Chapter 5 - The Forest of Death
"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ALL PASSED THE FIRST ROUND!"
"WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FLYING FUCK?!"
Shukaku's sudden - and very abrasive - exclamation echoed throughout Gaara's skull, taking the young prince completely off guard. The pain of it all actually made the redhead visibly flinch, but no one picked up on it, much to his relief.
The tanuki's sentiment was shared with pretty much everyone else remaining in the room, sans Ibiki, who looked quite smug about his latest reveal. While some were stunned into silence, others tried to form sentences, too shocked to come up with any proper wording to address the proctor with.
"It seems that what I just said has gone over some of your heads, so I'll say it again, just for your collective sakes," Ibiki calmly stated as he leaned against the teacher's podium. "Congratulations! You all passed the first preliminary round. You all are one step closer to the finals. . . Give yourselves a pat on the back."
"Wait a second! How the hell did we all pass?!" The question came from the blonde girl in purple. Despite her hair hiding practically half her face, it wasn't hard to see the disturbed look on her face.
"Well, the Showcase isn't just an event for people to watch and make monetary bets on," Ibiki started as he looked around the room. "It's also an event that tests your skills as shinobi. For example, this first test was designed to test not only your critical thinking skills, but also your ability to collect information."
"So, basically you were testing us to see how smart we are and how well we could cheat off each other." Sasuke clarified as he leaned back in his seat, which was three tables away from where Gaara and Shizuka were seated.
"More or less," Ibiki admitted. "There was one more thing that you all were tested on, and that was how willing you were to continue on despite the unknown that laid before you . . . Because you all decided to remain in this room - despite not knowing what the tenth question was, whether or not you would get it right, and the consequences for if you got the question wrong - you chose to go with the unknown instead of the certain path, the guaranteed way out. . . That itself was the tenth question, and you all passed with flying colors."
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. They are not making it easy for you brats!"Shukaku mumbled, but Gaara only paid half attention to him as a brownish figure suddenly crashed through the window that was closest to the front, startling most of the room as glass flew everywhere.
A few tense seconds ticked by before the figure stood up from its crouch. It turned out to be a woman in an open brown trench coat, her ninja outfit leaving little to the imagination. A serpentine smile stretched across her pale face as her eyes scanned the room, the intensity of her gaze starting to rattle some of the remaining competition.
"Anko, what have I told you about bursting through windows to make an entrance?" Ibiki chided as a scowl appeared on his face. "You're a ninja. Act like it!"
"Oh Ibiki, you know simply walking through doorways isn't my cup of tea," said the woman as she plucked a piece of glass from off her sleeve. "I like to make my entrances more entertaining, if you will."
"More entertaining?! Frightening is more like it?" Ibiki mumbled, clearly not impressed with her antics. Anko simply answered him with another grin, but it only earned her a roll of her eyes from the older man. "Why do I even bother . . . I'll leave the group to you from this point on."
"Good, and don't worry! I'll take good care of these guys Ibiki." Anko promised, her grin sugary sweet, yet hinting at the malice she likely had planned for them.
"It's not them that I'm worried about. . ." He mumbled; his tone too low for anyone to hear properly as he closed the door behind him with a sharp slam.
"So, now that he's gone, I suggest you all forget about what just happened here in this room and start focusing on how you're going to get through the next round, because it starts right now!" Anko announced with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. "My name is Anko Mitarashi, and I'm the head proctor for the second preliminary round. Nice to make your acquaintance everyone!"
"Hmpfh, didn't strike me as the proctoring type . . ."Shukaku mumbled, which was a statement Gaara couldn't help but agree with.
"Okay, I'll admit it. I don't look like the proctoring type. Hell, I don't even look like I should be around children at all. I'm only here because my area of expertise makes me a prime candidate to oversee this upcoming round. . . I hope you all have brushed up on your survival skills!" she teased, though her eyes were very serious. "Follow me! It's time that I showed you all your next battleground."
"Survival skills huh?" Gaara thought as he stood from his seat. "Wherever she's leading us to must be a dangerous place."
"That's fine by me!" Shukaku exclaimed, his voice verging on erratic. "Danger meansthe potential for blood after all! We may finally get to kill something in this damn competition, maybe even one of your fellow competitors if we're that lucky."
"Why am I not surprised you said that . . ." Gaara thought as he put his gourd back on. "Blood spilling is the only thing that makes you really happy these days after all."
"What else do you expect from me?! I can barely do anything while I'm sealed in here, and my main form of entertainment is what I see through your eyes . . ."
"So, let me guess. If there's no blood involved, you just get bored to tears? Without it, you're just not interested, is that it?"
"More or less. It does bring some color into my dreary life . . ."Shukaku mumbled, his tone a little airy due to the reminiscing. Gaara was not impressed, and the tanuki could feel his displeasure. "Oh, don't be like that Gaara. This is just how I am . . . Besides, if this next test is what I think it is, you may have the chance to take out some of your tougher competition in one sandy swoop, like the Uchiha kid, or maybe even the Fire Prince, or his sister if you wanted to take a shot at her."
"Did you just suggest the idea of me taking on the Fire Princess?" Gaara couldn't help but ask as he snuck a look at the blonde walking just ahead of him. "Granted, you do make a fair point, but seriously? You want me to attack the girl that has your most powerful relative sealed inside her? That's poking the proverbial bear right there you know."
"It was only a suggestion . . ."Shukaku was quick to correct."Anyway, like I said, you have many options to choose from, even some of the small fry still in this thing, though they won't be as satisfying as those with the larger chakra reserves."
"You always did prefer the blood of powerful shinobi."
"Aw, you get me!"
"That was probably the most ridiculous test that I've ever had to do!" Kankuro grumbled as all three siblings reunited in the hallway. "If it weren't for my puppets, I would have been fucked!"
"At least we know who we would blame if we suddenly found ourselves booted from the room," Temari not-so-quietly mumbled, her comment earning her the puppeteer's ire. "Oh, come on Kankuro! We all know you were struggling. . ! Anyway, the field has been cut down quite a bit from the look of this hallway alone. There's still quite a lot of teams still in this thing though."
"Let's hope the second round does a better job than the first. The less people in the showcase, the easier it'll be to win it all," said Kankuro. "Any idea on what this 'survival' themed second round gonna be about?"
"Four words: The Forest of Death."
"I like the sound of that!"
"Of course, you would . . ." Gaara thought as he looked at his sister. "The Forest of the Death Temari?"
"Since this is supposed to be a survival themed challenge we're facing, then Konoha's Forest of Death is the most likely place Proctor Mitarashi is leading us to," the blonde explained. "It's a gated off area located on the outskirts of the village . . . It has gained some well-deserved notoriety for being one of the deadliest places in all the kingdoms. It's so dangerous that people have to sign waiver forms releasing the Fire Kingdom from any liability in their potential deaths or injuries before going inside. . . If the organizers really don't want that many people moving on to the finals, then the Forest of Death is the best place to use."
Kankuro opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it right back, slightly unsure at what awaited them. Gaara took what Temari said and filed it to the back of his mind, not wanting to fret on it too long.
Then again, he wasn't one for fretting regardless.
It didn't take long for the remaining competitors to arrive at their somewhat desired destination. After jumping from rooftop to rooftop throughout the village, the remaining competitors arrived to see a large crosswire gate separating themselves from a large, thickly dense forest. Entry points were scattered along the gate at 50 feet intervals, and in between two of the entrances was a booth manned by two Konoha jonin.
"Alright, gather round small fry! I'm only going to say this once! I don't plan on repeating myself, so keep your ears peeled!" Anko ordered as she stood in front of the booth. "Behind this gate here is the Forest of Death, the location for the second round of these preliminaries!"
"Now then, your objective for this challenge revolves around these bad boys," Anko announced as she took out two matching scrolls from her coat pocket. One was marked with the kanji for 'Earth' while the other was marked with the kanji for 'Heaven'. "These are the Heaven and Earth scrolls, and each team will get one of them from the booth right behind me . . . You will have to get the other scroll you need by stealing it from another team while inside the Forest of Death."
"Now, just because you claim both scrolls doesn't mean the challenge is over for you. You have to bring the scrolls to the tower located in the center of the forest, within five days' time, in order to pass the challenge. . . There is no extension. Five days is all you have."
"Huh, all we have to do is steal the opposite scroll to the one we'll have and bring it to a tower within the next 120 hours," Kankuro summarized, his face contemplative. "That doesn't sound too hard. . ."
"You're forgetting about the part where we'll have to navigate a deadly forest with unknown creatures and dangers in its midst in order to get to said tower Kankuro," Temari chastised, not looking impressed by her brother's simple thinking. "Anything can happen in there. Quicksand, poisonous animals, ambushes . . . Who knows? We may run into something that not even Gaara could handle. Now imagine that!"
"How dare she say that!? As if there was something actually in there that my sand couldn't beat! You got to be fucking kidding me!"
"One word: Water"
"Oh, shut up! You're not helping with your brand of negativity!"
"Was I supposed to?"
"Now then, there are some rules that you must follow if you're going to get through this challenge successfully," Anko added as she stuffed the scrolls back into her coat. "Firstly, if you lose the scroll you start with, you are not immediately disqualified. . . You just have to work that much harder to claim two scrolls instead of one. If you try to bring two scrolls of the same type to the tower - for example, two Heaven scrolls - you won't be allowed entry into the tower unless you have one of each type. No exceptions!"
"Secondly, you must not open your scrolls until you enter the tower! If you open them too early, well, I think I'll just keep that a secret for now. . . How you claim a scroll from another team is up to you. If you have to kill your fellow competition in order to get what you want, then so be it. This is why we make you sign waivers before entering here after all. Do you have any questions?" Anko asked as she looked around at the ninjas that stood in front of her.
No one uttered a single word.
"Good. Now then, get with your teams and head for the booth. Once you got your scroll and you have signed your waivers, make your way to one of the entrances. Only one team per entrance is allowed . . . The second round will start in 20 minutes, so get to it!"
When the line eventually formed, the Sand Siblings ended up behind one of the teams from the Grass Kingdom near the front. When it was finally their turn at the booth, they each signed off on a liability waiver before claiming an Earth scroll and making their way over to one of the entrances on the right.
"Okay, so how are we gonna do this?" Kankuro was quick to ask as he leaned against the gate. "We have an Earth scroll, which means we'll have to get a Heaven scroll to complete the set. How exactly are we going to procure it?"
"We could head for the tower first and then ambush any incoming teams that follow behind us, but other groups may have the same idea," Temari grumbled as she looked out at the dense forest that awaited them. "We'd be wasting time and chakra fighting them off . . . I'd say we travel until we run into another team and ambush them. If they have the scroll we need, we take it and go; no point in wasting time after all!"
"And if they try to fight back after we take their scroll?" Gaara asked, knowing very well that the tanuki in his head would bug him about it until he finally asked.
"Well, they did sign the waivers after all. If they want to risk their lives against us, then let them. I don't think you need me to explain what comes next . . ." the blonde mumbled as she continued looking forward.
Gaara simply nodded his head at that, but Shukaku was very much thrilled.
"The point of this round is to dwindle the numbers even further. We would honestly be doing them a favor!"
Gaara chose to ignore the tanuki, tuning the tailed beast out as the door finally swung open. The three siblings cleared it, jumping onto the branch of the nearest tree before propelling themselves forward.
Aside from the sound of their sandals hitting the branches, the three traveled in relative silence. Considering that they were surrounded by competition left and right, drawing any unwanted attention was definitely not the best move at the moment.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for one of them to break the silence.
"Anyone else getting a little unsettled by this place?" Kankuro mumbled as his eyes scanned the trees around them. "I know it's called the 'Forest of Death' for a reason and everything, but still . . . This place is just giving me the creeps!"
"I know," Temari mumbled, shaking her head in mild agreement. "It's as if this place is alive somehow, like it's watching us . . . You know what? Let's try to not focus on how creepy this forest is okay? We have bigger things to worry about anyway."
"Sheesh! Are your siblings really that freaked out over a bunch of bushes and shrubs? What's so damnfucking scary about plant life?!"
"It depends on the plant life, actually," Gaara grumbled as he jumped over a branch. "Just calm down Shukaku. I know you're eager to kill something, but sometimes you just don't get what you want in life."
"Like how you want to be with your mother but can't because she's dead. . ? I guess you're right on that one."
"Ouch, that was a cold-blooded move and you know it Shukaku. . ."the redhead grumbled as he brought a hand to his chest, his heart echoing the familiar ache he felt whenever his deceased mother was brought up. He knew his mother passed on after bringing him into the world, but it still hurt to think about her, nonetheless.
"Brat, have you met me?"Shukaku asked, his voice laced with all the sarcasm in the world. "I'm the very definition of cold-blooded . . . Now look alive! We got company."
"Oh great . . ." Gaara grumbled as he and his siblings jumped down into a small open plain. The rustling of a nearby bush grabbed the three's attention, their eyes going straight over to a set of nearby bushes.
They parted, revealing a second team emerging from their depths, their forehead protectors depicting the four straight lines that symbolized the Rain Kingdom. Gaara was quick to remember that the shortest of the three sat at his and Shizuka's table back during the first round.
"Well well well . . . Looks like we've run into some royalty boys!" said the tallest of the trio, most likely the team's leader. "I knew we would end up running into teams along the way to the tower, but I didn't think the royal children of the Wind Kingdom would be the first ones we'd see. . . I don't know about the rest of my team, but I'm honored."
"Save the chit chat will ya? We're not here to talk." Temari announced as she took a step forward.
"Right you are Princess. . ." said the Rain nin as he flexed his fingers. "How about this? Hand over your scroll, and we'll let you live."
"As if we'll give our scroll to you three," Kankuro couldn't help but say, his eyes looking ready for a fight. "You're better off giving your scroll to us! If you do, we may guarantee you that your deaths will be painless."
"Well aren't you a joker . . . You're definitely dressed the part."
"What was that?!" the puppeteer growled. He always took offense when anyone said anything negative about the traditional garb he always wore. "Care to repeat that?"
"I'm sure you heard me loud and clear. Now give us your scroll or else we'll send you back to your kingdom in body bags!" said the Rain ninja as he reached to grab hold of one of the umbrellas he had strapped to his back.
"Yep; he just signed his death wish!" Kankuro grumbled, stopping himself short when he noticed his red-headed brother walking forward. "Gaara?"
"Enough talk!" The young prince proclaimed; his pale eyes locked on the Rain team's leader. "The more we keep this up, the more time we waste. This team decided to confront us, so a confrontation is what they'll get . . . If this Rain ninja wants to die, then why should we deny him his opportunity? We settle this; now!"
"Uh Shigure, do you really think this is a good idea?" asked one of the other Rain nin, his eyes showing his fear as risked a glance Gaara's way.
"Yeah, maybe we should go?" Added the other ninja, almost stumbling over his words. "It's probably not the best idea to go against this team, especially the redhead. There's just something off about the red-, this situation."
"He's probably talking about me, and we both know that Rain ninja meant you when he said that something was off!"Shukaku teased, Gaara resisting the urge to roll his eyes in response. "So, what do you plan to do about it flesh bag?"
"Shut it, Baiu, Midare! If the redhead wants to talk smack, then he better be able to back his words! I'm not backing down from this fight!" exclaimed Shigure. He angrily took off one of the umbrellas from his back and threw it high in the air, clasping his hands together. "SENBON SHOWER!"
"To answer your earlier question Shukaku, I'm going to finally grant you your long-awaited wish."
A multitude of senbon needles erupted from the airborne umbrella, raining down onto the battlefield. They were all directed at the young redhead, making him disappear in a cloud of dust and needles. Shigure smirked as he watched his weapons hit their target dead on, but he refrained from showing a grin when he noticed the relaxed expressions on the siblings' faces. He watched with slight trepidation as the dust started to settle, a look of shock appearing once he saw that Gaara was still standing.
"Was that the best you could do?" Gaara asked, his arms crossed over his chest as his pale green eyes stared Shigure down. His opponent could only look on in horror, his mind trying to determine which was more shocking: the fact that the redhead was completely unharmed, or the fact that he was being surrounded by a barrier of sand. "Well?"
"How?" asked Shigure, his voice more agitated than fearful. "How is this even possible?"
"It should be obvious," Shukaku grumbled."The answer is pretty much staring him in the face."
"Gaara's sand instantly responds to whatever threat comes his way. No matter what, you're not getting past his defenses." Kankuro calmly explained, since Gaara made no move to give an answer himself.
"His sand PROTECTS him!? Like it has a mind of its own?!" Shigure growled, suddenly rushing forward. "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!"
"Oh great. Another nonbeliever . . . Gaara, do me a favor and just kill this guy already."
"I'm not doing this as a favor to you Shukaku," the redhead thought, stretching his hand toward his incoming enemy. The sand followed, grabbing the ninja by the ankle and wrapping itself all around his body, leaving only his scarred face bare. "I'm simply doing this because I don't want to waste any more time."
"If you hadn't bothered to approach us, you may have escaped this day with your life."
Gaara's voice was void of any emotion as he caught the falling umbrella with his other hand. Raising his arm, the sand covering Shigure followed, lifting him up till he was a good fifty feet up in the air.
Gaara didn't bother to give Shigure time to plead for his life.
"SAND COFFIN!"
The sand covered the Rain ninja's face, muffling his panicked screams as the grains began to compress down onto his body. The sound of bones breaking echoed across the area as blood shot out from the sand, going in all different directions. Some of it landed on Shigure's horrified teammates, both stock still as they watched as Shigure got the life crushed out of him.
Gaara managed to protect himself from the blood splatter using Shigure's discarded umbrella while Kankuro and Temari had moved back just enough to not be caught in the blood shower.
"HERE!" Baiu practically screeched as he took out his team's scroll from his pouch. He set it down on the ground before moving a couple of feet back, making sure that the siblings could see the kanji for heaven printed on the front. "Here, you can take our scroll! Just please, let us go!"
"Hmm, I don't think so." Gaara's tone was acerbic, his statement earning shocked glances from everyone in the vicinity. It didn't take long for his sand to follow his whims, enveloping the other two Rain nin in its grainy depths before crushing the life right out of them as well.
And just like Shigure, there was barely any trace of them.
"Gaara, why the hell did you do that?!" Temari exclaimed as she stared her brother down in complete disbelief. "Was that even necessary?!"
"You may think it's unnecessary, but I think it was a great way of killing two birds with one stone," Gaara calmly stated as he dropped the umbrella. "Not only did my actions cut down some of the competition, but it also served as a message to those that are still in the running."
Temari looked at her brother with confused eyes, but the sound of leaves rustling brought her attention to the bushes on their right. She turned just in time to see three Leaf shinobi speeding away from the plain, disappearing into the trees. It was safe to say that those three didn't want anything to do with the royal siblings, with good reason.
"After seeing that, I guess you make a good point," Temari reluctantly conceded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It may have been beneficial to us, but still, it was a tad bit cruel."
"You may not like it sis, but you gotta admit. Gaara's logic is pretty sound. . . With the literal, and I mean literal, elimination of those Rain nin, that's three less people to worry about. And as for sending a message, if that shinobi team running away was any indication, I think the message will be well received," said Kankuro as he picked up the Heaven scroll. "Well, we got the scroll we needed, so let's get moving . . . The faster we head out, the faster we can get out of this damn forest!"
"Agreed . . ." Temari mumbled as the puppeteer quickly stuffed the Heaven scroll into his pouch. With Gaara now in the lead, the three were back to jumping through the trees, now making a beeline for the tower.
"Are you satisfied now; you damn tanuki? I gave you what you wanted. A few deaths should soothe your spirit for a while."
"It's good for now, but it would have been even better if you had killed the Leaf shinobi instead of letting them leave unharmed."
"Wow, not only are you greedy, but you seriously like to whine a lot Shukaku. . . It's very annoying, and very unfitting for a creature such as yourself."
"Oh, shut up you damn flesh bag! I don't need your criticism!"
"And now you know how I feel living with you inside me for all these years. . . Stings doesn't it?"
"SHUT UP!"
A/N: Leave a comment if you like!