Sai kneeled in front of Danzo. "We have confirmed that Orochimaru will attack the village during the chunin exam," he said.
Danzo hummed, taking every possibility into consideration. "I see. Do you know if he has already arrived?"
"We will find out."
He held a hand up. "No need. The less we know about when, the better. For now, we will let things play out. I hardly doubt Orochimaru would attack by himself. Hiruzen will not let his old student get away a second time and Minato will defend this village with his life. Should things go my way, they'll both be taken down and that seat will finally be mine."
Sai kept his eyes lowered as he listened to his master speak of his wishes. He didn't understand what it meant to have dreams, wishes, or even emotions and he had nothing to contribute to such a conversation.
"For now, do nothing and we'll wait and see what happens."
"Yes, sir."
Team 7 was the second team to make it to the set location when the sun was barely rising and they stopped in their tracks when their eyes focused on what was in front of them. A large forest filled with trees that were of great width and height, surrounded by a chain-link fence that was chained and locked off with warning signs plastered all over it.
Their proctor, Anko Mitarashi, smirked at their expressions before turning away and waiting for everyone else to arrive. She knew the ins and outs of this forest, she knew how dangerous it was and she chortled thinking about the difficult time these genin were gonna have trying to complete the objective.
Naruto turned to his teammates. "That's a, um, pretty dark-looking forest, you know," he laughed nervously. "Anyone else getting a bad feeling about it?"
Sasuke shrugged. "We knew it was going to be dangerous," he replied. "Working together, we'll make it through this."
Though nervous, Hinata nodded. "Sasuke's right, Naruto. We'll be doing this together."
Naruto smiled at his teammates. "You're right. We'll be okay," he said, though they were all aware he was reassuring himself.
They stood off to the side underneath a tree as they waited for the others to show up. By the time it was the designated time, all of the teams had arrived and were mingling. Primarily, the nine rookies and Guy's team as well.
Sasuke was apprehensive of Lee being near Hinata, but that changed rather quickly when the older boy caught sight of Sakura and promptly asked her out just as he had with Hinata. Sasuke scoffed at the boy's change of heart, trying to decide whether he should be relieved that he wasn't focused on Hinata or offended that he ditched her for Sakura. Ultimately, he wasn't going to bring it up and just left it alone.
"Hyuuga-sama," Lee said, catching her attention. Hinata smiled at him politely but her cheeks went bright red. "I wanted to wish you luck in this portion of the exam! May you have a youthful experience!" He cheered.
Hinata giggled at his outgoing nature. "Thank you, Lee-san. I wish you luck as well," she replied.
He put his hands behind his back and toed the dirt. "I also wanted to apologize for moving on from you so quickly," he sighed. "I still think highly of you and think you're very pretty, but something about Sakura-chan struck a chord in my heart that you had not." He bowed lowly, catching her off guard. "Please forgive my fickle heart!"
She put her hand on his shoulder and raised his head. "You don't need to apologize to me," Hinata said gently. "Sakura-chan is very pretty and I will not fault you for being so taken with her. To be completely honest, I am very happy that you have decided to pursue her as I am already engaged and I did not want to hurt you. I care very deeply for you as a friend and as a teammate of Neji's."
Lee's eyes lit up and he smiled widely. "Thank you, Hyuuga-sama!" He pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her. She let out a small squeak at being picked up like she weighed nothing. "You are a wonderful person, very youthful! I shall do my best to be worthy of your friendship!" He set her down and casually ducked to dodge the punch Sasuke threw his way.
"S-Sasuke!" Hinata said, reprimanding. The Uchiha tch'd and turned away with one last glare to Lee. "I apologize for him. He's very protective."
Lee laughed. "He should be. It shows how much he loves you!" At this, the Uchiha tensed up but did his best not to react.
"We are very good friends," Hinata agreed, her face red when she thought of Sasuke's feelings. He has not explicitly stated that he was in love with her, but she felt it safe to assume that he held romantic feelings for her that could possibly turn into love one day. "We're all very protective of one another."
Lee tilted his head, regarding the Hyuuga in front of him before moving his eyes to the tense back of Sasuke, and then nodded understandingly. "I see. Well, I wish you two luck in your future together!"
"Thank you very much." Hinata reached into her pouch for the salve she had set aside for him and held it out to him. "I wanted to give you this."
Lee took it and studied it for a moment before opening it and smelling it. "This smells wonderful! What is it for?"
"We—we saw your hands yesterday and the bruises, cuts," she said shyly. "This is a special ointment used to lessen the scarring and help with the healing process. I hope it can help you."
Sasuke turned just a bit, enough to see Lee's face, and could practically see the hearts in his eyes. He rolled his eyes and faced forward again. He knew the idiot was going to fall for her again because of this, but Hinata wasn't the type to let others suffer if she could help it. He sighed quietly, a small grin on his lips.
Lee took her hand in both of his and squeezed. "Thank you so much, Hyuuga-sama! You're so kind."
Hinata blushed but accepted his thanks. "Please, call me Hinata," she said. "We're friends."
"Hinata-chan, then," he said. She nodded happily and he grinned. "I'm going back to my team since I can feel Neji's glare on me, but thank you again!"
She turned to her cousin and found him smiling innocently at her, but she knew. Raising a brow, she gave a silent warning and he sighed and turned away. "It was no trouble. Please let me know if it works and I will make you more." Lee thanked her again and then left her side.
Sasuke turned around with an almost dramatic sigh. "And you've made him fall in love with you again," he said.
Hinata shook her head. "Lee-san won't waver this time."
"Right. He called himself fickle," he pointed out. "But I guess you're right. Maybe this will also help get Sakura off my back."
"She didn't seem very interested," Hinata said, feeling pity for the other boy. "But stranger things have happened."
"Like what?" He asked curiously.
She shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I just know that that's what people say during times like this," she laughed.
Sasuke grinned. "How silly." He pulled her by the arm. "It looks like they're going to call us soon. Let's go." Hinata let herself be pulled, comforted by his touch.
"All right, listen up!" Anko said, silencing the murmurs as they stood in front of the forest. "This will be the next testing sight, the 44th training ground. Also known as the Forest of Death." She looked too happy about the subject matter and Naruto found himself shivering. Everyone became silent and tense at the name. "Before we get started, I'll need everyone to read over and sign these waivers. See, some of you may not make it out alive so this is just a form stating that you are aware of that risk," she explained.
"Okay, I'm starting to get nervous again," Naruto sighed.
"We'll be fine." Sasuke nudged his shoulder with his and smirked. "We're gonna make history, remember? None of us are dying here."
In the front, Anko continued. "This phase is going to test all of your survival skills. While the forms are being passed out, I'll explain the terrain and show you a map." As she held out a small map on a scroll and described the 44th training ground, Team 7 listened closely. Getting information on the terrain ahead of time was something Kakashi stressed was a luxury as most shinobi don't know exactly what they're walking into, but it could also serve as a handicap. Should you get misinformation on your destination and you rely solely on it, it could do way more harm than good. Team 7 noted that this went back to Ibiki's lesson.
"The object of this phase is to get these scrolls: An earth scroll and a heaven scroll," Anko said, holding up a white scroll and a blue scroll. "No team will have both from the beginning and it will be hidden from the others when you are given a scroll. I don't care how you get these, so long as you do. You will have five days to get these scrolls and make it to the tower in the center that I previously told you about."
Sasuke smirked. "That means at least half of the teams will fail," he said. "She wasn't kidding when she told us that yesterday."
"It's going to be very competitive out there. We'll need to be on constant guard," Hinata stated, agreeing.
"Once this is over, we'll discuss a strategy," Naruto added.
"Now, I'll explain how your team can get disqualified. One, if your entire team cannot make it within the time limit. Two, if any one of your teammates dies or becomes too injured to continue. The third, and most important, is if anyone on your team should open and read the information on a scroll.
The point of the forest is to test your endurance behind enemy lines while the scroll portion of it is to test your reliability. There will be times that ninja will have to carry susceptible information with them and they must be honorable."
"Man, I'm already curious," Naruto grumbled. Sasuke shot him a glare, causing Naruto to slump. "I know, I know. I doubt I'm gonna be the one to hold it anyway, you know."
"Once you have signed your consent forms, take them over to that hut and exchange them for a scroll. Then, pick a gate and wait for the exam to begin. Try not to die," Anko said, dismissing them with a stern look.
Each team drifted from one another and looked over their forms while muttering to each other. It was apparent that no one wanted to be eavesdropped on as everyone here was an enemy. Team 7 took a spot by a large rock and took a seat.
"Okay, so how are we doing this?" Naruto asked, voice uncharacteristically quiet.
"Hinata will lead the team," Sasuke said.
"I can activate my byakugan every few minutes to search up to half a mile around us," she explained. "With Naruto's stamina and efficiency with shadow clones, I believe he should be in the middle."
"Which leaves Sasuke in the back with his sharingan." They nodded. "If I'm in the middle, the enemies will think that I'm carrying the scroll."
"Exactly," the Uchiha smirked. "But it's going to be Hinata. Once we enter the forest, we'll get to a secluded place, and I have an idea on where to put it."
"I think it'll also be a good tactic to make clones of both scrolls that we all carry on our person," Hinata said.
"You mean all three of us carry both scrolls?" Naruto asked. She nodded. "That's a good diversion." Then he got a rebellious look on his face and his teammates waited for him to elaborate. "Just leave it to me," he snickered.
"Around this time, the days are longer while the nights are shorter which means we'll have less time to rest," Hinata stated. "We'll each take turns watching while the others sleep, but remember that humans are not our only enemies in there. We'll have to be careful on where we choose to rest."
"Right," Sasuke and Naruto said in unison.
"I guess it's about time for us to get going," Sasuke said, nodding to the other teams heading to different gates. They all stood and wandered over to the hut. Hinata made eye contact with Shikamaru and they shared a smile, silently wishing each other good luck.
They moved to gate number seven with a heaven scroll to wait out the remaining thirty minutes.
Waiting at gate number twenty was the Oto ninja, the smug smiles on their faces showed how confident they were in their abilities.
"Remember, we just have to take out that Sasuke Uchiha kid," the shorter male said. "We'll take that scroll while we're at it, but he's the main focus."
The girl in the group giggled maliciously. "Don't forget we have to incapacitate that little girl on his team so she can't heal him in any way," she said. "It'd be easier to just kill her."
"We'll just take all of them out," the taller man smirked. "It'll be a piece of cake!"
The clock hit 2:30 and the gates were opened.
"Begin!" Anko called out.
Team 7 walked casually through the gate and, the first moment they got, they hid themselves away to carry out their plans. Hinata kept her byakugan activated the whole time.
"Hinata, give me your jacket," Sasuke said. Hinata slipped it off, ignoring how exposed she felt in just her armored mesh, and handed it to Sasuke. Naruto's cheeks went bright red but he cleared his throat and focused on her jacket when Sasuke glared at him. Opening one of the sides and spreading it out on the patch of grass underneath them, he took out his fuinjutsu tools.
"Oh, I see," Hinata said.
Naruto huffed a chuckle. "That's smart. I'll get started on the fakes, then. Give me a couple of your blank scrolls," he said as he pulled out his own. Hinata took out hers and then dug in Sasuke's pouch for his as he was concentrating on the seal on the inside of her jacket. When he was done, he blew on it until it completely dried and then sealed their Heaven scroll inside of it.
"There. No one should think to look for it there." He handed her the jacket back and allowed himself to look just once as she was distracted putting her cover on. It was brief, but enough to make him blush before he shook it off and focused on their surroundings. "Is there anyone near?"
Hinata shook her head as she zipped her jacket back up. "No." Then she paused. "We have a few minutes before there is a team nearby." She squinted her eyes just a bit. "They have a heaven scroll as well."
Sasuke smirked. "Well, it won't hurt to get an extra. Naruto, how are those fakes coming along?" He looked down to see Naruto drawing an explosive seal on the scrolls and grinned. "That's clever, even for you."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Jerk. So any of us can detonate these and I would recommend doing it—"
"When they're holding it," Sasuke finished.
"Jesus, Sasuke, we're not trying to blow limbs off, you know," Naruto chided.
"Anything goes, right?" The Uchiha shrugged. "If it's a bad enemy, we'll have to resort to stuff like that, so don't go chickening out when it comes down to it."
Rolling his eyes, Naruto tossed them their scrolls and pocketed his own. "I got it."
"They're one minute away. It seems they've already sensed us nearby," Hinata said. "They seem to be from Ame and have weird masks on their faces." After a brief pause, she spoke again. "One is heading toward us from the west and the other two are attempting to flank us."
They shot out into the open and Naruto created a few clones to follow Hinata's directions to the others and slow them down while they handled the one coming for them. It wasn't long before they were faced with their enemy.
"Hand over your scroll and I won't hurt you," he said, voice sounding as though he was talking through a radio. Sasuke glared and got a kunai ready, same as Naruto while Hinata put her hands up in the gentle fist style. "I'm gonna make you regret this."
"Your clones have made contact with his teammates," Hinata told Naruto. "Catching them off guard is helping to keep them on the defensive."
The enemy glared. "You're one of those damn Hyuugas, aren't you?!" He hissed. "Whatever. I'll take care of you three myself!"
Sasuke swiftly pulled out a few shuriken and threw them, fully expecting them to be dodged, before sending his kunai toward where his opponent was going to be when he dodged. Naruto charged, flickering behind the enemy and sending him smashing into the ground with a punch to the back of the head. Hinata surged forward, attacking his chakra points and shutting them down until he could no longer move.
"That was embarrassing for you," Sasuke told the barely conscious boy.
"I definitely got some secondhand embarrassment from that," Naruto agreed. "He has the scroll, right?" Hinata nodded. Naruto dug into his pockets as Hinata checked in on Naruto's shadow clones.
"Your clones made more clones," she explained. "The other enemies are down. You did great, Naruto!" She praised.
Naruto blushed and tossed the heaven scroll to her. "You're too nice to me, you know," he said modestly. Hinata took the scroll and sealed it into her jacket.
Rolling his eyes, Sasuke turned away. "Let's keep going." They left their opponent there and continued in the direction of the tower.
After a few moments, Naruto huffed. "I have to pee," he moaned. "I'll be right back."
Hinata caught his arm. "Wait. We shouldn't separate," she said. "I'll turn this way. Just do what you have to." She faced away and deactivated her byakugan for a moment. Although red-faced, Naruto unzipped and relieved his bladder with a long, happy sigh.
"Don't make it weird," Sasuke sighed. "We should actually make a secret password in case we do happen to get separated and we need to make sure the other person is who they say they are."
"What are you thinking?" Hinata asked. Naruto zipped up and returned to their side.
"I'm done now, Hinata," he announced. "Yeah, so what's this password gonna be?"
After thinking for a moment, Sasuke nodded to himself. "The question will be Ninja Song, "Ninja Chance" and the answer will be: "The chance to sneak up when a large amount of enemies are making a scene. The quiet place has no secret hideout. It is important for a shinobi to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired and drops his guard." That's it."
"Got it," Hinata said.
Naruto raised a brow. "Jeez, do you have an obnoxiously long handshake to go with that, too?" He asked exasperatedly.
"Do you remember that?"
Hesitantly, Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"Don't mess it up or we will attack you without hesitation," Sasuke warned. "Let's keep moving now. No more breaks until it reaches nightfall."
They got into formation and prepared to jump off into the trees when Naruto was suddenly nicked on the cheek.
"What the hell was…that?" He mumbled, rubbing his cheek. Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew their way and separated all of them. Sasuke managed to grip the ground and swing himself to the side underneath some bushes. Hinata grabbed a tree and slid to a stop, using her chakra to tighten her grip before falling to her knees and crouching behind the tree with a kunai. She activated her byakugan but couldn't see anyone nearby after that gust of wind. Naruto got the full force of it and was blown back into a tree half a mile away.
Looking around, she located Sasuke and approached him cautiously. "Sasuke?" She asked.
Sasuke whipped around and held his weapon up. "Ninja Song, "Ninja Chance"." Hinata stopped and perfectly recited the answer, causing Sasuke to drop his guard. "What the hell was that? And where's Naruto?"
Hinata pointed. "He's running up now." Just then, Naruto appeared from the darkness of the surrounding trees.
"Whoa, that was crazy!" He said.
"Hold on," Sasuke said, causing Naruto to stop in his tracks. "Ninja Song, "Ninja Chance"."
He was confused for a brief moment before nodded. "Oh, right." And then proceed to recite the answer correctly. Both Sasuke and Hinata swiftly launched their weapons at Naruto. "What's wrong with you guys?! It's me!"
"Look, Naruto's smart," Sasuke smirked, "but he's definitely not able to perfectly recite something he heard once that was that long. So nice try, but we're not buying it."
The fake Naruto smirked, his tongue coming out more than what was socially—and physically—acceptable. The two genin visibly paled at that. "Why would you come up with something one of your teammates wouldn't be able to remember?" They released the transformation jutsu and revealed themselves to be a Kusagakure nin.
Sasuke shrugged. "It was for anyone listening. A trap for anyone stupid enough, and it looks like you fit the bill."
The enemy narrowed their eyes for just a moment before grinning like a giddy child. "This is going to be interesting," she said, her voice evil and methodical. "Maybe it'll be an interesting fight after all."
Hinata expanded her sight and located Naruto slowly getting up from where he was blown away. "I see Naruto," she said. "He's fine."
The Kusa nin tilted her head. "A Hyuuga? I wonder if you're from the main family," she said. "Your kekkei genkai is most impressive and very sought after." Hinata's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. "As for your friend, I think he's going to have a difficult time making it back to you. This forest, you see, has all kinds of creatures lurking about. You never know what could happen to him."
Sasuke and Hinata both glared but did their best to stay focused. They trusted Naruto to make it back to them safely, and it would be easier to keep an eye on him with the byakugan. Hinata's eyes suddenly widened.
"S-Sasuke!" She gasped. "There's a huge snake cornering Naruto!"
Sasuke kept his eyes on the enemy but cursed to himself. "Is he getting away?"
Hinata bit her lip as she watched and then briefly shut her eyes. "He was…just swallowed," she said morosely. "It is your snake, isn't it?" She hissed at the enemy.
The woman smirked, tilting her head eerily. "I wonder." Then she pulled out an Earth scroll. "This would make a nice addition to your Heaven scroll, won't it?"
"So you saw our scroll when we were moving to our gate, is that right?" Sasuke said, though he already knew the answer. Directing the conversation to Hinata, he spoke again. "We'll have to finish this as quickly as possible to get to Naruto."
"Yes," she replied. "Until then, he'll have to hold on. But this nin…there's something different about her."
"Is there?" Hinata nodded. "We'll figure it out."
The Kusa ninja chuckled. "You two are so small and inexperienced," she said. "You're going to have to kill me if you want this scroll." She put it up to her mouth and the two genin watched with disgust as her tongue wrapped around the scroll and shoved it into her mouth and down her throat. They shared a brief look of abhorrence as she swallowed the object before giving them a creepy smile.
"If Naruto was here, you know he'd have a lot of questions for her," Sasuke mumbled. Hinata agreed quietly.
"Now," the enemy nin said. "Let's begin."
Sasuke and Hinata prepared to defend themselves and fight. Before they could even move, they were suddenly seeing their own deaths and being suffocated by an intense thirst for blood. They both dropped to their knees after experiencing excruciating pain and Sasuke vomited onto the ground.
Hinata shook almost violently as she tried to ground herself. She knew it wasn't real nor was it a genjutsu, but the feeling of pure evil was almost too much to bear. She wanted to run far away from this place and put as much distance between them and this ninja.
"H—Hinata," Sasuke gasped.
Hinata shakily turned her head toward him. "We…We n—need to run," she whimpered, just barely able to stop the tears from falling. They couldn't stop themselves from shaking no matter how hard they tried, and they were unable to move as well.
The Kusa nin giggled. "Done already? How disappointing. Neither of you can move."
"Damn it," Sasuke hissed.
Hinata's byakugan had instantly deactivated when they were hit with that intense feeling and she tried her best to focus on activating it but was having difficulty. Inhaling, she slowly went for her kunai as Sasuke went for his.
"We—We have to lock it up," Sasuke hissed, reminding himself and Hinata. "We've got to…save Naruto!"
Inside the snake, Naruto squirmed and wriggled as he tried to stab the inside of the stomach with his kunai. He was covered in stomach bile and saliva as he yelled and tried to move back up but found it useless.
"Goddamn it!" He yelled. "I can't die here like this, you know!"
He thought about his friends—especially Sasuke and Hinata—and family. He thought about how much he thought of Sasuke as a brother, about how much he wanted to help him bring his idiot older brother home, and about how much he wanted to fight him with all his might to see who was truly better. He thought about his mother and father and how heartbroken they'd be if he died, if he left them all alone. There would be no one there to help his mother or to make sure she continued to smile nor would there be anyone to take his father's place and continue his legacy. He didn't want to do that to them.
Then, his mind focused on Hinata after trying to avoid that. Her comforting scent, the way her gorgeous, long hair swayed as she walked and whipped all around as she trained. Her warm smile that never failed to make him happy and calm. Her laughter that made the same sound bubble out of him. He wanted to see her again. He needed to see her again and…and tell her that he loved her. He didn't want to die without having ever told her how he felt about her.
He couldn't die without telling her.
"Hinata, I…" He murmured. He shut his eyes tightly. I'll speak to you from the heart, once I get out of here and Sasuke will just have to deal!
"I'm getting out of here, damn it!" He brought his hands up in his most familiar motion. "Shadow clone jutsu!" He summoned over a hundred clones and eventually forced himself out of the snake by popping through him.
Naruto fell to his knees on the hard ground, panting and trying to wipe the stomach acid off of himself as it was starting to tingle his skin. He went so far as rubbing his cheek in the dirt with a whine.
"If Sasuke ever finds out about this, he's never gonna leave it alone!"
Sasuke and Hinata finally made it to their feet with their weapons, panting and still shaking with that fear they couldn't seem to get rid of. But they faced their enemy as best as they could.
"What's your next move then?" She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. "It seems you two are still paralyzed with fear."
Hinata gritted her teeth and was finally able to activate her doujutsu. She searched for Naruto first and almost sighed in relief. They didn't need to worry about him for now, so they could focus properly. She turned her attention back to their enemy who had two kunai in her hand. She was going to kill them the same way they had seen she would with her killing intent.
"M-move," Sasuke hissed quietly, more to himself. "We have to move!"
As the kunai launched toward them, they both had the same idea to turn their weapons on themselves and force themselves to abandon the feeling of fear and replace it with pain. Instantly, they fled the scene, body flickering toward Naruto's location that Hinata was leading them to.
Unfortunately, due to the pain and adrenaline wearing off, they had to stop just before getting there to catch their breaths.
"That ninja, she was no ordinary genin," Sasuke said, relieved as Hinata began healing his wound. "There's no way."
Hinata nodded, barely refraining from shaking. "I didn't sense her presence at all. I'll be keeping my Byakugan active in the meantime." She explained. She lifted the leg of Sasuke's shorts just a bit to apply the Hyuuga salve. "We have to make it to Naruto."
"Is he still in that snake?"
"No. He got out and killed it."
Sasuke smirked. "Good." He watched as she healed herself next. As a medic, he was aware that she could not allow herself to die before any of her comrades. It was her duty to be the last person left alive in any squad or battlefield. It was a lot of pressure, but he never saw it weigh her down. Slowly, her wound closed up just as Sasuke's had done and she was about to apply the cream when she saw a giant snake heading their way. She got to her feet instantly, Sasuke following her lead without hesitation.
"There's a snake coming for us," she said, her palm up defensively.
Sasuke clenched his jaw. "Any idea on how to take it down?"
"Judging from its size, going through its mouth would be most effective," replied Hinata. They both got shuriken out and ready. It wasn't long before the snake was hissing in front of them and diving. They both jumped away in opposite directions, causing the snake's mouth to bite the tree they had been recovering on.
The snake went for Sasuke, causing Hinata to squint in confusion as she had been closest to the reptile. It should have gone for the easiest prey but it went for her teammate, and this was when she realized Sasuke was being targeted specifically.
"Sasuke!" She called out, racing for him. Sasuke looked terrified and took the snake out when he unleashed a barrage of shuriken at the snake's open mouth.
"Get the hell away from me!" He growled, panting with fear and fatigue. Hinata stopped in her tracks, two branches below the one Sasuke landed on, and watched as the snake fell. Dead.
"Are you okay?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the snake but speaking to Sasuke. She heard him inhale to reply but stopped when they both saw something pushing out from inside the snake. It was the Kusa nin that had been hidden inside its body.
"Impressive. However, this forest reeks of your fear and it makes it so enjoyably easy to find you," she said. Her long tongue pressed through her lips and fell past her chin as she laughed maniacally. Hinata grimaced at the sight of the enemy licking the insides of the snake off her mouth. She didn't have time to observe anymore as the Kusa nin surged for Sasuke, wrapping her body around the thick branch of the tree as she slithered toward him.
Sasuke yelled out, froze in his place. Hinata sent chakra to her feet and was about to kick off her branch when a multitude of weapons blocked the enemy from getting any closer to Sasuke. Hinata sighed in relief as she saw Naruto, having been too caught up in their enemy to keep an eye on their surrounding.
"I guess I got here just in time!" Naruto called out. He looked at their enemy more closely. "Ew, what the hell is that?!" His body visibly shivered with obvious disgust. "Oh, by the way, I don't remember that long-winded password."
Sasuke had never felt more relieved to see his teammate before he locked his emotions down. "I don't suppose you'll just…let us go, will you?" Sasuke asked their enemy.
The nin chuckled. "How terribly naive of you. We're in the middle of the chunin exam," she replied.
Sasuke reached into his pouch and pulled out their Heaven scroll. "If we give you this, will you let us go then?" He asked, holding it up.
Naruto and Hinata were shocked. "Sasuke, don't you dare give that freak our scroll!" Naruto argued.
"He's right. We can't just give it away!" Hinata added.
Sasuke gave them a hard look. "Read the situation! She's clearly more powerful than us! She's been playing around this whole time. We don't stand a chance!" His teammates couldn't argue with his logic. "We'll get someone else's."
"Smart move, Sasuke," the ninja said. "After all, the only thing I want is your scroll." Sasuke tossed the scroll over and jumped back onto a different branch closer to his teammates. He waited until it was in her hands before setting off the explosion.
Team 7 didn't wait to make their escape. They kept running until Hinata could no longer see the area with her byakugan. They came to a stop and huddled together.
"What the hell happened?" Naruto asked.
"She's no ordinary genin," Sasuke said, repeating himself from earlier. "Hinata didn't sense her. She was able to paralyze us with just her killing intent. She's too strong. There's no way she's anything less than a jonin."
"She's that powerful?"
"Yes," Hinata replied. "During her attacks, I noticed something. She has her sights set on Sasuke for some reason. I was closer and an easier target more than once and she still chose to go after him."
"So what does that mean then?"
"I don't know. But I doubt she will be happy about the trick we pulled. She'll be back, and we need to have a plan by then," Hinata said.
"Right."
They got to planning.
Outside of the forest, Anko had been called to a scene with a few dead bodies lying just out of sight of the forest. The bodies had no faces and had to be identified with their IDs. To Anko, this sight was familiar. She knew this tactic all too well. After viewing the IDs, she recognized them from when she was giving instructions.
'So, it was already him by that time,' she thought to herself. A pain in her neck flared up and she instantly turned back to the three shinobi who had called her to the scene.
"Alert Hokage-sama right away!" She ordered. "And get a few police squads sent out into the forest. I'll be heading in there myself to search for them." They didn't waste any time and promptly left the scene in a blur. "That goddamn bastard." She held her neck and glared down at the bodies.
Minato was currently going over a few scrolls that needed his approval when he sensed chakra signatures fast approaching. He set his scrolls aside and stood tall in his white and red Kage cloak. Hiruzen had stepped out to get lunch for them a few minutes ago.
"Hokage-sama!" Three shinobi adorning uniforms standard for those overseeing the chunin exam greeted.
"Is there a problem?"
"We located three Kusagakure nin bodies near the forest of death. Their faces were all missing. Anko-san went ahead into the forest but she requested a few police squads go after her as well," the one in the middle explained.
Minato's eyes narrowed at the information. The missing faces made it clear who it was and the fact that he had not hidden those bodies made his intentions clear as well. He wanted them to know he was there and this was his way of showing that as well as telling them that they would not be able to catch him. That repulsive man had also been too confident in himself.
"I see. I will be sending squads out right away. It is important that you return to your posts for the time being. I will alert other Jonin of the situation," he said.
"Yes, sir!" And then they were gone.
Minato turned to stare out of the window. "Why now? Why have you come back now?" He asked himself. His mind briefly went to his son and his friends who were currently in that forest. He thought of the two doujutsu users on his team as well as the fox that was currently trapped inside of his son. Should they encounter him…it would be too dangerous. They were a highly advanced team for their age and rank, but they were nothing compared.
He summoned Fugaku who appeared a few moments later along with Hiruzen with a bag of takeout. At the look on Minato's face, they grew serious.
"What is it, Hokage-sama?" Fugaku asked.
"Orochimaru is in the village. It seems he infiltrated the second phase of the chunin exam by stealing the faces of three Kusa nin," he explained. "Mitarashi-san has gone after him. I want a few of your squads sent out into the forest as well."
"I'll send them out right away."
"Tell them not to engage for any reason unless he is attacking any genin. It is imperative that he only be located for now. I'm not sure why he has chosen now to come back or what he is currently planning, but we will find out."
Fugaku nodded and excused himself to dispatch his top squads. He thought about his son who was currently in that forest right now before clearing his head and focusing on his task. Sasuke was strong and he would be okay. He had to believe that.
"Minato-kun," Hiruzen said seriously. "If he has come back, then it is my responsibility to succeed this time where I failed previously. Do you understand?"
"I am the Hokage, Lord Third. It is my job to protect this village from all threats," he replied.
"And that is exactly what he is counting on. Leave him to me and throw him off guard."
"What makes you think he's not working alone?" Minato asked. It made sense to him, but he wanted to know what his predecessor had on his mind.
"Orochimaru may be overzealous, but he is not reckless. He is not so naive as to think that he could infiltrate and attack this village on his own. No, he is going to have help," Hiruzen explained. "He was my student, and it is my responsibility to take him down."
After a few moments, Minato nodded. "Very well. I'll leave that fight up to you. In the meantime, we need to figure out what his plan is."
"Do you plan to cancel the chunin exam?"
Minato shook his head. "No, it is too early to decide something like that. And if we did, Orochimaru would just leave the village and we would never know what his plans are," he clarified. Hiruzen accepted this. They had nothing left to do but wait.
In the forest, Hinata warned them of the enemy fast approaching and they got into their positions. A triangle formation with Naruto on the higher branch with his large chakra reserves and Sasuke and Hinata on the lower branches with their doujutsu. Hinata would handle the taijutsu aspect of the fight alongside Naruto while Sasuke would use his weapons at long-distance.
It wasn't long before the ninja appeared in front of them again. "Not a bad move. Decoy scrolls laced with explosive seals," she said, chuckling. "But that kind of thing wasn't going to work on me. I have a feeling you knew that though."
"You're not getting our scroll, you damn snake!" Naruto yelled.
"I guess I'll just have to kill you and take it." She pulled up her left sleeve and bit her thumb before running it across the seal on her wrist. "Summoning jutsu!" The tree underneath her was destroyed as it was replaced by another giant snake.
"Ugh, not one of these again," Naruto huffed, but he noted that it seemed to be larger than the one that had swallowed him before…not that he was going to tell them that that happened to him.
Hinata's eyes widened. "This one is even bigger than the one that swallowed Naruto," she gasped. Naruto's face turned red but he decided not to say anything about it. This fight was more important. Naruto summoned over fifty shadow clones before launching them toward the enemy with a battle cry.
Sasuke still found himself terrified of this opponent and wasn't sure how to approach. He knew they weren't going to get out of this unless they definitely handed over their scroll but it wasn't like he could do that in a regular mission. Handing over sensitive information just to save his skin wasn't at all honorable. It was downright cowardly.
Their opponent easily took out all of Naruto's clones with a smack from its snake before he brought its tail up and swatted at Naruto, who couldn't dodge in time. He fell through multiple weak branches before slamming into a sturdy one and choking out blood.
"Naruto!" They yelled. The snake went for him once again and Hinata channeled her chakra into her palm and ran for her teammate. She slammed her palm into her snake causing it to waver for just a moment until she got smacked back into a tree with a pained yell by its tail.
"Hinata!" Sasuke called out. He took out his larger shuriken and launched it at the snake, catching it in the side. The snake, in pain, wriggled and slammed its tail onto Naruto who fell further toward the bottom of the forest.
Sasuke attempted to go for him but was blocked by their snake. He watched as Naruto fell lower and lower, Hinata attempting to run for him again but slower than usual due to her injuries. Suddenly, Sasuke felt that menacing chakra pouring from Naruto and his teammate was in front of the snake with red eyes and darker whisker marks.
"Keep away from me!" Naruto barked. He pulled a fist back and landed multiple punches on the snake, making it woozy. The Kusa ninja's eyes widened as she looked at his red eyes and felt the sensation of his chakra.
"Interesting," she said. "Those eyes of yours." As Naruto was in mid-air, she blew a fireball toward him and he was quickly engulfed in the flames and sent flying back until he slammed into a branch again.
She turned to Sasuke. "Let's see what you have for me, Sasuke." She sent the snake toward him, but he stood frozen to the spot.
"Sasuke!" Hinata yelled, hoping to shake him out of it. She tried to flicker to his side but she could only move short distances with the damage done to her back and that wasn't getting her any closer to him any faster. "Sasuke!"
As the snake was only a few feet away, Sasuke let out a shout of fear but it was soon replaced with a gasp as Naruto had come to his rescue with nothing but himself and two kunai. He had managed to slam the snake's mouth down into the thick branch and was currently holding it back.
"Sasuke," Naruto growled, red eyes staring deep into his black ones. "We're in a battle! If you're going to be nothing but a scaredy-cat, then leave the fight to the grown-ups, you got that?!"
Sasuke flinched but he knew his friend was right. He was the only one that had not attempted any move and he allowed his teammates to do it and get hurt afterward. He couldn't make excuses for himself, and he wasn't going to.
Before he could respond, a tongue was winding around Naruto's body and lifting him up into the air. Naruto's face went pale at the realization that it belonged to the enemy.
"Ugh, get this tongue off of me!" He yelled, trying to get out of its grip. "I'm not into these sorta things, you freak! I'm not interested in you; you're so old!" He couldn't get out no matter how much he squirmed and pulled on the organ. The Kusa nin brought Naruto right in front of her with a smirk, ignoring his insults like they were nothing.
"In all the lands, it is known that Kushina Uzumaki is the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, so why is it that you exhibit those behaviors?" She teased, clearly knowing the answer. "I wonder how many people would kill to learn that you're nothing but a child?" She put her hand into a seal none of them recognized before her fingertips lit up purple.
Her tongue pulled up Naruto's jacket and shirt, revealing the seal that kept the fox contained in his body. "This is sexual harassment!" He yelled—though it was mostly to cover up the fact that he was terrified of that seal—as he squirmed even more.
"Five Elements Seal!" She thrust the seal on top of his existing one, causing Naruto to let out a choked yell, his eyes going wide and bloodshot.
"Naruto!" Hinata yelled, sending kunai toward the nin only for it to be blocked by the snake's tail. She was beginning to get extremely frustrated with that snake. Naruto's eyes went back to their blue color before he passed out and his body went limp in her hold. The nin reached into Naruto's pouch and felt around, smiling when she secured their Heaven scroll. She then tossed Naruto to the side like trash and smiled with a sinister grin.
Hinata gritted her teeth and used every ounce of her will to flicker to Naruto, jumping off the branch and catching him in her arms as she used her chakra to stay on the tree. She looked to Sasuke who hadn't moved and narrowed her eyes.
"Sasuke!" His eyes flinched toward her at the sound of her voice. "We're in the middle of a battle and Naruto's incapacitated, so you…you need to lock it up! This is no time to be afraid. Naruto needs us and it is our duty to protect him as he protected us!"
At this, Sasuke's eyes went wide as he registered her words. She was completely right. Despite seeing what their enemy could do, Naruto still charged through and protected him. He still fought with everything he had while he had just stood here doing nothing. He thought about his brother and realized his brother would've already defeated this opponent. He would have defeated him in a matter of seconds. How was he supposed to defeat his brother and drag him back home if he was terrified of powerful ninja?
In an instant, Sasuke activated his sharingan and stood ready to fight. The Kusa nin smirked and let go of her summons to face him herself.
"There's that Uchiha rage I've heard so much about!" She cackled. "Show me what you can do, Sasuke. Show me just how great the Uchiha Clan really is!"
Sasuke glared. "Pay close attention!" He pulled out shuriken and sent them flying toward his opponent as he ran forward. His weapons were easily dodged, but Sasuke expected nothing less. He surged forward and engaged in hand-to-hand combat where he was able to easily see the immense speed due to his sharingan.
Hinata, smiling proudly at her teammate, took Naruto and placed him somewhere safe before returning to the battle. She saw Sasuke and the enemy moving at speeds she could just barely keep up with. She watched in awe for a moment before realizing that she had the scroll Naruto kept on him. She smirked as she waited for Sasuke to get some distance between them and then set it off.
The Kusa nin grunted, flying back into the tree when an explosion went off at her side. She narrowed her eyes at the Hyuuga and attempted to go for her when Sasuke blocked her way. They engaged once again before she used a wind jutsu to send Sasuke flying away. He dodged it and flung himself toward her to grab her, flipped her around, and then sent her a long way down into a thick branch head first, causing the wood to splinter underneath her.
Sasuke flipped away and watched as the body was revealed to be nothing but a substitution. Sasuke turned just a second too late and was cut with a kunai before dodging the rest of them. With the help of wire string, he managed to swing around, hoping to catch the enemy off guard but was thrown back by a solid punch to the face that was followed up with a kick to the stomach. He was sent sliding on the floor briefly before coming to a stop and laying there, panting harshly.
"That's all the Uchiha Clan has to offer? How sad," the enemy taunted.
Hinata dropped one of her fake scrolls—knowing that she would sense any weapons soaring toward her—and activated it when it was right by the nin's head, causing her to stagger forward with a grunt. Instantly, Sasuke jumped up and away, sending a multitude of shuriken flying past her that were connected to wire strings. He used the wires to strap the nin to the tree.
"Manipulating Windmill Triple Attack?!" She hissed.
Sasuke, holding a wire in his mouth, ran through a series of signs—Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, and Tiger.
'Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!' In a straight line, a flaming dragon released itself from Sasuke's mouth and hit the enemy so harshly that it went directly through the tree as well. The Kusa nin screamed out in agony and eventually, the fire died out. He'd done it. Sasuke rested on his knees, panting. Hinata jumped down and went to his side.
"Thanks for that scroll," he panted, smirking at her. "I needed that."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more."
"Wh—where's Naruto?"
"I put him somewhere safe," she assured him. "We should get—" They both froze as they heard the wires snapping apart. Slowly, the looked at the nin was still very much alive and aware. The only damage that seemed to be done was her left eye, as though her skin was peeling.
"You've mastered your doujutsu at such a young age," she said, though the voice began turning deeper as though it was a man talking. "You've truly surprised me, Sasuke." They were all but paralyzed on the spot. "In fact, I think I'd say that your eyes are even better than Itachi's. Yes, I think you'll do just fine after all."
At this, Sasuke growled. "Who the hell are you?!" He yelled.
The nin chuckled, smirking at the two genin. "My name is Orochimaru." At this, Hinata's eyes went wide with fear, Itachi's warning coming to her mind. She only knew him to be a monster and after their battle with him, she needed nothing else.
"What do you want with us?!" Sasuke continued.
"I suppose I'd like to see just how powerful you can get," he explained. "But before that happens, you'll need to pass this test, won't you? And for this phase, you'll have to defeat the Oto nin I have under my direction."
"They're yours?" Hinata asked.
"Indeed, they are, Hyuuga. I'll be seeing you three again sooner than you think," he said.
"Not if we can help it," Sasuke hissed. "I don't give a damn who are or what you want, just leave us be!"
"Me and you, Sasuke, we'll definitely be meeting again." With a smirk, Orochimaru put his hands up in a sign neither of them recognized and his head stretched from his body, moving around like a snake. Seeing that it was heading directly for Sasuke, Hinata managed to move.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!" Thrusting her palm out, she hit Sasuke with a gust of wind, blowing him away just before Orochimaru could connect with him. The nin seemed caught off guard and impressed with her quick reflexes.
"What a cute little Hyuuga. You know, I've never experimented with any byakugan before," he revealed, though Hinata knew this information too well. Orochimaru sent explosive tags her way, causing her to jump back and dodge them. They went off, breaking up a cloud of dirt and wood. She could still see thanks to her doujutsu, but she couldn't move fast enough before Orochimaru seemingly sunk his teeth into Sasuke's neck, causing her teammate to cry out in pain.
"Sasuke!" Orochimaru's head retracted and a few seconds later. Sasuke was holding his neck and dropping to his knee. "What did…what did you do to him?!"
"I just left him a little something. In fact, why don't I give you the same gift?" Just as he put his hands in the same seal as before, he paused. "Unfortunately, I don't have time. As for Sasuke, very soon he'll seek me out for my power."
Hinata held onto Sasuke's shoulders, acting as a shield between the two. "Just get out of here!" She yelled. Orochimaru chuckled until he slowly sunk into the tree and disappeared. She turned her attention back to her teammate who was screaming out in agonizing pain and clinging to her as though his life depended on it.
She moved the collar of his shirt and saw a mark on his near just above the bit mark and instantly began applying her own chakra to it. He was squirming and writhing in pain and her medical ninjutsu didn't seem to be helping at all. She hugged him tightly and let him squeeze her as hard as he could until he eventually passed out from the pain.
Her eyes were full of tears but also anger. Orochimaru. She was going to get him for what he did to her teammates…and she was going to start with those who worked under him.
By the time nightfall came, Hinata and secured a safe place underneath a tree with a spread trunk. She pulled and tied the bushed around closer for more cover along with the moss to cover the top part that the bushed could not. She activated her byakugan every few minutes to keep a lookout and tripwires around the area for protection. Even if they lived after triggering one of those, she would be alerted by the noise and vibrations.
Sasuke, although still unconscious and feverish, had gotten his breathing under control. Naruto, lying just beside him, was still as though he were dead but the warmth of his skin and his even breathing reassured Hinata that he was there. She used her medical ninjutsu to heal her teammates and herself of what she could. Sighing softly, she leaned against the trunk and let her eyes close, knowing that she couldn't be useful if she was dead on her feet. She needed to be at her best in order to protect her teammates.
Hi! We hope y'all enjoyed this chapter :) I had a lot of fun writing out the Forest of Death (especially for the majority fight between the Oto nin coming next chapter), so I hope I did okay with it. I'm also happy to say that I have finished the Konoha Crush Arc and will be starting on the Search for Tsunade Arc next. I'm definitely not able to write as often as I'd like; I hope y'all'll be patient with us! Thanks for reading and please let us know what you think about it by leaving reviews.
-hina
NEXT UPDATE: 11/11/23