****Here's chapter 14. Thanks for all the feedback, I'll be using that info later on. Sorry if you were expecting the kiss right away. This chapter is dedicated to sweetdreams705 because I like her stories, she seems funny, and I LOVE her profile picture. Also this is to alphaanimegirl about her getting a ninja animal, I got her one. Side pic is the tiger. Another side note: Akemi's favorite curse word is damn (just in case you didn't notice). Anyway enjoy the chapter.****
AKEMI'S POV
My team and I were at the place Pirate told us the second part of the exams were. I was talking with Shika and Kiba at the moment. I had already wished every one luck for the second part of the exams. We stood in front of a giant forest with a high metal fence and a danger sign which does not encourage bravery among us who are going in there probably. There stood Anko upfront next to a wooden table with other examiners. "Welcome to the second stage of the Chunin Exams, Training Ground 44. Also known as the Forest of Death." She smiled arrogantly at the end of her introduction. Naruto mock copied her causing her to flick a kunai at him. If I hadn't caught it he would've got cut.
"No, no, no, hey Lady no cutting my team mate. If you want to kill someone, go kill Glasses over there." I pointed over to Kabuto with his team. He looked over at me in annoyance. Anko turned towards me then smiled? I thought she would try to hit me kunais also but instead she smiled?
"Ha ha, I remember you kid. Your the one that threw Ibiki out the window. I like you. Hope you don't die there. But watch out for your partner there, jokers like him are always killed early in the game." She said the last part darkly. Naruto shrunk down in his stance slightly frightened while Sasuke called him an idiot under his breathe.
"Um, thanks? I will. Your an interesting person yourself." At that she smirked. This woman is definitely interesting. I think having a conversation with her would be fun.
"Before we start though I got a form for you all." She handed out a paper to everyone from her huge stack of papers. "These are the standard consent forms. Read them then sign it."
"What for?" Ever clueless Naruto asked.
"Some of you may not come back alive after this test and I need your consent that you'll take that risk, otherwise I'd be held responsible for your death." She explained like we were talking about tea. Yep, interesting woman. "I'll be explaining the second part and then you can decide whether to sign or not. Afterword each team will check in that booth behind me." Pointing to said orange booth. "This test will be the ultimate survival test. First Training Ground 44 has 44 locked gates. Forests, a river, and a tower in the center. The distance between the gates and the tower should be 10 km. During the time in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and Justus you will participate in a no rules scroll battle."
"Scroll?" Someone asked about.
"Yes, you will fight to get two scrolls. The Heaven and Earth scroll. There are 79 candidates here now, meaning 26 teams. Half will get the Heaven scroll while the other half get the Earth scroll, to pass your team needs both scrolls. Once your teams has both scrolls you have to get to the tower in the center but there's a time limit. The test lasts only 120 hours, exactly five days total."
"Five days!?" Ino yelled.
"What about food!!!???" Choji questioned.
"Your on your own." Thank God I decided to take my pack with me. It has all the necessities to survive, water, my sword, medical kit, and some food. I've lived outside for five years now I can survive anywhere. "The forest is full of food. Just watch out for the man eating beasts, and poisonous insects and plants. As the days go on the distance to the goal will become farther and resting time will shorten. The area is also crawling with enemies. Thirteen teams passing is highly unlikely." She smiled sadistically at what she said next. "So not only will some fail by losing the scroll but some will die from the harshness of the course itself. Now I'll tell you what will get you disqualified. First, those who don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit are disqualified. Second, those whose don't have their full team are disqualified. As a rule there is no quitting in the middle. As another you aren't allowed to open the scrolls until you make it to the tower."
"What happens if you do?" Naruto questioned.
"Who ever does will be in for a surprise." The way she said surprise told me that whatever happens; no opening our scroll. "Chunins will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness. That's it for explanations. Now, exchange your forms for your teams scroll, then get to a gate a wait for the signal to start the second part of the exams." She finally said but then added as her last words, "One more thing as advice: don't die." She smiled deviously then left.
I read over the form. Should I sign it, I mean I'm not even planning on staying. Also I rather not die anytime soon. I looked over to see Naruto had already signed his. Sasuke and Sakura were signing theirs now. Sasuke told me about his goal, he told me about his clan also. When I told him I didn't know he said he was kind of happy of me not knowing his life story like everyone else. He knows he could die yet he's doing this. And Sakura, she's scared yet she's doing it too. I looked down at form. I finally signed it. While heading to hand it in I caught the sight of red to find tat red head, Gaara, staring at me while standing with his team. They looked at me briefly. I smiled at them before leaving. Their expressions were shocked, Gaara's was also but he also had confusion and curiosity in his eyes. That did nothing to hide the sad loneliness always there in his expression I saw for the few times I've seen him.
Naruto got our scroll. We were waiting at some random gate for the exam to start until this group of outlet kids came up for an interview of the Chunin exam candidates. There were this cute little kids, apparently they worshiped Naruto. Everyone got interviewed though to be fair except me. They begged me but I wouldn't say much besides my name. Sakura and Naruto even sort of begged me to say something about myself. "Shouldn't we be be getting ready? I think the gates are going to be opening soon." With that Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon left but not before making me promise to play with them another time. What can I say, kids tend to love me.
"ALRIGHT LET THE SECOND PART BEGIN!!" Anko's voice yelled threw some speakers. The gates opened and my team headed in. I hope this won't be that bad.
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This sucks big time.
We've been in the forest for three days now and we still only have one scroll. First off some retard Naruto impersonator came at us as soon as we got in the forest. I somehow came in possession of a white tiger who wont leave me. I don't know what her problem is but as soon as she saw me instead of attacking like a 'man eating beast' should she's been following me around and wont go away. I seriously need to talk to someone about keeping a super sized white tiger from the Forest of Death. Then Sasuke made us memorize this super damn long password because we were being stalked, then another Naruto look a like showed up. Lets just say that guy is so not making it to the third exam. And now I'm trying to help Naruto get out of a snake that ate him since we both got separated from Sasuke and Sakura. Could you say I'm in a bad mood? Well I think I can.
Right now I knocked the freaking huge snake out and am cutting him open with my sword to get Naruto. "Naruto? Can you here me? Were are you in the snake?" I heard mumbling but never got to it before the snake exploding it's guts over me because Naruto decided to shadow clone himself until it burst open the snake. Normally under circumstance I would smash Naruto's head in for squirting snake intestines on me but he got eaten by a snake so he got it worse. We both ran towards were the other two were. We soon spotted them. Naruto went to save Sasuke's ass while I checked to see if Sakura was still operating. She seemed to be deliver that we came. I turned to look at our opponent. My eyes widened.
I don't know what it was. The body was female but the soul was male. That wasn't the problem though, it was the soul. That soul was irrevocably tainted. It was more evil than any soul I have ever seen in my experience.
"NARUTO!! GET OUT OF HERE! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! HURRY UP AND GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!" Sasuke yelled at him. Well, nice thing to say to the guy that just saved your ass.
"I see you escaped from my friend, Naruto and girl." He/she/it said. I also noticed he doesn't know my name. Damn moron.
"You can have it! The scroll! That's what you want right?! Then take it and leave us in peace!!" Oh no he did not. I did not spend three days dealing with tigers, those three, and other damn ninjas to lose it to a transvestite.
"Oh Hell no! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Don't give it to that freak you douche bag!!" I screamed at him. I mean come on! The mighty Uchiha just giving up like that.
"Akemi's right! Are you crazy! We're just going to hand it over to the enemy. No way!" Naruto started yelling at Sasuke. They argued back and forth until Sasuke just threw the scroll up to the freak. Luckily Naruto caught it before he could take it. So the freak decided to summon a huge snake and kill and then take our scroll.
"Damn." The snake went after Naruto. I would have went to help but I suddenly felt the fox's chakra. Naruto started hitting the snake like there was no tomorrow. He single handedly stop a humongous snake from charging straight at Sasuke. He was incredible at least until that pervert grabbed him by his waist with his tongue. His tongue. "Hey let go of him you freaking bastard!!" I don't know what the hell kind of Jutsu he did to Naruto but after he did it Naruto went falling down. Sakura at least stopped him from falling by pinning him to a tree with her kunais. "Thanks Sakura. I need to get Naruto. Okay?" She nodded.
"We'll be okay down here. Please make sure Naruto is okay." She told me worried about Naruto. I nodded and went to him. Grabbing the collar of his clothes before pulling Sakura's kunais out. After pulling him up and onto the tiger I went back to see Sasuke barbecuing the transvestite. Sakura was cheering him on.
"Don't cheer so soon. The transvestite isn't out. Lets go before he comes back I already got Naruto." I looked around for the direction to go while the others climbed on the tiger. "Oh no."
Out of the flames came the freak completely unharmed exactly like I thought. Sasuke was in shock. "Such mastery of the Sharingon at such a young age." His voice was gradually changing from female to male. "You are a true Uchiha.. Yes, you'll do perfectly." His voice was completely guy now. He was analyzing Sasuke as he said this. What he said next pissed Sasuke off. "Your are definitely his brother. If anything your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."
"HOW DO YOU KNOW HIM!? WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" He actually lost composure and yelled.
"My name is Orochimaru. What I want," he snickered at that slightly. His speech kinda sounded like a hissing snake, "well you'll find out when you pass this test with the best score of all. But first you will have to beat some of the Hidden Sound ninjas who serve me." I moved in front of everyone in a defensive stance to protect everyone. He then turned his eyes onto me. "You also girl, your chakra is very interesting. Your not even affected by my jutsu. You might also be of use to me some day." I shivered involuntarily. I felt like I was going to throw up at any minute the longer I stayed near him.
"Your disgusting! No one would ever side with you!" I was sweating his presence was making me sick.
"Yeah, why would Sasuke ever want to see you again?" Sakura added. I agreed if anything I just wanted to him to burn in Hell never surfacing onto this planet ever again.
"Because I'll leave him with a parting gift that will make him come to me in search of power." His head shot out all of a sudden catching me by surprise otherwise I would have caught it before he bit Sasuke right on the neck. Sasuke immediately crouched down from the pain. On his neck was a mark from where Oreo bit him.
"What the Hell!!??? First your tongue stretches now your neck! What other appendages of yours lengthen!?" I yelled in surprise. His head turned to me about to bite me also. "I don't think so." I jabbed his neck with my sword causing him to retract it. He hissed in pain clutching his bleeding wound. "Not as much fun being in pain instead of causing it, is it?" I stated cockily. I grabbed Sasuke off the ground hurling him onto the tiger climbing onto the top where everyone else was. Throwing a paper bomb to distract and injure Oreo more so he wouldn't try to track us down later. Forming the right hand signs for one of the justus I created, "Tenshi no tate (Angel's shield)." Giant transparent wings sprout out of my back covering all my team and the tiger in a sphere like shape making it appear like we disappeared. There was no trace of us anymore. No smell, no sound, and no sight of us; it was almost like we didn't even exist before if not for the damage we left behind. We left Oreo screaming in anger about where we were. Both Sasuke and Naruto were passed out, Sakura looked like she was going to from terror because of Oreo's breakdown, I felt slightly fatigued and sick from being near Oreo for so long but not enough to not be able to protect my friends. I took the hidden scroll from Sasuke. "I'm protecting this for the rest of the test." Sakura didn't argue. My tiger effortlessly ran through the tree branches without giving away where we were until I decided to stop to rest for everyone.
We were taking refuge inside a huge tree, the base of it was hollowed out giving us enough space t rest and good coverage to hide us from prying eyes. As soon as we set down Sakura and I took shifts watching out for the night. The tiger curled up in a corner resting. I took the first shift and Sakura passed out going to sleep right away. She took the second shift, by the time it as morning we were both up figuring what our next move would be. Sakura suggested to tending to any immediate wounds on the boys. Once I looked over all the serious wounds on them I called Sakura. "Sakura?" She turned to me in question. "Get my bag and bring me the water from it." She did what I asked her to. I pulled out a small wooden bowl then filled it with the half of my remaining water. I went to Naruto first laying him flat on his back on the ground.
"What are you going to do with that, Akemi?" Sakura asked timidly. She has been letting me take the leadership role since the boys passed out. I sigh, she really needs to learn to stand on her own soon otherwise she won't become a good ninja like I know she could become.
"I'm healing whatever Oreo did to him." I tapped the surface of the water with my forefinger creating a small ripple to flow from the center where I tapped it to the rims of the bowl. Along the ripples a blue-white light could be seen in them making the water glow softly for a second.
"How?"
"Watch." I told her as I poured a bit of the water into Naruto's mouth. I gently pinched his nose closed to make sure he drank the water. His body glowed softly just like the water did a couple seconds ago. Sakura's eyes widened when she looked at glowing Naruto.
"Wha-" She didn't get to finish her question before she saw the injuries on Naruto slowly disappear along with the glow. "Oh! How did you do that? Is he going to be okay? He's not hurt right?" Sakura shot a question per second.
"Sakura! Calm down, Naruto's fine he just needs some rest. And the answer to the question is holy water." I told her patiently while doing the same to Sasuke with the rest of the water.
"Holy water?"
"Yeah, as a priestess it is essential to be able to make holy water. Holy water can heal. It only takes regular water to be able to make holy water as long as you know what to do." She nodded. I left out the fact that few people can actually make holy water because only people who trained for years and years and years can even hope to be able to accomplish the simple task. I was one of the few priestess in training that have been able to do it this early in age. My village used to very close to the angels that served God before they became too corrupt to hear the Angel's voices anymore. We still kept many of the ways to practically make miracles. As once a daughter of the head of the Himura village I of course had access to those sacred secrets. I also was one of the very few that was able to actually do any of them, now I realize why maybe Tsubaki hated me so much. I was able to do these with ease while she could only do very few.
I looked at Naruto's stomach where Oreo attacked him then looked closer at the mark on Sasuke's neck. I brought a drop of my holy water onto Naruto's stomach. The symbol on his stomach disappeared soon leaving no mark. I pushed some of my chakra into him because I knew the holy water might be hurting him a little because of the fox demon in him. I went to Sasuke and dropped holy water on his mark but it didn't go away like Naruto's symbol. I tried again, nothing. I furrowed my brows in thought. "Sakura can you find a rock the size of your fist?" She quickly got one. I took it and started carving symbols into the dirt around Sasuke's entire body. I poured more water into the bowl making more holy water before pouring it in the symbols on the ground then spreading it across his curse mark. I started chanting some words indescribable to anyone listening. The water started glowing softly. I was half-way through and the mark was actually doing away. It was half way gone when the tiger growled I kept chanting until kunais suddenly started flying towards us.
My eyes flashed open immediately stopping the ritual mid-way. I pulled Sakura away from the sharp objects that were possibly were going to impale her if she didn't move out of the way. Three Hidden Sound ninjas came out from their hiding spots. I could tell they were Oreo's goons because they had his lingering evil presence on him. Two guys and one girl stood in front of us. "Damn. Sakura! Are the boys showing any signs of waking up soon!?" She checked then turned towards me shaking her head frantically.
"No!! There still out cold! It's not good to be moving them yet!!"
"Damn. How are you!?" Maybe we'd have a fighting chance.
"I'm still weak from that guy's attack earlier!"
"Damn!" I said. The apparent leader of their group spoke up to us.
"Try to fight all you want but we have direct orders from Orochimaru to kill you."
"Damn!!" I yelled. He looked really smug like fighting two girls wasn't even going to make him break a sweat. Chauvinistic jerk. "Get that dumb look off that ugly face of yours. I'll still mop the floors with your face." His smug look quickly changed into a scowl. The tiger stayed in front protecting both of my passed out team mates when I ordered her to stay no matter what and protect them.
"You won't be thinking that anymore after I'm done with you." He got in a fighting position. I did the same. Sakura fought along with me but with me fighting Oreo, healing both Sasuke and Naruto, giving Naruto my chakra, and staying up half the night I was worn down. I was barely fending myself against the leader. Sakura was alone against the other two. I really wanted to help her but I coudn't. I could tell Sakura was wearing down also. Somewhere in the battle I heard a really loud, really obnoxious battle cry.
"DO NOT FEAR MY BEAUTIFUL CHERRY BLOSSOM!!!! I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH THE POWER OF YOUTH!!!!" I could tell from that one sentence he was Yoga man's student alright. Probably the Lee guy that beat up Sasuke before the first part of the Chunin Exams began. I only had one thought run through my head when I processed he was probably Yoga man's student.
"DAMN!!!!"