[Action] Chapter 13: The Second Exam! New Obstacles!

[VlaudFenikkusu]

A.N. Hyello everyone, here it is, the next chapter, finally right? The last one may have seemed long, because I foolishly thought I could have figured out a way to make this exam 2 friggin chapters, but I decided now to be patient and keep it smooth, nothing crammed, nothing rushed, see, I told you I was going to make this one a good one, right? Also, I made the mistake of not correcting my last chapters intro as far as what chapter were to be in it, so I will correct now by saying that it covered chapters 45-48.

P.S.|Also, it has come to my attention that for the second time, someone has suggested I write in a traditional style, ie "What do you guys think..?" He questioned with both curiosity, and a slight worry for change. VS Vlaud, curious and slightly worried: "What do you guys think..?" I tried writing like this because I wanted to be different and I did find some pros. To writing this way, but what's important is how well you are enjoying reading it, so, honestly let me know if you think I should test it out by writing a chapter traditionally and why, please and thank you!

Alright, Chapters 49- 51 bring you...

Chapter 13: The Second Exam! New Obstacles!

|Moments after the assault on the enemy|

The three Genin looked up to see blonde boy, gauntlet's on each hand, and who adorned a tarnished orange track suit tied hanging down from his waist. Naruto: "Sorry I'm late, I was a little time constricted. Don't try snaking anymore information than that from me though... I had to swallow my pride just to tell you that much..."

Everyone dead-panned over what could have been a dramatic entrance if it weren't for the use of of such putrid puns. Sakura was the first to recover: "Naruto-kun! Your alive!" Sasuke, regaining his composer while the snake was still stuck on Naruto's use of the word swallow: "Yeah, great job, now I know this would be the part in some manga where the protagonist arrives and saves the day, but we need to run! This thing, this thing is no Gennin!" Naruto, picking out his ears: "Yeah, so? Neither were Zabuza and Haku." Sasuke: "But look at what happened when you showed up that time! I was legally dead for the entire end of it!" Naruto: "No buts! And it would have been even worse if I didn't show up and you know it! Now pick up your weapon and get ready!" Kusa-nin?1, straitening herself out: "Kuku, my my Naruto-kun, you managed to defeat that giant snake all by yourself. I am almost impressed." Sasuke, clenching his chain tightly: 'No, this is different... the only difference with Naruto showing up is that all three of us will be killed, there is no other choice...' Sasuke pulled out the heaven scroll and held it out to the opponent, "I am sorry Naruto, not this time. You, I will give you our scroll. Please, just take it and leave us alone!" Kusa-nin?1: "I see, very smart of you. The only way to escape a predator is to give it a replacement meal." Naruto, tightening his own fist: "SASUKE!" Sasuke, turning slightly to address his blonde comrade: "Naruto, just accept that we lost this one and-!?" Naruto, dashing at Sasuke, fist at the ready: "Let's see you grit those teeth!"

Naruto connected his knuckles to Sasuke's cheek, shocking everyone there as Sasuke rolled to the tall trunk of the tree of the branch he was on. Kusa-nin?1: 'Hmm, this one is very interesting prey indeed...' Sasuke, getting up rubbing his cheek: "What the hell was that for!?" Naruto offering him his hand: "Have you snapped out of it Teme? Where is the arrogant Uchiha pride we all know and love heh? I promise you, if you ever start do doubt yourself, or your team again, I'll belt ya' one, you got it? And I never brake a promise, that is my nindo! My ninja way! Just who the hell do you think I am huh?" Sasuke smirked with a small chuckle as he connected his index and pointer to Naruto's being lifted up: "Hn, you are the blonde loser, the leaf's number one unpredictable ninja, Naruto-baka Uzumaki."

Kusa-nin?1: 'Yes, very interesting indeed...' "So Sasuke-kun, did your friends little pep talk get you fired up again? Or are you going to tuck your tails and run like the little prey you are..? Kuku, to tell you the truth, I would have just killed you and your little friends anyway..." Sasuke put the scroll away and held his chain to the serpent of grass: "Who the hell do you think we are freak! We are Team 7, the three best Genin The leaf village has ever seen! We will be the first rookies to past these exams on our first try and you won't stand in our way! Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki, remember these names for these are the rookies that will beat you!"

Kusa-nin?1: 'The orange one's Talk no Jutsu is powerful, now, I hope the strength behind those words don't disappoint...' She then bit her thumb and traced it down a mark on her arm. * Summoning no Jutsu!* A giant snake, similar to the one previously appeared under the Grass Konoichi's feet. Team 7 dashed forward, inspired and renewed. The Grass-nin threw a horde of shuriken which were all deflected as a Sharingan activated Sasuke cleared a path. At the end of the path however, the jaws of the giant snake were closing in. Naruto summoned a small army of his own clones to claw its mouth shut as Sakura hopped over their heads and briefly engaged in a small hand to hand match with the enemy, whom was simply dodging and deflecting the girls feeble attempt. Sakura went with a right hook with a kunai in hand that the Grass-nin simply gripped the wrist of, Sakura just in time had released the kunai and sent it to the other woman's face. The kunai however was caught between her fingers. Kusa-nin?1: "Is that the full extent of your power Team 7?" She was however silenced when a smirk by Sakura cued her to closer inspect the Kunai which had an explosive tag tied to it. She looked back to the pink haired brat only to see her head replaced by yellow as a Naruto clone's chuckle was drowned out by the sound of an explosion.

Team 7 regrouped on a distant branch as the body of the Goliath snake crashed down. Sakura, getting down from Naruto's arms: "Did we get her!? I cant see with all of the smoke!" Sasuke: "I wouldn't let our guard down just yet..." Naruto: "Are you kidding! We whooped her ass!" Sasuke was about to retort before a foot connected to Naruto's face, sending him crashing into Sasuke, who barely managed to prevent them from falling by gripping Naruto's Ankle and holding on to the branch with his foot. With a quick nod, Naruto swung himself beck and Sasuke helped through him up on the forth, Sasuke following suit.

They were greeted to the sight of the Kusa Konoichi holding Sakura's throat firm to the tree branch. Kusa-nin?1: "So Nice of you to join us... That was a very interesting technique Naruto-kun, replacing her with a shadow clone like that to take the damage for her... Which reminds me, how did you react so fast to my Jutsu before your team had... Could you have learned of the true purpose behind the Shadow Clone Technique? Yes, you must have had them spread around and they dispersed in time for you receive the information of my incoming assault in time for you to barely react..." Naruto: "None of your Damn business *****! Let her go NOW!"

Kusa-nin?1: "Kukuku, or what little~!" Before she could finish, she was met with a powerful punch to the face, it came so fast it caught her off guard, what really got her was when a hand gripped her wrist that previously had hold of the Pinkette, pulling her back rather than letting her soar away after receiving the previous punch that landed surely would have insisted on. Naruto was holding Sakura again off to the side. Kusa-nin?1: 'SO FAST! Where did that power come from!? And he pulled the same stunt as before, replacing her with a clone of his own!' Now, what had really happened, was Naruto had replaced the serpents shadow with a clone of his own which why it had seemed he had appeared instantaneously. Her thoughts were interrupted again as the first clone had followed up his previous punch with a left uppercut that sent her skyward. Naruto: "Sasuke, take care of Sakura! I'll handle her!" Sasuke didn't know what to say or think at what he was seeing. He deactivated his Sharingan to make sure, and he still saw a visibly red Chakra seeping from Naruto, it felt, vile... But he had to ask later, now he had to check on one teammate and hope for the other's own well being.

She opened her eyes slitted serpent eyes just to be greeted by the blondes own blue eyes forming those of red slitted eyes instead,aswell as a red aura, his clawed hand shooting strait for her chest. Kusa-nin?1: 'Those eyes! There's no doubt... this just got very interesting...' Snakes shot from her sleeve and wrapped around Naruto's arm, redirecting his strike as she pierced his chest with a kunai. A victory short lived as he coughed blood into her eyes then poofed away, only for another to slash her back and slam her into a tree. Before she could react, Naruto slammed his claws into her chest with enough force to slam them through the branch and leave a crater in another branch below. Naruto, slashing her head off: "DON"T EVER TOUCH SAKURA-CHAN OR THE TEME AGAIN!"

|Moments Later|

Sasuke just helped Sakura back to her feet after making sure she was okay and was replacing one of the Kunai on his chain with a Demon Wind Shuriken he has stored away, if Naruto couldn't finish her off, he had a plan that just might... Naruto hopped up and started walking over to them, still surrounded by red in a slow swaying manner. Sasuke was worried and took guard in front of Sakura, not knowing if Naruto had become a threat, and not knowing where that woman was... Sakura, shocked, scared, confused, and relieved, all at once: "Sasuke... What are you doing..?! Naruto! Are you okay!? Did you win!?" Naruto, Chakra calming down, looked at his team, and threw them his signature smirk and thumbs up: "Believe it! How are you guys?" Sasuke, relaxing: "Dammit Naruto! Don't scare us like tha-"

A tongue wrapped around Naruto's throat and body all of a sudden, yanking him to the other side of the branch, surprising everyone. When Naruto left, her head was reattached by Snakes that shot from both halves of her disconnected throat and pulled herself back together, she had fazed into the tree and appeared just in time to interrupt a reunion.

Sakura: "Naruto-kun!" Sasuke, arming up again: "Let him go you sick freak!" But she was paying them no attention, her eyes were set on the red eyes of Naruto. Naruto: "DAMN IT! LET GO AND DIE ALREADY!" Sasuke: 'How is he still moving!? Naruto's claws and my chain are soaked in paralyzing poison, and I saw him get ****ed up by those claws myself!' Kusa-nin?1, forming hands seals while examining the seal on Naruto's belly: "Heh, so the Nine-Tails brat is still alive... It seems that the seal is visible when your emotions are heightened... The power of the Nine-Tails overflows... very interesting... * Five Part Seal! *" She slammed her glowing fingertips into Naruto's gut, causing him to pass out. 'It has been 12 years since the seal... Naruto-kun and the Nine-Tails Chakra are beginning to fuse... But right now you are in the way.. What's this..?' She Grabbed something from Naruto's pouch then through him over the branch only for Sakura to throw a kunai to pin Naruto's pants to a tree so he wouldn't fall.

Haunting images of the past were flowing through Sasuke's mind, Images of his brother, his family, surrounded by his clans blood, he lost everyone he knew and cared about once, he wouldn't let it happen again... He glared at the woman with the full intensity of his Sharingan and drew his weapon.

Sasuke: "I won't let you take my family away again!" Kusa-nin?1: 'Kuku, the blood of his clan is beginning to boil... I'll take my time to test his ability...' Sasuke, charging in, throwing a hail of kunai, which was simply being slithered past by his opponent: 'I will survive! I will find my brother! I will get my answers! He will rightfully be punished! But I cannot do that if I am to weak to save the two people in this world I have finally allowed myself to form bonds with again!'

The enemy pulled out a kunai of her own and engaged with Sasuke, clashing metal to metal, and even though he was pushing her back, he was unable to land a single hit, and he knew she was just playing with him, just letting him take the lead in this dance, but what she didn't count on was that Sasuke had two left feet... Sasuke went to kick the serpent's head in, but she simply pulled back to dodge, but suddenly had to flip back as a Kunai attached to Sasuke's foot flew for her face.

Kusa-nin?1, successfully dodging the surprise attack and landing in front of the tree trunk: "Very clever of you Young Uchiha, but you'll have to do better than-" a snapping of a string was heard as the previous kunai thrown by Sasuke's foot cut a wire. The Konoichi watched as all the previously thrown projectiles had wire running through them and were pulled to the tree, some nicking her, others sticking to the tree itself or wrapping around. Sasuke then threw his personal weapon to the sides of her and they wrapped around, firmly pinning her to the tree. Sasuke held a wire in each hand and one in his mouth, all connected to the weapons around her. Kusa-nin?1: "I recognize this! It is an improved version, but this is non other than The Sharingan Windmill, Triple Blade Technique! To read all of the places I could run and attack from, where I could and could not see... Too bad this won't hold me for-!?" Sakura, retrieving Naruto: "Alright! You got her now Sasuke!" Sasuke, finishing hand-signs for * Dragon Fire no Jutsu *: "Damn right this is improved! I call this technique, * Sharingan Ultimate Dragon Windmill! *"

Fire raced down the wire forming the shape of a dragon just before engulfing her in flame aswell as catching the tree on fire. Sasuke, turning to Sakura who was tending to Naruto: "Sakura, we need to get him out of here, this hole place is going down in flames! I might have over done it!" But before she could retort, a different voice was heard, although it did sound feminine, this was no girl.

The voice came from the flames, that were blown away by a wind jutsu. Kusa-nin?1, tossing Sasuke's chain back at him: "Kukuku, To be able to use the Sharingan so well at this age... You truly are the man that carries the Uchiha blood... Just as I thought... I want you Young Sasuke-kun~..." The snake in the grass peeled of his false burnt female face and used the same paralyzing glare as before to freeze Sakura and Sasuke where they stood, and HE Continued to speak: "I had fun testing your power, You two really are brothers, I sense power in your eyes that surpass Itachi's own..." Sasuke, shocked at hearing his brothers name: ! "Who the hell are you!?"

He pulled out a heaven scroll, their heaven scroll, and burned it before their eyes. Sakura, realizing that it was their scroll being burned: "Ah! Our scroll!" Sasuke, staring at the scroll in disbelief: 'B-but how! When did he take our scroll!?' Kusa-nin?1: " I swiped this from your blonde friend, who apparently felt the need to swipe it from you... consider this payback for ruining a perfectly good face... My name is Orochimaru... If you want to see me again. Then survive this test. Of course defeating my men, the Oto-nin trio on the way." Sakura: "What the hell are you Talking about! We'd never want to see any of your faces again!" Orochimaru forming a hand-seal: "Kuku, that will not be the case for long... not for him..." Orochimaru's neck stretched over to the frozen Sasuke and bit him deep into his neck, a black mark then forming next to the mark, shocking both Konoha Gennin. He then retracted his neck and continued to speak, "Sasuke-kun will seek me out, he will seek me out for the power he seeks himself, that only I can guarantee him..."

Sasuke suddenly fell, gripping his neck: ! "AAAAHHHH! What's this pain!?" Sakura worriedly then with anger: "Huh!? Sasuke!? You! What did you do to him!?" Orochimaru, disappearing into the tree: "I gave him a going away present..." Sasuke: "AAHH!" Sakura: "Sasuke!?" She looked back and forth between the black mark on Sasuke's neck and the black, fading, seal on Naruto's stomach, trying to hold back tears, 'Dammit! I have to do something!'

She decided to clear the area of any signs showing their recent being there and not to far off found an area under tree roots that arched over the ground and carefully carried her comrades underneath and set up camp while tending to their obvious wounds. She however could only rest damp rags on their foreheads and hope for the less obvious aching and fevers caused by Orochimaru's tampering of their bodies. Unbeknownst to her however, were three, somewhat familiar faces that lurked not far off, carrying their unique sound.

Dosu: "Hehe, found him..." Zaku: "But if the other two get in our way, we can still kill them, right?" Kin: "Of course we can if they get in our way." Dosu: "As Orochimaru-sama commanded, we attack at daybreak. Our target is Sasuke Uchiha."

|Early the next morning|

Sakura, shaking her head to keep awake: 'I have to stay awake... Alright, I have to clean them up before they attract any predators..." She started with Sasuke, since she wanted a closer look at the mark on his neck of course... No really, she was to tired to think any farther than an excuse to see him shirtless at worst, but she needed to check him for any other injuries anyway, so that would take the fun out of it, not that that was her top priority anyway. Just as she thought, he was probably in the top three for the fittest Genins there age had to offer, right up there with that Kiba guy and the one with the weird bowl cut and, * Shiver * those eyebrows. Definitely a sight for soar, heavy eyes... Sakura, shaking her head again: 'Great, now I have to see, * shiver *, him...'

She for some reason couldn't think that with full feeling behind it, she just blamed how tired she was. Then, as she leaned Naruto up after slipping his net shirt off, and looked at him with a face of half concern half questionably, and then a portion of self doubt, as the morning sun shined on his body. She was surprised for two reasons, 'Wh-what! He possibly looks in better shape than Sasuke! But he's always eating all that ramen!... though, maybe he eats a lot for training a lot... Wait, where are all of his injuries at!? He took more punishment than Sasuke and he looks untouched! And hey, where, is that thing that was on his stomach..?' Then another question came to mind and she lifted his eyelid. 'His eyes are normal blue again, why were they red? He doesn't have the Sharingan to does he..? No, wait, his whole body had this red aura, visibly surrounding him, it couldn't have been chakra could it..!? we promised no more lies, I'll ask him when he get's better if he explain himself first...' This was all going through her semi-conscious, very tired, mind while subconsciously, she was still checking him out.

He looked even better, by a noticeable amount, than when he was in wave, and they were in a similar situation... She didn't even notice the small blush on her face appearing as she was scrubbing him off, she was thinking of other things. Subconsciously, she was thinking of all the reasons Naruto might be better boyfriend material than Sasuke, all the things he has done for her, all the times he has kept there team together, his courage, his determination, all the room left in his heart that was never filled as a child... Consciously however: 'NO WAY HE COULD EVER BE BETTER THAN SASUKE-KUN! Naruto-kun, I MEAN BAKA! I MEAN Sasuke-kun is the only one for me! I am just tired and there has to be spores from some shrooms floating about that's messing with my head!' She shook her head, not from dosing off this time, as her subconscious and tired conscious began to battle for dominance as she was scrubbing his face and leaning closer. 'Stupid, Ecchi Snake he-she, messing with my head earlier, he must have just made me question myself, put thoughts in my head... Although...'

She suddenly snapped out of it when she sensed something approaching. Immediately going to Konoichi mode, which she shamefully felt she was temporarily drifting away from, grabbed a Kunai and through it in front of a squirrel that was coming straight for their location through the grass. Inner Sakura: 'Damn *Risu! Bakinaru!'

|Back in the trees|

Zaku: "She's very observant..." Kin: "She noticed the explosive tag on the squirrel?" Dosu: "No... That's not it...It's time to get a closer look... Let's go!"

Sakura, after laying her **Nakama back out: 'Naruto seems fine, just needs rest, so do I. Sasuke's breathing is normal again, but his fever wont go down...' Dosu, snapping Sakura from her worries, only to add more: "Hehe, up all night?" Kin: "You don't have to worry about it anymore, you can just go ahead and wake Sasuke-kun up already~." Zaku, chuckling: "Yeah, we wanna fight him already!"

A.N. Alright, so, I know this is a short chapter, plus it took longer than I insinuated, but, I have been trying really hard to get a job lately, goin in for a lot of interviews and tests and what not, plus re-thinking about going to collage even though I still can't afford it, and just thinking of a good way around that... anywho, thanks for reading, see you next time ^^

*Squirrel

**Comrades

P.S.S. Read my P.S. At the top of the page!

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[VlaudFenikkusu]

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