Chapter 13
Minoru was still embarrassed even as he sat down amongst unfamiliar ninjas. His mother had given him, his friends and the other three ninjas a strict talking to, as well as placing them on opposite sides of the room. The Taigan left's light subsided slowly as the prodigy looked at the test. He then looked up as his mom began her lecture.
"Okay then. After that incident was solved, we could finally put you all in the examinee room. The test is on your section of the table. Begin and finish the first nine questions within the time limit we've given you…which is…fourty five minutes… That averages to about…5 minutes per question. Good luck! Oh, and if you're caught cheating, you fail with the rest of your team"
Jotaro and Kenta panicked, as the questions involved countless questions involving math and science, their least favorite subject. Risa was confused. Hardly anybody in the room could actually solve these problems. Only she, Basho and maybe Minoru could come close. But then…there was the tenth question. It said it would be told later on in the test and to listen carefully. This whole test…was rigged!
Minoru realized it as well.
The whole purpose of this test is to somehow cheat and gather information from the chunins in this room. Namely, Konohamaru, Shikamaru and Lee sensei. We'll have to do it without getting caught. And if Shige or Natsumi cheats…then we're all out already. But there's a catch…
Basho was still deep in thought and discovered the last catch.
Of course…if the last question is answered correctly by all the members of the team, then the entire test is passed. But the last question is…
It's not there! Unless…it's a trick question…
Risa completed the test quickly, now observing the others through her reverse illusion skill. Hitomi slowly understood as well, piercing through Shikamaru's body with her Taigan Duality, while Basho simply released two bolts of Mental Chakra, gaining all the information needed.
Jotaro looked next to him. Natsumi was nearly half finished with her test and Naruto saw the last question was different than his.
There's the catch! Every question is different, so there must be a catch. But…what if I'm wrong? I don't want to leave Hitomi and Risa… Well…I've gotta take this chance. Jotaro looked over at Natsumi, who slid the papers toward him as she blushed. He shook his head no, preferring to wait this out.
Sakura noticed this and smiled.
They've finally figured it out… The true purpose is not information gathering, but courage…Courage in others, even at the risk of total failure. The test is complete. But this is only the first of three. The next is a matter of life and death.
Ryota performed three hand seals, releasing a music note that floated through the chunin's minds. He smirked and then reverted to serious again as he returned his eyes to his paper.
Lee, Shikamaru, and Konohamaru left the room as Sakura spoke, "Okay, if you answer the last question correctly you pass. If you answer it wrong, you lose the privilege to take the chunin exam ever again." Many ninjas left until there were only about 40 ninjas left. Sakura smirked and called out, "You pass!"
Jotaro stood up and retorted, screaming out, "What do you mean?"
Sakura grinned and replied, "It's simple. The last question is the choice between leaving or staying. See…the whole test is a basic test of information gathering, but then, it determines how courageous you truly are and how you will perform during an important mission. Anyway, the next test is about a mile to the east. Follow Ryota…"
Jotaro hugged Natsumi, who blushed even brighter, as Ryota stood up and left the room, no expression on his face. Minoru glared and followed the musical ninja as Sakura simply looked down, still feeling guilty for her son and daughter.

Naruto stood outside the towering complex, still waiting for the 40 students, including Ryota. This was going to be tricky to organize, but that was his job… He spotted Ryota in the distance. No matter how much he thought on it, there was always something strange about that kid. He couldn't feel any presence of chakra, even the Kyubi, with all its abilities, could see nothing, but the kid could easily see straight through him. It was unnerving. He simply looked straight ahead as the ominous child stood, his arms crossed, already ahead of his fellow ninjas. All at once, the other 39 ninjas arrived, all prepared for the worst. Naruto cleared his throat and began.
"Welcome. Congratulations on passing the first test. I'll be watching over the second part. The purpose of this test is simple…survive. You'll be in this complex behind me for three days. The "Forest of Death" had everything you'll need to survive, if you can find it without dying first. Also, there is a second goal," Naruto said, pulling out two scrolls, one marked Earth, the other Heaven, "These two scrolls will be distributed among the 14 groups. That's seven Earth Scrolls and seven Heaven Scrolls. The goal here is to get the other scroll and return to the central tower. The whole of the area is about a mile and a half wide and long. Like, I said, there will be the goal of surviving, but getting the scrolls will involve fighting with other genin teams. Killing is not discouraged at all. Only…" the demon jonin said, scratching the back of his head, "There is a catch. You have to sign these consent forms. You know…safety precautions. You don't want me to get in trouble, do you?"
Jotaro and Minoru both glared at Naruto as he grinned, his orange eyes glowing with eagerness.
"Any questions?"
Ryota called out, frightening the other ninjas, "When do we start? I'm itching to fight…"
"Fair enough, Ryota…There are about 40 gates around the Forest of Death and you can start any time after you've gotten your scrolls and prepared enough."
Ryota scoffed and walked into the tent. A minute had passed and the ninja of duality rushed out, heading for the gate. The other teams followed suit.
Hitomi's team quickly followed the team of girls from the Lighting Country, while Minoru chased two girls and a boy, also dressed extravagantly. The three ninjas that had challenged the team leaders before were following Basho's team, but then split away as a team of water shinobi entered a new door.
Naruto smiled and snapped his fingers, the doors locking behind the unsuspecting ninjas.
"No way out, no way in… Trapped like rats…" Naruto grinned and rushed towards Konoha, ready to report.

Ryota was getting bored. It had already been 10 minutes and the others were still not here. He had been simply drifting through the dangers, not a care in the entire world as man-eating plants and poisonous vines struck at him. Either destroying them, or avoiding them altogether, he didn't care. His only goal…was victory… A trio of sand genin flitted past his vision. Giving chase, he appeared directly in front of the leader, who wore a coat of crocodile scales.
"What the…get out of our way. You're not getting our Heaven Scroll."
"Makyo, you just told the guy the big secret."
"Can it, Goro. He's just one ninja. How strong can he be?"
Ryota spoke as he appeared behind Makyo, a shuriken through the crocodile scales and the sand shinobi's throat, "Much stronger than you'd expect…"
The other two ninjas turned tail and fled, Ryota still pursuing. Grabbing the two by their collars of jackal fur and eagle feathers, he thrust them into the nearest trees.
"Afraid now that your leader is dead? One doesn't need friends in this world… Only power…is needed…" He then thrust out his hands, rapidly performing his favorite move, not necessarily his strongest. Throwing two shuriken, the sheer burst of sound split the ninjas' ears. Ryota grinned demonically and ran past the weaklings, leaving a present behind to commemorate his first true victory. The fallen bodies exploded with sound, their innards splashing on the branches and foliage, dying them a pleasant crimson. Ryota's laugh cascaded through the forest, catching the ear of Nezumi, who turned to the sound as he and the others were still chasing the water team.
"Ryuu, Usagi…I think I just heard something." He peeked through the bushes and grinned at the sight of fresh blood, "I heard something, indeed." The other two looked behind Nezumi's shoulder and gasped. Ryuu turned and vomited at the sight of the innards, while Usagi smiled lightly, turning and giving chase to the previous target again. Sighing, the rat ninja simply turned and pulled Ryuu alongside him, following their sometimes coldhearted leader. But that was why he respected and…lusted for her… That was why…her very…evil demeanor…

Chapter 14
It didn't matter to Hitomi who they fought, as long as they weren't from Konoha. That put them at a disadvantage, since most of them knew their strategies. She sighted the three girls from before. They were eating some fruit they had scrounged up, giggling amongst themselves. Hitomi glared, while Kenta blushed again, Risa closing her eyes and concentrating. The vixen trio didn't seem to sense Hitomi's team's presence.
Removing a shuriken from her belt, Hitomi threw it in the midst of the group. One of the girls, long red hair held up in a ponytail, grabbed the throwing star, slamming it into the tree beside her. Hitomi gasped and focused chakra, beginning her meditation. Ten seconds passed and meditation was over. She disappeared, leaving Kenta and Risa confused.
As Kenta and Risa looked on, the redhead spoke again.
"Don't you think we should get going, you two?"
The blonde of the group giggled and replied, "Oh, Tami, you're just afraid of the shuriken you just caught."
"Kichi, save it. Once we use our special gifts, no team can stop us. You with us, Yori?"
A brunette sighed and twirled her shobo in her fingers.
Hitomi slammed her fist, suddenly grasping Tami's hair. Kichi grinned and bound the golden-eyed beauty's arms
"Not quite, sweetie."
Kenta and Risa appeared behind Hitomi, releasing her bonds, facing the new opponents, who giggled and pulled their weapons out: Tami, a ninjato; similar to a shortsword, but straighter; Kichi, a kyoketsu shogei; simply a blade tied to a string, and Yori, two shobo, small wooden rods attached to rings on the fingers. The three were prepared to fight.

It occurred to Minoru that there was a storm approaching. Clouds began to darken and a few drops of rain struck his face. Shaking off the feeling, Minoru simply pushed forward. Shige noticed the lighting flashing and trembled to herself, while Natsumi observed all the plants and the animals as they ran from the disturbance.
The lighting flashed again and shadows appeared in the genin's vision. Natsumi screamed out and disappeared from behind Minoru. Shige gasped and was gone as well. Minoru stopped in a clearing, the storm clearing up. He activated the Taigan Left, sensing for chakra, sounds, anything that could give him a hint as to what or who was chasing his team.
Grabbing a punch from the shadows, he glared and rushed forward, striking air. Diverting a kick from behind, Minoru countered with his own, hitting nothing again. It suddenly became dark and Minoru's eye was the only light. A flash and clanking of metal passed through the forest. Minoru stood paralyzed, a kunai through his hand. He removed the knife and turned to his unseen attacker. The tallest of the three, a man nearly 6'5" with snow white hair, the other two, young girls holding Natsumi and Shige hostage, shurikens at their necks. The tall man pulled out a katana, smirking as he spoke.
"How are you? I'm Bunjiro and my friends are Aoshi and Jinei. Welcome to our neck of the woods. Forecast…cloudy with a chance of sudden death…"

The scent of blood was unmistakable to Usagi as she stopped and sighted their prey. Three water nins, all garbed in black jumpsuits, waiting for the wounds they had incurred to heal.
But Usagi knew the truth. The blood had been spilled by her. Something akin to a tracking device to the rabbit's sensitive nose. She called over Nezumi and Ryuu.
"We found the water lilies. It's time to pick them."
"Roger…" Nezumi and Ryuu replied, each going to the right or left.
The water nins stood up, ready to go, when Nezumi stepped behind them, clearing his throat.
Turning around, the leader spoke, "Who are you? Stand back, 'cause we won't hesitate to fight you!"
Nezumi grinned and appeared next to the leader, his hand on his shoulder. He spoke, his voice fading and reappearing from every direction.
"It's okay… Don't be scared…I'm a friend…just giving you advice… Don't cross the Zodiac Clan…or you'll die…"
One of the water nins started to shake and fell over unconscious. As he came to, he noticed the team's scroll was gone. He looked up and saw the rat ninja waving the scroll in front of him, still giggling as he disappeared. Usagi and Ryuu took his place, their hands behind their back.
Usagi spoke, still smiling as if she knew nothing but happiness her whole life.
"We'll be leaving now. Don't try to stop us, or we'll kill you…Have a nice day…"
Usagi left the scene, followed by Ryuu, towering above her as he turned and grinned mockingly at the lost water nins. The leader flung out a bottle of water, which burst and covered Ryuu from head to foot. Ryuu then turned and looked nonchalantly at the dripping water as it materialized and formed a sphere around him.
The water nin laughed and called out, "Art of the Water Prison! Now you're trapped and we're going to take our scroll back and yours as well."
Ryuu began to feign loss of consciousness, falling over as the water prison faded. The leader stepped forward to grab the scroll from Ryuu's body, but only saw a stump where his hand had once been. He gasped and stepped back as Usagi flashed behind him, launching her hand through his chest. The bloody corpse fell as Ryuu grabbed it, flinging it at the nearest shinobi. Leaping out of the way, the two ninjas combined hand seals, releasing a burst of water that crashed into Ryuu, slowly freezing his entire body. The two ninjas chuckled and walked away with the scroll as the ice began to split and crack, Ryuu bursting forth, stomping towards the now paralyzed ninjas. Both his fists were raised as he grinned, slamming them together in a loud boom. Screams rang through the forest again and died just as quickly.
Ryuu shook the blood off his fists as he turned to Usagi and Nezumi and spoke, "You guys are lazy! I had to do most of the dirty work while you sat back!"
Nezumi motioned to the real scroll in his hand as he spoke, "I did my part, you did yours…Usagi's the real leader here. So get used to it!"
Usagi raised a placating hand, speaking in a light tone, "Now, you two stop fighting…" Her face changed to a sinister grin as she continued to speak, "…Or I may have to tell Master Enishi about your little disagreement. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
Nezumi and Ryuu smiled nervously and followed Usagi as she licked the dripping blood off her fingers, smirking lightly as she did so. Nezumi and Ryuu still looked frightened as Usagi turned to face them.
"You know… This has been very fun so far… I hope those other teams get to the finals.

As Nezumi and the others rushed towards the tower, Ryota already stood waiting in the empty room, his arms crossed. He glared and faced Neji, who was still staring at the ceiling, which he had done since Ryota arrived. Ryota didn't care, though. Soon enough, the other teams would arrive and the finals would begin. Then his power would be unleashed and he would be free.