The Girl Behind The Mask

Chapter 21

     After an interview with Konohamaru and his group the genin were given papers to sign.

     "I knew this would be dangerous, but this seems more serious than I thought"  Chiyo nervously signed her name on the paper a feeling of worry building up in the pit of her stomach.

  
     "Are you ok" Midnight asked, Chiyo hesitantly nodded.

     "It's just a gut feeling I have" she explained looking over at her teammates.

 
     "I feel like something bad is going to happen" Chiyo stated.

     "I hope that feeling is wrong"

     "So do I" Chiyo mumbled under her breath as she joined her team once more.

     "Alright everyone, line up and get your scrolls" the woman called.

     "So, it's already started" Chiyo said to herself clenching her fist.

     "It may seem simple, taking two scrolls to a tower. But I have a feeling we're going to run into a lot of trouble" her eyes flickered over to the long haired woman who made eye contact with her. A shiver ran up her spine,

     "Especially that woman" she said quietly looking away from the strangers gaze. Team seven approached the gate staring straight into the forest, it seemed to swallow up any light that went in leaving nothing but darkness. Taking a deep breath Chiyo watched as the gates were opened.

     "Let's do this" she said trying to feel a bit more confident in both herself and her team.
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     A scream echoed through the air as team seven walked down the path, Sakura and Chiyo looked around feeling more nervous.

     "It's already begun" she said as silence enveloped the area once more. The only sounds anyone could hear were the occasional animal or branch snapping. The black haired female looked at the tower that seemed so close yet so far away. She looked back only to see Naruto get hit in the head by an enraged Sakura.

     "Don't do that in front of us!" she yelled. Naruto rubbed the spot she had hit pouting as he walked away.

     "I keep spacing out" she said walking over to Sakura and Sasuke.

     "What happened" she asked cocking her head to the side in a confused manner.

     "I don't wanna talk about it" the pink haired girl said angrily. Chiyo let out a quiet sigh,

     "I hope Naruto-kun is safe"

     "I'm sure he's fine, he's strong" Midnight reassured her. She smiled as Naruto returned to the group unharmed, though there was something off about him. The scratch on his cheek was gone and small details about his outfit had been changed. Before Chiyo could take action Sasuke did first. He attacked "Naruto" sending him flying into a tree.

     "Sasuke! What was that for?!" Sakura asked unaware of the situation. Naruto transformed into a completely different person who appeared to be from a different village.

     "I knew something was up" she said as the unknown male looked down on the group as if they were nothing.

     "Which one of you has the scroll" he demanded. Chiyo clenched her fist feeling nervous. If she failed to keep the scroll safe then her whole team would have a much harder time of passing. She pulled out her sword running towards the man. The blade hit his arm leaving a long wound down it as the fabric of his clothing tore off landing somewhere on the forest floor. He reached his hand up hissing in pain. While he was distracted Chiyo elbowed him in the side knocking him off balance causing him to fall of the tree branch he was on. She jumped down landing on his back which must have hurt a lot. However, that was the least of her worries as she stood back with her team. Knowing he was defeated the male retreated.

     "We need to be more careful" Sasuke said.

     "We should find a place to rest once Naruto gets back" she said.

     "That way we can make a plan" she explained as Naruto returned. Luckily this time it was actually him and team seven didn't have to fight anyone else. The group settled by a river sitting in a semi circle.

     "We need a way to tell if one of us is real"Chiyo suggested.

     "A password" Sasuke said, Chiyo nodded.

     "That would work, something only we know. But what?" she asked. Sasuke was silent for a moment as the rest of the rest of his team waited for him to speak. His answer was a long one that most people would be able to remember, well, except for Naruto.

      "Can't we pick a shorter one" he asked a look of confusion on his face. Sasuke shook his head as Naruto pouted.

     "We still need to find the second scroll and get to the tower" Chiyo said quietly.

     "And it doesn't seem like we're getting any closer to doing that" she frowned.

     "We can't just avoid fighting other teams" Sakura said in a weary tone. Chiyo stood up wiping the dirt from her hands.

     "Well, now that we have a password, we should keep moving. We'll be sitting ducks if we keep staying in one place" she told them. The rest of team seven followed her as the group continued to move through the woods.