trees.
"Hey! Where are we going?" Sakura squeaked.
"I gotta go!" Was the only response they got.
A few minutes later, the blonde returned with a goofy grin on his face.
Onyx black eyes narrowed.
POW
Sasuke backhanded the blonde.
Sakura gasped as she helplessly watched the petite ninja slam into a tree.
"S-Sasuke…" She whimpered in confusion.
"Wh-what was that for?" The blonde demanded as he wiped the blood from his lips.
"What have you done with Naruto?" The Uchiha viciously growled.
"What?"
"Hello!" The blonde sneered, "I'm right in front of you… bleeding!"
"You're wearing your shuriken throwing stars on your left thigh." The raven-haired teen sneered, "Naruto's right-handed. And you forgot the cut that Naruto got from the proctor just before the exam. You're even worse at disguise spells than the real Naruto."
POP
The clearing was enveloped in smoke.
Charging out of the smoke, a ninja from Rain appeared. He had wild dark hair and wore an outfit more fitting for someone from Konoha Medical Center's Psyche Ward than a ninja.
"Since you've forced me to come clean," The Rain-Nin cackled in a mechanized voice, "why don't you do the same? Which one of you two has the scroll?"
Neither Sasuke and Sakura answered.
"Unfortunately, you've forced me to be direct!" The Rain-Nin muttered then charged.
Sasuke leapt into the air as his hands moved rapidly through seals before stilling on the sign of the Tiger.
"Fire Style! Art of the Phoenix Flower… The Touch-Me-Not!"
The clearing became engulfed in flames, forcing not only the Rain-Nin to flee but Sakura as well.
Sasuke immediately gave chase.
"Sasuke!" A familiar voice called out, causing the raven-haired Genin to look down.
Laying on the ground, Naruto was hog-tied with his wrists and ankles bound together, bowing his body.
The Avenger growled at the thought this low-life had rough-housed his property. With a sharp flick of his wrist, Sasuke released a kunai, which cut the main tie that kept Naruto bound.
"You left an opening - lucky me!" The Rain-Nin cackled as he let loose six daggers and a kunai.
Sasuke quickly hid beneath a thick branch but realized his mistake. A letter bomb!
BOOOOOOM
Sasuke dropped to the ground as he felt the exploded tree branch pelt him with debris.
"Ow!" The teen muttered.
"Better and better." The Rain-Nin cooed as he appeared behind then teen, "One false move, and I'll kill you. Now hand over the scroll!"
"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed.
The raven-haired teen gave an amused snort as he felt the ground beneath his feet move.
FWOOM!
Tree roots exploded from the ground, chasing the Rain-Nin away.
"You're not getting away that easy!" Naruto shouted.
That's my dobe! Sasuke mentally cheered then focused his chakra to his left foot, using the chakra energy to pick up the Rain-Nin's dropped kunai, and subconsciously he activated the Sharingan.
With a sharp kick, the Uchiha launched the dropped kunai at the Rain-Nin then launched himself at his enemy.
THAM
Sasuke slammed his body into the Rain-Nin's using the momentum of his body to embed the kunai deeper into his enemy's left shoulder, nearly amputating the enemy's arm.
"Sasuke…" Sakura gasped in horror at the brutality that her one-time crush showed their enemy.
"He gave me no choice!" The raven-haired teen growled vindictively, "Now move! We don't know where his friends are! You got that? Keep standing there, and you'll end up dead!"
The Rain-Nin's eyes grew wide in realization that what he had thought would be easy prey turned out to be his undoing. He quickly freed himself from the Konoha shinobi and fled the clearing without hesitation.
Sasuke could only stare at the cowardice of his retreating foe.
Half an hour later, Team 7 found themselves in an alcove of tree roots. Sasuke took immediate charge of their little team meeting.
"Remember this." The raven-haired teen ordered, "If we get separated again, we can't trust each other blindly!"
At this, Sakura nodded in agreement while Naruto just listened. The blonde knew that he could tell if one of his teammates was an imposter, but it was an ability only helpful to him since only he can hear Heart Songs.
"But what can we do?" Sakura asked.
"The safest thing is for us to have a secret password." The Uchiha replied, "That way we'll know. No matter who they look like or how they sound, if one of use gets that wrong they're an enemy!"
The blonde suddenly blinked as he felt the ground tremble. He placed a small hand on the ground and let a sliver of his chakra leak into the earth.
"Listen very carefully." Sasuke's voice sounded far away, "I'll say it only once!"
Sickness… sickness… no growth… sickness… no health… sickness will kill… will kill us… must stop the sickness… An old and slow voice murmured into the blonde's mind, … must stop before the sickness kill us…
"It's a poem called 'Ninki' - 'Ninja Opportunity'." Sasuke continued, unaware that his blonde was not paying attention to him. "When I ask for it, here's what you respond…
"We thrived in the chaos of the enemy tide. Quiet shinobi don't need dens to hide. Our only concern is to watch and wait until the enemy lowers the gate!"
"Bingo!" Sakura cheered as she easily memorized the poem, startling Naruto from his commune with the earth.
"I'll take the scroll." Sasuke ordered as he stood up and held his hand out.
Sapphire blue orbs blinked in confusion as he heard the Forest's Heart Song shriek.
"Ow!" Naruto winced when he felt a sharp sting on his right cheek. He caressed his cheek and was surprised to see his fingertips were covered in blood. What the…?
FWOOM
"YAAAAAH!"
"A new enemy?" Sasuke gasped as Team 7 were assaulted by a rain of debris of rocks, twigs and leaves.
BABOOOOM
The clearing exploded, scattering the members of Team 7 throughout the clearing. Sasuke peaked out of the safety of the bush that he hid under. The clearing appeared to be safe. The raven-haired teen did not see any signs of the enemy but that did not mean that the enemy was not out there. Slowly and quietly, the Uchiha slipped out from his hiding place, looking for his blonde.
"Sasuke!"
The teen turned around with a kunai at the ready.
"Sakura…" He acknowledged, a bit disappointed that it was the pinkette and not his blonde, "What's the password? The 'Ninki'."
"Oh! Right!" Sakura exclaimed then easily recited the poem.
"Good!" Naruto called out as he climbed over a tree branch, "Yow… are you all right?"
"Not so fast, Naruto!" Sasuke stopped the approaching blonde, who was smiling broadly, "The password?"
"Right." The blonde continued to smile, giving him the appearance of a Nogitsune, a malicious and malevolent fox-spirit. "'Ninki'."
As Naruto recited the poem, word for word, Sakura could not help but listen to her inner-self, who was screaming at her that that blonde was not her otouto. When the said blonde finished, the pinkette watched as her one-time crush seem to accept the Nogitsune-blonde as their friend.
FWIP
Acting on instinct, Sakura threw a kunai at the Nogitsune, who dodged it effortlessly.
"HEYY!" The blonde cried out.
"What are you doing, Sakura?" Sasuke demanded as he watched the trembling pinkette. Teammate or not, the Uchiha mentally promised to make her pay if she had harmed his blonde.
"That's not Naruto!" She gasped as her trembles became more pronounced when the Nogitsune's expression became even more evil.
The Nogitsune darkly chuckled.
"Well done!" The imposter stated as the henge was dropped, revealing the Grass-Nin who terrified Naruto, "What gave me away?"
"N-Naruto is no Nogitsune!" The pinkette shouted, which caused the Grass-Nin to chuckle again as the shinobi removed his straw hat.
"I see… this is going to be more fun than I thought!"
"Unh…" Naruto grunted as he slowly righted himself up, "Oww…"
Naruto, are you alright? Shisui asked in concern.
~Naruto-dono…~
"Yeah, I'm fine…" The young houshi mumbled, "just a bit bruised… promise."
~Have these exams always been so…~ Ka'a growled, agitated that his Host was in such danger, and he could do nothing!
The petite blonde sighed as he slowly stood up and brushed the dust off of him.
Naruto?
"I'm okay, Shisui." The young Genin replied, "It's just Ka'a is frustrated…"
Ka'a?
Naruto gave the spirit a pointed look, which caused the specter to look sheepish. The blonde knew that the spirit was aware of his imprisoned companion, and although the phantom may not know the Nine-Tail's name, the Uchiha ghost was no idiot.
The Fox… The phantom acknowledged, feeling childish for trying to play dumb with the petite Genin, The Fox is worried.
"Yeah… Hunh?" Naruto blinked when the sun became blocked.
Naruto! Run! Shisui shouted as sapphire blue orbs gazed up at the source of the sudden shade.
~Oh, goody… a serpent.~ Ka'a bared his fangs.
"KA'A!" The blonde yelped in concern at his companion's sudden agitation.
~This is our domain! Snake!~ The Fox-Spirit hissed at the sight of the kitsune's natural prey.
||Khhht… ihh… sssmell… yhouu..|| The giant snake hissed, ||Yhouu… bhee… delishissss…||
Suddenly Ka'a's youki flared in anger at the thought that a prey would think itself the predator over a fox.
Naruto gasped in surprise at the sudden flux of youki flooding his veins. He felt the burning heat that was common to Ka'a's demonic aura flow through every cell and fiber of his being. The heat seemed to bare down on him, making it difficult for him to breath. For a brief moment, Naruto feared that Ka'a's overwhelming ki would consume him when suddenly he found his breath, and the heat dissipated into a gentle breeze.
NARUTO! Shisui screamed.
~Naruto-dono…?~ Ka'a whispered in concern as he remembered to control himself. He had forgotten that his beautiful Jailer had not received the proper training of the houshi. And although by blood itself, the petite teen was immune to the malevolent of Ka'a's youki. Too much demonic aura in such a short time was still a threat to any inexperienced houshi.
"Hunh?" The petite blonde blinked, "Ano… where did the snake go?"
The simple and innocent question caused both the spirit and fox-demon to relax. Their Naruto was alright.
A strong breeze blew through the area, scattering mysterious ash into the winds and throughout the forest.
It's gone, Little One. Shisui sighed in relief.
When the giant snake first appeared and threatened to eat the young fox-vessel, Shisui felt helpless. He could do nothing but stand-by and watch. In that moment, the Uchiha phantom understood the imprisoned fox's frustration. But suddenly as the snake was about to strike, the small blonde began to glow with strange tribal markings on his flesh, and for a brief moment, those sapphire oceanic gems were a striking amethyst. And when the snake was in striking distance, the glow around the blonde intensified, and the snake disappeared into a pile of dust, being carried away by the winds.
"What happened?"
~You purified the serpent.~ Ka'a quietly stated.
~Ka'a! Are you okay?~ Naruto's eyes grew wide as he understood what Ka'a had said. Purification, although a quick process, was a painful way to die for any youkai.
~Yes, my Beautiful One.~ The ancient demon honestly answered, ~Your ki calmed my own… I am more concern about you…~
~Why?~
~I was reckless…~ Ka'a replied as he bowed in submission to his Jailer, ~I had placed you in danger, my gentle Houshi.~
~What are you talking about, Ka'a?~ The blonde did not like the way his friend subjugated himself to the young Genin.
~In my temper,~ Ka'a quietly whispered, ~you were forced to reveal yourself as Kami's Child.~
Naruto then paled as he remembered his 'tousan's warning.