Once Again (A Naruto Fanfiction) (Sequel to Another Take) (Complete)

Ch. 6: Out Of Time

~I can't tell the difference from wrong and right. I second guess my decisions, 'cause I haven't been this person in my whole life, I think I need something new here when I keep longing for what I had~

Kiyomi's POV

"We need to plan our strategy," Gin commented seriously, crossing his arms as he leaned on one corner of the hidden garden. "We've got less than two days left, and we only need three points."

After I'd brought Gin and Kadan back to the garden, we'd done a quick check for any edible plants, and found that most, if not all, of them were. We just all grabbed the first thing we saw, ate quickly, had a drink, then went to sleep.

Now it was the morning after, maybe nine or so. And we were discussing what we needed to do.

"We could always go with the same strategy as before," Kadan suggested while shrugging nonchalantly. "Ambush a team using invisibility."

I spoke up. "We never actually got a chance to try that," I reminded them. "We were ambushed instead. But I think we should try."

"Okay, we'll go with that," Gin nodded. "Kiyomi, any suggestions for where we ambush? You're the only one who's been in these exams before."

I thought about it. There were a few different ways we could go about this. But one was easier than the rest. "How about we head towards the starting gate again?" I suggested. "Everyone's got to finish there, so we can ambush a team that has all their ten points."

"That's smart," Naoko agreed from his spot by the water pond. He was filling up a bottle with the liquid, having already grabbed a few of the edible plants. "But let's take advantage of this area. Everyone, grab some plants."

I groaned, and pushed myself out of my seated position. I opened up my side pouch, and started placing nearby plants in it. I could hear Gin and Kadan doing the same thing, so we'll have enough supplies in no time.

About ten minutes later we were all ready to go. Stuff packed, weapons prepared, etc. So we set out, treading through the sparse forest carefully in case of enemies. Eventually the forest grew a bit denser as we headed down the mountain, though it was still evergreen trees.

A faint crack to my right had me pause momentarily. A team? I carefully continued walking, speeding up enough that I was next to Naoko. We walked side-by-side for a moment as I secretly whispered in his ear.

Naoko nodded discreetly, and brought one hand closer to the hilt of his katana. Gin and Kadan both noticed our movements, and prepared as well. Having no weapons myself, I brought my hands a bit closer together, ready to make the signs for a jutsu.

Then it came. Another crack, this one louder than the first. Whoever was following us was closer now, and getting less careful. I took a cautious sniff of the air. Nothing. They must be standing downwind or something.

Suddenly out of nowhere thick chains shot towards us, reminding me of the chains used by the Demon Brothers all those years ago. I tried to dodge, but was nicked in both the arm and the cheek by one chain. Those things were sharper than they looked.

Naoko blocked a chain heading at him and Kadan with his sword, and Gin simply dodged. We moved together, standing in a kind of diamond with our backs facing each other. I easily wiped the blood of my arm and cheek, glad to see that the wounds were only superficial.

Out of the forest two figures appeared. One wore a mask covering their entire face that was decorated with randomly-swirling lines. The only thing visible was their long dark green hair that swung behind them in a ponytail. The other was a very small person, not appearing to be much older than ten or eleven. He had platinum blond hair and blue-gold eyes.