INCARNATE OF OBITO UCHIHA

Chapter 23: Revelations

(Time- T minus 72 hours before the end of Second Phase)

Team Ten stumbled into the Center Tower of the Forest of Death, covered in cuts and bruises, and bandages peeking from beneath their clothes. They had survived the second task and had made it to the tower on the morning of the third day. They would've been happy about passing the second test, if it weren't for the fact that they had been through hell to reach here.

If it had only been the nightmarish creatures of Forest of death as well as the usual combat situations that one would expect during a survival test, then Team Ten wouldn't be questioning their sanity after this whole ordeal. But honestly, between being outsmarted by Sakura to helping out Team Seven against mutant hostile shinobis -and getting beaten by them too- and then one of them was taken as a hostage and then they were knocked out. And if they had thought that everything would make sense when they wake up, then they were dead wrong. When they woke up from their unplanned nap, they had found themselves staring at Team Seven huddled in a corner -Naruto and Sasuke fretting around an exasperated, bandaged-like-a-mummy Sakura (A/N: He really wondered if he was hit in the head hard enough to actually see right half of Sakura's body engulfed in shadows -or was it actually real and some sort of side effect of a jutsu gone wrong?)- who were ignoring the dead bodies of their hostile enemies on the ground with practiced ease. It was a little disturbing sight for Team Ten, and they would have felt unsettled by it, if not for the fact that they had to deal with an overly protective Naruto and 'medic-mode' Sasuke the next moment.

So yeah, forgive them for not being too enthused over passing the second stage of the Chunin Exams when they've been literally been through hell and back.

Especially when they had to deal with the likes of a passive-aggressive Naruto and "I''m-so-done-with-this-shit" Sasuke right after that...

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.

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Naruto walked towards Team Ten carrying a medical kit while they were watching Sasuke mutter curses under his breath-some that made Ino blush in embarrassment and horror- while his glowing green hands tried to heal Sakura's overly damaged body that was covered in bandages that peaked from beneath her tattered clothes. It was quite unusual to watch the antisocial Uchiha -who had never even looked at them in acknowledgement even once when they were in the Academy- worrying over his teammate's health and acting like a mother hen in general.

"Is it just me or Sasuke really is acting like a mother hen?" Choji asked distractedly, too engrossed in the strange scene unfolding before him to even eat something like he usually would.

"In that case we're having the same dream, Choji." Shikamaru said dryly.

Ino stuttered, "I never thought I'd actually see the day when Sasuke would be so..... so-"

"-Social?" Naruto offered and then chuckled sheepishly when their eyes fell on him. "Yeah, I know what you mean, dattebayo. But then again, anyone who had been through what we had been through these past months would've mellowed out too."

Team Ten shared a look. They didn't know what to say anymore. Should they be horrified over the fact that Sasuke is being social, or disturbed seeing Naruto actually speaking something sensible for once in his life.

Naruto placed the medical kit he was carrying next to them and said, "Why don't you guys start explaining what had actually happened for Sakura to end up in this state-" he then eyed their battered forms and added on, "-and you all to be so deeply wounded, while I bandage your wounds?" he then said apologetically, "Teme would normally heal you with Healing jutsu but considering Sakura's condition is quite grave, she is our first priority so it isn't possible."