Chapter 10

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi turned to see Sasuke standing near the trees, beat up and bruised. An unconscious Sakura was resting over his shoulders. Sasuke set her down gently and stepped forward. His eyes were black. His Sharingan had faded away to conserve chakra.

Naruto was lying in the very shallow water between Kakashi and Jiraiya. Sasuke looked at him for a few moments.

"He's gone," Kakashi replied as he looked at Sasuke. Sasuke pulled his eyes away from Naruto and looked at Kakashi. "Which is for the best. A fight between him and us would probably destroy this forest and end the exams."

"Slithered away like the snake he is." Jiraiya snarled as he kneeled over Naruto. Concern was etched into his usually joyful face. "Luckily, Naruto knew that the Kyuubi's chakra would bring us out here."

"Is that how you knew to find us?" Sasuke asked as he looked between him.

"The explosion was the first hint," Jiraiya said as he stood up and looked at Sasuke. "Naruto's probably the only genin here that could do something like that. It was felt back in the village. Once I felt the Kyuubi's chakra, we knew something must have gone wrong. Naruto hates using it and hasn't even tried to touch it in years. We knew Orochimaru was around, and just as we were about to leave, a couple of chunin came back with the proof."

"Orochimaru? Do you mean one of the Sanin like you? Naruto said he was after me; why would he be after me? And what about Naruto? He's unconscious?" Sasuke asked as he looked at his two unconscious teammates. His head was swimming at the thought he had just fought one of The Sanin and survived.

"We think Orochimaru might be after your body," Jiraiya said as he stood back up with a stoic expression as he looked at the young Uchiha. "Orochimaru has been collecting shinobi and others with Kekkei Genkai. Naruto knows a little bit more about Orochimaru than he should, and he isn't dumb. He probably figured out Orochimaru's real target was you."

"We can't interfere any more than we already have. Coming after Orochimaru doesn't break any rules since he's not a genin, but if we try to help in any way from here on out." Kakashi shrugged and looked away. "We'll talk about Orochimaru after the second part of the exam."

"That's bullshit! He's like this because he had to fight that guy!" Sasuke shouted, but it didn't matter Jiraiya and Kakashi were already gone. Sasuke sighed as he crossed his fingers and molded the very last bit of chakra he had. There was a small pop, and Sasuke felt himself sway at the lack of chakra. He caught himself and looked up. His clone looked haggard but mostly functional. Turning, Sasuke picked up Sakura and threw her over his shoulder.

"Grab him; we need to get to some kind of shelter as close and as soon as possible," Sasuke muttered to his clone. Sasuke's clone walked over to Naruto and lifted him with a loud grunt. Sasuke adjusted Sakura's weight and started to walk through the forest.


"Are you sure it was this way?" Kiba asked as he, Hinata, and Shino jumped through the trees. The three of them had fought a Kumo team earlier only to find they had the same scroll as them. Then that explosion had rocked the forest. Hinata had known immediately it had been Naruto. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, and she knew something was wrong.

"Yes," Hinata said as she concentrated on her surroundings. The veins in her eyes were bulging as she used the Byakugan to try and find something. "Still can't pick up a scent?" Hinata asked as they jumped from branch to branch.

"I've got nothing yet," Kiba said shortly as he lifted his nose and inhaled. His nostrils were filled with the scent of his teammates, Akamaru, the smell of trees, grass, dying wood, decaying plants, and dozens of other things, but not Naruto or the rest of Team 7.

"What about your bugs Shino?"

"Nothing to report." Shino was usually the team leader, but as soon as that explosion rocked the forest, Hinata took over. Shino didn't mind it at all. It was a pleasant change of pace for him. He'd been forced to lead the team because Hinata was so shy, and Kiba was loud and reckless. 'She cares for him,' Shino thought as he smiled behind his collar. It was nice to see a new side of Hinata.

'It had to be him. That wind that blew through the forest had Naruto's chakra in it. I'd recognize it anywhere.' Hinata leaped up to a higher branch as she put as much stress on her eyes as she could. 'What could that have been? Why would he have to go that far? Then there was that other chakra…what was that?' Kiba and Shino had felt it too; as it spread through the forest, it was like everything had gotten darker, more evil. She was sure the other ninja felt it too.

Hinata stopped as something entered her field of vision from the west. Turning, she tried to strain her eyes, but she couldn't see much more. It was the edge of a large crater almost half a mile in diameter. "This way!" Hinata shouted back as she started to head in the direction. As she got closer, more and more entered her field of vision, and she could see the battle scars left behind. The forest was destroyed all around the area. There were blast marks and scorch marks from fires all over the trees. Torn mangled branches and earth sat piled on the ground; it looked like a war had been fought.

As they arrived, Hinata leaped from the trees and landed on the ground with a loud thump. She turned her head as she looked for any evidence Naruto had been there. Then she found what she was looking for. A few hundred feet away was a burnt and destroyed ninja vest at the base of a tree. Hinata jogged towards it and shut off her Byakugan. Reaching down, she picked it up and brushed off the soot and damaged parts. The vest was almost entirely destroyed, but she could make out the dark orange lining around the edges. Hinata flipped it around and brushed off the ash. In the center on the back was the dark orange swirl of the Uzumaki Clan crest.

"This is his!" Hinata called behind her turning her head slightly. Kiba came up behind her, and she could hear him take a deep breath.

"I have his scent," Kiba replied as he took the lead and jumped up onto a nearby branch started to head through the trees. He looked around, his eyes wide at the carnage left behind. 'Whoever they fought was seriously bad news.' Kiba could hear Hinata and Shino behind him as he followed Naruto's scent. 'Blood, sweat, fear, malice, hatred, and something even viler.' Kiba thought to himself as he kept his nose raised to the wind. 'What the hell happened here?'

"Looks like there's some more destruction up ahead!" Hinata shouted as they continued through the forest. 'All this for just the exam?' Hinata watched as Kiba cleared a tree line and landed on the ground. Hinata followed after him, letting herself fall from a branch into the open clearing with a splash. Hinata found herself ankle-deep in water that didn't seem to belong there. She looked around and noticed it was starting to drain into other parts of the forest.

"This is where it's the worst," Kiba said as he inhaled through his nose deeply. "Blood…sweat…anger…malice…hate…rage…and something evil that I can't pin down." Kiba looked back at Shino and Hinata. "Whatever happened, it looks like the brunt of it happened here. Based on the scent, it smells like Naruto fought someone back there and, I guess, chased him over here?" Kiba took another sniff. "Sakura and Sasuke were here too" Kiba's head jerked up, and he looked into the trees, his eyes narrowed. "I can smell Sakura's blood up there and burnt flesh."

"Are they alive?!" Hinata asked as she looked around for any signs of death or bodies. She tilted her head upwards, shifting her perspective.

"It doesn't smell like anyone died here," Kiba said as he moved around, trying to catch scents on the breeze. "There were six people here, but the scents from two aren't strong at all. I can try and catch one of their scents and see if I can follow it."

"No need," Shino said flatly as he tilted his head. A small bug was hovering in front of his face. "My bugs found them. They're about a mile that way." Shino pointed north of them. "I don't know any more than that."

"Let's go," Hinata said as she darted off in the direction Shino pointed.


Sasuke was sitting with his back against a large tree root. His dark eyes were focused on the area in front of him. Sasuke had laid Naruto and Sakura under the elevated roots covering their bodies while he guarded them. Sasuke looked back under the roots at both of them. Sakura was covered in bruises and caked in blood. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine. Every scratch, cut, and bruise had healed up. He was just out for some reason. Sasuke had recovered a bit of chakra but couldn't afford to use any of it in case he was forced to fight.

'That power,' Sasuke thought to himself as he looked through the small clearing he was in and into the tree line. 'Orochimaru…So that's what it meant to be an elite ninja-like The Sanin…like Itachi. It felt so hopeless fighting him. The whole time he was playing with us. Like a cat right before devouring some mice.' Sasuke rested his head against the tree and let out a deep breath. 'Will I ever catch up to something like that?'

There was a rustling sound behind him, and Sasuke's eyes shot open, and he lifted his head. Turning, he watched as Sakura started to move. Sasuke quickly ducked under the roots and set his hand on her shoulder. "Don't get up, or you'll hit your head," Sasuke said sternly. The ceiling in the shelter was low.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked as she opened her eyes. Sakura let out a groan as she looked around the shelter. "What happened?"

"We were attacked," Sasuke replied as he gently lifted his hand and slid into the shelter. He barely had enough room to sit up straight. Sasuke gently helped raise Sakura into a sitting position. She was the shortest of the three and had the most space.

"By that woman?" Sakura asked as she rubbed her head with her fingers. "Everything hurts." Sakura looked around the shelter to see Sasuke sitting opposite her and Naruto lying unconscious next to her. His vest was gone, and his sheathed sword was lying next to him. 'Even Naruto?' Sakura groaned as she gingerly leaned her back against a wall of roots and dirt.

"Jiraiya and Kakashi-sensei saved us." Sasuke said with an almost bitter tone. "That wasn't some genin that attacked us. It was Orochimaru, one of the sannin."

"What?" Sakura asked as she looked at Sasuke in visible confusion and shock. "You mean The Sanin?
"Yeah," Sasuke muttered as he reached into a pouch and pulled out the same tin as healing ointment from the other day. "Turn around."

Sakura looked at the tin for a second and back at Sasuke before turning around. 'He's being nice to me.'

Sasuke reached out and grabbed hold of the chain mail she was wearing underneath her crop top. He pulled it out of her belt and up to the edge of her shirt. He screwed open the tin and dragged his fingers over the ointment. Sasuke reached out to apply it on her back and hesitated for a moment. Then he started to spread it over the dark purple and green bruise that had spread across her back.

"He was after me," Sasuke said shortly as he rubbed the ointment into her skin. "At least that's what Naruto and Jiraiya said."

"It wasn't your fault," Sakura muttered as she felt Sasuke's fingers trace circles on her back around the bruise. Her face was bright pink, and she was glad he couldn't see her.

"You need to pull your shirt off," Sasuke said sternly and as seriously as he could.

"Wh-what? No n-no, that's okay; I'll deal with it later." Sakura stuttered as her face burned even brighter than before.

"Just do it," Sasuke muttered as he looked away from her. "It's not like I'll see anything." He could feel his cheeks warm up, and he scowled.

Sakura reached over her head and hissed in pain as she gently tugged her shirt up and chain mail. She gently pulled her head out of the shirt and rested it to cover her chest.

Sasuke covered his fingers with more ointment and started to apply it to Sakura's shoulders and upper back as gently as he could. Her whole back looked like an ugly finger painting spattered with bruises. His eyes drifted down to her sides and the bit of her stomach he could see. The bruises were everywhere.

'That feels so much better already,' Sakura thought as Sasuke rubbed the ointment into her shoulders. 'I'm surprised he isn't being rough.' When Sakura thought about Sasuke, a gentle caregiver wasn't the first or even the hundredth thing that came to mind.

"Why didn't he kill us?" Sakura asked as she felt Sasuke stop. She felt him reach up and pull her shirt and armor back over her head and down for her. "I mean, he could have, if he wanted to, pretty easily. They say he's one of the most dangerous ninjas ever to live."

"He probably would have if Jiraiya and Kakashi hadn't shown up." Sasuke watched as Sakura turned around. Her face was swollen and discolored too. Sasuke stared at the container for a moment before handing it over to her. "You can do the rest yourself." Sasuke looked away, and his eyes rested on Naruto. 'Why is he still unconscious? He's all healed up already.'

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura muttered as she started to apply the healing ointment to the bruises on her face. "What are we going to do now? Naruto has all the scrolls sealed away. We can't move to the tower without them."

"I guess we have to wait for the idiot to wake up," Sasuke said as he looked out into the clearing again. "If he doesn't wake up tomorrow, we can go out and grab some scrolls once our chakra's been replenished."

'We're too vulnerable right now. Naruto's out of it, and I barely have enough chakra to activate my Sharingan.' Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh and was turning to look at Sakura when he saw it. A shadow drifted through the tree line. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he tried to peer into the darkening forest. Then one of the branches rustled without a breeze.

"Someone's here," Sasuke said as quietly as possible to Sakura. He heard Sakura shuffle around to get a better angle on the tree line. Sasuke quickly crawled out from under the roots and stood up. He didn't want to get caught off guard. "Whoever you are, show yourselves."

Sasuke watched as three figures walked out of the tree line. All three were dressed in grey and black camouflage pants with matching scarfs. One of them was hunched over with a straw raincoat on his back over a grey poncho. His entire face was covered in bandages with only his left eye visible. All three of them had on forehead protectors with a dark musical note engraved in the center.

"If you're after scrolls, we don't have any," Sasuke said shortly as he looked at all three of them. "Ours were taken by the ninja from Kusa."

"What a liar," One of them barked with a large smirk. He was of average height with spiky black hair and a beige shirt with the character for death printed on the front in red.

"He thinks we're stupid or something." The young woman said as she crossed her arms and sneered at Sasuke. She had long black hair that was tied into a low-hanging ponytail that went down to her thighs.

"My name is Dosu," The one in bandages said as he stepped forward. "These are my teammates Zaku and Kin." He motioned to the boy with spiky black hair and the girl, respectively. "We'll make this as easy as possible. Lord Orochimaru has requested your presence Uchiha Sasuke. If you come with us, we've been told we can spare your team, even the blond one."

"Tch," Sasuke sucked his teeth as he looked between all three of them. 'I'd probably be able to beat them if I was at full strength.' He heard some shuffling as Sakura crawled out from under the roots and came to stand next to Sasuke.

"Sasuke isn't going anywhere with you," Sakura said as she stood her ground and tensed her protesting muscles. Her whole body was in pain from fighting Orochimaru, but she wasn't going to back down.

"That so bitch?" Kin asked as she snarled at Sakura, her dark eyes roaming up and down Sakura sizing her up. "You look like you're going to fall over at any second."

"Why don't we beat the shit of them and take him," Zaku said with a shrug as he placed his hands on hips. "I'll take the pink one for myself." He licked his lips as he stared at Sakura.

"You can't beat us in the condition your in." Dosu said as he took another step forward. "Coming with us is your best option."

"I don't think so," Sasuke said as his eyes locked onto Zaku. "I've met Orochimaru, and I'm not interested in anything someone like him has to say."

"Even if it means killing Itachi?"

"I'll do that on my own after we've beaten you three." Sasuke took what chakra he had left and redirected it to his eyes. Forcing the chakra into his eyes, he could feel them burning as they turned bright red and three spinning tomoe appeared around his pupil.

"If that's how you want to do things." Dosu replied as he stepped back. "Zaku, Kin," he said as he looked at both of them uncaringly.

"Let's do this!" Zaku shot forward towards Sasuke with a giant grin on his face. Thankfully he wasn't anywhere near as fast as Naruto or Orochimaru. Sasuke ducked a punch before it even came close to hitting him. Sasuke launched a fist into his stomach before his other fist landed on Zaku's face. Then, Sasuke's foot collided with the other side of his face with a twist. Drawing a kunai, Sasuke launched it at Zaku and followed up with two shurikens. Zaku snarled as he threw his hands out. Sasuke's eyes burned as he watched Zaku's chakra flare; following his instincts, Sasuke leaped out of the way.

"Decapitating Airwaves!" Wind chakra and soundwaves blasted out holes in the center of Zaku's hands, the kunai and shuriken Sasuke had launched were blasted out the air, and a large channel was carved into the earth as the blast tore up the dirt right where Sasuke had been standing.

'I don't have enough chakra to maintain the Sharingan and use jutsu.' Sasuke thought as he landed on the ground a few feet away. 'I need to keep this one at close contact to stop him from using those. Sasuke drew a kunai and flipped it in his hand, so it was in a reverse grip.

Zaku watched as Sasuke landed safely and smirked. He turned as Sasuke ran towards him with a kunai in his hand. He raised his hand and sent a concentrated blast of wind chakra at Sasuke. He watched as the raven-haired ninja dodged as the ground exploded. Zaku turned and sent out several shorter ranged shots. Each one missed Sasuke, but he couldn't close the gap between them.

'Damn it,' Sasuke twisted into handspring as he cartwheeled out of the way of another blast. He drew several more shuriken and threw them. The black-haired teen raised his hands and quickly knocked them out of the air. Sasuke took the opening and ran towards him. Closing the gap, Sasuke quickly engaged him. Sasuke threw several punches and kicks that Zaku tried to block and avoid, to no avail. Sasuke knew where he would be before he was there, meaning he could counter every move and track his own.

Sasuke brought the kunai down to slash at Zaku's face, and he just narrowly avoided it. Sasuke brought his knee up, and Zaku stepped back just in time. 'He's started to keep up,' Sasuke sped up his attacks as much as he could. Sasuke's eyes burned with strain as he tried to track Zaku and see what he would do next. Sasuke dropped to the ground and spun his leg out, attempting to sweep Zaku's leg out from under him. Zaku jumped back, but Sasuke saw it and rolled on the ground towards him. Springing up, Sasuke turned and launched his foot up towards Zaku's chin. He felt his heel connect with it as Zaku was lifted off the ground.

Zaku blasted wind from his hands and gently fell to the ground rolling back up to his feet. He ducked a kick from Sasuke and grunted Sasuke's kunai slashed at his arm. He felt a shallow cut open up but couldn't think about it as Sasuke kept pressing his advantage. Zaku leaned back and avoided a slash at his face. Then Sasuke's knee came up to strike him in the chest. Zaku turned his hand and blasted it with wind. Sasuke's knee was pushed back, knocking him off balance. Zaku quickly blocked a wild shot at his head pushed his hand into Sasuke's chest. Their eyes met for a second, and Zaku stared into Sasuke's now black eyes with a smirk. Then he blasted wind and soundwaves into Sasuke's chest.


Sakura jumped back as Kin drew several senbon into both her hands and threw them at her. Sakura's whole body ached from her fight earlier. Drawing two shurikens, she threw them at Kin and followed up with a kunai. The ninja dodged them with ease and rushed her.

"Big mistake!" Sakura shouted as Kin closed in on her. Sakura dodged a fist thrown at her face. Sakura molded chakra into her muscles into her bicep and down through the anconeus muscle and brachioradialis muscle. Then Sakura punched her as hard as she could in the stomach. As her muscles contracted, she released the chakra in bursts at the apex of each contraction all the way down her arm. The force of the punch lifted the oto-nin off the ground while the power of the punch rolled over her like a shock wave. Sakura turned and kicked the Kin in the face with her heel. She spun through the air, crashed into the ground, and rolled away.

Kin rolled through the dirt as pain like she'd never felt before radiated through her body. As she came to a stop, she stumbled onto her feet, but she was too slow. Sakura was on top of her again. Sakura landed blow after blow on her as she tried and failed to defend herself. She brought her arm up to block a punch, but as Sakura's fist landed on her arm, she felt it get forced down, exposing her face.

Sakura felt Kin's arm fall under her fist. 'This has to be enough. I'm almost out of chakra, and my body feels like it's on fire.' Sakura took a step back and reeled back her arm before driving her fist into Kin's face. Her nose folded under her fist, and her head snapped back as she was thrown a few inches into the ground. Sakura gritted her teeth as her body screamed in protest. Then Sakura felt something, a shift in the air. Sakura turned just in time to see the other ninja in bandages appear. He lifted his arm, and Sakura's eyes fell on the large gauntlet filled with holes strapped to his arm. They seemed to pulse before an unimaginable pain-filled Sakura's head. Instantly the world turned upside down, and Sakura couldn't stay on her feet. She felt her legs collapse as the pain in her head faded, but the world still spun.

Sakura stumbled as she tried to get to her feet. Her stomach was doing flips, and she felt like she was going to be sick. 'He's doing something to my balance.' Sakura thought as she world spun. She pumped the last bit of chakra she had into her arms and launched a punch at Dosu. It was wide and missed completely. She watched, unable to do anything to stop him as Dosu lifted his hand and, with all his strength, backhanded her. Sakura felt her head snap to the left as she lost her footing again and fell to the ground.

"Get up, Kin," Dosu said as he walked past the black-haired nin trying to stop the blood from flowing from her nose.

Sakura tried to get up but couldn't; she felt like she was falling even though she was on the ground. Sakura moved her head and watched as Sasuke was blasted across the clearing and into a tree. He slammed into it with a loud thud and slumped down to the ground. 'I have to get up,' Sakura thought as she dug her hands into the ground. 'I have to stop them now.'

"Kill her and the blond." Dosu said as he looked at his two teammates. "Orochimaru's instructions were only to spare the others if he came with us willingly."

Sakura put all of her strength into her arms and pushed herself up, dragging her legs under her. Her small victory was short-lived as a black and grey knee slammed into her chin. Sakura felt her head snap back as her teeth crashed into each other painfully. Her arms gave out, and she fell into the dirt.

Kin squatted down and leaned over whispered into her ear, "I'm going to enjoy this bitch." Kin grabbed her hair and pulled her up. Sakura was hanging by her hair, her arms dangling uselessly as she watched as Zaku started to head towards where Naruto was. She felt Kin jerk her head towards the opening to give her a better view. "Zaku pull him out here and give this pink-haired bitch a show." Sakura watched helplessly as he got closer and closer to Naruto.

'No, this can't happen. Not after everything we've done together. How could it end like this?'


"I see them!" Hinata shouted as she leaped from branch to branch. "They're being attacked!" Hinata strained her eyes as she watched Sakura get backhanded by some unknown ninja. She watched as one of them started to head towards a large tree. Hinata focused on the tree, and it seemed to fade out of existence. As the tree vanished, she could see through it clearly. At the bottom, under some roots in a small cave, was Naruto. He wasn't moving. "They're going after Naruto!" Hinata yelled back at Shino and Kiba. She pumped chakra into her legs and took off, going even faster.

"Hinata! Wait, we need to strategize!" Shino shouted as he sped up to catch up to the blue-haired Hyuga.

"We don't have time!" Hinata shouted back without looking at him.

"Winging it then! Just how I like it!" Kiba shouted as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a pill. "Akamaru!" Kiba shouted at the dog running beside him. He tossed the pill in the air, and the small dog caught it in its mouth with ease. The ordinarily white dog turned dark red and let out a loud bark.

Hinata reached the last branch of the tree line and pumped as much chakra as possible into her legs. She jumped as hard as she could off the branch, destroying it with a loud snap, and soared through the air.

"Get away from Naruto!" Hinata shouted as she flipped through the air over Dosu and landed right on top of Zaku. Zaku jumped out of the way just as Hinata landed where he had been standing. Hinata straightened herself out and leveled a glare on Zaku. "If you lay a hand on him, I'll kill you," Hinata snarled at the black-haired oto-nin.

"Fang Over Fang!"

Hinata's eyes darted towards the tree line and watched as two spinning blurs landed on top of the ninja holding Sakura up by her hair. Then Hinata brought her attention back onto the ninja standing in front of her. Then she launched herself forward. Hinata focused charka into her palms which started to glow a light blue. She quickly struck the ninja in the chest, sending him back. He stayed on his feet and snarled at her. Hinata wasn't daunted by it. She rushed forward and started her attack on Zaku.

Hinata landed several blows to Zaku's chest and shoulders; with each strike, her chakra penetrated his body, attacking his muscles directly. 'Those tubes in his arm must be used for something.' Hinata thought as she ducked a swipe at her head and sidestepped a kick. As the leg flew by her face, Hinata brought her right palm up to strike his calf. Her chakra penetrated his skin and attacked the muscle. Zaku fell to the ground with a shout but rolled away just as Hinata launched a strike at his face. He sprung back up and quickly turned his open palms on her. Wind blasted out enough force to knock the blue-haired girl back into a tree. She felt her back slam into the trunk and let out a shout. She fell forward and stumbled.

"Extreme Decapitating Airwaves!" The air in front of his hands seemed to distort as it was filled with chakra. Then there was a loud bang as a devastating blast of wind and soundwaves exploded from his hands. Zaku roared as the pain in his arms became almost unbearable. When the explosion subsided, everything in its path had been utterly destroyed. A large trunk of the tree Hinata had been leaning against had been practically vaporized. Zaku let out a loud laugh as he panted. "There's nothing left of her!"

As the air in front of Hinata distorted, she reached out with her chakra and connected with a large rock several yards behind Zaku. She molded her chakra and then switched. It was instant. Hinata was standing behind Zaku as the blast went off. 'It's the tubes in his arm.' Hinata scanned the ninja and then narrowed her eyes as she ran forward. Just as Zaku finished speaking and turned around, she was in his face. Concentrating her chakra into her pointer and middle fingers, Hinata struck. Several blows with her fingers landed up and down Zaku's left arm.

Hinata ducked a kick and jumped back to avoid a blow to the face. She watched as Zaku lifted his hands to attack again. Wind and soundwaves burst from his right hand, but nothing from his left hand. Zaku braced for an attack from both hands, was knocked off balance.

"What?" Zaku shouted as he looked at his left hand. He couldn't mold chakra in his left arm at all. It felt like it was all blocked off.

Hinata rushed forward and took the opportunity to jab Zaku's right arm several times quickly. Then she reeled back and launched an attack to his chest with both palms. Zaku was blown back into the ground and sent rolling again. Like last time he sprang up and held out his palms, but nothing happened.

"I've sealed the tenketsu in your arms." Hinata let her arms fall to her sides as she looked at him. "You can't mold the chakra in your arms anymore."

"Then I guess we'll do this the hard way." Zaku snarled as he pulled two kunai out and held them in his hands. He rushed at Hinata as fast as he could; he slashed at her with the kunai viciously. Hinata stepped back and swerved out of the way of the slashes. Then she sidestepped them again and launched threw quick strikes at his shoulder. His left arm dropped, releasing the kunai that fell to the ground with a clang. He spun around with a wild, desperate slash, and Hinata ducked under turned and attacked his shoulder again. His other arm dropped, and just like before, the kunai fell from his hand with a clang.

"It's over," Hinata said as she stepped back away from him. "Look around you."

Zaku turned and looked around desperately. Kin was lying on the ground in a crumpled heap as a ninja he didn't recognize in a grey hoodie helped Sakura up. Turning around, he looked for Dosu. Dosu was on his knees in the center of a large cloud of insects. Off to the side was a ninja with dark hair and sunglasses.

"Leave your scroll and go," Hinata said as she released her Byakugan.

"As if! I'm going to gut that little blond punk myself! Maybe I'll see that demon of his when I rip open his insides!" Zaku shouted as he got back on his feet, a deranged smile on his face.

"This is your last warning," Hinata said gently but sternly. She fell into the Gentle Fist Stance, "if you don't leave now. I'll kill you." 'I won't let him anywhere near Naruto or any of them!' Hinata moved to strike Zaku one last time when she was surprised. A yellow blur appeared behind Zaku with a whisper. Naruto had moved so fast she'd barely been able to see him as he dashed at the oto ninja.

"Listen to her," Naruto said as he appeared behind Zaku. He was holding his sword out as he glared at the ninja. His blue eyes scanned the clearing resting on Sakura's beaten form held up by Kiba and then moved towards Sasuke's limp form.

"It looks like she's beaten you pretty badly, but I'm not above killing you," Naruto said as Zaku turned to face him. Naruto eyed the headband on his forehead and sneered, "Orochimaru isn't getting Sasuke today or any day."

"We're going to come back for him!" Zaku shouted at Naruto as he glared at the blond and bared his teeth. "Once we do, we're gonna kill you and that pink-haired bitch! Then I'm going to come for this little bitch here-" Zaku's words were contorted and turned into a high-pitched scream. Blood arced through the air before landing on the grass with a splash. Naruto's sword was stuck through his chest, and the blade was out his back. Just a few inches away from his heart.

Hinata stepped back quickly, her eyes wide in shock. Naruto had a stern look on his face she'd never seen before.

"As I said, you aren't going to get Sasuke today or any day," Naruto said as he pulled his sword out of Zaku. Naruto flicked his blade casually as blood spattered over the grass, covering them with drops of crimson. "It should be easy enough to save your teammate if you're fast enough!" Naruto shouted, turning towards Dosu.

Dosu was staring at Naruto with wide eyes. His chakra had been drained almost entirely before he even had a chance to counter-attack. The bugs around him started to disperse, and his eyes tracked them as they flew back inside of a black-haired Konoha ninja. Dosu reached into his vest and pulled out a scroll. Dosu quickly walked over towards Naruto and Zaku and set the scroll down on the ground. It was a Heaven Scroll.

"We'll leave," Dosu muttered as he reached down and picked up the moaning Zaku. Dosu set his teammate on his shoulder and turned. "Kin, we have to go. I can't carry you too." Dosu watched as Kin struggled to her feet. "Let's go."

Naruto watched as Dosu walked off with the bleeding oto-nin and the black-haired girl limped after him. After a few minutes, Naruto sheathed his sword and sighed heavily.

"That was intense," Naruto looked at Hinata and shot her a large grin. "Thank you for saving our lives."

'He swapped back so fast,' Hinata thought as she looked at Naruto with concern. 'I'm just glad he's okay.' Hinata looked down at the grass-covered in Zaku's blood and then back at Naruto with a slight smile. "Happy to do it," Hinata muttered softly.

"Hey! We helped too!" Kiba shouted as he came forward with Sakura. She had an arm thrown over Kiba's shoulders. Kiba looked at the blood and then back to Naruto. "That might have been a little overkill there."

"Really?" Naruto laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "I made sure to get him somewhere that wouldn't kill him fast. I guess I just wanted to send him and his master a message."

"One that will undoubtedly be received loud and clear," Shino said stoically as he walked up to meet them. It looked like Sasuke was floating just above the ground behind him, but he was being carried by a large bed of bugs on closer inspection.

Naruto walked over to where Dosu had been and picked up the scroll. He then tossed it at Shino, who caught it with ease.

"Perfect, just what we need," Shino replied as he slid it into one of his coat pockets.

"Are you sure you're okay, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she looked at him through drooping eyes. "That fight you had with Orochimaru must have taken a lot out of you."

"Orochimaru?" Kiba asked as he looked between the two of them. "You mean THE Orochimaru?"

"Yeah, you said something about him before," Hinata said as she looked up at Naruto with concern.

"He attacked us in the forest earlier. It took everything I had and more just to survive." Naruto said as his eyes drifted towards Sasuke.

"You said he wasn't going to get Sasuke-kun," Hinata looked at Sasuke and back at Naruto. "What did that mean?"

"It's just a theory, but I think he's after Sasuke's Sharingan." The five of them sat there in silence for a moment as they all just looked at each other.

"Could he come back?" Kiba asked nervously as he looked around the tree lines.

"I don't think so," Sakura muttered as she adjusted herself on Kiba. "Jiraiya-sama and Kakashi-sensei scared him off according to Sasuke-kun."

"Ero-sennin is in Konoha?" Naruto asked with surprise. 'Why didn't he come to find me?'

"According to Sasuke-kun," Sakura grunted as she adjusted herself again.

"Kiba, why don't you get her back over there," Naruto said as he nodded to the trees. "I think I can help you out, Sakura, but I need to do something first."

"You know medical jutsu?" Sakura asked in surprise. "Did Tsunade-sama teach you?"

"That old drunk couldn't teach a bird how to fly these days," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Get over there and rest. I'll be there in a second."

"Come on," Kiba grunted as he started to shuffle them over to the trees. Naruto heard a bark and finally noticed Akamaru following the two of them back. Shino nodded at Naruto and started to follow Kiba. Hinata and Naruto were left standing in the clearing with relative privacy.

"I had to use the Kyuubi's chakra to give Sasuke time to run," Naruto said to Hinata as he lifted his chainmail shirt. "I think he did something to my seal, though. Since I woke up, my chakra's felt off. Molding it feels like trying to force pancake batter through a straw."

As Naruto lifted his chainmail shirt and started to mold his chakra, Hinata activated her Byakugan again. She focused on Naruto and specifically his chakra. Finding his center, her eyes narrowed. "It's like your chakra's been blocked off by something."

A dark seal appeared on Naruto's stomach, and he looked down and grimaced. "Yeah, something is," Naruto sighed heavily. "It's not even decent work. I'd expect better from someone like him."

For the first time, Hinata looked at his seal and noticed the five crude characters over what looked like his original seal to her. "It's placing pressure on your chakra center," Hinata confirmed as she continued to study it.

"Yeah," Naruto muttered as he crossed his fingers. Naruto forced his chakra through his body with more effort than usual. A copy of himself appeared right in front of him. "My seal is pretty unique. It siphons the Kyuubi's residual chakra that naturally leaks into my network and mixes it with mine. It's a modification of a powerful seal developed by my clan."

Naruto and Hinata watched as his clone held up its right hand. The clone molded its chakra through gritted teeth, and instantly its fingers lit up with deep blue chakra. Then the clone slammed its fingers into the seal on Naruto's stomach, and he doubled over with a loud grunt. The clone disappeared with a pop and whisp of white smoke. Naruto sat there for a moment, doubled over, and then let out a loud sigh of relief.

"That's better," Naruto muttered as he stretched himself back out to full height.

"Everything looks like it's back to normal," Hinata confirmed as she released her Byakugan. "I can't believe you have so much chakra still. I saw what you did in the forest. Something like that must have taken all your chakra."

"It pretty much did. I recover pretty fast, though." Naruto playfully nudged Hinata's shoulder with his elbow. "It's okay because you'll save me if I get beat up again, right?"

"Always," Hinata whispered to herself as she stared down at the ground.

"What was that?" Naruto asked as he looked at her.

"I said, of course," Hinata turned away, her face a bit pink as Naruto grinned down at her.

"I guess it's only right I do the same. You hang around and save me, and I'll be around to save you." Naruto started walking toward the others flashing Hinata a large grin. Hinata followed the blond, her face still a light shade of pink.

Naruto and Hinata caught up to the others. Sakura was sitting on the ground, leaning on some roots. Her face was swollen and discolored; one of her eyes was shut entirely, and the other was barely open.

"Alright, I've only done this once, and it was on myself, but this should work." Naruto squatted down and started to unwrap the dirty bandages around his forearms. He let them hang loosely as he exposed his lower forearm and wrist.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked softly as she tried to look up at Naruto.

Naruto held his bare forearm out to her just under her nose. "I need you to bite me," Naruto said as he looked at her.

"What?" Sakura asked as she looked at Naruto in what was probably confusion. Her face was so swollen Naruto couldn't tell.

"Just trust me and bite my arm," Naruto said. Sakura looked at him for a moment before she leaned forward and opened her mouth. She bit down on Naruto's arm hard enough to draw blood. "Don't worry about it," Naruto whispered as he molded his chakra and directed it to his arm. Green chakra started to seep out of the bite mark and settle on Sakura's mouth. "Let it in," Naruto said as he looked Sakura in the eye.

Sakura felt warm whisps of chakra around her mouth, and she opened it slightly. The green chakra instantly entered her mouth and started to fill her with a renewed warmth and energy as it traveled down her throat and into her body. She felt instant relief as the pain in her body started to fade slowly at first, and then it started to get faster and faster.

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino watched in amazement as Sakura's wounds started to heal. It started slowly, with the scratches around her face and arms closing up. Then her face began to deflate as the swelling went down, and the bruises shrank and shrank until the only thing left was her usually fair flawless skin.

Naruto watched her heal and leaned forward to check her back. Naruto watched as the almost black bruises on her shoulders and back shrank into themselves. Once they were gone, he double-checked to make sure everything else looked okay and then pulled his arm away. Naruto instantly felt light-headed as the flow of chakra was cut off. It had taken a little over two-thirds of his chakra to heal her.

Naruto leaned back off his heels and let himself fall to the ground. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and looked at his arm. The bite wound had already healed, leaving a scar. Naruto watched for a few more seconds as the scar started to fade. 'I guess that's one good thing about the Kyuubi,' he thought as he began to wrap his forearm back up with the bandage.

"That was crazy!" Kiba shouted as he leaned down and closely examined Sakura. His nose was less than an inch from her own. "She's practically good as new!"

"Excuse you," Sakura said as she pushed Kiba's face out of hers. "No offense."

"Her chakra is back too," Hinata said softly. Naruto looked up, and her Byakugan was active again. Naruto watched as it faded away once again, and she looked down at Naruto. "That took almost all of your chakra."

"Yeah," Naruto said as he took a deep breath, "It takes more chakra to use it on yourself, which is why I didn't try to use it in the forest. I try not to use it because it's probably more harmful than helpful in a fight. At least to me anyway."

"This is incredible, Naruto! Thank you!" Sakura said as she stretched her arms and neck. "I feel better than I did before we even fought today."

"It's a little weird, though," Shino muttered as he looked between them. "Biting somebody that is."

"Says the guy with 10,000 bugs in his body," Kiba said with a roaring laugh.

"It's an Uzumaki technique," Naruto said as he leaned back on his hands. "I read about how they used to be able to heal people by letting them bite them. It took me a few years to figure it out on my own. I guess some were able to do instinctually, but it can also be learned."

"Does that mean anyone could do it then?" Shino asked as he looked between Naruto and Sakura.

"Probably, but it wouldn't be a good idea. Uzumaki's have stronger life forces. They're also more inclined to have much larger and more potent chakra reserves." Naruto let his head drop back and let out a sigh.

"What about Sasuke?" Sakura asked as she looked at her unconscious teammate in concern.

"He'll be fine," Naruto muttered as he looked at the raven-haired ninja. "His injuries are minor compared to yours. He's mostly just out of chakra."

"Well, I guess we should set up camp here for the night then," Kiba said as he looked around the tree line again. "Probably better than moving on. Plus, I'm guessing you two can still fight if you have to." Kiba looked at Naruto and Sakura pointedly.

"Oh yeah," Sakura said as she pounded her fist into an open hand. "I'm back at 100% for sure."

"Yeah," Naruto said as his eyes drifted over towards the tree line. "Barring any other Kage level ninja showing up, I should be fine."

"Sounds like a plan," Shino said as he started to move around. The others followed suit quietly. Naruto got back up and pulled a scroll out of his pouch. Unrolling it, he laid it on the ground and channeled his chakra through it. With a small puff of smoke, several things appeared in front of him. A dark orange sleeping bag, a small toiletry kit, a large water container, several rations, and a change of clothes.

It seemed like everyone else had the same idea as him. They all pulled out various-sized sealing scrolls that seemed to have some equipment in them. Naruto unrolled his sleeping bag and strategically placed it on Sasuke's left. Sakura also set her small camp up to his right, ensuring they both covered their teammate. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he watched Hinata try and discreetly move her camping set over towards his.

"I'll go get some firewood," Naruto said as he stood up and grabbed his sword. Naruto threw it over his shoulder and unsheathed it.

"I'll come with you," Hinata said as she quickly stood up to follow him.

They walked over to the looking trees in silence as Naruto's mind drifted. 'Orochimaru,' the name rang through Naruto's head like a bell. Of course, Jiraiya had told Naruto about Orochimaru, but nothing overly specific. He knew how Orochimaru stole the bodies of others to live and was obsessed with power. The two have them had investigated the disappearance of several Kekkei Genkai users about a year ago. Jiraiya had suspected Orochimaru but could never prove it.

'It can't be a coincidence.' Naruto thought as he made his way into the woods, Hinata following behind him. 'He has to be after the Shar- 'Naruto's thoughts were cut off.

"Why do you think Orochimaru is after Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked, suddenly breaking the silence between them.

"Just a theory, really," Naruto said back as he infused wind chakra into his sword. Several low-hanging dying branches were cut from their trees with a quick swipe and fell to the ground with low thuds. "About a year ago, Ero-sennin and I looked into the disappearance of Kekkei Genkai users. He thought Orochimaru was collecting them to use as bodies."

"Use as bodies?"

"Yeah, he has some jutsu that allows him to take over other people's bodies. It's his way of achieving immortality."

"You think he wants to use Sasuke as one?" Hinata asked as she leaned down and ran her fingers over the down branches.

"That's what I'm guessing. Either that or he just wants Sasuke's eyes." Naruto turned and looked at Hinata for a moment. "Maybe it's best you stick with me for the rest of this tournament."

"Whys that?" Hinata asked curiously. She'd planned to stay with him until they got to the tower anyway.

"If Orochimaru is out here, he might come after you as well," Naruto said as he took a step towards her. He lifted his hand and gently rested it on her face. Hinata's face warmed under his hand as she flushed a light pink color. Naruto gently traced his thumb through her eyebrow as he looked into her eyes. "He might come after the Byakugan too if he has the chance." Naruto let his hand fall from her face as he turned and started to collect the branches.

"What are we going to do if he does?" Hinata asked as she turned away from Naruto, her face burning. She, too, started to collect old and dead branches.

"If he comes for us again, I don't care what it takes; I'll kill him," Naruto said as he paused, crouched in front of a small bundle of branches. "I'll tear open my seal and let the Kyuubi out if I have to."

"Thankfully, I doubt it'll come to that," Hinata muttered as she and Naruto went back to collecting branches.

"You know Orochimaru and Ero-sennin were teammates once," Naruto muttered as he continued to pick up branches. "He talks about him sometimes. They were best friends once, and then something changed. All those horrible things he did were discovered, and he fled the village. The council asked Jiraiya to go after him…to kill him." Naruto paused as he took a deep breath and looked up into the canopy of leaves above them. "I can't imagine what that feels like. I've never really had friends before. You all are the first friends I've ever really had. I couldn't really understand how Ero-sennin felt before you know?"

"Why is this on your mind?" Hinata asked as she came up to stand next to him.

"Orochimaru told me Sasuke would seek him out eventually. That I could come too." Naruto looked up at Hinata with a small smile. "What he offered was tempting, but when I think about how that'd affect Ero-sennin and everyone else I've met." Naruto stopped and looked down at the ground, shook his head, and let out a sigh. "I just can't imagine putting you guys through that pain, and when I think of Sasuke going to him…" Naruto let out a small chuckle. "He's such a prick, you know? And I've only known him for a few weeks now, but…" Naruto trailed off.

"He's your friend," Hinata said gently as she smiled at him. "It makes sense you two have a lot in common, unfortunately."

"Yeah," Naruto muttered as he smiled back at her. "Just thinking about all of this, though. I finally understand how Ero-sennin must have felt, at least to a small extent. It must have been painful."

"It hurts," Hinata said as she leaned against a nearby tree, her hands still full of branches. She thought of her mother, and a bitter-sweet smile spread over her face. Then she looked up at Naruto, remembering the first day she went to school, and the blond was missing. "Losing the people we love is always painful."

"I need to get stronger," Naruto said with a sigh. "If it weren't for the Kyuubi today, I would have been dead before Sasuke even had a chance to get away," Naruto said the last statement with gritted teeth. "That damn demon saved my life today, and I'm sure he hates that as much as I do."

"I don't understand," Hinata said softly. "If you can use the Kyuubi's power, why don't you? Why not learn the jutsu you're teaching me? I don't understand at all."

"Spite, I guess," Naruto said with a small smile. "I know I've told you before a bit, but it's a little more complicated for me." Naruto turned his head and stared out through the trees. "Almost everyone hated me for something I wasn't. I was a walking reminder of everything people lost that day."

Naruto paused and let out a slow breath. "I don't need people to love me." Naruto paused as he swallowed and tried to find the right words. "I just want them to see me. Not the Kyuubi and not as the Yondaime's son. I just want them to see Uzumaki Naruto."

"The Yondaime was your father?" Hinata asked as she stared at Naruto, who had stood to look at her with a small, sad smile on his face. "That's why you don't want to learn that jutsu?" Hinata's face softened even more. 'All this time, he's been carrying around these secrets. Feeling like he was all alone. Angry at his father for doing this to him, and scared of being compared to him or the Kyuubi at the same time.'

"Yes," Naruto said in a low tone. "And I want to hate him for what he did to me so much, but I can't," Naruto thought back to his conversation with Hiashi. "Whenever Ero-sennin or Kakashi-sensei bring him up, I push it off and act like I don't care, but I would give anything to know him and just ask why he did what he did to me."

Hinata watched as Naruto turned to keep collecting branches and swallowed hard. "I can't imagine how hard it was for him."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he stopped once again crouched a few branches in his arms.

"The Yondaime must have loved you," Hinata muttered as she looked at Naruto's back. She could tell this was a tricky subject for Naruto. "The Kyuubi was attacking the village threatening everyone he cared about. His friends and his wife…your mother. He must have known how hard carrying the Kyuubi would be for you. Some people are willing to do whatever it takes to save the people they care about. I know I'd do anything to save you if I could."

Hinata paused to let her last words sink in. Naruto hadn't moved and was crouching on the ground holding a branch. "You know, in a way, you and he saved me that night. You both saved Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, and Kakashi-sensei." Hinata wanted to reach out and touch Naruto, but she didn't move. "He saved you and Sasuke today too."

Hinata swallowed as she looked away from Naruto. 'All this time, he's resented the Yondaime and thought he was alone, but that wasn't true; he was never alone.' Hinata pulled herself from her thoughts and looked back at Naruto. "In a way, your fathers always protected you, and he's always been with you. The people you care about today are only here because of his and your sacrifice."

Naruto clenched his jaw as he felt his eyes sting. Naruto's tightened his fist, and the branch in his hand snapped. He'd argued with Jiraiya about it all the time and sat up at night resenting the Yondaime. 'I'd never thought of it like this before.' Naruto thought to himself as he took a deep breath. The thought of not having Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, or Hinata made him sick.

"I understand though why you don't want to learn that jutsu, but I think though if you did, you could feel closer to your father. If you really would give anything to know him, maybe learning his jutsu will help you feel closer to him. Maybe it would help you learn to understand his feelings and why he did what he did." Hinata stopped, set the branches in her arms down, and walked over to Naruto. Crouching down, she rested a hand on his shoulder, and her face turned bright red.

"No matter what you do, learn his jutsu or not, I will always see you. I've always seen just you. Uzumaki Naruto." 'The boy I've loved since I was a kid.'

Naruto felt his arms shake with effort as he clenched his fist as hard as he could. Clenching his fist, he continued to stare down at the ground. The forest was dead quiet, and all Naruto could hear was the deafening sound of his tears falling onto the dry ground underneath him.

"Thank you, Hinata," Naruto said in a strained voice as he took a deep breath.

A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Work and other things have been keeping me busy, but this story is never far from my mind, and I'll try and get some more out as soon as possible. Please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think?