Part 1- Death Chapter 18: The Demon Desert

Team Asuma spent three days running non-stop, and their efforts were rewarded. They were among the first thirty Genin to arrive.

Team Kurenai was already there, as well as Team Guy, with their respective Senseis.

"Sakura! Everyone! You made it!" Tenten greeted.

"I must admit, Team Guy sure has stamina." Ino commented.

"Yup! My students gave it their all. In fact, you all gave it your all!" Guy exclaimed as tears started pouring down his cheeks. "The fortitude you showed in running for three days and three nights without sleep has made me so proud!"

Sakura and her teammates spotted their Sensei.

Asuma smiled at them as they approached him. "Congratulations on making it. Your determination reminds of that one time…"

"Sensei… If you're going to tell us a long story… Please let us rest already. I'm starving." Chōji interrupted as he started panting.

Asuma chuckled. "You'll get your rest, Chōji. The second round doesn't start until tomorrow. Sunagakure prepared a dinner, afterwards, you'll be escorted to your quarters."

The Akimichi perked up at the thought of dinner and grabbed hold of his teammates' hands. "Let's get going, girls. I'm starving!"

The two Kunoichi let out a yelp as they were forcibly yanked into the building.

Never mess with an Akimichi on a mission to satisfy their hunger, Sakura's Inner voice remarked.

He didn't let go until they've reached the dining hall where a large buffet was set up.

Sakura could have sworn that hearts appeared in Chōji's eyes.

"There's so much food! I don't know what to choose! I guess I'll just have a bit of everything!"

Sakura sweat dropped as she observed the Akimichi pile a large quantity of food onto his plate.

Beside her, Ino sighed, before she too grabbed a plate and began to fill it up.

More candidates began to enter the dining hall, so the rosette decided to pick her meal as well.

The two Kunoichi sat down at the table Chōji choose and were soon joined by their fellow Konoha Shinobi.

At another table, all of the Suna Shinobi sat together.

Sakura stared at them. "So that's Sunagakure?"

Kiba sneered at them. "Check out those Suna candidates, giving everyone the stink eye."

On the opposite side of the room sat the Shinobi from Ame.

"And over there are the Ame candidates." Ino commented. "There's even one team from Kusagakure."

Chōji looked at them in surprise. "Huh, I didn't even notice them in the First Round."

Ino's expression pinched in disgust. "Look at that big guy. He's sweating so much, it's disgusting!"

"Hey guys, I'm getting a bad feeling…" Tenten said.

The big Kusa candidate stood up, and each step he took caused a strong vibration to spread across the room.

Everything he touched was stained by his seemingly permanent sweat.

Tenten's face turned green.

Several candidates from various countries stood up as they realized the big Shinobi was making his way to the buffet.

Chōji's eyes widened in horror. "He's going to ruin the food!"

The candidates that were already standing quickly made their way in front of the buffet and pushed back the Kusa Shinobi.

He fell back and destroyed a table, yet his sweat was sent flying.

Ino let out a shriek as the sweat droplets threatened to come crashing down on the food.

"Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!"

Neji activated his technique, and the rotating aura of chakra prevented the sweat droplets from landing on the food.

The consequence, however, was much worse. Neji's technique had completely destroyed the set-up buffet.

His fellow Konoha Shinobi stared at him in shock. The foreign candidates' shock quickly wore off and they angrily expressed their displeasure to the Hyūga.

The other Kusa candidates confronted Neji. "What did you do to our friend?!"

"Don't misunderstand!" Lee interjected. "We wanted to protect our food!"

The same brunette Suna Kunoichi that annoyed Sakura stepped forward. "You expect us to believe you? You did this to prevent them from participating in the next round!"

Kiba growled. "What're you saying? We'd never stoop to something like that! Your suspicion shows that Gaara hasn't trained you right!"

A shorter Kunoichi with sand colored hair pushed the brunette aside. "That is absolutely unforgivable!" She yelled, before she punched the Inuzuka.

All hell broke loose as various fights started.

"Please stop, everyone!" Lee pleaded in vain.

"Hey, stop it!" Tenten added. She quickly had to raise a knocked over table in front of her to stop three kunai from stabbing her. "Neji! Aren't you going to stop them?"

Her teammate had his Byakugan activated. "Sorry, but I'm busy right now."

"Do not fight-!" Lee was interrupted by a kick to the back of his head.

Kiba immediately pushed away the attacker. "Why you…!"

Lee grabbed the Inuzuka's wrist and stood up. "Will you stop… and listen to me?!"

He swirled around and stretched his leg out in a kick, but a buff Genin from Suna stopped his attack.

"This room his way too small for a flashy move like that."

A large boom caught everyone by surprise, and a bronze skinned Kunoichi crashed through one of the windows. "Ta-dah!"

Two male candidates ran over. "Fuu! What're you doing here?!"

The girl stuck her tongue out at them. "Staying in those rooms was boring." She gave a toothy grin. "I'm Fuu from Takigakure! I came here to make a hundred friends! So, guys, what's the plan after dinner?"

No one answered as they were completely stunned by her attitude.

"Hmm, how about we all take a bath together?" The Kunoichi suggested.

"…What's with you?" Kiba finally interrupted the silence.

Chōji let out a dramatic sigh. "So much for dinner. I didn't even get to eat seconds. I'm going back."

His words seemed to spur the other candidates to leave as well.

"Huh? Hey! W-wait!" Fuu exclaimed.

Sakura and Ino followed their male teammate out of the dining hall.

He led them to the entrance, where large gusts of wind spread the sand everywhere.

He ran out into the storm carelessly and was laughing.

All of a sudden, he let out a scream.

Sakura and Ino snapped their heads up. "Chōji!"

They made their way into the strong winds.

Sakura could barely see anything.

"Chōji!" Ino shouted. "I'm here to help you!" She let out a scream.

Sakura suddenly felt a strong grip on her waist, and she was picked up. She looked down and was horrified to find a giant claw had her pinned.

"What is this thing?!" Ino screamed.

"Ooh! Are you guys playing?" A familiar voice asked.

The rosette could barely make out the frame of the Kunoichi from Takigakure.

"Stop fooling around and take that thing down!" Sakura shouted.

"Huh? The game's over already?"

A moment passed, before the giant scorpion that held them hostage let out a shriek and collapsed.

Its grip loosened, and Team Asuma quickly stumbled away from it.

The other Konoha teams ran towards them.

"Are you guys alright?!" Lee yelled.

Sakura held onto her left arm and winced. "Yeah."

"But you're bleeding!" Lee exclaimed.

"I'm okay."

"Let me help you." A Suna Kunoichi offered, before she activated the Mystic Palms technique.

The rosette's eyes widened in surprise. She's a Medical Ninja like me.

Sunagakure isn't known for having a fixed medical program. I wonder who taught her. Sakura's Inner voice pondered.

The Kunoichi quickly finished. "There you go."

Sakura tested out her arm and was impressed by the lack of visible clues. She's skilled.

"Yahoo! Yahoo, yahoo-hoo!" Fuu shouted as she danced on top of the dead scorpion.

"Is everyone alright?" Temari asked as she ran towards the gathered crowd.

Behind her stood the various Senseis.

The Suna Medical Ninja replied for the group. "Yes, Temari-san."

"Good. I suggest you all get some rest. The Second Round begins before dawn breaks! Hurry up and return to your quarters!"

Sakura slightly bowed her head. "We're sorry." She mumbled.

Chōji ran towards the small group. "Guy-sensei! I hate this place!"

The Jōnin held onto the Akimichi's shoulders. "Don't despair, Chōji! Clear your mind of mundane thoughts and even a fire will go out!" He held out a covered plate filled with snacks.

Happy tears poured from the Genin's eyes.

"Just think of this as part of training!" Guy continued and gave a thumb's up.

The assembled Genin took Temari's advice to heart and made their way to their quarters.

x

All of the candidates stood before Temari at the entrance of the Demon Desert at dawn.

"Welcome to the Second Round of the Chūnin Exams." She began. "This is where teams will be pitted against each other."

Murmuring echoed among the crowd.

"In other words, this is the ultimate survival battle!" The blonde Kunoichi held up two scrolls. "There are two scrolls, Heaven and Earth. The objective of this exam is to obtain both of them and to bring them back to the base located in the center of the Demon Desert. Starting now, there may be fatalities." She then held up a sheet of paper. "Every participating team member will sign a consent form! When each member turns it in, the team will be given a scroll!"

Numerous assistants handed out the consent forms, and patiently waited for the participants to sign them, before they reclaimed the forms, and walked back towards Temari.

"An assistant will escort you to your start point. Do NOT enter the desert until you've received the signal. You'll have 24-hours to complete this round. Good luck."

Team Asuma followed one of the assistants towards the eastern edge of the giant wall built around the desert.

They leapt to the top and waited.

Sakura stood in the middle. "Let's quickly go over the strategy. Chōji will be the main offence member, I'll mediate and step in when I can. Ino will focus on long range attacks, communications in case we get separated, and will also keep an eye out for enemies with her sensory abilities."

"Got it." The Akimichi confirmed.

Ino nodded.

"We'll have to move fast because the temperature will quickly rise. The worst thing other than encountering a team stronger than us is suffering the effects of dehydration. We've got our water bottles filled up, but we'll need to ration how much we drink. Let's try to find some shade and a water source if there are any."

"I've got snacks and food pills in case we run out of chakra." Chōji added.

Sakura spared him a glance. "Let's hope it doesn't come down to that." She looked ahead once more. "Ino and I have medical training, so healing wounds isn't an issue. That Kunoichi who healed me is also a Medical Ninja. We don't know the full extent of her abilities, so let's try to avoid her team."

Ino nodded again in agreement. "If she can heal, she most likely can cause internal damage."

"That guy who stopped Lee-san's attack also seems strong. We should avoid his team as well."

A firecracker shot off into the sky and exploded in a bright orange light.

"That's the signal to start!" Ino exclaimed.

Sakura glanced at her teammates. "Let's go!"

Team Asuma jumped off the ledge, and immediately set off once their feet touched the ground.

x

The sun had already risen to near its zenith, however Team Asuma had yet to find their needed scroll.

The heat was merciless, and the three Shinobi were drenched in sweat.

This is ridiculous! Sakura thought to herself in annoyance. The morning's almost over, and we haven't encountered any other team. I'm actually itching for a fight.

Careful what you wish for. It may be more than you bargain for. Sakura's Inner voice warned.

The Akimichi wasn't shy to voice his complaint. "The sun here's horrible compared to in Konoha. I don't understand how people could call this place home."

The rosette wiped off sweat from her forehead. "I suppose you settle down where you can make a living."

"It's so hot, that my appetite's gone."

Ino gave him a concerned look. "Hang in there, Chōji. Drink some water in the meantime."

The male took her advice.

The trio continued to wonder aimlessly around the desert, when suddenly they were surrounded by a sand tornado.

They quickly covered their eyes and noses, yet Sakura couldn't stop herself from coughing.

What's going on?! She thought.

"Where did this come from?!" Chōji shouted.

"We have to consider this as some kind of attack!" Sakura replied. "Ino, do you sense anyone?"

Ino held a hand over her mouth. "It's just one team." She murmured. "Two females, one male. There's another chakra signature among them, yet it doesn't feel human."

Team Asuma immediately went back to back.

"I can't see anything!" Chōji exclaimed.

"Don't worry! I'll send you whatever images I can grab." Ino replied.

They remained in that position for some time, yet the storm wasn't easing up.

The rosette glanced at Ino, who adopted a tense posture.

"You've been in full Sensory Perception mode for an awfully long while."

"I can still handle this…" Ino gritted out.

Sakura frowned, but didn't argue the matter.

Suddenly, sand figures started to form and march their way towards the team.

"We've got company!" Sakura warned.

"There's so many of them. How are we supposed to stop them all?" Ino asked.

"If each of us can guard our own line of sight, we'll manage somehow!" The Akimichi tried to say optimistically.

As a sand figure approached him, Chōji punched it, and it dissolved.

The two Kunoichi copied him.

"Yes… This'll work!" Ino agreed.

"Keep on coming at me! I'll kick your butts!" The Akimichi taunted, as he continued to punch and kick at the animated sand.

Sakura took out a kunai and began cutting down the sand figures surrounding her.

"Sakura, look out!"

The rosette whipped her head around and saw Ino appear in front of her.

The blonde cried out as a snake bit her wrist.

"Ino!" Chōji called out.

He ran over to the Kunoichi, and sliced at the snake with his kunai, killing it.

The enemy Shinobi that summoned it stumbled back and began to laugh as he disappeared behind the sandstorm. "The poison will quickly overtake your system. And then you won't be able to move!"

Sakura supported Ino from behind, as the blonde's breathing began to quicker.

She noticed the bite mark on Chōji's left hand. "You've been bitten as well!"

"Don't worry about me, Sakura. Help out Ino. In the meantime, I'll pulverize the remaining sand figures before the poison starts spreading throughout my body!"

Ino gritted her teeth. "I'm not done yet. I can still fight."

The rosette wordlessly stared at her teammates' backs.

Without meaning to, their backs transformed into the familiar shapes of Naruto and Sasuke. The two boys were walking ahead of Sakura, and they didn't look back.

Sakura blinked, and the image was gone.

Her eyes narrowed. I can't let this happen. I won't let them die! This is why I've been training under Tsunade-sama: to not only become an equal to Naruto and Sasuke-kun, but also to protect my comrades!

"This is…? Sakura's feelings are flooding into me through the Mind Transmission Jutsu?" Ino asked in bewilderment.

Various memories of Sakura's recent year of training were shared with Ino and Chōji.

The grueling work hours at the hospital, Kakashi sadistically putting her and Naruto against each other to see who would advance in their elemental ninjutsu. It turned out that he had placed a bet with Asuma.

Kurenai teaching Sakura several Genjutsu techniques. Tsunade explaining to her the risks of unlocking and using the Byakugō no In.

'Due to the effect of the 100 Healings Jutsu, your chakra level has become extremely low. You haven't taken into account that you have less readily available chakra than you did before. That could cost you your life on the battlefield.'

The last memory was when Sakura performed the Chikatsu Saisei no Jutsu by herself.

The helplessness she felt when her chakra flow was restricted, followed by determination as she forced more chakra into the patient's body.

I'm almost there.

She emerged from her thoughts and focused on the battlefield.

"I see." Chōji started. "You were under that kind of pressure, yet you came just for us…"

"We didn't know…" Ino mumbled quietly.

More laughter echoed around them. "Tick-tock, time's running up. You'll suffer the same fate too, little cherry blossom."

Sakura turned her head back and forth between her teammates and was distraught to find them steadily succumbing to the effects of the poison.

"I didn't do this for you! I did it for me… Me alone. I can't advance towards my goal if I don't pass this exam!"

Sakura stood in front of her teammates defensively and watched the sand figures march towards her. I'm challenging myself this time. So, bring it on, you bastards.

Let's do this, her Inner voice added.

Sakura increased her available chakra flow. She grinned viciously. I have enough chakra now! I'll end this in one sweep!

She shot up into the air. She was able to see three figures standing just outside of the sandstorm.

"Eat dust!" She shouted, as she raised her right fist.

The Shinobi were shocked to see her.

The rosette's fist made contact with the desert floor, and the enemies were swallowed by the disturbed sand.

Sakura watched until they drifted far away from her team's position.

The rosette quickly made her way back to her incapacitated teammates. I have to extract the poison. I'll heal Ino first, and then I'll get to Chōji.

The rosette knelt beside the unconscious blonde and took out her medical pouch.

She summoned medicinal fluid and gently introduced it into Ino's body.

She was pleased to find that the Yamanaka had unconsciously began to isolate the poison, hence making Sakura's job easier.

It took short work to remove the poison, and Ino's natural color began to return.

The rosette shuffled over to Chōji and worked on him.

Within ten minutes, both of her teammates were awake, and sitting up.

"Thanks for saving us, Sakura. I thought we were goners back there." Chōji commented.

"Don't mention it. We're teammates after all." The rosette replied.

"I'm glad Shikamaru asked you to join us!" Chōji stated happily. "I feel like the three of us can beat anyone."

"You've saved our lives, and you've won us the scroll we needed. Nice work, Sakura." Ino added somewhat timidly.

Sakura stared at her in surprise. Is she realizing just what a complete bitch she's been?

Don't jump to conclusions straight away, her Inner voice stated. For now, keep up with the compromise you've both promised Asuma-san. If Ino's truly come to a sense, she'll approach you first.

Agreeing, Sakura stood up. "We should move on. There's a chance our battle has caught the attention of other teams."

"Okay, let's head for the central tower!" Chōji said.

"We're almost at the finish line of the Second Round!" Ino added.

Sakura secured the second scroll into her medical pouch, and the team made their way to their final destination.