Kakashi's Teammate, the Lightning Goddess

The Chunin Exams: P.2

*edited*

Chapter 15: The Chunin Exams: P.2

                I stepped forward first. “Okay, I’d like to start with the objective of the exam. You and your team are going to work together to try and collect both a Heaven and an Earth scroll.” I held up both scrolls, showing them what they looked like. “When you’ve done that, head for the tower in the center. You have five days to complete this mission.”

                “Five days?!” Naruto yelled, shocked.

                “What’ll we do for food?” Choji Aburame cried. I wasn’t surprised; he was a bit on the chubby side.

                “There’s plenty of food in the forest, if you know where to look.”

                “Okay, but you haven’t told us the rules,” Temari objected. She’d been giving me a slightly strange look since the beginning, but I suspected that it was because I had been so insistent on seeing Gaara before. Speaking of Gaara, the redhead had also kept his green eyes trained on me insistently, no matter who was talking. I tried not to let it unnerve me.

                “That’s the fun part,” Anko said, smirking. “There are no rules!”

                “What?!”

                “You may do whatever you’d like to get these two scrolls,” she said. “Try not to kill anyone, but if it comes down to that, then…” She held up a stack of forms. “Sign these. You, blondie, come and pas these out.”

                She handed the papers to Naruto, who, for once, did as he was told. Sakura was not so easily sold.

                “What are they for?”

                “This way,” said Anko, smiling like a snake looks at its prey, “we’re not responsible for your death!”

                The Genin all shivered at her words and expression, but signed the papers anyway. Anko tapped my shoulder and led me to the nearby booth, where we both began to record which team had which scroll. Team Seven received an Earth scroll. I smiled at them as they passed, and Naruto gave me a thumbs-up. Sasuke winked.

                Once every team had gotten their scrolls, they all chose a gate. Anko raised her voice and shouted, “Ready, set… BEGIN!”

                The gates shot open, and every team disappeared into the dark forest.

                “Well, looks like it’s your turn to shine,” Anko said to me, and I smiled at her.

                “I guess so… see you later,” I waved and leapt over the fence.  

***

                Everything had been fine until a couple of days later, when I sensed an immense chakra spike. I had just been watching over Gaara’s horrifying use of power, and at first, I thought that perhaps it was Naruto or Gaara releasing their power, but then I realized that this chakra was not familiar. It wasn’t only a stranger to me, but it felt bad.

                I immediately set off toward it. Flying had been out-ruled from the beginning because I couldn’t see anything above the cover of the trees, and flying in the trees was… well, rather difficult. My poor wings.