1 The Forest of Death

After passing the 1st part of the Chunin exam the remaining contestants are gathered at the forest of death, training ground 44.

"This place gives me the creeps." Sakura remarks while they are waiting for their next instructions.

"It's not called forest of death for nothing." Anko remarks and Naruto, ever the loudmouth he is mocks her, repeating Anko's remark in a sarcastic mimic of the purple haired woman.

Anko in reply drops a kunai from her sleeve and throws the weapon past Naruto's cheek grazing it. She then shunshines behind the blonde knucklehead, taunting him in reply.

While she's standing leaned over Naruto she feels someone approaching her and readies another Kunai while turning to face the person.

The person now face to face with her has brown hair with a long ponytail, is slightly taller than her, wears a green robe over the left side of his upper body, the other half showing a white shirt, with a metal guard on his right shoulder and metal gauntlets running over the back of his hands. He also wears white pants and brown boots, reaching to the middle of his shin.

"I think this slipped your hand, beautiful lady." He says, handing her the Kunai she threw.

"Thanks, handsome." She says playfully in response before retaking her spot in front of the group of Genins. Anko then informs them of the objective during the exam as well as handing out the wavers, declaring that they are aware of the risk of death during the exam.

A few minutes after she finished explaining that everyone needs to reach the tower within 5 days and that they need a heaven and earth scroll each to pass she looks around the various groups strategizing until her eyes fall on the brunette teen, appearing to be around 16 years old from earlier who is relaxing against a lone rock with no teammates in sight.

"Did your team ditch you or something?" Anko asks him in an amused voice.

"Never had one to start with." The teen replies.

"Hmm, that's weird. Oh there, one person is indeed taking part solo. So, you're Jiang Wei?" Anko asks, reading the name of her clipboard.

"Yep." He says with a relaxed smile on his face while he's looking at her.

"What are you smiling about? You're about to spend 5 days in a dangerous forest without someone to watch your back." Anko says.

"Oh, I'm not worried about that. And I'm smiling because in all honesty I find you attractive. Did anyone ever tell you, you have the most peculiar eyes." Jiang says.

"No, that's the first time. Usually men just stare at my boobs and I smack them until they leave with their tail between their legs." Anko tells him, licking a kunai, to try and make a point.

"Hmm. A shame. Such a beauty and you don't get recognized for it." Jiang says with a sigh.

"So, what village are you from anyways? Suna?" Anko asks, hopping on the rock, taking a seat next to him after shoving him to the side a bit.

"No. I'm not exactly a shinobi either." He tells her.

"What are you then?" She asks intrigued.

"A soldier." He replies with a small grin before they fall in a comfortable silence.

"Hey, would you like to get something to eat? after the exam of course." Jiang asks her.

"A Genin, asking me on a date, before his exam. That's bold." Anko says smirking.

"Like I said, I'm not a Shinobi. And actually, I'm a general in my country." He tells her, whispering the last part.

"Why would you take part in the Chunin exam then?" Anko asks confused.

"It's part of this whole cultural exchange idea but don't mind that. I'm still waiting on a reply." He tells her.

In that moment however some instructors come over and inform Anko that they can continue.

"Looks like you'll have to be patient in waiting for that answer." She says, getting off from the stone.

"We'll see." He says, watching her walk away.

Anko and the instructors then get the groups ready and at 15.30 they start the second part of the Chunin exam.

About 5 minutes later Anko is sitting on top of the small hut the instructors used earlier to hand out the rolls and eats some Dango with a can of bean soup next to her.

"Mhhh, delicious." Anko says taking another bite from her Dango.

"Looks like I know what kind of restaurant you'd prefer." She suddenly hears Jiang say and turns around, seeing him sit on a tree branch at around her height behind the fence.

"What are you doing here, shouldn't you be off looking for a scroll?" She asks amused, throwing him a stick of Dango over the fence.

"And not use this chance to talk to the most interesting woman I've seen?" Jiang says.

"Fine, do it your way. It's not like you have to finish the exam right away." She says, shrugging her shoulders.

"So about that date..." Jiang says and the two continue to chat for around half an hour before Anko gets called in for an emergency.

Jiang continues to wait at the gate for a while and just as he was about to get started on finishing the exam Anko comes jumping towards the forest at high speeds.

"Something I should know about?" He asks, following her while Anko is tree hopping deeper into the forest.

"There is an intruder in the exam, remember that girlish looking grass nin? Someone took his place. And not someone we want in here with the Genins." Anko tells him after a short moment to think about it.

"Does the someone have a name?" Jiang questions curiously.

"Orochimaru." Anko says venomously.

"Bad memories?" Jiang asks at hearing her tone of voice.

"Nightmares." Anko says, subconsciously rubbing her left side of her neck where she has the curse mark.

"Isn't he one of the Sanin?" Jiang asks.

"Yes, so if we find him, it's best if you get whoever he is after to safety while I deal with him." Anko says, a determined expression in her eyes.

The two continue to race through the forest for a handful more minutes, Anko being impressed that Jiang can keep up with her effortlessly.

"Be on guard. He's close by." She says, her curse mark stinging in her neck.

"I don't sense anyone close by though. Maybe he didn't go after his target yet." Jiang says, sensing for chakra signatures.

"Doubt it. More likely he's already finished. He had 2 hours after all." Anko says angrily.

"Wait here. Let me deal with him." Anko instructs, already jumping onto the large branch Orochimaru has sunken into, with only his head remaining seen.

"Who do we have here? Long time no see." Orochimaru, wearing a ripped face of a candidate's skin chuckles, seeing Anko approach.

"Let's not dwell in the past. You're one of Konoha's worst criminals and I'm going to bring you down, sensei." Anko says venomously, surprising Jiang with the information that she's his former student.

She readies some Senbons, intending to throw them at her mentor, but before she can his tongue shoots out, whipping the floor below her while she jumps into the air and it leaves a sizeable dent in the wood.

The tongue follows her up into the air and wraps around her left wrist, pulling her into the branch below hard.

Anko quickly bounces back to her feet and shouts uses a snake jutsu, letting four black snakes appear from within her sleeve and they shoot towards her former sensei, burying their heads into the tree he's sunken into and drag him out of it. With a hard pull she throws him into the tree behind her, jumping after him and takes out one of his hands, stabbing her own hand on top of his against a tree.

She them does a hand sign, grabbing onto his other hand and makes him mirror the sign, but much to her surprise the forbidden jutsu doesn't activate.

"How can that be?" Anko asks shocked.

She then hears a maniacal laughter echo through the forest.

"Did you really think it'd be this easy? And trying to kill me with a forbidden jutsu I taught you no less." Orochimaru says, rising out of the branch behind her while Anko removes the kunai out of her hand, seeing the body in front of her turn into mud.

When he is completely out of the branch, with his real, pale face revealed the outer blade of a double-sided trident is held against the side of his neck.

"My, what do we have here? Anko getting her Chunin toy-boy to protect her?" Orochimaru asks, forming a hand seal, which increases the pain radiating from Anko's curse seal.

"What is your objective here?" Jiang asks unfazed by the comment at him.

"Well, I just gave someone a mark Anko is all too familiar with. And he's one of the last of the Uchia bloodline no less." Orochimaru tells them, looking at Anko with a smirk.

"You know what the chances of him surviving the night are." Anko says.

"Well, I couldn't resist. He showed more promise than you ever did and at younger age too." Orochimaru says while a snake summon slithers on the underside of their branch, suddenly appearing behind Jiang Wei with a wide opened maw, the snake being the size of an elephant.

"Watch out!" Anko shouts, fighting to keep standing at the pain from the mark, but Jiang already slices through the snake jumping at him, cutting it straight it half, with his double bladed trident, with the halves dropping off the branch to either side while putting a kunai against the pale man's back, his eyes never leaving the snake summoner.

"It seems I have underestimated you young man, would you also care for a mark which will let you unleash your full potential?" Orochimaru asks, his head turning 180 degrees with his neck twisting up.

"No thanks. I'm in no need of a crutch. I intend to get strength by working with my own two hands." Jiang tells him, raising his trident, sideways, the criminal's long tongue getting stopped from reaching his body, when he lets his tongue slither towards Jiang.

"Well, Anko you best make sure to keep the exam going, I have my own team competing and am excited to see how they'll do." Orochimaru advises, before a snake bursts through the branch, snapping it in half and swallowing him up whole, with Jiang jumping backwards to dodge the summon, which quickly slithers away.

"How are you doing?" Jiang asks Anko, jumping to her side.

"Been better. I'm just wondering what's taking the fucking Anbu so long." Anko tells him, holding her neck in pain.

"Come on, let's get you looked at." Jiang says, shunshining her halfway out of the forest, into a clearing, stopping at feeling two strong chakras nearby.

"What is it?" She asks, one arm slung around his shoulders.

"What's this Anko? I thought there was an emergency." An Anbu says, stepping out from behind a tree with his partner.

"There is. He's back. This is Jiang Wei. He helped me, but he got away." Anko says, seeing the Anbu's eyes darting towards her new friend.

"We should take you to the Hokage then." The Anbu says.

"No. I need to get to the tower. Bring the Hokage to the tower. I will meet him there." Anko tells them.

"You can go compete now, they'll get me there. Thanks for your help." Anko tells Jiang, looking at him gratefully, a genuine smile on her lips.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll bring you myself. I have 4 days left to get to the competition anyways." Jiang tells her, tightening his hold on her waist as if to prove a point.

"Fine." Anko agrees.

"I'll bring Anko to the tower then." Jiang says, shunshining and appearing in the middle of the towers entrance room seconds later.

"Will you be OK here?" Jiang asks, while the two Anbu also arrive, having followed them.

"Yes. Thank you again." Anko says, sitting down on a couch Jiang led her over to.

"My pleasure. I will see you later then." He tells her and leaves the room, heading for the outside and walking past the three Suna siblings, seeing Temari bump into her small brother with a wall of sand stopping her while her brother glares at her with a stream of sand raising out of the gourd on his back.

"Gaara, no. I'm sorry. I tripped." Temari says fearfully, backing away from the redhead, with the teens sand starting to inch towards the blonde girl.

"Gaara. Stop." Kankuro tells his brother, but Gaara ignores him, continuing to stare down his sister.

"My, for the fastest team to make it, you seem to have the worst possible teamwork." Jiang remarks, stopping against a railing.

"Leave." Gaara says, not bothering to look at Jiang, extending his hand towards the blonde girl with his sand wrapping around her wrists, slowly enveloping her.

The next thing that happens shocks the Suna team, when Jiang is standing in front of their brother, the redheads face getting squeezed by the generals hand.

"How do you like it?" Jiang asks calmly, spears of sand piercing his outstretched arm and he has to jump up to dodge a volley of san spears aimed at his waist.

While jumping over him, he keeps his hold on Gaara's face and flings him against the wall opposite of him and the red heads siblings, his hand bleeding from the various stab wounds.

Gaara doesn't impact the wall however when he's enveloped by a dome of sand, landing on the floor problem less.

"Impressive ability." Jiang admits, starting to leave again, his back turned to the siblings.

"Gaara, no!" Temari yells when he sends a wave of sand crashing down on Jiang.

He however calmly continues on his way outside, the sand getting reflected from his body with a light blue shimmering around his frame.

"Who was that?" Kankuro asks shocked when he and his sister see him walk through Gaara's attack effortlessly.

"I don't know. But he's strong. Stronger than Gaara." Temari says worried, looking at her redheaded brother who is furious.

After leaving the tower and quickly treating his wound on his arm with some ointment and bandages he strolls through the forest, looking for a team with an earth scroll, since he has a heaven scroll.

"Hmm, is Orochimaru back?" Jiang murmurs, feeling dark ominous chakra from nearby where a lot pf noise is coming from.

When he arrives at the site of the chakra, he sees a black haired guy with the famed sharingan eyes, having most of his body covered in the curse markings, break a sound nins arms, stomping on his back while twisting them backwards.

"Sasuke, stop. This isn't you." A blonde girl, having a long ponytail and a single bang framing her face says stepping out of a bush worriedly.

Sasuke ignores her and sends the last sound nin flying with a backhand strike, despite the wrapping covered teen having surrendered his scroll.

"Sasuke, please." Ino begs, while her teammates are trying to pull her away.

"Sasuke." Sakura gasps shocked, tears flowing out of her eyes.

"You've always been an annoyance in my life. Might as well get rid of you while I have the chance." Sasuke says, smirking evilly and appears in front of the blonde, his kunai being half an inch away from the girls chest, with Jiang holding the teens wrist in place.

"Why is it everyone wants to hurt cute girls today?" Jiang asks exhausted, looking at the twirling sign on the teenagers neck while the markings continue to spread around his body, his chakra levels rising rapidly.

"Ahh, you're the one he was talking about." Jiang says, realizing that Orochimaru is the reason for the mark.

"Who do you think you are?" Sasuke yells, punching Jiang in the face, but he doesn't budge and instead twists the teens arm until he drops his kunai and then delivers a hard punch to the teens stomach, literally knocking the wind out of him, after which the Uchiha collapses.

"Are you hurt?" Jiang asks Ino, who has tears flowing down her cheeks in a constant stream, trembling like a leaf.

"N..no, thank... thank you." She says in a haunted voice, collapsing with her knees buckling, landing kneeling on the floor with her legs pointed outward.

"Ino." Shikamaru says, pulling his teammate away with Choji's help.

"Now, what happened with those two?" Jiang asks, dragging Sasuke over to Naruto and Rock Lee, who are both passee out on the floor. While he's doing this the Sound nin flee with the wrapping covered teen carrying his teammates away.

"Naruto got knocked out fighting this weird grass nin. And Rock Lee protected ne against the sound nins." Sakura says, wiping her tears away, taking Sasuke and pulling him over to Naruto.

"Grass nin huh? What scroll do you need?" Jiang asks her, while a pale-eyed teen carries away the guy in green spandex, looking at Jiang wearily.

"Heaven." Sakura says, showing her earth scroll, seeing no chance to win a fight against the brunette.

"Here. I'll take the one the sound nins left behind then." Jiang says, throwing her his own scroll, before leaving her alone with her knocked out teammates and snatches the black scroll, lying in the middle of the field.

"Thank you." Sakura says rushed, scared by the teens power.

"Now, where do I get a heaven scroll." Jiang asks himself, shrugging his shoulder and heads towards the tower, knocking the five teams out one after another with simple taijutsu and steals their scrolls, the last of which is a heaven scroll.

"Now, let's go see Anko." Jiang says, entering the tower and makes his way to the instructors' rooms, knocking on the first one, handing the man opening the door his pile of scrolls.

"Say, where is Anko? I want to make sure she's doing OK." Jiang asks the instructor.

"You're the contester who brought her here then?" The man asks.

"Yes. Jiang Wei." He answers.

"Alright. She's two doors over, might be resting now though." The man tells her.

"Thanks." Jiang says, going to the room the man pointed him to, knocking on it.

"Who the hell dares..." he hears Anko groan angrily, before she opens the door, seeing Jiang standing in front of her with a smirk.

"Looks like you bounced back OK." He says, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh, it's you." She says, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Ahem." Jiang coughs, pointing downwards and Anko looks down on herself, seeing her with only a dark purple bra on, other than her light brown miniskirt.

"Sorry, I was sleeping." She says sheepishly, grinning at him teasingly.

"I didn't say I was complaining." Jiang replies, holding out his green coat for her after slipping it off quickly.

"Thanks." She says, pulling it over herself.

"I thought I'd tell you. A guy, uhh Sasuke or something has the mark too. He almost killed another Genin, unable to control its effects." Jiang informs her.

"This is bad." Anko groans.

"Does your Hokage know already?" Jiang asks.

"Yeah. I briefed him a while ago." Anko says, rubbing her neck.

"Is there a way to remove it?" Jiang asks, looking at her mark.

"No one's found one as far as we know." Anko says.

"How does it work exactly?" Jiang asks.

"Basically, its part of Orochimarus soul sealed, along with a potent storage of chakra." Anko tells him grimly.

"I see. Well, anyways where am I supposed to stay until the exam continues?"

"The room next to me is free." She says with a shrug.

"Good. Thanks. I'm gonna get some rest then. If you need me for something you know where to find me." Jiang says, giving her a kiss on the back of her hand and heads to the room next to hers.