Sakura stood over Sasuke and Naruto's resting bodies. a memory came to Sakura's head.
"Hey, shake it off, everyone starts somewhere." Naruto extended his hand, and Sakura accepted it, rising to her feet.
And now, it was her turn to act. Damp rags lay on the heads of the two unconscious boys. Sakura changed Sasuke's rag for a fresh one. Sasuke groaned in pain, but as long as he made a sound, he was alive. Sakura felt herself teetering on the edge of sleep while standing, but she resisted. How could she have been rescued so often, only to fail when she was needed most? Sleep was not an option.
--
Sakura watched Naruto sit up and let out a loud yawn. "Oh wow, I slept really great!"
"Naruto!" exclaimed Sakura with joy. Sasuke also sat up, removing the rag. "Sasuke!" Sasuke turned to face Sakura.
"Have you been looking after us the whole time?" Sasuke inquired.
"Thanks, Sakura!" Naruto chimed in. "We're feeling better all thanks to you!"
"I'm just happy you're both okay," Sakura replied, her voice quivering with tears of joy. Suddenly, she heard rustling and turned to see a figure lurking behind the bushes. It was Orochimaru.
"You're about to become the hunted," Orochimaru announced with menace. "You'll know the terror of being stalked by a predator... and I am that predator." Sakura's breath hitched as Orochimaru's head elongated towards them, his face dissolving into a grey blur, then reshaping into a serpent's visage. The snake inched forward, its hiss chilling. Sakura attempted to alert Naruto and Sasuke, who were distracted and facing away, but her voice failed her. Oblivious to her panic, they continued their conversation as Sakura desperately tried to get their attention. Paralyzed by fear, she could only stare as the snake lunged at Sasuke. It attacked with vicious speed, biting at his head, and in a gruesome turn, Sasuke was consumed. Then, it turned its attention to Naruto. Blood flew in all directions; the savagery of the moment was intense, and Sakura stood frozen, unable to scream, forced to watch the nightmare unfold.
--
Sakura awoke with a start, gasping for breath. She bit her tongue, finding herself back in the Forest of Death, the real one. Her stomach turned. 'It was just a dream...' she realized. Looking up, she saw the dawn breaking.
Quickly standing, Sakura spun around, kunai in hand at the sound of rustling behind her. A squirrel, munching on a nut, met her gaze. As it edged closer, she spotted something on its back and realized it was heading towards one of her traps. With a swift throw of her kunai, she diverted its path, and the squirrel scampered off.
"I thought for sure that would work. Do you think she saw the paper bomb?"
"No, that's not it."
"Then what was it? What're you thinking?"
"I'm thinking we need to go closer and find out, so let's get going." He laughed.
Sakura observed as three ninjas landed in the clearing. "Some lookout you are, half asleep. Well, you don't need to keep watch anymore; what's the point if we've already found you? Now, wake Sasuke up; we're here to fight him."
"What do you really want? I know Orochimaru sent you," she accused, as the trio of Sound ninjas' eyes widened in surprise. "And what's that bruise on Sasuke's neck? You're responsible for this, and now you expect to fight him when he's unable to defend himself?"
"What could he possibly be thinking?" murmured the bandaged ninja to himself.
"I can't just stand by after hearing you speak to us that way," declared the other male ninja. "First, I'll kill this girl, then Sasuke," he proclaimed, standing atop a large rock.
"Wait, Zaku," interjected the bandaged man.
"Why? What for?" Zaku inquired, as the bandaged man stepped forward, his gait oddly crab-like.
"The soil here is freshly turned; this type of grass doesn't belong in such a place," Sakura noted with a wince. "A trap is useless if it's not well-concealed... Now, let's finish her."
The trio of ninjas leaped towards Sakura. With a smirk, she formed a handseal, and a massive log crashed down on the airborne assailants. "A log!"
'Did she set a trap above too?' pondered the bandaged ninja. "Be careful!"
He extended his gauntlet-clad hand. "Good attempt," he said, pressing his palm against the log and signaling with his other hand. The log burst, clearing their way.
Sakura, quick with her handseals, exclaimed, "Earth Release: Rock Gun Technique!" and launched three earthen bullets, each shaped like a cylinder with random chunks removed. Two ninjas raised their defenses but were hit hard and knocked down. Zaku, however, remained in the air. Sakura had no time to form more handseals.
"Dynamic Entry!" The cry echoed through the clearing as a green blur shot out of the bushes, hitting Zaku with such force that he was sent rolling to his comrades. Lee landed, sporting a squirrel on his shoulder, facing away from Sakura.
"Who are you?" asked the bandaged ninja.
"I am the handsome devil of the leaf village; my name is Rock Lee!" Lee grabbed the squirrel off his shoulder and laid it on the floor gently. "Now it is time for you to run along!"
"It seems I have no choice. Zaku, Sasuke is yours. I'll handle these two," declared the bandaged ninja.
'Sakura doesn't seem able to fight,' observed Lee. Sakura opted to rest while possible, ready to leap into action when necessary.
The bandaged man rolled up his sleeve, revealing a metal gauntlet with holes. "The guy with the bushy brows is proficient in Taijutsu. This should be fun." He charged at Lee. Sakura hurled a kunai at the man. He swerved, dodging the weapon but his speed and momentum decreased. Seizing the moment, Lee thrust his hand into the earth, yanking out a tree's roots. He hurled them forward, and as they branched out, the bandaged man leapt aside to avoid being impaled.
"I'm certain your attack has a trick to it, so I won't bother dodging," Lee announced. The bandaged man's eyes widened as he sailed through the air. "After all, I've witnessed your jutsu before."
'However, the odds are against me, three to one,' Lee conceded internally. 'I have to take a chance! One at a time, I will attack each of them with all my might!'
--
"Aw, man!" Ino whined. "There doesn't seem to be any teams weaker than ours!" She threw her hands dramatically. Choji sat on a tree uncaringly as he ate.
"Not so fast, I genuinely think Naruto's team is weaker than ours." added Shikamaru.
"Hey! There's no debate that Naruto and Sakura are lame, but I wont have you bad mouthing Sasuke!" Ino declared. "He's awesome!"
Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Yeah, whatever. Maybe your precious Sasuke is better in theory than in practice." Ino growled, a vein throbbing in her head. Shikamaru sweatdropped. "Alright, alright I apologize for irritating you."
Shikamaru mentally complained. 'What a drag. I say one negative thing about Sasuke and my name is written on the death note.'
"There's no way Sasuke could get taken down!" Ino turned and crossed her arms smirking. "Sakura's a different matter."
Choji stopped eating and gasped. "Hey! Sasuke's collapsed." Ino and Shikamaru looked at him. "And Sakura's fighting!" Ino and Shikamaru jumped up to Choji's spot.
--
Neji and Tenten looked at the kunai into the ground. "He's late. He's never late." spoke Tenten. "Lee is fanatical about being on time, somethings not right."
--
The bandaged ninja lunged at Lee, who vanished with a fiery glint in his eyes. "He's gone!" the ninja shouted. Then, Lee reappeared, crouched low, and unleashed a mighty kick to the ninja's jaw, sending him skyward. Lee soared up and maneuvered behind the now airborne ninja.
"I'm not finished yet!" Lee declared as his arm bandages unwound. They wrapped around the ninja, restraining his arms and enveloping him. Gripping the man's midsection, Lee and his captive dove towards the ground, resembling a guided missile.
"Dosu can't break his fall!" Zaku shouted, rapidly forming hand signs. As Lee and his captive plummeted like a tornado, they became a blur.
"Primary Lotus!" Lee's shout cut through the air. Dust swirled from the ground below, as if helicopter blades were stirring the earth.
Zaku's palms hit the earth, unleashing something that burrowed beneath, forging a path to intercept Lee and the bandaged man at the moment of impact. A cloud of dust erupted, mushrooming into a vast brown haze.
'What is this feeling?' Lee wondered, leaping away from the dust cloud.
"Heh! Caught you just in time!" Zaku declared. Dosu's head was fully inside of the ground, but the dirt looked softer, it didn't look deadly anymore. "That impact would have killed you." Dosu moved and pulled himself out of the soft dirt that saved his life.
"What! This cannot be!" shouted Lee.
"That is a frightening jutsu..." said Dosu, shaking his head. "Nearly took behind even though I landed on the spongy dirt." He stood up and pulled his sleeve up. "Now, it's my turn."
Lee was visibly worn out, panting heavily. Dosu lunged at him, aiming his gauntlet at Lee's midsection, but Lee dodged with ease. It was as though he had jumped through a wormhole and back; his senses were scrambled, even seeing scents in the air.
Dosu loomed over Lee, now out of sight. "Your jutsu is fast, but nothing is faster than sound," Dosu spoke. Lee's head felt like lead, and his balance faltered. Weighed down by exhaustion, he sank into a crouch, struggling for breath. "Mere effort isn't enough."
Lee's cheeks puffed out, and he collapsed, vomiting on the ground. Pain shot through his body, and blood began to trickle from his ear. Clutching his left ear, Lee grimaced.
"I possess a weapon," Dosu declared, lifting his metal-clad hand. "Avoiding my attacks is pointless. You dodged my punch, but not the sound. Understand what sound is?"
"Vibrations?" Lee guessed, wincing.
"Exactly. Sound is the eardrum responding to these vibrations." Dosu touched his left ear with his ungloved hand. "You'll be immobilized for a while."
"Your outdated Taijutsu is ineffective against us," Zaku interjected, standing beside the female sound ninja. "Your technique was effective until my jutsu nullified it. It's obsolete now." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I control ultrasonic waves and air pressure, strong enough to shatter rocks." Unprompted, Zaku continued, "I directed air into the earth, softening it to cushion Dosu's fall. It's unlike your trivial jutsu." Zaku revealed his palms, displaying the holes that expelled air.
'Darn it' Lee shouted mentally.
"Next is..." Dosu pulled back his gauntlet-covered hand, poised to strike. "You!" He dashed past Lee, targeting Sakura. Defying the odds, Lee spun mid-air, launching a kick at Dosu's face. Dosu unleashed a sound wave, rendering Lee rigid in flight. Using Lee's body for leverage, Dosu landed as Lee crashed down. Dosu swung his forearm at Lee, who managed to block. However, Dosu emitted another sound wave, bending and hammering against Lee's already injured ear. Lee collapsed, screaming in agony.
Dosu lifted his hand, intent on finishing Lee. As Sakura hurled a rock shuriken, Dosu countered with his gauntlet. Undeterred, Sakura threw four more, but Zaku intervened, deflecting them back with his air waves. Sakura dodged with ease.
As she moved forward, her hair was suddenly pulled back, causing her to stumble. She glanced sideways and caught sight of the female sound ninja. With swift movements, Sakura pulled out a kunai, spun it around, and plunged it into the ninja's leg. Rising quickly, Sakura leaped and, falling backward, kicked the girl, smashing her head into the ground. Landing in a handstand, Sakura flipped onto her feet, seized the girl by the collar, and hurled her into a tree, sending bark flying and branches tumbling down.
Team Asuma observed in astonishment from the underbrush. Sakura executed a series of hand signs. "Kin! Kill her!" Zaku yelled to the girl who was recovering from the impact. The assailant lunged at Sakura, aiming a kunai at her back. In a fleeting moment, Sakura vanished, replaced by a log amidst a puff of smoke.
Zaku smirked and look towards Sakura, running at her with kunai in each hand. "Kin get out of the way!" Zaku shouted, Kin moved from behind Sakura and Zaku turned with his palms aimed at Sakura. Sakura threw the kunai and Zaku sent them back with his air pressure attack. Sakura vanished and left a kunai stabbed log in her stead.
"Okay, where are you now?" Zaku smirked, looking up to see Sakura descending from the air, weaving through familiar hand signs. "I'm not falling for it!" Zaku reached into his pouch and hurled kunai at her. Sakura raised her guard as the kunai pierced both of her legs and her torso. Zaku's smirk widened, anticipating her substitution.
"Where to next?" Zaku glanced around just as Sakura descended. His eyes widened as droplets of blood fell from the sky, staining his cheek. "Huh?! It's actually her this time!" Zaku raised his defenses just as Sakura lunged, tackling him to the ground. He hit the ground on his back, with Sakura pinning him down, driving her kunai into his right forearm making a squelch and crunch as blood splashed onto her face and continued to drip down his arm.
Zaku punched Sakura in her face, drawing blood from her mouth. Sakura brought her fist down forcefully onto his face. making a slight crunch and drawing blood. Zaku struck her chin, causing her head to turn. Sakura returned with a right hook to his left cheek, making his head turn and making him cough blood. Sakura knew she had to advantage, Zaku was working against gravity. Zaku aimed his palm at Sakura's face, the recharge was done. He planned to blow her head off her shoulders.
Sakura vanished, making the airborne attack miss its mark and hit nothing but the empty sky. Sakura realized she wasn't on Zaku anymore, she raised her head and looked infront of her. "The second string?" Zaku asked with a smirk.
'Ino?' Sakura asked mentally, seeing the back of her ex-friend.
"More leaf village worms." said Dosu
Choji was trying to sneak away, he had no interest in dying at all. Zaku chuckled, "It's okay for you to leave fatass." Choji's ear visibly twitched.
"What did you say?"
"It's okay for you to leave fatass." Zaku shrugged.
"I heard what you said! I'm big boned!" Chakra spun around Choji like a whirlpool
'I was told to get Sasuke by the end of the test.' Zaku grunted mentally.
Sakura observed the purple chakra encircling Sasuke as he lay on the ground, drenched in sweat. "Sakura, take care of your teammates; you've done enough," Ino said. With a smile, Sakura retreated to her team.
"Formation, Ino!"
"Shika!"
"Cho!"
Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Choji clapped his hands together. His body swelled, forming a perfect spherical shape, with his clothes stretching to accommodate his new size. Tucking his arms into his shirt, chakra burst from his sleeves like rockets. He repeated the action with his head and legs. Then, Choji launched into the air, spinning rapidly and transforming into a green blur. He descended, creating craters and kicking up dust as he propelled himself towards Zaku.
Zaku unleashed his slicing sound wave at Choji, who, although not moving forward, continued to spin, causing the ground to tremble and dust to rise. Zaku increased his power, but Choji remained steadfast. Zaku gasped as Choji soared into the air, then watched the spinning form plummet to the earth. Dosu attempted to rush to Zaku's aid but found himself immobilized.
Zaku narrowly escaped as the boulder crashed down. "Ino," Shikamaru uttered. Ino formed a hand seal and collapsed, caught by Shikamaru.
"Kin!" Zaku called out, noticing Kin's rigid stance.
"What's wrong with you?" Dosu yelled.
With a grin, Kin pressed a kunai against her throat. "Game over! Relax, any wrong move and Kin dies. You wouldn't want that, so just drop your scroll and leave."
Zaku sneered, readying his palm to launch an air wave at Kin. Choji rolled towards Kin, intercepting the air wave. The shockwave sent Kin tumbling into a tree. Choji uncurled from his spherical form, clutching his mouth. "I'm so dizzy..."
Shikamaru's shadow dissipated, and he lost control. "You're limited to five minutes..." Dosu declared. "And your teammate can transfer her soul into her opponent. Whatever happens to Kin, happens to her as well."
"So, what will you do? Kill your own teammate?" Shikamaru inquired.
"If it's necessary," Zaku replied nonchalantly.
"...What a drag," Shikamaru moaned.
"You can say that again!" Choji agreed.
"Do you actually believe you could defeat us?" Zaku taunted. "Face it, your ninja skills are infantile."
"From a second-tier village," Dosu sneered.
"Does that make the Sound Village third-tier?" a voice questioned from the trees. All eyes turned to see Neji Hyuga and Tenten. "I'm curious if you novices are prepared to face the genuine article," Neji stated.
"My teammate has suffered a severe beating... This will not go unavenged," Neji declared, activating his Byakugan.
'His eyes... he's not just observing us, he's looking through us,' Dosu realized.
Suddenly, Neji halted. "What's wrong?" Tenten asked.
'That chakra...' Neji pondered.
"Are you coming, or was that just empty talk?"
"Actually, it's beyond my control," Neji said with a smirk.
"Hm?" Dosu wondered until he witnessed it.
A light purple energy surged from Sasuke's body, ascending towards the heavens, surpassing its previous height. It seemed to climb 20 feet into the air before halting, resembling beacons of purple light. The light then intensified and enveloped his entire body.
A dark figure, shrouded in dark purple energy, knelt on one knee; the ground beneath him appeared to scorch, forming a crater, while rocks orbited him as if caught in a whirlwind. The figure, gazing downward, rose to stand with legs wide and arms dangling, as the dark purple aura whirled around him, ascending towards the sky. As the figure stood tall, red markings lit up its face and arm. With every stride, a swirl of purple energy danced around its feet.
"Sakura," the dark figure whispered, energy swirling at dizzying speeds. The figure transformed into Sasuke, his hair wild, spinning with the wind, light red marks fading into black across the left side of his face, his Sharingan ablaze. "Who did this?" Sasuke demanded. Sakura remained silent, too shocked to speak. "Who was it?" Sasuke pressed, anger in his voice.
'Those marks... they're all over his body,' Dosu realized.
"Sasuke... What's happened to you?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling.
Sasuke raised his left hand, observing his palm. "It doesn't matter. I'm doing just fine," he said, clenching his fist. "I'm doing amazing!" A sinister smirk crossed his face. "He gave me this gift, he made me realize what I am... I am vengeance. To follow my path, I must have power, at any cost, even if it means my soul!" Sasuke's laugh was deep and dark.
'Now I understand... The marks the girl mentioned. They're a curse mark,' Dosu thought, sweat trickling down his visible face. 'Who would have thought he'd not only survive but stand tall, stronger than before.'
"Now tell me," Sasuke demanded, "which one of these people did this to you?"
Zaku smirked. "Me!"
Sasuke remained motionless, yet his Sharingan eyes pierced through Zaku's soul. He turned slowly to face Zaku directly.
"Ino, hurry and return to your body!" Shikamaru yelled to Kin from the bushes. "You don't want to be caught up in this, and neither do you, Choji!"
"Mind Transfer: Release!" Kin shouted, then collapsed to the ground.
Sasuke's marks began to glow a faint red as anger appeared on his face. The marks slowly replicated and shifted to the right side of his face before fading to black again. Sasuke stood still, surrounded by a swirling purple aura. Dosu recoiled in fear. 'What is this?' he wondered. 'Everything has changed.' Looking at Sasuke, he saw Orochimaru. 'Such chakra, too powerful. We can't fight this.'
"Dosu, what's the matter? Getting cold feet?" Zaku taunted.
"No, Zaku! You don't understand!" Dosu yelled back, panicked.
"Watch this, I'll take care of them all!" Zaku gestured towards Sasuke and his teammates. "In one fell swoop!"
Zaku raised his arms, aiming at Sasuke, who stood in front of the unconscious blonde and the resting pink-haired girl. 'Super Sonic Slicing Wave!' Zaku shouted in his mind as a massive beam of silver energy appeared, repeatedly striking his target. Dosu, although out of the target area, had to shield himself as he was pushed back. Team Asuma screamed from behind the bushes, covering their ears. Neji and Tenten braced themselves against the force to avoid being blown away.
As the attack faded, Zaku, gasping for breath, stayed in his stance. "Heh! Blew them away!" he boasted with a smug grin.
"Wrong."
Sasuke's fingers jabbed Zaku's back before he clenched his fist and delivered a one-inch punch, propelling Zaku towards Dosu with a scream.
"Zaku!" Dosu exclaimed.
Struggling to his feet, Zaku coughed violently on his hands and knees. 'Such speed, he moved his teammates out of danger in an instant,' Dosu realized.
As Sasuke faced them, he executed hand signs with a speed that left Dosu and Zaku breathless, his fingers a blur. "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke declared.
"I don't think so!" exclaimed Zaku as he raised his palms and unleashed a gust of air at the flaming projectiles. The flames subsided, and Zaku's eyes widened in horror. "In the flames—shuriken!" The shuriken sliced through the air, spinning towards Zaku. He cried out in agony as the shuriken repeatedly grazed his body.
"Zaku, below you!" Dosu yelled. Zaku had just a moment to spot Sasuke crouched beneath him. Before he could react, Sasuke disappeared, and Zaku found himself forced down on his knees, his arms seized firmly, and a foot shoved against his back. Sasuke's smirk widened as he intensified his hold.
"You seem quite fond of these arms," Sasuke said ominously, applying more pressure with his foot.
In a panic, Zaku twisted his head around. "No! What are you doing?!"
The surrounding ninja watched in disgust as Sasuke pulled Zaku's arm from its socket, A crunch resounded through the clearing, Zaku's agonized screams filling the forest. Sasuke delivered a kick that sent Zaku to the ground, incapacitating one of his arms. Sasuke then stood, gazing down at Zaku's prone form.
A chill coursed through Dosu as Sasuke's head swiveled to fix him with a direct gaze. Those accursed Sharingan seemed to peer into his very soul. "You're the only one left," Sasuke declared. Dosu inhaled sharply, his breath ragged, as Sasuke continued to stare. "Make this entertaining for me." Sasuke strode by Sakura, his eyes locked on Dosu as he approached.
"No!" Sakura's thoughts raced with fear as Sasuke neared. "It's not possible... That can't be him. This person is not Sasuke!" Abruptly, the grotesque image of Orochimaru invaded her mind.
"No!" Sakura cried out, dashing towards Sasuke. "Stop!" She seized Sasuke's wrist, halting his movement. "Please... Stop."
Sasuke's black marks turned a light red and began to ascend his body. "The curse mark is receding; we're safe for now," he noted, collapsing into a seated position, gasping for air. "You are strong, Sasuke," Dosu declared, extending his scroll with a tremble. "Too strong for us to defeat in your current state." He placed his scroll on the ground. "Let's make a deal: you take this scroll, and in return, you spare our lives." He hoisted Zaku's body. "We seem to have misjudged you. But at least we've learned what we needed." Then, lifting Kin's body, he added, "For now, we are even. Should we cross paths in battle again, I assure you, we will neither flee nor hide,"
Sakura sat next to Sasuke as his looked at his hand. "Just... what am I.."