Chapter 15: Chunin Exams-Stage 2
Team 8 wasted no time when their gates unlocked. Kiba charged into the woods without a care, leaping across tree branches for extra speed. Shino and Sakura gave chase before they lost him among the thick canopies. Not that she thought he'd get turned around. He and Akamaru were all too comfortable in this setting.
Their slightly crazy exam proctor made the rules sound deceptively simple. Every team for themselves. Each group possessed one of 26 Heaven or Earth scrolls handed out in secret, and they must secure the opposing scroll from another team before locating a large tower in the center. They had a time limit of five days to reach that tower with both scrolls, which seemed generous… if the test was anywhere else. Being locked inside the Forest of Death meant dealing with poisonous plants, venomous bugs, and all sorts of giant hungry animals lurking around. All without a guaranteed food or water supply, or even proper shelter. And if a single member of a group couldn't make it to the end goal for any reason by the time limit's end, everyone failed. A true survival test, one that grew harder the more time they spent trapped in the woods itself, surrounded by hostile forces. The new consent form everyone signed before getting a scroll made sense. People were definitely going to die here by the time those gates unlocked again.
Half a year ago, Sakura couldn't imagine participating in such a dangerous challenge. Her, signing up to spend five days here? She should be terrified, yet her biggest worry was finding the right scroll before sunset.
Preparation removed most fears. She realized that a while ago. And if Sakura excelled at anything, it was research.
Every flaw in her skillset could be counterbalanced with a little extra legwork. Her taijutsu and stamina lagged behind, so Kurenai-sensei taught her genjutsu. She stockpiled any ninja tool that might prove useful in a tight spot and handled them regularly. She practiced those simple jutsu from her old classes to perfection, and now she chained minor techniques together faster than most would bother trying. And she relied on her teammates, of course.
Sakura's pessimism took over when the group first came together, mourning her last chance to stick with Sasuke. She'd written Shino off as kind of creepy, and Kiba competed with Naruto for the most annoying guy she knew. But then…they all pulled through on the surprise final test. She couldn't think of a single time after that day when the boys didn't wait for her when she faltered. She hadn't been treated that way since she and Ino were close. Yeah, the team had stupid arguments, but they supported each other. No one got left behind.
Kiba was the muscle, Shino had endless patience and kept calm in any situation, and Sakura took up the strategist role. Being so necessary to their success never lost its thrill. She soaked up whatever information she thought they might need and tried to fit any gap in a plan. Distracting enemies with illusions, recalling obscure facts about specific subjects, patching up wounds, laying down traps. If it helped her friends out, Sakura picked it up no matter what obstacles got in her way. Kurenai-sensei called her a generalist. Kiba liked the term "Walking Textbook". Or "Team Nerd".
"But you're our nerd, so I guess that's alright," he had said. She could tell that Shino just appreciated having at least one more reasonable person around to rein Kiba in.
"Hey, looks like we got company…" Kiba stopped on a thick branch ahead, letting her and Shino catch up. Akamaru sniffed the air from his place in Kiba's jacket and barked softly. Kiba held up three fingers with a grin. "Smells like a full team, about 150 meters to the east. Down on the forest floor." Shino adjusted his dark glasses using one finger.
"You want to ambush them for an unknown scroll this early?" He shook his head. "It's risky starting a fight so soon. We should locate the Tower first, then track down a team with a Heaven scroll."
"Eh, it's valuable either way, right? If we get a dupe, we just hide it away for later. Cuts some competition out." Sakura considered both ideas while the two went back and forth. Having a scroll wouldn't do them much good if they never secured a safe path to the end goal, but…this might be the easiest target they find during the entire test, and staying out here for multiple days only increased the danger. She scratched her chin.
"What if…we could take the group down all at once? Knock them out, check the scroll, and leave before they realize what happened?" She dipped a hand into one of her waist pouches and touched the wooden canisters. She had quite a few of them prepared and stowed away early this morning. Using a couple here wouldn't be wasteful if it minimized potential injuries. "I can guarantee a couple minutes of confusion with the fumes at the most, so we'd have to make it quick." There were more effective methods out there, but she wasn't allowed access to stronger chemicals yet. Disappointing, but she'd get there soon. Shino looked between her and Kiba, then sighed.
"That is more reasonable. We're here for a scroll, not a prolonged fight. We will lure them in and disable the competition, then reach the forest center before sunset. Understand, Kiba?" Kiba rolled his eyes at the stern tone.
"Yeah, I got it. We'll blitz 'em." He chuckled. "Just sucks we can't show off a little more." Sakura slid her goggles down and raised her respirator mask, tightening the straps in preparation.
"Just wait until I give the all clear sign, then come down," she said in a muffled voice. They'd done this a few times before, but she hated the idea of accidentally knocking her own squad out if they strayed too close at the wrong moment.
They identified the squad as a group from the Leaf Village after closer inspection. A couple years older, but not anyone Sakura knew personally. And, well… not everyone could make it to the end, right? They weren't planning on killing the competition unless they had no choice.
The real sound of barking combined with a visual illusion drew the genin away from their resting spot. They charged after Akamaru until they hit the right position, then Sakura flooded that area with two containers' worth of light sleeping gas. She dropped a few normal smoke bombs into the chaos to cover her work up. They'd think it's not dangerous until the effects set in. Their sluggish reflexes opened them up for Shino's parasitic beetles, who attached to the targets and drained most of their chakra. The gas dissipated, revealing three very tired ninja fighting to stay awake. She whistled.
Kiba moved faster than her eyes could properly follow. A gray blur slammed a fist into the first one, then pounced on the second. Shino appeared behind the last in a mass of insects before the enemy could yell in warning, backhanding him to the ground. It was done.
Sakura stood up from where she'd been crouched in the nearby brush to retrieve her now empty cans, a smile hidden behind her mask. They did it! Well, not quite. Shouldn't get ahead of herself.
"Check their pockets," Shino said. He'd already started rifling through one victim's clothing. Sakura knelt by another and observed his vitals (everyone reacted to poisons differently), then carefully patted him down for whatever prize they had. No scroll on him either.
"Oooh, lucky us!" She looked up at Kiba. Akamaru sat on the sleeping ninja's chest, tail wagging away. The very thing they were looking for was clutched in his mouth. "Figured the scroll might have the same scent as ours, and we were right. Bet we're gonna break a record today."
"Wow, that's it! We're finished…" Sakura pulled down her breathing mask and jogged over to them. She compared their own Earth scroll with the Heaven one. "Doesn't look fake either. Yes!" She pumped her fist. Shino approached them with his hands tucked away in his trench coat.
"We can search for the Tower now. Preferably before it's crawling with those who'd rather wait for scrolls to come to them. Don't become complacent yet." She picked up a hit of pride behind his words though. Just a little farther, and they'd be in Stage Three!
Team 8 dragged the unconscious group to a secluded spot before jumping into the massive trees once more. If they broke through the upper canopy, the tower's tip should be visible.
"Alright, let's go!" With their Heaven scroll hidden on Sasuke, Naruto took the lead with far too much enthusiasm. The temperature dropped a few degrees almost as soon as Team 7 left the tall gates behind. Hinata hadn't noticed at first, thoughts occupied by their objective and roughly how far apart they might be from the other teams. It must be the lack of sunlight reaching the forest floor. Only a few spare beams broke through the tangled branches looming overhead. They'd have to stop and make a fire if they couldn't escape by nightfall, but the shift in atmosphere just highlighted how unprepared they were for a longer stay.
Not even half an hour after the test phase began, screaming and sounds of combat echoed from all around them. The noises were faint and sporadic, but unmistakable. The test had truly begun.
"I see no one's wasting any time…" Sasuke said. He avoided raising his voice and kept his head on a swivel as they traveled deeper into the unknown. Trying to pick out any threats before they emerged. Not that using his regular sight and hearing would accomplish much, but it most likely helped stave off the rising paranoia that came with this scenario. It felt like they were stuck behind enemy lines. One small mistake could mean giving up their safe position.
"Some of those creeps were bloodthirsty before they let us in." Naruto grunted and touched his scarred left cheek. Remembering Anko's knife demonstration, she guessed. She thought the older genin hated the rookies during the written exam, but the explicit kill or be killed rule brought something far worse out of many competitors. A shiver made her pause and untie the jacket from around her waist. Sasuke looked back at her while she pulled it on.
"You're not scared, right?" he asked. She frowned and adjusted her sleeves. She did feel slightly better now, even if being cold was the least of her concerns.
"No." She answered a little faster than she liked. Her shoulders relaxed more when she realized he was biting back a smile.
"Hey, don't make fun of her! I bet you're even more scared…" Any fear Naruto might've felt was forgotten with a single distraction. He grinned. "Yeah, I saw you checking every bush that moved, Chicken."
"It's called paying attention so we don't fall into an obvious trap, Stupid. You should try it sometime. I'm not pulling you out of a spike pit if you fall in." While they traded insults, she let her Byakugan roam a small perimeter as they moved. She couldn't keep up a constant watch unless she emptied her chakra reserves, but Kakashi-sensei's idea of checking her surroundings at intervals still functioned here. And it turned out that while she struggled seeing individual chakra points when in a fight, her overall distance had far less limitations. Combined with a near 360 degree field of view, shevisualized up to 300 meters away without issue.
"Hold on." She focused on a faint dome of chakra obscuring a patch of thicker brush. Just large enough to cover one person from direct sight. She only detected an outline within, but that was all she needed to see. "Someone set an illusion." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's jacket collar before he missed it. She stopped not far behind him.
"Where?" he asked. She pointed out the anomaly.
"I don't think they noticed us yet, but it seems like they're hiding in place using a genjutsu." Sasuke scoffed.
"Scouting out teams that pass by. Surprised they're alone, but that means we can sneak around with less risk." Naruto pulled away from Sasuke's hand and looked between them.
"Huh? If it's just one guy, let's beat 'em down until he gives up his stuff!" A straightforward plan for sure. She couldn't fault his… efficiency. Sasuke shook his head.
"Yeah, and alert half the forest while we do it. We need a better approach. Hyuga, are you sure it's only one enemy?"
"No one else is with them, unless they can dig deep underground…" she said, before frowning. Should she check under their feet for ambushes too? Kakashi-sensei had that digging technique, and Kenzou used a similar one. She shook her head. "I haven't found any other standard traps nearby." This person must be confident in their strategy. "I… also think we'd win if we challenged them, but the other teammates could ambush us if we aren't careful." Sasuke's eyes lit up.
"...Maybe Naruto's onto something after all. We spring the trap on purpose, then we strike when their guard is down. We only need a decoy to play victim while we surround this guy."
It really was simple, yet effective. Instead of walking headfirst into danger or risk taking a long detour, they sent three shadow clones ahead and watched what happened. If the genin tried something aggressive, the clones dispelled and left their enemy wide open for an overwhelming counterattack.
Hinata did find it strange watching a clone fake being her though. The copies played their parts almost too well. The Transformation technique modified voices pretty easily, but did Naruto pay that much attention to how she and Sasuke acted?
"Hm…they're playing it safer than expected," Sasuke said, eyes locked onto the scene. The clones walked and conversed "loudly" while the real Team 7 stayed concealed far above the enemy's hiding spot. It looked like they weren't interested in attacking a full group. Waiting for them to split up, maybe? Sasuke touched his chin in thought. "Naruto, give them something they can't ignore."
"Check this out…" Naruto silently directed his clones to change strategy with a smile that concerned her. Hinata kept her Byakugan on the enemy as the one undisguised clone suddenly declared he needed to…use the restroom. Well, not as nicely as that, but Hinata tried to focus on more important things. She winced as the clone chose a particular bush, then she heard a loud zipping noise. He wouldn't… The mere threat of being used as an outhouse was more than enough for their opponent though. The figure cancelled his disguise and lashed out at the clone with a kunai.
"He's open," she whispered. A Rain ninja, judging by his headband. He had a compact breathing mask covering the bottom half of his face, a cloth mask over his eyes, and he wore a tan full body jumpsuit.
"Take him down!" Sasuke leapt from the perch as the two surviving clones wrestled with the Rain genin. Hinata followed without hesitation. Naruto dispelled his technique and covered the field in white smoke before throwing himself into the fight.
While not unskilled, their target quickly found all his escape options cut off by his three attackers. He could do nothing to avoid her sightlines and regain the advantage, and his close quarters defenses weren't that impressive. The Rain ninja ended up face down in the dirt, arms pinned to his back under Naruto's weight. Sasuke crouched down to lift his head up by the hair.
"You're finished. Give us your scroll," he ordered. The Rain ninja's breath hissed through his mask.
"I underestimated your skill, it seems. Too bad for you that I don't have it." Hinata scanned his body more thoroughly, then her eyes relaxed.
"It's true, there's no scroll."
"Okay, then tell us where your team is!" Naruto demanded. "They're real close, right?"
"Hmph. And why should I divulge that?" Sasuke drew a knife from his holster.
"Because if you can't give us anything useful, then your exam ends here." His grip on the knife tightened. Hinata tensed. Killing a captive, one that barely threatened them a minute ago, seemed unnecessary. The Rain ninja's eyes widened for a second, then he scoffed.
"You're bluffing. You brats won't slit my throat." Sasuke grunted, but didn't relent.
"Maybe not. But your group fails if you're incapacitated for long enough. I don't have to kill you." He stuck his kunai in the dirt next to the ninja's face and smirked. "We'll just leave your unconscious body out for whoever shows up next. I heard the animals living here aren't picky either." Hinata relaxed. It was a scare tactic. The ninja cursed.
"Fine, " he spat. "I'll talk."
"Good choice. Where's your squad waiting?"
He stayed cooperative after that ultimatum, telling them the rough direction and distance his two teammates were supposed to be. He even gave a set of physical descriptions when pressed a bit more, and what scroll they had.
"H-hey, this wasn't our deal!" He struggled uselessly while Hinata finished tying him to a thick tree.
"Stop whining, any decent ninja can escape some basic rope knots. We let you keep your equipment," Sasuke told him. "And if your intel was fake, we'll come back and check up on you."
"So they have an Earth scroll and they're not too far away either," Hinata said. He must've broken off from them not long ago if they weren't worried about his safety yet. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him before leaving the Rain ninja behind to regroup.
"It all sounds easy to me! Let's take out his team and finish this dumb challenge. That guy sucked, so his pals can't be that good either!" Hinata wasn't as confident, even if they handled one foreign ninja well. What else did this Rain team excel in besides camouflage techniques?
"...The other two might be on their guard by the time we locate them, so we should stay quiet." The group climbed the trees again and began moving west. The scroll was about half a mile this way if he hadn't misled them.
"I think we need to come up with a safeguard in case someone tries the disguise trick on us," Sasuke said after a while. He seemed lost in thought until then.
"Huh, why?" Naruto asked. "We've got Hinata. She can see through that stuff just fine."
"And what if the enemy knows that and cuts us off from her first? We might not catch on before it's too late."
"That…is a possibility," she said softly. "I can identify the both of you from a distance, but you can't do the same." Naruto frowned at the thought, but nodded.
"'Kay. So what do we do about it?"
"A physical mark might be copied, but a password works. Something difficult for a stranger to guess or figure out. Hm…" Picking a random word or phrase made sense, but then she might not remember it either. Naruto gasped.
"Hey, how about Katsuo?" Her face burned. Why that specific name?
"No, we're not using it." Hinata paused on a branch to glare as he passed by.
"But it is something that only we would get the meaning behind," Sasuke said from up ahead after a suspicious pause. She couldn't believe the both of them right now.
"Why don't we select a password that isn't a joke? Like ... Fireworks." She'd never forget that. The wind picked up speed, rustling leaves around them.
"And what's special about that?" Sasuke's pace slowed as the wind pushed against them harder. Was a storm passing through?
"It's, well…the meaning behind"- She suddenly braced herself as another gale arrived. It felt too strong for a natural event. The air itself gave her an uncomfortable feeling. Chakra. She was sensing chakra surrounding them. Almost smothering them. Hinata recognized the odd sensation from training in her family's techniques. Sasuke and Naruto stopped without her warning this time. Even they must feel the difference. "Something's wrong." Her voice dropped to a whisper.
Then a massive blast of wind slammed into them, like a localized typhoon. It scattered the group like they were nothing but leaves. They just couldn't keep their grip on the trees under such intense pressure. The entire world spun as the wind tossed them aside. Hinata lost track of her teammates in seconds as she reached blindly for a handhold or solid ground. The storm uprooted all the nearby trees at the same time, tearing their roots out with frightening force and scattering wood chunks everywhere. The heavy tree trunks deafened her when they fell. The wind finally died down after launching her into an intact canopy farther off. She almost crashed all the way to the ground before her chakra covered hands and feet finally stuck to the bark. Her panicked breathing tapered off. She was…bruised and covered in tiny cuts from hitting so many branches, but otherwise in good condition. She protected her face and anything vital, and that was enough.
Had they triggered a preset trap to make the exam harder? A ninjutsu gone wrong? An opening attack from another squad?
Hinata's Byakugan flickered on, taking in her new surroundings. Where did Naruto and Sasuke go? She really hoped they weren't stuck under any of those massive trees… She spotted a lone figure standing in the newly made clearing first. The person's chakra looked…off. She couldn't even describe the coiled mess within. It made her sick to keep looking directly at it. Not far away from that was someone she did recognize even from so many meters off. Sasuke looked alive, just hiding in the debris. A brighter chakra signature to her left had to be Naruto, but then something far larger and definitely not human crawled into view near him. A snake.
Her mind went empty in fear. She threw herself in his direction fast enough to make her legs hurt from the sudden movement. It was almost on top of him! Naruto came into view after shoving past what felt like endless branches in her way. He looked about as scratched up as she felt, but he smiled when he saw her.
"Hey, there you are"- She tackled Naruto from where he stood out in the relative open, sending them in a short fall to the forest floor. Moments later, the giant brown snake made its entrance and crashed through the spot they just abandoned. Naruto looked terrified as Hinata rolled off him. "What the hell is that?! It's huge!" he squeaked.
"I don't know," she panted as she stood and pulled him onto his feet. "We have to meet up with Sasuke, he's by himself with another ninja. Go that way!" She pointed in the right direction. The snake's hiss echoed through the dark woods. It was coming around for another strike. She watched its forked tongue test the air. And it didn't need light or sound to catch them. She had no idea how they'd both get away unless they split up… "I'll make sure the snake is occupied," Hinata said. Naruto's fear was replaced with anger she couldn't quite understand. He shook his head.
"I'm not gonna leave you to fight that thing by yourself!" Oh, he thought she was sacrificing herself.
"I won't let us fail the Chunin Exams, I promise. We just don't have a choice right now. Please…" she said. Everything sounded farther away again, but she pushed down the fear instead of letting it numb her too much. "I'll return here as soon as possible. Help Sasuke." Before that ninja with the rice hat struck them down one by one. She heard her voice shake, yet her eyes remained locked on the snake. Its head slowly turned in their direction. No time left. She wouldn't fail them.
"Hey, you better come back!" Naruto charged off before she caught his expression. Good, she needed all her concentration right now. The snake's attention snapped to Naruto, but a set of light bombs erupted in its face before it lunged. Hinata climbed up to a higher branch and tossed a set of shuriken at it for good measure. It faced her now and slithered away from the clearing. Hinata ran farther in the same direction. The giant snake gave chase, ripping through the weaker branches in its way. How was it so fast? Did it even belong here? She saw it closing the distance between them even as she jumped between trees at full tilt. The Byakugan brought her little comfort.
She had to stand her ground somewhere. It would catch up too quickly at this rate, and she'd be out of energy. She skidded to a halt on a larger branch and finally turned to face it. The snake slowed, rearing its head up. Hinata locked eyes with the beast as its mouth opened. It revealed a set of piercing fangs and two rows of daggers for teeth. Its primitive chakra network lit up the nearby forest in her black and white vision. She needed an attack plan. Stun it. Confuse it. Damage its senses. Anything. Her mind drew a blank. It waited right in front of her now. Just… staring. She nervously drew the parrying kunai from her leg holster. Something jingled at its handle, and she caught sight of the little stone lion charm attached to a chain. In that instant, the snake lunged. It bit through the entire branch and took Hinata with it. She felt nothing but its crushing force and heavy darkness.
They made it! Sakura couldn't believe her team finished the survival exam in 3 hours! Well… she believed it. It just didn't feel real, even after entering the tall wooden tower with both scrolls. Opening them together in the entrance chamber summoned a Leaf Chunin to congratulate their efforts and explain what came next.
"You know, you're the second fastest team we've had this year," the older man said. Kiba's excitement died at his words.
"What? Only second? Aw, man…" he groaned. "Who the hell beat us?" Sakura felt like pouting too. They did slow down a bit closer to the tower so Akamaru could guide them around the ninja camping out nearby, but someone must've taken a far more reckless approach if they made it here earlier. "I think a Sand ninja team finished in…97 minutes." Sakura's mouth fell open. 97 minutes? Less than 2 hours?
"I can't believe they found a scroll and got here that quickly…" she said, before a thought silenced her. Didn't Kabuto show them some data on a Sand genin that Sasuke had asked about? The one who apparently never got injured on missions. The redheaded boy. Was it his team? The Chunin supervisor tossed Shino a labeled key.
"I advise you all to take the four days you have left and rest up while you can," he told them. "That key unlocks one of the private rooms in this tower. We will provide meals and other basic amenities until the survival exercise ends, but you may not leave the tower or communicate with anyone outside of it." He smiled and stepped aside so they could take the narrow staircase. "And of course, no fighting each other without a proctor's permission."
"We should go." Shino squeezed the key into his fist a little harder than necessary. The only sign that some part of this bothered him.
Their assigned quarters looked sparse, but were built like a functional motel room or soldier's bunker. Peeling paint on the walls and locked windows. Three small beds, a table with chairs, and a bathroom with a shower and toilet. Still way better than camping out in that horrible forest as night fell and all the predators came out. Sakura dropped her bag near the first bed, unfastened her cloak, and flopped onto the mattress with a relieved sigh.
"Hm… If we tried to eliminate more teams on our way here, we may have run directly into those Sand ninja that proctor spoke of." Shino finally said. He took his time checking the room's corners and inside drawers as she and Kiba tried to relax. "Like the remnants of the Rain team we found." Sakura recalled the gruesome scene they'd stumbled through on the way here. A busted umbrella, senbon scattered across the woods, and…something that was once a body attached to a stained, dented headband. Kiba snorted from across the room, but there wasn't a hint of a joke on his face.
"Remnants? More like chunks of blood and sand. I've got no idea what his deal is, but that Gaara kid is bad news. That's all we need to know about him." Kiba sat on the ground, Akamaru whining on his lap as he stroked the dog. "And he's in this tower on another floor. Akamaru says the hall still smells like… like death."
"Hey, at least they can't attack us here." Sakura tried sounding upbeat. It wasn't working. "Or they get disqualified, right?" Kiba shrugged.
"If a guy like that even cares about the rules. Watch your back around him." Fair enough. Shino finished his inspection and went to claim the last bed.
"This tower is under high surveillance," he concluded. "At least two cameras in here, and more throughout the connecting hallways. I assume to dissuade any violent sabotage." The proctors kept watch, at least. Sakura's hands fiddled with her breathing mask. They were relatively safe now, but what about the rest of their old class? Was Ino's team okay? Her old rival knew something about every plant in the Land of Fire, and she somehow got Shikamaru and Choji to pull their weight when it mattered because their clans worked together all the time, but… Sakura couldn't stop thinking about what ifs.
She just started talking with Ino again about two months ago too. She wasn't that shy, bullied kid who needed Ino's protection anymore, but she didn't want to stay as enemies either, so she swallowed her pride and apologized. They had a tentative friendship again. And to be honest, she'd rather gain Ino's respect as herself than through stealing a date with the Academy's top graduate.
But she couldn't exactly show how much she changed if… No, Ino wasn't gonna die. She's too good of a kunoichi. Sakura needed to believe that she'd make it here eventually.
And what about Sasuke and his group? It'd been only half a year since their class split up, but it felt so much longer than that. Sakura used to assume no one could beat her former crush in a real fight. Sasuke had this air of unshakable confidence during class, like nothing scared him. Or he had goals more important than being scared, maybe. The ideal shinobi, cool and collected. A lot of girls in class saw him like the hero in a storybook.
And now? Well, Sakura knew the real world didn't work like movies and novels. Sometimes the hero didn't win. Sasuke was a strong ninja, but the gap in skill between him and the rest of their classmates wasn't nearly as wide as it once appeared. He was no longer untouchable in her mind, and that was kind of scary in itself. After glimpsing what the people from beyond their village could do, Sakura hoped that everyone else still out there took the competition seriously.
She heard a rumor that his team finished an A-rank mission not long ago, so maybe her concerns weren't even necessary. Naruto couldn't goof off during one of those, right? Even irresponsible guys like him grew up at some point, or he'd have gone home by now. And Hinata was serious enough for both of them.
That's what stuck out about her the most during classes, along with how intensely she fought during taijutsu practice. Sakura never caught her smiling or laughing a single time. Hinata probably wasn't emotionless, but Sakura picked up that the Hyuga clan considered most feelings not worth expressing. That's how a lot of them acted based on what other people said, but she couldn't imagine growing up like that. Sure, ninja acted as tools for the village. She read the handbook multiple times, front to back. But ninja were still human too. It wasn't fair, forcing a kid to act like that all the time.
Sakura sat up suddenly, confused at how astray her thoughts went. Since when did she begin to pity her? The other girl's life wasn't her business, and Hinata most likely wouldn't appreciate someone making a bunch of wild assumptions about it.
"...I'm gonna see how well the shower works," Sakura told Kiba and Shino as she stood. She'd clear her head, then prepare her equipment for whatever task came next. The team needed her brain focused on the mission at hand, not… spacing out about things she had no control over.
AN: Another birthday update, coincidentally. The Forest of Death really does have a lot going on, so I'm splitting it into another section to put more attention on a couple of altered fights coming up. This chapter also has Sakura's POV for the first time, which will become a little more important later on, but her and Team 7 are where I'd like to limit the viewpoints for longer scenes just for some more consistency. Thank you for sticking around and reading!