[I'm gonna switch to first person for a bit]
"Agghhhhhhh!!!!"
"Eh? Huh?" Naruto looked around confused. "Everybody hide! Quickly, get down! That ninja? Where could she be hiding?"
"Naruto?"
Choji started poking Naruto huge bump on his head.
"Clam down, she's gone" I sighed.
"You really are one of a kind that's for sure and I mean your the kind that gets on my nerve."
Choji agreed.
"Oh no! Sakura, Sakura, Sakura!!!" Naruto started repeating her name over and over again as if he just saw something he shouldn't have. "Something serious happened to your hair!"
"Oh! That's all? I just wanted to change my look. I like it better long, but when I'm out in the wilderness like this and I'm moving around all the time, it gets in the way to much." She said.
I ran my fingers through my hair, they need to get to the tower soon. With all this fighting her hair was becoming tangled.
"So what's your story? Why are you guys here in the first place?" Naruto asked. "What's going on around here?"
"Explaining everything to you is going to be such a pain."
"Everyone just showed up to help."
"Sakura....." I looked at her with sad eyes at her attempt at acting brave. It fooled Naruto, but she's sure the rest were easily fooled.
TenTen appeared in front of Ino taking Lee out of her hands and when she did, she lectured Lee on how stupid he was for thinking he could fight all three of those sound ninja alone.
"Ah? Sakura was in trouble, so I had to do something, right?"
"Ahaha! I know you bushy-brow!"
"Hey, knock it off, you better not saying anything bad about Lee." Sakura punched Naruto away.
"Lee."
"Eh?"
"Thank you, because of you I was able to stand up for myself and I've become a little stronger." Sakura smiled as Lee teared up
"Yep! Thanks Lee." I smiled.
"Thank you, Sakura. But I guess my efforts alone were not good enough. So Sasuke, you are as good as your reputation. Just what you'd expect from the Uchiha Clan, to change off those ninja you must have been very strong. Not like me I just got beaten into a pulp." Lee said, shocking Sasuke.
"Sakura, the Lotus of Leag Willahe blooms twice."
"Huh?"
"When we meet again, I will have become a stronger Ninja." Lee said. "I promise."
Sakura smiled and giggled, while Naruto growled.
"Hey, Sakura! Come on up over here, I wanna fix you hair for you, okay!"
"Yeah, is like that." Sakura smiled.
~~~
While Sasuke and Naruto were busy fishing me and Sakura were getting the fire ready.
"Are you guys done fishing yet? The fires ready!" I yelled out.
"It's already been four days since the exam began."
"That's right."
"We're sure not gonna break any records and we only have 24 hours left." Sasuke said.
"I wonder how many of the other teams got there scrolls and finished."
'Well, I wonder when am I gonna get to meet my husband, again.' I sighed, Gaara must be so lonely without me. 'Maybe I should make him a gift? Or maybe food? A kiss? A hug? Actually cross those two out I'll be killed before I can even do those two.'
"We have to face it, there might not be any heaven scrolls left."
"Well that's a cheerful thought."
"Maybe so, but it's true. Look you said it yourself, Sasuke. This is the fourth day we've been out here, that means we've already used up 80% of the time we got complete the exam." Sakura said. "Only thirteen teams can pass because there's only thirteen pairs of Heaven and Earths scrolls and you've got 26 teams, 78 candidates out looking for them."
"Huh?"
"Oh yeah, I guess to make it worse our Heaven scroll got burned by that creep." I reminded them.
"Yeah, I remember."
"The number of complete pairs of scrolls that could be found was reduced by one. Not to mention all the ones that's been found and secured by the other teams since then." Sakura said.
"Maybe we gave ourself to much time to rest and recover from our last fight. I don't know, what I do know is that we've got to serious now and make up for lost time." Sasuke said. "The next enemy we face could be our last chance. I'm gonna get water."
Me and the others watched as Sasuke walked away as Naruto picked up the scroll and called out to both me and Sakura saying he knew how to get another scroll without fighting anyone else.
Naruto grabbed his bag and threw out the scrolls he had in them.
"You can't be serious."
"Of course I am. I've got tons of scrolls, we could change one of these to look exactly like the Heaven scroll."
"Stop! Don't even! Even if you could fake the outside, how can you fake what's written on the inside? You couldn't know without reading it and that's against the rules." Sakura said.
"Idiot!"
"I've got it all figured out, I think this things have a secret code that only reveals itself when you put them together." Naruto said. "Yeah, and that secret code is like the password you need to get into the tower at the end of the exam, believe it!"
"All I got was that your an idiot." Sakura sighed.
"Agreed."
"We've never even had a Heaven scroll so how in the world are we gonna fake what's inside it!" Sakura yelled at him. "The next brilliant idea you get how about keeping it to yourself. We've got enough problem....."
'But we did have a Heaven scroll though, even it was only for a few hours....'
"But wait, we do have a clue about what's inside the Heavens scroll, the Earth scroll."
"You wouldn't."
"It's our only chance, I'm gonna open it and read this scroll."
"I knew you were stupid, but not this stupid!" This time it was my turn to yell at Naruto. "Did you not here the rules were forbidden from looking what's inside the scrolls before arriving at the tower!"
"I know, but if we don't do something we'll never make it!" Naruto yelled back as he rubbed his head from were Sakura hit him.
'And just like that a tense atmosphere has fallen upon us.' I sighed, as Naruto held the scroll in his hand with Sakura right behind him.
Naruto was trembling and sweating too, Sakura wasn't looking that much better either, but I wonder what those guys saw when they opened the earth scroll, so I guess I am a bit curious.
Just before Naruto could open the scroll, Kabuto stoping him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said, just as Sasuke arrived.
~~~
"I can't believe you guys." Sasuke said in disappointment.
"If I hadn't come along when I did."
"Sorry, Sasuke."
"Umah Sorry."
"You guys definitely should be sorry." I scolded.
"You aren't any better either, Aki. Instead of trying to stop them you just stood by and watched." Sasuke glared.
Oopies.
"There have been others who've broken the rule and tried to peak into the scroll. I've seen what happens to them. There protected by a powerful hypnosis Jutsu, a kind of booby trap for anyone unwise enough to try to read them." Kabuto explained. "It'll knock you senseless and by the time you wake up, the exams over."
"Kabuto, right? We meet at the registration. What are you doing here wondering around all by yourself?" Sasuke asked.
"Don't worry, I'm not after your Earth Scroll."
"I guess not. I suppose if you were you would have just taken it from Naruto when you had the chance." Sasuke said. "So your looking for Heaven Scroll too, huh?"
"Not really, you see I already have them both." Kabuto saud pulling out his Heaven and Earth Scroll shocking Sasuke. "I had a run of luck, I was just on my way to the tower to wait for my teammates to show me, so if you'll excuse me."
"Hold it!" Sasuke said. "I'll fight you for it."
"You'll fight me for it?."
"But S-Sasuke...."
"Hold on a second is this a joke or what!"
"Does it look like it?" I looked at Naruto, was Sasuke someone who could even tell jokes? The only joke about him is just his hair, but that's like the lamest joke in the book.
"Are you serious?"
"Perfectly. Sorry, but I don't have the time to play nice."
"Back off, Sasuke! In case you forgot that guy saved our butts!"
"Naruto's got a point, we don't wanna be ungrateful or anything."
'Oh please the only reason he helped us was because of that wanna snake lady' I glared into the air.
"Shut up."
"But Sasuke."
"It can't be helped, it's either him or us. Out here it's all about surviving and winning. Nothing else matters."
"Hmm.....your lying."
"He is?"
"Come on, admit it for all the tough talk you heart really isn't in it. If it was true, if winning the only thing that mattered to you, why opening challenges me to a fight?" Kabuto asked. "Why announce it and put me on my guard? Why not just jump me when my back was turned? After all that's what a ninja would do."
"Hmm, that's pretty deep."
"Tell me about it."
"That okay, actually I admire you for it. So here's what I'll do, I'll show you the path you should follow, but let's go, it's best we get outta here. The smell of that cooking fire is going to draw every wild beast of the forest and not only animal but the competition too."
~~~
"You still think there is other candidates out here?"
"Oh yeah, just think about it what do you think is the most sufficient way of finding the scroll in an area as large as this?" Kabuto said as he jumped from another tree. "To go searching in the forest for them?"
"Uh, no."
"No, you wait for them to come to you. The tower at the center of the forest is the goal right? So on the last day of the exam, that area will be crawling with teams converging on the tower with their scrolls."
"Oh, yeah, I get it. Like an ambush." Sakura smiled. "So we just head to the tower, fine a hiding place and when a team comes along with a heaven scroll we jump up and take 'em."
"That's one-third of the problem."
"How many problems are there." I gagged.
"Huh?"
"You guys aren't gonna be the only one thinking of this. Every other team that's lacking a scroll will be lying in wait just like you."
"So what? The more the merrier I'd say. Whoever they are, we'll take care of them ." Naruto laughed. "Wouldn't wait this to be to easy, that wouldn't be any fun. Okay so we grab someone else's scroll and keep those losers from grabbing ours and bingo we pass the exams."
"That's two-thirds of the problem."
"Oh come on!" I yelled.
"Well, at least we're getting closer. What else?" Sakura asked.
"Will, there's bound to be some collectors lurking around at the finish line."
"?"
"Even when you think you're all free, you can't relax your guard for an instant. This kind of exams always brings them out. Collectors....they've got their extra set of scrolls to use for multiple things. For example to bribe their way out of an unexpected situations or to provide their village—."
I stopped listening after that, I mean if I didn't listen to it when I was watching Naruto, then I wouldn't be listening to them now.
From what I remember their were only mentioned only this time around and never again.
"I see and I think I'm starting to figure out why you brought us along with you."
"Hm?"
"It's because tour scared, aren't you?
"You bet I am." Kabuto said as him along with team 7 continued deeper into the forest.
~~~
"There's the tower and the means the end is in sight. Know comes the hard part."
"Well it's about time! Grab it on!" Naruto yelled.
"There's someone back there." Sakura said which Naruto was quickly to follow by throwing a kunai striking something which happened to be a huge centipede.
"Just a centipede? That creepy thing is as big as a bus." Sakura said as she an Aki held each other in disgust.
"Hey, Naruto, do us a favor and try to keep it down to a dull roar would you?."
"Huh?"
"What he means is that you need to keep it down Naruto, we're trying not to get spotted and with you being as loud as an elephant isn't helping us." I sighed. "We're trying to find the collectors before they find us."
"Correct, so do us a favor and keep it down."
"O-oh, yeah I see your point."
"Take it slow and quite and use all the time we've got left."
"Okay."
"Right."
"Got it."
"You can count on me."
Next thing I knew we were exploring the forest as if we were tourists. Sasuke under water, Kabuto up in the air, me and Sakura on the ground, and Naruto tangled up in some vines.
"Okay, we're getting closer." Kabuto said.
'Couldn't we have done all these with Naruto's clones or something?' I thought as I followed behind my teammates.
Kabuto stopped Naruto as he made a motion to look up into the trees were the dead bodies of what seems to be collectors were.
"A trap, huh?"
"Yeah, and it only gets worse from here on end."
Two seconds later, Naruro feet caught a wire activating a trap filled with kunai's to which Kabuto saved him by taking the hits.
"Kabuto!"
"Well, that was close." He said revealing that he used a substitution jutsu. "Like I told you, it only gets worse from here on end."
'You know, I've only seen two people die in front of me and I can confidently say that I never want to experience that again.' I thought as I look at the wood that used to be Kabuto. Just how in the world am I gonna survive being a ninja.
The more we walked the farther away the tower seems to be.
"For crying out loud."
"Sakura!"
"How far have we walked?" Sakura asked. "That towers not getting any closer."
"It's like we're going around in circles or something." I hinted.
"Oh, it's seems we've been spotted. Somebody is playing games with us. Look, ring a bull." Kabuto pointed at the huge centipede Naruto had killed with his kunai, shocking everyone.
"Hey! What's the bug idea!"
"What's going on?"
"Genjutsu....."
"That's what it looks like and we feel for it complete, we were so concerned about not being spotted by anyone we didn't see we were walking around in circles." Kabuto said.
"What's thee game?"
"Probably trying to wear us down and strike we're frustrated and physically exhausted."
"You mean like we are right now?"
"Right, they'll be coming soon."
I couldn't help but shiver at the sounds coming from the tree as those whoever ninjas crawled through it before slowly emerging out of it.
"What the hell." We we're complete surrounded. I thought it was bad in the anime, but it really life it's even worse.
"Well, Naruto, you wanted a fight."
"Hm! 4 against 40, I like those odds." Naruto smirked.