Team 7 tensed and shifted into defensive stances faster than any Chuunin would've been able to see or do.

Their backs facing each other as they made a circle, covering every opening they could whilst they tried to pinpoint the enemies location.

Sasuke used his senses to push his sight further while secretly using the sharingan. His eyes were cast downward so that the enemy couldn't see if they were in front of him.

The Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction as he sensed a massive Chakra not far from them and more importantly, in Sasuke's direction.

He signalled his teammates to come around and stand with him which they quickly did.

The three genin's glares and bloodlust filled the air quickly, hoping to push the enemy out by intimidation but it didn't seem to work, let alone make the enemy flinch. Sasuke could tell if they made a single move but they just stood there. Well...a person. Just one person.

"I don't understand" Sasuke muttered, a deep frown etched into his eyebrows.

"What is it, Ke?" Naruto questioned, the kind smile just moments before now replaced with a serious scowl.

"There's someone up ahead but...their Chakra...it's massive" Sasuke explained, his eyes widened with shock.

"Massive Chakra? Why would they allow someone above genin level to enter?" Sakura questioned aloud what everyone thought.

"I don't think they did.." Sasuke growled with a glare and tensed up as he noticed the person coming toward them now.

An eerie silence fell over the forest for what felt like minutes but was really only a few moments, until bushes were rustled and twigs were snapped.

The unknown, clearly not worried about hiding themselves anymore, stepped from the shadows of the trees and revealed themselves.

'Hn'

The unknown ninja looked to be a woman but something told Sasuke that all was not as it seemed.

"Hello" The ninja said, almost casually.

Their only response were deadly looks that could possibly give baby ducks a heart attack.

After a long pause, the ninja lowly began to chuckle which progressively changed into a loud cackle.

It unnerved the trio but they kept their poker face and stances firm.

"Are you afraid of Death?" The woman suddebly questioned, her manic laugher halting.

"No"

The woman seemed slightly surprised to hear the confidence in the voice of a certain blonde.

"No you say?"

Without giving an answer, Naruto stood firm with his teammates and knew they felt the same.

Kakashi sensei had beaten the fear of the unknown out of them long ago and the blonde couldn't think of any other moment where he hasn't felt more greatful to the man.

"I see, then let me teach you...how to feel fear!" At that last comment, the nin suddenly sprung into action and lunged for the group.

The trio quickly jumped out of the way as she reached their last destination but realised their mistake as soon as they did.

Her tongue sprung out from her slimy mouth and went for Sasuke's ankle. It coiled itself around him, greasing him up in the process, and strongly yanked him down back to her.

He couldn't do anything but try to stay on his feet upon touching ground again.

The woman was fast and strong. Stronger than Kakashi.

Sasuke kept his guard up and tried jumping away to gain some distance between them but she simply followed along whilst conversing in a mild taijutsu battle. For her at least.

Sasuke had no way out, all his focus was on blocking and dodging his opponent.

Sakura and Naruto watched from the sidelines to get a grasp on this woman's strength and were amazed by how quickly she overpowered Sasuke.

It was clear to both what they needed to do.

Naruto looked to Sakura and gave a nod before jumping down and getting between the two ninja. The blonde used his speed and the element of surprise to kick their opponent far from them and into a tree. Though she barely hit the bark before being firmly placed on the ground again.

The blonde narrowed his eyes at the woman who simply gave a relaxed smirk in return.

"Sasuke"

"Hn"

At that, the two pushed outward and into the trees, hiding themselves and their Chakra as they waited for Sakura's signal.

The pinkette jumped down from a high branch and looked at the enemy straight in the eye with no fear.

"Have you started your lesson yet? I have yet to feel fear" she taunted.

The woman grew an irk mark on her forehead and grinned maniacally.

She took firm steps toward the pinkette, simply walking to her.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at this but stayed silent, waiting.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke had used their stealth to their advantage and planted bombs and traps all around them, creating a maze of sorts that only they knew.

All that's left, was to guide the mysterious nin into their work of art.

The woman had lunged for the genin, the two went back and forth. One trying to escape the other.

Sakura began to feel jittery as the woman grew closer, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Are you feeling it yet?" The unkown asked in a low hiss as she stopped approaching, giving the genin a moment to catch her breath.

"You'll have to beat it out of me" Sakura stated heavily while giving the signal.

The genin jumped back and formed a triangle with her teammates, covering the blind spots.

The uknown seemed highly amused.

Naruto had created a seal on his hand whilst in hiding and poured both his and Sasuke's Chakra into it. Though this meant holding hands with said boy. An interesting sight for the pinkette.

"Uchiha" the creature-like woman hissed, halting the jinjuuriki and the his team.

"I can sense your fear and desperation... it's only natural... the prey must never let down its guard, not even for a moment... in the presence of a predator" She smirked, prowling around the three as if staying true to her statement.

"What do you want with an Uchiha?" Naruto questioned, a heavy scowl on his face.

Technically, Sasuke was supposed to be the interrogator for the team but when he was the one being targeted, positions change temporary.

"An Uchiha? No. Him. I want that Uchiha. This child seems quite exceptional...unlike you. His bloodline is that of the Uchiha clan, and his face and his body are very beautiful. He could be the perfect vessel to succeed me" She maniacally explained, though it only served to confuse the trio more.

"Enough" Sasuke grumbled before springing into action.

The boy could feel the chakra flowing through his veins, creating the electric air he was so familiar with. He looked over to Naruto and gave a nod.

The blonde returned it before giving a signal to Sakura. She disappeared within the shadows, hiding her chakra.

Naruto outstretched his palm and muttered "Kaihou Fuuin".

Suddenly, all the built up chakra in his hand spread out like wildfire, air and fire mixing together and, unintentionally, creating a air-fire tornado. Going straight for the woman.

Naruto grunted under the pressure of the opening. It was like someone kept pushing against him and all he had to steady and defend himself against that push, was his hand.

Sasuke watched for a moment as the tornado swirled toward the target but the boy knew it wouldn't reach.

That's why he used his speed and moved to the enemy's left. Just as he expected, the woman was about to step toward him but paused as she caught sight of him.

She frowned in confusion but was quickly filled with laughter as she stepped toward him. As if he was about to freely give himself to her.

Sasuke took a deep breath and muttered "Katon! Gokakyu no jutsu". A small ball of fire escaped his mouth and swiftly turned into a huge ball of fire.

The ball approached the woman, fast, and with the hight and intensity of the jutsu's. There was no jumping over or going under these. Only two paths remained.

The woman looked back and saw the shadowy figure hiding in the trees.

No doubt in her mind, the girl was last defence and probably had the most brutal defence yet.

That left her one path. Just as planned.

The target leaped to her right and straight into the wired, bomb paradise, trap.

The genin watched carefully, even as their jutsu's collided and created a blinding light, and their trap was set off. Eyesight was cut off momentarily as the three were forced to shield themselves from the blast.

As the heat died down, team 7 hastily dropped their arms and stepped forward. Eager to see their handy work.

Trees were scorched and turned to ashes. The ground and dirt of this area coloured with black. The sky slowly cleared of smoke but it would be a long while before anyone could properly breath again.

Sakura coughed silently as she stepped from the shadows to fall in line with her teammates.

The three stood for a moment, taking in the damage.

"I didn't even get a turn" Sakura stated with a small frown, dropping her head.

The two boys looked over to her with small smirks.

She lifted her head to look to her boys, only to find their confident smirks slowly melting off and being replaced with one of horror.

She furrowed her brows and tilted her head in confusion.

"Wha-"

A loud bang rung out the area, one moment the pinkette was there. The next...

Naruto watched as his teammate was flung to a tree, knocked unconscious almost instantly by their 'supposedly dead' target.

The boys were quick to defend themselves as she came slashing at them with a kunai. The duo could hardly keep up, the sudden appearance of the woman behind Sakura threw them off completely.

But that wasn't what kept them from keeping up. No...the woman's actual appearance had them double checking everything.

Her clothes were half burnt to a crisp. Her hair singed to a shorter length and her face... Oh, her face.

Half her face was burnt off. The boys expected nothing but flesh and blood to be shown. They knew the human anatomy, it was scientifically correct to assume that's what would be behind her skin but...instead, another eye. A different eye, looked back at them with a sickly malicious look in its eye.

"What the hell are you?" Naruto grunted. Both, him and Sasuke, had their kunai up to their chins.

"What am I? Hmm... the simplest way I can put it for your tiny little mind is... The body ages, but the mind is immortal" He cackled loudly. 

"The body...what?" Naruto exclaimed incredulously "I mean sure if you want to look at it from a philosophical point of view" The blonde added quietly and retrieved a few shuriken from his pouch.

"To...  Let me try something" Sasuke interrupted his teammate's actions.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy, noticing the change from his onyx to his red eyes. He gave a nod and backed off toward their fallen comrade.

Whilst the blonde tended to Sakura, Sasuke leaped up into the trees. 

 "I knew it, it's finally happened. His Uchiha blood has come to a boil" The snake-like creature mumbled to itself "I think i'll play with him a little and learn the full extent of his powers"  

The Uchiha threw out his wires not a moment before the target jumped after him. The boy thrust his kunai toward the creature, missing by inches as it dodged. 

The two leaped at the other, taijutsu being the chosen technique for now. Sasuke kept giving it his all but not a single cut or punch hit its mark, it was like the creature was simply playing around with him.

The boy grunted and pushed himself onto the target, taking it by surprise as he was basically giving the ninja, what looked like, a hug. 

Before the target had time to react, Sasuke had plunged a wired kunai deep into its abdomen and jumped back just as it reached out to grab him. 

The creature looked down to its body and raised an eyebrow in amusement "So what now, boy? you pull this and I go down from the pain?" It laughed.

Sasuke remained silent as his Sharingan eyes surveyed any and all possible outcomes. He grunted and pulled the wire a little, simply humouring the creature. 

The target hardly reacted, only stared at him. Waiting for his move. Sasuke suddenly ran forward, straight toward the target and jumped over it. 

Though he didn't get very far as the creature pulled down on the string and brought him down. The Uchiha was quick to take the kunai from his pocket and throw it outward toward the lower branches. 

The boy then threw another wired kunai away from the creature and pulled himself out of harm's way at the last minute.

"I must say...I'm disappointed, Sasuke" The creature hissed. 

The boy furrowed his brows, wondering how it knew his name. 

He touched down on the bark of a tree before jumped down to where the kunai attached to the creature was. 

The boy stood before it and looked up at the target, only to find it already staring back at him. A look in it's eyes, as if asking "What are you planning now?" 

Sasuke took a deep breath and created the handsigns for Katon! Gokakyu no jutsu whilst taking out a scroll Naruto had given him before the exams. 

He opened the scroll while holding his breath and chakra in place. A difficult thing to do, no matter how simple it sounded. 

Sasuke placed a hand on the circle of a seal and released small amount of chakra. The boy had no idea what Naruto had given him, but he hoped it'd help. 

And help it did. 

The Uchiha could feel the burn on his palm as the seal - Suitoru Fuuin (Absorbing seal) took place. The boy knew what to do with it and silently thanked the blonde for the back up plan. 

He muttered the release and out poured a ball of highly condensed air that could cut through anything. Sasuke aimed it perfectly, going straight for the nin, flying just above the wired kunai. 

Almost immediately after, the boy released his breath and with it, a huge ball of fire that followed the ball of air, whilst lighting the wired kunai. 

The creature, as expected, dodged the condensed air but received a few scratches from the shockwave as it dissipated near her. 

The target saw the fire coming at her sent forth her chakra. It never reached her and she grinned in victory, that is...until she noticed the Uchiha boy smirking ever so slightly.

It looked down just in time for the fire, emitting from the wire, to reach her body. Scorching pain fled throughout the creature as it writhed in pain but it wasn't over, not yet.

Sasuke took another breath and mumbled Raiton no jutsu (lighting technique). The lighting reached down to the wire and to the creature's body within seconds. 

The boy simply stood and watched as he listened to its screams and witnessed it fall down from the high branches of the oak trees. 

As the figure disappeared from his view, Sasuke breathed out a tired heavy sigh. He jumped back down to Naruto, who held on tightly to his unconscious comrade while grinning from ear to ear at the Uchiha.

"That was amazing, Ke" The blonde stated.

Sasuke dropped to one knee and breathed heavily, his Sharing deactivating "Yea...Well...It used up all my chakra" 

Naruto frowned and remained silent as he watched his teammate recover. 

"Ke...We have to mov-"

"I know.. Just give me a sec-" 

The raven haired boy was suddenly cut off as a slithering noise escaped from the bushes and not a moment later, out sprang a long snake-like neck and head. Heading straight for the Uchiha. Neither Naruto or Sasuke were prepared or fast enough as the head of the creature latched onto his neck.

One moment the boys were recovering and the next...Sasuke loudly grunting in pain, unable to keep the agonizing pain he was going through, in. 

The creature unlatched itself, it's fangs showing in the process, with speckles of blood.

Naruto glanced to his teammates neck and recognised the seal. Orochimaru. 

The blonde could feel the nine tails begging for entrance as his own rage just about boiled over.

This whole time, they were fighting one of the Sannin and didn't even know it. Kakashi sensei had taught Naruto specifically to see underneath the mask and observe the behaviour of their opponents. He failed this time. Failed his team. 

He could hear the ninetails knocking against its cage, as if it were the only thing he could hear. He could feel it, his blood boiling. Literally. 

He looked down at Sasuke, the boy was on his hands and knees. His face twisting in pain as his eyes tightly clutched closed. 

'Sasuke...It's all my fault.' Naruto thought to himself as his eyes strayed from his teammate and to the sickly creature, known as Orochimaru, stepping out of the bushes with a sweet smile. The blonde slowly placed Sakura next to the pained Uchiha before standing tall.

'I'll kill him!' Naruto roared within himself. 

Kill...

A voice said in his head, the blonde could practically hear the grin behind it.

'Yes...' 

He gave in at that moment, letting the demon within himself come out to play. His pupils dilated and pulled upwards, turning into slitted cat like eyes with complete redness surrounding it. 

The whisker scars on his cheeks turned savage. His hair turning wild. His nails becoming claws. The boy was becoming what everyone thought him to be... An animal.

"AHHHH!" 

"AHHHH!"

The beast and the boy became one as they leaped into the air, heading straight for Orochimaru. The Sanin jumped out of the way, just in time to avoid Naruto's claws as it came down and smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater of rubble. 

The Sannin no longer seemed amused, simply observing the boy's power. 

Naruto kept lunging for the man but nothing was working as Orochimaru kept leaping out of the way. Suddenly, as Naruto heaved himself forward, the Sannin used a summoning jutsu.

The blonde halted before he reached the spray of smoke that appeared. His eyes narrowed in on the summon. A giant snake. 

The boy was really starting to hate snakes. 

Although rage clouded his better judgement, the boy focused his efforts in, what he called, Kyuubi Taijutsu. Powerful blows that, depending on the intensity, could kill with one hit. 

The Sannin stood atop the snake and watched as the boy jumped in front of his summon, roaring fiercely in its slimy face. The blonde grinned, bloodthirsty, as he lifted his claws and furiously slammed down into the snake. Splatters of blood flew like rain as its green skin was torn to pieces. 

The Sannin continued to watch with narrowed eyes before using his speed and slamming into the boy from the side. Naruto smashed into a tree, almost losing consciousness. He jumped down just as the Sannin smashed into the tree, obliterating it. 

The blonde frowned at the man. He knew there was no way the genin could beat him, even with his bijuu powers.

With that thought in mind, the blonde staggered over to his teammates and picked them up, albeit awkwardly. 

"Hmm? Leaving so soon?" Orochimaru suddenly hissed from behind the boy, the blonde's eye widened in shock. Naruto used his full speed, along with the power of the nine tails, to leap out the way of the Sannins tongue-sword?

 He heaved Sakura over his shoulder and retrieved all the explosive tagged kunai he had and threw it behind him as he jumped away, retreating while he still could. 

The Sannin didn't bother going after them, simply watched as the explosives went off with the blonde not far in front of them. Orochimaru smirked with an evil glint in his eyes as he specifically watched the unconscious Uchiha under Naruto's arm. He got what he came for.