Thank you all for the supportive welcome back, really appreciated it! My urge to write is still not as strong as it used to be but reading your kind words and seeing how excited some of you were for the possibility of continued updates pushed me to do my best, so again I can't thank you enough! As always, we will talk more down below but I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to seeing where we go from here.
~!
(...)
"So... it seems you lot aren't as slow as you look, good!" Mischievous eyes surveyed the competition with a modicum of approval. "That just might see you through the next part of this test, emphasis on might."
Anko grinned and folded her arms beneath her bust, she was quite eager to begin. "Welcome, runts, to Training Ground 44 or better known to us locals, The Forest of Death! Now I'm certain some of you here think that name is a bit dramatic…"
Her playful smile turned absolutely chilling.
"You'll learn soon enough."
The forest had earned its name for good reason, the place was a death trap for civilians and shinobi alike. Outlandishly oversized flora and fauna resided within its confines and more than a few had no qualms about snacking on any cute, dumb genin that just so happened to wander inside. That's why there were wardens that patrolled the perimeter of the forest at all times, and bi-monthly extermination missions were necessary to keep the creature populations in check.
All of it was overseen by herself of course. This was her playground after all!
And now it was to be filled with a bunch of starry-eyed brats about to piss their pants. The thought alone nearly made her cackle in glee, but she had an appearance to maintain. She'd have all the time in the world to laugh once the test began in earnest.
"As most of you have probably guessed, this will be the stage for the second part of your exam. For the next five days, this will be your home!" Her announcement was met with varying degrees of discomfort from the assembled teams. Some seemed mildly perturbed by the news, while others appeared downright horrified. "Don't go getting all squeamish on me just yet, I haven't even explained the second part of the test."
"Those of you still shaking in your boots from the first round can take a breath, there are no mind games here." A small lie, but one they'd probably never discover either. "This part of the test couldn't be more simple. All you have to do is navigate the forest and locate the tower hidden at its heart within five days. Manage that while still keeping all your bits and pieces and you're golden."
She allowed them a moment to digest the information. There was a general sense of relief that seemed to wash over them in light of the relatively simple task, after all… how hard could it be to find a tower in a forest?
She almost felt bad for what she was about to do…
Almost~
"Ahem!" She coughed loudly, turning their attention back onto her. "Sorry to interrupt, but there is a little bit more to this test than a quiet nature walk. See, it wouldn't really be a proper exam if you all could pass with both arms tied behind your back, don't you think? That's why there is a second objective that you must fulfill if you want to move onto the final round."
Reaching into her coat pockets, Anko produced two small scrolls and held them out for all to see. One was a dark blue, while the other was white. Printed in fine kanji along their faces were the words 'Earth' and 'Heaven' respectively.
"Each team will be given one of these two scrolls before entering the forest. In order to progress, you must collect the scroll opposite to the one given to you here and present both at the tower to qualify. If you show up with one scroll, no scrolls, or two of a kind, then you will fail." She explained, stuffing the scrolls back into her jacket.
From the sidelines, Natsumi frowned to herself as she absorbed the directions.
Whatever sense of comradery or passive indifference they all shared had just been violently shunted out the proverbial window. The only way to progress would be to hunt down other teams, teams that would almost certainly not go down without a fight after making it this far. Survival of the fittest.
Anko continued on. "Keep in mind that your only task is to retrieve the scrolls. To those of you who are too nosy for your own good, I strongly advise against opening them. Then again, I'm not your mom and you can do whatever the hell you want."
A genin from Ame wearing an odd-looking rebreather raised his hand.
"Just out of curiosity, what exactly happens if we open the scrolls? Are we disqualified?"
Anko snorted. "If you really want to know so badly then feel free to give it a try once you're inside." If they wanted to ignore her then it was their choice, she wasn't a babysitter. "Any other questions?"
"What are we supposed to do for food?" Choji couldn't help but ask, still reeling from the fact that they were going to be stuck in a forest for the next few days. That meant no BBQ, no fried rice, no beef bowls, no chips, no nothing!
"I've heard the giant centipedes taste a bit like chicken if you manage to cook 'em just right." She suggested, thinly veiled sarcasm dripping from each word. "Fry up some of their larvae and I bet you can almost trick yourself into thinking you're having popcorn shrimp! Then again, maybe they'll be the one's making a snack out of you? I wonder what they think we taste like?"
Some of the contestants felt their stomachs churn at the thought. Even Natsumi couldn't help but gag slightly at the idea. Choji took it the worst by far though, the poor boy looked ready to faint on the spot.
Towards the back, a tall, pale-skinned kunoichi from Kusa quietly stepped forward and raised her hand. "Pardon me for my rather morbid question, Proctor-san... but what are the rules regarding killing during this portion of the exam?"
An uneasy silence suddenly swept over the clearing at the unexpectedly grim inquiry. If they'd all been on edge before, they were now doubly so after hearing that. To her credit, Anko didn't seem at all perturbed by the question. If anything, she seemed even more amused than before.
"Feeling that itch already, are you?" She laughed. "Well then, you'll be happy to know that there is no penalty for killing within the forest. If you'd like to spare your prey and leave their fate to chance, that is entirely up to you. Controversially, you are free to put down whoever you please. So long as you collect the scrolls and bring them back, I could really care less how you do it."
A new chorus of whispers broke out amongst the crowd. Teams began to eye each other with thinly veiled suspicion and Natsumi could feel small bursts of KI being traded back and forth as teams silently began warning others to stay away. Naturally, her gaze flitted between her fellow classmates to gauge their reactions.
Team Seven overall didn't seem overly phased by the news, but she could tell they weren't exactly thrilled either. Sasuke's eyes were narrowed and his stance was guarded, as though he could be ambushed at any moment. Shino gave nothing away as per usual, but she didn't doubt the Aburame boy was prepared to fight if the need arose. Really, it was only Sakura that seemed visibly troubled by the revelation; her emerald eyes darting back and forth rapidly with clear anxiousness.
Team Ten seemed to sober up in the face of heightened stakes. Shikamaru appeared oddly focused; this was the first time she'd seen the Nara heir look so pensive about anything. Ino still radiated her usual confidence, but there was an air of grim determination surrounding her. Choji still seemed put off from before, but the heavy-set boy kept close to his team all the same. Protectively guarding their flank.
As for her own team?
Kiba didn't seem at all pleased by the shift in tone, his usual carefree grin had been replaced by a small scowl and his hands were stuffed angrily into his pockets. Atop his head, Akamaru appeared equally withdrawn by the revelation. Hinata was visibly perturbed at the idea that anyone would feel the need to kill during the exams, not that it surprised her. The Hyuga heiress was a gentle soul at heart. She doubted that if push came to shove, Hinata would be willing to kill another person.
Not that she was any better.
Ironic given her chosen career path, but she truly had no interest in killing without cause. Part of her blamed Nakamura-sensei for beating the value of human life into their skulls on an almost daily basis as part of their training, but part of her was just… scared by the prospect. There was permanence in death. Finality. It could not be healed like a wound or taken back like a gift. People were stupid and often short-sighted, but that didn't mean they deserved death. She understood that eventually she would have to kill but no part of her reveled in that knowledge.
She could only hope to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
"If you are going to be this squeamish, perhaps you really should have given the scarred human your headband back there?" The voice of her tenant was ripe with sarcastic mockery. "Senseless killing is perhaps the only thing you mortals excel at."
"And here I thought you were asleep." His taunting shook her from her thoughts and she strangled the urge to roll her eyes at his careless demeanor. "Come to give me a small pep talk before the test?"
"I'd rather eat my own tails." The Fox bit back. "I'm only awake because at least something interesting might happen now. A bunch of apes running around with pointy sticks and nothing better to do than indulge in their worst instincts? Entertainment at its finest."
"So the mighty Kyuubi has an interest in bloodsport? How human of you." She scoffed, cutting the connection before the beast could retort as she knew it would. Now wasn't the time to be getting lost in thought or spend time debating philosophy with the entity residing within her stomach.
"Since there are no other questions…" Anko's voice cut in again, bringing her focus back into the moment. "Head on over to the tents over there where you'll be given your starting scroll and sign the waiver in order to participate in this section of the test."
"What's the waiver for, exactly?" Kiba asked.
"Nothing special, it's just so that we have written proof that you all consented to take the test of your own volition, and that the village is not responsible for any injuries or misfortune that befalls you during this portion of the examination." She explained with a large, toothy grin.
Kiba's shoulders slumped. "I don't know why I even asked…"
"You all know everything you need to, so get moving. The test begins the moment the gates open and you all enter the forest. I don't think it needs to be said but if you leave the testing area for any reason not sanctioned by a testing overseer or the acting Kage, you are automatically disqualified and your team will fail immediately." She then graced them all with a cheerful wave. "Good luck, you're going to need it!~"
And with a puff of smoke, she was gone.
They were on their own now
(...)
"So what's the game plan here? How are we doing this?"
Kiba's questioning brought their sprint through the trees to a grinding halt. The trio had quickly tried to put as much distance between themselves and the starting gate as possible to avoid getting caught in an early ambush, but they couldn't just keep running forever. They had to have a plan and so far no one had put forth any ideas.
"N-Natsumi?" Hinata swiftly deferred to their appointed leader.
"I'm thinking…" She replied quietly, keeping her eyes on their surroundings just in case. "I have some ideas but we can't afford to make any mistakes that leave us open."
Her sight swiftly turned to Kiba.
"The Inuzuka-clan are famed trackers and experienced survivalists, aren't they? What would you say should be our first priority if we are going to spend the next few days here?" She asked suddenly.
"Eh? You're asking me?" He blinked, openly caught off guard at abruptly being thrown on the spot. "Isn't planning this stuff out your thing?"
"Drawing on the expertise of others is key to creating any successful plan." She recited calmly. "If you possess knowledge that will aid us, I would be a fool to overlook it."
The Inuzuka heir still appeared somewhat shaken by the impromptu deferral but recovered quickly. "Ah, well in that case… I'd say our first priority should be locking down a source of safe drinking water. Since we don't know how long we'll be in here we should make sure our essentials are taken care of." He reasoned after a moment of thought. "Setting up camp also wouldn't be a bad option."
Natsumi considered the advice then nodded. "That makes sense. Ideally, the less time we spend here the better, but they wouldn't have given us such an extensive time frame if they believed we wouldn't need it. Securing a source of water this early would put us in an advantageous position over the other teams as well."
"H-How so?"
"Eventually, every team is going to come to the same conclusion as we have. Unless they plan to spend the next several days crippled by thirst, they will eventually have to seek out drinking water. If we secure and fortify a position that gives us control of a nearby reservoir, other teams will have no choice but to come to us and we'll have the home-field advantage."
"I like it!" Kiba nodded in agreement. "It saves us a lot of hassle too."
"I-It sounds like a good idea." Hinata echoed before frowning. "B-But how can we be sure another t-team will stumble into us?"
"There are no guarantees, but I was thinking that if we set up as close to the tower as possible there is a greater chance we'll encounter another team." She crossed her arms and considered their options. "Worst case scenario, we have to actively hunt other teams to which costs us the aid of any traps, but I still think we'll be okay so long as we choose our battles carefully."
"I don't have any better ideas so just tell me what you need."
"W-We'll follow your lead!"
"Then let's not waste any more time. Hinata, I want you to periodically scan for any sources of water or nearby teams, conserve as much chakra as you can but you will be our main scout." She ordered. "Kiba, you will take point. Your enhanced sense should hopefully keep us from running into any of the creatures the proctor warned us about. We've already lost half the day so let's try to get as far as we can before nightfall."
"Yes, ma'am!/Hai!"
-( Elsewhere in the Forest )-
"The hell do you mean the plan's changed!?"
"Exactly what I said, Idiot. The Uchiha is no longer our target and is to be left alone for the time being." A single narrowed eye scanning the contents of the note he'd been given. "If you have a problem with it, feel free to question Lord Orochimaru's orders on your own time, Zaku."
"Tsk! I'm not trying to get myself killed, it just doesn't make any damn sense."
Kin sighed and rested her back against one of the nearby trees. "So then what is our objective now exactly?" She asked, trying and failing to fight off a headache from her hotheaded teammate's incessant yelling. "Just play along and make it to the finals?"
Dosu crumpled the small sheet of paper that had been given to them in his fist, watching its deliverer quietly slink off into the underbrush at their feet before vanishing from sight leaving no trace it had ever been there at all.
"Yes and no." Dosu pocketed the note and turned to face his squad. "We will carry on through the exams as expected, but we've been given a new target to eliminate. Lord Orochimaru wants Natsumi Uzumaki removed from the competition, permanently."
...
"Okay… Who the fuck is that?" Zaku asked, he honestly hadn't been paying much attention to the rest of the competition to begin with. Everyone knew who Uchiha punk was, kinda hard not to when your whole clan gets butchered overnight, but the name Uzumaki didn't ring any bells to him.
"She's that blond girl with the whiskers, right?" Kin pipped up, a small flash of recognition crossing her face. "The same one that told the last protector to basically go screw off for messing with everyone?"
"Correct." Dosu nodded. At least one of his teammates had been paying attention. "I don't know what she's done, but Lord Orochimaru wants her taken out for whatever reason."
"That's our target!?" Zaku let out a low whistle of surprise. "Damn, and I thought she was kinda hot too. She's got that stuck-up princess sorta vibe to her, but with a bit of bite…" A lecherous smirk graced his dark features. "Hey, maybe we can have some fun with her before we off her? What do you say, Dosu?" He asked eagerly, earning a scoff of disgust from his female squadmate at the blatant desire that crept into his voice.
"You're fucking disgusting." She scowled. Don't get her wrong, she didn't give a damn about any of those tree-huggers but there were some things that even she didn't approve of. There was a reason she kept a handful of senbon tucked in her clothes when they were out on long missions together.
"Don't try to involve me in your depravity." Dosu brushed off the implication with an annoyed roll of his visible eye. "Feel free to do as you will when the time comes, but our orders are clear. The Uzumaki girl doesn't leave this forest alive. Understood?"
"Of course." Kin nodded. "We won't fail."
"Yeah yeah, she won't even know that hit her." Zaku promised.
"Good. Let's move then, we have prey to find."
(...)
"W-We're being tailed."
Hinata's warning came as a whisper on the wind, yet the rest of her team caught it clearly. They gave no visual indication that they'd heard her, continuing on their planned path as though totally unaware. To respond suddenly would sacrifice their element of surprise.
"How many?" Natsumi whispered, not breaking line of sight from the treeline ahead.
"A s-single squad…" Hinata then hesitated for a moment. "T-They are from Konoha judging by their headbands."
"So then why are they following us?" Kiba scowled.
"Must I remind you that this is a competition?" Natsumi's tone was clipped, almost admonishing. "For as long as we are stuck in here, we have no allies. It would be foolish to assume that other teams won't attack us simply because we are from the same village. If anything that makes us easier targets since we're unlikely to use lethal force against what are technically allies.
"Guh…" He hung his head bashfully. "Point taken."
"Do you recognize any of them?" She asked.
"N-No, they seem a bit older than we are." The heiress seemed slightly thankful for that. "T-They are beginning to spread out, I-I think they plan on surrounding us? There is a c-clearing just up ahead, a good spot for an ambush."
"Stay on your guard then and prepare for a fight. When we get to the clearing we will stop and act as if we are taking a short rest, if they mean to attack us they will likely do so the moment they think we've lowered our guard." Natsumi whispered.
With their next move decided, Team Eight continued on as if they were completely unaware of their followers. The clearing Hinata had mentioned came into view minutes later, and just as they'd planned; the trio stopped just shy of its center. Kiba and Natsumi quickly began a meaningless conversation on tactics, small talk designed to distract their pursuers from Hinata's spying. Meanwhile, the Hyuga heiress watched quietly as their pursuers caught up and began fanning out, blocking off any potential escape routes.
A confrontation was all but certain
From the shadows, a hail of shuriken suddenly flew towards their position forcing them to dodge out of the way. Thankfully, their knowledge of the incoming assault allowed them to regroup far quicker than they would have otherwise, each swiftly adopting their combat positions.
Just in time for their aggressors to drop down from the trees above with weapons drawn.
"No hard feelings, rookies. Just hand over your scroll and we'll be on our way." A brown-haired boy who looked to be about a year older than themselves held out his hand expectantly towards them. His teammates stepped closer in turn, both flashing their weapons with less than subtle intent.
The message was clear. Either they give up their scroll, or they'd best be ready to fight for it.
"Shouldn't you have said that before attacking us?" Kiba questioned dryly, not intimidated in the slightest despite being cornered. "Seems kinda like you guys wanted to pick a fight if you ask me."
The older boy laughed at his response, as did his squadmates. "Maybe, but we're all a little on edge here and accidents do happen. I think we'll all be a lot more relaxed if you just do as we say and hand over that scroll, don't you think?"
"Not my decision buddy, she's the boss." He shrugged. "What do we do, Natsumi?"
"We do what we have always done…" Bored cerulean orbs turned absolutely glacial in an instant.
"Complete the mission."
Without another word, they broke their defensive formation and charged their nearest opponent.
Hinata's byakugan burned with clear determination as she rushed towards her target. Pumping more chakra towards her eyes; his bland features bled from her view and in their place, she could suddenly see a complex network of winding pathways and points ripe for abuse.
In her mind's eye, the image of an Eight Trigrams symbol suddenly stretched across the ground encompassing both herself and her opponent.
"You're within range of my d-divination!" She cried, and fingertips lit with the dull glow of her chakra slammed mercilessly into his tenketsu points.
"Two palms!"
"Four palms!"
"Eight palms!"
"Sixteen palms!"
The life-sustaining energy that once flowed rapidly through his body now trudged along like sludge caught in a clogged drain, the gateways that should have regulated the flow shutting down as her own chakra caused set about disrupting the network. The consequences of such a sudden loss of power were immediate, her opponent could barely find the strength to guard let alone retaliate.
The fight was hers from the very start.
"Eight Trigrams Thirty-two Palms!"
Another sixteen strikes culminating in a final palm thrust launched her adversary through the air and into the trunk of a nearby tree. A rattling thump echoed through the clearing as his body slammed into the dense wooden structure before hitting the ground, unconscious.
…
Kiba grinned wildly as he caught a sloppy sucker punch in his off-hand before savagely headbutting his opponent in the face. His forehead protector ate most of the impact from the blow, and the loud crunch of cartilage breaking beneath the force of his skull was oddly gratifying to hear.
"Come on, I thought you wanted a fight!?" He cackled, pouncing on his still stunned prey and launching a flurry of devastating punches into the older genin's unguarded face drawing blood as his knuckles slammed into the older boy's jaw. He managed to land a few more solid blows before his opponent somehow managed to recover enough to raise his knife and swipe back, forcing Kiba to retreat.
"You little shit, you broke my nose!?"
"Oh boo hoo, do I look like I care?" Kiba stuck out his tongue and settled low into his clan's fighting stance. "You gonna cry, you big baby?"
"I'll show you!" He sneered, drawing the tanto strapped to his back before suddenly disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
"Body flicker?" Kiba's eyes sharped into thin slits as he realized what his opponent planned to do. Instinct screamed at him to move and so he threw himself to the right just in time to avoid being skewered, though not fast enough to avoid being grazed as his opponent reappeared a few feet away and a sting akin to a paper cut bloomed across his cheek. He gingerly touched the side of his face and grimaced at the small droplets of blood staining his fingers.
He'd been sloppy...
"Not so tough now, are you?" The older genin taunted smugly. "You're in over your head, just give up!"
"Not on your life!" Kiba growled, before dowing out a knowing smirk. "Oi, Akamaru let's finish this!"
"What are you-ahhhh!?"
From the shadows, Akamaru bolted out like a snow-white comet and quickly pounced atop his master's aggressor. The pup growled angrily, sinking his teeth deep into the rival genin's arm drawing a loud yelp of pain from the boy. Like a leech intent on sucking its host dry, he crunched down on his target with force equal to a vice. Unprepared for the sudden attack, the older boy instinctually dropped his blade and began tugging angrily at the snarling canine in a vain effort to dislodge its knife-like teeth from his flesh.
Unfortunately, that meant taking his eyes off the dog's master.
"Think fast!" Kiba shouted, sprinting in before leaping forward like a bullet, feet first in a bone-rattling dropkick. Spittle and a small bit of blood wretched themselves free from the boy's mouth as oxygen was forcefully ejected from his lungs and his body went flying before crashing down to the earth with a solid thud. Motionless.
"Heh, too easy!~"
"Arf!"
…
"Stand still damn it!"
"Why would I do that?" Natsumi leaned out the way of downward stab, before retaliating with a vicious backhand that sent the gang-leader stumbling back clutching his jaw. "You made us your enemy, and yet seem surprised that we'd fight back?"
The brown-haired boy recovered quickly and struck again, this time aiming a kick to her head. She ducked and with a snap of her arm drove her elbow into the sensitive under flesh of his thigh destroying his balance. As expected, the flash of pain caused him to lose his footing, tripping him up and sending him crashing into the dirt. She moved to stomp on his downed form, but he managed to roll out of the way just in time and sprang shakily back onto his feet.
"W-Whatever, eat this!" He raged at her defiance and quickly flew through a series of hand seals before burying his hands in the dirt. "Earth Style: Stone Fists!"
Her opponent withdrew his hands from the earth, and she gazed curiously at the layers of rock and dense stone that now covered the length of his arms. Molded slabs of earth coated his fists ending in blunted studs, perfect for delivering bone-breaking blows or bludgeoning opposition into submission.
"Interesting technique, a bit crude but useful."
With a warcry, he charged her again and she was momentarily taken aback to find that his speed was relatively the same despite the added weight, though she noted his technique was thrown off completely. His attackers were more like wild arcs lacking any of the precision or style he'd used prior. Against average bandits, that would be more than enough to see him through most confrontations.
But she was no mere bandit.
She rolled out the way as his fist slammed into the ground where she'd just been, leaving a small crater in his wake before running through her own set of seals. A strong burst of lightning crackled to life in her palms and she quickly placed her hand atop one of the stone gauntlets before he could withdraw out of range.
"Lightning Style: Power Surge!"
Every element had a weakness.
Fire was doused by water, wind swallowed by fire, water yielded to earth, lightning was clipped by wind...
As for earth? Well...
The smell of burnt ozone filled the air.
Earth crumbled under lighting
Her opponent roared with pain as electricity suddenly surged through his body. Rock and soil that once granted him strength slid from his arms like wet cement back onto the ground as he violently convulsed under her shocking touch. Another surge of chakra heightened the voltage further drawing another pained scream from his already stretched jaw. To his credit, her adversary held out for an impressive ten seconds before at last, his body buckled under the strain and he collapsed at her feet. His tolerance for pain must have been higher than average.
Seeing her team wrapped up with their respective opponents, she took the time to search the body for his team's scroll but frowned when she discovered they were in possession of an 'Earth' scroll.
Not what they needed but she would take it regardless. Less competition was better for them in the long run, and they might be able to trade it or use it as a bargaining chip later on.
Kiba and Hinata took up positions behind her as she rose to her feet.
"They didn't have the scroll we needed, but an extra scroll isn't exactly a waste either." She turned to face them and began to walk towards the edge of the clearing. "Our original plan remains unchanged, I estimate we only have about three more hours until the sun sets and we'll need to make camp."
"Not a lot of time then." Kiba snorted.
"It isn't… if we can't locate the tower within an hour, we'll set up at the nearest source of water we can find and break until morning."
"O-Okay." Hinata agreed, while Kiba just nodded along before gesturing towards their downed adversaries.
"What are we going to do about these guys?" He asked.
"Leave them, we can't afford to waste time tending after the competition hunting us." She didn't spare the defeated genin a second glance before taking off into the forest once more. It wasn't as though she wanted harm to befall them, but they couldn't be expected to ensure the safety of their foes. She could only hope that whatever came upon them was equally as merciful as they were.
Hinata and Kiba shot each other a resigned glance but followed quickly behind nonetheless.
Natsumi was right. They weren't their problem anymore.
(...)
"To walk my old stomping grounds again… how nostalgic."
His new face twisted into a chilling facsimile of something resembling a smile as he all but strolled through the eerie vegetation. No beast dared to approach, as if his mere presence alone was enough to repulse them entirely. In that regard, they were far smarter than the foolish children who'd attempted to ambush his party earlier. Their bodies would never be found, and their disappearance would likely be deemed as a casualty at the hands of the many carnivorous creatures that called this wretched place home. Such was the nature of this cold, cruel world.
Feeling as though he had become distracted by the lingering sense of familiarity, he quickly turned his thoughts back to his current prey.
Locating the last Uchiha was criminally easy. Despite being lauded as a prodigy, the boy and his team did nothing to cover their tracks as they pushed through the forest. Even if he weren't a sensor, he had little doubt that even a novice tracker would be able to locate them.
"I suppose that is the difference between you and Itachi-kun, hm?" He chuckled to himself and followed along at a modest pace behind them. "Though that can be fixed with time and training."
The ease with which the elder Uchiha disabled him still stung his pride. Decades of experience rendered worthless against nothing more than a pair of special eyes… Was it any wonder then that he was fixated upon attaining a set of his own?
Fortunately for him, Itachi had done a fine job of warping his younger sibling into the perfect vessel candidate. The life of a shinobi was filled with trauma, and he suspected that young Sasuke was only a few key moments away from snapping under the strain. He would be far easier to manipulate in such an instance.
Of course, he had other interests at play here as well.
Namely, a growing curiosity in the Kyuubi Jinchuriki.
Her little display during the first test had amused him and lent some credence to Kabuto's reports of her future potential. It was a shame that he couldn't mark her as well, but putting a piece of himself inside a tailed-beast container came with a whole host of problems he wasn't quite equipped to deal with. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't make use of her in other ways.
Dosu and his team would be a sufficient enough test of her skill. They were all but certainly going to fail if the girl released even a fraction of her prisoner's power, but the insight from the encounter would be more than worth the effort, and If by some miracle his pawns did manage to kill the girl though…
Well, they weren't long for this world anyway
His smoldering gaze turned towards the setting sun above. Night was soon to be upon them, and the stage was set for him to begin making moves in earnest.
"I hope you've made your peace, Sensei…" A warped smirk slithered across his borrowed face as he ran through a familiar set of seals and placed his hand upon the ground. Runic seals spread out like a spider's web from his fingertips followed by an eruption of smoke large enough to shield him from view emanated from the cryptic symbols.
Two pairs of slit yellow eyes peered through the thick haze.
"Because Konoha will burn by the time I'm through!
AN. Chapter Complete!
Have to admit I did not think I'd get another chapter out this soon, but I suppose for those of you who enjoy this story this is a pleasant surprise. My drive is still in the trash, but it did feel nice to put something out after such a long time, we'll see how long that lasts though with the school semester on the horizon. Anyway, I've gone and set up most of what I plan to cover for this part of the exam. I've learned that spending too much time in the forest and on the prelims isn't really the best idea so to that end, I want to try and streamline what I cover so that you all still get interesting scenes without having to do anything like four chapters in the same setting.
There was a fairly positive response to the last chapter in regards to tapping into Orochimaru's perspective, so I feel more comfortable using that in the future but I want to assure people it isn't going to be a constant thing by any means.
There wasn't much in terms of combat here, I'm saving that for the sound team encounter that's been teased and from here on out, I really want to explore the full potential of Shinobi vs. Shinobi battles, meaning more general and creative use jutsu in fights, as well as longer battles when appropriate. We haven't really seen anyone push to their limits yet and I want to explore that as well, so if that is something you've been disappointed in I think the coming chapters will be more satisfying!
Everything else I think is pretty self-explanatory but as always feel free to leave PM me questions. Thank you for reading and if you enjoyed please leave a review as it always helps, I'll see you all next time whenever that may be!