Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Glimpses of Fire ❯ Forest of Blood and Delirium ( Chapter 13 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Glimpses of Fire

Author: shattered-words

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, it'd be called `Gaara'. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it?

Summary: There were many things that shaped the plans of a certain Nukenin, and one was a shinobi that was as destructive as fire. AU/Mentions of Shounen-ai/Yaoi/Yuri

AN: Sorry it took so long to update this next chapter and the one before. I was waiting to get my new laptop for my birthday, and I finally got it! Happy Birthday to me, yay! ^.^ As you can tell, it was an eventful week, and I got to see my brother again, which is awesome. Anyway, enough talk. On with the chapter. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter Thirteen: Forest of Blood and Delirium~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The three shinobi from Amegakure stood defiantly before the red haired Suna-nin as he glared at them. Any that knew him would have been trembling in fear at having such a look directed at them. It wasn't because he looked especially dangerous, since everyone around exceeded him in sheer size and height. However, one look into his turquoise orbs would send a shiver of terror through the toughest fighters. “Hurry up and die.”

Shigure smirked and quickly extracted four umbrellas from his back, two in each hand. “I'm not the one that's going to die!” he yelled as he threw them into the air, bringing his hands to form seals. `Ninpou, Joro Senbon!' As the parasols were in the air above Gaara, they started to pin and then spat out needles that hovered in the air for the moment.

“You're completely surrounded. All one thousand of those needles will swarm in response to my chakra and seek you out.” Gaara didn't seem too impressed as he maintained his stance with his arms crossed over his chest and the same expression as the needles descended on him.

`That was almost too easy,' the Ame-nin thought smugly as the cloud of what he took to be dirt surrounded the youth so he was out of sight for several moments. However, he froze as everything started to clear.

“Is that all you've got?” a cold voice cut through the gathering silence. When he was finally able to see he was shocked to see a dome of sand surrounding him. The needles had struck the barrier and not one had penetrated his body. Gaara's face peered at him through an opening, eyes narrowed viciously.

“That's not possible,” he said aloud, so great was his shock. “Nothing touched him!” Bringing his hand in a seal before him, he made a few more needles fly at him but again the sand came up on its own to defend against the attack.

Gaara's face was shadowed within the dome and he appeared more sinister than he had before as Shigure shivered. “If you're finished, then it's my turn to respond with a deluge of blood,” he muttered and started to gather his chakra.

Meanwhile, three Konoha ninja were watching with abated breath as the one known as Inuzuka Kiba stared in shock. “His chakra, it's immense,” he whispered to his companions, Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata. “And that sand has the smell of...”

Shino turned to look at him and his normally stoic features were hardened into a frown. There was sweat dripping down the side of his face since he also sensed the amount of chakra the Sand ninja was exuding. “What smell?”

Kiba clenched his teeth and there were fangs peeking past his lips. The girl also turned to look at him, becoming worried by the look on her friend's face. “It sticks of blood,” he finally responded, voice lowered so they wouldn't be heard. They all turned their attention toward the scarlet haired youth once again to watch the interaction of the Sand and Rain ninja.

Shigure growled and shook his head. “No way,” he spoke at last after several seconds of stunned silence. “Those needles should be able to pierce even a five-millimeter thickness of tempered steel!”

Kankurou smirked and shook his head at the words. “It's no good,” he commented simply. “You're not good enough to touch Gaara.” His words were smug and with good reason but the other ninja didn't take his subtle yet obvious warning.

The older shinobi charged forward and grabbed one of his remaining umbrellas. “Shut up!” he yelled as he ran at the red head. As he prepared to attack, he wouldn't see Kankurou shake his head with a sigh, or as Gaara brought his hands together to form a seal.

Gaara thrust one hand forward, fingers curved into a claw. `Sabaku Kyu!' The very dirt on the ground seemed to spring up and catch hold of the man's feet, impeding his movements. It started to wrap around him until his whole body was engulfed with the exception of his face. Gaara let his hands drop back to his sides as he stared at the man with eyes devoid of compassion.

Shigure struggled against the sand but there was barely any room to even shift his body around. He was sure that if he remained in here, the air would be compressed from his lungs, and it was already getting difficult to breathe. “I c-can't move!” he muttered, not able to see the shocked look of his teammates. The umbrellas he had sent into the air for his first attack fell harmlessly to the ground before him.

The kunoichi finally spoke up, a slight smirk curving her lips. “As you can see, Gaara has total mastery over the sand on the ground and in the air as well.” When he declared that he could free himself easily, the look on her face told him that she highly doubted he could. She was right. The sand was pressing his limbs down firmly.

Gaara moved forward a few steps. “If you don't shut up I'll seal your lips and cut off your air,” he spoke, his voice a chilling whisper that he could still hear even over his rapid breathing. “But you're hardly worth the effort.” He popped open one of the umbrellas and held it over his head as he lifted his free hand toward him. Shigure felt himself being lifted higher as he started to panic, eyes wide with fear. He met the red head's gaze and knew only terror just as he closed his hand into a fist.

`Sabaku Soso!'

The sand contracted rapidly around him, crushing him completely so his blood splattered in every direction, and the Konoha Genin watched in horror as it came to rain down on Gaara. He didn't seem too bothered by this, the umbrella shielding his clothes and body from being dirtied by the crimson liquid as the other two Ame shinobi shrieked in fright.

“It's quick and painless. I used far more force than was necessary to ensure that,” he spoke. The words weren't meant to comfort as was obvious by his bone chilling tone. “Bitter crimson tears flow from lifeless eyes and mingle with the endless sands, bestowing ever-greater power upon the demon god.” His eyes flicked toward the other two as they shuddered before the frightening youth.

The rain ninja, the short of the three who was known as Baiu, crouched down and placed the Heaven scroll he held on the ground. “Here...take the scroll,” he said, voice shaking considerably. “Please, just let us go!”

However, the sand shinobi merely threw the umbrella aside and brought up both his arms. The other two men screamed in terror as the sand came up to imprison them, their wide eyes brimming with tears as the kunoichi smiled and waved at them. “Bye-bye!” she said as if bidding them a fond farewell. Gaara wasted no time and closed his hands as they were also crushed to death and their blood splattering the ground.

Kiba and his team had watched all this in horrified silence, but now they started to move away as panic settled in when they realized just how dangerous this Suna ninja was. “Let's get out of here while we still can!” Kiba gasped, the puppy whining from inside his coat. “If they spot us, we're as good as dead.” Even Shino, who was usually so cool-headed, was completely terrified as he quickly backed away.

“Lucky us,” Kankurou commented with a smirk as he picked up the scroll from the ground. “We needed the Heaven scroll.” He tucked it away before turning toward his two siblings. “Now we can head straight for the tower.”

His younger brother's voice made his freeze as he heard the dangerous tone. “Not yet,” he hissed. Kankurou turned to look at him and the older ninja saw his bloodshot eyes, and it was a sure sign that he was becoming crazed by the scent of blood. “No, I still haven't been sated.” The taller boy flinched and started to perspire more nervously. He suddenly wished that Eizan was there, since the girl always seemed to calm the boy down. He'd never say this out loud and risk Gaara's anger, but he sure wished the shorter boy hadn't agreed to Otogakure's conditions.

Meanwhile, the three hiding in the bushes had become deadly still upon hearing his words, and they shivered and wondered if Gaara had sensed their presence. “Crap, does he know we're here?” Kiba whispered fiercely and clenched his teeth so they would chatter with the fear gripping his body as the dog continued to softly whine his warning.

Kankurou could he heard trying to convince the shorter shinobi to leave for the tower, and anyone listening would be able to tell that he was afraid as well.

“Are you frightened, coward?” Gaara asked as his eyes narrowed dangerously. He noticed that his older brother didn't back down this time and it could very well be his downfall.

The puppet master gathered his courage and insisted. “We only need one set of scrolls Gaara.” His hands were held before himself as if to show that he didn't have any weapon. It was a reflective thing since he had always been scared of the red head. When they had been younger, he had always wanted to approach so he could know his brother better, but his father had forbidden it. Then, something had happened and the younger boy had turned cold instead of sad and lonely. It had been a few years before he realized that his own father had sent assassins after his brother.

“Fool, I don't take orders from you,” Gaara said with a frown. He lifted his arm up, curling the fingers for the technique again as the other flinched. It was both satisfying and disturbing to know that Temari and Kankurou were scared of him. During the time of his naivety, he had wished that his older siblings would look in his direction and offer a smile or a gesture of reassurance, but it had never come. They had been distant people, his brother and sister both, and now the riff between them was too wide to ever repair.

Kankurou surprised himself when he stepped forward again and grabbed Gaara by the white sash. “That's enough,” he exclaimed even as his voice shook. “For once Gaara, listen to what your big brother tells you!” It took all he had to tell him that, meeting his gaze over the small distance between them.

“I've never thought of either of you as my siblings,” he said with a soft growl, swatting his hand away. “Cross me and I will kill you.”

Temari also stepped forward to try and stop him. “Don't you see me as a sister?” she asked. He said nothing as his features hardened into a scowl, and lifted his hand toward the bushes where the three Konoha Genin were hiding. The sand started to move in the direction he indicated.

The three hidden ninja tensed in shock, eyes going wide as they felt the sand starting to surround them, knowing that it was too late to run. Kiba could hear his small dog start to increase his lament as if he knew that they were doomed already.

“Gaara!” Temari cried out.

Suddenly, the scarlet haired ninja stopped and his gaze shifted to the side before he lowered his hand. The sand ceased its movement and for a second it seemed that Temari and Kankurou had gotten through to him.

A figure darted from the surrounding trees and appeared besides Gaara, kneeling on one knee. “Eizan,” the boy muttered and looked down at her. Only the two siblings would see the hard look in his eyes soften when it came to land on the girl.

“Gaara-dono,” she replied and motioned toward the two figures that were emerging from the bushes where his attention had just been directed. Amane had her hands stuffed into her pockets and was looking off into the distance as she stood beside her other teammate. Iwane had her arms folded behind her head as she grinned in his direction.

“We have yet to attain a second scroll but are about to do so.” It was clear that her first objective had been to find him and ensure that he got his before anything else. Eizan glanced toward the other two and saw as Kankurou lifted up both scrolls for her to see. She nodded and then turned back toward the red head, awaiting her orders.

Kiba and his teammates were practically hyperventilating as they peered up at the two figures that stood before them. They weren't looking down and it almost seemed like they couldn't see them at all. The Inuzuka rubbed the dog's head to quiet him down or the dangerous youth might return his attention toward them. It seemed that for the moment they were saved, but confused as to why these two shinobi weren't revealing their location.

After a moment, Gaara nodded and lifted his hand. He caught the cork out of the air which had been carried by his sand and he placed it over the opening of the gourd. “Very well then,” he finally spoke before turning away. “Secure your other scroll and meet me at the tower.”

Gaara started to walk away but he hesitated and twisted slightly around to look at her, opening his mouth to speak. Then he closed it and turned away once again, walking off without another word. Temari and Kankurou nodded in her direction before hurrying after their sibling.

Eizan watched him until he was out of sight and let a smile cross her lips that was gone when she stood and turned to face her teammates. “Let's go,” she said simply and went in the direction she had appeared from. She didn't give any indication that she even saw the three Genin that were still sitting in front of her two teammates.

Amane followed without a word, but Iwane finally glanced at them before crouching down, arms resting against her bent knees. “A word of advice, steer clear of Gaara-san and Eizan-sama.” A grin adorned her face that wasn't reassuring in the least. “It's for your own good, trust me.” Her eyes flicked to Hinata and she winked at her, making the other girl blush horribly. She straightened with a laugh before hurrying after the other two. “Damn it, wait for me!” she whined, and when her voice had faded, the three almost collapsed backwards.

Kiba shuddered as he tried to slow his heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat, not quite understanding what had just happened. However, one thing was certain, and that was that this Eizan person had saved their asses, but they didn't know why. “No wonder Akamaru was so upset,” he gasped as the dog gave a whine as if in agreement. “You were trying to warn us, huh boy?”

Shino turned his attention toward his teammates, mouth parted as he panted, clearly shaken from the experience. “W-what do you mean?” he asked, his voice breaking slightly.

Turning to look at the bug user, Kiba frowned. “Akamaru was trying to tell us that the big guy was in danger...not dangerous! He meant that the kid from Suna was going to kill him,” he responded. He shuddered slightly as he gulped. He leaned against his arms as he threw his head back so the hood came off to reveal his short, wild brown hair.

Shino nodded as he turned to look in the direction that Gaara had gone off in. “Hai, that ninja from Sunagakure is deadly.” Then he glanced the way the other three Suna shinobi had gone off in. “I wonder why they helped us?” He looked at Kiba and knew he was wondering the same thing, and so was Hinata, who was still as red as a tomato.

Shino frowned as he remembered the Sand-nin's warning to stay away from Gaara and Eizan both. He had been there when Sasuke had asked Kabuto about the two ninja from Suna, and knew that the Ashikaga Eizan in his information was dead.

`Then who is this other shinobi with the same name and face?' he wondered, but no answer came to him. For now, all they could do was move toward the tower with their two scrolls and heed the advice to stay as far away as possible from the dangerous Sabaku no Gaara.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Eizan quickly stopped on a tree branch and her older teammate did the same, and another figure was seen draped over Iwane's shoulders. “Damn it all to hell,” she hissed and moved forward to help her friend lower the taller girl onto the branch.

“I...should have been watching her more carefully,” the Erizawa stuttered. Her emerald eyes, which were usually light and carefree, were dark with worry and fear.

The Ashikaga frowned and shook her head. “We both should have,” she muttered. She reached out and pushed back her shirt and she sealed her lips around her flesh were two wide puncture holes were visible as she sucked hard. A grimace crossed her face before she pulled back and turned her head and spat the poison out.

“Is she going to be okay?” she asked, her voice trembling. It was disturbing to see the jovial girl so subdued and afraid for her friend. Eizan couldn't blame her. Amane was Iwane's most important person in the world.

“Of course,” she snapped, and then breathed in to calm herself when the other flinched. “The snake knocked her out, so she hasn't made any movements. That means the venom hasn't spread to her heart yet.” She opened Amane's mouth and forced a pill down her throat. “It will help counter most of the effects of the poison, so she'll be up and about by nightfall.”

Iwane nodded and helped Eizan move their teammate to a more comfortable position as they stationed themselves around her. If they were attack now, the outcome wouldn't be favorable for them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Haku glanced at his two teammates as they continued on a steady pace through the forest. They had started from gate 33 and had the Earth scroll in their possession. It might be a bit tricky but not too much of a problem to secure one from the weaker teams, and there were sure to be many of those.

Sanako had been trained by her medic-nin mother since she'd started in the Academy and Anzai was an expert in weapon handling and taijutsu, since his father was part of Anbu and had taught him a lot. Haku had a general understanding of the human body and surpassed the other boy in hand to hand, but not when it came to the various uses with weapons. That's where the Hideaki boy excelled, especially when it was combined with chakra.

“What do you suggest we do?” Sanako asked the older boy. Take was from outside their village and had lived in a wooded area with his parents most of his life. He seemed like the best one equipped to survive in the woods.

Anzai snorted and landed on a tree branch. “Why the hell are you asking him for?” he demanded of his sister. He crossed his arms over his chest and blew a few strands of hair out of his face. “He doesn't know anymore than we do about this place.”

“Urusei, Zai-kun,” she snapped at him. The boy gave a pout and went silent. “I know that you lived in the woods with your parents Take-kun, but these are a bit different, of course. Do you have any suggestions about what route we should take?”

Haku glanced between the Hideaki twins and almost sighed. Anzai would sulk after being scolded by his sister and the girl would later become annoyed because he'd ignore her. It would be a miracle if they made it out of the Forest of Death without one of them losing a limb, or at least with Haku losing his sanity.

“I suggest we move,” he said and they all jumped away in time to avoid an attack. They'd just encountered their first Genin team, and it looked like a team from Amegakure.

“Leave them to me,” Anzai announced with a grin as he unleashed a barrage of shuriken in their direction. The rain-nin dodged them and smirked. The Hideaki laughed. “Don't get too cocky.” They turned around in time to see the projectiles make a U-turn and come at them again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was nearing night fall when the Kusa-nin encountered Naruto's Genin team. The younger ninjas were swept away by a strong wind jutsu and were separated from one another. Luckily, Sasuke had them remember a password before it happened.

The three ninja from village hidden in grass had watched this happen and then as they recovered. The blonde had gotten blown away the farthest and would remain occupied with a little surprise. The other two looked to the long haired shinobi for instructions.

“I'm going in alone,” he told them, already forming hand seals. “Find the girl and capture her. Dispose of the others.” He was gone and the other two darted off in search of the kunoichi from Sunagakure.

Meanwhile, the other had transformed himself into Naruto using henge, and he approached the other two as he smirked inwardly. He almost licked his lips when he thought about what he might gain from this wonderful Chunin Exam.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The two shinobi from grass didn't have to search long to find their target, the team of kunoichi from the land of sand. The bald one grinned behind his macabre mask that looked to have been drilled into his skull. The bamboo hat, that hung from his neck and rested at his back, had the Kusa sign on the front and a tag that read `Punishment' hanging from the side of it.

His teammate wore the same type of bamboo hat on his head with the sign for grass, but his tag read `Crime', and he also had more hair than his companion.

“That's them,” spoke the masked one, whom was called Ryouji. His teammate, called Kinuo, nodded and they were off.

Ryouji wore long sleeved chain mail underneath a short sleeved shirt that ended at his knees, pants of the same color, and a large rope tied around his waist. He also donned black fingerless gloves so that his claw-like nails were revealed. Kinuo might have been wearing the same thing but he had a tattered cloak that covered most of his body, and the rope hung around his neck.

The masked Kusa-nin formed seals for a Genjutsu as they started to move in. They could tell that one their team was incapacitated. It would be easier than they had first thought.

The information they had on the Suna team was limited, so they had no idea at what level Eizan, Iwane and Amane were at. All they knew was that their leader wanted the short kunoichi.

They didn't question Orochimaru since it wasn't the wisest choice you'd make, but it would definitely be your last. Also, they would make sure to successfully complete this mission because failure was worse than questioning the snake's authority.

Kinuo and Ryouji glanced at one another momentarily to assure themselves that the girls hadn't noticed. Eizan and Iwane were too busy looking after Amane, whose fever had escalated. If they were lucky, she might die and then they'd only have to worry about two of them.

When they moved to attack, they separated and moved in on them. Ryouji cut down the taller kunoichi and Kinuo went for Eizan. They were shocked as Iwane and Amane's bodies disappeared and the figure of the short haired girl latched onto Kinuo. A scream left his lips when the clone burst into flame and he was consumed by the fire.

A few feet away, Iwane set Amane's feverish body down and glanced around the truck of the tree. They had been alerted that someone was approaching and since Amane was still suffering from the fever so Eizan had ordered her to take the Itagaki as she distracted the intruder. "Kuso," she cursed quietly as she glanced down at her teammate.

Iwane gasped as she heard the warning too late and turned to defend against a barrage of several kunai. However, a figure appeared immediately in front of them and deflected the projectiles as they grunted in pain.

“Get her out of here,” Eizan hissed. Iwane swore she heard a hint of pain underlying her tone, but she didn't have Amane's ears and she hesitated. “GO!” Iwane clenched her teeth, but quickly grabbed Amane and flung her over her shoulder as she hopped off.

Ryouji had been momentarily distracted by his teammate's cries of pain as his skin peeled off in black chunks. Death had claimed his body as the masked ninja heard a soft, cruel chuckle that almost made him shudder, and brought his attention to the trees.

The short kunoichi stood on a branch above him, her arms at her sides. There didn't seem to be any sign of the other two, but he quickly spotted them several branches away. A grin spread over his face when he noticed that the taller of the two was still out cold and the other was distracted. He withdrew several kunai and flung them in their direction.

Eizan shouted out a warning and moved to intercept, pulling out her own kunai and quickly blocking them. However, she had held back an exclamation of pain as one sank into her abdomen. It had gone right through her wire mesh shirt, and the vest had been too high to stop it.

Her hand clutched around the weapon as she ordered Iwane to get Amane out of here. `It's just a scratch,' she assured herself and turned to face the grinning grass shinobi as the other two escaped.

“Don't celebrate just yet,” she said let a strained smirk spread over her face. She bit into her thumb and smeared the blood across her left palm, and quickly formed hand seals. Eizan saw as he started to form his own technique and she recognized his as a water style jutsu.

`Katon, Chi-no-Ike Jigokuno Jutsu!' The blood on her hands glowed white before she brought them to cup around her mouth. She breathed in deeply and exhaled fire toward the man as the blood faded from her palms.

`Suiton,-' His attack was interrupted as hers shot toward his. He was confused, however, when the fire surrounded him in a circle instead of hitting him head on. Then it blazed black before returning to its normal color.

Ryouji looked on in awe and he dropped his hands as he was distracted when her Katon jutsu didn't hit him. He briefly wondered if she had missed him and a grin spread over his face. His eyes flicked toward her but his amusement was short lived as his eyes fell on the girl as she quickly formed seals and ended on the tiger seal.

The fire started to fade as he gasped, and felt agony coursing through his body. His eyes had gone wide with terror as the pain intensified and he found himself falling to his knees. He was clawing at his skin as he started to screech at the top of his lungs. The very blood in his veins felt like it was burning, and he continued to scream as his sharpened nails tore at his flesh. His shrieks of pain drowned out the foot steps as the girl approached.

Eizan looked at the man as he continued to claw at his arms and the rest of his body. He was tearing out chucks of his flesh without realizing as his blood spilled around him. The technique was designed so the fire would fade away around him, but rekindle on his very blood and burn him from within.

There was no emotion on her face as she watched, since she didn't get any pleasure from this. A frown twisted her features as she flicked out a kunai from her holster and thrust forward. The sharpened edge pierced his jugular cleanly and easily, and a moment later his corpse hit the ground.

It didn't take long for a pool of blood to surround his body, and she grimaced and turned away. The eyes of his corpse were still staring up at her with the look of horror frozen on his features. She pulled out the kunai that had embedded into her side with a gasp of pain and threw it over her shoulder so it landed on the ground besides the man's still figure.

Eizan lifted her shirt to inspect the wound and saw that it had only gone two inches past the skin, so she'd live. A chuckle left her lips at that thought before she hopped off, never once looking back at the gory scene behind her.

When she came upon her two teammates, she did a good job of concealing her wound and pain, especially from Iwane since her sharp eyes were sure to detect any signs of it. Now, her attention turned to the two of them. Amane had regained consciousness but Eizan could tell that she was still a bit feverish.

Iwane sighed in relief when the wind user's eyes finally opened. She turned in time to see Eizan arrive but frowned. Something was wrong, but the other didn't give her time to ask.

“Let's keep moving,” Eizan muttered gruffly when she noticed the earth user looking closely at her. She hopped away and Iwane helped Amane along. The Erizawa frowned after her short friend but dismissed her suspicions as they continued on. She had to watch over Amane since the other was defenseless for the moment.

Another hour had passed before Amane could move along by herself and now she came to a stop on a tree branch and Iwane and Eizan landed besides her. She tilted her head to the side as if she heard something. The Ashikaga hadn't spoken since she'd awoken and so she knew that this was the best they were going to get. She lifted her gaze so it landed on Iwane who was already performing hand seals.

`Ninpou, Shihohappo no Jutsu!' Her chakra was concentrated into her pupils contracted so they were cat-like. She stepped off the branch, but instead of falling her feet stuck to the side of it. “It's the Uchiha and the pink haired kunoichi.” A grin spread over her features. “Seems they've become the prey of a Kusa-nin.”

Eizan came to land upright besides her, being crouched on the same branch. “What about their blonde teammate?” she asked her. Her eyes were narrowed in the direction that the earth user was looking in, but she couldn't see across such a long distance as her.

Iwane shook her head, her hands still held in a seal before her. “There's no sign of him.” Her eyes continued to watch. “He has them paralyzed. What do you want to do?” she asked her, blowing a strand of her bangs out of her eyes. “He's most likely the third teammate of the two that attacked us.”

The tallest among them turned in their direction and seemed to be coming around a bit as she hopped over. Landing on the side of a nearby tree, she used chakra to help her defy gravity. While she didn't speak, she turned to see what Eizan's next move would be.

The short girl smirked and nodded. “Learning about the Uchiha's skill level is my objective.” She glanced at Amane and frowned as she saw her feverish eyes. “I need you to snap out of it before one of us gets killed,” she said as she reached into her shirt. Eizan took the scroll and tossed it at her. “Take the scroll and meet me five kilometers from the tower. Iwane-kun, how far are they?”

Amane frowned as she caught the scroll and knew that she spoke the truth. She realized suddenly that because she hadn't been paying attention, the snake had bitten her. It had been a long time since she'd been this useless. Not since their first `training session' with Enoki-sensei. It bothered her and yet her heart still ached because Akuro had been the first person she had actually loved about. The one that had helped her learn to care about her two teammates.

During their childhood, she had pushed Iwane away even when she had tried to befriend her. While the other girl liked to look back at those times with a fond smile, she knew that there was almost nothing sweet about it, or that gave reason to smile. It was especially true when they had been ten.

The Erizawa had changed drastically and had started to avoid Amane when before she'd go out of her way to look for her. It had gotten to a point that they hated one another. When they'd been paired with Eizan it had been for the shorter girls benefit that they'd tolerated each other. It was Akuro that had shown her why the other had changed so much.

Amane was brought back to the present and opened her mouth to protest but Eizan shook her head and bounded off. She glanced at Iwane as the kunoichi released the jutsu and grinned at her. The Itagaki nodded at her and stuffed the scroll into her shirt. She felt a pang of pain grip her chest but forced herself to set it aside for now. They had their orders, and they'd never defied Eizan before.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Neji had twenty minutes until he had to return to the assigned place but it seemed that he wouldn't find anything too interesting. He shook his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets and prepared to move on. His hands quickly formed seals as he stopped and glanced to the left. `Byakugan!' The veins pulsed at the sides of his head and the pupils were suddenly visible in his eyes which could now penetrate through any surface he wished.

His sight cut through the very trees and came to stop upon a group of two Suna ninja and he almost grinned when he saw that it was the kunoichi he had met in the woods. Neji started to move in their direction and wondered where their third teammate had gone. He hadn't interacted with him since it had only been the two of them before as well. When they'd taken the first part of the exam, the third teammate had been there. It was that shorter boy that had moved faster than even him.

Neji should have been more interested in him but there was something about the tall kunoichi that drew him in. Besides, he still wanted to see how good of a fighter she was. Not to mention returning something that belonged to her.

The Hyuuga teenager wasn't too sure if the other was female or not, and he had no desire to find out and land himself in another embarrassing situation. The first time his eyes had penetrated a bit too much, and his face had burn so quickly and so red he knew that he'd resembled a tomato. Neji was sure he would have died of mortification if anyone had seen him then. Lucky for him, he hadn't been accompanied by anyone at the time.

So, when he used his eyes to penetrate their clothing to see who had the scroll, he made sure not to go too far. Checking the kunoichi he met first, he almost sighed in relief when he saw that she had the scroll. It was tucked between her sleeveless shirt and wire mesh one. He was glad that it wasn't see-through. After all, he may be a shinobi but he wasn't crude or a pervert.

He used his speed to cut them off and while he had told the others to return no matter what, he couldn't pass up this opportunity to see what this trinket was worth. Besides, it would be fun to toy with them a bit since he hadn't been able to meet anyone strong enough to match him.

Amane may have been out of it most of the day, but now her ears twitched. She glanced at Iwane who motioned to the right, and she turned back around. Coming to a stop on the next branch as the other did the same, they were ready for anything. After a moment, a boy appeared before them and she saw that it was the Hyuuga that had been sitting next to her during the first part of the exam. `What could he want?' she vaguely wondered.

“Konbanwa,” he commented as if it was any normal evening as the emerald eyed ninja glared in his direction. He saw Iwane's hand go immediately to her holster as he held up a hand. “I have no business with you, yet.” His eyes settled over the wind user as Amane blinked, clearly confused and he frowned. There was something strange with her that day and he wondered what it was. He'd seen a more defiant look in her eyes last night.

Amane tilted her head to the side, eyes shifting upward since he was not only taller, but also on a higher branch. She wondered what he could possibly want with her, almost like she had forgotten his words the other day, and she had. All thoughts of anything else had left her the second she had lost her precious possession. “What is it?” she asked him finally, his penetrating gaze seeming to pierce into her very soul.

He slipped a hand into his pocket and extracted something, letting it hang before him. “Missing something?” he asked as he tilted his head with a smirk. There, hanging from his fingers was a cord and attached to it was a shell. While most of the time a person could be seen carrying a single shell, this one was complete, both sides placed together in a perfect fit. He saw her eyes widen and Iwane exclaimed vehemently as he smirked once again. However, he almost faltered as he saw an expression of pain cloud her ebony orbs. “How about a trade?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sasuke gasped slightly when he pulled the kunai from his right leg, and he could feel his whole body trembling as the blood from the self-inflicted wound ran and stained the leg of his shorts. He was resting his almost five feet frame against the truck of a gigantic tree and he was trying to figure out what to do.

They had gotten attacked almost immediately after an Ame ninja but Naruto and him had managed to defend against the other and had injured his shoulder before he'd gotten away. Sasuke had decided that it would be best for them to move on since the two teammates could be nearby.

When they had settled down Sasuke had designed a password for them. The Kusa-nin had used a wind jutsu that had separated them and then had tried to impersonate Naruto, but he'd easily seen through the henge.

The enemy had revealed himself as the grass ninja that had interacted with the chief examiner, Anko. He had taken out his scroll and then proceeded to swallow it before paralyzing them. The illusion he had used had been to show them their deaths and Sasuke had found himself emptying him stomach in revulsion. If he hadn't stabbed himself with his kunai, they would have been killed. Now here they were and he had no idea where Naruto was.

Sakura tried to ask him what was wrong and he quickly clamped a hand over her mouth as he growled. Sometimes she was too damn loud for his tastes. He shifted his eyes to the right as he turned his head in the same direction, and listened and waited. He had to think of what his next move would be against this terrifying enemy.

When Sakura started to try and speak again, he tightened his hold on her jaw until it was almost painful. Seconds later, she tore his hand away. “Sasuke-kun, snake!” she cried out as she jumped back and away. He cursed and did the same, not believing he had been so riled by the Kusa shinobi that he had missed something so big.

The serpent was a good ten meters long and its scales were sickly gray, and Sasuke saw its piercing yellow eyes come to land on him. He flinched as it came after him, so he almost let out a frightened cry. “Get away from me!” he yelled, flinging various shuriken in its direction. They struck the snake, and it hissed and collapsed on a wide branch. However, as it stilled, the carcass twitched and he watched in horror as something started to break through the side of its head from the inside.

Sasuke landed on a branch far enough away and couldn't tear his gaze away as the Kusa shinobi broke out of the snake's body. His tongue hung from his mouth and his body was covered in the dead snake's fluids before it disappeared. “Good prey should stay alert when a predator is near,” he hissed. His lips turned up in a smirk as his tongue flicked back into his mouth.

He lunged at Sasuke as his body stretched around the tree so it looked like he was slithering along the branch like a serpent. The Uchiha prodigy was frozen in place and could do nothing but stare in fear at the oncoming man. However, the older ninja was deterred from his objective by many shuriken impaling the bark of the tree before him so he was forced to stop. He turned his gaze toward the direction they had come from, and saw a familiar blonde with a smirk adorning his features.

“Sorry Sasuke-teme, but I can't remember that stupid password,” he said as Sakura congratulated him on his nick of time appearance. His clothes and hair were covered in a slimy substance and it appeared like he'd had to wipe the same thing from his hitai-ate.

Sasuke frowned. “You must be psyched to be saving the day, but now would be a good time to run for your life,” he yelled at him. “This guy is way out of our league!” He saw Naruto give him a confused look. `As always, he's as smart as a rock', he growled to himself, thinking of all the times that he had made a situation worse. Sure he'd improved because of Haku, but he was still the same dobe.

The older man chuckled quietly. “My compliments on your stunning defeat of the giant snake, Naruto,” he hissed. Even more, Naruto was reminded of a snake when he looked upon the man. He wanted to shudder but refused to do so.

“Was it supposed to be difficult?” Naruto asked him, and he saw the other frowned as he smirked. It hadn't been too difficult to defeat it, but he had been swallowed. Then he'd used Kage Bunshin to blow the snake into sushi-sized pieces.

Sasuke didn't know what to do but had to do something before he got them all killed. He wondered not for the first time when he had actually started to care enough about these two that he wanted to prevent their deaths. However, he knew that it was better than it had been before. Sakura's sharp mind had come in handy now that she'd started using it instead of trying to flirt with him, and Naruto had become a more reliable teammate.

He frowned and used his chakra to activate his Sharingan since he couldn't think of anything else, but then he hesitated and let his eyes return to normal. `What am I thinking, there's no way I can beat this guy!' He reached into his shirt and pulled out their Heaven scroll. “Here, if it's our scroll you're after then come and get it! Just take it and go!”

Naruto and Sakura were both stunned by his words but it was the blonde that expressed it. “Sasuke! What the hell do you think you're doing, you bastard?” he yelled as he pointed at him accusingly. “Is this some clever way of beating the enemy, by handing over everything we've got?” He had never seen the raven haired boy acting like this, and he felt his faith in the other depleting.

Their enemy merely chuckled in amusement. “Well done,” he almost purred. “You're obviously natural-born prey, instinctively knowing that your only hope lies in the chance of the predator being distracted by even tastier bait.”

Eizan had come in time to watch the blonde make his loud appearance and had smirked. She was also stunned by Sasuke's words and had watched as Naruto had recovered the thrown scroll and then decked the Uchiha. It had been so amusing that she'd almost laughed and given away her presence.

The Ashikaga paused for a moment as she finished reviewing the information she'd gotten from the Kusa-nin she'd killed. `Orochimaru,' she mused quietly to herself and frozen when she cross referenced other information she had on that name. `The legendary Sannin of Konoha?'

Her blood-rimmed eyes narrowed on the man. From the information she realized that he was after both her and Sasuke, but she didn't know why. The others hadn't known either so she was left in the dark. `Why is he after us?' she wondered.

“It's me, you idiot,” Sasuke yelled at Naruto. The frown on his face wavered slightly to confusion, but now it turned into annoyance as his gaze settled over the other boy in his team. At times, he had that effect on him so he forgot everything else, even the fear.

“That's bull,” Naruto denied Sasuke's claim. “And you're the idiot, and you're not Sasuke. Because you're a coward and he's not!” His teeth were clenched in anger, eyes burning fiercely. “I'm not sure we should be afraid of this guy, and even if we did hand over our scroll, there's no guarantee he'd spare us!” He wiped a hand against his still filthy cheek. “So, even if you were really Sasuke, I'd still be telling you you're an idiot!”

Orochimaru just smirked. “Oh, Naruto, this is so rich,” he began as his tongue flicked out to run across his lips. “And you're right.” Sasuke was stunned and it only increased his bemusement as he pushed up his left sleeve to reveal a strange tattoo marring his flesh. “Why bargain when I can simply kill you and take the scroll?” He bit his thumb and the then ran the bloody digit down the length of the marking.

Naruto growled and charged at him. “Shut up!” he yelled. He didn't hear as Sasuke yelled at him to stop, only blinded by his fury that Sasuke would actually give up the scroll. He was angry that the Kusa shinobi would be willing to kill them just to take their scroll, so he jumped toward them as he withdrew a kunai.

Orochimaru brought his hands into a seal, eyes narrowing on the child that was rushing at him and he couldn't help but smirk. `Kuchiyose no Jutsu!' The very air around him started to pick up, and he was lifted up as a giant snake appeared beneath him.

The blonde ninja was shocked as the serpent manifested seemingly out of nowhere and was slow to react as its tail lashed out and knocked him up. He could barely hear Sasuke and the kunoichi when they screamed his name as his body crashed through various branches before it met a solid surface. The impact caused him to cry out in pain, blood filling his mouth before it spilled and splattered his face and the front of his clothes.

“Excellent, but let's not take any chances,” Orochimaru cooed as a smile crossed his face when Naruto's body started to fall. “Eat the boy.”

The blonde's eyes narrowed on the snake and its summoner, seeing as the reptile's tongue flicked out to swallow him. Well, he'd be damned if he allowed another snake to eat him as the other had. Something inside him burned, bubbling up along his arms so that he could feel an enormous chakra fill him. With a yell, he twisted to avoid the tongue and then came down to nail the snake against its snout with a punch. “Like hell I'll let you eat me!” he screamed as he turned to meet Orochimaru's slightly stunned gaze.

He wouldn't notice that his eyes had shifted to crimson or that the irises had contracted so they were cat like. However, the kunoichi that was observing was surprised at the immense chakra that seemed to overtake his frame. His strength had grown immensely as he struck the snake so it was driven downwards. She wouldn't be close enough to see his eyes, but she had to admit that the chakra she sensed was filled with so much malevolent intent that she almost shuddered.

Orochimaru brought his left hand before him, filled his lungs with air and chakra, and released it to create a large gust of wind to send the boy flying. He was rather impressed, wondering if he was who he thought he was. `Look at those eyes,' he mused to himself as the technique dissipated. A smirk would again spread over his face as he almost giggled with anticipation. `And the fun has just begun!'

The snaked turned to face the other male shinobi. “And now its Sasuke's turn, how will he fare?” It lunged at the raven haired boy that was still frozen in fear, unable to move. However, Orochimaru was jarred as the snake slammed into something solid and he looked down as he raised an eyebrow. Naruto stood there, holding back the snake, and he had two kunai in his hands and they were plunged into its massive maw.

Sasuke stared in stunned disbelief at his blonde teammate, seeing as his shorter body heaved with his breathing. His head was lowered as he spoke up. “Hey, are you alright,” he began, lifting his head so that Sasuke was met with those crimson orbs, “you scaredy-cat?” There was blood running from his mouth and his nose, and the words were the exact same ones he had uttered to him during their mission to the country of waves. Sasuke had saved Naruto from an attack by two Chunin from Kirigakure no Sato when he had hesitated out of fear.

The words he had spoken earlier flashed in his mind now, and how he was a coward for not fighting against this enemy. `When did Naruto get this strong?' he wondered, seeing the eyes that seemed to burn with a strange and terrifying fire. Before he could speak, the man's tongue came to be wrapped around the light haired boy's body and was being lifted up as he protested. Sasuke could only watch as he was brought before Orochimaru.

He chuckled as he brought Naruto in front of him, forming a seal with both his hands. “The Kyuubi brat is still alive and kicking. How fascinating that when he is consumed by rage he loses himself, and a bit of the demon trapped within comes through. An Amazing development,” he spoke and his five fingers glowed.

Eizan had been listening and she was just close enough to hear the man's words and frowned when he referred to Naruto as `Kyuubi brat'. That was the demon of legend that was said to have attacked Konoha almost twelve years ago, according to the history she had on this village. Many leaf ninja had lost their lives to the demon before the Yondaime Hokage subdued it. Not much was known as to how he was able to stop it, but only that he had lost his life in the attempt.

`Does this boy have the Kyuubi no Yoko sealed inside? Is he a Jinchuriki like Gaara?' she wondered, narrowing her eyes at the man's final words, which confirmed her suspicions. She knew this would be vital information for Gaara, but wondered if she should report it since it was pure speculation on her part, and the man could very well be lying. Eizan arched a brow upon seeing the man's fingers glow. `Gogyo Fuin?' she wondered since she had seen Chiyo use a similar sealing technique before.

Orochimaru's tongue moved to lift Naruto's shirt and red markings were revealed around his belly button. “There's the proof. The seal that keeps the monster trapped within appears on your skin like a tattoo.” The man jammed his fingers against the seal as Naruto cried out in pain.

Now Eizan was sure of it, knowing that when Shukaku's chakra spilled forth and it threatened to consume Gaara, the seal appeared on his skin as well. She winced as the blonde screamed and frowned.

“Sasuke-kun, Naruto needs you!” Sakura yelled, but it seemed that the boy was still unable to move, as the pink haired kunoichi stared in disbelief. Orochimaru slipped a hand into Naruto's pouch and extracted the Heaven scroll. Then he promptly threw Naruto aside.

The pink haired kunoichi reacted, throwing a kunai to try and stop his descent, and she gasped as the man's tongue shot out and blocked it. The two remaining members of Team Seven could only watch as the blonde fell and disappeared in the gathering darkness.-

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Translations:

1.Ninpou, Joro Senbon: literally “Sprinkling Needles”

2. Sabaku Kyu: literally “The Coffin of Crushing Sand”

3. Sabaku Soso: literally “Imploding Sand Funeral”

4. Urusei: shut up

5.Katon, Chi-no-Ike Jigokuno Jutsu: lit. “Fire Release: Blood Pond Hell Technique” (I know, it sounds so much cooler in Japanese, lol)

6. Suiton: lit.Water style; Water Release.

7. Ninpou, Shihohappo no Jutsu: lit. “Technique of all Directions”. This allows user to see great distances in all directions. It can only be learned by some members of the Erizawa household. However, since Itagaki and Erizawa are closely linked by the Morisue bloodline then a member of the Itagaki line could perform it. When Iwane is more skilled she'll be able to see past certain solid objects (but not like the Byakugan that sees through all objects).

8.Konbanwa: good evening

9.-teme: Naruto at times refers to Sasuke by this, to the best of my knowledge, it means bastard.

10.Sannin: the three legendary ninjas; Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade. They were from the same Genin cell and trained under the Sandaime Hokage.

11.Kuchiyose no Jutsu: lit. “Summoning Technique”

12.Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: lit. “Art of the Shadow Replication”

13. Kirigakure no Sato: lit. “Village hidden within the mist”

14.Gogyo Fuin: literally means “Five Elements Seal”.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
End Chapter Thirteen