"So basically everyone is heading to the tower, right?" clarified Kiba. "Then setting traps would be the best," he concluded.

A Konoha team watched Team 8 from the treetops.

"Heh, kids standing in the open. Do they want to be found? Looks like they already sensed us but hehe, they don't know exactly where we are," taunted one of them.

"What's wrong?" asked his teammate. "You're turning blue."

"Urgh, what is that?" he screamed as he saw a leech on his arm.

Soon, a bunch of leeches were plummeting down. They latched onto them. In their attempt to de-attach the leeches, the leaf nins fell to the ground.

"Uhhh, guuu, argh,"

"Damn it..."

Kiba smirked. "Konoha's jumping leeches will sense life forms and attack in a group. Five minutes of sucking and you're dead.

3-2-1..."

"Ahhhhh!"

The genins were pulled into a net trap.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hehe, looks like it has started," thought Anko.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Naruto sighed as Sakura urged him to hurry up.

"This is such a bother," he thought.

It had only been a few minutes into the exam but he had to go to the toilet.

"Guys, I'm going to do my business in the bushes nearby, I will come back as soon as I'm done."

Sakura nodded while Sasuke grunted in response.

"Hey guys, I'm back! So much came out, I feel great!" exclaimed Naruto.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes then attacked, punching Naruto in the face.

"Huh? Sasuke-kun? What are you doing? You don't have to go that far!" scolded Sakura.

"What the hell are you doing?!" screamed Naruto angrily.

"Where's the real Naruto?" demanded Sasuke.

"What are you saying all of a sudden?" he questioned incredulously.

"Your shuriken holster is on your left leg but Naruto is right-handed, Naruto would have been able to block my amateur punch and Naruto doesn't talk like that. You're a fake loser who's worse than Naruto at transforming," said Sasuke arrogantly.

'Naruto' smirked and transformed back into his real form. Sasuke engaged in a fierce battle with him.

After a narrow escape, Sasuke decided to take it up to the next level.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"

The grass nin dodged and flickered behind Sasuke.

"Hand over the scroll or I'll kill you!"

Sasuke stood there motionlessly. The grass nin was about to take Sasuke's scroll but he was stopped as a senbon was swiftly thrown at him: it was Naruto.

"Damn it!" cursed the grass nin, flickering away.

"Tch, coward, he went away," thought Sasuke.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If we get separated next time, and we encounter someone, even if it's one of us, don't trust them, this could happen again. So we will make a codeword just in case. If they get the codeword wrong, they are the enemy no matter what," said Sasuke.

"Listen carefully, I will only say it once. The nin song, 'nin machine' when asked, this is answered with 'A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared."

"Okay, got it!" said Sakura.

"You might as well make it longer," snorted Naruto. "Oh well, whatever."

Suddenly, the area was engulfed in smoke, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto jumped back to avoid the smoke, and were separated once more.

As the smoke cleared, Sakura saw Sasuke and ran straight up to him.

"Sasuke-kun!" she squealed, happy to see him unhurt.

"Stay away! First the codeword: nin song 'nin machine'."

"Oh yeah! A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of a shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared."

"Good," said Sasuke.

Then Naruto came.

"You guys alright?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto, wait for a second, the codeword."

"Oh yeah, sorry Sasuke-kun, I forgot about it. Sorry! It's a large number of loud enemies is the friend of shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared," he said, fairly eager.

Sasuke smirked and threw a kunai at Naruto who moved just in time.

"Sasuke-kun, why?! Naruto said the codeword correctly," said Sakura, confused.

Sasuke smirked. "So this time it's someone good enough to dodge my attacks."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sakura, confused.

'Naruto' transformed into his original form, the grass nin who laughed manically at the sound of blood.

"How did you know I was a fake?" asked the grass nin curiously, smirking.

"Naruto's speech is much smoother and not as brash," answered Sasuke.

The grass nin smirked. "I see...neither tired or ill-prepared, are we? This will be more fun than I thought."

Taking out his scroll, the grass nin pushed it down his throat and swallowed it completely, licking his lips. Sakura and Sasuke watched in disgust.

"Now let's begin the battle for each other's scroll...with our lives on the line!"

Both Sasuke and the grass nin took their respective stances...and then, the fight commenced.

The grass nin threw a kunai at Sakura who stood rooted to the spot. The kunai passed through her forehead and embedded itself into the tree behind Sakura. Sasuke looked at the grass nin in horror.

"Genjutsu..." he realised, throwing up on the ground. "This is just fear. The killing intent in his eyes is causing us to see an image of death. Who is this guy?"

The grass nin laughed hysterically.

"Sakura...this is bad...we must run...otherwise...there is only death!" said Sasuke, trembling.

"Hehe, you can no longer move," laughed the grass nin crazily.

"Just a little bit...MOVE!" thought Sasuke, shaking.

The grass nin threw two more kunais at Sasuke and he forced himself to dodge just in time by stabbing a kunai into his hand, pulling Sakura with him into the bushes to hide.

"Gu, argh..." groaned Sasuke in pain, yanking the kunai out of his hand.

The grass nin smirked. "To injure his own body to erase the feeling of fear with pain. Hehe...as I thought, he's no ordinary prey."

"Sasuke-kun, are you alrig-"

Sakura was cut off when Sasuke covered her mouth.

"We must run before we are found again. But how...How can we run away? If only Naruto was here!" thought Sasuke.

"For Sasuke-kun to panic this much...I've never seen him like this," thought Sakura, anxious.

"Mmmmmm, mfff, Sasmmmmff!" said Sakura, her voice muffled.

Sakura desperately pulled Sasuke's hands off her mouth.

"Sasuke-kun, snake!"

"Damn it...I was panicking so much I didn't notice the snake!" cursed Sasuke.

The snake coiled around the bushes rapidly, closing the distance between it and Sasuke very quickly. It hissed violently.

Sasuke's eyes widened in fear. On instinct, he threw a bunch of shurikens and kunais at it.

"Get away!" he screamed.

The snake was pinned to the tree, dead. Sasuke rested against it, panting.

"You guys shouldn't even relax for a moment. Prey should always be trying their best to run away, in the presence of a predator that is," mocked the grass nin.

"I'll give you the scroll...take it and leave us, please," pleaded Sasuke.

"I see, very smart. The only way for prey to escape a predator is to give the predator a different meal."

"Take it," said Sasuke, flinging it at the grass nin.

Before he could take it, someone else had caught it. It was Naruto.

"Sasuke, what are you doing? There are times when I tell you not to humble yourself but now's not the time, especially not with someone like him. I come here after destroying an annoyingly big snake then I come to see you surrendering? Are you out of your mind?"

"You don't understand! He's out of our league!"

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto can be aggravating sometimes but at least he's not a coward like you!" yelled Sakura.

Sasuke growled. His blood boiled and his Sharingan spun to life, the two tomoe rotating wildly.

"Hehe, the blood of his clan is beginning to boil. I'll have to hurry this up, Naruto is here," thought the grass nin.

Quickly, Sasuke attacked, throwing a kick and flinging several weapons at the grass nin.

"Not bad...He's reading my movements and going for a critical hit," he mused.

Discreetly, Sasuke wound some string behind the grass nin.

"This is the Sharingan Manipulating Windmill Blades!" he shouted.

The grass nin smirked at Sasuke's skill while Naruto looked proudly at him. "He's not as weak as I thought he was," said Kurama while Naruto smirked.

"Alright! Go Sasuke-kun!" cheered Sakura.

"To read all the places I could run and attack from where I can't see..."

Sasuke grinned, feeling new power arise within him. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Jutsu!"

"To be able to use the Sharingan so well at this age...You truly are the man that carries the Uchiha blood. Just as I thought, I want you...I had fun testing your powers. You really are brothers. I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi," he laughed maniacally.

"Who the hell are you?!" asked Sasuke.

"My name is⁠—"

"Orochimaru, disappear unless you want a repeat of last time," said Naruto coldly, his violet-blue eyes glistening with hatred.

"Naruto, you could have made a good vessel if you weren't so against me. Anyway, my name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, survive and pass this exam. Of course defeating my men, the sound trio on the way."

"What the hell are you talking about?" screamed Sakura. "We never want to see your face again!"

"Hehe...it won't go that way..." said Orochimaru ominously.

Orochimaru extended his neck and before Naruto could stop him, he had bit Sasuke on the neck, branding him with his curse seal.

"Orochimaru! Why would you do this to him?"

Orochimaru laughed. "Naruto, I need immortality and Sasuke will seek me for power. Before you know it Naruto, your world is going to crumble before your eyes."

"Ugh, what is this pain?" groaned Sasuke, clutching his neck in pain.

"What did you do to Sasuke-kun?" demanded Sakura.

"I gave him a going-away present."

Orochimaru disappeared.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The sun should be up in less than an hour. We've spent a day gathering food and water. Most teams are resting. Let's attack during this time as planned. Let's split up and spend 30 minutes scouting this area. No matter what, we return here in 30 minutes."

"Ok!" agreed TenTen.

"Roger!" said Lee, saluting.

Neji smirked, "Alright, let's go!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sakura watched as Naruto healed Sasuke's wounds with his medical ninjutsu.

"His breathing has returned to normal but he still has a strong fever," said Naruto.

"Okay, Sakura, stay here and take care of Sasuke while I go and collect some herbs. If anything happens, just throw this smoke bomb in the air and I will come straight back. Don't worry Sakura. Sasuke is going to be fine."

Sakura nodded, taking the smoke bomb from Naruto's hands. "Thank you, Naruto...for everything...I was annoying to you...sorry and thank you, I'm grateful."

Naruto grinned. "Everything is going to be fine, dattebayo!"

Sakura grinned back but the smile left her face when Naruto disappeared. For safety, she had started setting up booby traps.

Sasuke was sweating uncontrollably, groaning in pain. Sakura wrung out the sweat of the cloth and dampened it again with her spare water, putting it once more on Sasuke's forehead.

She prayed that Naruto would come back soon.

Her eyes felt tired. Sakura shook her head violently. "You can't fall asleep!" she said to herself.

There was the rustling of leaves. Sakura's eyes widened in fear. Who was it?

Shakily, she took out her kunai and threw it at the sound. It was a squirrel.

"Geez, don't scare me," sighed Sakura in relief and she went back to taking care of Sasuke.

Up in the trees hiding amidst of the thick canopy was the sound trio.

"She's very observant...She noticed the explosive on the squirrel?" said the sound nin with the spiky hair.

"No...that's not it..." answered his teammate.

"What do you mean, Dosu?"

"We'll probably find out when we get closer. So, let's go."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lee scouted the area as he trained.

"If I can catch all of these 20 leaves before they hit the ground, Sakura-san will begin to like me. But if I miss even one, it will always remain unrequited love. Plus she'll call me 'thick-brows. 'Okay, yosh!"

Lee somersaulted off the tree branch and, as fast as he could, started gracefully catching all the leaves.

"Okay, that's it, one more!" he thought, determined.

Before catching the last leaf, he saw a squirrel with an explosive tag on its back. Quickly, he caught the squirrel and ripped the tag of its back, just in time as it started to crumble.

"Phew, made it in time. Who would do something so horrible?" said Lee as he started running back to the intended meeting spot.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hey reader-chans! Another update on the chunin exams! I'm trying to get over the forest of death arc quickly so we can move on to the more action-packed preliminaries. Naruto is super badass there.

I can't wait to write about the Konoha Crush! It's one of my favourite part of the Naruto series! That pleasure when Naruto defeats Gaara though, hehe, but cute panda-chan~~~