Chasing Storm Clouds

by Fonique2

My mother used to tell me some people were like storm clouds. They brought rain; responsible for the beauty and life we see all around us. But if you chase them for too long, you might end up drowning. **Revamped.

19. Storm Clouds Ahead

19. Storm Clouds Ahead

Before Zaku could bring his foot down on me again, a force plowed into him, knocking him far across the clearing. I took the opportunity to scramble to my feet, backing away from Kin. But I was still dizzy and breathless and my vision became clouded with tiny spots. A safer distance away, I collapsed against a tree, trying to remain on my feet.

Despite the world swirling around me, I turned my attention on the newcomer. He stood in front of the den entrance, where Sakura still sat, arms folded over her head. She peeked up and lowered them when she recognized the ninja. His green suit and black hair made him impossible to confuse.

Dosu was now further from the den than he'd been moments ago and I assumed he had been knocked back that distance. Further behind him Zaku was getting to his feet, glaring at the person who'd stopped his attack. Kin had completely forgotten about me as she turned a surprised look in the same direction.

Dosu's eye narrowed as he took in the boy. "Who are you?"

"Konoha's beautiful green beast, Rock Lee!"

Sakura stared at Lee's back. "Wh-why are you here?"

"When you are in danger Sakura, I will appear anytime," Lee said boldly without removing his attention from our enemy.

"But right now, I am your enemy too, Lee," Sakura nearly whispered.

If I didn't feel so drained, I would have made a snappy comeback; but there's a time and a place for such things. And I certainly didn't have the energy to be annoyed with the kunoichi. Instead I trained my eyes on my savior, very relieved to see him here.

"I told you before Sakura, that I will protect you to the death," Lee said, his black hair blowing across his face slightly.

"My name is Rock Lee. Yours is Sakura. Let's go out! I'll protect you until I die!"

As the pair conversed, I felt my breath return to me. The spots in my vision faded, but I was still dizzy. My ears were pulsing, my head pounding. I didn't know what kind of attack Dosu used but it was debilitating. If we were going to survive, there was no way I could continue to take any hits from him.

Dosu seemed to contemplate Lee for a moment before reaching into a pouch on his waist. From it, he withdrew an Earth scroll and tossed it to Zaku. "We have no other choice. Zaku, I'll leave Sasuke to you."

Zaku caught the scroll out of the air, smirking as he stowed it on his person.

Dosu then turned back to Lee and Sakura, bending his knees as though preparing to leap. "I'll handle these two."

Dosu jumped into the air, flashing the contraption on his arm. Lee dug an arm into the ground, pulling out a gigantic tree root with very little effort, using it as a shield between him and Dosu. Dosu's arm hit the root instead but his attack caused it to burst into tiny pieces that flew in all directions.

"So, your attack has a trick to it," Lee assessed.

Lee began to unwrap the bandages on his arm, as I'd seen him begin to do during his fight with Sasuke. Lee held a handsign to his face, though I was well aware he could not use jutsus. Dosu ran forward, straight for Lee, but Lee flickered and disappeared.

Dosu halted in surprise, his eye widened. I too, was taken aback by Lee's speed, despite the fact I'd seen a presentation of it already. Lee reappeared seemingly from midair right in front of Dosu. He brought a foot up, connecting it just beneath Dosu's chin causing his body to fly upwards. Lee jumped up after him.

The bandages Lee had unraveled began to wrap around Dosu's body. Lee embraced him from behind and turned them into a tailspin. I sucked in a breath of air as they began to spin towards the ground, head first. If Dosu collided, it could snap his neck!

"Secondary Lotus!"

As Lee pulverized Dosu into the ground and Lee jumped away, Zaku stuck his hands in the dirt. The cloud of dust that had enveloped Dosu upon impact began to clear, revealing Dosu upside down in the dirt. However, there was a fresh mound of dirt that he was stuck in up to his waist. His legs twitched and his waist squirmed until he was finally free of the mound, shakily getting to his feet.

Lee's eyes widened. "H-How!?"

"Wow…Zaku, if you hadn't softened the dirt, I could have been killed…" Dosu said nonchalantly, studying the mound of dirt. He switched his gaze back to a panting Lee, revealing his contraption again. "Now it's my turn."

Dosu ran at Lee, aiming a punch for his face. Lee dodged, but suddenly stumbled and I swallowed hard against my throat. I knew no distance would save him from the attack. His equilibrium would desert him any moment and his vision was probably beginning to blur.

"You move fast, I'll give you that much," Dosu said. "But my sound moves faster."

I felt a lightning bolt run through me. Sound?

Lee's eyes shook and he fell to the ground, landing on his knees. He attempted to keep his attention on Dosu but he suddenly convulsed, leaning over and vomiting. Blood trickled from one ear and Lee put a hand to it.

"There is a trick to my attack," Dosu said smugly. "One you cannot dodge."

"I don't-" Sakura started.

"Sound," he cut in. "You can dodge my fist, but you can't dodge the sound."

"S-Sound…" Lee murmured, clearly training to regain his composure.

Dosu cocked his head. "Do you know what sound is?"

"Vibrations…" Sakura said after a pregnant pause.

My stomach dropped. Vibrations…of course. No wonder it scrambles your brain.

"Being able to hear something means that your eardrum catches the vibration in the ear," Dosu tugged on his ear. "And the human eardrum will shatter at anything above 150 decibels. On top of that, by applying a shock to the semicircular canals, an opponent will lose his sense of balance."

That cleared everything up, not that it made me feel any better. Rather, I was feeling more nervous than before. I was right in my assessment that I couldn't withstand more attacks from him. I'd already been hit twice by his vibrations.

The urgency pulsed at me. I needed to do something. I needed to come up with some kind of plan. At least I had Lee, but he wouldn't last much longer either against a barrage. My vision shifted from him to Kin, then to Zaku, both of whom had their attention on Dosu.

Zakua held his hands up, now dirty from the dirt. His presented to us the round holes within them. "I can control supersonic waves and air pressure. I can completely destroy something as tough as a rock."

Which explained why his force was enough to withstand and battle against my own wind.

Without warning, Dosu suddenly looked to Sakura. "Okay, you're next."

Sakura gasped and I was at full alert. I meant to take off, but something to Dosu's right caught his eye and paused him.

"Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee made an attempt to attack Dosu, but he faltered, crying out in pain and more blood trickled down his face.

Dosu's eye lit up in amusement but Lee was not so quickly defeated. He stood in front of Sakura once more and ran towards Dosu. Dosu brought back his arm, making to slam into the side of Lee's head. Lee held up an arm to block, but Dosu activated his technique and the amplified sound waves slammed directly into his ears.

Lee screamed in agony, crumbling to the ground.

Dosu looked down to Lee, raising his arm again. "Now then, to finish you off."

I couldn't watch this. I couldn't let it happen. In a flash, I yelled out, causing Dosu to whirl around in surprise. I was already there and plowed into him, knocking him off his feet. I fell with him but quickly regained my balance, straddling him. I took out a kunai, holding it above my head before driving it down towards his face.

Amusement flashed in Dosu's visible eye again before he activated the device on his arm. It was much closer to me than it'd been the first two times and the vibration slammed into me. I felt like something in my head exploded.

The pain was unbearable. I couldn't even hear my screams over the rushing and pounding of my head. The kunai slipped from my hands without my notice as I instinctively grasped for my ears, still screaming as though it might end the pain. I wished my head would completely explode just to end this pain.

I either fell or was pushed off Dosu and I tumbled onto the ground. I pulled my hands away and my own blood was running down them, onto my wrists. I could hardly see them, they were vague outlines with a sharp red color popping out at me. The world spun around me and I didn't even know where I was relative to anyone else. My stomach churned violently and I rolled over, emptying the contents of my stomach all over the ground.

I thought I vaguely heard someone shout my name, but it was muted. Like a soft piano key in a mass of drums. I tried to suck in deep breaths, fingers digging into the earth as the swirling world threatened to drag me downwards. Another muted sound…a scream…Sakura's scream…?

I desperately tried to focus my eyes on her. I could barely see anything, blurred edges and masses of color. I saw a mass of black near a mass of pink.

No…no no, Sakura!

Head still pounding and searing, I tried to get to my feet. I repeatedly stumbled, nearly falling down all over again, but I finally made it to my feet. Standing upright was difficult as color spun around me. I felt like puking again, but there was nothing to puke up.

"You don't know when to stay down, do you?"

His voice faded in and out, still as muted as the rest of the world. But I knew who the voice belonged to. I raised my heavy head, but he was already there, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt. I felt something cold against my neck.

"Zaku! We're under strict orders not to kill her!"

"She's causing too much trouble!" Zaku yelled angrily before throwing me face first into the ground.

I coughed, pouring all my effort into pushing my body up. The taste of copper built up in my mouth and I spit a mouthful of blood from my mouth. I managed to get to my forearms, taking in a large breath of air, but it had the opposite affect and sent me into a coughing fit. Blood came with the fit, splattering against the ground.

Zaku called back to his partner. "Can I cut off a hand or something!?"

"Fine!" Dosu sounded annoyed. "Just don't kill her!"

Fear for my teammates diminished as panic exploded through my chest. I tried harder than ever to get to my feet, but all for naught. Sneering, Zaku reached down, grabbing for my right wrist. In life preservation-mode, I manage to twist around, giving a cry of fear as I ranked my fingernails over his cheek. I heard him cry out and watched his blurry figure stumble backwards. My vision was beginning to clear, even if in the most minor of ways, as I could just make out four, deep claw marks beginning to ooze blood.

Now I'd made him really mad. I stumbled to my feet, the ground swirling beneath me. I tried to flee, though there was no where I could go to escape. Zaku was on me instantly, glaring down at me in a cold fury.

"Alright you bitch, I don't care what Natsuo says…"

Roughly, Zaku grabbed my wrists, holding them apart from one another. He began to squeeze, causing me to wince.

"I'm going to shatter your wrists for that stunt."

He applied more pressure and I found myself hollering out in pain. The pounding in my head was growing with the pain in my wrists and I wondered if I'd pass out before the pain of my shattered wrists could hit me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The new voice that rang through the clearing caused everyone to stop. The edges of my vision were still quite blurry, but I was able to glance upwards with the others. Zaku kept me upright with his grip on my wrists so I didn't need to focus on standing. Standing on a high tree branch overlooking our clearing were two Leaf ninja, a male and a female. The back of my mind dinged in recognition; it was Hyuuga Neji and Tenten from Lee's team.

"Who the hell are you!?" Zaku demanded, snapping out of his momentary surprise.

Neji nodded towards his fallen comrade, unconscious on the ground. "That was our teammate."

Neji's voice had a way of sounding calm, yet sinister at the same time. He activated his kekki genki, which was doujutsu. The Hyuuga clan could see chakra points in the body and were able to turn them off, leaving one's chakra reserves inaccessible. Despite his intent to rush into battle, Neji suddenly paused.

"What's the matter tough guy, aren't you going to come down and fight me?" Zaku mocked.

Neji smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. It appears that won't be necessary."

Zaku was clearly confused. My head and body hurt too much to care. That was, until another voice echoed through the clearing.

"Get your hands off of her…now!"

My heart soared in my chest. Sasuke!

Taking advantage of Zaku's distraction and the support he inadvertently afforded me, I peered over my shoulder. The world flipped momentarily then righted itself, giving me a decent image. Sasuke was outside of the den now, his posture slouched forwards. At least…I thought it was Sasuke.

Was my vision still betraying me? Sasuke didn't seem…right. His skin was covered in black markings, like little waves tattooed across his skin. Emanating from his body was…chakra? It looked like chakra, but it was very clearly visible and purple. It swirled around him, much like my kekki genki would.

Sasuke had his eyes on me and Zaku and it caused a chill to run down my spine. I'd never seen that look in his eyes. His whole presence was different…strange…unnatural. No longer did his eyes contain a guarded, yet calm demeanor. They almost appeared lit with fire, burning with hatred and bloodlust.

The clearing remained dead silent. Everyone was still shocked, taking in Sasuke's presence. He growled, sounding even angrier than he had before. "I said: get your hands off of her!"

Zaku finally seemed to regain his composure. Faced with a new opponent, his cocky look swept over his face and he smirked. "Or what?"

As if to emphasize that he held total control over my fate, Zaku shook me. I lost my footing, collapsing to the ground. My head hit the ground, sending white-hot shocks of pain throughout my body. I lifted my head and coughed, more blood hitting the ground.

"Sasuke…your body…" Sakura muttered fearfully. I painfully turned my head in her direction, shocked when I noticed her hair was cut short and her headband was missing.

Sasuke raised an arm, gazing down at the back markings covering his skin. "It's okay. I feel power surging through my body…He gave this to me."

Fear gripped me. I wasn't entirely sure what Sasuke's words meant, but Orochimaru's words were echoing through my own head.

"It seems I left him a little parting gift. I did wonder whether he might jump in the way. I would have taken either of you, but I'm particularly pleased. You might try to hide from your past, Nakao, but Sasuke will run straight for his; and he'll want me on his side when he does."

Whatever was happening to Sasuke's body was Orochimaru's doing, there was no doubt. But the look of deranged glee plastered on Sasuke's face as he investigated his body…it was the worst sight I'd ever seen. My shaking eyes suddenly closed as a shot of pain ran through me. I took in a sharp breath and it caused me to cough, the warmth of my blood on my chin was warmer than the rest of my body.

Sasuke's head snapped back up, his gaze settling back on me. "Answer me, Nakao, who was the one who hurt you?"

I gaped at Sasuke, eyes wide. My voice was caught in my throat. I wasn't even sure what to say.

Zaku answered for me. "That would be me."

Smirking, he aimed a kick at my side, which knocked me immediately to the ground. I cried out in pain, curling in on myself. I couldn't take the pain anymore. It was everywhere, and my head still felt like it might split open at any moment. I wish it would and just get it over with. Still, I forced my eyes open, trying my best to stay conscious and aware. I wish I hadn't seen Sasuke's eyes darken with rage.

Zaku sniffed, clapping his hands together once before presenting his palms. "I'll end this."

"Zaku, no!" Dosu warned urgently.

Zaku ignored his teammate and activated his technique. A fierce wind erupted from the holes in his palms. I curled in tighter and flung an arm over my face. The wind cut at the bark on the trees and left a huge ditch in the ground where Sasuke was standing. As it died down, I glanced up desperately, my eyes slipping over the clearing in hopes of finding that he'd evaded the attack.

"Was he blown to pieces?" Zaku asked eagerly, eyes scanning the ditch he'd made.

"Was who?"

Sasuke's voice caught both Zaku's and mine attention. Before Zaku could turn around, Sasuke brought a fist back and slammed it into the back of Zaku's head, sending Zaku flying away from me. Zaku hit the ground and rolled, moaning when he finally came to a stop. He struggled to his knees, but Sasuke was already plunging through handsigns.

"Fire element, Mythical Fire Flower!"

Dozens of fireballs reflected orange in my eyes as they flew from Sasuke's body and towards Zaku.

"So what, I'll just blast them away!" Zaku smirked cockily as he held up his palms, sending a blast of slicing air towards the fireballs. The blast blew out the flames like a candle, only to reveal shuriken whizzing straight towards him. Zaku's eyes widened as he realized the trick and he held his arms protectively in front of his face as the shuriken tore at his skin.

"Zaku! Behind you!" Dosu suddenly called out urgently.

The warning came too late for Zaku to react. Sasuke had appeared behind him, grabbing his arms. He pulled them behind Zaku, straining the muscles as he placed his right foot on Zaku's back between his shoulder blades. Zaku let out a cry of pain as Sasuke's foot forced his body towards the ground while his arms strained behind him. A sickening smirk spread over Sasuke's face, making it unrecognizable. "You seem very proud of your arms. Very attached to them."

Goosebumps rose on my skin, pain momentarily forgotten to the dread building in my gut and towards my chest. I watched Sasuke with wide, fearful eyes. He was…enjoying this. Taking pleasure in Zaku's cries, his smirk widening the longer he pulled on Zaku's arms.

But no…this wasn't Sasuke. He reminded me of some kind of beast, the way he grinned reminding me of the sliding out of fangs. His eyes full of bloodlust was the glint of a predator in the night. Sasuke did what he had to do to survive but he didn't relish in the destruction of others.

This wasn't him. No…this had to do with Orochimaru; I knew it. These markings that had consumed his skin…they were of Orochimaru's making; and this made Sasuke's new aura of Orochimaru's making. Orochimaru had turned Sasuke into little more than a bloodlusting soldier. And that, that, I knew Sasuke would despise. Being used for someone else's gain. Or worse yet, someone else's amusement.

Sasuke gave a mighty shove against Zaku's back while pulling his arms in the opposite direction. There was a sickening crack that resounded around the clearing like a blast. I quickly glanced away, shutting my eyes from the way Zaku's arms now swung to his sides, limp and useless. But his high-pitched scream still penetrated my ears.

Sasuke released Zaku as though he was little more than trash. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Sasuke smirked, watching his fallen opponent writhe upon the forest floor. And then he turned his piercing gaze on Dosu.

"Your turn," Sasuke grinned wickedly. Dosu's eye was widened in fright as Sasuke's merciless voice continued. "I hope you at least let me have some fun."

I watched Sasuke advance on Dosu and I felt despair and fear rip through my chest. I harbored no pity for Dosu, or Zaku for that matter. But I could not sit by as Sasuke carried out Orochimaru's bidding. I could not watch Sasuke's regret and turmoil when he realized what he'd become. If he ever did realize…

I swallowed against my throat as I used shaky arms to push myself up. Orochimaru had been so smug, so certain, that Sasuke would be some kind of prize. That he would run, not from danger and evil, but towards it. And I would not allow it. I would not allow Orochimaru to have him; not as long as the photograph of that little boy rested upon my memories. Not as long as that innocent promise, made beneath a crumbling bridge, still echoed in my mind and heart.

I pushed myself to my knees, and then my feet. Upon my feet I swayed, a wave of dizziness and nausea threatening to pull me back down. And later it would not be lost on me that the person responsible for my sorry fate, was the person Sasuke walked so surely towards. But it did not matter, not now; and I pushed down the rolling sickness in my gut as I pushed down so many things. And I was running, stumbling.

Had Sasuke been moving faster, been further away, I may not have reached him. The world spun around me in a haze of blurs and colors, but I forced one foot in front of the other. My gaze was narrowed on the one thing that was clear to me: the Uchiha Clan symbol stitched into Sasuke's shirt. The sight was so familiar; how many years had I spent following after that symbol on the back of his shirt. And I'd finally caught up.

I flung myself at Sasuke's back, wrapping my arms around his front to keep my balance. My body shook and bile fought its way up my esophagus. I buried my forehead into Sasuke's shirt, taking in his familiar scent of pine and dew and the calming odor pushed down the bile. I took a deep breath, pushing it down further.

I felt Sasuke's body stiffen and for a moment…I thought he might attack me. And so I clung to the fabric of his shirt and mumbled with exhaustion into it. "Sasuke…please…please. Don't do this. Don't let him do this."

The last sentence I whispered, and I wasn't even sure if Sasuke heard me. I could feel his head turn, but I didn't look up. For fear of retribution, for fear of falling to my knees, I couldn't do it. But though I did not see it, Sasuke's face registered with surprise. And then, slowly, the black marks, little waves tattooed against his skin, began to glow a bright orange, which did grab my attention. And then they began to recede, dancing on his skin back to the mark on his neck.

Sasuke's body swayed, and I fully pulled my face away. He began to fall, as though his strength had completely abandoned him. I tried to steady him, but my strength had long since failed me. We stumbled before falling, Sasuke onto his backside and me flat on my back.

Pain racked through me as my body came in contact with the ground. The impact forced a wheeze out of me before I abruptly turned over, coughing blood out against the ground. My vision swam and so I shut my eyes, resting my forehead against the sticky grime of my forearms that now lay upon the dirt. I took in deep breaths, trying to fill the void in my lungs.

"Nakao…?"

Sasuke?

I peeled my eyes open and glanced to the side. Sasuke still sat beside me. His face was twisted in confusion and alarm, his eyes darting across my appearance. Despite the exhaustion that nearly consumed me, and the way my body shook, and the pale appearance of my skin that indicated I'd lost a little too much blood than I should have…I felt relief rush over me. This Sasuke I recognized.

"Nakao…Are you…?" Sasuke's eyes continued to scan me, taking in the cuts and bruises, the blood and dirt that caked my skin, the completed look that I had been defeated.

I watched my teammate carefully, wondering at the disbelief plastered upon his face. Does he…does he not remember anything that just happened?

Before I could reply, if I'd even thought of a suitable answer, a shadow fell over us. We glanced up to find Dosu standing before us. His unconscious teammates were slung over either shoulder. My eyes flickered to Kin in confusion; I hadn't seen anything happen to her. I vaguely remembered her presence near Sakura before Neji's team had arrived; but I'd seen nothing that transpired in that vicinity after Zaku had threatened to dismember my hand from my arm.

"Sasuke, you are strong. We cannot beat you this time," Dosu said solemnly, with a hint of panic still playing in his visible eye. He struggled to move his hand into a pouch on his side, but pulled out an Earth scroll when he did.

Still appearing as confused as ever, Sasuke took the scroll from the Sound ninja. Dosu looked visibly relieved and wasted no time in turning his back on us, waddling off towards the brush. As his form disappeared into the brush, I focused my attention on getting up. I pushed myself up, but my arms buckled beneath me and I fell back down. Before I hit the ground, however, I felt an arm catch my shoulders and Sasuke pulled me into a sitting position. Although, he struggled with my dead weight and my body had given up and we only succeeded in causing my body to tumble into his.

Sasuke caught my shoulders again, finally managing to stabilize me. I huffed at the mere effort of not falling forwards and my eyes flickered up to Sasuke's face. My eyes found his and I was nearly startled at the emotions that were swimming in his onyx eyes. I tried to read them and found, with even more surprise, that I could identify some of those emotions that were normally so carefully concealed. Confusion…concern…pain…?

These were clear to me, and yet there were other emotions playing out that I could not discern. But I could tell that something was warring in Sasuke's mind right now. That there were a million thoughts rushing through his brain that even Sasuke, bright and gifted, did not seem to understand. But he held me steady still; he did not push me away, and I was unable to pull away. Neither could I pull my gaze from his.

"…Are you okay?" I finally whispered, breaking the silence that had drifted, not only over us, but seemingly over the entire clearing.

Sasuke did not answer me. Instead, he slowly let go of one of my shoulders, holding a hand in front of his face. He studied his clear skin for a moment before the hand slowly moved to cover the mark on his shoulder. Concentration now took his features and my heart constricted, wondering what he might be thinking right now. And no doubt in my mind that fear had lodged itself into my heart.

---

I placed my remaining logs into a teepee formation. Dry grass and twigs wove through the logs and I stuffed a few more leaves into the tangle. Leaning back on my heels, I ran through a series of handsigns and took a deep breath. Leaning forward I released it and flames sprang to life, catching onto my pile of brush. The fire immediately took, licking up the logs and sending smoke spiraling into the air. I eased myself into a sitting position as the fire crackled merrily.

I sighed, my task completed. Well, our task completed. Sakura was meant to have assisted me, but she instead sat across from me, tossing a few stray leaves into the fire. She'd helped gather a few twigs in the vicinity, but did so in stony silence. The sour look on her face indicated she might want to start a fight with me, but she had yet to do so; which I found very odd.

I found, however, that I cared very little. I hadn't completely healed from our battle several days prior and her hunched figure only pulled listlessness from me. Something was definitely bothering her though. Although she clutched her knees to her chest, the gaze she bored into the fire was more irritated than sad.

My attention was pulled from the kunoichi as Naruto and Sasuke appeared, joining us by the fire. Fish wiggled in their arms, although I figured they were in the throes of actual death. I quickly got to my feet and began to stab sharpened sticks through each fish, propping them up against the fire one by one so that they could cook. The boys, wet from their fishing trip, plopped down around the fire.

As the fish began to sear against the flames, Sasuke withdrew our Earth scroll from a pouch around his waist. He stared at it pensively for a long moment before setting it down beside him. "It's been four days since the start of the exam. We only have one day left."

"Most teams have probably finished already," Sakura commented, speaking for the first time since the boys had taken to the river. She reached for a fish, examining it with scrutiny before taking a tentative bite. She chewed for a moment, seemingly mulling something over in her mind. She finally sighed, lowering her fish. "It may be possible that there are no Heaven scrolls left. Eighty-two participants, twenty-seven teams…and eighty percent of the exam is over."

"And there were only thirty scrolls to begin with; fifteen Heaven and fifteen Earth. So only thirteen teams could have even passed to begin with," I noted solemnly, absently taking a fish.

"And since Orochimaru burned our Heaven scroll-"

"And ate his Earth scroll…" I imputed.

Sakura scrunched her nose. "That means only twelve could pass."

"Assuming no other scrolls have been destroyed," I sighed, taking the last bite of my fish and tossing the stick over my shoulder.

Sasuke finished his fish too, copying my movements. "We took too long to recover. We need to pick up the pace if we want to complete the exam. The next enemy we face could be our last chance."

I glanced over to Sasuke, my eyes scanning him critically. He was a little better off than me appearance wise, but he seemed to be as equally exhausted and physically worn as I was. We'd needed much more time to rest, but we couldn't afford the luxury.

Sakura was mostly fine, aside from some scabbing scrapes and some bruises along her hairline. She'd had her own scuffle with Kin, which had resulted in the loss of much of her pink hair. It was now short, its uneven edges resting above her shoulders. Naruto had woken shortly after the Sound team had left, completely oblivious and seemingly fine.

Sasuke sighed heavily before getting to his feet. "I'm going to get some water."

My team silently watched Sasuke grab his canteen and make his way back to the nearby river. I watched his gait move slower than normal and a frown tugged at my lips. I worried that with him and I injured, our team might not stand a chance against the last desperate souls of the exam. I knew better than to ask Sasuke to call it quits now and wait out the exam; and it was an idea I had a hard time swallowing myself. But…

I glanced to my two remaining teammates. Naruto was busy greedily devouring as many fish as possible, his entire focus poured into the task. Sakura was also watching Sasuke leave, her concern plainly displayed on her face. Her eye suddenly caught mine and instantly narrowed. As if seeing something she didn't like, she looked as though she wanted to say something to me.

Whatever it was, I was not in the mood. Our team was hanging on by a thread and what semblance of unification we had left was not going to stand in a fight. Deciding to retreat, I got to my feet.

"Where are you going, Nakao?" Naruto asked through a mouthful of fish, looking at me curiously. Sakura's face was definitely suspicious.

An exit without a witty remark was definitely not my style, but I was holding true to my worry over our team's survival. So instead, I lied. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Turning on my heel, I stalked off in the opposite direction than Sasuke had gone. I had no particular destination in mind, just somewhere more secluded where I could be left alone for a bit. I was careful to keep track of my trail as I pushed my way through bush and stepped over overgrown weeds.

I let my mind wander, not for the first time, over the events of the last few days. My phantom aches from my lingering injuries brought forth muddled memories of the Sound team, and then Orochimaru. And for the millionth time, I wondered about his appearance here. His purpose for coming. The mark he left on Sasuke, and whether he'd truly meant for Sasuke to bare it. How he knew me; my name, my story, my family.

"Who the hell are you!?" my voice cracked with fear and rage. "How do you know who I am!?"

"Keitaro tells the tale much better than I, I'm sure," Orochimaru's eyes glittered in amusement.

My stomach churned uneasily. How was Keitaro involved in all of this? Did he know Orochimaru? How? Why? While my brother pushed me harder than anyone, and his downplay of my abilities, still a level far beneath his own, brought a bitter taste to my tongue, I'd never considered my brother anything but kind. Perhaps not gentle, but caring. He was a good person. But then…

"Itachi-san! Itachi-san! Will you play hide and seek with Sasuke-kun and me?" I asked eagerly, violet-shaded eyes sparkling while I implored.

Itachi's flat affect broke from the soft smile that graced his lips. "Won't Keitaro-kun play with you?"

"He's still training," I pouted, kicking a small foot against the ground in frustration and sadness.

My display pulled forth a deep chuckle. "Well…okay then."

…Perhaps it was not entirely possible to know everything about a person.

"Hello, Nakao."

I froze in my tracks. Little hairs stood up on my neck as I slowly glanced up to the tree branches of a tree several feet ahead of me. Sitting casually on a branch, legs crossed at the ankle, back against the trunk, sat Natsuo. Initially stunned, like a deer in the spotlight, I was slow to regain my composure.

Natsuo seemed more than willing to watch me war with my own fear. The very image of his cocky smirk caused my blood to boil and rage banished the fear as it coursed through me like fire. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "What the hell do you want!?"

"Oh nothing," Natsuo replied, examining his cuticles. "Just checking in."

"How thoughtful," I replied dryly, my eyes narrowing into slits. "You can leave now."

Natsuo sighed dramatically, shaking his head as he gracefully dropped to the earth. "Oh, Nakao, Nakao. Where's the fun in that?"

I took a step back as he advanced, teeth gritted in anger. "Fun? Is my life some kind of game to you?"

"A game? I wish. This is a business call. I was checking in on you. I see those idiots didn't manage to kill you. Although black and purple really aren't your colors, are they?"

I scowled, anger pushing out my common sense. "A business call? On whose behalf? Let me guess: Orochimaru."

Natsuo, who seemed to be ready to leave, stiffened. I watched his eyes cloud and narrow. A ray of sunlight broke through the trees, highlighting his face. It hit his hair and high cheekbones, but my attention was drawn only to the scar that marred one side of his face.

"Where did you learn that?" he hissed.

His voice pulled my attention from the deep scar. "Why did he send those Sound ninja to attack us?"

Natsuo didn't reply, though his jaw was working vigorously. The smugness that came with catching Natsuo off-guard for once drowned out the fear I should harbor for him.

"That's your ring leader right? Orochimaru? I thought you might be partners, but considering he didn't seem to feel the need to include you in his plans…"

"Watch your tongue before I cut it from your mouth," he spat.

There was something dangerous flashing in his eyes, but the floodgates had opened and words were spewing from my mouth faster than I could tell them to stop. "What does he want, Natsuo? Why did he seek me out? What does he want from me?"

"You!" Natsuo scoffed. "Why would he want someone as insignificant as you?"

I threw all hesitation to the wind. Although I stood many inches shorter, I raised my chin, held my ground. "I hardly think he would bother trying to leave that mark on someone so insignificant."

I'd never seen Natsuo's eyes so dark. It was like watching storm clouds roll in, eventually blotting out the sky and threatening all beneath with destruction. When he spoke, his voice came out in an angry whisper. "He tried to leave the curse mark on you?"

While I was still uncertain of whether or not this was strictly true, I found no need to voice the thought. Besides, my mind was whirling as the title reached my ears. Curse mark? Is that what it was called? It seemed fitting.

But my mind was not the only one working on overdrive. Natsuo's face was pale, though veins were straining in his neck and forehead. His anger was brimming, threatening to boil over at any moment.

"Why would he leave a curse mark on you!?" he exploded, rather shrilly for his smooth, deep voice. "What's so special about you!?"

His movements were a blur as he brought his fingers together in handsigns. I felt his power instantly as the pressure around me changed, swirling around our bodies, encasing me. I felt his kekki genki wrap around me like a boa constrictor.

My lungs suddenly felt as though they could not expand. My bones groaned under the sheer pressure of his wind. My breath began to come out in shallow gasps and panic began to flood through me as I realized my hands were pinned to my sides. I began to squirm, panting, gasping.

Several kunais whizzed past my head, honing in on Natsuo's chest. His eyes narrowed, watching them come ever closer, as though playing a game of chicken. Just as they neared to a dangerous degree, a blast of wind rushed in front of him, creating a barrier and scattering the kunai. Before they traveled far, however, the tags attached to the handles exploded. Their little flames were immediately sucked into the wind current, flaring to life with a massive roar.

I was uncertain of whether or not the flames had actually struck him, or if Natsuo managed to avoid them at the last second, but his concentration was broken either way. I felt the pressure around me immediately ease and my body dropped to the ground. I was sucking in gasps of air but my body hummed with adrenaline and I rolled away from the spot I'd been. I'd barely gotten to my knees when I heard footsteps and a hand wrapped around my upper arm, yanking me to my feet.

On my feet, I glanced over to Sasuke in surprise. I was unsure of how he knew to find me, but for now it was not a concern. Sasuke was not looking at me, his glare was set on Natsuo. Natsuo was focused on Sasuke, his angry eyes narrowed in slits.

"Sasuke-" he started, trying to sound detached as usual, but failing.

Sasuke cut him off. "Get the hell out of here."

Natsuo smirked, though the glint in his eyes made his face look terrifying. "You're awfully cocky, boy."

I pulled on Sasuke's courage. Natsuo frightened me, there was no way to sugar coat it. He seemed to know everything about me. He knew about my family. He knew about my jutsu. Hell, he probably knew more about my kekki genki than I did. But Sasuke was not intimidated. And though Natsuo was older, taller, maybe stronger, Sasuke glared him down, his gaze unwavering.

Natsuo's eyes flickered to Sasuke's neck, to Orochimaru's parting gift. The curse mark, he'd called it. I watched emotions flicker in Natsuo's eyes, rage and hatred. Finally, his gaze moved back to me. I could tell he was trying to control his own thoughts and emotions, and he succeeded, to my benefit.

"You're lucky Orochimaru-sama has plans for you," he sneered. A gust of wind came to life around him, swirling around his body before he disappeared. The last thing I saw was those clouded, violet eyes.

Silence drifted between Sasuke and myself. My eyes remained on the spot where Natsuo had vanished. I tried to do as he had done, shoving my emotions deep inside me. If he could control me at my core, there was no need for effort to destroy me physically. But Sasuke's voice cut through my thoughts.

"You're an idiot."

My eye twitched and I rounded on Sasuke. "Yes, Sasuke, I'm fine; thanks for asking."

Anger sparked in his eyes. "Do you have any idea what the hell you're doing? You're playing with fire, Nakao! He could have killed you."

Flabbergasted at first, my surprise was quickly overtaken by irritation. My arms flew over my chest, crossing there as if to create a barrier between myself and the Uchiha. "Excuse me?"

Sasuke was still glaring at me. "Did you plan this? Meeting up with him? What is wrong with you?"

"What on earth are you talking about!?"

"I saw you before the exam."

My reeling mind was riddled with confusion. What the hell was he talking about? But then a memory swam to the surface, unbidden and unwanted. Natsuo's face leaning in towards mine, the pressure of his lips on mine that made me sick to my stomach even now.

I found myself gaping, my mouth opening and closing as my brain struggled to find a response. Was Sasuke being serious right now? What was he thinking? Did he think I was carrying on some kind of relationship with Natsuo? Or that I was planning some kind of alliance with this boy, despite that I knew he was linked to Orochimaru in some way?

I was confused and surprised to find that I was hurt. That Sasuke had no faith or trust in me whatsoever. That he was clearly being duped by Natsuo. And that maybe that had been Natsuo's plan from the beginning; his motivation for violating me. And anger grew over the thought that, if this had been his plan, he'd succeeded. That a rift could form between myself and my teammates with such a little display of foul play.

"Are you fucking serious right now!?" I finally shouted, throwing my hands up in the air in aggravation. "What. The. Fuck!?"

Sasuke's upper lip curled in a sneer. "Tch."

"How dare you!" I shot an accusing finger in his direction. "I sacrificed my life for you and Naruto and Sakura! I almost died to protect you! I have always been there for you, and this is how you repay me!? By questioning everything about me!?"

I finished my rant with huffing breaths. My cheeks were flushed red with ire, my eyes glistening with moisture from the anger and frustration. My self-worth was plummeting with every second as I realized that everything I'd ever done meant little and nothing.

Sasuke glared back at me and the tension that enveloped us seemed to affect him much less than it affected me. Finally, he turned sharply on his heel, turning his back on me. "Whatever. Let's go."

I wanted to argue. I wanted to yell at him. Make him feel as small and inconsequential as he made me feel in this moment.

But now was not the time; not with the clock racing against us. Not when our team was ragged and exhausted and defeated. Not when we had twenty-four hours just to survive, let alone complete this exam.

Sasuke had already begun making his way back to camp and I was forced to follow. But my burning glare remained on his back. My thoughts bitterly spun around the sight of the Uchiha Clan symbol, remembering my desperate attempt to bring him back when his curse mark had taken over. And the crushing frustration that it hadn't mattered what I'd done for him; nothing about me was ever good enough.

Five minutes later, our camp came into view. The smoke was still spiraling into the air, and I cringed over the fact that Sakura hadn't thought to put out the fire. Who knows if enemies had noticed the smoking beacon. But then, I noticed something else. Amidst the pink and orange of my teammates, a purple outfit stood out to me.

I sucked in an air of alarm, quickly rushing to Sasuke's side and elbowing him in the ribs. "Sasuke! Do you see that!?"

Sasuke had been watching the ground, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He glared over to me as I elbowed him roughly, but turned his gaze in the direction of our camp. He immediately gasped and rushed forward, me on his heels.

---

"You guys are hopeless," Sasuke glared at Sakura and Naruto.

Sasuke and I stood in front of Sakura and Naruto with arms crossed over our chests. At least they had the sense to hang their heads in shame.

"I expected this from Sakura, but you Naruto?" I shook my head. Sakura shot me a lethal glare, which I ignored.

While Sasuke and I had been away, our idiot teammates thought it'd be a good idea to open our Earth scroll. They'd tried to sputter out excuses as to their reasoning, but eventually fell silent under our glares. Luckily for them, the two were interrupted by a passerby.

Said passerby, silver hair pulled into a ponytail and glasses perched on his nose, spoke. "You guys are lucky I got here in time. I've seen what happens to people when they open the scrolls. There's a sleep-induced inscription on the inside of the scroll that will knock you out til the end of the exam."

I watched Kabuto as he spoke, much less interested in what happens when a scroll is opened than I was interested in what the hell he was doing here. Call me paranoid, but I was having a hard time rationalizing his presence amongst my group. What, he so happened to be wandering by at this exact moment? Why would he stop Sakura and Naruto from opening the scroll? We're his competitors after all. My suspicions mounted with each thought.

Apparently Sasuke was of the same mindset. "You're Kabuto, right? What are you doing here alone?"

"Look, it's not like I'm after your scroll or anything," Kabuto reassured with hands held up defensively.

This added up at least. If he'd really wanted our scroll, he could have just taken it while Sasuke and I were still away. Unless he was planning to attack and realized we had an Earth scroll.

"Are you looking for a Heaven scroll then?" I asked.

"No, we've already obtained both scrolls," Kabuto dug into a pouch, withdrawing both a cream and black-colored scroll. He flashed them to us before stuffing them back where they came from. "I was on my way back to the tower to meet up with my teammates before I bumped into you guys. So I guess I'll go now."

"Wait," Sasuke suddenly said. Kabuto halted in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder back at Sasuke, who continued. "Fight me."

Kabuto smirked, fully turning to face Sasuke. "A fight?"

"But Sasuke…" Sakura started uneasily, her eyes darting between Kabuto and Sasuke.

"You idiot!" Naruto snapped. "Kabuto just saved our butts and you want to fight him?"

I nervously shuffled my feet. Naruto was right; it was pretty poor manners to cross someone who had just saved us. But then again, I couldn't pretend my suspicions about Kabuto had decreased.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke replied, his gaze still intent on Kabuto.

"You're serious?" Kabuto asked, a hint of humor in his voice.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have time," Sasuke said.

"You dumbass!" Naruto yelled at the Uchiha again.

"Sasuke…Kabuto did save us…" Sakura added quietly. "I don't think fighting him is the best way to thank him…"

"Shut up," Sasuke snapped again. "It's our only way to survive."

Kabuto smirked. "That's a lie."

"Pardon?" I raised an eyebrow.

"His heart isn't fully in this."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Kabuto was looking highly amused. "If you truly wanted to attack me just to survive, you wouldn't have warned me. You would have just attacked me from behind, like a real ninja would do."

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Wow...that's deep."

"Sasuke, I think you just got dissed," I whispered to my teammate, scratching my head.

"You're honorable for doing so, however," Kabuto continued. "And for that, I will show you the proper path to take."

"Proper path?" I air-quoted with my fingers, eyebrow quirked upwards.

His quirked lips turned in my direction.

---

"Are you sure there's any enemies left?" Sakura asked.

The five of us darted from tree branch to tree branch as we traveled through the forest, headed towards the center. The forest was growing dimmer, indicating that the sun had begun its descent through the sky. Time was ticking.

Kabuto led our group. "Positive. Do you know the best way to fight in an open forest such as this?"

I'd thought the question was for affect and that Kabuto would answer it, but he fell quiet for a long moment. I raised an eyebrow. "Um…no?"

"With only a day left, most examinees will be at the center of the forest, the tower, hoping for a fight," Kabuto explained.

"So, we're bound to run into someone there with the scroll we need," Sakura assumed.

"Yes," Kabuto nodded. "But it's not so simple."

"It's going to be a madhouse," I commented, glancing over to Sasuke who was to my left. "The remaining teams will be there fighting as desperately as us to get their second scroll."

"True. But there's still more to consider," Kabuto said.

"Which is…?" I prompted.

"Well we have to consider the "collectors"."

"The what?" I asked.

"Collectors are teams that wait outside the tower for the soul purpose of gaining scrolls they already have. Then they can use these extra scrolls for bargaining chips should they run into other opponents or they can destroy the extra scrolls so that less teams can pass."

"I feel like it would make more sense just to hightail it to the tower so there's no need to bargain," I frowned.

"You'd think," Kabuto assented. "But there are teams who will wait around the tower and gain their scrolls simply by fighting a team who already had both. Why fight it out in a deadly forest when you can just camp out in the center and wait for both scrolls to come to you? But if a team can collect extra scrolls, everyone wins."

"Wish we'd thought of that," I muttered.

Sasuke suddenly spoke up. "I see…that's why you brought us with you. You didn't want to travel alone."

Kabuto glanced back, a small smirk on his lips. "That's right. I'm scared shitless."

---

Night was falling. A full moon graced the sky this evening, allowing us some fraction of light as the moon's glow slipped through the canopies. Still, it was plenty dark to be traveling through enemy infested territory.

We'd been traveling all day, hardly stopping for breaks. But as the moon topped the sky, we could finally see the outline of the tower in the distance. Deciding to be cautious, my team decided to descend to the ground and continued our journey on foot.

"We're getting there…" Sakura muttered in relief, exhaustion pressing on her shoulders.

No sooner had the words left her mouth did the hair on my neck shoot up. My senses buzzed and I grabbed a kunai, throwing it as I whirled around. With a thud, the kunai pierced the head of my enemy, nailing it to the trunk of a tree.

"Yuck!" I winced as I peered at the neutralized threat. What I'd sensed was a giant centipede, the size of a human. Juices oozed from its head and its legs twitched as life left it. I shuddered.

"That thing is huge!" Sakura quaked, clearly unnerved by the insect but not able to look away.

"Let's keep moving," Kabuto said.

We resumed our journey, the tower in sight. But we walked…and we walked…and we walked. It felt like hours, but time was relative in the forest. But my aching muscles gave me a good indicator that time was surely passing.

Finally, Sakura dropped to the ground, her tired eyes weary and forlorn as she peered at the tower in the distance. "How long have we been walking? The tower doesn't seem to be getting any closer!"

Sakura and I agreed on something, I decided as I eyed the tower in the distance. I frowned and glanced at my teammates, who all looked as exhausted as I felt. My eyes shifted around the clearing and a familiar sight caused my stomach to drop.

"That's because we haven't gotten any closer…" I said morosely, stretching my arm to point.

Everyone followed my line of sight to find the centipede I'd killed earlier, still nailed to its tree.

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed.

"We've already fallen into someone's trap," Kabuto said grimly, his lips set in a thin line.

"It was an illusionary technique the whole time!" Sasuke said frustrated, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"We've been walking in circles this entire time!" I gritted out.

Dammit, Sakura! I thought, projecting my frustration on her. Wasn't she supposed be in charge of genjutsus!? I huffed, trying to calm my angry thoughts. It wouldn't help to be frustrated with my teammate when none of us had discovered the foul play.

Kabuto's face was grim as he glanced about nervously. Sweat was already beginning to form at his hairline. "They waited for us to get tired. Then they'll attack…"

A chuckle echoed through the clearing. "Welcome."

I stiffened. Sakura shot to her feet as our group huddled together, keeping our backs to one another. Before our eyes, five ninja dressed in black appeared all around us, surrounding our group, sealing any exit.

"Five against five? Sounds fair," I muttered, eyes sweeping over the enemy.

"There's too many of them," Kabuto agreed, his eyes scanning the ninjas carefully. "They all seem to be replications..."

To test his theory, I pulled a kunai from the holster on my thigh. I aimed it at the nearest ninja and it sailed straight for him, tearing his arm off completely. I heard Sakura take in a sharp breath from behind me, but the anticipation didn't last long. My eyes narrowed as the arm began to regrow from the shoulder.

Naruto let out a holler of surprise before running forward, punching at the nearest enemy's face. His fist sailed straight through the head, as though traveling through ink. His momentum pulled Naruto straight through the ninja and he found himself toppling to the ground as the enemy's body repaired itself.

"What's going on!?" Naruto scowled, hopping to his feet.

"Naruto! Behind you!" I yelled out in alarm as the ninja Naruto had attacked raised a kunai.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and threw three kunai at the ninja, halting his attack. Slowly, the enemy ninja turned to look at Sasuke and raised a double-sided kunai. I glanced over to Sasuke, expecting his quick reaction, only to find him standing completely still. His eyes were wide, as were mine, as he continued to stand completely still.

"Sasuke…?" I prompted but my voice became urgent as the enemy released his kunai. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke was behind me but I twirled around and used my shoulder to shove Sasuke to the ground. The kunai struck my arm instead of my teammate. Luckily, the kunai had hit where my headband was tied and the tip hit the metal plate with a "clang" before falling harmlessly to the ground. I quickly retrieved it, twisting it in my grasp to examine it. The kunai was solid, and very real.

I then glanced to Sasuke, who lay on the ground with his eyes wide and his body shaking. His Sharingan was still activated. Concern zipped through me. What the hell was going on?

I dropped to my knees and pulled Sasuke into a sitting position. I searched his face. "Are you okay?"

Before Sasuke could respond, more ninja began to swarm around our team. I bit my lip, my grip on the kunai tightening. This weapon was real, so these couldn't be replications. Not normal ones at least. My mind briefly drifted to memories of Zabuza and his water clones.

"They're throwing real weapons; doesn't that mean these replications have real flesh?" Naruto asked, clearly following my line of thought. He withdrew a kunai, holding it in front of him.

"Shadow replications should disappear when hit," Sakura agreed, glancing to Kabuto. "Nakao's and Naruto's attacks went straight through them."

The enemy drew nearer. Naruto raised his kunai to attack, but Sasuke interrupted with a sharp warning. "Stop! They're just illusions."

The tone in Sasuke's voice gained my attention. His teeth was gritted and his voice was pained. His Sharingan was still activated and sweat was beginning to run down the side of his face. I chewed on my bottom lip.

"Sasuke's right," Kabuto said, eyes scanning the situation. "The enemy is most likely hiding somewhere near by. They're attacking us from afar, controlling the movements of the illusions to make us think the illusions are attacking us."

I swallowed. I could almost see it in my mind's eyes. Could see them hidden behind dense bushes, kunais in their hands; ready to release them while the illusions played out the movements. It was well played.

"Then I'll find the idiots throwing knives at us and beat them to a blood pulp!" Naruto announced.

"You won't be able to find the ninja's exact location," Kabuto shook his head. "The real enemy won't come out until we can't move any longer. We can only dodge the attacks for now."

"Fine then!" Naruto put his fingers together in a handsign. "Two can play at this!"

"Naruto, don't! It'll just waste your chakra. There's no point in attacking," Kabuto warned.

"If we get rid of all the illusions, the enemy can't attack during the time they return to normal," Naruto objected. "Shadow Replication!"

In clouds of smoke, dozens of Narutos appeared in a line. His clones rushed the illusions, kicking and punching in a frenzy. The illusions splattered to the ground, only to reform immediately. But the Naruto clones continued their onslaught.

"Sasuke...What should we do?" Sakura whispered from behind me and Sasuke.

"That bakka..." he huffed, finally getting to his feet. "We have to fight too."

"But..." Sakura started.

I sighed, running a hand through my bangs. "Sasuke's right…The four of us are one, after all."

Sakura glanced at me in surprise. I gave her a tired smile before tossing her the double-sided kunai and reaching for my daggers. I spun them around once in my hands before rushing in the crowd of Naruto clones and enemy replications. I heard Sasuke withdraw a weapon and rush after me. Kabuto and Sakura shared a glance before joining in the fray.

---

We fought relentlessly, slashing and hacking through the enemy for what seemed like hours. It was hours. Dawn broke, and with the rising sun came exhaustion and defeat. Kabuto was thrown against a tree. Sakura fell to her knees, and Sasuke's legs shook until he followed suit. I dodged a kunai but lost my balance, stumbling until I landed on the ground.

The last remaining Naruto clone hit the ground, disappearing in a small cloud of pearly smoke. Beaten, our group panted, scattered, defeated on the ground. Hair clung to my face as it shined with sweat. Silence overtook the clearing before the illusions finally broke apart, splattering to the ground like water. In their place stood three ninja, dressed in yellow jumpsuits.

Recognition struck my team as my eyes fell on one of the ninja. He'd been our first encounter in the forest, the ninja who'd first pretending to be Naruto. He clearly recognized us as well as his eyes narrowed in on Sasuke.

"You're the one who drove a kunai through my stomach. I can finally exact my revenge."

Our group remained silent, lips pressed into a thin line. No one said a word. Which made it seem strange when Sasuke's voice suddenly echoed through the clearing.

"Like a mouse in a trap."

"Great thinking, Naruto! The plan worked!" came my voice, still not from the group huddled on the ground.

The three ninja stared at each other in bewilderment. "Wh-what?"

The rustle of forestry behind them caused the enemy ninja to whirl around. The five of a us stepped into view and the beaten bodies now behind them all changed, becoming Narutos.

"What!? H-How did they-When!?" the Grass ninja stuttered out.

I'd never seen Naruto look so smug. "I used the shadow replication to set up this little trick so I could pretend to be everyone from my team."

The Naruto clones now disappeared. Sasuke, standing beside me, smirked. "Once Naruto transformed into us, the rest of us were able to hide."

Naruto moved forward, ready to attack, but stumbled and fell to his knees.

"Naruto!" I rushed forwards, standing next to my teammate. I hovered but didn't attempt to help him, as I wanted my hands free in case of retaliation.

"Naruto, you've used up too much chakra, I'll do the rest," Sasuke said.

Naruto surged to his feet and, wordlessly, rushed our opponents. He punched one of the Grass ninja in the side of his head with so much force that he rammed into his teammates and they fell to the ground like dominos.

Naruto smirked. "I'm not gunna let you take all the good parts after I did the hard stuff."

Sakura stared. "Wow, Naruto…"

I was equally awed. He'd maintained his replication jutsu this entire time, which spent an enormous amount of chakra. And here he was, defeating our enemy in a single hit. There was no denying it; this was not the same Naruto I'd gone to the Academy with.

But the Grass ninja scrambled to their feet, whipping through handsigns. "Pretty good but...Ninpou, Obara Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a great cloud of smoke, a dozens replicas of the team appeared.

"Shadow replications?" Sakura asked.

"No, just normal ones," Kabuto answered.

"Well, if they're just replications, there's only one real one," Naruto said, breathing heavily. "I'll just beat up everyone until I find the real one."

"That'll take too much energy!" Sasuke warned.

"Stop trying to interfere!" Naruto shot back. Ignoring Sasuke's warning, he took off at a sprint.

"Naruto! It's impossible!" Sakura yelled after him; but he plowed on.

"Geez…" Kabuto muttered before rushing after Naruto.

I looked on as Naruto battled but made zero progress. Kabuto was attempting to assist, trying to talk sense into my teammate to no result. But I blocked them both out as my eyes scanned the enemy, trying to figure out their technique.

A cry of pain jarred me from my thoughts.

I immediately glanced over, discovering Sasuke on his knees, clutching at his neck. My stomach lurched and I dropped to my knees. His Sharingan was still activated and he was watching the fight intently. Sweat was beginning to roll down the side of his face.

"Sasuke, what is it?" I asked urgently.

Sakura dropped down as well on Sasuke's other side, her green eyes scanning him in concern.

"N-Nakao…" Sasuke gritted out, his body beginning to tremble from the pain I could hear in his voice. "The real ninja…they're…in the…ground."

My eyes widened in surprise and I jumped to my feet, calling out to my teammate. "Naruto! They're in the ground!"

My eyes scanned the scene before me; a mass of chaos. Yellow-clad clones fought amidst a sea of orange. Despite how desperately I searched, I couldn't discern which Naruto was the really one. But suddenly, the Grass clones disappeared. Milliseconds later, three ninjas, the real ninjas, were yanked from the ground and thrown into a heap. Naruto ensured their unconsciousness with a punch to their heads.

A moment passed while we processed what had just happened. Then Sakura got to her feet, grinning. "That was great, Naruto!"

The kunoichi hurried over to Naruto and Kabuto and began to help search the enemy for their scroll, hoping it would be the Heaven scroll that we needed. While proud of Naruto, and anxious about our fifty-fifty shot, I stayed at Sasuke's side. I kneeled back down, placing a gentle hand to his upper arm.

"Are you alright?"

Sasuke glanced over to me. He was silent a moment, but was about to respond when a shadow loomed over us. We glanced up to find Kabuto looking down at us. His glasses were tinted by the light of rising sun. His eyes fell to Sasuke's shoulder and his head cocked sideways. "How did you get that? It looks like a big bruise…"

I glanced to Sasuke again as he covered his curse mark with his right hand. He held Kabuto's gaze. "It's nothing."

"Found it!" Naruto announced, drawing our attention. We glanced over to find Naruto triumphantly waving a Heaven scroll over his head.

I sighed heavily. The relief that rushed through me suddenly made me realize my fatigue. But Naruto's eye caught mine for a moment and I gave him a smile.

---

Tired but remotivated, the five of us finally made it to the tower. Doors were placed all around the rotund building, allowing access every one-hundred yards. The door we stood before was red, its paint chipped around the edges.

Sasuke leaned against me, his arm draped over my shoulders. The recent battle had really affected him, leaving him unfit for our mad dash to the tower. Being the closest to Sasuke's height, I'd offered to assist him.

The sound of footsteps grabbed our attention. We glanced around us, catching the movement of nearby brush. We tensed, but two figures emerged, dressed in the same purple clothing as Kabuto. They drew nearer to us and one of the men, wearing sunglasses, addressed Kabuto.

"Kabuto, you're late."

"I was caught up in some trouble," Kabuto explained, moving over to his teammates.

"Hey Kabuto," Naruto called, causing Kabuto to look back at him. "Thanks for helping us. Thanks to you, we have two scrolls."

"No…it was because of your great skills," Kabuto said. He waved and smiled before turning his back on us and wandering off with his teammates.

The four of watched them leave before turning back to the red door. Naruto stepped forward and pulled it open, allowing Sakura to enter first. Sasuke and I followed and Naruto stepped in behind us, the heavy door closing behind him.

I glanced about the room we'd entered. It was large and completely empty.

"No one's here…" I muttered.

We began to move forward, our footsteps echoing off the walls and tiled flooring. Two bridges led to other rooms far above our heads. We traveled forward cautiously before we noticed a large tapestry hanging on the far wall, made to look like a large scroll with writing on it.

"I'm okay now, Nakao."

I almost jumped when Sasuke spoke. I glanced over to find him pulling away from me. I released his wrist and he took a step away, moving to inspect the tapestry. My side felt suddenly cold, devoid of Sasuke's body heat. A shrugged off a shiver, following Sasuke and stopping beside him.

"What are we supposed to do?" Naruto asked, confused.

My eyes skimmed over the scroll as I began to read. "If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. If you possess both Heaven and Earth, dangerous paths turn into safe paths. This is the secret of...it shall lead you on your way."

"What does that all mean?" Naruto asked cluelessly, peering past Sakura at me.

"After 'secret of', it looks like it's missing a word or two..." I said, pointing to the space on the tapestry.

"It's probably referring to the scrolls," Sakura said. "Maybe if we open them..."

Sakura took the Heaven scroll from Naruto and he held the Earth one. They looked at each other and slowly went to open them. Naruto gulped as he slowly opened a corner.

I rolled my eyes at their theatrics. "Just open the scrolls!"

They obliged, opening the scrolls as though tearing off a band aid. Sasuke and I drew closer, peering down at the scrolls. Thick, black markings were scrawled on the inside.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "They're summoning scrolls! Drop them!"

Naruto and Sakura tossed their scrolls away and the immediately disappeared in a cloud of smoke. What began as small puffs slowly grew, shrouding the entire area around us. Our team stood on edge, glancing about as the smoke began to recede and clear. A figure now stood before us.

Sasuke blinked. "You're…"

"Long time no see," Iruka-sensei smiled, hands on his hips. His eyes took in our appearance. "Looks like the four of you went through a lot of trouble."

Naruto blinked rapidly as his brain caught up. "Why did you appear Iruka-sensei?"

"We chuunins are to welcome the examinees at the end of the second exam," Iruka explained. "I was given the duty to pass the four of you a message by chance."

"A message?" Sakura echoed.

Iruka dug into his pocket, pulling out a small pocket-watch. He glanced down at it and smiled. "You made it just in time. Everyone, congratulations on passing the second exam."

My teammates all glanced at one another, as if to ask each other if we'd heard right.

Iruka-sensei smiled. "I would treat you to ramen but-"

"Yeah!" Naruto ran at Iruka, tackling him to the ground in a hug.

Iruka's eye twitched slightly. "Hey, Naruto! Let me finish!"

"Yes! Ramen! Ramen!" Naruto cheered, jumping up and down.

Naruto may have boundless energy, but I certainly didn't. I let myself slump to the ground, and Sasuke and Sakura took my lead. I let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Yeah! Ramen! Ramen!"

"Shut up!" Sakura finally snapped, rubbing at her temples.

"Geez...you're still as restless as before," Iruka-sensei muttered, but he sounded amused.

Sasuke cocked his head slightly at Iruka-sensei. "If we looked at the scrolls during the exam, what exactly were you planning to do?"

Iruka-sensei smirked, picking up the scrolls Naruto and Sakura had thrown. "Sasuke, you're as sharp as ever. As you guessed, this exam tests your mission completion ability. So, if you broke the rules and opened a scroll, we were ordered to knock out the examinees until the end of the second exam."

I sent a pointed glare in Naruto and Sakura's direction. They turned away sheepishly. Sasuke smirked and shook his head.

"Oh hey, sensei," Sakura looked to Iruka-sensei, pointing to the large scroll tapestry. "What does that text on the wall mean?"

"Who cares!? We passed!" Naruto exclaimed, practically shouting into Sakura's face.

"Actually, my other mission is to explain to you what this means..." Iruka-sensei said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

It was my turn to smirk. "You almost forgot, didn't you?"

"N-no!"

I sweatdropped but Iruka-sensei coughed. "A-Anyway…this is the principal Hokage-sama wrote that you should keep in mind as Chuunin."

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Prinicipal…?"

"Yes, the 'Heaven' in this text points to the head of a person. 'Earth' points to the body. If you don't possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. For example, Naruto's weak point is his brain, he should study and prepare for his missions."

Sakura giggled as Naruto crossed his arms with a frown.

Iruka-sensei looked to Sakura. "And if you do not possess Earth, run through the fields and seek strength. For example, Sakura's weakness lies in strength, she should train herself every day."

Sakura spit out her tongue and rubbed her neck sheepishly.

"And if you have both Heaven and Earth," Iruka-sensei now turned his gaze on me and Sasuke. "Any dangerous missions will become safe."

"What about the missing word?" Sakura asked.

"It's actually missing a letter, a letter symbolizing a Chuunin," Iruka-sensei held up a scroll. "The letter that was in here goes into that scroll. The survival mission you took part in these past five days tested the basic abilities of the examinees as a Chuunin, and you guys completed it. A Chuunin is a commander-class. He has a duty to lead a team. Never forget the Chuunin principal and go on to the next step."

Smiling, Iruka-sensei stepped aside, revealing a wooden door that certainly hadn't been there before.

The door had let us into a much larger room. There was much more light in here, which bounced off of the tiled floor. Two, large statues sat on each end of the room. A giant, electronic scoreboard was resting on the far wall. A balcony ran the length of the room, with a staircase on each end.

Every team that had passed the exam stood in vertical lines, facing a group that stood in the center of the room. Squad seven took a place between Kiba's and Neji's team. Kiba caught my eye as we lined up, shooting me a smile. I offered a smile in return before turning forward.

Naruto stood in the front with Sasuke behind him. I stood behind Sasuke and Sakura brought up the rear. I glanced around, taking in the other teams that had passed. Ino's team was present, as well as Gaara's, Kabuto's, the Sound team and…my heart sunk…Natsuo's team.

I hadn't expected any different, though I hadn't spared the thought. But the sight of him sent sparks of fear and outrage through my veins. Natsuo glanced over, catching my eye, standing beside Neji's team. His eyes gleamed, holding a promise that I could only dread.

The Hokage, standing in the center of the room, stepped forward to gather our attention. "First off, I would like to congratulate you all on passing the second exam."

"All the rookies from Konoha are here," Sakura muttered from behind me as she glanced about herself.

"We will now have an explanation from Hokage-sama about the third exam," Anko announced from beside him. "Before the third exam begins, there's one thing I want all of you to know. It is about the true purpose of this exam."

The passing teams glanced at one another.

"Why we do an exam with allied nations; to maintain good relations with the allied nations and heighten the level of the ninja. Do not let those reasons deceive you. This exam is the epitome of a war between the allied nations," Hokage-sama explained, letting out a puff of smoke from his ever-present pipe.

"What do you mean?" Temari asked, aloud.

"If we went back through history, the allied nations right now were neighboring countries that fought each other repeatedly. To avoid wasting military power, those countries decide to choose a place to fight. That was the beginning of the Chuunin Selection Exam."

"Why do we have to do that?" Naruto asked. "We're not doing this to select Chuunin?"

"Yes, this exam does examine those who are worthy of the Chuunin title, but on the other hand, it's also a place where ninja fight and carry their country's dignity," the Hokage explained. "In the third exam, feudal lords and famous people from various countries who may be potential clients are invited here as guests and feudal lords from countries with hidden villages and ninja leaders will see your battles. If there is a significant difference in power, the strong country will be flooded with jobs. Weak countries will have a decline in jobs."

"So why do we have to fight with the risk of losing our lives?" Kiba asked from next to Naruto with an edge in his voice

"A country's power is the village's power. A village's power is the ninja's power. And a ninja's true power is only born in life-or-death battle. This exam is also a place to show off the ninja power of one's country. Since this is an exam where you fight with your life, it has meaning. You fight with the dream of becoming a Chuunin."

"But why do you say it's to promote good relations?" Lee's female teammate asked.

"You're not supposed to get confused with that," the Hokage said. "The custom of showing one's life and fighting to maintain balance; that is the good relation in the world of ninja. This is a life-or-death battle for your dream and village's dignity."

"I don't care..." Gaara suddenly said. "Just tell us the details of this life-or-death exam."

Kind of glad someone said it…

"Then I will now begin the explanation of the third exam," the Hokage announced.

Suddenly, a man in a jounin vest appeared in front of the Hokage. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama, I, Gekkou Hayate, the judge, will explain."

"Very well then," the Hokage allowed, taking a step back.

Hayate turned to look at the assembled genin. "Everyone, before I start the exam..." There was a pause as Hayate brought his hand to his mouth in a coughing fit. After a moment, he continued. "There has to be some preliminary matches to see who gets to advance in the main battles of the third exam."

"What do you mean preliminary matches!? What for!?" came a sudden outburst from Shikamaru.

"Maybe the first and second exam were too easy, I don't know, but there are too many examinees left. According to the Chuunin regulations, we must decrease the number of participants for the third exam."

Sakura gasped lightly. "Oh no..."

"As previously mentioned by Hokage-sama, there are many guests for the third exam, so we can't have a lot of matches," Hayate explained.

Preliminary matches? Right now? Fatigue crept up on me, suddenly eager to remind me of the ordeals we'd faced the last five days.

Hayate had a coughing fit again, making my eye twitch. He then continued. "We are limited on time as well. So those who aren't feeling well..."

He went into another coughing fit. Is he going to be okay?

"If you're tired or anything, drop out because the matches will start immediately," Hayate announced.

"Immediately!?" Kiba exclaimed. A ruckus broke out among the genin, voicing their agreement.

I chewed on my lip, glancing around. There was no denying that the rest of the genin didn't look nearly as scraped up as my squad. Still, there was no denying the tiredness beneath their eyes and the grime and bruises that coated their skin.

I sounded like a child thinking it, but it just didn't seem fair. After everything we'd gone through, we'd be tested again. My team had barely made it out of that forest with our lives, and now we were laying them right back down, with not even half the strength we'd had when we'd departed on this journey.

"Well, I'm outta here..."

Kabuto's voice startled me from my thoughts and I glanced over in surprise.

"K-Kabuto...?" Naruto's mouth opened wide.

The proctor coughed. "You're Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha? Okay, you can go."

My eyebrows crinkled together as I watched Kabuto step out of line. How could he quit now? After everything we'd gone through to get here? Why?

I guess this is why he's taken the exam seven times…

The proctor continued. "Oh, so you know, from here on you no longer fight as teams, but individuals. So, if you really don't feel up to it, no one is relying on you. Will anyone else drop out?"

"Kabuto! What are you doing!?" Naruto suddenly exclaimed as Kabuto moved towards the doors behind us.

Kabuto stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "Sorry Naruto, but those guys we fought really took it out of me. And ever since the first exam with the Sound team…my left ear is completely messed up. They say this could be a fight to the death and, honestly, I'm really not up to that."

We watched in stunned silence and I felt a tug of guilt over what he'd sacrificed to help us. Naruto finally sighed, and gave a jerky nod. Kabuto smiled ever so slightly and, with a wave, disappeared into the adjoining room. I watched him leave, frowning, until a gasp of pain caught my attention.

I turned my attention forward, eyes falling on Sasuke. His body was hunched forward and shaking gently, the way it had last night. His hand was once again grasping at his neck where the curse mark stained his skin.

"Sasuke?" I murmured worriedly, trying not to attract the attention of the other genin.

"So..." Hayate coughed lightly. "There will be no more withdraws?"

Sasuke let out another gasp of pain and Sakura, who quickly snapped her attention forward, quickly reacted. "Sasuke, you should quit too!"

Naruto and I pivoted to look at the pink-haired girl.

"Ever since Orochimaru attacked you, you've been in pain! And it keeps getting worse! Don't think I can't see it!" Sakura said, tears starting to well in her eyes. "Please, withdraw!"

"No," Sasuke said simply, glancing at Sakura. His hand still covered his curse mark.

"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered again. "Please, withdraw..."

"..."

"Sasuke!"

"Just be quiet, Sakura," I suddenly hissed.

I got it, okay? I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about Sasuke's circumstance. I was worried and angry. But Sakura should know better than to try to steer Sasuke in an opposite direction. If he quit now, he'd never forgive himself. And this was his choice. It wasn't up to us to interfere with his life, his purpose and his goal. It was up to us to support him.

She hiccupped but turned a watery glare on me. "Stay out of this, Nakao."

"Stay out of what? You're the one up in Sasuke's business," I whispered harshly back. Why didn't she just understand? And if she didn't shut her face, the entire room would know that Sasuke was a much easier target than they imagined.

"Just because you don't care about him, Nakao-!"

I snapped, losing the control that I prided myself on. Every day of frustration and anger and guilt and fear slammed into my veins like adrenaline. Every vision of Orochimaru's eyes, of Sasuke's agonized face, of Natsuo's constant threat, flashed before my eyes in shades of crimson.

I lashed out, grabbing Sakura by the collar of her shirt. Blood was pulsing in my ears as the rest of the world became mute to me. Every second my anger and frustration and hurt began to grow like a tidal wave. My eyes bored into her, narrow slits of darkening violet. In this moment, I held nothing for her but contempt. I was sick of the way she sashayed around the place, thinking she knew everything about Sasuke; that she knew anything at all! I was furious with her constant claims of undying love and dedication, over someone she couldn't even understand. She understood nothing. Nothing about him, nothing about me, and nothing of what Sasuke meant to me, past or present.

Sakura was caught completely by surprise, and any noise was stuck in her throat. Her eyes had widened as far as they would go and they began to shake with fear.

My voice was a harsh whisper when I spat my words at her, my face so menacingly close to hers that our noses nearly touched. "Don't you ever tell me who or what I care about! Don't you ever question me over what I think or what I know! I know your act, Sakura. Floating around here like some lovesick puppy; but what do you know about him, hmm, Sakura? Did you know that his favorite color is blue? Or that his favorite food is rice balls? Have you ever even noticed that he has a permanent scar on his right shoulder from when he fell onto a kunai when he was seven?"

When my rant was finished, I was breathing heavily. My face was burning with ire, a dangerous flame that had grown into a wildfire, scorching everything in its path. Sakura remained silent, except her shallow breathing. Her eyes were shaking, taking me in as though she'd never seen me before.

"That's what I thought," I spat out.

Without warning, I was suddenly yanked away. My hands tugged free of her shirt, almost causing her to stumble backwards. It was Naruto who had grabbed me, dragging me away from Sakura by my waist and depositing me between him and Sasuke. I tried to send one more glare at the girl, but immediately noticed that Sasuke's gaze was set on me. So instead I returned my gaze forward, chest heaving up and down though I'd had no physical exertion.

My fists clenched at my sides as I tried to return my anger to the walls I'd built inside me. But the emotions I'd unleashed seemed to have coated every part of me, and I suddenly felt tears prick my eyes. My anger flared anew.

I could feel eyes on me; knew that we'd drawn the attention of those around us. Though I refused to look over, I could sense Kiba's stare on me, could see him watching me in concern from the corner of my eye.

Hayate, however, hadn't seem to notice a thing. He plowed on and I focused my energy on hearing his words. "Well then, we will not begin the preliminaries which will consist of individual combat matches. "Seeing as there are twenty-three candidates remaining, there will be a total of ten fights. Those who pass this will go on to the third exam. These battles permit any means of battle. The match will end when one ninja is dead, unconscious or admits defeat. If you value your life, make sure to give in if you find your opponent is over-powering you. Seeing as though we don't want a lot of bloodshed here, I will stop the match if I see the clear winner of the match."

Hayate turned his back on us, indicating the large electronic board with a wave of his hand. "This is an electronic score board. At the beginning of a match, two names will randomly appear on the screen and those two will be opponents."

A jumble of yellow lettering scrambled across the screen. The tension surrounding the genin was palpable. All eyes remained glued to the board. Finally, two names in bold, yellow lettering lit up the scoreboard.

Uchiha Sasuke VS Akado Yoroi

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Author's Note: Have I ever mentioned how I loath editing a 15,000 word document? Because I do. I loath it.

So be sure to share the love, gentle readers!