Here To Stay

Fucking Bitch

     Like Kakashi said, we reported to training ground forty-four at eight O’clock sharp.

    It was a large space that was cut off by a fence, blocking the forest behind it.

    There were quite a few people. I already knew my past academy classmates passed, along with Kabuto, Gaara’s team, and Lee’s. 

    “Welcome!” Anko’s firecracker voice cut through the murmur of the crowd.

    "This is training ground forty-four, or as we like to call it, the Forest of Death!”

   A collective gasp worked its way through the crowd and Anko smirked.

    I looked to the forest, it was eerily quiet. But it’s dark and mysterious name spoke for it.

    I turned to look for Naruto but he was nowhere to be found. 

   “Hey kid! Stop fooling around!” Anko yelled and I saw Naruto across the crowd.

     He was rubbing his neck and Konohamaru’s little team was standing next to him twiddling their thumbs.

    “This is serious, some of you might not come out.”

    A lull falls over the crowd before being replaced by an anxious whisper. Naruto pouted and put his hands on his hips.

  ‘Oh no!’ 

    “You’re not gonna scare me away! Believe it!”

   I slam my palm into my forehead. 

    “Oh really?” Anko’s voice dropped low and dangerous, a weirdly seductive twinge unerlaying it.

    Anko throws a kunai and it slices past Naruto, a light cut on his cheek.

    Panicking I make a run for him but stop short when Anko suddenly appears behind him. She looks at me briefly before returning her attention to Naruto.

    She leans in to whisper something in his ear and Naruto’s mouth drops.

    A woman from the crowd walks up to Anko, she wears a jingasa that conceals her face but not her silky black hair.

     I can’t tell what Village she is from because of the jingasa. Her clothes are simple except for a strange purple belt that looks like a fluffy rope.  

     Using her tongue she pushes a kunai into Anko's face, breaching her personal space.

     I cringe at the crazy long tongue and almost gag as the woman smiles.

     Anko cringes while she smiles in return and takes the kunai from the woman's tongue.

     The woman turned to walk away and as she walked past she glared at my obvious gawking.

     I cringed and broke out in a cold sweat at her venomous eyes. When the woman disappeared Anko went back to business. 

    “Before you can participate I need all of you to read and sign this consent form. Because of the obvious risk I need to be able to say I am not reliable for what happens in the forest.”

    She hands the pile of papers to Naruto to pass out.

    “Now, the rules are quite simple. This is to test your survival, wit, efficiency, and integrity. The area consists of a one-hundred and ninety-five miles. There is a tower on the east side of the forest, and a fence that surrounds the entire perimeter.”

   Anko holds up a map.

   “In this exam anything goes. There are only four rules. Each team will have one of the Earth or one of the heaven scrolls. You must bring your entire team and both of the scrolls to the tower in order to complete the exam. Your time will be up in five days. If you lose a member when you reach the tower or look at the scrolls before the tower, you will be disqualified. Now, each team will turn in their consent forms for a scroll and will be given a gate to enter the forest. And as a word of advice,”