~Scroll 25~
Meanwhile with Naruto and his team...
The petite blonde stood at the river's edge, staring into the calm, mirror-like surface of the river. Sasuke had ordered him to get their meal while he and Sakura were further down river, setting up their camp. But at the moment, food was furthest from the teen's thoughts as his mind was in turmoil.
It had been four days since the start of the Second Exam and their fight with that thrice-damned traitor, Orochimaru.
It had been four days since Naruto last heard from his imprisoned brother, Ka'a, and those four days of unbearable silence had been the worst torment and torture that the blonde had ever experienced. And this was the first chance he had to sort himself and cry. His arms wrapped around his middle in attempts to protect himself as he crumpled to his knees, letting fat tears to fall from his eyes.
Naruto... Shisui whispered as he knelt beside the small Nin. His unearthly hand caressed against the blonde's cheek as the petite youth hiccupped. The Uchiha spirit was at a loss of what to do for the young one.
I'm so sorry... He whispered lamely, I know that I can't replace the Fox, but know this, I'll always be here for you.
At the spirit's words, bright and red-rimmed eyes looked up as Naruto gave his ghostly friend a weak and watery smile.
"Thanks, Shisui..." The blonde whimpered, "It hurts... it hurts here..." He rubbed his fist over his heart, "and what's worse is I know that he's still there but I can't hear him... I can barely feel him..."
Shisui's dark eyes narrowed a bit.
What do you mean? The phantom questioned.
"It's like..." Naruto sniffed, "it's like someone stuffed cotton in my ears and blindfolded me and wrapped me in a woolly blanket... I have to really, really concentrate to sense Ka'a..."
Shisui blinked and blinked again as he racked his memories for an explanation to what Naruto had just described. The only thing that the spirit can think of was that the Snake had somehow disrupted the connection between host and demon. The specter leaned back on his heels as he looked thoughtful.
Naruto blinked his tears away when he noted his friend's silence. He rubbed his face clean then leaned closer to his friend with a speck of hope looming in his heart. Shisui was after all an Uchiha, and Uchihas were super smart so maybe... maybe Shisui knew what was wrong and knew how to fix it.
"Shisui?"
Hmm... The phantom blinked as he stared into Naruto's oceanic blue gems. Naruto, whenever you used a bit of the Fox's chakra, is there a mark that appears that wasn't there before? He questioned, causing the blonde to think and nibble at his lower lip.
His brows knitted together as he vaguely remembered seeing a strange tattoo on his stomach before the oni punched him. Hesitantly Naruto nodded his head, Shisui straightened his posture.
Can you flare your chakra a bit? See if we can see it...
Again Naruto hesitantly nodded his head as he pulled his clothes up and concentrated his chakra to the surface. The blonde can feel the odd instability in his chakra and was careful not to flare out too much that it would draw Sasuke's attention or worse another enemy.
Shisui's eyes grew wide as he saw the intricate seal appear on Naruto's center, over the Keimon chakra node - the Gate of Joy. His fingers ghostly caressed the seal in awe at the craftsmanship that the Fourth Hokage had put into it to seal the demon within the blonde. The original even-numbered seal was designed to suppress and even merge any of the demon's leaked chakra with that of Naruto's, but with an odd-numbered seal placed on top of it... the harmony that Naruto and the Kyuubi originally had had become disrupted, unstable... but... it can be reversed!
Shisui smirked as he stared into the small shinobi's eyes, which grew wide in unabated hope.
We can fix this. The spirit assured the teen.
"Really?!"
Yes, we'll need a Seal Master to reverse the Five-Pong Seal that the bastard placed on you. Of course, the specter continued more to himself that he did not want to see the vengeance that the fox-demon would reap upon Orochimaru once the demon ever got its claws on him... then again, he actually would enjoy seeing that when suddenly, Shisui found himself overwhelmed by a wave of unbridled joy.
The phantom's dark eyes just stared at the petite blonde in pure wonderment. Even in the amidst of all the darkness that surrounded the teen, the small shinobi still hoped and still glowed brightly like a candle weathering a dark and furious storm. Seeing the blonde in such a state of happiness was addicting, even for the dead, and all too soon the euphoria dampened when Sasuke charged out of the trees, kunai at the ready and looking for any threat to the smaller teen.
Your timing sucks, little cousin. Shisui grumbled, causing Naruto to giggle.
"DOBE!" Sasuke growled then narrowed his eyes when he noticed that his dobe did not do as ordered. "What are you doing?! Where's the fish?!"
Immediately Shisui tensed at his cousin's tone and placed himself between the blonde and his enraged living relative. The specter did not like what he was seeing.
Naruto frowned at Sasuke's attitude and at Shisui's reaction. While the blonde appreciated the spirit's protective gesture - even though it would truly do nothing - Naruto was confused as to why the phantom felt the need to protect him from Sasuke of all people.
"Calm down, Sasuke. You'll scare the fish." The blonde chastised the Uchiha heir before looking back at the river.
"Calm down?! I'll scare the fish?!" The dark teen sputtered as he took another angry step forward.
"Yes, you'll scare the fish." The blonde said as if talking to a child, "I only have three fish, which won't last us long. I want to preserve some for later."
"What fish?!" Sasuke snarled, "I don't se -"
The dark-haired teen was interrupted by a sudden splashing in the river and a heavy sigh from his blonde.
"I suppose three will do." Naruto stated while he waded back into the river and pulled out a small net made out of vines, which held three good-sized fish.
Sasuke felt his cheeks burn as he sharply turned around and stalked back to camp.
"Hey! Teme! Help me, you jerk!" Naruto shouted after his teammate, who just continued on his way, "What's bothering him?"
Shisui stayed silent and made a promise to keep an eye on his living relative, hoping that whatever plagued his kin was not the Curse of the Uchiha Clan.
~o.O.o~
As Team 7 sat around the fire, waiting for their meal to finish cooking, Sasuke suddenly broke the silence.
"The Second Exam started four days ago... right?"
"Yeah..." Sakura replied hesitantly.
"And it began around 2:30PM..."
"So it will be over in less than 26 hours." Naruto finished the dark teen's thoughts to which Sasuke nodded his head in agreement.
"A lot of teams must have finished by now." Sakura stated while Sasuke rifled through Naruto's pouch and pulled out the Earth Scroll given to them by the Oto shinobi as penance.
The Uchiha's hand trembled as he held onto the scroll.
"... people will be getting desperate." He mumbled while absently nodding his thanks when Naruto handed him a fish.
Sakura nibbled at her fish when her eyes fell on their scroll and remembered that Orochimaru had burned their Heaven Scroll.
"I'm worried that there might not be any more Heaven Scrolls left."
Naruto and Sasuke both stilled.
"What do you mean, 'neechan?" Naruto asked with a frown.
"Well," The pinkette began to explain, "the second exam is only due to last five days... and four days have already elapsed. That's 80% of the test time...
"There are 26 teams of three competing and only 13 of each scroll, Heaven and Earth. Since you need both scrolls to pass, a maximum of 13 teams will succeed... and that was before that Orochimaru guy who attacked us burned our Heaven Scroll..."
"He did?" Naruto interrupted with a frown while Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and Sakura nodded her head.
"At that point, the number of teams that could possibly pass the test dropped to 12."
"Where did he get the scroll?" The blonde questioned, causing the Uchiha and pinkette to look at him in confusion.
"From you."
"I know that, but where on me did he get the scroll?"
"Your pouch, of course."
"Oh good..." The petite shinobi relaxed as he dumped the contents of his pouch, revealing four scrolls... all of which baring the Heaven emblem.
"Where did you get these?!" Sasuke demanded as he picked one up.
PUFF!
The teen felt his eyes bulged in shock as the Heaven Scroll disappeared and in its place was another scroll with a leaf tied around it.
"I figured it would be a good idea to disguise a couple of scrolls to look like the Heaven Scroll." The blonde explained.
"You mean, that Orochimaru guy burned a fake?!" Sakura gasped.
"Yep!"
"And where's the real Heaven Scroll?!" The brunette looked up to see his dobe run a hand under his golden locks and pulled out...
"A seed?!" Both Sakura and Sasuke blinked.
"It took me awhile to figure it out, but I finally got a hang of it!" The blonde chirped proudly with two fingers before his face.
Slowly he poured his chakra into the seed when suddenly it disappeared and transformed into the real Heaven Scroll.
"See!" Naruto's beautiful eyes sparkled in mirth.
"How did you do that?!" The pinkette looked up in amazement, "And how did you keep it in your hair?!"
"The first part was easy." Naruto explained, "I just transformed the scroll into a seed. It was keeping it as a seed with little roots tangled in my hair... that was hard, but I did it! Cool, hunh?!"
Sakura blinked then squealed in delight as she hugged her blonde otouto.
"You're amazing!" She exclaimed.
"I'm going to the bathroom then we head out." Sasuke ordered as he stood up and left.
While Sakura looked at the different scrolls, Naruto concentrated on transforming both Heaven and Earth Scrolls into seeds before putting them into his hair. Once secure, the blonde shook his head to be doubly sure that the seeds were safely tucked away then he began to pack away his extra scrolls. Oceanic blue gems looked up to see his 'neechan holding one scroll with the original markings of being an encyclopedia on local flora and fauna. The blonde smiled when he noted the pinkette's curiosity as she was about to open the scroll when Naruto's smile vanished from his face at the sudden silence that engulfed their little camp.
Before Naruto can give a warning cry, their camp echoed with a resounding slap of flesh smacking flesh.
Sakura yelped in surprise.
Naruto tensed at the sudden intruder.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kabuto coolly remarked as he stared at the two Genin, "Don't you remember the rules?!"
At that moment, Sasuke emerged from the tree line to see a stranger near his dobe. An enemy...?! He thought as he rushed to his blonde's defense. The raven-haired teen appeared in front of his Earth Elementalist, who in turn stood protectively before the pinkette. Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed on the grey-haired Konoha Nin, daring him to attack.
Kabuto, however, had other intentions.
"That was close..." He began lecturing, " 'Those who disobey the rules will find themselves in a situation where they will be forced to withdraw from the exam'. Last time I took this test, everyone who peeked at the scrolls was hit in the eye with a spell of hypnosis the moment they looked inside. They all lay unconscious here in the Forest of Death until after the exam was over."
Sasuke growled at the older Genin's gall at lecturing him. He took a step forward but stopped when he felt a warm hand grab his wrist, immediately knowing that is was his blonde.
"Here..." Naruto stated as he threw the half-opened scroll at the grey-haired Nin, who blinked in surprise at the blonde's action. "That's an encyclopedia scroll on the types of plants and animals one can expect to find in the Land of Fire, specifically around Konoha."
Kabuto's dark eyes snapped down then grew wide in realization that was exactly what he had in his hands. Looking up, he felt the blonde's gaze never wavering, even assessing him. The older Genin hid his smirk under the guise of an embarrassed blush and mentally was surprised when Naruto's eyes narrowed as if the blonde did not believe his humble ruse.
"I'm sorry... I thought that this was -"
"What are you doing wandering around by yourself?" Sasuke interrupted in his demanding tone that made the blonde look at his teammate in concern.
"Well..." Kabuto started, "I wasn't after your scroll, if that's what you're implying."
Team 7 remained quiet, getting the sense that the older shinobi was fishing for information.
"If you must know, I got separated from my team. I'm on my way to join up with them at the tower now."
Naruto just stared at the ninja with the quiet Heart Song. The small hairs at the nape of his neck were on their ends. There was something about this shinobi that put the blonde on edge, and judging by the way Shisui was glowering at the grey-haired Nin, the petite Genin's instinct were not wrong. It was just that he did not know what type of threat the older Konoha Nin posed. Then suddenly Naruto turned his attention to the tree line, catching the other's attention as well.
Kabuto's dark eyes scanned the tree line, and although he may not have seen what had caught the demon vessel's attention, he did sense the faint chakra signature of an unknown ninja hiding in the trees. Habitually he pushed his glasses up to hide his smirk then snuck a side glance at the younger Genin.
"What is it, dobe?" Sasuke questioned while his eyes flittered about the trees.
"Trouble..." The blonde replied.
"I agree..." The grey-haired Nin commented, "Let's move. The smoke from your fire and the aroma of those fish you roasted can be smelled for a quite a distance. By now, every wild animal or enemy in the area must be moving in on us."
And then why do I get the feeling that you are the worst of the threats... Shisui remarked while giving his young friend a worried look.
"Not much we can do now." Naruto mumbled, causing Sakura to look at him curiously, but the blonde just shook his head.
The pinkette frowned but did not say anything as their team plus Kabuto ran through the trees.
"Are there even any enemies left this late?" Sasuke questioned after a while.
"Lots of 'em!" Kabuto answered, "If you were more alert, you'd know it, too.
"It takes intelligence to win battles in territory like a jungle or forest... and do you know the intelligent thing to do?"
"Umm..." Sakura stuttered.
"We all share a common goal..." The older Genin hinted.
"The tower." Naruto replied.
"Right." The grey-haired shinobi said, "The tower in the center of the forest.
"So the closer we get to the end of the exam, the more people will be carrying to the finish line..." Kabuto continued, "making the tower and its vicinity the likeliest place to find them."
"You're talking about an ambush!" Sakura gasped in surprise.
"That's right... there are going to be a lot of desperate characters setting snares for the unwary around the tower."
"Great." Sasuke grumbled as he passed a glance at his dobe, knowing that the petite shinobi had their set of scrolls.
"There's also one more thing..." The grey-haired Nin warned, "This type of exam brings out another sort of enemy... I call them the Collectors."
"Collectors?" Sakura asked.
"Even when you're standing at the tower door and you think you're home free, don't relax your guard for an instant. The conditions of this exam are apt to give rise to them... Bottom Feeders." Kabuto explained, "They're the ones who may not be good enough to beat every enemy they find... so they try to get their hands on as many extra sets of scrolls as they can to buy themselves safe passage from anyone they can't or won't face fairly.
"Some of them also want to have extra scrolls to offer other teams from their village who may not have fared as well because if those teams are on their second or third attempts at passing the Chuunin Exams, the Collectors can barter the surplus scrolls for advance intelligence about the next stages of the test.
"And there are those who aren't after your scroll... they're after your life! They want to eliminate strong teams now just so they'll have less competition to deal with as they move on to the third exam and beyond. And, as you can probably guess, most of these shrewd, ruthless teams never make the mistake of getting complacent or letting their own guard down. Those are the deadliest and the worst!"
"So..." Sasuke darkly chuckled, "that's why you didn't just take off. You're vulnerable, too!"
The older Genin just glanced at the Uchiha heir.
"Safety in number, eh?" The dark haired teen questioned, causing Kabuto to grin.
"Right."