A Walk Through the Forest

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The next morning the ones who pass the first part of the exams were all stationed at the arranged meeting place for the second exam of the Chuunin Selection Exams.

"This is the location of the second exam," said Anko, "Konoha's infamous 44th training ground... The Forest of Death!" she said with a sinister smile.

"The Forest of Death?" asked Naruto.

"What a creepy place..." commented Sakura.

"You'll soon find out EXACTLY why it's called the Forest of Death," said Anko.

"Humph... As if that's enough to scare me off. Let's get this over with, quit wasting our time!" mocked Naruto. Anko smirked.

"Well, you've certainly got spirit," she commented, before slipping a kunai into her hand and flinging it at Naruto. Naruto instinctively flinched back as the kunai flew at him, but didn't hi him as it was caught by Niamh appearing out of nowhere. She pulled out her gun and fired a round at Anko, the bullet flew through her hair.

"What are you doing here?" Anko ask as she saw her life flash through her eyes as she felt the bullet pass through her hair.

"I'm here to see my three students off and give them their gear," Niamh said. "And I find you trying to kill Naruto."

"I was just scaring him," Anko said trying not to anger the woman in front of her. With the defeat of both Jiraiya and Tsuande yesterday she knows she's no match for Niamh in a fight.

"Next time I won't aim to miss," Niamh said.

"Right… Now, before we start the second exam... I have to pass these out to you," Anko reached inside her trenchcoat and pulled out a stack of forms. "Release papers. If you wish to take this exam, you have to sign these first."

"Why?" asked Naruto curiously.

"Because there WILL be deaths in this exam, and if I don't have you sign one of these... It would be all my responsibility." Anko answered with a smile, "Also, it's less paperwork this way! Now, I have to explain this exam to you. To make a long story short, you will be part of the ultimate survival exercise." She handed a nearby genin the stack of release forms and they were being passed around to each of the Chuunin candidates.

"Survival... Troublesome..." muttered Shikamaru lazily.

Pulling out a map she began to further explain. "First, I'll explain the layout of the exam. Around Training Ground 44 are 44 locked gates. There's a forest, a river and a tower in the center. It's about 10 kilometers between the gates and the tower. During the survival portion in the forest you are to perform a certain task. Each team will be given a scroll marked either heaven or earth. Twenty six teams made it past the first exam, only half... Thirteen... will get the heaven scroll, the other thirteen will get the earth scroll. Each team will battle for the other one's scroll. You must make it to the tower with both a heaven and an earth scroll with every member of your team."

"So thirteen teams will lose their scrolls?" asked Sakura. "That means half the teams participating will fail."

"True, but there is also a time limit," Anko added, "This portion of the exam will last only 120 hours. Exactly five days from the beginning of the exam."

"F-Five days!" shouted Ino.

"Wh-what about dinner!" shouted Chouji.

"Sorry maggots, but you're on your own!" Anko informed them. "The forest is full of food. Scrounge some up if you have to!"

"Just watch out for the man-eating animals and poisonous plants and insects..." commented Kabuto.

"Ah, man..." Chouji complained.

"That's why it's called survival baka!" hissed Ino.

Neji then spoke up. "It is highly unlikely that thirteen teams will pass."

"And as the days progress, the distance from the goal will become farther and farther," Rock Lee added, "And the time to rest will become shorter." He then gave a competitive smirk. "This will definitely get interesting!"

"And the entire area is virtually crawling with enemies..." noted Sasuke, "It is unlikely that anyone will get much rest in any case..."

"So, not only will people fail by losing their scroll, but also if they fail to arrive within the five day time limit." clarified Anko, "While others will perish under the harshness of the course."

"Ummm..." said Shikamaru raising his hand, "Are you allowed to quit during the exam?"

"As a rule, no, there is no giving up in the middle of the exam," Anko replied with a scowl at the Nara boy's question. "You WILL be in the forest for five days regardless."

"Troublesome..." he mumbled, while Ino was visibly restraining herself from bashing her teammate over his head.

"Now, as this is an exam, there are a few things that will get you disqualified," Anko continued, "First, if your team does not make it with BOTH scrolls at the end of the five day time limit. Second, if your team loses a team member through death or incapacitation... In other words if even one of your teammates is unable to physically carry on. And a final rule... You MUST NOT look inside the scrolls until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" asked Ino.

"For anyone who does... They will be in for a surprise, and believe me kid, you DO NOT wish to find out," Anko replied with that sadistic smirk that even made the most stoic Genin a bit unnerved. "There will be times where a Chuunin will be asked to handle classified information. This will be to trust your trustworthiness. Well, that's all for my explanations! We'll exchange three forms for either a heaven or an earth scroll over there," Anko said pointing to a desk set up nearby. "And then we will choose which gates will be your starting points and then you will all start together! One final word of advise..." she said with a sigh. "Don't die!"

"Interesting," Niamh said. "I think I'll see how this exam is done."

"What?" Anko ask. 'First it was her husband now her.'

"I'll be around the forest and for any teams that have lost their scrolls and are too injured to make it out on their own I'll bring them out," Niamh explains. "That way there won't be too many deaths."

"As long as you don't help out any of the teams," Anko said knowing that the Hokage had ordered not to anger Niamh or Hunter. With the matches a few days away from starting they couldn't risk that Niamh would throw the first fight to get out of the village.

"I need to make sure that no one tires to steal my team's guns and equipment," Niamh said as she has a big bag with her and places on the ground.

"You brought us some new equipment?" Sakura ask looking at the bag.

"Yup for all of you," Niamh said as she hands the bottle-rocket launcher she used at the fight yesterday. "Three shot launcher before you have to reload but anyone who gets hit by it will feel it."

"For you Hinata here's a Beretta M92F," Niamh said as she hands her a new handgun. "It doesn't pack the stopping power of Naruto's revolver but it holds fifteen rounds."

"As for you Naruto I'm giving you this," Niamh said as he hand him a shotgun. "A Remington Model 870 shotgun that once it hits someone they're not going to be getting back up."

"Wow thanks Niamh," Naruto said holding up the new gun.

"And here are some supplies for the trip," Niamh said giving each of the kids a med-kit and some rations.

"Thank you Niamh," Hinta said.

'Hmm I best keep away from Niamh's team,' Orochimaru thought to himself dress up as a Grass nin. He didn't want to see how effected those weapons are especially with Niamh running around the forest.

"Great how do we beat them?" Kin ask her teammates.

"Wait for the right time," Zaku said.

"Besides I don't want to see what damage a gun can do," Dosu said.

"Naruto, Hinata, Sakura make sure you three look out for each other and come out of this alive," Niamh said.

"Right," her student all said.

"Niamh where are the others?" Naruto ask.

"The girls are at the traveling carnival outside the village and Hunter's back at the fort," Niamh said.

!

Outside the village's walls –

"So this is Professor Perry's traveling carnival," Ran said taking a drink from her jug of sake.

"Wow look," Meow said as she points at an elephant being ridden on by a man dress in a strange getup.

"AN ELEPHANT!" Ran said shoving Meow away to get a better look. (1)

"I hope you'll enjoy the show," a voice out of nowhere said.

"Huh?" Meow asks looking around but didn't see any nearby but a wooden barrel.

"Down here," the barrel said surprising Meow as the barrel suddenly sprang out legs, arms and a head.

"Name's Copper at your service," the barrel man said. "I'm one of the acts of this fine carnival."

"Oh," Maki said. "When's the show going to start?"

"It's going to start in a few minutes so you better get to the main tent," Copper answers.

"Thanks," Maki said as she grabs Ran who's still entrance by the elephant and carries her to the main tent with Meow following right behind her.

"Those are the three women with that soldier woman?" a clown asks Cooper.

"No mistake about it," Cooper said. "It's them."

"What are we going to do about them?" the clown asks.

"Nothing for now," Cooper said. "It's too early to start trouble till the games begin."

"Have you seen where 'he' has gone too?" the clone asks.

"He said that he's going for a walk in the forest," Cooper answered.

!

In the Forest of Death –

Orochimaru watched as the teams in the exams began taking each other out. Hearing gunshots he saw that the young team of Niamh's were already fighting it out with another team. Jumping through the tress he saw the boy Naruto holding the shotgun at a team of Mist nins wearing gasmask as the girl with the pink hair took their scroll from them. The girl Hinata was also covering the three nins with her gun and from what he saw she was using her blood limit to look out for any other teams.

"I wouldn't get too close to them, we're just out of her sight range," Butcher said sitting on a branch above him.

"You're already here," Orochimaru said looking up at the only one he truly fears. While he has a new body his mind still felt the scars the man gave him with his real body.

"Yes, I thought I'll watch the fights, make some bets and see this woman's fighting style," Butcher said.

"That's the team she trained," Orochimaru said looking at the three young nins as they told the Mist nins to take off for the exit.

"Yes they're quite good," Butcher said. "When the Mist nins tried to confuse them with shadow clones the boy Naruto blasted them with that gun of his. The girl Hinata used her blood limit to find the real ones and open firer on them pinning them down. Then the girl Sakura went around and surprised them as she fires that rocket-bottle launcher at them, while they were stun she used some grappling moves I never seen before to beat them down."

"Are you thinking of killing them?" Orochimaru ask.

"No I'm waiting for your attack to start my killing," Butcher said as he stares at the boy Naruto. "Besides I found something more interesting then the two soldiers now."

"You mean the boy with the nine tails sealed in him?" Orochimaru ask.

"So you know of it too what my old rival did to that kids," Butcher said cracking a smile under his gasmask.

"How did you find out about this?" Orochimaru ask as he only knew because he didn't leave the village until after the fox attacked the village.

"Who do you think gave the 4th the seal?" Butcher said to the stun faced Orochimaru.

"You're the one who gave him the seal?" Orochimaru ask.

"Since I wounded him too badly for him to be in any shape to fight off the nine tails I gave him the scroll as he was with his wife who was giving birth," Butcher said causing Orochimaru's eyes to widen.

"He had a wife and child?" Orochimaru said.

"Yes he did," Butcher said. "It's too bad that he was too weak to survive the sealing. Without him to fight I almost gave up hope in finding another who could fight me on even terms again. That's why I retired from hunting nins and none could fight me alone."

"You mean that?" Orochimaru said as he looks at the boy Naruto like he was seeing a ghost.

"He looks just like his old man," Butcher said.

"Are you going to kill him?" Orochimaru ask.

"No not yet," Butcher said. "He's still young and hasn't reached his old man's level yet. I want you to get out of here and hid for awhile till the time to attack the Leaf. They found the Grass nins who you took their place for the exam."

"You're ordering me around?" Orochimaru said to him.

"I know that you want that boy's eyes since he isn't as strong as his brother who I found to be not as strong as people made him out to be. Just wait for the time to attack to get him because I don't want anything to mess up with my new plan with the boy Naruto," Butcher said.

"How are you going to do it with Niamh and Hunter around?" Orochimaru ask.

"By fighting fire," Butcher said as he pulls out a revolver. "… with fire."

"You have a gun?" Orochimaru ask.

"Yes got it from the person who hired me," Butcher said. "Go over to Professor Perry's traveling carnival and tell Perry that I sent you. He'll explain the rest."

Orochimaru said nothing as he disappears out of the forest. He was hoping that he would place the cruse seal on Sasuke but he knows better then to anger Butcher. Besides whoever hired Butcher has the same weapons as Niamh and Hunter, if his attack fails he can hook up with whoever gave Butcher that gun.

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Author's Notes –

1 – In the show Ran has a thing for elephants.

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