CHAPTER 7 - the forest of death
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Naruto stood outside the large forest with his teammates, they had arrived early, thinking that not many people would arrive yet but it was the exact opposite, there were a lot of people there.

When everyone assembled together, Anko held out two scrolls. "This is a survival test! You will go into the forest. There is a tower directly in the center, an equal ground of ten kilometers from every gate. You have five days to get there!"

The Genin all nodded. It didn't seem like something so hard.

"You will also have to collect a Heaven scroll and and Earth scroll on the way! Each team will be given one scroll, and it's your job to get the other one. This exam is designed to test your endurance and survival skills behind enemy lines. It is also meant to cut the number of contestants in half!" Anko smiled.

"Why?!" someone in the crowd on Genin shouted.

The womans mouth quirked upward, "Do you know what we call this place?"

They all shook their heads.

"We call it The Forest of Death!"

Everyone shivered. It was official. People were going to die in this exam.

Anko stepped forward and handed Naruto a stack of papers, "Pass these around would you?"

He did as ordered and finally someone asked what they were for.

"Well, these are waivers, that all of you will read and sign. The death rate is high, and this ensures that Konoha will not be held responsible for anyone dying," Anko explained. She spoke as if everyone was going to die with no chance of escape.

Once all of the papers were collected, they were all told to wait while the officials set up a stand to give each of the teams their scrolls.

"Also, don't open your scrolls in the forest."

"Why not!" someone yelled.

Anko smirked, "Trust me, you..don't..want..to..find..out!"

Anko moved her arm and Naruto stepped aside. A kunia flew past Anko's head and she turned, pressing her own kunai against the examiners throat.

Anko looked at her in shock, "How did you do that?"

"I paid attention," was the cryptic answer she was rewarded with.

Anko stiffened when a creepy looking woman handed her discarded kunai, with her long tongue! The blade was dangerously close to Anko's neck. "Thank you miss Grass Ninja. But sneak up on me like that again, and you won't have a tongue anymore," the purple haired woman threatened with smile.

"Sorry, I was just returning this to you," the strange ninja smiled, before excusing herself.

Anko patted Naruto's head as she moved away, "Make sure you don't die in their kid."

Naruto shook his head. The woman was crazy!

Team seven was called into the booth that the officials set up so they could get their scroll. It was a Heaven scroll, and Naruto took easy notice of the black markings wrapped around the cylindrical part.

'It's a seal, with what it says I better not open it, I would rather not be asleep for the whole exam' Naruto thought.

"Something wrong Naruto?" Sakura asks

"Oh I was just looking at this seal" he says

"What does it say" sasuke finally speaks

"Oh yeah, that's right you know finjutsu" Sakura says

"Yeah I figured I should learn something else, considering I can't use genjutsu" Naruto says.

"Okay so when can we open it, if there is a seal on it and we were told not to open it?" Sakura asks

"I thought you were the smart one" sasuke says in an annoyed tone as well as rolling his eyes. "we open them once we reach the tower"

"Exactly. When we get there, we'll open them," Naruto nodded and smiled, glad that someone got it.

"You're so smart Sasuke!" Sakura's loud squeal could've broken glass.

"Geez, your so loud" sasuke says, wanting to hold his ears.

"So who should hold onto the scroll" Sakura says, looking at the both of them. "I think sasuke is a good choice"

"I don't care who has it" Naruto says, not really wanting to get in an argument over the scroll.

"Great, then sasuke will have it" she says grabbing it off Naruto and handing it to sasuke with a big smile and blush on her face.

Sasuke grabs it and puts it in his pouch. once that was settled they heard a voice call out.

Alright midgets! Get to your gates!" Anko yelled, making everyone flinch.

Team seven approached gate number twelve. In moments the ultimate survival test would begin. There would be danger around every corner. With days getting longer and the nights getting shorter, there would be little time for rest.

The man guarding their gate looked at his watch. He turned and opened it, moving aside fast enough to avoid Team seven who rushed in.

"We should get going. The closer we get to the tower the closer we are to finishing this exam," Sasuke stood, making sure that his team followed.

They ran for quite a while, jumping through the trees before something shook the forest. This caused their landing to be shaky. Sakura and Naruto lost their grip and plunged to the ground. Sasuke was able to catch Sakura but a large gust of wind came and blew Naruto away.

"Naruto!"

Naruto awoke the sound of hissing. Please don't be what I think it is!

He looked up, and was greeted with the sight of an enormous snake!

Naruto jumped when the snake lunged. Unfortunately, it was fast, even though it was so large. Naruto's world darkened slightly, and she found herself squished in between something wet and slimy.

Oh gross! I got swallowed by a snake! She tried to wiggle around, but the area became more packed in and tighter.

'What do I do, I'm in a snakes stomach, oh I know' he put both hands together and made a sign and shout "MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU" with that many naruto's appeared and the snake was gone.

"Okay, so where am i" he says, looking around, only to see lots of trees. "maybe it was this way, oh well if I can't find them I'll meet them at the tower"

"Mmm, maybe it was the other way, I've been walking for 30 minutes now, I've even fought 4 teams and even got their scrolls" he says, turning back around, going to look for them but before he could, he heard screams. 'maybe a fight, I'll go check it out' he thought.

Once he got there a saw his old classmates, kiba, shino and hinata, hiding in bushes, looking pale. as He was walking towards them He looked at the scene they were looking at, it was the sand nins they were fighting some others ninjas from another village, well more like massacred them, there was blood everywhere.

NARUTO POV

"Hey guys" I say, making the two jump, shino just looked me, maybe he sensed I was coming with his bugs.

"Sshh, Naruto you idiot, our cover will be blown, I don't want to fight them" kiba says, trying to cover my month.

"Geez, sorry guys and akumaru" I say to them.

"What are you doing here Naruto, where is your team" shino asks in a bored tone.

"Got separated with my team, I was trying to find them but I ran into you guy's, so have you gotten both scrolls yet?" I ask

"Yea-yeah.. We ...do" hinata startted

"That's cool so do i" I say, holding up 4 scrolls

"WHAT, you have 4" kiba yells the first part

"Yeah when I was looking for my team, I ran into a couple of teams" I say truthfully

"You may want to be quiet or the sand shinobi will find us" shino says in a bored tone again.

After shino said that, kiba and hinata looked pale.

"Yeah I guess your right" kiba says in a nervous voice

"To late for that, they're behind you" I say to them and they turned around to see them looking right at them, kiba then grabbed both shino and hinata and ran back into the trees, until you couldn't see them.

"Looks like they left one behind" kankuro says with a smirk.

"Yeah looks like it" temari says

"Well they aren't on my team anyway" I say, scratching the back of my head turning back around to look at them.

"Seems your not scared of us, are you brat" kankuro says

"Huh, yeah why would I be scared" I say tilting my head to the side a bit

"Well your either really stupid or stubborn but I'm going with really stupid" temari says

"Hey I'm not stupid" I shout rather annoyed

"Seems we meet again" the quiet boy named gaara said

"Yeah, I didn't think we would meet in the forest so soon" I say

"Yes I agree, where's your other teammates?" Says gaara

"Don't know, lost them, I was looking for them but then I ran into you guys" I say

"Maybe they left you, they didn't want you on there team" kankuro says, trying to stir up Naruto

"Yeah maybe, they always say they don't want me on there team" I say truthfully. 'i mean it's true they are always leaving me out'

"Huh, kid I was only joking, I just wanted to stir you up a little" kankuro says

"Well it's true everyone hates me, just because I have something I have no control over" I say now looking at Gaara, 'we both have demons inside us, so he has also been through the same pain I have.'

"Yes it seems we are really similar after all, Naruto uzumaki" Gaara says looking me in the eye

"Haha, yeah" I say

"What makes you two so much alike anyway, for what I see your always happy and Gaara is well-" temari stops what she was saying as she looked at Gaara, getting scared.

"Well we both have had a similar life, I guess I could say" I say not wanting to get in detail about my life.

"And you have killed many shinobi before" Gaara says

"WHAT" both kankuro and temari shout

"You can see that too, huh?" I say not really wanting to get in this conversation, it's not like I really wanted to kill those many people, I lost control.

"Yes like I've said before, you've got the same eyes as me" Gaara says

Both kankuro and temari were looking at me like I could easily kill them. 'great now they are scared of me'

"Look, it's not like I'm going to hurt you, so relax,in fact I'll help you, what scroll do you need?" I say wanting to help them and so they aren't scared of me.

"Really, you'll give us a scroll, why?" Temari asks, wondering why I would give them a scroll.

"Well it's simple, cause I have 4 scrolls, 2 earths and 2heavens, great find huh?" I say, looking at them, they seemed a bit surprised

"You managed to get 4 strolls by yourself" temari says

"Yeah that's right" I say. "so do you want one?"

Both temari and kankuro turned to look at their little brother Gaara, to see if he would take it.

"I don't see why not" Gaara says, taking a scroll from Naruto. "it's better then staying in this place for the night.

Both of Gaara's teammates were surprised at the least, he actually took a scroll from Naruto and didn't kill him, what's more is that he is talking more then usual.

"Well now that, that is taken care of, do you want to go to the tower together, I'll meet my team there later" I ask.

"That's fine with me" Gaara says, shocking his teammates.

"Cool, lets go then" I say with a smile

And with that the sand nins and Naruto walk to the tower.

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WELL IVE MADE THIS CHAPTER A BIT DIFFERENT TO THE STORY LINE.

NEXT CHAPTER IS WORH SASUKE AND SAKURA

HOPE YOU LIKED IT