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CHAPTER 29: IN THE FOREST OF DEATH
Akira's POV
"Why aren't we starting yet?!" complains Hiro.
He's been complaining for the past ten minutes, to my dismay. I sigh again.
"Do me a favor, kid, and just shut up!" the Leaf ninja yells, obviously just as irritated as I am by Hiro's incessant carping.
The Chuunin checks his watch again, pacing back and forth impatiently.
"No, no. Patience is the key. Just one minute. One more minute. Then this idiot will finally be gone," he mumbles to himself.
"Hey Akira," rambles Hiro, ignoring the man, "What do you think we should do? Should we get the scrolls as fast as we can, or should we prepare a defense first? Offense, defense, offense, defense, offense--"
I hold up a hand, silencing him. Frowning, I think of a strategy. "It'll probably be best to prepare first, but I'd rather not stay in the forest too long.. We should just get this over with. But..."
I turn to Mitsuki. "Can you handle being on your own? I know what Hiro and I are capable of, but I don't know your abilities.."
She smiles and gives me two thumbs up. "I'll be fine! I'm super duper strong!!! Believe me!"
"Yeah, I believe in you, Tsuki-chan!!" Hiro cries, giving her another thumbs up.
I facepalm, still a bit worried. If she dies, we fail the Exams. So of course I should try to keep her alive. The best way to keep everyone alive is by strengthening our defense and man-power by staying together. But if we do that, it'll take longer to steal the scrolls from others because we don't have the stealth. And then again, I doubt staying in this forest too long is a safe idea...
A small beep comes from the Leaf ninja's watch. "Finally! Get in there and go do whatever you have to do!" The Leaf Ninja growls. He unlocks Gate 44 and shoves us inside.
Hiro yells, "Yeah, finally!!! Let's go!"
I shove him and hiss, "Shut up! What if someone hears you?"
"Ehehe.." He rubs the back of his neck. "Sorry."
I sigh again, rubbing the sides of my head. "Okay. So this is the plan: we'll meet up in the afternoon at the riverbank. Just go do whatever you want, but try to survive and get a 'Heaven' scroll if you can. If you're in danger, come to the riverbank anyways. By fighting together, we'll have more power. Our goal is to finish this in the first day! Go!"
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As the sun sets, I smirk as I leave the unconscious bodies tied to a tree trunk. That was just too easy. Were they really Leaf ninjas? I thought they were supposed to be stronger, coming from the first Hidden Village, but it is true that rumors get exaggerated easily...
I toss the 'Heaven' scroll into my bag with our original 'Earth' scroll. I guess I'll just rest at the river and wait for Mitsuki and Hiro.. As long as they can survive long enough, we should be able to finish this test easily before the end of today.
I freeze when I feel the four chakras in front of me. I soundlessly dive into the bushes, mentally cursing at myself. How did I not sense them earlier!?
A boy calmly says, "Then leave... taking a scroll off cowards like you will only make me the laughing stock of the village."
"Yes!!"
Three people noisily dash through the bushes next to me. I glance at their protectors before stepping aside and letting them run on. I chuckle quietly. Leaf ninjas. Weaklings.
"Who's there?"
I smirk. If he could hear me, he has to be pretty powerful. I push aside the leaves and step into the clearing, taking a glance at his forehead protector. Another Leaf ninja? And his eyes... A Byakugan user. Interesting.
"Akira Koyama. You?"
"Neji Hyuuga." He puts his hands up into a fighting stance. "I can see that you have two scrolls, 'Heaven' and 'Earth'. Seems like you'll be worth fighting, unlike those cowards."
I stand in my own stance. "As long as you're better than Uchiha and those other Leafs, I'm up for it."
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Hiro's POV
I lean back onto the trunk of the branch I'm sitting in. Panting, I take out a bottle of water from my bag. After gulping down half of it, I wipe my mouth and reach for a bag of cookies. I'm so glad I pack food with me all the time! I should probably save some for Tsuki and Akira though..
I wipe away my sweat and push the 'Heaven' scroll into my bag. Thank goodness they have the one we needed! If it wasn't, I'd cry from the waste of effort...
"Where'd he go!?" One of the Rain ninja I ambushed shrieks.
"Find that bastard! He took our fucking scroll!"
I gulp and run deeper into the forest, trying to stay as silent as possible.
I thought I knocked them out! I'm swear I hit them in their pressure points!
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Mitsuki's POV
"Hey Aki-kun, where's Hiro-kun?" I yawn, rubbing my eyes. I squint against the bright, afternoon sunshine. I'm not sure when I came back... judging by the heat, maybe an hour or two ago? When did I fall asleep though? I don't know. I quickly check my bag for the bulge of the scroll I got. Yup, still there.
Aki-kun slumps onto a rock next to me, massaging his shoulder. "I don't know... Ugh, I shouldn't have fought that Neji guy..." He winces a little.
"Lie down. Where are you hurt?" I yawn again as I take out some bandages and a water container from my bag.
He winces again as he eases himself to the ground. "I've got some bruises on my arm and a couple scratches, nothing too bad. Dammit, I can't believe I forgot about the Hyuuga's kekkei genkai... It's a good thing I've been training my taijutsu since last year.."
I laugh. "You're becoming more talkative, Aki-kun!"
He instantly frowns and childishly becomes quiet. I laugh again and make a few handsigns and let a green chakra run over his arm. His eyes widen. "You know Medical Jutsu?"
I feel the smile on my face slide off as dread creeps into my stomach. "...Someone taught me a long time ago..." I sigh and hope he just leaves it at that.
He quietly nods and thankfully stays silent. After a while, I finish healing him and step away. He rotates his shoulders and turns his arms, checking their mobility.
"Thanks," mutters Aki-kun.
I shake my head. I smile and brush off the dirt from my knees. "We should go look for Hiro-kun!"
He nods again and stands up. "Let's go."
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Hiro's POV
"Leave me alone!" I wail, chucking kunais and shuriken and whatever other weapons I have in my weapon pouch. Dammit, I'm running out of ammunition!
"Then give us the fucking scroll back, bastard!" yells one of the Rain ninja, panting from the chase.
"Finder's keepers!" I yell back, sparing a hand to wipe the sweat from my face.
Should I run towards the river and find my teammates? No, I might get them in trouble. But I need help! What should I do!?
Think Hiro, think!
HELL NO, I'M NOT USED TO THINKING, THAT'S AKIRA'S JOB DAMMIT--
A blur of a figure speeds past me to the Rain ninjas, who suddenly cry out in pain. I take the risk and stop running for a second to look back, my curiousity overpowering my logic.
A green guy with a bowl-cut grins triumphantly, striking a pose. "Yes! I defeated them all before the leaves fell! Now Sakura-chan will not hate me!"
I raise an eyebrow at that familiar name... I know I heard it before... The guy turns to leave.
"Wait!" I step towards him, my legs burning from over-exertion. "Who are you?"
He flips his head around, giving me a thumbs up.
"The Beautiful Green Wild Beast of Konoha! Rock Lee!"
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yay, rock lee is here! but i think i might've gotten the timing wrong for some scenes in this chapter and the next, so sorry!