The Lost Flower of the Hidden Leaf (WIP)

Chapter Eleven; The Forest of Death

Against all odds, all Genin of the Hidden Leaf successfully passed through the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Though she was proud of her friends, Katana had preferred to see Team 7 fail on this foolish endeavor. Yet, as it was, all she could do was smile and offer congratulations as they recounted all that happened in the classroom.

"You should have seen this guy, Katana," said Naruto. "He had all these scars underneath his bandana, and he was just huge. And there were so many proctors watching us apart from him, I thought I was gonna flip out!"

"You did flip out, you idiot," murmured Sakura. 

"Huh? Oh well, maybe just a little. Come to think of it, this is the first time I passed while leaving the paper completely blank, ha-ha."

"You what?" the pink-haired girl screeched. 

"Let me guess, the actual test wasn't how you answered, but how you got the answers, right?" Katana hooked her arm with her friend's to pull him close and keep him safe from his punch-happy teammate.

"Yes, the questions were nearly impossible to answer if you didn't." Sasuke edged nearer on her other side. "The proctors were there to scare us off and —"

"And as I was saying," interjected Naruto, "this guy, Ibiki, and the others were catching so many people cheating, and telling us it was better to quit and try again next time. But nobody tells me I should quit! I'm gonna pass everything they throw at me and become the greatest Hokage, believe it!"

"Even I have to admit Naruto gave a rousing speech," said Sasuke, a slight smirk in the corner of his mouth. "No one else dropped out after this knucklehead opened his big mouth. It would have been better if more teams were eliminated, but it is what it is."

"Ah... thanks, Sasuke. I think."

Katana watched their interaction silently, thinking about the past week. They had been getting along better, but something deep inside Katana warned her this was nothing but a temporary truce for the Chunin exams. It seemed inevitable that eventually, the bomb would detonate between them, and Naruto and Sasuke would completely break apart. She couldn't let that happen. 

"Are you all ready for the second test?" she asked them, keeping her voice as casual as possible. 

"We sure are!" Naruto's excitement was almost intoxicating. 

"Speaking of which, we should hurry," said Sakura. "I don't wanna be disqualified for arriving late."

"You won't be. The test isn't for another hour and we're nearly there," said Katana. 

"How do you know?" asked Sasuke. "In fact, why are you joining us to the arena? And why are you carrying your sword? You're not part of the test, are you?" 

"I honestly don't know. Mameha didn't tell me anything other than to arrive at least thirty minutes early, so I could receive my instructions from the chief proctor."

"Well, is there anything you can tell us about this Anko Mitarashi? If we know what she's like, we might get an idea of what the test could be like."

"I've never met Anko in person, but I know some of the other Jōnin are wary of her. From what I heard from them, Anko tends to be loud, stubborn, prone to act without thinking..."

"Not much different from Naruto, then."

"Hey!" exclaimed Naruto indignantly. 

"Oh, you're so right, Sasuke," said Sakura, swooning all over him. 

"Aw, Sakura, come on."

The crowd grew larger the closer they got to Training Ground 44, where the next round of the Chunin Exams would take place. Excitement radiated from all the gathering Genin. Most were nervous, though. Tense, even. And they had every reason to be. 
Training Ground 44 was known as the Forest of Death. It was bordered by a circular, fenced perimeter with forty-four locked gates. A river split the woods in two, and at the very heart stood a tower. No doubt the purpose was to traverse the dangers of the forest and arrive at that tower. But the threats that lurked amongst those thick trees were more menacing than anyone could imagine. Katana remembered them well from her own experience three years prior.