Chapter 24

Sasuke didn't seem like him anymore.

"Sakura.....who did this to you...." Sasuke asked. 

"Who is it?!" He asked. He looked at his palm, his sharingan activated.

"Don't worry. On the contrary, strength is rapidly flowing in.......right now I feel fine, that guy gave it to me."

"Eh?"

"At last I understand...I'm an avenger. I will get my revenge even if I will go through the dark side. Now, Sakura! Tell me, who harmed you?!" Sasuke asked once more.

"It was me!" Zaku answered with a smug look. Boy you goin down-

Sasuke looked towards Zaku. Ino, Shikamaru and Choji hid in the bushes as Ino deactivated her jutsu.

Sasuke's curse mark spreaded even more.

"Dosu, this weak bastard is nothing to be afraid of!" Zaku said and began making hand signs.

"Stop Zaku! Don't you understand!?"

"Super Sonic Wave!" Zaku blasted at Sasuke as wind took over. Zaku panted while Sasuke wasn't in his field of sight.

"Heh, I guess he got blasted away." Zaku smirked.

"Who did." A voice behind him said and he knocked Zaku towards Dosu who whilst having a sleeping Akiko in his arms. He placed Akiko down and began making hand signs.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" The balls of fire raced towards Zaku who raised his hands.

"Don't get too cocky, i'll blow them off!" The wind blew the fire which revealed to be fire on shurikens. The Shuriken slashed Zaku.

"Zaku below you!" But it was too late. Sasuke was behind him, holding his hands ((￣y▽,￣)╭ ) and holding Zaku down with his feet. Sasuke smirked.

"It seems like you're proud of your arms... You!" Sasuke said and pushed him down more, trying to break his arms.

"S-stop it!" Zaku said in pain. Sasuke continued as Zaku's hand twisted and he fell, arms completely broken and passed out. Sasuke looked over at the only one standing now, Dosu.

"You're the only one left. You...." Sasuke began walking over to Dosu.

"Make it a little more fun for me..." His words dripped in malice. Dosu shook.

This isn't.............This isn't......Sasuke! Sakura thought as she began to cry.

"Sasuke." An angelic voice said as everyone looked to see who it was. Akiko stood there before Sasuke and looked at him. 

"Please, stop." Akiko said looking at Sasuke who looked at her with his sharingan. The curse mark retreated as Sasuke fell backwards. Akiko caught him. He began to pant heavily.

"You're strong." Dosu said and got out the earth scroll.

"Sasuke....We can't defeat you the way you are now. Please let us withdraw now." He setted down the scroll and picked up his comrades.

"We'll come back."

"Wait!" Sakura yelled.

"Who is this Orochimaru!? What did he do to Sasuke!? Why Sasuke?!" Sakura asked.

"...I don't know. We were given orders to make the hit on Sasuke." He answered truthfully and left. 

"Sasuke." Sasuke looked at Akiko who was smiling at him which eased him a little. 

-----------------

Akiko explained to team 7 as Sakura explained to her what happened. The three was shocked at Akiko's story. They were now going to spend the rest of the second exam together since both has already got the scrolls. The team currently is fishing for fish while Naruto had a bunch of clones get it. While Sasuke doing the cool way. Naruto emerges from the river.

"Get out of there, your scarring the fish away. Three isn't enough! Three more, usuratonkachi!" Sasuke said at the fuming Naruto who threw a tantrum.

"Sasuke! Naruto! We're ready!" Akiko yelled at the two. The four roasted their fish by the fire.

"It's been four days since the second exam started." Sasuke said.

"Yea"

"That's right."

"The start of the second exam was around three in the afternoon. We only have 25 or 26 hours left." He siad.

"There may already be some teams that have passed. That means..." Sakura said.

"For all we know....there may not be any heaven scrolls."

"What do you mean?" Akiko asked.

"Well, in this second exam....four of the five day time limit have passed already. So that means we've already used 80% of the total exam time. 79 people 29 teams. There are only 15 each of the Heaven and Earth scrolls. At most there are only 13 passing teams. Moreover, you remember don't you Sasuke. That the Orochimaru guy burned the heaven scroll we had. Which means that the teams that will pass had already decreased by one. Also, all of the other scrolls are not necessarily safe, so. . ."

"After we departed with the Leaf village bunch, we used two days for healing...So from here on, we have to increase the distance of our actions. At any rate, the last enemy is out last chance." Sasuke said and got up.

"I'm going to get water." Sasuke began to walk away.

"I have a good way for us to not fight the enemy!" Naruto said and began taking out other scrolls. Akiko began to walk away as the two talked. 

This should be around the time the guys woke up. She made a shadow eagle. 

"Lady." The eagle bowed. Akiko instructed her to go find Shota and Reiki and lead those guys here. The eagle nodded and disappeared. Akiko walked back to where the others were and saw Kabuto.

"Man, you're a lifesaver." Akiko said to Kabuto as she scolded Naruto for trying to open the scroll. 

"W-we're sorry." Sakura said.

"Those who ignored the rules are forced into the situation of having to drop out. In the previous exam, hypnotism jutsu formula was set up to get into the eyes of those who looked at the content of the scroll." Kabuto explained.

"Kabuto right? Are you coming for our scroll?" Sasuke asked and narrowed his eyes at Kabuto.

"It's not that I'm after your scroll."

"I guess so since if you didn't, you would go after Naruto. So what are you after?" 

"Nothing. I already have them both." Kabuto responded and took it out.

"I was heading over to the tower. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Kabuto began to walk away.

"Wait!" Sasuke yelled as Kabuto stopped in his tracks.

"Fight me" Sasuke said at Kabuto.

"Fight me, you say?" Kabuto said.

"S-sasuke-Kun."

"This idiot! What is he saying suddenly!?"

"Are you serious?" Kabuto asked. That's right. Thus telling only about what happened, Akiko left out the part that she has both the scrolls. She has known long enough that Sasuke was very competitive.

"Sorry, but we don't have anymore time." Sasuke said.

"Hey, Sasuke! Kabuto saved us!" Naruto said.

"Sasuke-kun, I don't know about that..." Sakura said, unsure.

"Shut up!" He said at Sakura.

"Sasu.......ke?"

"It can't be helped. I said it before too. This is all that can be done to survive through this forest now!"

"Hm......that's a lie." Kabuto said.

"lie?"

"your heart isn't totally in this as much as you're saying. If you could really become serious in this exam then.....why is it necessary to ask for a fight? You should jump on me at the moment I let guard down without going to the trouble of announcing it. That is.........a ninja." He said and lifted his glasses.

"I don't dislike that side of you. So I shall tell you the way you should go. However...I shall show you the way. We should get going. The smell of broiled fish in the fire smoke had reached a great distance. At this point we'll be marked by animals and........enemies." Team 7 jumped through vines and branches as they followed Kabuto.

"Are there really enemies out here?" Sasuke asked.

"Yea, no mistake. If you think about it a little, you'll understand. Do you know the cleverest way of fighting in battles in jungles and expansive forests such as this?" Kabuto asked.

"No.." Sakura said.

"The tower locates in the center of this forest, is the common goal for us test-takers. That means when the last day of the test is here... the area near that tower is the easiest place to gather scrolls." Kabuto said.

"I see, Ambush right?" Akiko said.

"In other words, we go after the scrolls of the teams that have both the Heaven and Earth scrolls and are setting out for other tower." Sakura said.

"That is 1/3 of the answer."

"Eh?"

"I mean that you guys are not the only ones thinking that! Near the tower, the same badgers have probably already set traps, so..."

"I see! that means there are lots of enemies waiting to ambush us! Heh, having a handicap gets me pumped! I'm looking forward to it!" Naruto said.

"No, this is still 2/3 of the answer!" Kabuto said.

"Then what's the rest of the answer?" Sakura asked.

"The collectors who are certain to appear during an exam of this nature."

"Collectors?"

"In this exam, with the tower just a stone's throw away, you can't rest easy...Those particular conditions are what create them. In other words, those who gather extra scrolls... as compensation for sparing them when coming across an unexpected enemy. Also, those who get information to proceed favorably through later exams by providing the lacking scrolls to comrades sharing the same village. And those who are thinking of, under conditions favorable to them, annihilating the powerful ones who will probably get through to the third exam. It goes without saying, but these guys are quite the big guns and the worst enemies." Kabuto said.

"I see. I understand the reason why you appeared before us." Sasuke said.

"hm...?"

"you're scared too, right?" He said.

"...

That's right..."