Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Wait, did that happen before? ❯ No Bells In the Forest of Death ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 5: No Bells in the Forest of Death

When Sakura arrived at training ground three, Lee, Ino, Tenten, Kiba, and Yahiko were already there. 'Looks like I'm the last to arrive.' As she approached the group, Lee spotted her first.

"Ah, Sakura! You have finally arrived! I was beginning to fear that you had decided to ditch on our final training session! That would have been most unyouthful!" Turning, he began to address the entire group. "As you know, if all goes well, this will be our final training session. You have already passed the final exam at the academy, and as such, no longer need help preparing for it."

'Oh hell,' thought Sakura. Several months had passed since Sakura and the other Power Rangers had, upon Tenten's urging, started training with Lee to improve their taijutsu. They had asked for his help under the pretense of preparing for the academy graduation exam. Lee had been impressed at their �eyouthful spirit and determination' to train outside of class and immediately agreed to help them. However, with them having graduated from the academy, that pretense no longer held up. Apparently, Lee had realized this and concluded that they weren't going to train with him anymore.

"What you may not know, however, is that you are not yet genin. Each of you has one final test that will be bestowed upon you by your new jounin instructors. Failure means being returned to the academy."

"What?" Ino and Sakura both yelped. "My instructor didn't say anything about that!" Immediately afterward, they turned and glared at each other.

"Indeed," Lee replied. "Some of the instructors prefer to test their new students without telling them of the stakes. It is their way of ensuring that the students being tested act no different than they would if it were any other mission."

"That's not fair!" Sakura replied, sounding irritated. "My instructor told me we were going camping in training ground forty-four! I thought we were getting a short vacation."

"You're test is that you're camping in the forest of death?!" Tenten asked, looking horrified. Lee also looked surprised at this revelation. "Is he trying to get you killed?"

Sakura paled. "Is... is it that bad?"

"That bad? They use the forest of death to test chunin. Genin aren't even supposed to be in there, normally. That place is way too dangerous for fresh academy graduates."

"I'm... I'm sure that your new instructor will take measures to keep you safe," Lee replied, though he sounded rather uncertain. "If it does come down to your team dying or failing, please fail. You will get another chance next term. It is not worth risking your team in a situation they cannot handle. That is actually what I wanted to talk about tonight." Lee turned back toward the rest of the group. "Normally, only a third of the genin teams are accepted. Since there were ten teams of graduates in your class, only three of them are going to become genin. So... are any of you on the same team?"

The four academy graduates looked at each other. "Aw crap."

"That is what I was afraid of. Regardless of how well you do, at least one of you is going to be sent back to the academy. I am sorry. I can offer to continue to help train whoever does not make it, but I am afraid that is all I can do."

'...Wait.' "I'll help too," replied Sakura, casting a meaningful look at the others.

"Me too," Ino immediately volunteered. "After all, how would it look if I didn't help when Sakura was willing to?"

"Me and Akamaru will also help whoever doesn't make it," Kiba added.

"You're not leaving me out of this!" Yahiko practically shouted, a determined look on his face.

"Looks like we're going to keep training together for a while, then," said Tenten with a grin.

"YOSH! Very well! We shall continue to aid each other in our training! Tonight, let us train to our hearts content so that tomorrow you all do the best that you possibly can!"

"Yeah!"

0o0o0

Negi quietly packed his newly purchased camping gear. He hadn't actually expected being a ninja to involve camping, so up until that day, he hadn't owned any. However, Ryouga had told him to come prepared for a camping trip, and training ground forty-four appeared to be a forest of some sort, so acquiring some had been necessary. Looking around his otherwise empty apartment, Negi sighed. 'Hopefully we will start getting missions, soon. Otherwise, my budget may get rather tight.'

Sighing, he turned to his training dummy. After staring at it for a few seconds, he let go of his pack. With a single motion, he drew the staff from his back and pointed it toward the dummy. A moment later, two magic arrows of lightning crashed into it. 'Darn. Still just two. Looks like that's all I can do without using the chant. And while I can pass this off as a jutsu easily enough, I doubt I'll be able to do that with any spells that I use the incantations for.'

Returning the staff to his back, he picked up his pack and carried it over to the door. Setting it down next to his ninja gear, Negi turned and headed over to his bed.

0o0o0

Naruto, now thoroughly filled with his favorite meal, attempted to get some sleep. Unfortunately, this proved to be unexpectedly difficult. Not for the first time that night, he rolled over in his bed, his thoughts on the upcoming test. 'Training ground forty-four. What was it about that place? I know it's something important, but I can't remember what.' Despite his best efforts, Naruto simply couldn't recall what it was about training ground forty-four that was important. 'Oh well. I'll find out in the morning. For now, I should just focus on getting some sleep. Can't go out there tired and hungry like I did last time. This time, I'm gonna get that stupid bell, no matter what!' With a confident grin, Naruto finally managed to drift off to sleep.

0o0o0

The next day, Naruto set out bright and early, intending to be the first member of his team to get to the meeting point. Because punctuality was important. That Sakura hated people who were always late had very little to do with it. Really.

As Naruto arrived at training ground forty-four, he finally remembered what it was that he'd been unable to recall the night before. '...Oh fuck. Training ground forty-four is the Forest of Death.'

Surprisingly, despite arriving early to try to impress Sakura with his punctuality, he found that he wasn't the first person to arrive. Somehow, his new instructor had actually beaten him there. And apparently, gotten bored, set up a campfire, roasted something over it, eaten it, left the bones of whatever he ate by the fire, extinguished said fire, set up a tent, and gone to sleep inside it.

'...Wait. Did he actually camp out over here?' Before Naruto could wake up his new jounin instructor to get an answer for his question, Sakura arrived. Carrying a large pack not unlike the one Ryouga had worn the day before. 'Oh come on! Is she going to start dressing like him next?' Fuming, Naruto walked over to the tent, intending to kick his new sensei awake.

Spotting the tent, Sakura groaned. 'Okay, our instructor is taking this curse crap way too far,' thought Sakura. Briefly humoring the idea of kicking him awake, Sakura took a step toward the tent. And frowned as her eyes reached Naruto. Who did not have a pack with him. "Naruto... where's your equipment?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked at the side of his leg, verifying the presence of his pouch of ninja tools. "Right here," he replied, tapping said pouch.

"Not that! Your camping gear? Where is it?"

'...Camping gear?' However, before Naruto had a chance to invoke a beating from Sakura, Negi arrived.

"Naruto, Sakura, good morning. I see you've already started setting up camp. ...Er, is Ryouga sleeping?"

"Yes, he is," Sakura said with a frown. "HEY! WAKE UP!"

Naruto, still irritated at Sakura's apparent sucking up to their instructor and missing that Negi also had a pack, helpfully delivered a swift kick to the side of his sleeping instructor. And then immediately clutched his foot in pain. 'ARG! What the hell is he made of? Iron?'

Sleepily, Ryouga sat up. After rubbing his eyes, he looked around. "Ah. So this was the right place. Good morning, everyone." Yawning, he shrugged off his blanket and climbed out of his tent. He took a moment to look over his students, then turned his attention to Naruto. "Planning on roughing it all the way, eh? Considering just where we're camping, that's probably not the best idea. So just this once, I'll lend you my equipment. But in the future, if I say you should bring something, do yourself a favor and bring it." Naruto responded with a confused look. A look that Ryouga missed entirely as he began putting his camping gear back into his pack.

"But instructor, what will you use?" asked Negi. "Or did you bring extra food and sleeping bags in case someone forgot theirs?" Naruto's look of confusion changed to one of horror.

'Oh hell. Oh hell! We're not doing the bell test.' The kyuubi started laughing. 'Why are you...? YOU! YOU KNEW!'

<Of course I did. Just because you stop paying attention to your surroundings when you talk to me doesn't mean I stop paying attention when I talk to you.>

'You asshole! Why didn't you say something?'

<Why should I help you? It's so much more entertaining when you have no idea what's going on. Besides, it's not as if failing this test means death. By the way, you're doing it again.>

'What? Oh dammit!' Naruto brought his attention back to reality, just in time for Ryouga to hand him a kunai.

"If you use them you forfeit the test."

Naruto felt like screaming in frustration as the kyuubi began laughing once more.