Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Lost Soul ❯ Taking it to the Next Level ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me, but I do claim the Yominokunis, Yakubyougami and the Tekigougan for myself!

 

A Note from Katana Haibane: I'd like to thank everyone who had reviewed my fic (although I still wish more would review!). Reviews are part of my inspiration to keep writing. Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but when you get a pile of work the size of a mountain dumped on your lap then you can't always do what you want to do - being write! I'd like to give another shout out this time to hurotias and XyoushaX! Thanks for the constant reviews!

 

Also I'm still looking for a beta reader. If anyone would like to volunteer to do that for me I'd appreciate it.

 

Chapter 13: Taking it to the Next Level

 

Mikomi took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she walked with Kiba and Shino towards the area for the next section of the Chuunin Exam. With a name and reputation as `The Forest of Death' Mikomi couldn't help but feel worried.

 

Thinking for a moment, Mikomi couldn't decide what had scared her more: the reactions that the other examiners had to the `Forest of Death,' or the two people who were going to be the proctors for this exam. A shiver ran down her spine as the memory of the two green spandex clad men burned its way into her memories. Mikomi grimaced, `They not only looked as if they should be locked up in a nuthouse, but they also had more damaging voices than some of the techniques that come out of the Sound.' Mikomi froze at that thought, wondering where in the world it had come from.

 

“Come on Mikomi,” Kiba said in annoyance, “This is no time to be chickening out now. We got an exam to pass so quit stalling and move it. The quicker we get this next section explained by those spandex freaks the better. I don't know how much more my ears can take of Gai and Lee's shouting when they're this excited about something.”

 

Sweat-dropping, Mikomi started walking once again, “Sorry. I just had an odd thought about those two green guys is all. For some reason the idea that their voices were more damaging than some of the techniques developed by the Village Hidden in Sound just sorta popped into my head.”

 

Kiba burst into laughter when Mikomi finished calling Gai and Lee's voices deadly weapons. Even Shino couldn't suppress the smile he had behind his collar. More than a few people had their eyes drawn to the laughing boy as he tried to gasp out a response, “Ahahahaha, oh man, hahaha, that's a good one hehehaha! The duo not only scar people for life with the way they act, their voices hurt more than the sound techniques that come out of the Sound!”

 

Mikomi got a bit of an evil glint in her eye, “Then again Kiba, you and Akamaru can be called deadly weapons after not bathing for a week.” Shino actually snorted at that comment.

 

“Oh wow,” Kiba grinned, “This has got to be a first. Mikomi actually telling jokes for one and then Shino starts finding humour in something!”

 

Getting out of the city section of Konoha, Team Eight found themselves being the first group to arrive outside the gates to the forest of death. Gai and Lee were waiting right there for the first teams to show up.

 

“Your team proves that the fires of youth burn the strongest in Konoha!” exclaimed and exuberant Maito Gai, “And as a reward Lee and I shall give all of you a coupon for a free set of training weights at `Hagane's Ninja Tools!' Congratulations!”

 

“That's an interesting way to advertise for the shop Tenten's family runs,” Kiba said as he took the coupon from Gai, “But I'm not complaining. Free stuff is free stuff and besides, everyone knows they make the best stuff around.”

 

Lee gave Team Eight a blinding `Nice Guy' pose as he carried on, “Of course Tenten-chan has the best shop in all of Konoha! They have the fire of youth in them! Just look at what they made for the both of us!” Kiba sweat-dropped as Lee pointed at the green spandex they were wearing as Lee continued to shout, “YOSH! They understand the power that comes from such a sleek and fashionable outfit!”

 

“LEE!” Gai cried as he turned to embrace his student even as several more teams made their way into the area they were to meet for the second half of the exam.

 

“GAI-SENSEI!” Lee cried back. As one tears burst from the eyes of Lee and Gai and they leapt into each others arms.

 

“LEE!”

 

“GAI-SENSEI”

 

Anyone who had never seen this display before began to feel ill and shuddered where they stood. Thirteen more Genin were scarred that day as a Genjutsu of waves crashing on a beach at sunset appeared behind the two of them. Mikomi felt relief flow through her when she saw Sakura appear behind the two of them with anger in her eyes.

 

“GAI, LEE YOU BAKAS!” Sakura screamed and decked the both of them with a single punch. Growling slightly, she advanced on the two of them, “You two are supposed to be the head Proctors for this exam and yet you are scaring the participants witless! Nobody deserves to be subjected to that…that…that Genjutsu of yours!”

 

Upon seeing Sakura, Lee immediately sprang back to his feet followed by Gai. With hearts in his eyes Lee knelt down in front of Sakura and whipped a small package out of his Chuunin Vest, “Sakura-chan how are you! Please accept this gift from me as a token of my affection! Would you like to go on a date after this part of the exam is over?”

 

Sakura had a faint smile on her face as she glared down at the kneeling Rock Lee, “Thank-you for the gift Lee-kun, but seem to have forgotten the deal that I made with you before the exams began. I would only go on a date with you if you didn't scare the crap out of everyone with that Genjutsu that you and Gai perform,” Lee deflated when he realized that he had made a grave error in forgetting their bet, “So no, I don't think you'll be going on a date with me…yet.”

 

Lee's eyes lit up once again when he realized that Sakura was giving him another chance to earn a date with her, “Okay Sakura-chan, it seems that I'm going to have to try even harder next time! After I finish proctoring the second part of the Exam I will run around Konoha on my hands one hundred times!”

 

Mikomi watched the odd scene carry one between Sakura and Lee for a few moments before she glanced over at Kiba, “Do the two of them always act like that?”

 

Kiba snickered before he gave Mikomi an answer, “Yeah, the two of them have been playing that game for a while. Lee makes a bet with Sakura and if he can win it he gets a date. The two of them have been dating fairly often since Lee actually wins most of them. They kind of cheat however, since every time that Lee loses he has to help Sakura train in Taijutsu for a full three hours.”

 

“At least she has finally gotten over…him,” Shino said quietly from behind Mikomi, “Sakura was a real mess for almost a year after he left Konoha until Lee pulled her out of her depression.”

 

Feeling a little confused, Mikomi tried to figure out who her team was talking about, “Who exactly left Konoha? Why would that make Sakura depressed?”

 

“Let's just call him a bastard and leave it at that,” Kiba said with a hint of disgust in his voice, “I nearly died trying to bring him back and for some damn reason Naruto still believes he can be saved.”

 

Mikomi didn't have any more time to ponder Kiba's response as Gai and Lee decided to start explaining what exactly their game of flags was going to entail.

 

“Alright, here we go!” Gai exclaimed as he whipped out a rather garish bright green belt with an orange flag attached to it, “These will be your flags! Each team will get one flag per person! Each team must score at least six points to pass and each flag that you possess counts as one point! When you steal a flag all you have to do to have it counting as a point is to stick it on your belt!”

 

One of the Rock Nins scoffed when Gai explained the exam, “Give me a break! Are you telling me that we are just playing a regular game of freakin' flags, and we have to wear those bright belts?”

 

“YOSH! THESE FLAGS ARE NO ORDINARY FLAGS!” Lee shouted right back in the Rock Nin's face, “They are special! This truly will be a test of your stealth and physical skills! You see, every one of these belts, when worn, seals away the chakra inside your body. This means no Ninjutsu and no Genjutsu whatsoever. All you will be able to do is forcibly expel your chakra in bursts.”

 

This announcement did not go over well with the seventeen teams of ninja present. They exploded in a torrent of furious protests to the flag belts until Gai and Lee decided to make themselves heard by continuing the explanation of the third exam.

 

“THAT IS NOT ALL THAT THESE INCREDIBLE BELTS CAN DO!” Gai and Lee shouted, drowning out all of the protests, “THESE MAGNIFICENT FLAG BELTS ALSO ACT AS A MEANS OF WEAKENING YOUR TEAM! IF YOU LOSE YOUR FLAG AND DON'T GET ANOTHER FLAG ATTACHED TO YOUR BELT WITHIN THIRTY SECONDS YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TRANSPORTED OUTSIDE OF THE FOREST OF DEATH AND UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE FURTHER!”

 

With the crowd of Genin shocked into silence Gai continued with the explanation, “Each belt is designed with a transportation seal. If any tampering or interference is discovered to have occurred to the seal your group will automatically be disqualified. Also, it is possible to only have one group member left and still pass this event. Your team needs six points only, meaning six flags. Also, if you ever remove the belt in the forest you will be automatically transported from the forest and your team will fail.”

 

Lee whipped out a stack of forms from the back pocket of his vest, “Now if you will all sign these waivers that will leave Konoha no legal responsibility for accidental death you will be able to participate. Just head over to that table over there and receive your flags in exchange for your signed waiver. It is three waivers for three participants. It is a group event and everyone from the group must participate.”

 

“One final rule to this event,” Gai said as Lee continued to hand out the waivers, “There is a five day time limit to this event. You will have to survive inside the forest and make your way to the tower in the center of the forest before time is up. With the required six points of course.”

 

Still grumbling, the seventeen Genin teams started to line up and get their flags for the event.

 

 

Shinigami's Realm

 

Sasuke slowly felt the world around him begin to take shape and he cracked his eyes open. He watched as hazy world rapidly came into sharper focus, becoming a large and open training dojo. He blinked a few times before a smirk crossed his face. `If the next test is just a simple combat test then I've got nothi-”

 

An incredible, searing pain lanced down from the left side Sasuke's neck and spread through out his entire body. It felt like something was trying to burn him from the inside out as Sasuke collapsed to the floor of the dojo and began to writhe in agony. Sasuke began to smell his own flesh burning through the haze of pain that wracked his body and his stomach gave him a dry heave.

 

Just as quickly as the pain began, it abruptly stopped to the sound of Shinigami chuckling.

 

“Amusing,” Shinigami said as he appeared inside the dojo beside Sasuke, “you're body still wants to try and vomit despite not having any food inside of you, let alone an actual stomach.”

 

Sasuke shot Shinigami as vicious a glare as he could muster as he struggled to his feet, “Why the hell did you just torture me like that you bastard! Was that supposed to be the god damned second test?” Sasuke activated his Sharingan to reinforce his displeasure.

 

Or at least he tried to.

 

“Do you just get off on torturing people for kicks you sick fuck? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME SHINIGAMI? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SHARINGAN?”

 

Shinigami sent Sasuke a look that froze him in is tracks and caused him to recoil slightly, “That was not the second test Sasuke. I would never give anyone such a pathetically easy test. I removed the cursed seal from you as its link to Orochimaru had such depth that even your soul had a connection to his own. Such a connection has eroded your body and your soul. Once removed your power and strength have now been reduced to only a fraction of what you had before. Your strength has been reduced to approximately what you had before you traveled to the Wave Country.”

 

Shinigami finally stopped glaring and made a motion with his hand at the door on the far wall. The door slid open to reveal a figure in the darkness behind it. As it stepped into the dojo Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto had just stepped into the dojo and got into a fighting stance and froze in place as if waiting for some kind of signal.

 

“This the first of many opponents for your second test,” Shinigami announced as it started to fade from the room, “By fighting opponent after opponent you must not only defeat them all, but also regain and surpass the strength you had while under the influence of the second level of Orochimaru's cursed seal. If you are defeated then you fail the test. However, if you ever feel the need for a break, or wish to rest without failing, then imagine yourself back inside that white room. It shall be your home for a while.”

 

A peeved look was on Sasuke's face before he finally calmed himself down again. Redoing his training should be no problem at all, especially since he could remember every technique that he had ever performed. “Are there any other tests beyond this one Shinigami-sama?”

 

Shinigami gave Sasuke an approving just before he fully faded away, “There is a third test Sasuke. However, it is hidden within the second test. The third test I leave you to figure out on your own…”

 

Sasuke sighed briefly as he turned to face the Naruto across from him. Sliding into a fighting stance of his own Sasuke hear Shinigami's voice echo from all around him once again, “You second test is now beginning.”

 

With those words, the Naruto across from Sasuke began to charge him…

 

Konoha Training Ground #44

 

“I hate these stupid belts,” Kiba complained as he tugged on the flags belt on his waist, “Hell, it's bad enough that they're green and orange, but sealing away chakra to prevent us from using Jutsu is just wrong. My whole body feels outta tune.”

 

Shino just stared at Kiba silently while Mikomi glared at Kiba for his insensitivity, “You jackass Kiba! Shino is far worse off then you are. His destruction bugs are acting up because his link to them has pretty much been cut off.”

 

Paling slightly, Kiba started to look a little sheepish, “Sorry about grousing man. Forgot what happened last time you ran low on chakra. Those little guys are damn vicious.”

 

“It is rather unpleasant,” Shino said as he turned to face the gate, “Half of them have already left my body. But they have to listen to their own nature without my will directing them.”

 

“Enough chit-chat,” Mikomi said as she tried to assess the situation, “We need to figure out a plan before we head into that forest. I've been circulating my own chakra to try and figure out what I'm limited to doing and from what I can tell I still can enhance my body in the same ways that I usually can. Molding for jutsu really is out of the question though. I felt like I was going to be sick when I tried. Kiba, Shino, tell me what you can do.”

 

Kiba grinned again, “I'm still good for heading up the point position. My nose works just as strongly as ever and Akamaru and I can still communicate. I made sure that we could still work together even if our mental link got severed. Heh, I'll even be fine in a fight Mikomi. I'm a brawler anyway.”

 

All that Mikomi got from Shino was a stiffening of his body. She sighed. It was easy to tell what Shino meant through his body language after being with him for as long as she had, “Well then Kiba take the point. I'll take the rear guard and Shino you take the middle. I've a few scrolls that I can use to set up a pretty decent trap or even several traps. I say we boot it towards that central tower as fast as we can and set up camp nearby and try and lure another team into an ambush.”

 

“I'm all for that,” Kiba said with a grin, “That's the same plan my team used in the first Chuunin Exam that we took here and we were the second team to finish.” Shino gave his own nod of ascent to Mikomi before lining up behind Kiba to wait for the gate to open.

 

Team Eight didn't have to wait much longer before the buzzer rang and the gates burst open, signaling the start of the second part of the Konoha Chuunin Exams.

 

 

“Listen up Sanjuu, Teion, and listen good,” Kinniku snarled to his teammates as they shot off through the entrance to the Forest of Death, “We have a mission to complete before the end of the Chuunin Exams and that is to either recapture Yominokuni Mikomi or else we have to kill the little bitch. She is a traitor and a whore, using the deceased Sasuke-sama as a means to un-collar herself. She belongs to Orochimaru-sama and you two better not slow me down when I make my move to take her down.”

 

Teion was dressed in the standard purple outfit given to all of the Sound Genin and was not wearing the purple belt that Kinniku wore to signify an elite fighter. He was short and stocky - only just over five foot, four - but moved with a surprising grace for someone as thick as he was. His entire head was swathed in purple cloths obscuring his facial features completely except for his pale brown eyes. He nodded deferentially to Kinniku after he was given his orders.

 

“Why the hell are you telling us to capture the little twat first and kill her later if you promised her yourself that you were gonna kill her huh? It's pretty pointless to order us to capture her now if you ask me.” Sanjuu was more the opposite to Teion. She was very tall and gangly, actually several inches taller than the six foot, four, Kinniku and was wearing a skintight purple body suit. Her eyes were a dark purple colour and her hair had been dyed purple as well. Her sharp, hawk-like face always seemed to be glaring at something or someone.

 

Kinniku's face darkened for a moment before he spoke, “Because I was given those orders and was told to pass them on to you. I have no intention of following the order to capture her unless the two of you capture her for me. Now shut up and head for the central tower. If we can get there before any other team does then we can lie in wait for Mikomi's team while taking out any other team that happens to wander across our path. I want to burn off a little bit of steam before I humiliate that bitch.”

 

What Kinniku didn't know was that the gate that he had chosen for his team to enter the Forest of Death with happened to be on the opposite side of the Forest as the one that Mikomi's team had chosen. Add in that all of their jutsu had been shut down because of the flag belts that they had been forced to wear they couldn't even take advantage of Teion's ability to track people. He used their vibration signature given off while he used his specialized tracking jutsu. Heading for the central tower was the only option left for them now.

 

After traveling through the Forest of Death for close to three hours Kinniku's chance to blow off some steam finally arrived in the form of the only team from the Village Hidden in Waterfalls to make it through the first round.

 

Kinniku threw up his arm to signal for his teammates to stop when he spotted the Waterfall Nins stopped by the river that bisected the Forest of Death. Trying to restrain himself from cursing, Kinniku noticed that the team had been able to sense the presence of another team nearby, “Teion, circle to the left, Sanjuu, you circle right. I want you to hit them hard from behind the second that I begin my attack.” Kinniku grabbed Sanjuu's arm before she leapt off, “Will your attacks be effective now that you're jutsu are cut off? I need to know whether or not you'll be of any use.”

 

Sanjuu gave Kinniku as sadistic grin, “I can assure they will be Kinniku-san. I may not be quite as deadly anymore but like you I always have been a taijutsu specialist. They don't stand a chance.”

 

After Sanjuu ran off Kinniku waited a few minutes to allow his teammates to get into position. He watched as the team from Waterfall slowly made their way towards his hiding spot, scouting the team he was getting ready to tear apart. Only one of the Waterfall Nins carried themselves with an air of confidence for this section of the exam and that was the slender man who was carrying a pair of kodachis across his back. The two others on their team were acting a little jittery. Clearly the loss of their jutsu was making them more than a little anxious about the situation in the Forest of Death.

 

Pulling a kunai out of his hip pack Kinniku slowly wrapped an exploding tag around it. Taking aim Kinniku reared back, pumped some chakra into the tag to activate it, and snapped at the chest of the Waterfall Nin who was carrying the kodachis. Even as the kunai was released from his hand Kinniku was already bursting from the bushes he was hiding in to charge at the group of Waterfall Nins.

 

The Nin wielding the kodachis was the only one unsurprised by the attack and easily knocked the kunai to the side with his kodachis as he unsheathed them. The same Nin grabbed his nearest teammate and leapt away from the trapped kunai while his other teammate leapt back a split second later. The tag exploded causing the Waterfall Nin who had reacted late to get blasted backwards and right into the waiting arms of Teion who quickly locked his arms and legs around the Nins body in a crushing hold and taking him out of the battle.

 

Kinniku pulled another two kunai from his hip pack and ran at the kodachi-wielding Nin as Sanjuu moved to engage the remaining Nin. The Kodachis Nin engaged Kinniku in a clash metal as kunais met kodachis. The Kodachis Nin tried to slide around Kinniku's defense only to be met with a foot to the chest that knocked him back into a tree.

 

Meanwhile the other Waterfall Nin was throwing shuriken after shuriken at the elusive Sanjuu. She was speeding back and forth at high speeds just toying with the Waterfall Nin's attempts to take out. Catching one of the shuriken out of the air as she dance around it Sanjuu snapped it right back into the hand of the boy who had thrown it at her. Sanjuu's arms both began to hum as she started to vibrate them at supersonic speeds. With a burst of speed Sanjuu closed the distance between herself and the Waterfall Nin in the space of a second and snapped ten rapid punches to his chest and arms in the same amount of time. Sanjuu snapped one final punch to the Nin's jaw that sent him careening across the river. Without missing a beat, Sanjuu followed the flight of the Waterfall Nin.

 

Teion remained locked on top of the struggling Waterfall Nin that he had caught after the note exploded. No matter how much the Waterfall Nin struggled he was unable to break free of Teion's arms. Teion slowly began to pump more and more chakra into his muscles as he began to squeeze the life out of the Waterfall Nin. The Nin gave a cry of agony before he began to scream at Teion.

 

“Let me go you bastard! Let me go and start fighting like a man you pathetic coward! ARGH!” The Waterfall Nin screamed in pain as Teion applied a sudden burst of strength that cracked one of the Nin's ribs. The Nin began to cry out in pain, “FUCK! Ohhhhhh, Get off me you bastard!” There was another sharp crack as another rib gave out under the intense pressure that Teion was placing on the Waterfall Nin's body causing him to lose the will to fight, “Kamiiiiiiii! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I give up! You win dammit! Just let me go and take my flag please!”

 

Another bone cracking and a scream signified Teion's refusal to let the Nin go.

 

The dance of blades continued between Kinniku and the Kodachis Nin with Kinniku only having suffered a shallow cut on his left forearm. The Kodachis Nin was starting to feel the pain of the few powerful kicks that Kinniku had driven through but he had yet to be cut by Kinniku's kunai. The Kodachis Nin was starting to tire from trying to defend against Kinniku's great strength however and finally made a mistake.

 

Kinniku slashed his kunai in a downwards slash as the Kodachis Nin caught the kunai with his crossed blades and attempted to cut the kunai apart. Moving like lighting Kinniku struck. Dropping the Kunai in his right hand it snapped out and grabbed hold of the backs of the kodachis, locking them in place against the kunai. With his other hand he released his trapped kunai, drew another one and rammed it straight into the Kodachis Nin's throat, severing his spine. With a gurgling sound the Kodachis Nin released his kodachis and fell backwards. He was dead before he hit the ground. Kinniku pulled off the flag and added it to his own belt.

 

Pulling the kunai from the dead ninja's throat Kinniku walked over to where Teion was trying to crush the Waterfall Nin he had trapped in his arms and legs. With a quick thrust Kinniku plunged his kunai into the top of the helpless ninja's head, adding another kill to his record in the Chuunin Exams as well as another flag to his belt. Spinning on his heal, Kinniku stalked off towards where Sanjuu had been fighting.

 

Sanjuu had found her fight with the Waterfall Nin to be rather lackluster at best. His Taijutsu was atrocious as she had proved by breaking through his defenses time and time again. Sanjuu had left several cracked ribs and a broken jaw in the wake of her rapid punches. As the Waterfall Nin threw a wild punch in hopes of taking Sanjuu out, she grinned a feral grin. Once again rapidly vibrating her arms, Sanjuu shattered the Waterfall Nin's right arm while coming across and breaking his open left shoulder. With a cry of agony the Waterfall Nin collapsed to the ground.

 

“Ha-have m-m-mercy!” the Waterfall Nin begged of the approaching Sanjuu, “P-please don't kill me! J-just r-r-remove the flag and leave me alone!”

 

The feral grin still plastered on her face and her arms still vibrating, Sanjuu leaned over the broken Waterfall Nin and whispered in his ear, “Now where would the fun in that be?”

 

The Waterfall Nin's eyes widened in fear before Sanjuu closed her vibrating hands over his head and her thumbs fell over his eyes. The cry of agony that tore from the Waterfall Nin's throat the second Sanjuu's hands closed on his head came to an abrupt end a few seconds later. When Sanjuu removed her hands from the Nin's head you could immediately tell that he was dead. The intense vibrations that coursed through her arms had rendered every last scrap of soft tissue in the Nin's skull to mush.

 

“Child's play,” Sanjuu remarked as she casually stripped the flag from the dead Nin's belt and attached it to her own, “The quality of what they're calling Genin really makes me sick. Half these guys don't' even know what it means to fight. Then again, anyone not in the elite program in Sound is as pathetic as these guys.”

 

“That move is as effective as ever,” Kinniku said as he turned in the direction of the central tower, “But we're finished here. Let's get moving.”

 

 

Hokage Tower

 

The Hokage tower was a madhouse of activity. Status reports and situation updates were coming in constantly as the data chain ensured constant up to date information on the happening of this Chuunin Exam. Anbu and runners were often seen coming too and from meeting rooms and even from the Hokage's office as well. Konoha truly was a Village on high alert.

 

They refused to allow the Sound to repeat the performance they did at the last Exam in Konoha.

 

Tsunade could feel a rather large headache coming on when Hinata entered her office holding a large clipboard, “Tsunade-sama I have another update from all the sectors involved in the Exams. The Anbu squads that were guarding the Academy during the first section have now been reduced from four to two so they can accommodate classes in the building once again. No incidents were reported from their teams. The Inuzuka clan also reported no new scents having entered the stadium in the last couple of days. They're locked down tight as well. Maito Gai has reported that the cameras hidden throughout the Forest of death have picked up two teams being eliminated. One was from Waterfall and the other was from Rock. Apparently the team from Sound killed off every last ninja from Waterfall.” Hinata paused for a moment as she scanned further down the list of reports on her clipboard, “That's it for reports from within Konoha. The Aburame Clan have periodically notified the gate and wall guards of people traveling off of the main road to Konoha but have yet to discover any possible ninja suspects. The gate guard along with the Hyuugas stationed there have captured and detained roughly sixty people trying to sneak in by means of a disguise or a Henge. Apparently there have been very few scuffles and generally a great deal of cooperation by the public. We remain locked down tightly Tsunade-sensei.”

 

“Thank Kami for small mercies,” Tsunade grumbled, “The council has been chewing my ear off telling me that I'm being overly cautious. They're saying I shouldn't be slowing people's entrance to the Village as much as these security measures are doing. But I'll be damned if I allow security to slack off so the number of people being detained should be enough to keep them from trying to question the way I've been running things for this exam. At least for a little while.”

 

Hinata gave a small smile when she saw Tsunade start to rub her temples. That was a clear sign of stress combined with a headache in her sensei and she finally had something to offer her sensei besides comforting words. With a bow Hinata tried to offer Tsunade some relief, “Um, Tsunade-sensei, I've been developing a medicine that can help ease headaches without being considered too potent for everyday consumption. If you like I can give you a small bottle of them to see if they are satisfactory.” Hinata pulled a small brown jar out of her coat pocket and presented it to Tsunade.

 

With a tired sigh Tsunade accepted the bottle from Hinata's hands, “Thank-you Hinata, I'm sure they'll work quite well. This entire Chuunin Exam is giving me one hell of a headache. We still haven't recovered enough from Orochimaru's last attack to be able to repel another full scale invasion from within the city itself. I really can't wait until the month long break between the second and third section of the Exam. That will give me enough time slack the internal guard off and get the council off my back. Maybe I'll be able to relax for a little while as well.”

 

A smile crossed Hinata's face briefly as she scooped up the usual pile of finished paperwork that was piled higher than her eye level and activated the Byakugan with a pulse of chakra, “There's no west for the weary I'm afraid. For example, I not only have to take care of my duties and lesions with you Tsunade-sensei, but I also have to deal with training at home. Add in the way my father has insisted I practice the customs and laws of the Hyuuga to prepare to act as their future heir. That isn't exactly what you would call a cakewalk.”

 

Tsunade slumped forwards onto her desk before she muttered a response to Mikomi, “You don't know how much I wish that statement wasn't true for me right now.” A few thoughts passed through Tsunade's mind as she reached for the hidden saké bottle beneath the lip of her desk, `A drink is just what I need to steady my nerves. Hell, I doubt that my nerves could be anymore shot than what they are like right now. Kami, I'm actually wishing that I was out working as an active agent in the field than cooped up in here all day. There's too much damn paperwork to be able to properly enjoy the best aspects of Konoha.'

 

As Hinata left the room a burst of smoke exploded in the center of the room that announced the arrival of Hyuuga Shiro. He had yet another report for Tsunade to handle, “The Anbu teams are ringing Konoha around the wall and everything is going smoothly. However, I have been getting some stirrings begin to emanate from the ROOTS section of the Anbu. They haven't been too pleased with the way you've been acting as the Hokage so far and the unrest has been swelling to a breaking point.”

 

“Great,” Tsunade sighed, “I just wish that something would be going right today. We don't have any Anbu or even regular ninjas to spare at the moment. Look Shiro-san, I just want you to do your best to try and keep an eye on ROOTS. If you are able to catch anything suspicious, anything at all then just come and let me know okay?”

 

 

The Forest of Death

 

Mikomi, Kiba and Shino were taking a break high up in the massive trees that made up the forest of death. Hidden deep inside a recess they had found in one of the branches Mikomi was passing around a canteen of water while Shino started to pull out a map of the area. Moving silently, Shino slid through the tree branches to get a clear view of the forest from above the canopy.

 

It was a stroke of luck for Shino that the tree he already was on happened to be tall enough for him to get above most of the forest's canopy. He was able to get a fairly clear view of the sky and the sun's position to map out their position. After a few minutes calculation he determined that they hadn't moved in a completely straight line as they had initially intended and had curved around the clearing where the tower was located. Peering over the treetops Shino confirmed it by spotting the large drop off of treetops about three kilometers to the north of their position. Had they been traveling in a straight line, Shino would have only needed to look straight ahead in an easterly direction. Shino tucked his map away and was going to head back down to where Kiba and Mikomi were resting when Mikomi joined him.

 

“How are you holding out Shino,” Mikomi asked Shino with a kind smile. Relief passed through her red eyes when Shino nodded that he was doing alright, “That's good to hear Shino. I was just worried about you, losing control of your bugs and all. They aren't affecting you chakra supply to greatly, are they?”

 

Shino just sat back down and leaned against the tree trunk before he responded, “No. I don't have many left in my body at the moment. The direction to the tower is three kilometers north-northwest by the way.”

 

With a sigh, Mikomi fell into place beside Shino and looked out across the top of the forest. Despite the seriousness of the Chuunin Exams along with how deadly the forest could be, Mikomi couldn't help but admire the beauty of the place. The incredible colour and magnitude of the trees themselves was incredible. They plant life ranged from some of the smallest and delicate flowers imaginable to massive vines that wound around the trees. Mikomi was content to just look out over the forest for several minutes before she pulled away reluctantly.

 

“I think we should head back down and join Kiba,” Mikomi said softly, “We still have an exam to finish. We'll have to worry about getting your bugs back later.”

 

Shino nodded before he started to make his way back down to where Kiba and Akamaru were resting. When Kiba and Akamaru smelt the two of them returning he gave a wicked grin.

 

“Oh ho, are the two love birds returning to the nest?”

 

The glare Mikomi shot Kiba brought him up short. `Dammit,' Kiba thought, `what the hell is it with women being able to give such frightening glares? Hell, I was just joking.'

 

“As a matter of fact,” Mikomi began icily, “I went up there to check up on how Shino is doing without his bugs. He was taking the time to map out where exactly we are since it is pretty clear that we strayed off of the straight line that would have led us directly to the central tower. We've got three kilometers north-northwest to go before we make it to the tower area. I'd like to make it there before nightfall if at all possible.”

 

“Okay, okay, jeez Mikomi, I was just trying to make a joke,” Kiba said still feeling a little miffed, “Lets get moving then Akamaru.” With that said Kiba and Akamaru started heading in the towers direction, slowly moving to the lower and sturdier tree branches in the area.

 

They had only been traveling for a few minutes when Kiba came to an abrupt stop, almost causing Shino to smack right into him. “Guys,” Kiba whispered, “Akamaru smells some people up ahead. I can even smell them faintly as well which means that they've been there for a while. I get the feeling that either it's a camp site or else somebody has already set up an ambush. Should we investigate or circle around?”

 

“Investigate,” Shino whispered back.

 

Mikomi nodded her agreement as well before she added in her two cents, “Be careful Kiba. Look for anything from wires to pieces of paper in the area. There are hundreds of thousands of ways to set a trap. I want to move up close to you to see if I can pick anything out.”

 

That said, with Akamaru at point with Mikomi and Kiba right behind him they began to inch there way through the forest. Mikomi felt a little nervous when she discovered several basic wire traps that would trigger kunai or rocks to be hurled at their group and quickly disabled them. They moved through the trees for another few minutes and Mikomi couldn't find any other traps. She was beginning to wonder if they had stumbled upon some kind of abandoned camp site before a slight burst of flames and smoke caught her eye.

 

“DOWN KIBA!” Mikomi yelled as she pumped as much chakra into reinforcing her body as she could handle at the moment. Mikomi barely knocked Kiba out of the way when a thick log swung down from above and slammed right into her. Mikomi was able to catch most of the log's force with her hands but was sent careening into a nearby tree. Pain blossomed up and down her back and head when she struck but Mikomi force herself to her feet in order to meet the charge of a team of Rock Nins. `Shit, they used the same plan that we were going to use,' Mikomi thought before she sprang into action.

 

Kiba, Akamaru and Shino leapt into action to help out Mikomi when they saw her rear back her fist and hammer the branch in front of the on rushing Rock Team. The branch exploded in a shower of splinters and wood fragments that pelted the Rock Team, slowing them down enough for Mikomi's teammates to make it to her side.

 

“Shino, with me!” Mikomi cried, “Kiba, you and Akamaru take one of them for yourselves.” With that said Mikomi grabbed Shino's hands and swung him in the direction of the nearest Rock Nin, a massive hulking guy who looked like he actually was made of stone, “Kick Shino!”

 

Using the momentum that Mikomi had given him, Shino landed a double footed kick right in the chest of the hulking Nin and sent him crashing to the ground a few meters below.

Mikomi pointed at the recovering Nin on the ground, “Kiba, take that guy! Shino and I will take his twin and skinny boy here!”

 

Kiba gave Mikomi a grin before he dove down at the recovering Rock Nin and gave him a flying tackle with Akamaru knocking him to the ground again. Springing up and away Kiba rubbed his right shoulder, “Holy crap you're built like a brick. Guess I'll really have to try and smash you”

 

Leaping to his feet quickly the massive Rock Nin watched as Kiba and Akamaru started to dart about rapidly around him. Scowling, the Rock Nin put on a burst of speed that surprised Kiba and was able to land a glancing blow to his side that went straight through his block. Kiba was knocked several feet away from the Nin with a yelp of pain while Akamaru leapt onto the Rock Nin's back and attempted to sink his teeth into his neck. Feeling the teeth of Akamaru starting to pierce his neck the Rock Nin ripped Akamaru from his back and threw him right at Kiba. Both sides squared off again as they started to circle each other.

 

Mikomi and Shino were staring down the other two Rock Nins from the tree branches. Cursing the situation Mikomi was about to suggest they fight as a pair so that she could protect Shino when Shino spoke up, “I'll keep the smaller one busy while you handle the other guy.” That said Shino started to move away from Mikomi, followed by the smaller Rock Genin.

 

“That glasses boy of yours isn't too bright is he,” said the surprisingly feminine voice of the other heavily muscle Rock Genin, “If he can't tell that I'm a girl.”

 

With a snort Mikomi set herself into a fighting stance, “I don't think anyone besides your own mother could tell that you're a girl. Hell, I've even got more pronounces breasts than you do and I'm just a stick.” Mikomi grinned when the Rock Nin's face darkened in anger.

 

In a reckless charge the Rock Nin leapt across the branches and swung a wild right at Mikomi's head. Mikomi ducked under the punch that put a hole in the tree behind her and hammered a right of her own into the Rock Nin's stomach using about half of her strength to avoid killing the Rock Genin in front of her. To Mikomi's astonishment the Rock Nin only slide back a little over a meter and rubbed her stomach.

 

“You have one hell of a strong punch, probably stronger than I've ever felt before, but there is a reason that my brother and I all called the Stonewall Siblings. Our bodies are as hard the strongest rock in existence and it's gonna take a lot more than that to get past our muscle.” The Rock Nin smirked, “Looks like I'm gonna have to get serious already.”

 

When Mikomi realized that the Rock Nin was reaching into her pouch to pull something out she closed the gap between the two of them and punched the branch out from under the Rock Nin's feet sending her tumbling to the ground. Unfortunately Mikomi was a little late as the Rock Nin slipped on a pair of knuckle gloves that had steel spikes covering the knuckles.

 

“I'm gonna enjoy pounding you into the ground.”

 

Then an explosion went off in the trees above them distracting Mikomi for a second. The Rock Nin took the opportunity to close the gap between them and come in swinging.

 

When Shino had first started fighting the slippery little Rock Nin he had initially been forcing him on a constant retreat, even with his sub-par Taijutsu skills. Shino had been able to land a few rather painful blows to the Rock Nin's face, sending him into one of the branches in another tree when he paused to catch his breath.

 

That had turned out to be a mistake.

 

The Rock Nin had leapt to his feet with a kunai in each hand and had cut a wire that was on either side of where he had landed. Shino's eyes widened as a rain of shuriken had flown in his direction, barely giving him enough time to leap out of the way. He hadn't been fast enough to escape completely unscathed. A shuriken on the outer edges of the dozens flying at him had been able to stick him in the side. With a slight grunt Shino pulled it from his body and hurled it right back at the Rock Nin.

 

With practiced ease the Rock Nin snatched the shuriken out of the air and snapped it right back Shino along with over a dozen other shuriken. Shino leapt out of the way of the shuriken only to see the Rock Nin throwing another one right at him once again. Running forward, Shino ducked under it. Then an explosion went off right behind him and sent him flying towards the Rock Nin.

 

A shocked Shino barely had enough time to pull a kunai out of his hip pack to block the kunai the Rock Nin had thrust at him. Using his body weight and momentum, Shino continued his movement and swung his feet into the chest of the Rock Nin and sent him flying backwards through the tress once again. Shino once again gave chase to the Rock Nin.

 

With a twist of his body, the Rock Nin landed on his feet. He pulled out a scroll, pumped some chakra into it and swung it in Shino's direction releasing close to fifty shuriken. Shino had to scramble out of the way once again as he watched the Rock Nin palm one last symbol on the scroll and unfold the fuuma shuriken that appeared in his hand. Shino and the Rock Nin met again in a clash of steel as they both tried to overpower the other.

 

Kiba was starting to get a little frustrated with the massive Rock Nin he was fighting. Every attack that he had done had barely scratched the guy even though he had literally thrown enough kunai and shuriken into him that he should have been a pincushion. It didn't help that the blow to his side earlier was finally starting to slow him down.

 

The Rock Nin gave a guttural laugh, “You'll never beat me using Taijutsu alone so why don't you just surrender and give me your flag. I am one of the invincible Stonewall Siblings from the Village Hidden in Rocks and I'm just as tough as the stone that makes up so much of the country. Just give up already.”

 

Now it was Kiba's turn to laugh, “Yeah right you big oaf. If you think I'm giving up now you've got another thing coming. A good friend of mine taught me taught me to never give up no matter how hopeless the situation is. Don't think that you've got me beat quite yet.” Moving rapidly, Kiba pulled out a kunai and a short fuse explosive note from his hip pack and threw them at the Stonewall Sibling, “NOW AKAMARU!”

 

The explosive note blew up just in front of the Stonewall Sibling and knocked him off his feet and scorched most of his exposed skin. As he tumbled to the ground Akamaru shot in close to the Nin and pulled his flag from his belt and ran it over to Kiba.

 

“HELL YEAH!” Kiba cheered, “Who's gonna win now you ox? Think you're fast enough to keep up with me? You've got less than thirty seconds to get a flag back.”

 

When the Stonewall Sibling turned and leapt away from Kiba it shocked him to say the least. Then he realized that he was heading in Mikomi's direction.

 

After Mikomi had taken the first hammer punch to the face - with the spikes cutting her - and the follow up punch to the stomach she had barely been touched the by Rock Nin at all. Mikomi had coolly flipped back and made sure to concentrate some of her internal healing chakra to the wound, healing it up in a matter of seconds.

 

Staring down the shocked Stonewall Sibling Mikomi had spat out a few choice words, “That was a really stupid move, giving me enough time to recover from that punch. If you think that those were the hardest hits I've taken you're sorely mistaken. The sensei that taught me Taijutsu hits ten times as hard as you do.” In a burst of speed Mikomi closed the gap between the two of them in a second, “Besides, I've yet to-” Mikomi reared back as she ducked under the reflexive punch thrown at her, “HIT YOU WITH MY FULL STRENGTH!”

 

The uppercut that Mikomi had landed was just as strong as even Tsunade's strongest punch and sent the Stonewall Sibling flying back through the massive trunk of the tree behind her. Mikomi followed after her, leaping through the hole she had made to find her back on her feet once again. The Stonewall Sibling was already back on her feet and spinning a massive fuuma shuriken as Mikomi leapt out the other side of the hole. She grinned in triumph and threw the fuuma shuriken with blistering speed right at the falling Mikomi.

 

Once again pumping a massive amount of chakra into her system Mikomi slammed her hands down on the flat section of the shuriken. The shuriken still had enough force for one of the blades to strike her right side and cut through her reinforced shirt to bruise the skin beneath slightly.

 

Landing on her feet Mikomi glared at the Stonewall Sibling once again, “And did I mention that I happen to be able to turn my entire body far harder than stone with a little bit of chakra reinforcement?”

 

With that said, Mikomi began to just lay into the Stonewall Sibling in front of her. No matter how she tried to block or counter attack Mikomi just slid around her bulky arms and legs to land hits on her body. Mikomi quickly broke several ribs on the Stonewall Sibling and left her reeling around a little disoriented from a concussion. Finally, when the Stonewall Sibling tried to land a kick on Mikomi from a half falling position, Mikomi caught the Stonewall Sibling's leg. With another punch Mikomi shattered the kneecap, viciously breaking the Stonewall Sibling's leg before she tossed her across the clearing.

 

The Stonewall Sibling was too shocked to even scream as she stared down at her shattered leg, the pain barely registering in her foggy mind. After another few seconds she passed out.

 

Mikomi was shocked when not more than a second after the Stonewall Sibling she had been fighting had passed out the other one had burst through the trees and stolen the flag from his own sister. He quickly stuck it on his belt before he leapt to the side as Kiba and Akamaru tried to attack him from behind.

 

“Looks like she won't need this anymore,” the male Stonewall Sibling said seriously as he glared at Mikomi, “And you just signed your death warrant. Nobody hurts my family.”

 

Not giving the other Stonewall Sibling a chance to set up a proper defensive stance Mikomi ran at him and threw a punch at his face. He caught her punch before it reached his face. A shocked Mikomi barely had the time to notice the flicker of pain on the Stonewall Sibling's face before she was thrown into the tree behind his sister. As Mikomi fell to the ground she noticed that the Sibling she had been fighting before disappeared in a puff of smoke. Getting back to her feet she took up a position with Kiba and Akamaru, surrounding the final Sibling.

 

The three of them leapt at the Stonewall Sibling at the same time only to be knocked away by him. But not before Mikomi was able to steal his flag. Kiba, Akamaru and Mikomi took off into the trees to help Shino out while the Stonewall Sibling frantically gave chase to them once again. After running away for a while, Kiba and Mikomi heard a small pop and looked back to see that the other Stonewall Sibling had disappeared in a puff of smoke as well.

 

Kiba and Mikomi came across Shino chasing down the final Rock Nin who was fleeing the area. “Need a hand Shino?” Mikomi called out to him as she caught up beside him.

 

“I need a flag,” Shino said as he pulled one of them off of Mikomi's belt, “He has mine.”

 

Mikomi just nodded as she continued to pour on the speed with her teammates in an attempt to catch up to the speedy Rock Nin. There was no way she was going to let him escape from her now.

 

For a good half an hour no matter what Mikomi, Kiba and Shino did they couldn't get their hands on the slippery ninja. Kiba and Akamaru had tried to tackle him from the air countless times while Mikomi had tried to knock him out whenever she got the chance. This left a trail of shatter tree limbs and bark chunks littering the forest floor. Shino calmly threw shuriken at the Rock Nin in an attempt to disable him as he rebounded off of the tree branches.

 

`This merry little chase that guy's leading us on seems to finally be taking its toll on him,' Mikomi thought as she watched the Rock Nin stumble for the first time since the chase began. When Mikomi realized that there was a bit of a clearing in the forest up ahead she got ready to intercept the Rock Nin. As he leapt out into the center of the clearing, Mikomi pushed some chakra into her legs and finally caught up to him. Yanking the two tags from his belt Mikomi chopped the exhausted Rock Nin in the back of the neck and knocked him out cold. Mikomi released him and let him fall down into the center of the clearing as Kiba and Shino came out to join her.

 

Mikomi fell down onto her back in the center of the clearing after putting one of the flags on her own belt and offering the other one up to Shino, “Holy crap that guy was a hard little man to catch. Totally opposite of those hulks he had for teammates. What a pain in the ass.” Pulling out a canteen of water, Mikomi took a swig before she passed it off to Kiba.

 

“Damn straight he was a pain in the ass. I don't know too many people who could dodge me as well as he could. I don't know if it would have been easier if our jutsu hadn't been sealed or not! Let's just get to the central tower as soon as possible.” Kiba turned to pass the canteen to Shino, “Hey Shino, think you'll be able to figure out where we are from here? We want to get to the tower as soon as possible.”

 

Shino just ignored Kiba and looked hard at the bushes at the edge of the clearing before he said, “We've got company.”

 

Just as the little Rock Nin disappeared from the clearing in a puff of smoke, three other Nins entered the clearing from the bushes Shino had been looking at. The odd thing about this team was that their Hitae-ates had two different symbols on them: one was the symbol for the Village Hidden in Rocks while the other was the symbol for the Village Hidden in Grass. Mikomi, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru wearily got into a defensive stance as they looked across the clearing at the team standing there.

 

“We don't particularly care for those bastards from Rock since we're from Grass,” the leader said, a well built Ninja who had a pair of whips coiled on his hips, “But we are going to pass this exam. Give us their flags if you don't want to get hurt.”

 

“We went through way too much crap to get these flags in the first place, so if you think that we're going to be giving them up without a fight, then you don't have your head screwed on right,” Mikomi spat glaring at the team from Grass.

 

A shocked expression passed over the Whip Nin's face as he looked hard at Mikomi's face. First recognition appeared on his face followed by a furious anger, “To hell with giving them a chance guy! That fucking bitch over there is one of the two Sound Nins who were responsible for destroying our village in the first place! WE'RE GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!”

 

“What?” Mikomi gasped as she started to pale, “What the hell are you talking about? How the hell could I have possibly been part of something that big? There is no way in hell I'm a good enough Ninja to even possibly have been a part of that! You have to be mistaken!”

 

“I'm not mistaken you little bitch,” The Whip Nin snarled as he uncoiled the whips at his side, “When I saw you and that other red eyed bastard undo those freakish Henges I burned your faces into my mind. I swore that if I ever had the chance to kill either one of you then I'd make sure you'd suffer. This is going to be the last day that you ever live.”

 

 

A/N: Another chapter finished! I just wanted to leave another reminder that I'm looking for a beta reader still. I'd also like to hear some feedback on what you guys think of my story so please review!