Chapter 9: The Challenge

"A trap is only a trap if you don't know about it. If you know about it, it's a challenge."

― China Miéville, King Rat

Hinata

'You shouldn't be here.'

Even rows behind her, she can still feel the intensity of Neji's gaze, a building frustration like a coming storm soon to come to blows between them. Lady Natsu's teachings and tutoring help with answering some of these questions, but each one is progressively harder than the last.

She twirls at her pencil; almost wishes she could turn around and match Neji's glare right back.

'I'm not going to drop out.'

Pearl eyes turn to Naruto, shuffled amid the seating assignment next to her somehow or maybe purposefully to avoid him causing too much trouble in this early stage of the exams.

His features are carefully blank, yawning once before resting his chin against his palm. A chill blankets the room, not just from the nerves of her fellow examinees, goosebumps prickling across her skin.

'Was it this cold when we first walked in?' Hinata considers.

She carefully scours those to her left and back, behaving the opposite of her wiping at beads of sweat or fanning themselves with their exam sheets. The windows are just barely open, sun hidden between a patchwork of gray and white clouds. It's a day not so warm it would make anybody so overheated even wearing layers.

'Ah, but then they've never dealt with air conditioners or heaters acting up.' The realization clicks.

Not in the way Naruto has.

He catches her staring, lazy grin etching up in a way that eases the tension in her shoulders.

Because it's been 30 minutes and Naruto hasn't picked up his pencil even once besides to just jot down his name and his assigned team. Cerulean eyes track to the front of the room where Ibiki stands, stone-faced and observant.

Until his gaze lands upon Naruto in return.

A staring contest ensues between them and Ibiki, to her surprise, is the first to break and move his stare elsewhere.

And with that, Naruto picks up his pencil.

15 minutes later Ibiki makes his announcement for the 10th question; his final gambit: forfeit now and retake the exams when they're next to be conducted or incorrectly answer said question and never again get the chance to advance in rank.

Dark eyes fix again upon Naruto, interested in his reaction. Nothing he's said has apparently deterred or bothered him enough to look anxious or concerned like his fellow peers. Even that Hyūga girl sacrificed to him looked wary in the beginning when the exam sheets were first passed out.

'How will you proceed knowing this information?'

He knows from Lord Third's meetings one of the greatest desires of the jinchuriki is to be less restricted to the village, going up in rank is one of the only options he has that would be legal.

Unless he loses out on it here and now.

'My orders were to put specific pressure on him to get him to drop out, even with the assumptions he wouldn't go far in these exams.' Ibiki considers with a grit of his teeth.

But Naruto has the eyes of a killer, a paper exam isn't going to be enough to faze him.

Wind crackles near his hands and he looks down feeling an abrupt sting, arches a brow realizing what he's done before curling his hands into a fist, hiding them so that they can't be noticed by one of his colleagues.

"No way am I risking it! I'm out!" Komugi calls out making Ibiki peer back up, Gennai and Inaho stiffening in shock at his declaration.

"Me too! This isn't worth it!" Hōsei declares, raising his hand as well casting his team into failure without care.

Others drop like flies until only 15 teams remain.

Anko will probably snap at him that that's still too high of a number, but nothing can be done about it now.

"Time's up! All remaining genin have passed and can come forward to deliver their exams sheets to me and move on to the second phase of the exams! You will meet your next instructor back at the Academy's entrance." Ibiki calls out.

Mozuku frowns as Naruto moves by, he doodled over most of the questions with stick figures and shinobi symbols dotting the corners.

"What?! You're letting him pass? Why?" The man hisses.

Surely this isn't on Lord Third's orders or the daimyo. Both have much riding on their leadership skills to risk their village's weapon being able to take missions farther away from Konoha and the Land of Fire in general.

Tonbo nods in agreement, pursing his lips into a flat scowl. "Anko won't be able to keep track of him in the forests."

Ibiki shrugs. "I can't go against my own rules, even if it's for him. He started cheating as soon as he sat down."

"In what way?" Mozuku questions.

Ibiki points to the vents and windows. "Manipulating the wind circulating about the room."

Tonbo walks around the room, frown deepening taking in the warped blades of the vents, each spinning counterclockwise.

"Didn't you notice how cold or hot the room was getting in certain spots? He used the open windows to draw in wind to change the way air was circulating about, plus spun up a few bursts of wind to look at the answers of the chunin in front of him." Ibiki goes on.

He stares down then to the myriad of paper cuts along his fingers, tiny droplets of scarlet dripping down to the stack of papers before he shakes away the blood with a chuckle.

Naruto didn't even answer any of the questions, only left a simple message for him at the bottom of the page.

'It's fine to have your interns trail me about the village, so call off your men that follow Hinata around.'

Team 7- Forest of Death Entrance

"Still too many of you grunts; time to change that!" Anko chirps with a hand to her hips.

The sun starts its slow descent behind her, splashes the sky in a mix of scarlet, gold, and orange, the opposite of her slowly rising grin.

"Okay, I'm gonna make this fun compared to past exams that involved the Forest of Death!" Anko beams in delight, Naruto noting her manic grin.

Everything Kakashi-sensei told them about the Forest rather as well be forgotten now.

"Each team is going to have a designated 'injured' party that will have to carry around an additional 20 lb. vest. No, you cannot remove said vest at any point until your team has gotten both a heaven and earth scroll. And no, you cannot transfer said vest to another teammate! The one who draws the vest is stuck with it and it's an automatic failure/disqualification if the signal for the vest being removed goes off before your team makes it to the fortress in the center of these woods!" Anko instructs.

Her eyes flit to both the jinchuriki and sacrifice, Ibiki didn't even get one of them to fail the written portion.

She can't be sure how either would react to the other failing, but she needs to target and watch the jinchuriki's team first.

The village's weapon and the sacrificial gift given to him to contain his beast's ire matter more than any exam.

'This kid doesn't look like the type to scare easy though.' Anko considers, Naruto looking past her into the ink black of the Forest's depths.

She ignores a wave of groans at these extra additions, licking her lips.

"Thats not all you lot got to worry about! Be wary not only of the creatures that call this Forest home, but also the traps and disguised shinobi that may or may not pose as one of your teammates. Said 'traitors' will try to steal one of your scrolls, your vest, first aid, or even your life if you're not careful! Any questions?"

Silence greets her in return, nodding to her group of proctors they're ready.

"Alrighty, if nobody's got nothing to say, then good luck out there!"

Naruto turns his attention back to Sasuke and Sakura, sighs as Sakura helps Sasuke strap and adjust on the vest he'll remain in for the duration of this phase. Verdant eyes avoid his onyx, a silent questioning at her change in hairstyle and behavior since they last truly interacted.

"It isn't too tight; is it?" Sakura finally asks once she's sure the vest is on properly in a way suitable to one of the proctors.

Sasuke shakes his head. "Nothing I can't handle.'

Sakura gives a tight smile in return while Naruto observes who else drew the vest. Lee looks absolutely proud to have gotten assigned the vest while others like Ino don't bother hiding their open scowls or loud groans.

'Bad luck already that Sasuke drew the shortest stick.' Naruto mulls over how they'll go about this.

The heaviness of the weights will slow down his speed some, but Sasuke can at least fight both close and long range.

"You guys sense it too, right?" Naruto asks as he turns his attention back to them.

Sakura nods, lips pursed while discreetly staring past him to the team that's been studying and observing their movements the most.

Team Shiore.

'Kusa shinobi. There's dealing with them combined with all the unknown abilities and variables within this forest. Everything I've been practicing needs to come to fruition.' Sakura sucks in a breath to calm her racing thoughts, ignores the wild beating of her heart as they move into the deep grottos and lush greenery of the woods.

"We'll need some password or signal only the 3 of us now." Sasuke mutters when they reach the point where sunlight no longer can slip through the canopies.

Sakura's brows furrow, questioning look etching up her face. "A good idea, but why? There shouldn't be any reason for us to separate from each other until we reach the center fortress with both scrolls."

Naruto chuckles dryly. "What about when nature calls y'know? I'm sure you don't want to do your business in front of Sasuke or me, right Sakura?!"

The venomous look she sends him only makes his grin widen.

Good. Rage is a far better distraction than worrying over what type of enemy ninja they're going to run into first.

He takes up the rear of their formation, goosebumps scattering across his skin recalling the weight of Shiore's gaze in particular. The man hadn't even bothered listening to Anko's spiel like he already knew the ins and outs of this forest.

Has already been inside.

His attention along with his teammates weren't on him like he first assumed or towards Sakura.

His teeth clench at the spike of realization, bites down a curse.

'Their target is Sasuke.'

Team 8-Forest of Death, Southeast

"Lightning Release: Spider Web!"

Sparks of white crisscross against the terrain, Hinata clearing the area before sending a nod to Kiba and Shino.

Behind her, tendrils of black hair sink further into the swamp's waters, kunai embedded in Remika's back staining the surrounding mud in red.

Humid air bubbles up surrounding them, layers everything in a fine mist.

Shino's insects cover her scent quickly before the rest of Team Kugiri can come upon her body, scour further out beyond Hinata's byakugan for any other teams.

Hinata blows out a breath as she shakes away moss and water clinging to her jacket, pushes Remika's harsh comments to the back of her mind just as she'd stabbed her with the killing blow.

"You're just a sacrifice; you have no reason to take these exams or be so strong!"

Somehow, this girl no older than herself nearly found a way to use Hanabi's face against her...

'It's not surprising teams from outside Konoha know of my status, but to know exactly how my closest family members look as well?'

Akamaru retrieves the Earth scroll from her pack, follows the trail Hinata creates out of the muck.

"At least nobody can see this stupid vest beneath my jacket." Kiba huffs. Shino's beetles form a collective hive around their real Heaven and Earth scrolls, already formed duplicates out of silk and bark one wouldn't notice from first glance.

Akamaru yips his agreement, has already stained said vest with his own scent to throw off anyone already tracking them.

Shino's gaze turns to Hinata. "How does it look to get to the fortress?"

Hinata turns her attention northward, analyzes above and below. "There's...3 people moving quite fast from the northwest. From their chakra signatures, I believe they're the Sand Siblings from Sunagakure."

Kiba shivers, nose wrinkling. "Alright, well for once, we're not going to engage. Akamaru and I can both smell the trail of blood they've been creating since this second phase started."

"Good. With experience, you've started using your mind, not your heart to make sound decisions." Shino compliments him.

Kiba snorts. "Thank you? That ain't a very nice way of saying it, though I guess from you it is."

They trek carefully bypassing the Sand trio letting them get far enough away to not be on their radars hopefully, witnessing the remnants of their massacre.

There's no bodies to even retrieve, just puddles of crimson mixed with sand.

"Ugh, and I thought Naruto could be merciless." Kiba murmurs.

Hinata bites the inside of her cheek, fights down the sting of bile tearing at her throat.

Death.

She should be used to it by now, Naruto would tell her as much from how many hunting trips they've gone on.

"Don't look away, you need to know how to do this. Geez, they really didn't teach you any survival skills at all back at that manor." Naruto orders sharply, Hinata stiffening at his growing impatient look.

She's the one who wanted to learn all this, shaking out her nerves.

"I-I'm fine; continue." Hinata presses, lavender boring into cobalt.

His gaze falls to her trembling fingers, and she balls them to be still. Nausea rises up like a burst of flames, tightens her stomach into a tangle of knots as Naruto unceremoniously snaps at the rabbit's neck.

"It's gonna be common for all the market vendors to give us expired crap or moldy/damaged food they couldn't sell by the end of the day. Hunting out here near the Naka River will offset that." Naruto explains.

Hinata nods her understanding even as her stomach revolts and protests staying here to watch this.

"When did you learn how to hunt?" She can't help but ask, Naruto shrugging as he skins off its brown fur.

"I guess around my 7th or 8th birthday. I received a broken fishing rod as a sacrificial gift. At least the hook could be fashioned into a spear kind of weapon."

An icy wind blows over them, Hinata squirming to keep warm. This is only their 3rd time venturing out here since that New Year's snowstorm blew through Konoha, Naruto apparently unfazed by the chill, the lack of sunshine to warm the grasslands some.

"This...This isn't right. I'm sure if you go to Lord Third and tell him this-"

Naruto's concentration breaks, gazes up at her mockingly.

"Yeah, that was also around the time when I realized Old Man Third wouldn't be doing anything to stop the market vendors from selling me junk. He only checks on me really I think to make sure I haven't escaped y'know. And now he'll make sure you continue to fulfill your duty."

She stiffens at his harshness for their village's leader. Not even Father talks in such a way about Hiruzen even when he disagrees with one of his new policies.

Naruto pays her shock no mind, trims off every piece of fur until only pink and red flesh remains.

He dangles the rabbit up by a leg, features morphing into teasing.

"Now, it's your turn to cut him up properly to ensure we get the most viable pieces of meat. Think you can handle that?"

"Honestly...no." Hinata whispers, heat flooding her face in shame.

Is he going to reprimand her like Father would on showing her weakness so openly? Dr. Hashijimi would give her some energy tonic right about now to supposedly boost her spirits.

To stop being so afraid. Weak.

'Please don't be mad.' Hinata purses her lips, stare dropping to frozen grass at their feet.

The sound of her rising heartbeat drowns out the crackle of wind through the trees, the low hoots of owls about to retreat to the darker sections of the woods.

Her hands quiver all over again and Naruto sighs, maneuvers himself behind her to straighten and guide her hands.

She blinks in surprise at his gentle action, blush surely running down her neck to her shoulders now.

Naruto chuckles, voice tickling in her ears. "It's a nice change to not have you freak out with me this close."

And slowly, Hinata lets him clasp her hands into proper form.

"Relax, I'm not having you waste our catch."

"It makes sense he's a deadly opponent. Why? Because he's Suna's own jinchuriki." Shino voices taking her out of the memory.

Kiba bristles. "Wait, what?! Where'd you get that info?"

"My insects that listened in on the other Suna team. His name is Gaara or Gaara of the Sand Waterfall."

Hinata tunes into bits and pieces of their conversation, chest tightening realizing they're discussing another jinchuriki.

"Are sacrificial traditions the same in Suna as it is here?" She asks.

Shino shakes his head, gaze keeping forward for any final adversaries lying in wait near the center.

"No. Whether it's based on rumors or fact, stories go that the Kazekage, his Father gives him human sacrifices every year. All people 'gifted' to him to test how fast Gaara can kill them."

Team 7, Forest of Death Northeast

'My bladder is going to burst if I hold it any longer.'

Sakura sits up first from their makeshift fire, sets down her bento box with a sharp enough clang against the side of a fallen pine tree for Sasuke and Naruto to peer up. She looks at them both hesitatingly, hands knotted at her sides.

"I'll be back in a minute."

Sasuke holds up a hand before she can go.

"The code?"

She makes the boar, ram, and tiger symbols with her hands quickly, points upward.

"Time check: The time is 1900, a bright star is in the northern sky."

Naruto and Sasuke nod, though truly, at least to Naruto, their signals seem overly complicated.

3 animal symbols that have to be done in a particular order. Sakura leading with Boar, Sasuke with Tiger, and he with the Ram.

And on top of that, a unique direction and saying they must point in to fully confirm their identity.

For Sakura, it's any position in the north, Sasuke is south, and he can point either westward or eastbound.

However, if someone really wants to take their scroll, they won't bother with the pleasantries of forming their secret codes or even disguising themselves as one of them.

Sakura is gone for less than 5 minutes before she returns, plops down with a huff.

"I swear it feels like even the smallest animals are watching our every move." She grumbles, reaching for her bento box once more only for Sasuke to send a kunai right near her fingers making her jolt.

"You haven't given the code." He warns at her bewildered look.

Sakura pouts out her cheeks, but does as he wants giving the correct code.

"Geez Sasuke, no need to flash your weapon on me so fast!"

Sasuke gets into a standing position, dark eyes spinning to vermilion.

"You're not Sakura."

A hand comes out of the bushes, roughly pulls on 'Sakura's' hair tumbling her backwards.

"You...You ass! How dare you sneak up on me in the middle of me doing my private business!" The real Sakura growls.

She winds up a fist before her imposter can retaliate, punch slamming her into the ground.

Naruto whistles lowly at the mini crater that forms, glances back to Sasuke.

"How'd you know it wasn't her?"

Sasuke shrugs. "Her tone and demeanor didn't match how Sakura's been acting as of late."

Naruto hums at that saying nothing more, steps closer to get a better look at who this is.

Sakura's anger shifts beside him as the dust settles, brows knotting.

"I didn't punch this guy or girl so hard to tear off skin like that." She mutters, skin around the stranger's face ripped revealing burnt flesh.

Golden snake-like eyes clouding over.

A shiver races down his back in alarm.

'This body. It was only a distraction.' Naruto frowns.

A crackle comes from his left just as he sees the glitter of fangs heading for them, brown and black scales of the snake shining in the fire's glow.

"Move back!" Naruto shouts, shoves Sakura back towards Sasuke just as his world gets engulfed in darkness.

He faintly hears another voice before the snake can fully clamp down around him, a sharp laugh.

"Ah, it's about time I test your worthiness, Sasuke Uchiha. Do so and I may just reward your team the Earth Scroll you need."

Stickiness coats him all over, Naruto drawing in a breath.

'I'm not dying in a giant snake of all things.'

"Wind Release: Air Bullets!"

The snake gives pause, too late to use its stomach acid against him as its skin bursts out.

It led him somewhere southward, adjusting himself to follow its trail back the opposite way.

'Team Shiore. It has to be them, but I still don't know why their leader is so focused on Sasuke.' Naruto clicks his tongue, pushes for his body to go faster.

He comes back upon Sakura and Sasuke frozen under the man's stare, face half melted from Sasuke's flames revealing those same golden eyes, skin an ashy gray.

"Slowing down? Such a shame you can't remove that extra attire." His grin widens.

Naruto's gaze turns to Sasuke's vest, mini tears in the cotton exposing the weights.

"Your body is just as remarkable as I thought it would be Sasuke. All you need is a bit more...power. And I can give you that, you haven't forgotten your dreams of revenge; have you?" He purrs.

He launches his neck forward, Sakura snapping out of her terror slamming a hand to the bark.

"Get back! Earth release: Earth Flow Spears!"

Spikes of mud and stone protrude up in a wave, forming a barrier all around them.

The man snickers at her effort, head slivering around the spikes, slamming her roughly aside.

"Foolish girl, your flimsy shield won't stop me!"

Naruto leaps down from behind, forms a gale of wind.

A hand pierces into his stomach from his side, second clone sliding out from the bushes peering back at him.

"Don't interrupt me little jinchuriki."

'What the? What did he just do to me?!' Naruto stumbles to maintain his balance as the clone disappears in a puff of air, metallic taste coating the back of his mouth.

Still, he pushes forward, too late to stop as this man sinks his teeth into Sasuke's neck, leaves behind a charcoal black tattoo on his skin.

He drops the Earth Scroll into his collapsing form, chuckles.

"A reward for holding out so long. Now you all just need to make it to the center fortress, which I'm sure you can do. I look forward to the day we meet again Sasuke." He promises before receding back into the woods.

Sakura's breath comes in gasps as Naruto weaves his way through the spikes to them, blood seeping from her knee, Sasuke trembling in her lap before slipping completely unconscious.

"I'm sorry. I-I couldn't stop him...or this." Her voice warbles.

Spots fill her eyes, Naruto steadying her as she too faints.

He lays them back against the bark, thankful at least for the spiky barrage Sakura has given them.

His own vision fights with him, wincing as he clutches a hand to his stomach, settling himself between them.

Through an opening in the rock's needles, he sees a silver full moon rising.

He can only doze, bite through these ripples of pain.

'Night is just beginning.'

Hinata-Team 8, Central Tower

"Congratulations to you all!" Kurenai beams. They aren't amid the first teams to arrive, but they all made it here with both scrolls intact.

Alive.

She carefully avoids Kakashi and Asuma's gaze, both of their teams yet to arrive.

'Concentrate on the here and now.' Kurenai reminds herself.

The second stage of the exams is a success for Team 8.

Hinata pulls on a smile, buries down an ache circling about her chest as her eyes search about the room for blond locks.

'He's not here yet.'

Just before her eyes can fully circle the room though does Neji catch her gaze, stare as sharp as during the first phase of the exams.

He scoffs, mutters something to TenTen who peers her way as well.

'I'm not going to give up after coming this far.' Hinata calms her breathing, toes curling.

Auburn eyes peer between them both, expression softening back on Neji.

"Oh come on, she's your kid cousin; right? Go easy on her...it's not her fault she's a sacrifice."

"I agree with TenTen! She's showing extraordinary courage being here!" Lee declares.

"I will do no such thing. Hinata needs to learn sacrifices aren't seen or heard once casted off."

She long ago learned how to read lips, stomach twisting with revulsion, cheeks burning at the slew of new stares sent her way.

'They aren't even trying to be quiet.'

But still when Neji looks back at her she smiles, puzzling and probably frustrating him all at once.

Kiba tosses off his vest as soon as a proctor clears him, Hinata turning her focus back to her team as he shakes away sweat from his top.

"About freaking time I can take that gear off!" He exclaims, happily lets Akamaru chew up the shoulder pads.

Shino rolls his shoulders to loosen them up, but otherwise his expression doesn't change.

"Worried about where Naruto is?" Kurenai asks at Hinata's peering around, stiffening at her furrowed brows when she finally looks her way.

"...I'm sure he's fine, but-"

She stops herself seeing Team 7 enter the building, takes in a mop of dried blood to Naruto's hair and clothes.

Red has soaked the orange of his clothes into patches various shades of maroon and copper brown.

Sasuke and Sakura don't look much better, equally covered in dirt and leaves from the forest.

"Geez, and I thought we looked liked shit upon arriving." Kiba mutters.

Hinata nudges him in his side, exactly where she knows he gained a bruise from a near tumble making him hiss.

Naruto nods in her direction before gesturing with a thumb to the bathroom.

"I'm going to try and wash some of this off."

Sakura simply nods while Kakashi looks them over, about to find that curse seal upon Sasuke's neck that both he and Sakura couldn't make heads or tails of.

All they know is, the seal isn't one either of them can get rid of for now.

"Oh, so it's you that horrid smell is coming from." Neji peers up from the sinks, scoffs at Naruto looking him up and down.

Gai-sensei said to be wary of him, but Naruto hardly poses a threat at barely even arriving in time to the center.

Naruto's eyes burn scarlet, stare him up and down right back, equally assessing.

"Ah, Hinata's cousin. Neji Hyūga."

Neji blows out a breath. "Our familial ties were broken when she was sacrificed to you."

He moves to walk past him to rejoin the others only for Naruto to block his path.

Veins pulse along the sides of his eyes, Naruto catching his hand before he can aim a finger for his chest.

"I know you want to kill Hinata. She's had nightmares about it y'know, worries you'll never learn the truth from her Old Man." Naruto voices.

Neji clicks his tongue, rips his hand from his hold.

"There's no truth to know and it's none of your concern. Hinata is a weakling, Uncle sacrificed her for multiple good reasons. The Hyūga have no need for her staining our reputation in power in Konoha and amid the other nations."

Naruto listens to his spiel quietly, heat rising around the bathroom, fingers coiling around his neck a breath later.

White bores into crimson, nails digging and clawing at his arms to try and shove Naruto off to no avail.

He can easily crack his neck he considers quickly, paralyze one of his arms or legs here and now with his speed.

Or maybe he'll slash one of his eyes, render him half blind and out of favor of the Hyūga Elders...

A pit of dread ignites, staring at death himself.

"Alright then, but just know this. If you do get matched up against Hinata in this tournament and fight her to kill, I will go after you."

-x-

Happy Lunar New Year! It's also Super Bowl weekend so lots happening in the world! There's a lot I want to cover, but I don't want to overload chapters with too much! Dramatic fights coming up!

I do have a question. Will you guys' care if Sasuke is hardly focused on for a good chunk of this story? I know this is a Canon AU so I can and will change things, but he's so essential to canon and the deuteragonist of the main story that it's possible his presence will feel lost in key moments.

Honestly, with all my drafts for future chapters he only plays some minor roles in what Sakura does in the future. I want to and plan to spotlight secondary characters getting some shine!

Naruto, I will say for example, won't be focused on getting him to return back to the village. He has his own goals that will come up with time that don't involve Sasuke on top of his personality change to not care as much as his canon counterpart.

As always, pa-tre-ons get early release of my chapters along with my other NSFW one-shots and my original works! I go by TheLovelyMidnightWriter there. Insta by the same name as well for my anime drawings, book recommendations, and some of my travel blogging!

Otherwise, let me know your thoughts!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!