From the Ashes

𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔...𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒔.

Training ground 44...Known to most in the village as the Forest of Death.

Death was in the air.The musky smell, the hot temperature and the feeling of dread spelled out death perfectly. Any ninja knew that this feeling meant to get the hell out of the area and hide. Despite the constant insults, they wanted him to stay in the blissful embrace of darkness. Of course Naruto would not have that and used his willpower to open his eyes and take in the natural darkness surrounding him.

The Forest of Death had been a five day exhibition for the likes of Team 11,headed by a girl on a mission.As soon as they were released into the fenced off forest they'd sought out Team 8,pairing up them to make their way through the forest for the other half to their scrolls:Team 8 had Earth,and 11 Heaven.

They'd headed the first day seeking and destroying whichever team had the corresponding scrolls,thanks to Hinata's Byakugan and Shino's beetles.

The second day was mostly uneventful other than the Genin team that had tried to assault their camp in the middle of the night.Haku had quickly demonstrated their failings with a few hundred ice senbon,securing an extra Earth scroll in turn.Whichever village they were from Saryn cared not to remember.

Now the six-man force sailed through the forest shortly after their breakfast of wild snakes and alligator meat...When they'd gotten a callout from the Hyuuga princess.

Team 7 was in trouble.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Saryn had been occupied in thought for the entirety of the four days that had passed in the forest,obsessed with the image of the Kusa-nin that kept residence in the corner of her eye.

The woman was much older looking than the rest of the genin in the exam room,and had much more chakra than anyone else in the room outside of herself and the resident tailed beast sacrifices.It wasn't a simple matter of being more advanced or developed than the rest of her peers that had caught her eye.

It was the obsession with the boy next to her.The woman's hadn't even picked up her pencil for god sake! Nobody in the world could desire to stare at the Uchiha for so long that they'd be willing to throw away their chance at becoming a chunin, not even Sakura...And that tongue she had,the elongated pink organ that slitted from side to—-FUCK!

She wanted to curse herself for being so air headed.That had to be the spy! They were targeting the Uchiha this entire time!

The whole time she'd been in her thoughts,she didn't quite make out the extra-large snake that had reared to ambush their team.

A lone shout of "SARYN! MOVE!" had shook her out of her stupor,mouth agape at the brown snake that had charged towards her,maw open and ready to swallow her.At least,that had been her assumption before she'd been blown away by the funnel of wind that escaped its mouth...She quickly hardened her bones in anticipation of the crash landing,cratering the ground as she'd fallen to the forest floor from the grand oaks above.

The Kaguya rose,watching the snake approach once more,forked tounge on display.She decided that the creature had to be disposed of immediately, and began racing through a very familiar set of handseals,so much so that the mere clap of her hands at the end was enough to keep her teammates from intervening.

Inhaling,her stomach swelled with water-converted chakra as she eyed the serpent ahead."Water Release:Water Severing Wave!" The high pressure stream of water had been overloaded with her chakra, making the water into an effective laser beam that sliced the innards of the snake into pieces,shaving the leaves off of the huge trees in her sweeping path.