Kapitel 27: Forest of Death
"How many do you think are allowed to pass this next exam," asked Kankuro. We stood outside of the Forest of Death, waiting along with everyone else.
"There is still a lot of us still in the exam so I would assume less than half," I told him. Kankuro nodded at my assessment and so did Temari. She had a bandage on her shoulder and one covering her cheek. Temari had only just barely been allowed to participle in this part of the exam. Baki had been forced to beg on our part to the media ninjas who were caring for her. It was a good thing she had been released, our team would have been disqualified otherwise. We had spent most of last night and this morning at the hospital monitoring her condition and keeping Temari company. We had only just made it to the forest before the exam began, we were lucky.
"How are you holding up Temari," I asked with slight worry. I knew we were pushing her before she was actually ready to fight.
"I'm fine Gaara," she said with a nasty look. I saw her wince right after she said that, swiftly trying to hide it from me. I gave Kankuro a lol and he looked at me. We both knew what the other was thinking. Temari wasn't even close to being ready to move around, much less fight. Kankuro and I would need to keep a close eye on her and make sure she wasn't pushing herself. It would be a risky exam with her like this but I was sure we could get through it if we were quick enough.
"Gaara, isn't that the Uchiha from earlier," said Kankuro with a point. Temari and I turned to see Sasuke and his team standing a small distance from us. Sasuke was looking as serious as ever while Naruto was grinning ear to ear. Sakura looked nervous, as she should with her limited skill set.
"It is Kankuro. You still eager to fight them," I asked him. Judging from his expression, that answer was a definite yes.
"Something about him makes me angry," he growled. Too bad I had no intention of indulging Kankuro's desire to fight Sasuke. This test was dangerous with Isori and Migaki gunning for me. Temari wasn't even at full strength, we couldn't get this one wrong. I'd simply need to find Shigure's team and get his Heaven scroll. Then we could head to the tower at the center of the forest. No need for pointless fighting when I already knew the path to passing the test.
"Listen up everyone, I'm only going to say this once." I frowned, I had forgotten this weirdo was the proctor for this exam. I don't know why I hadn't remembered it, I guess I had gotten distracted by Temari's condition. Anko Mitarashi was the proctor for this section of the chunin exams. A bit of an oddball who had previously been the student of Orochimaru and bore the Curse Mark on her neck. Speaking of Orochimaru, I could see the Hidden Grass ninja he would become. I wasn't sure if he had already killed them and stolen their faces but that wasn't my problem. As long as we didn't run into them then I didn't have a problem with it. Sasuke meeting Orochimaru in the Forest of Death was critical in his development. I wondered what would happen if I attempted to stop Sasuke from getting the Curse Mark. I'd probably be killed by Orochimaru but it was an interesting thought. It definitely would change a lot of things, Sasuke wouldn't be corrupted by Orochimaru's power and wouldn't seek him out.
"I'm your proctor for this part of the chunin exams. My name is Anko Mitarashi and this is the Forest of Death. You'll soon find out why it's called that," she said with a devilish grin. Talk about unsettling, this woman felt unhinged.
"They call it the Forest of Death and soon you'll find out why," said Naruto mockingly. I heard a few genin chuckles while others seemed annoyed at Naruto's silly attitude. I was starting to understand why everyone thought he was annoying, he certainly never stopped talking.
"You're not gonna scare me away lady, I can handle anything," yelled Naruto. Couldn't he be a little quieter? He was starting to give me a serious headache.
"That brat has the Nine-Tails in him," growled Shukaku. I almost jumped from him startling me like that. Why did Shukaku always have to pop up when I least expected it? He hadn't talked to me in ages and yet he decides to talk about this?
"Why didn't you say this last time we met this kid then?" Shukaku was so inconsistent it wasn't even funny.
"I hadn't been paying attention back then, I looked now because I wanted to see who was making such a racket. Now I want to kill him," said Shukaku statistically. Leave it to him to want to kill the main character who is supposed to be the child of prophecy.
"We can't just go off and kill him just because you have a grudge," I told him. Shukaku growled at my comment in distaste.
"Why not? That damn Nine-Tail's deserves it," he said in a pouting tone. Why did a Tailed Beast have to act like such a little kid? Shukaku seriously needed to mature a little bit.
"He may deserve it in your book but we have an exam to pass. I can't indulge all of your urges when there is a serious situation like this. Besides, I don't really wanna kill that kid, he is kinda neat," I told him. Shukaku grumbled but seemingly wasn't going to push the subject any further.
"Don't worry Shukaku, you'll get your share of action," I reassured him.
"I better, it's getting quite boring around here."
Shukaku then slipped back into my mindscape to probably sleep. I didn't understand how he could nap so much, what was he doing that was wearing him down? I looked back at Naruto to see I had missed Anko throwing the kunai at him. Anko was now being handed her kunai back by the Hidden Grass ninja. Talk about creepy with a tongue that long.
"You think we should watch out for them," asked Temari. I shook my head, Orochimaru wouldn't bother us with his target being Sasuke as long as we left him alone.
"We should be fine," I told her. Temari looked a little unconvinced but that was fine. Orochimaru wouldn't bother us if we stayed out of his way. The Hidden Grass ninja backed off and Anko began to explain in detail about the test. We needed two scrolls, a Heaven and an Earth one. Each team would start with one of these scrolls and have to obtain the other from another team. Dozens of horrible creatures and poisonous plants coated the forest, increasing the danger. Less than half of the participants here would pass this exam. Glancing around, I saw Kohara and her team getting ready as well as Migaki and her team. Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten were also visible from where I was standing. The rookies from the Hidden Leaf all listened to Anko with worry as well as taking heed to her words. I on the other hand was barely paying attention since I already knew all of this stuff. It was hard to forget such simple rules.
"You'll have five days to complete the test," said Anko. Murmurs erupted throughout the crowd from this information. Many were balking at the idea of spending five days in the forest that was so dangerous.
I remember this moment quite well. In the anime, Kankuro and Temari had been worried about spending an extended amount of time in the forest with Gaara. They had been worried since they wouldn't be supervised, Gaara was pretty unhinged back then. He had even threatened to kill Kankuro and Temari if they got in his way.
Right now, Kankuro and Temari we're smiling at the uneasiness of the other genin. Neither of them looked to even remotely be worried about spending time in the Forest of Death with me.
"Look at them all shake," said Kankuro with a grin. I smiled as well, not at his comment but at his attitude. It appears I was making a real difference in the relationship between Gaara and his siblings. No longer was I a monster that killed to quench his bloodthirst.
"Sign these waivers and then we will begin handing out scrolls," yelled Anko. I was passed three waivers and I handed two of them to Kankuro and Temari. We each quickly signed them and turned them in. The proctors began setting up a tent to hide who received a Heaven scroll and an Earth scroll.
"I'll go get our scroll," I told them. I walked up to the tent and a proctor allowed me into it. Anko stood at a table full of the scrolls, grinning as she saw me enter.
"Get over here kid," she said. I walked over and she tossed me an Earth scroll. I glanced it over, it wasn't exactly too detailed. The only thing that was special about it was that if the scroll was opened it would put the viewer in a catatonic state. Several participants would get curious and open the scrolls only to be knocked unconscious.
"Thanks," I said to Anko. I put the scroll inside my gourd, the best place to hide it from sight. Leaving the tent I noticed dozens of eyes looking at me to see if they could spot if I had a Heaven or Earth scroll. They all promptly turned back to what they were doing after failing to see it. I walked back over to Kankuro and Temari, both of which were looking a little nervous. It was okay to be nervous about the exam as long as they didn't freeze up. I doubted they would but I should probably give them a little confidence boost.
"I've already decided on a plan for the test," I informed them. Both looked up and then walked over to me to listen without being overheard.
"We will find any team we lay our eyes on and take them down. Kankuro, you'll defend Temari and be by backup if things get bad. Temari I don't want you moving around with your injuries as they are, don't involve yourself unless absolutely necessary."
"That's ridiculous Gaara, you can't expect me to sit on the sidelines," argued Temari. She looked angry as usual but I could see past her expression. Her movements were restricted and I could see her wincing at certain movements. If Temari pushed hard enough she would reopen her wounds.
"No arguing, my decision is final," I said sternly. Kankuro nodded in agreement which surprised Temari. She went to argue but looks from both Kankuro and I stopped her.
"Fine, I will jump in if I think you need it though," pouted Temari. I didn't expect any less from someone like her.
"Everyone, follow a proctor to one of the gates leading into the training ground," shouted Anko. A Hidden Leaf chunin appeared in front of me and motioned for us to follow him. We complied and walked with him for quite some time, making it to the other side of the Forty-Fourth Training Ground. Standing there, I looked around and spotted Kohara's team waking past us to their gate. Kohara gave a friendly wave while Rasho glared. Mizuni simply gave an unsettling grin, like a cat when it saw a mouse. I didn't know why she did that since I could crush her in the blink of an eye. They passed and we continued waiting for a while, the pressure mounting. Even I was getting butterflies in my stomach.
"Alright, it's time for you three to enter," said the chunin with a glance at his watch. He walked up to the gate and unlocked the chain with a key. The second he swung the gate open, all three of us took off into the forest. As soon as we were a decent way into the forest I motioned for us to stop. Landing on a giant tree branch, Kankuro and Temari gathered around me. Temari was already out of breath, sweat dripped down her brow. I had stopped for this very reason since I couldn't push her too hard. Pushing her too hard wouldn't only hurt her health, it would prolong her condition. If she wasn't back at a decent enough strength to defeat Tenten then we would be in trouble. I didn't know what would change if Temari didn't win that match but I wasn't going to allow it.
"We will walk from here," I told them. Temari once again went to argue but I lifted my hand in a motion for her to stop.
"I'm in charge Temari, we are going to take it easy," I said to her. She nodded hesitantly and we got on our way. The forest was very alive with noises, insects, and the howls of who knows what.
"This place sure is creepy," said Kankuro while looking at some suspicious plants.
"Better stay away from those," I told him.
"Don't worry, I know a poisonous plant when I see one," said Kankuro. Being a puppet user he was well versed in many poisons. The many needles and daggers inside Crow were coated with several different kinds. Kankuro had spent most of yesterday evening replacing his paralytic poison on his needles and daggers with a lethal one. He had done it the second I had told him about the next exam having lethal force allowed. Kankuro was going to change all of the projectiles to lethal poison but I made him leave a few as non-lethal. I didn't want him to kill any of the teams we ran into, it would only create problems.
"Is there anyone we are specifically looking for Gaara? I know you and that other Uchiha boy aren't very close," said Kankuro.
"As much as I would love to say I would easily beat him, I know better than that. Going after him is an unnecessary risk," I informed him. Kankuro and Temari looked a little surprised at my comment, prompting me to frown.
"What? What's so surprising?"
"You just implied you might not be able to beat him," said Temari.
"Yes, he's a difficult opponent," I said with a frown. What was wrong with these two? I'm not a god, I can still lose to other ninjas.
"Gaara, what would make you think that an Uchiha can beat you? Nothing can beat your Ultimate Defense," said Kankuro exasperatedly. Inwardly I was chuckling to myself, if only they knew about Susanno.
"You two obviously haven't researched anything about them. They possess one of the three great visual Jutsu, the Sharingan. The visual prowess of an Uchiha is only rivaled by a Hyuga and that's a stretch if you take the Mangekyou Sharingan into account," I explained to them.
"The Mangekyou Sharingan? What's that," asked Temari. How did they not know about this stuff? It's not like there was a bunch of visual Jutsu in the world and the Sharingan was one of the great three.
"It's a special version of the Sharingan that is awakened through serve emotional trauma. It has many unknown but powerful abilities," I said to them.
"Okay, I guess they can be tough but I still think you're stronger," said Kankuro unwaveringly. At least I could always count on him to support me.
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A rustling of branches and leaves made us all freeze. We had been walking towards the Tower and this was the first unusual noise we had heard so far. Three figures leaped down in front of us and my worry vanished. It was Shigure and his team, each of them having cocky grins. This was the exact same way Shigure and Gaara had met in the anime. Glancing at the bushes nearby, I couldn't see them but I knew they should be there. Hinata, Shino, and Kiba watched the sickening confrontation in the anime. They already had both an Earth and Heaven scroll so they hadn't gotten involved partly due to that. Shigure had such a stupid grin on his face, no wonder Gaara hadn't liked the guy in the anime.
"Stick to the plan," I told Kankuro and Temari. They nodded, with Kankuro stepping behind me in a defensive position between Temari and the Hidden Rain ninja. Temari weakly grabbed for her iron fan but Kankuro thankfully stopped her. She was too tired from all the walking to do anything.
"Look at these puny little kids," mocked Shigure. Everything about this guy made me feel annoyed. Such unfounded confidence just because of size.
"Are we going to fight or do I need to wait on you to finish your stupid taunts," I said bluntly. Shigure's face twitched in anger and his teammates now seemed nervous. They probably were used to Shigure pushing around anyone who made him lose his temper. They knew what he could do but they had no idea just how strong I was.
"What did you say," roared Shigure. I sighed with annoyance, how had this guy become the representative of the Hidden Rain? Shigure yanked the bundle of umbrellas from his back. He then sent them flying into the sky, which then opened.
"Senbon Rainstorm."
Hundreds of senbon erupted from the umbrellas as they swirled. They were controlled by Shigure's chakra which in theory made them inescapable. This was due to the amount of senbon, the flexibility of their movement, and how quickly they could move. Shigure didn't know about my sand shield, he had no idea how futile his attack was against me. I watched as the senbon raced toward me, getting closer and closer. Right as they were about to strike me, sand shot from my gourd and protected me automatically. The dust from the attack settled and I peered out from between the walls that had shot up to protect me. Shigure had lost almost all his composure along with his teammates.
"What a waste of an attack," I said to him. I commanded my sand forward and grabbed all three of the Hidden Rain ninjas. They all screamed except for Shigure who was surprisingly keeping halfway calm. I walked up to them where they stood trapped in my Sand Coffins. To be honest, they were a terrible matchup for me. Against Team 7 or maybe Team 10 they could've won with the Senbon Rainstorm but not me. My sand shield was the direct counter against your average ninja tool. It was too bad this would be all the action I would get for today.
"Tell me which one of you has the scroll and I'll let you live," I told them menacingly. The three Hidden Rain ninjas paused for a moment before the one in the back opened his mouth.
"I have the scroll," he said shakily. I walked over to him and released him from the Sand Coffin. He fell to the ground and immediately went to grab a kunai from his holster. I grabbed him with my sand at breathtaking speed and lifted him back up. Before he could even say anything, I slammed him to the ground as hard as I could. Blood spat from the Hidden Rain ninja's mouth and a nasty crack could be heard.
"Don't play games with me," I said to him. The genin didn't even try to nod, he simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a Heaven scroll. He attempted to hand it to me from his position on the ground with shaky hands but he passed out halfway. I bent down and plucked the scroll from his hands and put it in more gourd with our Earth scroll.
"What are you going to do with them," asked Kankuro from across the clearing. I glanced at Shigure and the other Hidden Rain ninja who was still conscious. Both were staring at their unconscious comrade with worry. My little show of power had done the trick, they were definitely terrified. Kankuro did pose a good question, what should I do with these three? I didn't want to actually kill them even though I had threatened to if they didn't give me the scroll. Thinking for a moment, I thought of the perfect idea.
Picking up the unconscious genin, I packed him and the other two ninjas into a single Sand Coffin.
"What are you doing?" asked Shigure. I noticed that sweat was dripping down his brow despite the fact he had hardly done anything.
"Just getting rid of you," I said with a smile. I then began to move the Sand Coffin in a circle around me, growing in speed until it was a blur. I could faintly hear the screams of Shigure and his teammate who was still conscious as they spun around.
"Sand Slingshot."
I let them go from the sand after aiming them upwards. Their momentum carried them forward and all three of the Hidden Rain ninjas flew into the sky. Not a single scream was heard from any of them, probably because they were too shocked to even react. I watched the fly until they vanished from sight when they fell back under the treeline.
"You didn't have to do them like that," said Kankuro with a shake of his head.
"What's the problem with giving them a little toss? They won't bother us and I didn't kill them," I said with a shrug.
"I wouldn't be so sure you didn't kill them," said Temari skeptically.
"They'll be fine. Let's get headed to the Tower since we already have both scrolls," I said to them. We began walking away when I heard a slight rustle. I grinned and decided to have some fun. I pulled a shuriken from my holster, spun around, and threw it high. I didn't want to accidentally hit any of them, just give them a good scare. The shuriken hit the tree above the bushes with a loud thunk, a girlish squeak following it.
"Something wrong Gaara," asked Kankuro with a hand on Crow's bindings.
"No, it's nothing," I told him. I continued walking and Kankuro followed me after a looking at where I'd thrown my shuriken. I could only imagine how frightened Hinata, Shino, and Kiba had been by that shuriken.
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"I can see the Tower," said Temari with joy. I looked up and found that we could indeed see the top of the Tower from here.
"Think this will be a new record? We've only been out here about an hour," said Kankuro with a grin. I smiled, good to know I was still going to set the record for the fastest completion of the Forest of Death.
Suddenly, sand shot from my gourd and covered my back. All three of us swiveled around in time to see a wave of shuriken rushing toward us.
"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu," yelled a familiar voice. The shuriken then doubled midair, from about two dozen to four dozen. I swiftly extended my sand shield to protect Kankuro and Temari from the shuriken. I felt them sink into the shield just as I finished extending it.
"Same strategy," I yelled to Kankuro and Temari. They nodded, with Kankuro unslinging Crow from his back and Temari weakly grabbing her iron fan. I dropped my sand shield a little bit only to find kunai with paper bombs strapped to them.
"Run, get to the Tower," I yelled. Kankuro and Temari sprinted away and I quickly followed. My sand shot back into my gourd as I ran from the paper bombs, with a little floating above my head in case I need to use it.
A chain of explosions erupted behind me, causing me to stumble before I continued running. Ahead of me, Kankuro was helping Temari run by holding up her right side. A flash of light caught my eye on a tree they just passed. A chill went down my spine as I realized it was a paper bomb that had been tripped by Kankuro and Temari.
"Get down," I shouted to them. Taking a chunk of my sand, I shot it straight at Kankuro and Temari. It hit them both in the back and caused them to tumble to the ground. The sand covered their backs just as the paper bombs on the trees exploded. Kankuro and Temari vanished from sight as smoke and dust enveloped them. I continued to sprint forward, through the smoke until I sensed the sand I'd sent after my siblings. I removed it to find Kankuro as well as Temari seemingly unharmed.
"You two alright," I asked as I helped them up.
"I'm fine, thanks for saving our skin there Gaara," said Kankuro.
I looked to Temari and found her leaning on her iron fan. She looked very pale, almost whiter than a sheet.
"Kankuro, look after Temari and make sure she doesn't get hit again," I told him.
"You got it."
Turning back around, I saw two figures walking towards us from the shadows of the forest. I looked up towards the trees for the other one who had thrown the shuriken and paper bombs but came up empty. The trees were just too dense to be able to tell if there was still someone hiding up there.
"Looks like we will be fighting sooner than I thought," said a female voice. I grimaced, why did it have to be her?
Migaki Uchiha and her teammate Toziwa stepped out from the shadows. Migaki had a slight smile, while Toziwa had a strange mask on. It covered his mouth and nose but left her eyes uncovered. The mask must have something to do with the Jutsu he used.
"I should've known it was you, that ambush would have been perfect if I hadn't seen your paper bombs," I said to her. Migaki smiled and then pulled a kunai from her holster.
"As much as I would love to sit here and chat, we are going to need one of your scrolls. You must have both already if you are heading to the Tower," she remarked. So that was their strategy, set an ambush and then steal the scroll they needed from a team that had already gotten both a Heaven and an Earth scroll.
"Too bad I'm not going to just hand you the scroll," I said to her. Migaki smirked before activating her Sharingan. Her red eyes bored straight into me, sending a shock down my spine. Looking into the Sharingan was demoralizing, to say the least.
A scream erupted behind me which made me jump. I whipped around and my heart stopped. Temari was on the ground in a pool of blood and Kankuro was standing with a tanto through his chest. The tanto was abruptly yanked out of his chest, causing him to crumble to the ground. Isori Uchiha held the bloody tanto, grinning wickedly ear to ear.
Before I could even blink, my chest erupted in pain. I looked down and saw a blade sticking out of the middle of my chest. What had happened to my sand shield? It was fast enough to even stop Rock Lee after he removed his leg weights. I painfully turned my head to see Isori standing behind me. How had he gotten there that fast? It didn't seem humanly possible to move that fast unless using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
"How," I sputtered out between ragged breaths. This didn't feel real, how could Isori be this skilled? He hadn't been this fast when I had first met him, I couldn't even sense his presence.
"Goodbye," said Isori as he ripped the tanto from my chest.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein