INTO THE FOREST
All the chunin hopefuls were gathered in front of Training Ground 44 when Anko, Team 8, and Team Bee arrived. The tension in the air was palpable, which made the purple-haired woman grin madly.
"Alright, maggots, we're starting now. For this part of the exam, you're going to be inside this lovely forest. Your objective is to get these scrolls and reach the tower in the middle. You have five days." Anko giggled, making everyone even more nervous. "Now, the juicy bits. Each team will get one scroll. How do you get the other one? Don't know, don't care. Buy it, steal it, kill for it… there are no rules inside the forest. Just don't open your scrolls—or bad things will happen. Je je je... Oh, and sign these papers so Konoha isn't held responsible for anything that might happen inside. Je je je."
Sakura sighed in relief. "We have Kiba and Akamaru to guide us through the forest. At least that should help."
A kunai flew past her face, leaving a shallow cut on her cheek. Anko appeared behind her, licking the little trail of blood with a manic grin.
"You seem relaxed, Pinky. You know what they call this place? The Forest of Death. And confident rookie ninjas like you tend to fertilize it with their tasty, sweet blood."
Anko was giggling when she turned around, kunai in hand, only to find a Grass ninja holding the thrown kunai in her unnaturally long, snake-like tongue.
"Sorry, proctor-san, I just wanted to return your kunai… but the sight of blood excited me a bit."
"Wonderful! We've got a bunch of blood lovers this year! But you should know better than to sneak up on your proctor," Anko chirped.
"Oh boy, more freaks. As if it wasn't enough with the Kumo whores."
"Damn right you are. Let's help Sasuke-kun ace this exam and stay away from those creeps," both sides of Sakura's mind echoed in agreement.
"Excuse me, proctor-san… What are we going to eat inside the forest?" asked a worried Choji.
"Don't worry about food. There are plenty of animals inside. You just have to hunt them… before they hunt you." Anko's muffled chuckles made the genin even more anxious.
"Now, my colleagues will guide you to the different entrances to this lovely place. In an hour, I'll open all the gates with this remote. Try not to die!" Anko practically sang the last sentence.
Team Bee's Gate
Naruko was explaining her strategy—or, more accurately, her guidelines—when Kurenai approached the group.
"Team Bee, right? I wanted to give you the same advice I gave the other Konoha rookie teams. You're here not just for the exam, but also as part of a diplomatic mission. Please, do not engage Team 8 in battle. They're the team you arrived with. And if you must, please find a way to disable Ren-chan without hurting her. She has a special jutsu that she can't deactivate, and it triggers every time she bleeds. I'm not trying to protect her—though I'd like to—it's for your own safety. If, in the worst-case scenario, you get caught in her jutsu… let her help you."
"Wow, thank you, lady! Anyway, our plan is to avoid the Konoha teams since we're supposed to be allies. But if anyone attacks us, we're definitely going to fight back," said Naruko, scratching the back of her neck.
"Thank you," the jōnin replied before vanishing in a flicker of sunshine.
"So, what's the plan, N-sama?"
"Haku-san, N-chan's plans are more like… guidelines. She loves to improvise. The plan is: enter the forest, find a target, take their scrolls, and rush to the tower. If we can help the Konoha rookie teams along the way, that'd be perfect—but it's not mandatory," Hinata explained.
Team 7's Gate
"So, what's the plan, you guys?" Kiba asked, worry tightening his voice. "We should avoid Team 8. Mom says Kurenai is a top kunoichi—she won't trick us."
"I don't care! I'll crush anyone in my way!" Sasuke barked.
Sakura sighed at her teammates. Kiba rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. I say we hunt for easy targets and steer clear of the others," Sakura suggested.
"Especially the Kumo team," Kiba added.
"Scared, mutt?" Sasuke sneered. "I'll smash them all. Let them see the power of the Uchiha!"
"Yes, yes—knock it off, dude. We're not Uchiha." Kiba retorted, sarcasm dripping. Sasuke's pride bristled, but he fell silent.
Team Bee's Ambush
Team Bee crept through the trees, tracking a group of Grass-nin that Hinata had spied earlier. In a clearing below, the Grass nin joked:
"Lucky we're not famous—bloodline junkies like that Uchiha prick would gouge your eyes out."
"Yeah, if that kid's as good as he thinks, he might take us out. Then the reward's ours," another laughed.
"Hehe—I marked them with special chakra threads," a kunoichi added. "Better to know where they'll hide."
Above, Naruko, Hinata, and Haku debated.
"We don't even know if they're after Team 7. We could ambush now and trade info," Hinata suggested.
"But they could be luring us," Haku warned.
"Priority is the scroll. But yes—let's strike." Naruko grinned, unsheathing the Kubikiribōchō.
They dropped down, surprising the enemy by stealth.
Naruko impaled one Grass kunoichi, pinning her to a tree. Haku twisted the other boy's arm, kunai at his throat. Hinata raised her hands:
"Relax—surrender your scroll, and we'll spare you."
The captives surrendered, and Naruko created a clone to inspect the bag for traps before retrieving the scroll.
"No hard feelings," Naruko said. "We'll tie you up—tree height! Climb down for freedom. Then point us to Team 7's enemies—supplies are yours." She unsealed food, water, and first-aid kits.
The Grass nin agreed and pointed the way—Team Bee dashed into the forest.
Deep in the Forest
Sakura and Kiba shelterd in a cave under a tree with an unconscious Sasuke. Earlier they'd encountered Orochimaru disguised as a Grass ninja. Kiba and Akamaru had rescued Sasuke from a giant snake, but he was badly beaten.
"Think our traps are enough?" Sakura asked, tense.
"Sakura-chan… We're in deep trouble. I'm spent, Akamaru's hurt, Sasuke's out cold, and you're drained. Our best bet is to hide and survive the exam," Kiba replied.
Akamaru whimpered, alerting them to approaching footsteps.
The Sound ninja burst in.
"Hand over the Uchiha and we'll let you go," Dosu demanded as Sakura jumped forward with blades drawn.
"I'll handle this," Zaku sneered, blocking Sakura with his arm.
Sakura threw her kunai—they were deflected by Zaku's Decapitating Airwaves. She substituted with a log and charged again. On her third attempt, she baited Zaku to stab her leg and followed with a punch.
Zaku grabbed her hair, kunai to her throat:
"A true kunoichi doesn't worry about pretty hair!"
Sakura bit his hand and freed herself—stabbing his foot and rolling back.
"Bitch! I'll…*"** Zaku started—but then a green blur rushed in.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Rock Lee kicked both Zaku and Kin off Sakura.
"I'll protect her!" Lee declared proudly.
Zaku shouted from behind: "You're fast—but ninjutsu beats taijutsu. Observe—Decapitating Airwaves!"
Lee dodged, then triumphed with a kneeling kick, launching Dosu away.
"Front Lotus!" Lee grabbed Kin, spiraled downward—"Decapitating Airwaves!" Zaku broke the fall, absorbing the jutsu.
Dosu recovered and punched Lee while Zaku lunged. But a shadow suddenly seized Zaku—Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Jutsu. Choji then unleashed his Partial Expansion Jutsu: a giant arm punched Zaku aside. Ino peppered him with kunai.
Zaku retaliated with explosive kunai, toppling a tree onto the group. Choji and Lee punched it aside, but Zaku repeatedly struck the trunk, sending rolling shockwaves. Choji braced the trunk.
Dosu attacked—Kiba threw shuriken dispersing both.
Just then, Sasuke staggered in, marked by dark chakra markings creeping over his body.
"Sakura—what did they do to you?" he snarled. "This power… Orochimaru mentioned it. With this, I will kill him!"
Zaku sneered: "Look at this Uchiha, he has a cursed mark? Why would LOrd Orochimaru give him a curse mark then send us after him?" Dosu internally thought as he focused on Sasuke's mark.
Sasuke leapt at Zaku: "You seem pretty proud of these arms." He said menacingly as he started ripping them off until Sakura threw herself between them, begging him to stop.
He released Zaku, who fled with Dosu—after dropping the scroll they were carrying.
Everyone stared at Sasuke in surprise—and alarm as he collapsed to his knees.
Lee, Tenten, Neji rushed to help him.
Some Time Later
In a clearing, Sakura had her hair fixed by Ino while Kiba updated Team 10. Sasuke brooded in a corner.
Kiba
"Let me see if I've got this straight: Orochimaru—the traitor Snake Sannin—the worst rogue ninja ever, just appeared out of nowhere, beat us, and branded Sasuke with that weird cursed seal. Now Sasuke's gone dark with chakra marks spreading from it, and he's completely drained, sitting right there? Yes?"
Shikamaru and Choji nodded in agreement.
Kiba continued:
"How troublesome. Hey, Uchiha‑san! Don't use that strange power again. Better let your teacher examine that seal—those things are dangerous."
Sasuke
Sasuke coldly replied:
"And why should I?"
Shikamaru
Shikamaru produced a small vial from Choji's pouch.
Shikamaru explained:
"These are Konoha soldier pills—used by Akimichi and Inuzuka in battle. Thanks to Senju and Nara alchemy, they're powerful but safe—only one every 24 hours, or two in extreme cases. Three pills give a massive boost but shut down your liver and kidneys within a day. If you don't know the side effects, don't take them. This cursed seal is the same—you don't know what it does. Until it's analyzed, using it is suicidal."
Sasuke just grunted.
Suddenly, a yellow smoke bomb went off. Three unfamiliar Rain nin appeared: a tall man in a lab coat and gasmask, a kunoichi in similar gear, and a bulky boy armed with strange gauntlets.
Tall ninja sneered:
"Hello, genin. How's that paralyzing smoke treating you? We're here for the Uchiha's eyes. You look sloppy after those Sound ninjis—don't get in our way."
The kunoichi poised a scalpel—about to operate on the unconscious Sasuke.
Haku & Hinata's Rescue
A frozen puddle cracked—Haku's ghostly figure emerged. He seized the kunoichi's scalpel and Hinata swept her into water-tentacle restraint as she stepped from the bushes.
Hinata calmly stated:
"Surrender and give us your scroll—and promise to stop tailing Sasuke-kun."
Naruko leapt from a tree, grabbing the smoke bomb from the tall ninja's hand.
Naruko yawned, peaceful but fierce:
"Hey guys—what's happening?"
A needle appeared at the tall ninja's throat.
Hinata warned:
"One wrong move, and your dead— nothing personal."
The tall ninja threw the needle to his bulky partner, triggering berserk transformation.
Tall ninja explained the jutsu:
"This is Berserk Frenzy. The needle activates it—he'll shred anything without a specific chemical until you deactivate him—then he's dead."
Hinata countered with Way of the Waterfall: Pressure Impact, melting the rain kunoichi's brain. The furious berserker charged Naruko—who swiftly cleaved him in half with the Kubikiribocho, severing both man and his scroll in one astounding strike.
Aftermath
Naruko cleaned her blade, then casually asked:
"So... what now?"
Hinata replied:
"We should treat them and offer rest. Haku, you okay?" Hinata and Sasuke's team began first aid. Kiba retrieved their scroll from the slain.
Naruko set up an impromptu BBQ.
Shikamaru asked:
"Aren't you worried we'll take your scrolls?"
Naruko winked:
"See these tattoos? That's a seal only I can undo. Besides, I think you're honest."
Sakura, shaken, whispered:
"You… killed them… like it's nothing."
Naruko responded gently but firmly:
"We don't take lives lightly—but defending others is a noble act. Shinobi often develop quirks to deal with this job. I pray for every life I take—but yes, it does help to treat it like a game, so it doesn't distract me."
Team 10 and Kiba understood—like their own lazy but deadly teachers, Asuma and Kakashi.
Sakura burst:
"You're a monster!"
Naruko quietly replied:
"Yes. And monsters can cry, too."
In the Tower
Anko and Hokage watched AMBU reports.
AMBU Captain ('Boar') reported:
"No sign of Orochimaru—but the Kumo team helped Team 7 and 10 against the Rain nin. They're far beyond average Genin—they wiped out that team effortlessly."
Hokage replied, amused:
"Thanks. Please—keep entertaining me with this clan's chaos. A monster's power rises again… and even Orochimaru doesn't yet grasp its meaning."
Anko listened, confused by the Hokage's cryptic words.