Sunlight shined through the trees of the Forest of Death as the second day of the second stage of the Chunin Exams began. It seemed through was an unwritten truce for the remaining teams because there were hardly any fights throughout the night, or so Sakura thought.

The lone female of Team 7 stayed awake throughout the night to watch over her teammates and do what she could for them, which was only wipe away any sweat that formed from their high fevers. She occasionally tried the medical techniques but she simply didn't have the experience to use them properly. Sasuke seemed to be having it worse than Naruto because kept twitching in his sleep while Naruto would only groan and, occasionally, mutter something that Sakura couldn't understand.

'I really hope Naruto and Sasuke will be okay. Sasuke's fever is going down and Naruto hasn't moved as much as in the past hour. I think the worst for them has passed.'

-With Team 10-

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio of this generation were probably the most well off of any teams that were still left after the first day. Not be because they already had the scroll they needed or they spent the entire day searching for food and a good source of water, it was because they hid just beyond the gate they had entered in.

"We need to find a weaker team then us so we can get that scroll!"

"Ino, there isn't a team weaker than us." Shikamaru continued to show his carelessness as he laid back against a tree. Honestly, the platinum blonde was surprised that the Nara genius was awake.

"Guys…I'm hungry."

Ino groaned very loudly. She was not going to deal these two complaining for another day while other teams were probably already at the tower resting. The kunoichi ripped out a part of the bush they were hiding in and walked deeper into the forest.

Her two teammates gave a questioning look at each other before groaning inwardly to themselves as they stood up and followed her.

-Team 8-

Kiba and, his partner in crime, Akamaru had been standing watch for the past two hours while his teammates slept. They had taken turns throughout the night. It was rather calming morning in the forest that was famed for death. Kiba found it a bit ironic, the forest was quieter at night.

The brown-haired tracker ninja caught a small whiff of a familiar scent that a calm morning breeze carried, both him and Akamaru smelt it. The white-haired ninja hound looked up at his master, who nodded, and then took off in the direction of the scent.

Hinata stirred awake when Akamaru ran through a bush. "Where's Akamaru going, Kiba?"

Kiba looked back and half smiled. "We caught a scent of a team nearby. Akamaru went to go scope it out."

That shot the Hyuuga girl's nerves and anxiety sky high. Hinata didn't believe she was ready for something like this. Yesterday was different because it was a trap set up by Shino and Kiba, there was nothing she had to do. But that didn't mean Hinata was okay with having those slugs suck most of that team's blood then taking the slugs off and leaving them to suffer and probably die, then not getting the scroll they needed.

"O-Okay…"

-With Naruto-

For some reason, Naruto remembered the ankle high water being colder. Something was different since the last time he had appeared deep in his subconscious. But the Kyuubi wasn't awake and waiting for him this time. The lazy fox ignored Naruto's attempts to wake him. The blonde figured he, or the Kyuubi, wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, so he sat with his back against the big red gate and pulled out that book to read.

It didn't take long.

"Hmm. Why do you read that book? It messes with our heads. I can feel what you feel, remember?"

Naruto smirked, putting the book back in his jacket. "I was hoping we could finish that discussion from the other day."

"Very well."

"Mind telling me how me and that Gaara guy are alike?"

"That sand boy has the One-Tailed, Shukaku, sealed in him. The jinchuriki for Sunagakure."

"The One-Tail? Does that mean there are more of you?"

"Yes. There are nine bijū in total, varying from one to nine tails. Meaning I am the strongest tailed beast in existence!"

"Yeah yeah, calm down furball. Don't go boasting and get off track now, keep talking. What's a jinchuriki?"

The Kyuubi let out a deep growl, letting his host know that he was annoyed by that last comment. "A jinchuriki is what a person becomes when a bijū is sealed into them. A human sacrifice for the greater good of a village."

Naruto looked down and his eyes went dull. "A sacrifice for the good of the village…"

"Despite whatever circumstances that lead to someone getting a bijū sealed within them, they will always be a sacrifice. A means to an end, a deterrent, trump card. Whatever you want to call it. All means the same no matter where you go."

Naruto's expression didn't change, his eyes just became duller. He reached into his inside jacket pocket and held something that always stayed near his heart. "Yeah, I figured…"

The Kyuubi raised his eyebrow, despite Naruto not being able to see his confusion. "That flower you carry, what's your purpose for it?"

Naruto slightly moved his fingers over the object in his inner jacket pocket. "I thought you could feel what I feel, hear my thoughts?"

"Not when it comes to her."

"Yeah, well, she's one of the few things that keeps me whole. A promise to myself that pushes me well past my limits."

"What does that girl mean to you? Why is she the one that keeps you 'whole'?"

Naruto's eyes regained their deep blue color. There was a rush of something in the moist air and the Kyuubi noticed it immediately. "As long as she's there, I will be whole."

-With Sakura-

The pinkette had been catching herself starting to fall asleep for frequently over the past hour. She heard rustling in the bushes a few times but there was nothing, Sakura was afraid she was starting to hear things. She took the sweat drenched rag off Sasuke's forehead, rung it out and wiped off the remaining sweat from his brow.

"I hope you guys wake up soon."

"I wouldn't count on it."

Sakura gasped as she quickly turned around. She was prepared to face an enemy but was caught off guard when it was a fellow Konoha genin stood before her.

"Kabuto?"

The experienced genin gave a small nod. "Sakura Haruno, the lone kunoichi of Team Seven. And by far the weakest."

The pink-haired genin drew a kunai in defense of herself and her unconscious teammates. "You want our scroll."

Kabuto shrugged. "I mean that is the objective of this survival test, but that's not why I'm here."

Sakura raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Then what are you here for?"

"You, and your blonde teammate over there."

Sakura's eyes widened and looked over her shoulder to Naruto, who was still out cold, before she focused her attention back on Kabuto. "What do you want with us?"

"Nothing to difficult. My boss can't let his existence here be known so soon. I've been ordered to kill the two that know and let Sasuke come to him when the time is right."

"K-Kill us?! You're a ninja of Konoha!"

"Killing is allowed in this part of the exam. Which makes it the perfect cover story and keeps my cover intact."

Sakura held her defensive stance. "You're a traitor. Who do you work for?"

"Naïve girl, I was never a Konoha shinobi. And since I'm about to kill you and Naruto, I suppose letting the knowledge of my allegiance to Lord Orochimaru slip isn't the worst thing."

"You work for Orochimaru?!"

"Heavens no, I don't work for Lord Orochimaru. I learn from him."

Sakura gripped her kunai tightly. "What does Orochimaru want with Sasuke?"

"Lord Orochimaru has plans for the Uchiha. He knows all about how he's felt second rate to Naruto. Lord Orochimaru is offering Sasuke the chance to grow into the ninja we all know he can be."

"There's no way I'll let you near Sasuke! Or Naruto!"

Kabuto chuckled, drawing his own kunai. "I was hoping you'd say something like that."

Sakura prepared herself to clash kunai with the purple clad genin but she was surprised when Kabuto threw his kunai at the ground, cutting the wire for the trap she had set up.

"I've been watching you for the past couple of hours. Oh, how smart you must've felt when you set it."

Out of pure anger and frustration, Sakura threw her kunai at Kabuto. He easily dodged the projectile and it sank into a tree behind him. "Was that all?"

Sakura smirked and jumped back to a safe distance. "Not at all."

A giant log swung down from up in the trees towards Kabuto. The grey-haired genin was not fazed by this. He stiffened up his hand and poured chakra into it, causing his hand to glow blue and come to a point. Kabuto sliced through the giant log like paper. "Chakura no Mesu!" (Chakra Dissection Blade)

Sakura was shocked by what she had just witnessed. She was curious on how Kabuto was able to cut through that log like he did but she didn't have the time to think about it because Kabuto charged at her. The elder genin was too quick for Sakura and he was able to grab her by her hair. Without a second thought, Sakura drew another kunai and cut her hair to free herself. Sakura pulled out shuriken and threw them at Kabuto, along with her kunai, to create space between the two.

Kabuto looked at the clump of pink hair in his hand before carelessly casting it aside. "Resourceful. But did you really think a few childish traps would be enough for the likes of me?"

Kabuto started making their way towards Sakura. The girl stepped back slightly, she wasn't ready for a fight like this. She was extremely tired from staying up all night and mentally exhausted from everything she witnessed. Kabuto was never able to reach his target as three people jumped in front of him. Sakura was staring in shock at the three people she didn't expect to come to her rescue.

"Team Eight…why are you guys here?"

The brown-haired Inuzuka looked behind him and smirked. "I may not like those assholes over there, but we're comrades all the same. We don't let someone mess with one of our own."

Sakura fell to her knees in relief as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "Thanks guys…you saved me."

"There is no need to thank us for coming to your aid. Why you ask? Because it's like Kiba said, we are comrades."

Hinata nodded. "K-Kiba and Shino are r-right. We're comrades Sakura."

Kabuto chuckled darkly, bringing the genin's attention back to him. "I'm normally all for the comradery and the bullshit that comes with it, but I'm on a bit of a time crunch. Can we move this along?"

Team Eight moved into fighting stances and charged at Kabuto.

-In Sasuke's mind-

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he was staring at a younger version of himself crying his young eyes out. He was about to reach out and say something but his younger self spoke first.

"If I was stronger back then…I could've saved mother and father…their deaths are my fault. I'll never achieve my goals if I don't get stronger…"

Sasuke didn't know what to do or even say, he couldn't look away from his younger version. The younger Sasuke raised his arm to wipe away his tears but instead pealed half his face off, revealing the familiar snake eyes of a certain Sannin.

"Your whole clan is dead because you weren't strong enough! You let them die! You couldn't stop Itachi then and never will be able to!"

The only thing Sasuke could feel was an unrivaled and untapped rage building up inside of him, and it continued to grow stronger by each passing second.

-With Team Ten-

Shikamaru and Chōji had been following a determined Ino for the past hour. The Nara boy hadn't been paying much attention while Chōji was looking everywhere for something to eat.

"Out of all the teams I could've been put on…Sakura is probably laughing her way to the finish of this test. She doesn't even have to do anything! Sasuke and Naruto will do all the fighting for her!"

Chōji made his way over to a nearby bush, hoping to find some berries, while his teammate bickered and watched a fight he wasn't expecting to see.

"Actually Ino, Sakura is fighting with Kiba and his team. Naruto and Sasuke are unconscious."

Ino and Shikamaru's eyes widened considerably as they rushed over to where Choji was standing. Ino couldn't help but stare in complete disbelief.

"What in the world happened?"

-With Sakura and Team Eight-

Kabuto had the four genin on the ropes, he was stronger than what his genin rank had suggested. He handled Team Eight's joint attacks like it was nothing and countered everything they threw at him.

Kiba growled in frustration. "Damn it! Who the hell is guy?!"

"It's safe to say we are dealing with someone who is beyond genin level. Why you ask? Because he was able to counter to every single one of our attacks."

Hinata held her mid-section, kneeling next to Sakura, as she nursed the pain from the hit to her stomach. "W-We aren't strong enough to beat him."

"I would've hoped that was fairly obvious."

Team Eight wasn't sure how they were going to deal with Kabuto, he was unlike any opponent they had ever faced before. He was faster, more knowledgeable, and just straight up stronger than all three of them combined.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Sasuke's seal on his neck began to emit steam as he groaned.

Kabuto charged at the trio, planning to end this battle once for all. But he was stopped mid sprint, all movements instantly stopped. He tried to move but something had a very strong grip on him.

"Kagemane no Jutsu: successful." (Shadow Possession Jutsu)

Shikamaru walked out of his position in the brush, Kabuto mimicking his every movement. Ino and Chōji ran to Team Eight's side and stood in their battle stances.

"Ino..?"

"I told you, Forehead, I'm not going to lose to you."

-Inside Naruto's mind-

"Do you feel that? That rise in chakra."

Naruto looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes to concentrate harder. It wasn't as easy for the blonde to sense what the fox was but he was able to after a few moments. "Yeah, and it's strong."

"It's the same chakra that I'm currently resisting. It's from that seal the Sannin gave you with that bite."

"It's gotta be Sasuke…I need to wake up now, Kyuubi. He has the same mark on his neck."

"I put you into this coma like state to help speed up your healing and figure out a way to deal with this seal. I wake you up now and none of your injuries will be healed and that pain from the seal will return, tenfold. You'll be useless in a fight."

Naruto stood to his full height and turned around to look at the beast in his one, giant, visible red eye. "Just do it Kyuubi. I have to make sure she's alright."

The Kyuubi let out a low, deep growl. "Very well."

-With Team Ten, Team Eight, and Sakura-

Shikamaru's shadow binding hold didn't keep Kabuto trapped for very long. The Nara wasn't the greatest at maintaining the jutsu for very long, this was one of the few times he hated his crippling laziness.

Once free from Shikamaru's shadow, Kabuto began to decimate the Konoha genin once more. He was toying with them, letting them believe they had the advantage only to counter the attack and rip that hope away.

Kabuto chuckled as he pushed up his glasses. "Honestly, this is the most fun I've had in a long time. I don't get out much so I'm really enjoying this entertainment."

Kiba was barely able to stand but pushed through the pain to charge at the man once more. He threw a drastic punch that would be easy for a toddler to dodge. Kabuto side stepped the pathetic attack and kneed the Inuzuka in the stomach and chopped the back of his neck, effectively knocking him out.

"K-Kiba!" Hinata cried.

"As fun as this might be, I am here for Sakura and Naruto. So, if you would all, please step aside?"

The genin were completely tapped for chakra, hit with the right attacks so standing to fight was difficult, and none of them had any idea on how to beat this guy. Even Shikamaru was at a loss, and that never happened.

Kabuto walked towards Naruto but stopped when he saw the boy next to him rise.

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard movement coming from directly behind her. Sakura grinned from ear to ear as she turned around to face her teammate.

"Sasuke! I'm so glad you're- "

The pinkette's eyes widened in shock and fear as she stared at Sasuke, who was radiating a large amount of energy. So much so that a purple aura swirled around him and the left side of his body was covered in a design that looked like black flames.

"Who hurt you, Sakura?"

Sasuke walked past Sakura and the others towards Kabuto, who was watching Sasuke curiously.

"Sasuke your body…"

Sasuke stopped for a second and looked down at his left arm and watched the black markings spread down his arm. It also spread up his neck and onto his face. "You don't have to worry Sakura…not only do I feel an overwhelming power coursing through me…my body feels absolutely great. I understand what he did…I'm an avenger. It all makes sense."

'And even if I have to hand deliver my soul to the devil to get stronger, I'll gladly accept that deal if it helps me achieve my goals.'

Sasuke glared deeply at Kabuto. "Are you the one who hurt Sakura?"

"Oh yeah, it was me." Kabuto had a certain look in his eyes that personified crazy. "I've always wanted to fight someone with the curse mark, Lord Orochimaru never let me test the subjects myself only observe."

Sasuke was instantly in front of Kabuto with his fist aimed for his face, but the elder genin was able to block it. Kabuto stared into the Sharingan. "Fascinating. Two tomoe in each eye already. I never would have imagined the curse mark would the cause the Sharingan to advance this quick."

"You work for Orochimaru?"

"Not really, Orochimaru is my teacher."

Kabuto was suddenly blown back by another punch from Sasuke by his other hand, the attack sent him flying into a nearby tree. Sasuke could easily tell that Kabuto wasn't going to be beaten by a single hit just by the way he was able to position himself before he hit the tree.

All the genin stared in complete shock to what they were witnessing, especially Sakura. The power she was feeling from Sasuke had a similar feeling to what she felt from Naruto on the bridge in the Land of Waves.

Sasuke went through a quick series of hand signs. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

A giant ball of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth and shot towards Kabuto. The fireball consumed the vegetation all around the man, leaving no room for doubt that he survived. Sasuke smiled wickedly triumphant as he stared at the flames.

"Hmph. Was that all?"

"Oh no Sasuke, we've just started."

Sasuke was quick to react but not quick enough to completely block Kabuto's kunai. The kunai was caught but by the palm of Sasuke's hand. Kabuto swung his fist but Sasuke read Kabuto's movements, due to his Sharingan, and dodge the strike. Sasuke used the small opening and sent quick, single handed strikes to Kabuto's ribs.

The two broke off from each other and smirked, this really was the beginning. They charged and engaged each other once more. The fight was fast paced, jumping from tree branches to back down in the clearing. Dancing all around the genin, who were having trouble keeping up with the battle.

Sasuke slid back towards Sakura, Kabuto landed on the far side of the clearing. He had a look of fascination plastered on his face. 'This is far beyond my expectations! Not only is the Sharingan advancing rapidly, his physical strength and pure reaction time are off the charts. I think it would be safe to say Sasuke could easily fight on par with his teammate now, even without the seal's 'enhancements'. I guess Lord Orochimaru designed the seal to work specifically for Sasuke. That explains why those test subjects never made it past the trials.'

Sasuke lifted his arms, realizing the black markings had covered his left arm completely and were slowly spreading down his right arm now. He figured his entire face was covered and most of his chest too, but that hardly mattered. Sasuke was, now, willingly to go through an entire transformation if it meant getting stronger.

"What did you call this thing that Orochimaru gave me?"

Kabuto smirked. "Heaven's Curse Mark. I'll tell him you like the gift." Kabuto slowly backed away into the forest.

"You think we're done? I thought we were just getting started!"

"Our time will come Sasuke, everything will fall into place soon enough. But, for now, show me that Lord Orochimaru didn't waste his creation." The grey-haired man pointed beyond Sasuke and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Unbeknownst to any of the genin, Kabuto placed something just past some brush.

Sasuke turned to see where Kabuto was pointed and saw Naruto struggling to stand. His legs wobbled as he stepped and he clutched the very same seal on his neck.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered as her blonde teammate stumbled past her.

"…What's gotten…into you…Sasuke?"

Sasuke chuckled darkly. "Power, Naruto. I finally have the power to achieve my goals. I can see it, clear as day, Itachi will lay dead at my feet!"

Naruto collapsed to one knee and held his midsection. "Whatever Orochimaru did to you, Sasuke, it's clouding your mind. You need to stop. Now. Before somebody gets hurt."

Sasuke's wicked smirk still hadn't faded. "Or what? You going to stop me? You can barely stand and, by the way you're clutching your neck like that, my bet is that he bit you like he did me. But I guess you aren't as accepting of this power as I am."

"You have no idea what this power will do to you. You need to calm down and think clearly."

"I am thinking clearly! This is the clearest I've ever been!"

It came clear to Naruto that reason wasn't going to work, he was going have to beat the power craze out of Sasuke. Naruto slowly rose to his feet and stood in a shaky fighting stance.

Sasuke chuckled darkly again. "I'm glad you see like that, Naruto. Because I've been waiting a long time for this."

Sakura watched in horror as her two teammates began to run at one another, her fear only increased when Sasuke completely floored Naruto with one single punch. Naruto, who was still dealing with his injuries from his bout with Orochimaru, did what he could to stand back up but was met by Sasuke's fist again when finally made it back to his feet. This time, however, Naruto did not fall.

The two exchanged blows but it was not hard for the group of genin to see Naruto was clearly outmatched. Even if the blonde was lucky enough to land a strike, Sasuke was able to hit Naruto two or three times more because Naruto left himself open.

Sakura couldn't tear her eyes away, no matter how badly she wanted to. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and tears formed in the corners of her jade green eyes. "Please…stop it."

Naruto fell flat on his back after Sasuke's latest vigorous strike to his midsection. There was blood dripping out of cuts in his face and out of his mouth as well. The boy was already injured from his bout with Orochimaru, Sasuke felt like he was just beating a dead horse at this point.

"C'mon Naruto, is that really all you got? I know Orochimaru fucked you up but seriously? This is all you've got against me? Oh, how the mighty have fallen."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto buy his throat and held him off the ground. Naruto barely struggled against the grip, he could hardly breath as it was. He prayed for that healing factor to kick in.

Sakura couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Sasuke was about to kill Naruto.

"No…stop…please!"

Sasuke suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him. Sakura had run up the Uchiha, with tears streaming her face, and hugged him tightly from behind. "Please Sasuke…this isn't you…don't do this please."

Sasuke could feel the moisture on the back of his shirt and he seemed to grip his feelings back into control and let the rage inside him die. All the energy and power he previously had disappeared, his black markings and Sharingan followed suit. His grip on Naruto's throat loosened and the blonde fell to the ground. He breathed heavily and struggled to sit up. Sasuke fell back against Sakura in exhaustion as his pink-haired teammate helped him safely sit on the ground across from Naruto.

Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other, glaring into the other's eyes like they were reading the souls of one another. It was though something had changed between the two of them. Sakura seemed to be the only one to notice it. The way they looked at each other, it wasn't normal compared to before. There was fire behind their eyes that fueled each other's flame. Sakura wished she didn't see any of that, but knew deep down that she was right.

Naruto and Sasuke will fight again.

-That Night-

Naruto silently trailed behind his two teammates as they stumbled their way towards the tower that was located in center of the Forest of Death. After everything went down with Kabuto, Team Seven regained their bearings and began to hunt for another team with the scroll they needed. Team Eight and Team Ten went their separate ways as well, knowing that they might not be able to take on Team Seven, despite them being utterly beaten down. Naruto stumbled away from everyone and tripped over something when he walked through some brush. It was an 'earth' scroll.

Naruto didn't question it, didn't even think about it. He grabbed the scroll, told his teammates, and all three made hast towards the tower.

It was a slow process, what with both Naruto and Sasuke being injured and Sakura still recovering from her bout with Kabuto. They simply walked on the forest floor and ignored everything that went one around them. Soon enough, the sun set for the day and night followed. Team Seven thought it best to find somewhere safe for the night to rest. A small cave like area was found not too far from their position.

Sakura, who was helping Sasuke along, entered the cave first, Naruto limped in shortly after. Sakura helped Sasuke sit down then went over and helped Naruto sit down near the entrance. He insisted that he'd be the one to watch the entrance while the other two rested. Sakura was going to argue but she knew it would get her nowhere. Naruto hadn't said a word since he found the scroll. She nodded and went back into the cave.

Once Naruto was sure he was the only one awake, he reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a book. The very same book he found that changed everything. He opened it and continued from where he left off.

"I never pegged you as much of a reader in your down time."

Sasuke slowly came up to Naruto and sat next to him.

"Tales of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi." Sasuke read the cover. "Good read?"

"Yeah, it's my favorite book."

Sasuke nodded. "Look Naruto, I want to say-"

"Don't say anything Sasuke. What's done is done."

"I damn near killed you, dobe."

"Yeah, well…you wouldn't be the first."

Sasuke stared at his blonde teammate. "What the hell happened to you, man? How are you okay with me nearly killing you today?"

Naruto moved his thumb over the cover of the book, over the title. "I found this book by accident when I was five. It was behind a shelf I was cleaning for my chores before I could go out and train. I was never supposed to read it, that's why it was hidden, but I did anyway. It's a master piece, life changing really if you think about the message it sends."

"I never knew my parents, Sasuke. As far as I know, I'm not even sure 'Naruto' is my real name. But that's all I've ever been called. The main character's name, in this story, is Naruto."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You were named after a story book character?"

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe, nobody's ever really told me. Like I said, I was never supposed to find this book. Everything changed after I did. It wasn't too long after when I was left in the village."

Sasuke wasn't seeing the whole picture. "What's this have to do with me almost snapping your neck today?"

"I barely know who I am Sasuke. How can I be bothered by death when I'm not sure Naruto be the one dying? For all I know Naruto isn't me, it's somebody else. Something else. I used to think about that a lot when I was growing up, wondering who I really was. Why I was lied to. Even now, I still have trouble with it sometimes. I know what I am to the village but I don't know what I am too myself."

Sasuke was, quite honestly, utterly lost. The more he listened to Naruto's past and his personal feelings the more he realized Naruto was just as messed up as himself, possibly more so. He was traumatized by one single night, it sounded like Naruto had multiple traumatizing events in his life.

"I found my entire clan murdered. I have nightmares every night of them being killed. By that monster, Itachi. I know exactly who I am. I'm the who is going to kill him."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, seeing the drive behind his eyes.

"I'm sure you will, Sasuke. I'm sure you will."