Chapter 38: Forest of Death I
We were standing in front of the gate forty-one, a ninja was standing in front of us, checking his wrist clock, around thirty seconds before the signal, he unlocked the gate and took a step aside, he still put his arm in front of the gate, indicating us we can't go in yet, his eyes never left his clock, Neji, Lee and I lowered our bodies, anticipating his signal to begin.
"WE NOW START THE SECOND TEST OF THE CHUNIN EXAM" Anko yelled, her voice was heard in all gates through a sound system, the space between gates was wide enough for us to be unable to see if the others rushed in, but due to the nature of the test I will be surprised if they didn't.
"Slow down, Lee! We are just starting" Neji yelled at Lees.
"I know, but I can't stay still" Lee replied, "What kind of powerful foes will we face?" he asked overexcited.
"At least don't break formation" I scolded Lee as well "let Neji take the front, and cover our rear, this is not only a test, we are in a life or death situation!" I told both of them, Neji leaped forward, and Lee reduced his speed letting us pass him, sometimes I need to remind him that not everything is training and fun, and more importantly that I call the shots when Guy-Sensei isn't around, lucky for me the screams of other Teams quickly filled the forest, reminding him the true nature of the test and the reason why were we here.
We moved in a straight direction for about five hundred meters, using the giant branches and thick foliage of the as platform and cover, I gave the order to stop.
"We won't be split this time, we will remain together to avoid being outnumbered, we are not dealing with bandits, we are fighting other ninja, who will not stop at anything to get our scroll" I explained to the other two "Neji, scan the area with your Byakugan, if you don't see anything we will move further" I said as quietly as I could "Lee, I know you want to fight strong opponents, and so do I, but we need to be careful, do not engage unless we know there isn't any other Teams trying to ambush us" I looked at Lee's eyes for him to comprehend I wouldn't allow him to do as he pleased, unlike other times when the stakes weren't as high as this one.
"I can't find others nearby" Neji said.
"Ok, we keep moving, we need to find a source of water, if we do that we'll be able to find food, and even other Teams" I instructed the other two.
We kept moving further inside the forest, the foliage getting thicker by the second, we avoided the threats that came in the shape of bugs and wildlife that called this forest their home, giant leeches, centipedes, even tigers and boars, I said it before, and I will say it again, the Byakugan is a nightmare if you are going against it, I would even dare to call it the Ninja's Bane, due to the nature of having an almost three-sixty field and a vision range that only grows with time.
It took us half a day to find a good location next to the river, the clash of multiple battles surrounded us, screams and cries, explosions and collisions, hateful shouts and yells asking for mercy, this wasn't a test anymore, this was a battlefield, this was a war zone, and we were cannon fodder, the first and last line of attack and defense, there weren't friends beyond those that stood next to us, and everyone else was an enemy, or a temporal ally until the major threat was eliminated.
"We won't find anyone until it's too late at this rhythm" Neji pointed, "We should split and investigate" he suggested.
"I don't like the idea of splitting, but I hate to say you are right" I sighed in defeat.
"One kilometer, no matter if we find someone or not, we come back to this place" he replied.
"Very well, you have one hour to explore, if you ain't back by that time we should assume the worst" I took the Heaven Scroll from Neji and put it on my bag "Split" I order them, hoping that my fears about them dying were just that.
Neji and Lee flickered, one going north and the other west, I crossed the river with one jump and directed towards the south, ten minutes passed, and I didn't hear fighting or sense any other presence, so I took a moment to try to figure out where I was standing, I moved one kilometer west from the gate, then I kept moving another four kilometers until the river camp, I was now around eight hundred meters south from there, I should be around four kilometers from the nearest gate, unless my math is wrong.
I kept walking a bit more, I finally heard signs of someone else around, two individuals talking, I approached their location, and to my surprise it was Anko she was kneeling grabbing her neck with a hand, she was listening to Orochimaru, how unlucky of me to meet them at the cuspid of their battle, this means that the encounter with Team seven just ended, and Saske should be unconscious and branded with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, Orochimaru made a hand seal, making Anko fall sleep, he went away in the blink of an eye, while I was trying to remain hidden after a few seconds, I braved myself moving back to the camp, hoping I didn't catch his attention.
I still had to burn forty minutes before reuniting again with my Team, but I couldn't risk being found by Orochimaru alone, while the presence of the other two didn't guarantee my survival, at least my chances would improve, suddenly a shuriken cut my path, only to see a shadowy figure standing on a branch.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Duskstar
Duskstar Not much to say, hope you enjoyed it.
And like always with love, the author.
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