Naruto: The Crimson Error

18

 Chapter 18: The Forest of Chaos (and Possibly Death)

The sun had barely peeked over the horizon when Sora, Hanabi, and Sora's mysterious clone found themselves standing at the edge of the Forest of Death. The ominous trees loomed before them, their branches twisting like gnarled fingers reaching for the sky. A chorus of inhuman shrieks and growls emanated from the depths of the forest, causing several of the gathered Genin to shudder visibly.

Sora, however, was practically vibrating with excitement. His disguise as Taro, the unremarkable Genin, was in place, but his eyes sparkled with barely contained mischief.

"This is it, team!" he whispered to Hanabi (disguised as Yumi) and his clone (posing as the enigmatic Akira). "Our chance to prove ourselves and thin out the competition. Are you ready to make history?"

Hanabi, still recovering from the shock of Sora's revelation about his true motives during the written exam, could only manage a weak nod. The clone, true to its stoic persona, simply grunted and pulled out a book, pointedly ignoring everything around it.

As they waited for the exam to begin, Sora's mind raced with the information his mini-clone had gathered earlier. He had sent the tiny spy ahead to scout the other teams and their scroll types, as well as to map out the entry points. Now, armed with this knowledge, he felt like a chess master about to make his opening move.

"Alright, listen up, you little monsters!" Anko's voice cut through the nervous chatter of the Genin. She stood atop a wooden platform, grinning maniacally. "Welcome to Training Ground 44, better known as the Forest of Death. For the next five days, this lovely slice of hell will be your home, playground, and quite possibly your grave!"

She paused dramatically, clearly enjoying the looks of terror on many faces.

"Your objective is simple: Get two scrolls - Heaven and Earth - and make it to the tower in the centre of the forest. Half of you have Heaven scrolls, half have Earth. You need both to pass. Oh, and try not to die. Paperwork's a real pain when candidates don't make it out alive."

Sora snickered at Anko's cavalier attitude, earning him a sharp elbow in the ribs from Hanabi.

"Now," Anko continued, "before we begin, I need you all to sign these lovely little waivers. You know, just in case you get eaten by a giant tiger or fall into a pit of flesh-eating plants. Standard stuff, really."

As the waivers were passed around, Sora couldn't help but add his own flair to the proceedings. He pulled out a comically oversized quill and a bottle of what appeared to be glowing ink.

"Excuse me, Proctor-san," he called out, raising his hand. "Does it matter what colour we sign in? Because I brought my lucky sparkle ink, and I'd hate for my death waiver to be anything less than fabulous."

Anko blinked, momentarily thrown off her sadistic groove. "Uh... I guess not? Just sign the damn thing."

Sora beamed and proceeded to sign his waiver with a flourish, leaving behind a trail of glittering ink that seemed to change colours in the light. Several nearby Genin stared at him as if he had grown a second head.

"What?" Sora asked innocently. "If I'm going to get mauled by a bear, I want that bear to remember me as the shiniest meal it ever had!"

Hanabi facepalmed so hard she nearly broke her own nose.

Once all the waivers were signed (with varying degrees of reluctance and, in Sora's case, excessive enthusiasm), Anko directed each team to a different gate around the perimeter of the forest.

As they walked to their assigned entrance, Sora filled in his teammates on the intel he had gathered.

"Okay, here's the plan," he whispered. "There's only one team left from Takigakure. They've got an Earth scroll, which is perfect since we have Heaven. They're entering from Gate 12, about half a kilometre east of us."