DISCLAIMER: NO, I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I CHANT TO THE GODS OR HOW MANY SACRIFICE- *ahem* I MEAN, HOW MANY TIMES I WISH! *walks away*
CH 18: INTO THE DEADLANDS
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THIRD POV
THE NEXT DAY came too quickly for the Konishi girl. After their abrupt and sudden greetng with Anko MItarashi - the second proctor - they were dismissed for the day, seeing as it was nearing dusk. After the written exams, Ursa met up with Tadashi and Hisato, smiling at each other's strong wills to endure the psychological warfare that Ibiki put them through. With that done, Ursa dismissed herself from her momentary team and met up with her real team.
The ravenette congratulated them on passing, making a teasing comment to Naruto about his encouraging outburst at the end.
"Great words of encouragement, Naruto. It's almost like you knew what was going to happen," she smirked, softly jabbing her elbow to his side.
The blond genin laughed, propping his arms behind his head. "Believe it, Ursa-chan! I knew from the very start! Nothing gets passed me," he smiled.
"Cha! Yeah right! You were shaking throughout the whole test! You knew nothing," Sakura yelled, puching his head.
"Ow! What was that for," Naruto cried out.
"For being clueless," the Haruno huffed, crossing her arms.
Ursa shook her head at their antics, but smiling nonetheless. To her. Team Seven was like a family to her. Sakura being the sister she never had or wanted, but happy that she did, even if they got along like water to oil. Naruto was like that brother she couldn't help but support and admire, a ray of sunshine in her darkened world. Sasuke, even though they were in rough patch by not talking, he was like the brother that was her best friend, so alike yet so different. And Kakashi, he was just like that one weird uncle.
Ursa turned to her fellow Kunoichi. "So, I assume you raced through the questions, huh Sakura? Turns out that book smarts actually came through in the end. No wonder you're called the brightest genin in our class," the ravenette compliments.
Sakura smiles at the rare kind words from Ursa, blushing as her heart fills with pride.
"Hmph! Who hit your head during the exam," Sakura shouted, turning away to hide her reaction.
The Konishi girl chuckles, moving forward to softly jab the Haruno with her elbow.
The blossom haired girl turns to the taller girl, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Huh, that reminds me... Ursa, how did you do during the written test? And your new teammates, how were they like?"
That's when Ursa knew that she had to lie about it. By means, what would she say? I wrote all the answers but I don't remember how, or if it even possible. She, herself, didn't know how that came to be. Afterall, she has a missing window of thirty minutes from her memory. The closest thing she could recollect is, focusing for the test, concentrating, then waking up from a dazed state thirty minutes later.
"I actually answered some of the questions myself, like the decryption, that one was easy. Along with the question about trajectory. The others, I simply cheated from the ones sitting next to me. Cheating is easy if you know how to do it, just don't make it so obvious, you know? As for my teammates, they're cool enough. Older by two years, maybe three, but they're clever enough to give me useful advice about what and what not to do. Which reminds me..."
Ursa turned towards her three teammates, her expression serious. "I heard what that guy Kabuto said. Yes, he gave you enough data, and information about your competition," she says, locking her purple gaze with Sasuke's dark one. "But remember, everyone in this exam is your enemy. This guy may be from the Leaf, but that alone doesn't make him trustworthy. Just watch yourselves and don't drop your guard. That's my advice to you since I'm not going to be there to watch your backs," she told them, looking between the three of them.
Sakura nods, taking the advice to heart. She and Ursa may not have the perfect comradity, but they trust each other when it comes down to it.
Naruto smiles at the dark clad kunoichi. "Don't worry, Ursa-chan, I'll keep Sakura-chan and Sasuke safe," he boasted with a confident grin.
Ursa chuckled, nodding. "I'm sure you will, Naruto, I'm counting on it," she smiles, raising a bro-fist toward him.
Naruto bumps it. "Believe it!"
Sasuke huffs, looking away. "Hn, we can handle ourselves. Besides why should we trust you, after all you're on a different team. Which means you're our enemy too," he states, turning again to narrow his eyes at the Konoishi girl.
Ursa huffs, rolling her eyes. "Whatever, do as you please, I'm not your boss. But, enemy or not, I'll always look after this team. You guys are the closest thing I have to family, so take the advice... or don't."
With that, she steps away from them and turns her body to walk away. Raising her right hand, she waves them away. "Good luck on the second exams. See you all later," she smiles at them before walking away, disappearing around a corner.
Ursa frowns, her mind swirling with rocollections of the upcoming exam, be careful you guys. I'm sorry that I can't be with you to protect you.
- _ - _ - _ - _ - _ -
STARING AT THE dense forest, Ursa feels a chill crawl up her spine when she spots a giant bug climb up a tree. Shuddering, she looks away and turns to her fill-in teammates. She gives them a nod in greeting.
"Ready for the next exam, shortcake," Hisato smirks, teasing her shorter height as he throws an arm around her shoulders.
The black clad kunoichi jabs him in the stomach with her elbow, huffing as she steps away from his grasp. "My height is appropiate for my age, and yeah, I'm ready."
"Good, we don't have time for second thoughts or doubts, they'll only slow us down and distract us," Tadashi says, crossing his arms. "And in this test, I assume every minute is essential by the looks of it."
Ursa nods, her memories swirling. The Forest of Death is full of threats. The competing genin, the wildlife, the long days and short nights, and not to mention the mere fact of surviving.
They watch as Anko turns to them, and the rest of the genin, a malicious smile on her face.
"Welcome to the location for the second exam! Training grounds forty-four, also known as the Forest of Death!" Anko exclaims, grinning dangerously.
The thick silence is broken when a bunch of birds fly, cawing as their wings flapping loudly.
"This place is creepy," Ursa hears Sakura comment.
She's not wrong, the girl concurs.
"Hah! You'll find out soon why it's called the forest of death," Anko smirks.
The tension is sliced when Naruto speaks up. Ursa chuckles when she sees her knuckleheaded teammate drop to a closed legged squat, placing his hands on his hips.
"'You'll find out soon why it's called the forest of death.' You think that scares me! That's nothing! I'm not afraid," Naruto yells, pointing a defying finger at the proctor.
The violet haired woman chuckles. "Yeah, you're spirited," she says, though her amused smile changes when she suddenly throws a kunai at Naruto.
The kunai moves fast, grazing the Uzumaki's left cheek before slicing through the grass ninja's hair, and finally embedding itself in the ground. Ursa notices everything as her lilac eyes follow the weapon, though that's before she settles her narrowed gaze on the grass ninja. She's already aware that the grass shinobi is Orochimaru undercover. Which means that this second exam is just his playground to get what he wants.
Moving her gaze to Sasuke, she bites her lip, worried. With the double memories in her head, Ursa is fully aware of the dangers he's in. But what exactly can she do? Warn him? She already did that yesterday. Sure her advice wasn't specific, but she told him to keep him guard up. Though, it's not like he wanted to listen. That's one thing she hated about Sasuke, he never accepted help when it was given to him. His arrogance and stubbornness was definitely the keys to his downfall.
Plus, it's not like she can ignore her fill-in teammates and go find Sasuke herself to protect him against Orochimaru. What can she do against a Sanin? Preform some wind jutsus, he can do that as well, and even better. Also, it's not she can use her Henzuru, she doesn't have control or knows how to awaken it. When it comes down to it, she's powerless against the Snake Sanin.
Coming back to focus, she switches her gaze back to Anko, Naruto, and the grass nin.
"...But you know, don't sneak up behind me. Not unless you want to die," Anko advises.
"No...I just get excited at the sight of blood. Plus, you cut my precious hair. I just couldn't help it," the disguised Orochimaru smiles before walking away.
"Sorry about that," Anko laughs, letting go of Naruto. "Looks like we have a lot of bloodthirsty ones in this test. Hehe, this should be fun."
Anko then turns to everyone. "Now, before we start the second exam, there's something I need to pass out," she informs, taking a pile of papers out from her trench coat. "You must sign these agreement forms!"
"What?" Naruto questions.
Ursa nods. "In case we die," she mumbles quietly, chuckling.
"Makes sense," Tadashi comments, nodding in agreement.
Hisato huffs. "Yeah, but we won't," he crosses his arms.
"There will be deaths in this one, and if I don't have you sigh these, then it will be my responsibility," Anko informs, laughing nervously. Handing the forms to Naruto, she continues. "I'm going to explain the second exan, and then you can sign them afterwards. And then, each team will check in at that booth behind me. Alright! Simply put, you will attempt the ultimate survival!"
Getting passed the forms, Ursa takes one before passing them over to Hisato. Guess this is it, huh? The ultimate survival.
"First, I'll explain the area in which it will take place. Around the arena there are forty-four locked gates. Forest, river, and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about tem kilometers. During the survival in here, you will be asked to compete in a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in a no rules scroll battle!"
"Scroll," a random genin asks.
Anko nods before taking out two different scrolls. "You will fight over these two scrolls. The Heaven and Earth. There are eighty-four people here, meaning twenty-eight teams. Half, fourteen, will get the Heaven scroll and the other fourteen will each get the Earth scroll. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."
"So fourteen teams will lose their scrolls. Half the teams will definitely fail," Sakura summarizes.
The violet haired proctor nods. "But there's a time limit. This second exam will last one-hundred-twenty hours. Exactly five days," Anko tells them.
"Five days," Ino exclaims.
"What about food," Choji cries out.
Ursa chuckles, also concerned about food. Heck, it's not like she loves the idea of eating bugs or catching fish. Hopefully she finds some fruit.
Anko laughs. "You're on your own. The forest is full of food! Just watch out for man eating beasts, poisonous insects, plants," she comments, which makes Ursa perk up at the mention of poison.
The genin mumble their concerns.
"Fourteen teams passing is unlikely.."
"As the days grow longer and nights get shorter there will be no time to rest," Rock Lee speaks up.
"And with the area crawling with enemies there won't be time for sleep," Neji adds.
"Now, I will talk about what will disqualify you," Anko speaks up, smiling. "First, those who don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, within the time limit, fail. Second, those who lose a teammate or those who have a teammate killed, fail."
Shikamaru raises his hand. "I have a question. Say, it's the middle of the test, can we just give up," he asks, his tone bored but nonetheless serious.
Anko laughs incredulously. "No! If you were in a real life battle, you can't just stop midway and call it quits. That's how you get killed. As a rule, there is no quitting, you will be in the forest for five days."
The Nara sighs, "what a drag."
Ursa chuckles, laughing at the boy's lazy nature.
"And one more rule, you must not look inside scroll until you make it to the tower!"
"What if it accidentally opens and you take a peek?" Naruto voices curiously.
Anko narrows her eyes, smirking. "You don't want to know," she answers conspicuously. "A chunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness. That is it for the explanations. Exchange the three forms for a scroll, then choose a gate to get ready for the start."
"Oh, and one final word of advice... don't die!"
With those words, a tense silence rings through the air as the genin all glance at each other, sizing their competition. Ursa lets her purple gaze pass over everyone, but she narrows her eyes when it lands on the disguised figure of Orochimaru, then on Kabuto and his 'leaf' teammates, the Sound team, and basically everyone she deems as a threat. Shooting one last concerned glance towards her original genin team, she then turns around towards her present teammates and fills out her agreement form.
Writing her name, her birthday, her information, the names of her teammates, she then signs her name on the agreement line.
Looking up, the Konishi girl meets the eyes of both Tadashi and Hisato.
"Ready," she asks.
The ginger haired Yamanaka grins. "As they say, third time's the charm," Hisato states, raising a determined fist.
Tadashi nods, smirking. "Let's get this over with," he says.
No turning back now, Ursa thinks, looking up to the dark looming forest.
- _ - _ - _ - _ - _ -
STANDING AT GATE nine, Ursa stays silent as Hisato babbles on about strategy, Tadashi adding his own cents. She also thinks about strategy. Will they speed in and bumrush the enemies with instant attacks? Or will they go in slowly and cautiously, setting traps around them? Or will they run in and set camp at the base of the tower and attack people there and take their scrolls?
Also, since Anko mentioned poisonous insects and plants, Ursa's been thinking, wondering if she will have some spare time to look for them. By means, she is interested in poison, and the venom of those insects and poison plants, well they can help make strong serums. Though, one downside is that she doesn't know how they look like. Heck, maybe she'll just collect every plant and insect she comes across.
"Hmm, what is our rookie teammate thinking about," Hisato questions, his turquoise eyes peering down at the dark clad kunoichi.
"Whether or not I can collect some of the poisonous plants that inhabit this forest so I can use to make my own poisons later on," she states, her lilac eyes narrowed in thought.
The ginger fifteen year old nods. "Huh, I would have thought that you were thinking about that red haired Suna kid, but you're actually thinking about something useful," he comments.
Ursa's left eye twitches.
She seethes, pointing an angry finger at him. "I may be a pre-teenage girl, but that doesn't mean I'm a lovesick idiot! I'm a kunoichi and my priorities are all focused on these chunin exams, not some boy," she huffs.
Hisato raises his hands in surrender, stepping back away from her.
Tadashi scoffs at the Yamanaka. "That's what you get for teasing her," he smirks.
Though before any of them say anything else, the instructor that walked them to the gate unlocks the padlock.
"The second test of the chunin exams, begins now!" Anko voices through the speakers.
"Let's go," Hisato shouts, charging through the open gate.
"Don't be careless," Tadashi says, running after him.
Ursa shakes her head, following them. Keeping on her toes, she adds chakra to her feet in order to move faster. Though, as she moves, she takes the single kunai from her leg holster, in case she needs to suddenly protect herself.
After fifteen minutes of fast running, they slow down to a stop.
"Alright, let's stop here and make a plan," the Yamanaka concludes. He turns his blue gaze on the girl. "Ursa, what are your overall skills?"
Spinning the kunai on her finger, she sighs. "I can use wind jutsus, either with my fan or free hand. I'm pretty average in taijutsu, and I won't hesitate to make underhanded attacks to gain the advantage. I'm good at chakra control, and my ninjutsu skills are basically all the academy stuff, so if you want me to play decoy, I can do that. And recently I found out that I'm immune to poisons, so I can jump in and take the attack if I suspect our enemies using laced weapons. Oh, and I'm knowledgeable in the anatomys fatal spots, so basically instant kills are in my skill set, too," Ursa informs, smirking as she stops spinning the kunai to look at them.
Tadashi nods, pleased with the information. Though, Hisato whistles as he takes in her words.
"Noted," he muses.
"What about you two," the ravenette questions.
"I'm a sensor, so I can sense other people's chakra and see if they're close to us, or if we're stepping into a genjutsu. My chakra control is also good, better than most. My ninjutsu is pretty average since I focus more into my genjutsu skills, but I do know a few water jutsus. Also, I'm more of the medic in our team, so I could do the healing during this test," Tadashi informs with a sigh, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.
Ursa looks to him, slightly surprised. She did not expect him to be a medic, but who's she to judge. By means, having a medic for the survival portion of the chunin exams is like having water in a desert. Very essential.
"I'm a Yamanaka which means I can do the clan jutsu, mind transfer, but I don't use it until it's absolutely necessary, so it's more like a last resort. I'm more into ninjutsu, using varied earth jutsus. My taijutsu is more in close combat. My chakra control is good, and I like using it in my combat to make stronger impacts. I can set many different traps, string, kunai, shuriken, and paper bombs are my forte, from simple to very complex and intricate, just name it and I'll do it," the redhead boasts, grinning.
Ursa nods, "both impressive. Guess we don't have much to worry about other than getting a scroll. Know which tactic we're going to use? The quick hit and run? The slow wait and trail? The collecting free for all?"
"The collecting free for all? What kind of tactic is that," Hisato quirks a confused brow.
The Konishi smirks darkly. "Where we hit everyone we come across and take their scroll, even if we surpass our two limit. And this will lower the number of contestants for the next exam," she smiles, spinning the kunai in her fingers once again.
The red haired Yamanaka laughs. "You are so much more dangerous than you look. I like that idea," he grins.
The blond narrows his green eyes in thought, nodding in agreement. "Yes, that tactic is useful. With twenty-eight teams, we can eliminate as many as we can and lower the number of competition for the next exam, which will give us a greater chance of passing. I'm in," Tadashi summarizes.
The curly haired girl laughs with humored malice. "Glad we came to an agreement. Anyone we cross will meet their unfortunate end," she muses, trailing a finger on the kunai's sharpened end.
Hisato smirks. "After all, this test is to kill or be killed," he says, crossing his arms.
"A game of survival," Tadashi comments, narrowing his eyes and smirking.
Hisato takes the lead once again. "Let's run until we find someone, then initiate our plan. Ursa, you can play the decoy, you could go in alone and since you're a rookie, the teams will underestimate you and when they do, that's when Tadashi and I jump in, surprising them," he says, looking over his shoulder to the kunoichi.
The Konishi girl nods. "I agree, that seems like the more logical thing to do."
Running forward, the three jump over the giant tree roots and the fallen branches.
The running lasts for another hour before they come across another team. Finding the team was mostly from the help of Tadashi and his sensory skills, him acting like a compass, guiding them towards their target. Perching themselves on a tree branch, they watch their prey. The team is from the Rain village, the three of them all dressed in raincoats.
"Time to play your role, rookie," the Yamanaka urges.
The curly haired girl nods, standing up and clenching the kunai in her hand even tighter. Ursa hates the idea of playing weak, but if it means fooling her enemy and taking advantage, then she'll play along. Watching the enemy with her purple gaze, Ursa narrows her eyes at the Ame-Nin with their back towards her.
Perfect, she muses with a dark smirk.
Jumping down silently, she comes out of her hiding spot when she steps up behind the shinobi, her kunai raised to their throat. Immediately, the two other Rain ninja tense, moving their hands to their respective weapons.
"Make a move and your teammate dies. Now, if you want to save him, then I suggest handing over your scroll," she voices, stepping out from behind her hostage to show herself.
Ursa notices it immediately, the way their bodies relax when they realize she's just a little girl compared to them. To them, she's not a threat. By means, she's a rookie, and a small teenage girl. What can she do that's so dangerous?
Her lips quirk up to a delicate smirk, fools, their arrogance is going to be their deaths.
"Heh! You're just a rookie by the looks of it! You're in no position to make such demands," the other male Ame-Nin laughs.
The Rain kunoichi grins. "So why don't you let go of our teammate and save yourself the trouble. Walk away and we'll just let you live, how's that sound?"
Ursa's tiny smirk grows to a malicious taunting grin, showing her dark personality. "That sounds stupid," she professes.
And with that, the dark haired girl moves her hand and easily slices the throat of her hostage. The man falls to the ground, choking as he clutches at his neck, attempting to stop the bleeding as it sprays violently. Though, it's futile, Ursa's slice was deep enough to cut into the muscle. The brown dirt gets painted red as blood pools out of the wound like a river. The short seconds of him struggling seems to last forever until he finally dies.
The two rain shinobi stare in muted horror and anger. "Y-you -"
"I told you to hand over the scroll, I never mentioned anything about negotiating," Ursa simply states.
Tadashi and Hisato finally make their appearance, jumping behind the two shinobi.
"It seems like you underestimated our teammate," Tadashi voices, pointing his kunai at the kunoichi's neck.
"Your mistake," Hisato smirks, copying the blond's actions with his hostage.
The two Ame-Nin tense, getting startled with the new presences. Without hesitation, Tadashi and Hisato slice the necks of the two shinobi before they could do anything. Like their teammate, the two attempt to stop their bleeding but it's useless, the wounds being equally deep. The three leaf shinobi don't blink as the two die, instead they move to search the bodies for the scroll.
Ursa chuckles, standing up from her hostage's body. "Heh, turns out I had the scroll after all, whoops," she laughs, as she holds up a heaven scroll.
Tadashi shakes his head.
Hiasto groans. "Ugh! It's a heaven one, that sucks. Guess we have to try again," he huffs.
Ursa throws the scroll up and catches it, shoving it into her weapon pouch. "Well, with this extra heaven scroll, we eliminated another team's chance to pass. And look Hisato, I told you I would be able to kill someone," she muses, thinking back to yesterday's conversation.
"Bah! Shut it," the redhead yells.
Ursa chuckles.
- _ - _ - _ - _ - _ -
WITH DARKNESS FALLING, their team finally comes to a rest, all equally exhausted. Ursa sighs as she drops to the ground, groaning in satisfaction for finally being able to sit down. The muscles in her legs and lower back thank her for it, a relaxed smile coming to her face. The two fifteen year old boys do the same as they also sit down.
A small flame, the size of Ursa's palm, dances in the middle of their huddled circle, barely illuminating their features. The warm night air is filled with the sounds of the nocturnal creatures; crickets chirping, owls hooting, tree frogs croaking, snakes hissing. Their comfortable silence is broken when Tadashi rummages through his medical pouch.
"Here," he says, opening his outstretched hand to reveal two olive colored balls.
Hisato scrunches his face in distaste. "No thank you," he recoils.
Ursa quirks a curious brow. "What are those?"
"Nutrition pills. I made them. They give you energy, fiber, and protein, basically filling in for a meal," the blond explains.
The ginger scoffs. "You also forgot to mention that they taste horrid."
"Well... it can't be that bad, right? Here, I'll even eat one to prove you wrong," Ursa says, taking one from Tadashi's hand.
The ball itself is sticky but soft, like sugared candy, Bringing it up to her lips tentively, she looks up and meets the gazes of both boys. Hisato is looking at her with a stretched grin, awaiting the predicted reaction of disgust while Tadashi is just a suspected narrowed look, as if he were a mother waiting for their child to eat the vegatables. With a roll of her eyes, she shoves the nutritious treat in her mouth. Immediately the taste of herbs, also what seems like fish, fruit, and salted nuts all overwhelm her tastebuds. With the exception of her left eye twitching, her face remains passive.
She forces a smile, "see, it's not so bad. Very hearty, very flavorful, you could really taste the different nutritional ingredients Tadashi used," she informs with a silver tongue.
"Bull," Hisato exclaims, and Ursa watches with amused eyes as he takes the ball and practically inhales it. She laughs when his face cringes and turns green with disgust.
"Hey, I never said it tasted good, only that it wasn't so bad, haha," the Konishi girl chuckles.
"I hate you," the Yamanaka groans, still spitting the aftertaste.
"I know, I hate me too." Ursa states with a playful smirk, joking.
She doesn't know why, but the Konishi girl finds her interim team really easy to get along with. Ursa ponders if it's because they're older and unproblematic? Sure, she loves her original team, but these two aren't screaming, looking for fights, or causing dramatic scenes, and that's definitely more her style.
However, as she looks at the two boys as they sit around the small flame in the middle of the night, she can't help but feel like she's forgetting something. Huffing, Ursa unlatches her weapons pouch from her back pocket and looks through it. Earlier today, after they killed the first team, Ursa convinced her team to let her collect some plants for poison. Anyways, as she rummages through her weapons pouch, she sees the plants, and some bugs she collected in small glass vials - however, she also comes across the basic medical care package she made. And instantly, her mind clicks to Sakura because she gave her an identical care package as well.
With Sakura in mind, Ursa's eyes widen in realization.
Damn it! I forgot! How could I forget about Orochimaru's attack!? Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!! The moon's out already, the attack already happened, Ursa yells in her head, angry tears brimming her purple eyes at her stupidity.
What do these memories even do if she can't do anything to help!? She was supposed to be useful! She was supposed to help her team, protect them! But she's nothing but a failure!
Though, just as she latcher her pouch back to its usual place, and stands up, the flame they're surrounding suddenly goes out as a sharp breeze blows past them. It would've been natural, but the day hasn't been windy at all.
Tadashi and Hisato stand up, joining Ursa as they all look around in alarm. But it's futile, it's so dark that the moon barely provides any visibility. Gritting her teeth, Ursa grasps her fan, opening it to a third, and prepares herself for anymore attacks. If they're going to use wind, then she'll show them how fierce her currents could be.
"What now? We can't see anything," Hisato whispers, barely loud enough for them.
"Isn't Tadashi a sensor," Ursa questions the redhead. She turns to the blond, "Can you tell where they are, or how many?"
The blond nods his head, his green eyes narrowed. "Yeah. It's only one person, but their chakra is more than a regular genin. Far more. It makes no sense, who's capable of having that much chakra."
The ravenette gets a chill running down her spine as goosebumps rise in her skin. Her mind whirls, already knowing the answer. despite the answer in her head, she's still running with questions. Why? Why would Orochimaru target them? They're nothing special! Just a Yamanaka, an Aozora - a non shinobi clan, and herself who's one of the last Konishi, but that-
Her purple eyes widen, shit.
The kunoichi goes to open her mouth to warn them, but before she can make a move, a blasting wave of wind slams right into them. Immediately, Ursa opens her fan and uses it to sheild herself, but the wind currents are too strong. She feels the wind cutting her skin like sharp knives, the blast forcing her back as she struggle to hold her fan open. Ursa could hear Tadashi and Hisato struggling against the wind, and ultimately their efforts of trying to resist the jutsu's current and they go flying back.
Ursa holds back her scream as she crashes against a tree, gritting her teeth. Ignoring the aching of her back, she lifts her arms to cover her face as the wave of wind continues to blast against her. The Konishi girl could feel the skin on her arms being sliced at, small lacerations blooming. Forcing her eyes open, Ursa turns her face, wincing as her cheek gets a cut, and looks around for either of the boys. She sees niether of them.
She's all alone.
Against Orochimaru.
Ursa curses under her breath because that's exactly what the snake sannin wants. Essentially, he's hunting her, and when the predator is hunting they need to get their target prey alone. Just like she is at the moment. Not finding her teammates, she turns and faces forward again. Only when she does, she flinches at the sight of the said sannin. Her purple eyes clearly note the lack of disguise, a clear sign that he already faced against Sasuke.
The wind jutsu is no more, but her teammates are no where to be seen - maybe they're being distracted like Naruto with snake summons. Gritting her teeth, the ravenette glares at the pale man, purple and reptillian yellow clashing.
"I can tell you how fascinating it was to know that one of the last Konishi's was residing here in the Leaf Village. Yet to see your power up close and in person, now that was truly a wonder," Orochimaru smiles sinisterly, his eyes shining with greed.
Ursa seethes, but her brows furrow in confusion. "My power," she questions quietly, but still on guard. How can he know her power when she barely knows about it? And how could he see it when she hasn't used it? It makes no sense.
Orochimaru's smile widens when he sees the young girl's confusion. "Interesting, it seems you don't know your own power which suggests that you haven't awakened your Henzuru yet. Your true power has yet to blossom," the man chuckles as the kunoichi stands up, grabbing her discarded fan.
"And let me guess, you want that power, don't you?" Ursa states, still glaring as she comes to stand.
The snake sannin steps closer, his eyes narrowing in greed. He's already marked the young Uchiha, and now there's this girl. A girl from a dead clan, a powerful clan with a powerful doujtsu, here before his eyes like a prize. A rare prize he can win, a prize he can turn to a weapon, and a weapon he can wield for his own good!
"You're a smart one, Ursa Konishi," he chuckles.
Ursa gives a sneering smirk. "Yeah, well you're too obvious. You may have fooled that old coot of the third hokage, along with others, but not me. If you're after such power, then that means I wasn't your only target, right?"
"That's correct. Earlier tonight, I happened to go after your teammate, Sasuke. He was my target from the start, however when I saw you during the first part of the exam, using your power, I knew I just had to have you, too," Orochimaru proclaims tentively, closing the distance between them cautiously - like a predator ready to strike.
"Tch, unfortunately for you, I'm not going to make it easy for you," the curly haired girl sneers.
And like that, she makes her move just as the predator moves too close for comfort. Grasping her fan tightly, she swings it without hesitation, and releases a blast of chakra filled winds. Ursa knows she stands no chance, but maybe, just maybe she can get away from him. Maybe she could find her teammates, or any team.
Orochimaru moves fast, swift and agile like the snake he proves to be. Dodging her attack, the sannin throws a handful of shuriken towards her. Lilac eyes widening at the speeding weapons racing her way, she quickly closes her fan and allows the stars to hit the hilt, metal clashing with metal. Though, without hesitation, she swings the closed fan and sends the shuriken flying back towards the man.
Stretching his body, the sannin slithers around the tree and branch, nearing her. Ursa jumps back, gritting her teeth.
"Let me ask, if you already attacked Sasuke, then why go after me. Isn't trying to control two potential doujutsus risky? Do you even know the powers of said doujtsus? Can you handle them," Ursa asks, trying to stall and create space. "Especially, the Henzuru? Information of that said power is rarely recorded, do you even know of the Konishi clan?"
"Heh, do you really think I'm that incompetent? I'm known for my research," he questions, amused. "Or are you trying to flatter me with a challenge? Because right now, your attempts to stall me is simply insulting."
Ursa grits her teeth, but as she glares at the sannin, her body freezes in fear. A malicious chill runs through her body, suffocating her with harsh killing intent. She can feel her heart racing, pounding against her chest, pumping with adrenaline. Fight of flight.
But no, she freezes as she watches the sight of her incoming death. A genjutsu! No, the kunai racing to her is real.
Damn it! She's already died, or at least expirienced a vivid-like death in her memories. And she's been stabbed by Haku! She shouldn't be scared of something as measly as this!
Forcing her frozen body to move, Ursa yells. "Argh! Don't mock me with that pitiful genjutsu! Death doesn't scare me," she seethes, lifting her fan, opening it.
"Wind Style: Cutting Whirlwind!" She grunts, swinging her weapon and releasing a cyclone of sharp winds.
Noticing that he's stopped his advances on her to avoid the jutsu, Ursa takes that moment to turn around and run. She needs to get out of there! He's way out of her league! If Sasuke failed against him with the help of Naruto, then how the hell can she manage?!
She's not strong! She's barely genin, and an average one at most! She barely has wind jutsus under her belt, but other than that - she's useless! Her knowledge of anatomy can't compare to his, in fact it's a very far contrast. Her taijutsu is nothing against a sannin - especially one who moves too fast.
Run! Get away! He won't attack if there's someone else! He won't risk his presence being alerted about!
If I can just -
Ursa chokes back a scream when Orochimaru appears in front of her, immediately dwarting her escape. Jumping back, she tries to create space between them.
He wants my Henzuru which means I can't let him near me. I can't give him the chance!
She instinctively swings her closed fan at him, to which he dodges seamlessly by ducking. Gritting her teeth, Ursa tightens her grip on the fan before encasing it in chakra and using it as a blade, swinging it again. Though, Orochimaru simply outstretches his right hand, and lets a pair of snakes coil around the fan, stopping its momentum.
"I must commend you, Ursa. Even as you show fear, you still continue to fight. On the other hand, Sasuke froze when he realized he was outclassed against me. You fear nothing, not even death," the sannin muses with condescending smile.
Glaring, she huffs and reluctantly let's go of her fan. With no grasp holding her, Ursa leaps backward whilst making handsigns.
"Wind Release: Propelling Winds," she utters, allowing burst of air to release from her hands.
With this jutsu, Ursa lets the wind to propel her backwards with fast speeds. It's meant for escape and it's exactly why she used it. So, as she flies back and sees the man's look of surprise, she ignores the brisk pain of hitting branches and shrubbery. After a long eighty or so feet, Ursa crashes to the ground, but adrenaline forcing her move, she gets up and runs. There's no time for rest! She needs to get away!
She may fear nothing, but that doesn't mean she'll allow him to get his hands on her power - no way!
"You're a pesky opponent, so eager in escaping. Though, I must say it does make the challenge interesting," Orochimaru declares in amusement as he runs after her.
"However, your attempts are futile!"
Unfortunately, he's right because Ursa suddenly feels sharp pain on the nape of her neck. Knees buckling, the kunoichi releases a scream.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dun, dun, duuuunnnn! Welp, that's chapter eighteen - and a cliffhanger! I apologize profusely for the extended wait, I really am sorry!
So, how did you like it? Yes, no?
Did you guys like the team dynamic between Ursa, Hisato, and Tadashi? Heh, they do seem to get along on some extent, lol.
Awe, Ursa seems to think of Team Seven as her family - even if they don't get along some of the times, haha! Sakura and Ursa will definitely have that sister, love-hate, relationship and I'll try to write more of it. By shipudden they will have strong brotp! Same goes for Naruto, I'll try to add more Ursa-Naru moments!
Sorry, there wasn't much Gaara content - maybe next chapter, haha. Her relationship with Gaara will build during the one month interval between the preliminaries and the third exam, so look forward to that.
And total oof! Orochimaru and Ursa meet! Oh no, oh no! Though it does seem that he knows about her extinct clan - do tell Mr Snake Man! Ursa needs that knowledge!
Looks like it resulted in a fight! Of course Ursa will be ridiculously outmatched against a sannin - I never understood how people make their ocs have a full out brawl with orochimaru?! Like c'mon, that man is a granted war veteran who's super well versed in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, combat and basically everything - a fresh faced rookie stands no logical chance against a legendary sannin!!!! That's like an ant going against a boot - no win!
Also oof! That ending! Is that a curse mark in the happenings???
Oh well.
Anyways, that's all for now! Don't forget to COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN!!!!
JA ANE, My amazing, wonderful, and super awesome readers, you're the best! (Also don't forget to stay safe and to take care of yourselves ♡)
Word Count: 6,845