Dangerous Bond

Part 9

The genin had all managed to complete the compulsory jutsu in under a day, feeling extremely proud of themselves. Especially Naruto, his teammate's had underestimated him but he pulled through for them and worked his hardest.

The bear had been their first kill and though the genin acted mostly on instinct at the time, the reality of their situation was starting to kick in. They had made their first kill, albeit an animal. They were stuck in a forest with all kinds of deathly creatures for a month and it was soon time for them to split up which made all this so much harder. The trio had worked near perfect with each other in killing the bear and now they had to face creatures perhaps worse than that all on their own.

The thought alone was frightening and the action itself was simply terrifying but somewhere in the genin, they felt bravery and strength, the courage to take on the test and prove themselves worthy of team 7 - But the fear truly did outweigh some features.

The three stood in their sphere and took a deep breath. They had studied the instructions of their own jutsu's for hours beforehand and finally felt ready to go out and practice it.

Before heading out, the genins had exchanged notes and some advice informing them how to survive to which the team eagerly took in.

They said their goodbyes and slowly disembarked on their own adventurous month of hell and leaped away in opposite directions.

Sakura had been afraid she may never escape this nightmare and only wished she would see her family and friends again but knew if she ever did survive, she wouldn't be the same. No matter what any of them could do, at the end of this month, they would all be different. Exposed to new experiences, to the reality and cruelty of Mother Nature.

Sasuke held his confident stride until his teammates were out of sight before sagging his shoulders. He wished the best of luck to his comrades, they had become the closest thing he had to family and he'd hate to see that killed off too.

Sasuke's relationship with team 7 was strange, he felt hatred toward the team, annoyance and really any other negative emotions but in a way, they also filled a hole he had kept empty and guarded for so long, without him even knowing it. It made him angry to be tricked like so, but the feeling had washed away the anger and filled him with warmth. He felt happy, for the first time in a long time. But though this life was a peaceful and happy life he lived, it'd soon change. Not only because he still needed to avenge his clan but because by the end of this month, he would truly be exposed to the real world. The bear would be his first kill but his first human kill would come soon enough and even though it sickened the boy thinking about taking an innocent life just as Itachi had done. He needed to become stronger, for his clan. That said, he pumped more strength into his legs and ran faster to a secure location where he could set up camp and start training.

Naruto had been completely lost from the second he turned his back. He too had leaped away but without any sense of direction whatsoever. The boy was clumsy and left marks wherever he went, easily letting any hunting animal zero in on his position.

The blonde had found a quaint little lake with a small island in the middle and a tree leaning against the air on it.

He had gathered wood, sticks, and grass beforehand and swam over to the island, hauling the supplies high above his head. Strangely, he felt movement against his legs for a moment but left it to his imagination playing with him and stepped onto the island.