The ANBU arrived to find a scene of utter devastation. Trees lay uprooted and charred, the ground scorched and smoking, and the air reeked of ozone and burnt flesh.
At the center of the destruction lay three unconscious genin from Konoha, their bodies bearing signs of severe injuries.
After a brief assessment, the masked operatives determined that the genin were still alive, though barely. One ANBU with a cat mask knelt beside Indra, examining the strange mark on his neck.
"This is..." he began, his voice tense.
"We should report this immediately," another ANBU interrupted. "Lord Hokage needs to know."
The cat-masked ANBU nodded reluctantly. "What about them?" he asked, gesturing to the unconscious genin.
"The exam is still ongoing," replied his companion. "We can't interfere."
With a shared glance of regret, the ANBU disappeared in swirls of leaves, leaving Team 11 to their fate.
------------------------
"Ino, wait up!" Shikamaru called, his voice echoing through the forest as he struggled to keep pace with his determined teammate. "This is such a drag."
Ino Yamanaka moved swiftly through the trees, her blonde ponytail swinging with each leap. "I felt that chakra, Shikamaru," she called back. "Something terrible happened here."
"That's exactly why we shouldn't be rushing toward it," Shikamaru grumbled. "The explosion was visible from every corner of the Forest of Death. Whoever caused it isn't someone we want to meet."
Ino ignored his protests, her mind fixed on the familiar chakra signature she'd sensed during the massive flare-up. It had felt like Indra's, but twisted somehow - darker and more volatile than his usual controlled presence.
She herself as a Yamanaka been more in tune with chakra sensing without being a true Sensor - especially Indra's after experiencing the very depths of his soul.
As they reached the edge of a clearing, Ino stopped so abruptly that Shikamaru nearly collided with her back. "Oh no," she whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.
The scene before them was apocalyptic. A massive swath of the forest had been reduced to ash and smoldering stumps.
The ground was cracked and blackened, as if the very earth had been superheated. And in the center of the devastation lay three familiar figures.
"Indra!" Ino cried, rushing forward without hesitation. She dropped to her knees beside his unconscious form, her medical training immediately kicking in as she checked his vital signs. "Shikamaru, help me! They're all hurt badly!"
Shikamaru surveyed the destruction with narrowed eyes before reluctantly joining her. "What a drag," he whispered though gritting his teeth as he saw his friend in that state, kneeling beside Indra. "What happened to them?"
"I don't know," Ino replied, her brow furrowed with concentration as she examined Indra. "But look at this."
She pointed to a strange mark on his neck - black, flame-like circular pattern, similar to a sun - that seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy. "I've never seen anything like it before."
Shikamaru leaned closer, working through possibilities. "It looks like some kind of seal," he observed.
"This is bad," Ino said, her voice tight with worry. She moved to check on Sayaka and Chinen, finding them both alive but in similarly poor condition. "They need medical attention."
Shikamaru glanced around the clearing, taking in the full extent of the destruction. "We should check if they have their scrolls first," he suggested pragmatically. "Then we can decide what to do next. Basic mission protocol."
Ino shot him a glare. "You can be so cold sometimes, you know that? Just like Sasuke."
"Someone has to think clearly," Shikamaru replied with a shrug. "If we don't, we'll all end up dead. So I'll take that as a compliment."
He moved to check Chinen's belongings while Ino continued her medical assessment. After a thorough search, they confirmed that Team 11 had indeed obtained both Heaven and Earth scrolls.
"We should help them," Ino declared, her voice leaving no room for argument. "We can't just leave them here."
Shikamaru opened his mouth to respond, but Ino cut him off, her words tumbling out in an emotional rush. "I owe him, Shikamaru. I need to make it up to him for looking through his mind without his permission." Her eyes pleaded with him. "And if you and Choji won't help me, I'll help Indra's team on my own. I mean it."
Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his temples. "That's not what I was going to say at all," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Indra and I have been friends since the Academy. Me helping you that day made things rocky between us, and I want to patch that up too."
Ino blinked, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Oh."
"You should trust me more, Ino," Shikamaru continued. "It's not always about you. I have my own reasons for wanting to help. Being grateful that he helped you during the exam is good, but don't forget others have their motivations too."
"Sorry," Ino said, offering a sheepish smile. "I got carried away."
"Don't worry about it," Shikamaru replied, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Now, let's get these guys to safety and see if we can still pass this troublesome exam."
With careful movements, they began lifting the unconscious members of Team 11. Choji, who had been keeping watch, joined them to help carry Chinen.
As they started making their way through the forest, a shout stopped them in their tracks.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
They turned to see Sakura and Rock Lee hurrying toward them, concern evident on their faces.
"Indra! Chinen! Sayaka!" Sakura exclaimed, rushing forward. "What happened to them?"
"We found them like this," Ino explained quickly. "They're alive, but barely. We need to get them somewhere safe."
Lee's eyes widened with determination. "These young shinobi need our help! As a proud ninja of the Leaf, I cannot abandon them in their time of need!" Without waiting for a response, he moved to take Chinen from Choji. "Allow me to assist!"
"What about Sasuke and Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, noticing the absence of consciousness from Sakura's teammates.
Sakura's expression darkened. "They're unconscious too. We were attacked by Sound ninja, and then this strange man with a long tongue..." She shuddered at the memory. "I've been protecting them, but it's been difficult."
"Sound ninja?" Ino repeated, her brow furrowing. "We should stick together. Safety in numbers."
Shikamaru nodded reluctantly. "What a drag. But you're right. Let's get everyone to the tower as quickly as possible."
As they continued through the forest, Lee couldn't help but comment on the unusual situation. "It is most strange that both Sasuke and Naruto remain unconscious, as if under some powerful jutsu. And now Indra's team as well. What could have caused such a thing?"
"We'll find out when they wake up," Ino replied, her eyes fixed on the path ahead. "For now, let's focus on getting to the tower safely."
They had nearly reached a small river when a cold voice stopped them in their tracks.
"You're not going anywhere."
The group turned to find three Sound ninja blocking their path - two males and one female, all wearing the distinctive headbands of the Hidden Sound Village.
"Hand over your scrolls," demanded the one with spiky black hair and strange devices mounted on his palms. "Do that, and we might let you live."
"Zaku, don't waste time talking," the bandaged one said quietly. "Our mission is already clear."
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed at the mention of a mission - one that appeared to be seperate from the exam.
'This looks bad,' he thought to himself.
"We can't give you our scrolls," Sakura said firmly, stepping forward despite her obvious fatigue. "We've worked too hard to give up now."
"Then we'll take them from your corpses," the female Sound ninja replied with a cruel smile, pulling out several senbon needles with bells attached.
Lee gently set down Chinen and moved into his distinctive fighting stance. "I shall protect everyone with the power of youth!" he declared, his eyes burning with determination.
"I'll help too," Sakura added, drawing a kunai despite her trembling hands.
The Sound ninja attacked without further warning. Zaku thrust his palms forward, releasing powerful blasts of compressed air that tore through the ground as Lee and Sakura dodged.
"Decapitating Airwaves!" he shouted, sending another blast toward Lee.
The taijutsu specialist narrowly avoided the attack, his incredible speed allowing him to close the distance and deliver a powerful kick to Zaku's midsection. "Leaf Hurricane!"
Meanwhile, Sakura engaged the kunoichi, Kin Tsuchi, who wielded senbon with attached bells. "These bells will be the last sound you hear," Kin taunted, throwing several needles that Sakura barely dodged.
The third Sound ninja, Dosu, circled around, his single visible eye fixed on the unconscious forms of Team 11 and Sasuke. "Our lord will be pleased when we complete our mission," he murmured, adjusting the metal device on his arm.
The battle quickly turned against Lee and Sakura.
Despite Lee's impressive taijutsu skills and Sakura's determination, the Sound ninja worked together with practiced coordination.
Lee found himself bombarded by Zaku's air pressure attacks while trying to avoid Dosu's sound-based techniques, and Sakura struggled against Kin's senbon and genjutsu.
"We have to help them!" Ino exclaimed, watching as Lee took a direct hit from one of Zaku's attacks, sending him crashing into a tree.
"It's too dangerous," Shikamaru argued. "We need to protect the injured and get to the tower. That's our priority."
"I don't care about the exams anymore," Ino shot back, her voice cracking with emotion. "They're going to die if we don't do something!"
Her eyes filled with tears. "I can't just sit here and watch our friends die when I can help!"
Before Shikamaru could stop her, Ino had already formed her hand seal. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Her body went limp as her consciousness shot toward Kin Tsuchi. For a moment, it seemed the technique had worked - Kin's body froze mid-attack. But then a senbon needle appeared and stabbed it into her - Kin's - side.
Ino's body jerked in pain as she returned to it.
"Ino!" Shikamaru shouted, rushing to her side.
"What happened?" she gasped, clutching her side.
"Someone interfered with your jutsu," Shikamaru explained grimly, looking around for the source of the counterattack.
To everyone's surprise, it was Sayaka who had risen from her unconscious state. Despite her injuries, she stood protectively over Indra's form, her eyes cold and calculating.
"They will not hurt him," she whispered, her voice barely audible. With movements that belied her injured state, she launched herself at Kin Tsuchi, a kunai flashing in her hand.
The Sound kunoichi barely had time to react before Sayaka's blade slashed across her stomach.
A swift kick to the throat followed, sending Kin crumpling to the ground, her eyes wide with shock as life left them.
"One down," Sayaka said tonelessly, before collapsing back to her knees, her brief surge of energy spent.
"Well, that was unexpected," Dosu commented, his visible eye narrowing. "But it changes nothing."
He moved toward Sayaka, his resonating echo device humming. Sakura tried to intercept him but was knocked aside by Zaku's air blast, who then sent one upon Shikamaru, blasting him away as well from Indra's body.
"Well, our Lord told us to go after you too." Zaku began.
"We wanted to deal with Sasuke first, but you being here and so fucking defenseless makes things so... easy." Zaku stated as he towered over Indra's unconscious form - picking him up by his clothes - as he then pulled a kunai out of his pouch and put it against Indra's neck, drawing a little blood.
Just as the situation seemed hopeless, a wave of dark, malevolent chakra flooded the clearing. Everyone froze, turning toward its source.
Sasuke Uchiha stood among the unconscious forms, black flame-like markings spreading across his skin as purple chakra swirled around him.
His Sharingan blazed so fiercely that made even the Sound ninja hesitate.
His gaze swept the scene, taking in the injured forms of his comrades before settling on Indra's unconscious body in Zaku's grasp, a kunai held to his throat.
Something snapped in Sasuke's eyes. The tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly before settling into a new pattern - a fully matured Sharingan with three tomoe in each eye - an awakening from sheer absolute rage.
"If one tries to take what's most precious," he whispered suddenly, his voice carrying an icy calm that was more terrifying than any shout, "they should be ready for their own treasure to be taken as well."
With speed that left afterimages, Sasuke appeared behind Zaku, grabbing the wrist that held the kunai to Indra's throat.
A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as he broke the Sound ninja's arm, catching Indra's limp form before it could hit the ground.
Zaku's scream of pain cut off abruptly as Sasuke's hand closed around his throat. "Who did this?" Sasuke demanded, his voice soft but charged with murderous intent. "Who hurt my family?"
Chinen, who had regained consciousness but remained too weak to move, spoke up weakly. "It was Orochimaru of the Sannin," he managed. "I recognized him from the bingo book."
Sasuke's gaze dropped to Indra's neck, where the same curse mark that adorned his own skin - remembering how he himself was bit, and how he nearly died from it.
His expression hardened, rage crystallizing into something cold and deadly.
Sakura stepped forward, reaching out to him. "Sasuke, are you alri-"
"Stay back," he ordered, not even looking at her. "These people tried to kill my brother. I will never forgive that."
The word 'brother' hung in the air, surprising everyone who heard it. Sasuke had never openly acknowledged such a bond with anyone since the massacre.
Sakura withdrew her hand, fear and concern warring in her eyes.
For the first time, she glimpsed something in Sasuke that truly frightened her - a darkness that went beyond his usual brooding demeanor.
Sasuke gently laid Indra down beside Sayaka, who immediately moved to protect him despite her weakened state.
Then he turned back to the Sound ninja, the curse mark spreading further across his skin.
"Please, we surrender!" Dosu pleaded, having seen how easily Sasuke subdued Zaku, backing away. "We were just following orders!"
"Orders to kill my family," Sasuke replied tonelessly.
What followed was brutal and swift. Sasuke moved with inhuman speed, his curse mark-enhanced strength turning each strike into a lethal blow.
Zaku died first, his head crushed beneath Sasuke's foot with a wet crunch that made even the hardened sound genin flinch.
Dosu tried to flee but made it only three steps before Sasuke caught him, slashing his throat with a kunai before ripping his arms off, and severing his head with a powerful kick.
When it was over, Sasuke stood amid the carnage, his breathing steady despite the blood that covered him from head to toe.
The curse mark receded slowly as he gained control of himself, his Sharingan fading back to black.
The silence that followed was absolute. No one dared speak as Sasuke turned back to the group, his expression unreadable as he surveyed their shocked faces.
"We need to get to the tower," he said finally, his voice surprisingly calm. He approached Indra, whom Sayaka still guarded vigilantly.
After a moment of silence, where Sasuke looked down at her - staring her in the eyes, he spoke, "I would never hurt my family," he told her softly, his eyes meeting hers with unexpected gentleness.
After a moment of scrutiny, Sayaka nodded and stepped aside, allowing Sasuke to lift Indra onto his back.
"Do you have your scrolls?" he asked the group at large.
Numb with shock, they nodded.
"Good. Let's move."
As they prepared to leave, a voice called out from the trees. "Lee!"
Neji Hyuga and Tenten emerged from the foliage, their expressions a mixture of caution and concern.
"We felt the chakra surge," Neji explained, his Byakugan active as he surveyed the scene. "Lee, are you alright?"
Lee, battered but standing, gave a weak thumbs-up. "The power of youth prevails, Neji!"
"We can help with Lee," Tenten - taking in the sitation - offered, looking to Sasuke. "You should get the injured to the tower as quickly as possible."
Sasuke nodded once. "Thank you for protecting my team and Indra's team," he said to Lee, his voice carrying a note of genuine gratitude beneath the exhaustion. "I won't forget it."
As they set off toward the tower, Sasuke's thoughts churned behind his impassive expression.
The rage that had consumed him during the fight had been unlike anything he'd felt before - even his hatred for Itachi seemed old, cold and distant compared to the white-hot fury that had exploded when he in that moment saw Indra threatened.
'How can I ever hope to kill Itachi if I can't control my emotions?So many unnecessary actions.'
'I could've killed them in one swift clean blow but I let my rage dictate my actions. If there was another hidden enemy I would've been killed. Damn it.' he cursed internally.
His troubled thoughts were interrupted by Ino's alarmed voice. "He's heating up! Sasuke, something's wrong with Indra!"
Sasuke stopped immediately, concern flashing across features as he felt the heat radiating from Indra's body.
"Wait, he's waking up!" Ino exclaimed.
Indra's eyes fluttered open, the curse mark on his neck noticeably smaller and more contained than Sasuke's own. He looked around in confusion, his gaze finally settling on Sasuke.
"What happened? Where-"
"Don't talk," Sasuke interrupted, his voice gruff but tinged with relief. "Just rest. We're almost to the tower."
After a moment, processing everything, Indra nodded weakly, allowing his head to rest against Sasuke's shoulder.
As they resumed their journey, his eyes took in the blood-spattered state of his cousin and the tense, fearful expressions of their companions - especially towards Sasuke from everyone besides Sayaka.
He geniunely wondered what happened...
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Yeah, Sasuke when taken over by the curse mark was very, very driven by his emotion and sadism.
He nearly lost the final part of his family, Indra who he has internally began to decide to be his little brother - while he himself will be a better big brother than Itachi - which came out in this moment verbally since he had no true control over himself.
Basically a way he's dealing with that brotherhood trauma he has.
Sakura couldn't stop his brutality this time because of that rage, and I geniunely think in the anime Sasuke would've ripped Zaku's arms off if it wasn't for her.
The Cursed Seal of Heaven is no joke.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)