17. Mysterious Meetings
I blinked tired eyes as I took in my surroundings and desperately tried to clear my foggy brain. The fatigue and sluggishness that affected my brain had traveled throughout my entire body. Despite the mid-morning sun shining brightly down upon us, I felt I could close my eyes and fall asleep. But that had not been the case last night. I'd lain awake, tossing and turning until the wee hours of the morning. When I finally did drift off, I'd woken soon after in a cold sweat, so twisted in my own sheets it caused me to panic and abandon my bed all together. Every time I'd tried to close my eyes, I was greeted with the vision of violet-shaded eyes; identical to the ones I'd been forced to look into in the mirror this morning. That alone had caused more panic to bubble to the surface.
I'd faced death; I'd hovered on its edges only a couple months prior. If I summoned forth the memories, I could see Zabuza's sharpened teeth, could feel the icy cold of Haku's prison, remembered the heartache and guilt that had come from thinking I'd lost my teammate. But I hadn't lost sleep over it and the memories only strengthened my resolve to become stronger. But yesterday's events had rattled me to my core.
I couldn't explain it, this hold Natsuo held over me. I'd seen the bloodlust in Zabuza's eyes, but Natsuo's filled me with dread and anxiety. There was something uncontrolled in those eyes. Zabuza had meant to kill us; there was no mystery as to why or how. But there was an untamed animal in those purple eyes; not only one that desired to see my pain, but also one that would play with its food. Worst of all, I had no idea why. Did he like to inflict pain for the pure pleasure? Was he a psychopathic killer waiting to strike and could not be reasoned with?
I was terrified in a way I'd scarcely experienced before. The thought of him turned my veins to ice and my stomach to churn dangerously. So nauseous and fearful and ashamed I was that, upon returning home, I brushed past my brother and his questions straight for the stairs. I could only hear his voice in disassociation and managed a "I'm fine" to his change in inflection before shutting myself away in my room.
I'd spent my morning trying to calm my mind, gain control over my focus. I tried to push that pair of eyes from my mind. I couldn't afford a distraction right now. I couldn't afford to be lethargic and distracted as I entered the second exam; especially with the vision I was currently taking in before me.
We assembled before a mass of forestry on the very outskirts of Konoha. The trees were so densely packed together that no sunlight seemed to break through the canopies. A coolness radiated from the forest, causing hairs to rise on my skin despite the sun beating down on us. The forestry was surrounded by a chain-linked fence, topped with barb wire. A battered sign hung from the links, its bright red words warning: Forest of Death. Do not Enter.
The genin clustered together, silently staring up at said sign. None of our team had spoken a word. The intimidation emanating from the forest seemed to take our need for speech. Anko finally stalked through us, coming up to the fence before us and standing there importantly.
"Welcome to the Forest of Death," she announced. She indicated the forestry behind her. "This is where the second exam will take place."
"This place sure is creepy," Sakura squeaked so quietly I didn't think she'd meant to say it aloud. Naruto was watching the forest with apprehension.
Anko's eyes sparkled with mischief and a wicked grin broke out across her face. "Once inside, you'll discover why this place is called the Forest of Death."
Swell.
"Once inside, you'll discover why this place is called the Forest of Death," Naruto repeated in a mockingly high voice, wiggling his hips up and down.
"Naruto, stop it!" I hissed down the line, but he didn't seem to hear me.
"There's no point in trying to spook us! You're not gunna scare me away!" Naruto nodded to agree with himself, crossing his arms over his chest nonchalantly.
"Oh really? Well aren't you energetic?" Anko's eyes narrowed, still grinning. A kunai slipped out of her sleeve into her hand and she thrust it at Naruto before he had any time to comprehend what was happening. The kunai sailed past him, just grazing his right cheek, leaving a thin, bleeding cut in its wake. Before Naruto could feel his initial uneasiness, Anko had appeared behind Naruto, sweeping away a fresh drop of blood with her finger. "It's boys like you that die first; after spilling that red blood I love all over the place."
Naruto was finally unnerved; not that I blamed him. When Anko took a taste of her newly stained finger, I shuddered, my shoulder bumping into Sasuke's. I murmured an apology to him but kept my focus on Anko. These Exams sure were putting me in contact with a lot of people I was completely fine not being associated with. And the list was just getting longer.
Anko had reached down to the kunai holster on her thigh, but had halted when she became preoccupied with something hovering over her shoulder. A girl with long black hair, a Grass headband covering her forehead, stood behind her a good foot or so. That distance was covered by an unnaturally long tongue protruding from the girl's mouth. It reached the distance to Anko's shoulder and the tip of the tongue was wrapped around the kunai Anko had released the moment earlier.
Another shudder racked my body. What's with her tongue!? How can that be normal!?
Anko smiled as she took the offered kunai from the tongue. "Thank you. But don't stand behind me like that; unless you want to die young."
The tongue retracted back into the girl's mouth and she spoke with a raspy voice. "Gomen. I got excited at the sight of blood."
"Looks like we have some hot-headed candidates this year," Anko's eyes gleamed as the Grass ninja melted back into the ground. Naruto now glared at her, rubbing at his wounded cheek.
Anko strutted back towards the front of the group, once more standing in front of the fence. A sign beside her head read: WARNING: YOU MAY DIE.
"Now, before we start the second exam, I'm going to pass these out to everyone," Anko reached into her tan trench coat and pulled out a stack of papers. She passed the pile to the nearest genin, who took a sheet and passed the rest along. A Chunnin appeared from the side, passing out writing utensils. When the pile reached me, I took a sheet and passed them to Sasuke. My eyes instantly scanned the document. CONSENT FORM was stamped across the top of the page.
As my eyes skimmed over the form, Anko spoke. "If you are taking this exam, you must sign this form."
"Why?" Naruto asked, obviously not having read his form.
Anko smiled. "Just so we have your consent that if you die it is not our fault."
Several faces paled at that. Idiots. She was purposely trying to scare us. If we were jumpy now, whatever this test was going to be, it wasn't going to be fun.
"Now, you will all be going through this extreme survival match," Anko took out a scroll from one of her deep pockets. It was a map of the Forest of Death which she unraveled and held up for everyone to see. "First, I'll explain the training area's geographical features. This forest has forty-four locked gate entrances all around the area. There's a river, a forest and a tower in the middle. The tower is approximately ten kilometers from the gate entrances. Inside this limited space you will have to go through a difficult survival program; a survival program where anything goes."
Anko took away her map and produced two more scrolls from her coat. One of the scrolls was cream colored and the symbol for Heaven was printed in bold on the surface of the scroll that we could see. The other scroll was black, depicting the symbol for Earth.
"You will be fighting for possession of these scrolls. Twenty-six teams passed the first exam. Half of those teams will receive a Scroll of Heaven prior to entering the forest. The other half will receive a Scroll of Earth."
"And once we obtain both scrolls?" Sasuke prompted.
"Once you've obtained both a Heaven and Earth scroll, you and your teammates must bring the scrolls to the tower in the center of the forest."
Okay, not so bad... Keep one scroll from being taken while fighting teams for the other scroll. Get the scrolls and ourselves to the tower without dying.
Easy peasy.
"That's why she said half of us would be eliminated," I muttered thoughtfully, envisioning the shattered glass and black banner from yesterday's grand entrance.
"Oh, and there's a time limit," Anko added, almost as an afterthought. "The second exam ends after 120 hours. Those who do not reach the tower by the end of that time will be disqualified."
Five days!?
"What about food!?" a panicked Chouji called out from the ground.
"The forest will provide you with everything you need," Anko assured us. "But don't eat any of the poisonous bugs or plants. Maybe stay clear of the man-eating beasts."
"Can we quit in between?" Shikamaru asked from somewhere to the right.
"Once you are in the forest, you must be in there for the duration of the time," Anko answered, before holding up her fingers. And while we're on the topic, here are the conditions that will fail you. First, a team who cannot bring both scrolls to the tower with all their teammates will fail. Second, a team that loses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail. Also, just as a note, you are not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower. "
"What happens if we look?" Naruto asked.
"That's a surprise to whomever dares to peek," Anko winked with a sly grin, waving her finger as if at naughty children. "If you become a Chuunin, you will be handling top secret documents. It's to determine your reliability. That's all I will say. We will exchange your consent forms for your team scroll and then you will pick a gate to enter through. Everyone will get a ten-minute recess to sign your forms and then we will all begin at the same time."
Anko indicated to two booths far to our right. Chuunin sat there, leafing through papers. She smiled at us. "Ten minutes. Oh, and just one last piece of advice: don't die."
I rolled my eyes. Gee thanks. Never would have figured that one out on my own.
I glanced back down to my form as the genin began to mill around. My eyes skimmed the text once more but I found nothing of importance. The message was simple and took up very little of the page. There was no fancy writing, only clear verbiage that should I die through the course of the exam, Konoha was in no way liable. Glancing up from the paper, I found myself standing utterly alone.
I only sighed in resignation. Squad Seven's douchiness at its finest. My eyes scanned the clearing but I caught no sight of any of my teammates. I did spot a large boulder some ten feet away and wandered over. Ducking behind the massive stone, I flopped down onto the grass, resting my back against the cool stone. Resting my sheet on my lap, I put my borrowed pencil to the paper.
Sign here…Date here…Sign here…Date…Sign…
After an unnecessary amount of signing, initialing and dating, my form was completed. My eyes scanned the form yet again, my mind adrift. The dramaticism was laughable, but I was sure the exam was not. Five days in a deadly forest, surrounded by deadly opponents. If we were on our own from the moment we entered, no one was coming to our rescue. We had our personal sets of skills and that was all; and this worried me.
The fact that the four of us survived the Land of Waves was still a surprise to me. In fact, I'd barely made it out alive. If it weren't for Sasuke's quick thinking, I wouldn't be sitting here today. Would what we had be enough to pass this exam?
Sighing, I attempted to pull my thoughts from the vast sea of uncertainty they'd submerged into. I clambered to my feet, putting a hand against the stone for assistance. I'd barely gained my footing when a shadow loomed over me. I hadn't the chance to identify my visitor when my back slammed up against the stone. The air in my lungs left with a wheeze as my head collided with the tone and I found myself choking for air. My hands instinctively flew to my neck, clawing at the hand clamped around it.
Coughing, I glanced up. Tears blurred the edges of my vision, but I still saw him perfectly clear. Natsuo stared down at me, his lips twisted into a smirk.
"Hello, Nakao."
My chest heaved up and down as I gasped for air. I blinked away tears and the dizziness slowly creeping into my mind. Natsuo loosened his grip and I gulped at the air, trying to suck in as much as possible. Coughing, I tried to steel my nerves. "What…do…you want?"
"Where will be the mystery if I tell you?" he grinned his predatory grin. He bent his head down towards mine, his blonde bangs falling into his eyes. His lips were right next to my ear and his warm breath caused my body to shudder. "But you've been such a good sport…"
His hand tightened around my windpipe again and my body immediately began to struggle.
His words hissed against my ear. "I want to watch the life flow from your body. I want to see the grass stained red with your blood. I want your last vision to be me, standing over you."
My heart pounded against my ribcage. My legs kicked out and I felt my foot come in contact with his shin. Natsuo swore as he pulled away, but his hand remained firmly clamped. I felt his grip constrict.
"That wasn't very nice," his eyes gleamed with obvious irritation, but after a moment he seemed to school his face. It wiped blank and his grip finally loosened. "Regardless. I won't kill you now. Not yet."
"Who the hell are you?" I ground out, my eyes flashing in ire. "What the hell did I ever do to you?"
Natsuo's eyes darkened and I felt like I wasn't even staring at a human anymore. He was an animal, his eyes soulless but filled with bloodlust. When he spoke, he growled, and I feared he might try to attack me again. "You know nothing."
My hand slid down my hips towards my daggers, my throat dry. But at that moment, Natsuo's head perked up and I heard the footsteps that had distracted him. They were nearing us and I was ashamed at the relief that flooded through me. Natsuo listened keenly for a moment, as a wolf might, before a very wolfish grin spread across his face.
The grin chilled my blood. The footsteps were at the rock now, someone would be here any second. But as I made to shout out, Natsuo brought his face closer once more, pushing his lips against mine. My scream caught in my throat as my eyes widened, my mind slow to understand what was happening; and still confused when it did.
I heard the footsteps come to a halt but as my vision was obstructed by Natsuo's face, I could not see who they belonged to. Natsuo held the kiss for another moment before finally pulling away from me. I was breathing heavily, my face red from shock and outrage. Beneath the wave of rage, I could feel the fear pulsing in my heart. Natsuo's soulless eyes gleamed at me before I turned away, appearing completely unfazed to greet the new arrival.
"Ah, Uchiha Sasuke," Natsuo said conversationally. "How are you?"
My eyes quickly shifted to Sasuke, my heart beating wildly, my stomach clenching in knots. I felt sick with appall and a fresh shame flooded through me. Sasuke's face was blank, as per usual, and his eyes trained on my face. He stood completely still, shoulders set back. I wondered if he could feel the storm of emotions that raged within me.
After a moment, Sasuke's eyes finally slipped over to Natsuo and he seemed to study him for a minute. My body screamed at me to flee, but my brain refused. I needed to break this hold Natsuo had on me. Even in Sasuke's presence, I felt less than secure. But the trained and stubborn part of me refused to let Natsuo see what he did to me; or at least more than he already witnessed.
Sasuke spoke, his eyes still trained on Natsuo. "It's time to hand in our forms."
"Ah, that time already? Thank you for informing us," Natsuo continued to smile. "You go on ahead; I'll make sure Nakao gets back to your team."
A chill ran down my spine. What more did this monster want from me? I didn't want to be alone with him, my instincts fired in my head to flee. But I squared my shoulders because I would not. I would not let him take control of me. But I could not deny the anxiety that swirled in my chest and the uncomfortable churning of my stomach.
"No," said Sasuke and the response spread relief through my body. "We need to head to the booths as I team. Let's go, Nakao."
Sasuke's eyes slid over to me and I forced a look of defiance onto my face. I noted that my form was clenched in my fist and I relaxed my hand, trying to regain control over my own body. My eyes darted to Natsuo and I saw the anger flash across his face.
I wanted to dash away, but I schooled my nerves and calmly moved past Natsuo, half expecting him to lash out at me. He didn't, however and I found myself at Sasuke's side. I didn't look to Natsuo, I gave no air of fear, I only turned on my heel and walked away. I felt Natsuo's glare on my back and my shoulders tensed, expecting an attack, but I refused the urge to look back. I set my gaze forward and continued to move away with the air of nonchalance.
Neither Sasuke nor I spoke as we made our way towards Sakura and Naruto. They were standing to the side of a booth, peering here and there before they caught a glimpse of us. There was a tension between us, though I could not place its origin.
We met our teammates and we fell into line behind another squad, who disappeared behind a banner covering the booth to secure secrecy of the other team's scroll. When they exited, we stepped into the booth. Several chuunin sat at a table and took our sheets from us. They scanned our paperwork, ensuring their completion before a chuunin handed Naruto a Heaven scroll. Sasuke snatched it, shoving it into his backpack before we left the booth.
Squabbling quickly ensued. Naruto insisted he be allowed to hold the scroll, but Sasuke turned him down at every argument. As we wandered around the perimter of the forest, looking for a vacant gate, I ensured Naruto that we would take turns handling the scroll and to please keep his voice down, or others would know who was carrying our scrolls.
By the time we reached an unoccupied entrance, Naruto had calmed down and was now bouncing with excitement. He bounced on his heels, a large grin over his face as we waited outside gate twelve. "I'm so ready for this!"
"Is there anything you're not ready for?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, appearing annoyed but sounding almost amused.
I tried to focus on my team, but I remained distracted. Natsuo was filling my mind and the memory of being so near to him set my teeth on edge. I could feel my throat still throbbing. My lips felt dry and the memory of him pushing his lips on mine made me feel nauseous. His audacity sparked my irritation.
I believed a lot of my fear came from the unknown. Why did Natsuo hate me so much? Why did he seek my destruction? What could I have possibly done to him? I hadn't been aware of his existence, and yet he perceived some kind of slight.
The rest of the fear came from his demeanor. There was no rationalization in his eyes. He was unstable and angry and these enemies were the most dangerous. He was unpredictable and hellbent and I already knew there was no way to dissuade him from his belief. I did not understand him and it left me feeling hopelessly without any kind of plan.
I desperately attempted to pull my mind to the present and looked to Naruto, a thin, forced smile on my lips. "Don't waste all your energy yet, Naruto. We've got five days to go."
Naruto pouted in my direction. I felt Sasuke's eyes on me, assessing, but I ignored him. I couldn't bring myself to show weakness in front of him, and I had no desire to be a liability to our team.
A chuunin walked over to us, passing us without comment. He checked his watch quickly before pulling a key from his pocket and shoving it into the padlock that locked the gate. A moment passed before the screech of a whistle rang through the air. The chuunin turned his key and pulled it out before flinging the gate open and stepping aside.
Naruto cheered, immediately rushing through the gates. Sakura urged him caution as the three of us followed him into the forest. As we stepped beneath the vast canopies, the atmosphere twisted. The air around us was dank and cool. While the sunlight had warmed us by the gate, only strips of light managed to reach the forest floor. The world around us was dimmer than dusk and my body gave an involuntary shiver.
"Oh, let's go this way! No, this way!" Naruto hopped around an overgrown pass, peering around himself eagerly.
"Naruto, take a breather," I said, also glancing around myself. The forest floor was completely overgrown with vines and the trees and bushes surrounding us grew unchecked. I came to a stop and glanced as my teammates surrounded me. "What's our plan?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak when a high-pitched scream echoed through the forest. I tensed and glanced around myself instinctively, although the scream sounded as though it came from many meters away.
"Did you guys here that scream?" Sakura squeaked and I noted a slight tremble in her arms.
My eyes were still darting around, although our surroundings remain undisturbed. "It wasn't very near to us. We should keep moving, but I think we should discuss what our game plan is."
Sakura glanced over to me skeptically and it was clear my words had done nothing to eliminate her concern. "I'm beginning to get nervous."
"Well knock it off," I snapped as my brain shifted focus. I finally felt more in control of my thoughts and I focused my eyes on her. "Fear is not a luxury we have right now, Sakura. This is do or die time. Let's figure out what we want to do. I think we should establish ourselves further into the forest before seeking another scroll. We're here for five days and I don't want to be bruised and bloodied before the true danger begins."
Sakura's lips sealed in a firm line, but she didn't look angry. Her eyes took me in, as well as the truth of my words. Where once she may have detested my taking charge, she seemed willing to permit me the position. I glanced over to Sasuke, ready to ask his opinion, until Naruto interrupted.
"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Sakura!" Naruto beamed, turning back around to face the three of us. I glanced over to him in time to see his face drop into discomfort. I raised an eyebrow but was denied a response before his outburst. "I have to pee!"
Naruto sprinted towards the nearest tree, unbuckling his belt in a frenzy. My nose wrinkled in distaste and annoyance but Sakura rushed over to him, swinging a fist into the back of his head. "Not in front of me you don't!"
Naruto pouted, rubbing the newly formed bump on his head. But he conceded and waddled off into the forestry. Sakura let out a sigh and turned back around, arms folded over her chest. I glanced at Sasuke, whose eyes were shut like he was trying to handle all the idiocy.
"Sasuke, I trust that you have a little more class," I sighed, rubbing my temples. Our planning was not going well thus far and I was growing frustrated.
A long moment passed before a bush rustling from our right indicated Naruto's return. He was still futzing with his zipper as he neared us. "Ah, that's better! I wrote my whole name!"
Another heavy sigh from me as Sakura immediately scolded him. "Shut up, Naruto!"
Without warning, Sasuke rushed forward, punching Naruto beneath the chin and sending him sprawling into a tree behind him. I stepped back in shock and confusion.
"Sasuke, you didn't have to go that far!" Sakura gasped, looking between Sasuke and Naruto with concern.
My mind was reeling, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. I trained my eyes on Sasuke and Naruto, trying to discern what I had missed.
"Yeah Sasuke, what the hell!?" Naruto yelled angrily, wiping a stream of blood from his lips and hopping to his feet.
Sasuke did not answer and relentlessly rushed Naruto again, aiming a kick at his chest. Naruto dodged by jumping high into the air, landing on a high tree branch. The action sent a jolt through my body and my brain finally clicked. Sasuke was behind the blonde in less than a second, who dodged one kick but took the second to his chest and flew back towards the ground.
I immediately rushed forwards, grabbing for my daggers. Sasuke had already landed, however, the moment Naruto had smashed into the ground. Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his holster as Naruto struggled to his feet and I came up behind him so that Sasuke and I stood on either side.
Naruto glanced to me, then at Sasuke, his teeth gritted. He grabbed for one of his own kunai. "Fine!"
I rushed the boy but he dodged out of the way at the last second, only to be rushed by Sasuke. He caught Sasuke's kunai with his own, the clashing of metal ringing out around us.
"Sasuke, Nakao!" Sakura cried in horror, her eyes wide as she took in the scene before her.
"Sakura, put up your guard!" I quickly yelled at her, surprising her further.
"Where's the real Naruto," Sasuke glared at his opponent, pushing against Naruto's kunai with his own.
"R-Real Naruto?" Sakura whispered.
"What are you talking about!?" Naruto shouted.
"Don't play stupid. Naruto is right handed, but your kunai pouch is on your left leg. And the scratch on Naruto's cheek from the examiner is gone. You're worse at transformations than Naruto," Sasuke glared.
"Not to mention your technique is completely unlike Naruto's. If you want to pull of a successful transformation, try studying your victims," I added, still gripping one blade. The other I replaced but kept my hand hovering over the handle so I could draw it or use a jutsu if needed. I hadn't noticed the kunai pouch, but the way 'Naruto' had jumped into a tree to dodge Sasuke's attack had jarred my brain into recognition. Naruto would have stumbled to the side, not leapt away in that manner.
My eyes quickly set to scanning the area. Sasuke seemed to have our opponent taken care of but I was weary of his sole appearance. Was his team waiting nearby?
The imposter chuckled finally chuckled. "So, you figured me out."
'Naruto' disappeared into a cloud of white smoke. When it began to dissipate, a new figure stood in his place. The subject was male, the same height as Sasuke. A Grass headband was tied around his forehead. He was wearing a strange yellow suit that looked like it might be made for diving, and a strange device covered his mouth and masked his voice.
"Now, which one of you has the scroll!?" the ninja's gaze flashed over towards Sakura, who stood paralyzed to the side.
The ninja pushed against Sasuke with enough force to break their stalemate. He wasted no time in rushing Sakura, his kunai poised for attack. Sakura gasped, fumbling for a kunai. I was quicker and slid in front of Sakura, catching his kunai with my blade. His momentary surprise let me slide his kunai away from my face and my free hand grabbed his wrist. Using a solid amount of force, I swung him away from us and tossed him away.
The opponent back flipped before he could fly too far. Relentlessly, he flew back down towards us. I instinctively shoved Sakura backwards and subconsciously heard her hit the ground. My attention was focused on my enemy however as he flew down at me. My dagger clashed against his kunai once more and we struggled against one another. Afraid to pull one hand away to grab my other blade, I chose to toss my head forward, bashing my forehead into his and causing him to jerk backwards.
"Nakao, move!"
At Sasuke's command, I moved without hesitation. I wasn't certain of his location but I jumped away into the tree behind me. Disoriented, the Grass ninja frantically looked around himself, finally finding Sasuke standing on a tree branch in a tree opposite mine. Sasuke was finishing a series of handsigns and our opponent was greeted with a rain of fireballs.
To his credit, the ninja managed to dodge Sasuke's fireballs by expertly jumping into the air. This is where Sasuke met him, kunais clashed in battle once more. The two pushed away from one another, landing in separate trees. Obviously deciding he was outmatched, the Grass ninja turned on his heel and fled, rushing away from us via tree branches. Sasuke quickly took pursuit.
"Sakura, let's go!" I quickly called down to the kunoichi. She was still gaining her bearings as I rushed after Sasuke.
I sped through the forestry, finally picking out Sasuke's navy blue shirt ahead of me. I saw him throw a kunai down into a clear, despite the enemy standing on a nearby tree branch. My eyes narrowed in confusion.
As Sasuke threw the kunai downward, the Grass ninja took out several kunais of his own. "Ha, I see a weak spot!"
I grew nearer to the clearing, stopping on a tree branch that allowed me a view of what had gained Sasuke's attention. A flash of orange solved the mystery. I barely caught a glimpse of Naruto struggling out of newly cut rope before movement caught my attention. The Grass ninja threw his kunai towards Sasuke, who let himself fall, grabbing onto the tree branch instead of standing atop it. The kunai embedded themselves into the tree branch instead of Sasuke, but the Grass ninja's eyes narrowed in anticipation and I noted explosive tags hanging from the kunais.
"Sasuke!" I called out, immediately rushing over.
However, Sasuke had seen the tags and he dropped down into the clearing below as the tags exploded. I halted just a tree away and felt the debris the explosion had caused sweep against me. No sooner had a stopped when I felt someone land beside me on the tree branch. I made to move around but wasn't given the opportunity when I felt cold steel against my neck.
Kuso.
My body tensed, my mind berating me for being caught by the enemy. Said enemy chuckled to himself, pressing the metal against my throat just short of breaking skin. "Now, hand over the scroll."
"I don't have it," I said simply before bringing back my elbow and plowing it into the ninja's gut. I heard the sharp intake of his breath as he was hit and he doubled backwards. I spun around, aiming my dagger at his chest, but he fumbled backwards, just out of reach. Sasuke was there instantly and used his momentary distraction to ram a kunai into the ninja's abdomen.
"Sasuke!"
Sakura's voice cut through my attention and I glanced over to find that Sakura had finally caught up to us. She stood on a thick branch several feet away, taking in the scene before her.
"Sakura, look out for his teammates!" I called to her. I was doubtful that his teammates lingered nearby, as they should have interjected by now, but it was not safe to make assumptions.
Sakura's head jerked in my direction before heeding my advice and fumbling for a kunai. I turned my attention back to Sasuke to find our enemy clutching at his bleeding abdomen. He stumbled away from Sasuke before fleeing through the trees. I took out a kunai, sailing it at the ninja's retreating back. He managed to dodge just in time before he disappeared into the forestry.
After collecting Naruto, who finally broke free of his bonds, our team put a fair amount of distance between ourselves and the clearing we'd been fighting in. We sat in a circle, passing around a canteen of water.
"If the four of us get separated, we can't trust anyone; even if they look like us," Sasuke commented from my immediate left. "We need a password."
I crossed my legs, brushing some dirt from my dark green cargos. "Secret handshake?"
"A passphrase," Sasuke glanced at me.
I shrugged. "I'm listening."
"I'm only gunna say it once so listen carefully," Sasuke warned. "First, you'll have to ask, 'What is the ninja song Ninki?'. The answer is: 'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and has his guard down.'"
I silenced an aggravated sigh. Leave it to Sasuke to pick the longest passphrase in history. I screwed my face in concentration. It's a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts in a…quiet…place? It's important to know the right time. When the enemy is tired and his guard is down. Shit…is that it…?
I frowned, squinting my eyes shut in concentration, running through the phase several times in my mind to try and commit it to memory. I hoped no one would notice the anxious grimace. Sakura on the other hand, nodded confidently. "Got it."
"Um…can you say it again?" Naruto asked meekly, grabbing our attention.
"No, Naruto, I said I'd only say it once," Sasuke said, getting to his feet and brushing off his shorts.
"God Naruto, you can't remember that? I've already got it memorized," Sakura smugly smirked.
"No need to compensate for being completely useless during our fight," I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I wanted to snap at her for putting Naruto down, but getting into a spat with her wouldn't get us anywhere. I wanted us to be united for this exam, but her picking on Naruto grated at me.
Sakura shot me a sinister glare, one I returned before remembering my previous thought and clearing my face, getting to my feet.
"I just wanted to make sure I heard everything right!" Naruto tried to defend himself.
"I'll keep holding onto the scroll," Sasuke said, ignoring the three of us.
"But-ow!" Naruto put a hand to his cheek. We glanced over to him as he pulled his hand away. There was a cut on his cheek and I watched a drop of blood well from the wound before it dripped down his face.
I narrowed my eyes, tilting my head. "What in the-"
Before I could finish my thought, a blast of wind billowed through the clearing. It was so sharp and so strong that it stung my face and I threw my arms over my face in an attempt to protect it. The wind pushed against me and I felt my feet sliding against the dirt before they were pushed out from beneath me and my scream was lost to the wind as I was swept away like a twig.
I came to with a jolt, heart hammering in my chest. My confusion was quickly consumed by a sharp throbbing in my right temple. I put pressure against my temple with my hand, slowly sitting up. I peeled open my eyes, blinking several times to dull the brightness.
As my eyes adjusted, I realized it was very bright at all. I glanced around to find myself completely surrounded by brush and massive tree trunks. Only one patch of sunlight broke through the tree canopies.
What…where am I?
The memory of being swept away by a massive gust of wind swam to the surface of my mind. I pulled my hand from my head, briefly noting a small stain of crimson. I brushed it haphazardly on my pants before getting to my feet. My ears strained for sound, my chakra probing for a presence, but I detected no immediate threat. But nor did I detect signs of my teammates.
Anxiety swirled in my chest but I pushed it away. My thoughts ran rampant with concern over my teammates. Had they been swept away too? Were they still back in the clearing, under attack? How long had I been out? What was that wind? Was it a trap in the forest, or an enemy?
I began to pick my way through the wildly growing brush, using my kunai to hack away large clumps of nettles that blocked my path. I wasn't sure where I was going. I had no idea where I was, and no exact idea of where I'd come from. With no direct sight of the sun, I couldn't be sure if I was north, south, east or west. I had no idea of how I was going to find my teammates, or what I would do if I found someone else's teammates.
Making a conscious effort to remain inconspicuous, it took me longer than normal to make my way forward. Every snap of a twig beneath my feet caused me to flinch. But, finally, by sheer fortune, I caught a glimpse of blue and pink through the bushes ahead of me. I sighed in relief.
She really needs to lose the pink. I can see her from here.
I pushed through the bushes, finding myself in a wide clearing. Sasuke and Sakura had their backs turned to me originally, but whipped around the moment I stepped through the brush. Sakura's face looked pale and panicky and even Sasuke's body was tensed. His eyes were darting back and forth, clearly on edge. The sight did little to ease my own anxiety.
I took an uneasy step into the clearing, holding my hands up in surrender. "Hey guys…"
Sakura seemed to snap out of her frantic state, holding up a hand. "Wait Nakao, what's the password?"
Oh fuck…
My eyes drifted upwards as I tried to pull the words from memory. "Right…um…There's enemy…ninja…causing a scene. Uh…so the time is right when no one else is around…When it's…quiet…and his guard is down…?"
Well. That wasn't right.
I eyed Sasuke warily, wondering if he would attack me. Sakura's lips twisted into a frown, glancing skeptically up at Sasuke. I licked my lips nervously, wondering if Sasuke's stupid password was going to become a serious problem. Should I tell him something only I would know? The thought made my queasy even if Sakura wasn't here to hear it.
Sasuke's eyes scanned me and I tried to convey words with my eyes. But as the silence grew uncomfortably long, a rustle of branches caught our attention. We glanced to the brush to my right in time to see the bushes pull apart and Naruto stepped into the clearing. His blue eyes caught sight of our team and he grinned, rushing forward.
He came within a foot of me before Sakura's demand stopped him in his tracks. "Wait, Naruto, what's the password?"
Naruto blinked, then grinned. "Oh, right. It is a good chance when a large amount of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It's important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and his guard is down."
Oooh, that's the password! Wait…how did Naruto remember that?
No sooner had the thought passed my mind before Sasuke whipped the kunai in his hand straight towards Naruto. I stiffened as Naruto dodged to the left, rolling onto the ground before getting to his knees.
"What the hell, Sasuke!?" Naruto yelled through gritted teeth, glaring at our raven-haired teammate.
"So we have someone good enough to dodge an attack this time…" Sasuke muttered.
My eyes shifted from Sasuke to Naruto and my eyes ranked over his appearance. I didn't see any noticeable mistakes, but Sasuke had been right before and I wasn't apt to disagree with him again. "Another imposter?"
"How do we know you're not an imposter, Nakao?" Sakura suddenly fixed me with a glare.
The shift of focus caught me off guard. "Excuse me?"
Sakura opened her mouth to reply but Sasuke cut her off, his gaze never leaving Naruto. "She's not an imposter."
Despite the situation, I sent the girl a gloating smirk. Sakura seemed flustered before she huffed. "Wha-Alright, fine. Then what about Naruto? He got the password right."
"Exactly."
Sakura looked between Sasuke and Naruto. "What?"
"Why do you think I chose such a long password? Because I knew Naruto would never be able to remember it. That password wasn't so much for us, but for whoever might be listening in." Sasuke said.
I felt a spark of admiration for my teammate. How did he think of things like that?
The Naruto imposter remained silent for a long moment before a sly grin slipped onto his face. He licked his lips. "Very clever."
The imposter momentarily disappeared in a cloud of smoke, reappearing as a tall girl with long black hair. A Grass headband was tied around her forehead. I instantly recognized her as the girl with the abnormally long tongue whom had given Anko back her kunai.
Rather than looking annoyed her disguise hadn't worked, she grinned as though amused. "You never let your guard down, do you? It seems I have more fun than I had anticipated."
Her words sent a shiver down my spine. I darted over to Sasuke and Sakura, attempting to take comfort in numbers. My hands hovered over my weapons belt, ready to grab my blades.
I tensed as the Grass ninja reached into her smock, but she didn't pull out a weapon. She pulled out an Earth scroll and held it in front of her face. "You want this, don't you? Since you have the Heaven scroll."
Fear gripped me. It shouldn't have; it hadn't when we'd fought our first opponent in this forest. But something was radiating from this girl, something sinister that sent chills through my body. Her eyes weren't right.
The girl brought her scroll to her lips before shoving it into her mouth. She tilted her head back, pushing the scroll down her throat before swallowing the entire thing whole. Sakura covered her mouth to muffle a scream and Sasuke gaped in horror. I gagged involuntarily at the sight, my stomach rolling uncomfortably.
The girl's eyes gleamed. "Now, let's begin."
Without warning, everything around me turned black as night. I glanced wildly around me, heart hammering against my ribcage. Sasuke and Sakura still stood beside me, their eyes wide. My brain tried to comprehend what was going on around me. Was this a genjutsu? I glanced back, expecting to see the girl, but she was gone. Instead, the world around me flashed orange and out of nowhere, a barrage of kunai came straight for us.
Agony flared to life. I screamed as the kunai pierced my arms, thighs, chest, abdomen. A kunai pierced my skull and my vision blurred. The crimson shade of blood and darkness was all I could see. Was I dying? Was I dead? The pain still exploded through me.
The sensation of being dunked in ice cold water rushed over me and suddenly I found myself on my knees.
I took in a deep gasp of air, which sent sharp pinpricks of pain through my lungs. My body was shaking, my forehead dripping with sweat. My eyes were wide as my brain fired off too many thoughts to be coherent. I could only stare ahead, where the girl had reappeared, gaping in horror.
Wha…I don't…Did I just experience my own death?
Panic pulsated through me. My mind begged me to run, flee, but my legs only continued to shake beneath me. I managed to turn terrified eyes on my teammates. They, too, were on their knees. Sakura was shaking worse than I was, tears pouring down her cheeks. Sasuke, who was nearest to me, was paler than I'd ever seen him. His face shined with sweat and he bent over, vomiting into the grass. My eyes shot back to the girl.
H-How is she so strong? What are we going to do? We have to get away from her!
But despite the wild thoughts that ran through my mind, my body was frozen, too terrified to move. Even if I could, I knew she would kill me. I could see it in her eyes. I kept screaming at my own body to do something, anything, but my muscles only continued to quake in fear.
"You can't move right?" the girl taunted, smiling wickedly at us.
My lips trembled. Was my own cowardice about to get me killed? Why couldn't I move!? Sasuke continued to shake from beside me, but I noticed him bring a heavily shaking hand to the kunai holster on his thigh.
The girl also noticed the movement and it seemed to amuse her greatly. She took out three kunai and began to advance on our group. "And just what are you going to do with that? Just relax; I'll end this quickly. You won't have a chance to suffer."
My eyes shook. This was it. This was how I was going to die? After everything I'd been through? Trapped like scared mice, a prisoner to my own body?
Move, body, move!
I saw the girl raise her hands, flicking the kunais straight for our heads. I took in a deep gasp of air before I felt something wrap around my waist.
My heart leapt into my throat at the sudden movement, but my body finally seemed to come to life. Sasuke held me against him with his right arm, while his left carried Sakura. He evacuated us from the area, releasing us once we'd hidden behind a large tree. Sasuke and I immediately glanced around the massive tree trunk. The girl looked about herself curiously as she wandered over to the spot we'd vacated the moment before.
I felt Sasuke's leg twitch against mine and I glanced down, gasping at the kunai shoved into his thigh. Blood was seeping from the wound, staining his white shorts. Realization flooded me; he'd overcome fear with pain.
Sasuke didn't even seem aware of the pain, however. His attention was focused on the girl we'd left in the clearing. His face was etched fright and it resettled in my own nerves in turn. I wanted to say something, bring him back to baseline where we needed him to be, but I feared speaking up. I glanced back to his leg, itching to remove the kunai.
Sakura finally seemed to gain control of herself and she looked over to us, face pale. Her eyes swept over our forms before they came to rest on the kunai jutting from Sasuke's thigh. She gasped. "Sasuke, are you-"
Sasuke's hand snapped out, covering Sakura's mouth, catching myself and my teammate by surprise. Worry seemed to overcome some of the anxiety, if only momentarily, as my eyes searched his face. The Sasuke I'd come to know had retreated somewhere in the recesses of his own mind. The person left in his place was a far cry from the Sasuke I recognized.
He was terrified; completely overcome with fear. I'd never seen him in this state. My mind was whirling and I was bewildered. What was it about our opponent that brought this out in him? Others had the intent to kill us before. Was it the sheer power she exhibited? That she'd made us witness our own deaths?
I wanted to reach out to him, reassure him (if it was possible). I made to reach out when a giant shadow loomed over me. My muscles tensed and I turned my head slowly to the right to face whatever made the shadow. My eyes widened as fear and shock exploded in my chest. I jumped to my feet.
"Shit!"