DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Hello all, and another set of apologies for the delay. I was away for a week on a hunting trip and had no time to write. Pro tip - never shoot a skunk in the glands. Anyways, read, review, and as always, enjoy!

Chapter 12 - Round 2 Begins

The Forest of Death was exactly as Sakura had expected it to be. A giant mass of imposing trees that stretched farther into the air than she had ever thought possible. It almost seemed futile to surround the place with a simple chain link fence plastered with warning signs. There was no telling what kind of horrid monsters lived inside. The only people that would venture in there would be the blind or elite level Jonin. Yet now, they were sending Genin inside.

A small assembly area had been erected near one of the gates, a patch of dir in front of it. The twenty teams that had passed the first round stood in columns of three, facing forward. Itachi stood in front of them, and many more shinobi flanked him this time. There was Genma, of course, but there were also ten other shinobi in a line behind them.

Sakura yawned, the earliness of the hour still affecting her, something she definitely needed to remedy. By this time, Naruto had usually been awake for three or four hours, as he often woke early to train with his father. The Hokage was incredibly busy when the day began, so he had to carve out time to spend with his son.

In the case of Sasuke, he was just incredibly disciplined. He rarely showed signs of tiring. Come to think of it, Sakura had never seen so much as a yawn from him. Both of her teammates stood in front of her, with Naruto in the front. All sixty Chunin hopefuls turned their attention to Itachi when the Uchiha clan head began to speak.

"None of you arrived late, so that is good. That means you all get to participate in this challenge. While the first part tested your sabotage and evasion abilities while moving at high speeds, this exam will test something else entirely. As a shinobi, you will need to carry out your assigned mission no matter the cost, so we have decided to simulate such a thing.

"Ten teams will be assigned a shinobi that they will have to escort. Think of him as a high value target or messenger that you will be assigned to protect. The other ten teams will act as assassins or message retrievers. Their goal will be to hit these targets," Itachi motioned to one of the shinobi, who had two wooden targets draped over his vest.

"If you are a protection detail, you pass if you reach the tower at the center of the forest with your messenger unharmed. Conversely, if you are an assassination team, you pass if your team hits one of the targets on a messenger, then make your way to the tower. Any questions?"

When no one raised their hand, Itachi nodded. "Good. Your team leaders will now draw from a basket. Those with the number one will act as escorts, those with the number two will act as assassins. I should clarify that the use of deadly force on our messengers is strictly prohibited, as they are to act as defenseless civilians, and are not allowed to aid their escort team in combat. Genma will come around with the basket."

Naruto looked back to his teammates. "I hope we get assassination detail."

Sasuke shook his head. "That makes it harder on us. We'll have an easier time protecting our messenger than we will hunting."

"But wouldn't that mean we have to constantly be aware of our charge? If we're assassins, we don't have to worry about the fourth member and can act differently," Sakura pointed out.

Sasuke nodded. "That's true, but that also means that we'd first have to find another team in the forest before we can engage them. If we are on escort duty, we have a clear objective in mind before we even begin."

Naruto turned back around and placed his hand in the basket that Genma held. Closing his eyes, he withdrew a folded slip of paper and turned back to his team as Genma moved on. Unfolding it, they saw the number 1 written in bold black print. Sasuke gave a sigh of relief, while Naruto mock pouted, leading his team to stand with the others that had drawn their number.

"At least all of the escorts are Special Jonin level and above," Sasuke observed.

"Why does that matter?" Sakura asked. "They can't fight with us."

"True," Sasuke nodded. "But we'll get tired long before they do. We won't have to account for a slow civilian messenger like we normally would on a mission like this. That means that they're likely testing our stamina as well as our general physical abilities."

Naruto's mouth formed a circle in understanding. Sasuke really was something else sometimes. Sure, they were both considered prodigies, but the Uchiha had always been able to see things that he hadn't. After years of being friends and training together, Naruto was certain that he'd only beaten the Uchiha out for the number one spot because of his ridiculous stamina. Even the usually superior bodies of the Uchiha hadn't been able to best Naruto's Uzumaki blood. What the blonde didn't know was that all of his extra stamina and chakra came from the half of the Nine Tails within him.

When all of the teams had been sorted out, Itachi motioned for the assembled Special Jonin to take positions behind their teams. A familiar face just so happened to come to a halt behind their team, causing Naruto to break out into a wide grin. "Ebisu! What's up?!"

Ebisu chuckled hesitantly, even if a small smile was on his face. Evidently, he wasn't as enthusiastic about this reunion as Naruto was. "Um, hello Naruto."

"You know this guy?" Sakura asked, jerking a thumb towards the sunglass-wearing shinobi. His clothing was completely black, and he had the two wooden targets secured on his chest and back. A headcloth was wrapped around his head, forehead protector shining from atop his head.

Naruto nodded rapidly. "Yeah, he used to train me on days that dad was too busy. He's a huge closet pervert."

Sakura reflexively backed behind Sasuke as the Uchiha eyed Ebisu with his lids narrowed. The Special Jonin waved his hands in front of him quickly, shaking his head as he did so. "That is not true! I simply enjoy the company of the fairer of our species!"

"You can't fool me!" Naruto cackled. "I've seen you reading those dirty books that Pervy Sage writes."

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a glance, their eyes asking the other who this 'Pervy Sage' was. They never got the chance to voice their opinion, as Itachi began to speak, cutting off Ebisu and Naruto's argument.

"Now that you have all been assigned your roles, you will be spread out among the many entrances to the Forest of Death. When the buzzer sounds, that is your queue to enter the forest, where the second part of the exam begins. Remember, deadly force used on a messenger will result in an arrest for murder. Also, only the first eight teams to complete their mission will pass, the other twelve will fail, regardless of if they complete their mission or not. This forest is vast, so the time frame will be three days. If you do not arrive to the tower within that time frame, a rescue team will be sent to retrieve you. Are there any questions? No? Then go to your assigned gate."

"What gate are we?" Naruto asked.

Ebisu pushed his glasses back with two fingers. "Sixteen, if memory serves."

As the four of them walked along the outskirts of the fenceline to reach their assigned gate, Naruto began to giggle to himself. "This is gonna be a piece of cake. All we have to do is get to the tower and beat up anyone who gets in our way, no sweat!"

"I wouldn't be so confident, Naruto," Ebisu warned. "The Forest of Death was not named for the teams of Genin that will compete against you."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice.

Ebisu chuckled. "Well, the dangerous flora and fauna, of course. Animals the size of buildings, and don't forget the carnivorous plants."

"Do you...go there often?" Sakura gulped.

Ebisu shook his head. "Only on specific training missions nowadays. Though I took the Chunin Exams in this very same forest."

"He means that he's too scared," Naruto said, covering the side of his mouth with one hand.

Ebisu's brow twitched in annoyance. "I was not scared you insolent child!"

Sasuke smirked at the banter between the pair. Naruto always seemed to have a way to lighten even the most serious of moods. It was helping Sakura the most, taking her mind off of the potentially dangerous animals, as well as the enemy teams that would evidently come after them.

When the four of them finally arrived at their gate, they stood impatiently before it. Naruto was pacing back and forth, wishing that the buzzer would just sound already and let them in. Sakura, on the other hand, was so nervous that she almost wished for the test to be canceled. Sasuke simply stood with an impassive expression that masked his eagerness to begin.

They didn't have to wait very long, for a few minutes later, the gate in front of them swung open at the same time that a loud buzzer sounded. The four wordlessly dashed forwards.

Obito yawned as he climbed the last step and opened the door at the end of it. A large common area with dozens of chairs and couches greeted him. The seating areas were split into sections, with Konoha dominating the room. The entire place was filled with Jonin and Special Jonin, most of them being the sensei of the remaining Genin teams.

His sharingan lazily scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces. He noted the single occupants of Kumo, Suna, and Oto's sections. The Suna and Oto Jonin-sensei didn't seem like anything special. Their chakra didn't feel particularly powerful or noteworthy. The Kumo Jonin, on the other hand….

Obito was jarred out of his thoughts by a strong hand that slapped him on the back. "You were almost late, my rival! Come, our friends are this way!"

Obito followed Guy to the furthest corner, where a gathering of their friends was. Kurenai sat next to Asuma on one of the couches, with Raido seated on the couch next to theirs. Rin had one leg crossed over the other as she sat in one of the chairs to Kurenai's left. Anko sat in a chair next to Raido's couch. Guy stood back a bit, clearly hoping that Obito would take the chair next to Rin, but that wasn't the case.

Regarding everyone with his cold eyes, Obito moved to the complete opposite side from Rin, taking the other spot on the couch next to Raido, with Anko in a chair on his right. Anko shot him a mischievous grin as he dropped onto the cushions, but he paid no mind to it. She was always trying to make him feel uncomfortable with her public attempts at seduction. Whether she did it out of genuine attraction or not was a mystery.

In reality, Obito was surprised to see her here at all. She was normally so busy with her job at the Torture and Interrogation Unit that she rarely spent time with them. Kurenai and Rin seemed to be the only ones actively disappointed by that, though. They saw Anko as a friend, while the men saw her as a mild annoyance.

Obito slouched backwards and stretched his legs forward to rest on the coffee table, then crossed his arms over his chest. Rin took notice of that, and she felt a pang shoot through her chest at the fact that Obito still refused to publicly acknowledge her. His eyes hadn't even scanned across her like they had the others.

Guy frowned at his rival, disapproving of the treatment of Rin. He knew of the pair's ongoing conversations, and was genuinely happy to hear that Rin was slowly starting to learn more about Obito. From what he could gather, it was slow-going for her. She was essentially having to learn about him all over again, but Guy was confident that she would be able to pull it off. The taijutsu master seated himself next to Rin, shooting her a reassuring glance before the conversation picked up.

"Itachi sure is going all out this year, huh?" Asuma remarked.

"I imagine that he's trying to impress Lord Hokage so that he can do this indefinitely. I heard he's making a fortune for planning all of these things," Raido said, genuinely jealous of the monetary benefits that the Uchiha clan head was about to gain.

Kurenai smirked deviously as she stared up at the dozens of screens that lined the wall. "I'm just ready for my Genin to beat all of yours!"

"MY STUDENTS' FLAMES OF YOUTH WILL NEVER BE EXTINGUISHED!" Guy bellowed in protest, rising to Kurenai's challenge. The kunoichi had known that would happen, but it only brought a giggle out of her.

"What are their names again?" Asuma asked. "You held them back a year, if I'm not mistaken?"

Guy nodded. "I did. I wanted them to be absolutely prepared for these exams, and I am proud to say that they are! Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga will advance to be Chunin!"

Rin was also protesting, albeit much quieter than their green-clad friend. "Don't count my guys out yet. They'll surprise you."

"Ino-Shika-Cho," Raido nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised if they had a few tricks up their sleeve. If anything, their advanced teamwork should give them an edge over the other teams."

Kurenai turned her head to the right and leaned forward to catch Obito's eye. "Nothing to say, Obito? Afraid that my Genin are better than yours?"

Obito didn't respond, simply turning his attention to the screen in front of him. Anko smirked with a small giggle. "Still the quiet brooding type, Uchiha? I haven't seen you in a while, so I was worried that you'd changed. Good to see you're still a challenge for me," she winked.

Obito exhaled through his nose in annoyance. Anko was an enigma. She had once declared that she would bring him out of that shell and get him to have some fun, no matter how long it took. That had been six years ago, when she was eighteen. It was still unclear to everyone what she meant by that, though. Did she simply want to see Obito laugh for the first time in a decade and a half, or did she have something more intimate in mind? Only she knew.

Kurenai observed the exchange with a light scowl. Personally, she wanted to make Obito laugh just as much as Anko did. In fact, their entire friend group had a running bet as to who would be the one to finally do it. They kept it secret from Obito, of course. The largest wager was on Guy. The man's boisterous and generally clumsy personality seemed like the best candidate for the task.

Cutting off conversations and private thoughts, each of the heads snapped to the screens when a buzzer went off. The gates swung open, and the Genin teams exploded forwards, some faster than others. Obito's interest was captured for the first time that day when he began to observe his team.

The three of them had formed a triangle around Ebisu, with Sakura at the point. To anyone else, it would seem like a terrible strategy, but Obito recognized quickly what they had planned. After all, he was their sensei.

With Sakura's Mud Wall, she could quickly respond to any threat and nullify it, leaving Naruto and Sasuke free to swiftly counterattack. It was a versatile formation, and had only a few weaknesses, none of which were likely to be exploited by mere Genin.

He also couldn't fault tier overall strategy, for it was exactly what Obito would do in that scenario. They were in the midst of a mad dash for the center of the forest, hoping to reach it before any of the other teams had a chance to engage them. Were Obito on the assassination team, he would also run for the center and ambush anyone that arrived after him, but no doubt Sasuke had already taken that into account as well.

The young Uchiha heir was turning out to be quite the strategist. He and Naruto were able to communicate on a seamless level, but that often left Sakura out of the loop, so the pair had toned it down considerably.

Ebisu was keeping pace with them quite easily, but that was to be expected. He was a Special Jonin, after all. This exercise was not exactly an accurate simulation of a scenario like this, but a task like that would be far too dangerous for any real civilians to partake, so this would have to do.

At least, that seemed to be what Itachi had been thinking when he designed this test. The Uchiha clan head was likely in the control center, overlooking the exam as a whole. He was the head proctor, after all.

"This could get interesting," Asuma chuckled as he took a drag of his cigarette.

His reference would be that each of the Genin teams seem to have had the same idea. All twenty of them were making a direct beeline for what they judged to be the center of the forest. Some of them would be off by a few hundred meters, but they would all end up in the same area in the end. That could potentially mean that a massive free for all could break out near the tower.

Unfortunately, the Forest of Death was vast, and it would take no small amount of time for a team to meet another. Having a feeling that he would be bored out of his mind for the next several hours, Obito settled on his team with a disinterested gaze nonetheless. Even if he was interested, he still had a reputation to maintain.

Naruto had to hand it to Sasuke, the guy could work out a plan. Naruto himself wasn't half bad, but his plans were usually more geared towards single combat, not an overall team strategy. He wouldn't be able to incorporate Sakura into a decent plan to save any of their lives.

Oddly, he felt somewhat excited to face another team with this formation. He licked his lips at the prospect, in fact. The enemy teams would think they were easy pickings if they led with Sakura, only to be blown off of their feet by the offensive capabilities of the son of the Hokage and the Uchiha heir.

They knew that they were still pretty spread out and away from the other teams, but you could never tell another's strategy. For all they knew, an enemy team could be watching them right now.

The hours seemed to go by fairly quickly, with still no sign of the other teams. It was starting to get unsettling. Especially when they were surrounded by constant chirps, growls, and rumbles from the exotic wildlife.

They stopped sparingly for water here and there before resuming their journey. It was during one of these water breaks that Sakura finally spoke what everyone was thinking. "Shouldn't we have seen someone by now?"

Sasuke shrugged. "There was never any guarantee. We could get lucky and never have to face an enemy team."

"What's the second theory?" Naruto asked.

"That the closer we get to the tower, the higher the chances of meeting an enemy squad."

"You think that everyone is just going straight to the middle?" one of Naruto's clones asked. While the three Genin took their break, the blonde had made three clones to watch Ebisu like hawks. They never knew when an attack would come, and target vest took priority over everything else.

Sasuke nodded in response. "Thats what I would do. If you make it there fast enough, you can ambush any of the teams running protection detail. You also could get more than one chance to pass."

"How so?" Sakura asked.

"Well, say you lose to one team, and they escape into the tower. All you have to do is sit there and wait for the next one," Sasuke explained, spreading his hands.

"Damn, this guy is smart," a new voice called, directly above them.

Naruto had a kunai out faster than the eye could see, and Sasuke's sharingan had flared to life in the same time span. Sakura quickly dashed over and joined the Naruto clones in protecting Ebisu. All three had their faces set in hard lines, readying their already tired bodies for combat.

An amused laugh came from the trees. It emanated from a thin, dark-skinned girl with long, spiky red hair, carrying a sword on her back. A boy to her left had the same complexion, but his hair was shorter and blonde. He also wore a sword, and the stick of a lollipop stuck out of his mouth. Next to him was an even shorter girl with a pale complexion, her blonde hair braided to her left side and hanging down in front of her shoulder. She also wore a sword. Behind all three of them was a taller man with the standard Konoha uniform and headband on, as well as a pair of glasses.

Team 7 breathed sighs of relief as the team from Kumo leapt down to join them on the forest floor. "You guys are jumpy, huh?" the tall redhead asked.

"You say that like we don't have a reason to be," Sasuke said. Though his body may have relaxed, he kept his sharingan activated.

The girl shrugged in response. "Whatever. I'm Karui. This is Omoi and Z. Forgot the other guy's name."

"Aoba," the man said stiffly. It was very apparent that he was annoyed with the Kumo Genin, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it.

"I'm Naruto," the blonde introduced. "This is Sasuke and Sakura. That closet perve back there is Ebisu."

"Naruto! How dare you!" Ebisu gasped in outrage.

Aoba stifled a laugh at that. "Closet perve?"

"Why are you stopping to talk to us?" Sakura asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.

Omoi smirked. "Relax. If we wanted to attack you, we wouldn't have announced our presence like that."

"So why?" Sasuke repeated the question.

Z placed her hands on her hips and beamed up at them. Everyone present was taller than she was, but she made up for that by being a clear bundle of joy and energy. "We were bored!"

"Bored?" Sasuke deadpanned. This was hardly the time to be having fun, much less stopping to converse because of boredom.

"Got a problem with that?" Karui challenged.

"Hn," Sasuke turned away, returning to his water.

Naruto stepped past him, always eager to make new friends. "You guys are the only team from Kumo here, right? I heard that the Raikage was coming to the third round."

"That's only if we pass," Omoi said, a tremor beginning to build in his voice. "Lord Raikage will only come to watch Kumo Genin, not those from other villages. Oh man, what if we screw this up, Karui? We'll be forced to flee the village and change our names to escape Lord Raikage's wrath!"

Karui silenced her ranting teammate with a sharp backhand to the side of the head. "Shut up you idiot!"

Z cackled with laughter at the pair of them. This clearly happened a lot. "Don't mind them! Omoi worries too much, and Karui has anger issues!" she smiled.

"I do not!" Karui yells, her face turning red with anger.

Z never faltered for a moment. "My point exactly!"

Naruto chuckled at the weird trio. No wonder Aoba was dying over there. They weren't even halfway to the tower yet. The fact that they met another team must mean that one of them got off track by a few degrees, and would have missed the tower.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Naruto's head. He grinned, glancing back at his two teammates, who looked at him with expressions of mixed confusion and horror. Facing the Kumo team again, he voiced his brilliant idea.

"Hey, since we're both running escort duty…"

Obito had watched his Genin for the better part of four hours while listening to the conversations going on next to him. But now, he abruptly rose, shoved his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave. He didn't have to hear what they were saying for him to know exactly what Naruto was doing. They were pretty much guaranteed to pass now.

Guy turned to look as Obito passed behind his chair. He reached out with his left hand and tapped Rin on the shoulder. Her eyes had been glued to her little Genin for hours now. But she turned when she felt the tap, and, seeing Guy's pointing finger, followed the direction. She managed to catch a glimpse of the slouching figure just as he pushed open the door and disappeared outside.

Rin nodded a brief thanks to Guy before rushing out after Obito. She needed to catch him before he disappeared. Shoving the door open, she turned to see him step off the staircase below and out into the midday sun.

"Obito!" she called, descending the stairs after him.

Obito heard the call, but he never stopped, knowing she would catch up anyways. He heard her footsteps when she hit the dirt, and she drew up alongside him.

"Hey," she said lightly, as if testing the waters.

Obito didn't respond, something that was beginning to aggravate her. Though she supposed that she would have to work her way up to that. "You're leaving already?" she asked.

"No point in staying."

"Do you really have so little faith in them?" Rin asked with a frown.

Obito shook his head. "The opposite. Naruto just made friends."

Rin was taken aback. Obito knew his Genin much better than she ever expected. It clashed with his usual cold demeanor. It did reassure her that he still had a heart somewhere, deep down at least.

"I hope my team passes so we can figure out who the better teacher was," Rin giggled.

She'd hoped for some kind of response out of him with that taunt. An eye roll would have been fantastic. But she got nothing, just silence like always. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to get him talking when it came to their students, Rin decided to switch gears.

"So about the other night," she began.

Obito lazily turned his head to bore into her with the sharingan. She was expecting some kind of cold remark or dismissing statement, but he held her gaze. Taking that as an invitation to continue, Rin swallowed before speaking again.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I just...I saw-"

"I'm not the Obito you used to know, Rin."

She nodded sadly at that, dropping her eyes away from his as they walked. "I know."

"Then why?"

"Because for once, you actually looked peaceful. Like you weren't constantly thinking about everything that has gone wrong in your life. I just thought that I would try to comfort you," she revealed.

Obito stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling back to the ground. Rin halted as well, and turned back to face him. A feeling in her stomach told her that she'd messed up, and she was lucky that there was no one on the street to witness what was possibly about to happen.

"Just stop, Rin."

"Stop what?" she asked softly, not understanding.

Obito's eyes blazed, the three tomoe swirling, then morphing into three crimson scythes on a black field. "Stop acting like you care."

"I do care!"

"No. You may not realize this, Rin, but you broke me. You cast me aside like some forgotten tool. Then, when you finally realized what you'd done, you started treating me like the most pitiful thing you've ever seen."

"That's not true, I-" Rin began, but Obito swiftly cut her off.

"You think that by trying to talk to me and get me to open up to you that I'll somehow return to the way I used to be, is that right? Well, grow up. Did it ever occur to you that I distanced myself from everyone because that's what I wanted? Did you ever think for one second that I might not want the comfort of others? As if there was any to be found in the first place."

Tears were building in Rin's eyes now. "Obito, no. I...I just want you to be happy."

"Happy?" Obito scoffed. "Then you should have never knocked on my door." With that, he brushed bast her, resuming his walk and leaving her crying behind him.

Rin stayed like that for a few minutes, her tears darkening the dust beneath her feet. It always seemed to be one step forward, two steps back. He was right. All she was doing was making him angrier. Part of her was thinking that she should have left him alone in the first place. But then the other was telling her not to give up. She'd seen glimpses of the old Obito inside of him, all that remained was to drag him out.

Wiping her eyes and steeling her resolve, Rin returned to the observation room and dropped back into her chair next to Guy. The others were all too busy watching the Genin teams to notice her red eyes, but the taijutsu master knew her too well by now.

"That bad?"

"I think...I think he might be gone forever," she admitted quietly.

Guy reached over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll get him back. It may take longer than we want, but we'll get him back."

"I hope you're right."