Alright, so this idea has been one that I've wanted to do for some time now and finally got around to starting it (things have been hectic and I've been staying with a friend while I look for a new fucking apartment, so I may not be able to update as regularly as I want). It is based on Battle Royale, and follows similar concepts but I've obviously made some changes to it. If you know anything about Battle Royale, you know that it is a complete bloodbath and that there will be frequent character deaths because if it. I've decided to use some canon pairings, and a few non-canon as well. Pairings include NaruHina, SasuSaku, SaiINo, NejiTen, ShikaTema and a few others that aren't really as obvious or important. Sorry this chapter is so long but the next won't be like that. I just had to add a bunch of details and didn't want to skimp out on anything or stretch it over two chapters.

Game of Death

Chapter 1

"Ya know, it's about time they let us go on a school trip," seventeen year-old Uzumaki Naruto said to his friend as they boarded the school bus. "Way better than sitting in a boring class room all day. It's like they're trying to kill us with all the work they've been giving out." He rolled up his coat sleeves to his elbows, being too lazy to simply take it off. The teenager was dressed in the standard Konoha High male uniform, which consisted of a short-sleeved white button-up shirt, black slacks, and a red plaid tie. He wore black and white sneakers on his feet, as the school district tended not to care about the type of footwear the students donned.

Uchiha Sasuke quirked an eyebrow incredulously. "That's the whole point of school, you idiot."

The blond male rolled his eyes and plunked his ass down on a seat, loosening his tie a bit. "Whatever, it's still annoying. Hey, where are you going?"

Sasuke glanced at him with mild irritation as he went further towards the back. "I'm going to sit with Sakura."

Naruto sighed as the raven-haired boy headed towards the back of the bus to join his girlfriend, Haruno Sakura. "I forgot that he and Sakura-chan started dating. Now who the hell am I going to talk to during this stupid bus ride?" He looked around the bus for a potential companion.

Most of the students had already boarded and were sitting with their friends. Sakura was with Sasuke, while Ino was happily chatting away next to Sai. Shikamaru was seated beside Temari, Neji was paired with Tenten, and Gaara was next to a girl named Matsuri. Geez, it's all couples... Kiba passed Naruto and plopped down next to a girl named Shion, whom looked rather annoyed to have the brunette sitting beside her. She'd transferred to the school about three months prior, keeping a cold and distant demeanor towards most people she encountered. The only duo left that was not a couple were Chouji and Lee, the latter giving out intense workout suggestions to the other male. Chouji seemed not to be listening as he ate from his bag of potato chips. Every now and again he nodded to make Lee think he was actually taking him seriously.

"U-um, N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto turned his head to see Hyuga Hinata standing in the aisle right next to his seat. "Oh, hey, Hinata. I didn't even see you there."

The indigo-haired girl shyly gazed at him with her pale lavender eyes, her face a light shade of red. She was dressed in the female version of the Konoha High uniform, which had a few similarities to its male counterpart. Duplicating the style, the girls' version consisted of a short-sleeved white button-up blouse and a red plaid tie. However, replacing the black pants were red plaid pleated skirts that matched their ties, and black thigh highs. Hinata had on a pair of shiny black ballet flats, opting against wearing heels like some of her friends. Although some of the girls had blazers, today she'd decided against wearing hers due to the mild weather. "I was w-wondering...um..." Hinata's voice trailed off as she lost her nerve to go through with whatever it was she was trying to say. "I-I'm sorry. N-never mind."

"Hinata, wait. Do you want to sit next to me?" Naruto asked the blushing girl with a smile. "It would be pretty boring if we sat alone, right? Now we'll have each other to talk to."

Hinata looked at him with surprise. "Y-you wouldn't mind?"

"Why would I mind? C'mon, sit down." Noticing that she was still hesitant, the blond male gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her down so that she was sitting beside him on the seat. "I promise I don't bite," he remarked jokingly, causing the poor girl to blush even more.

With all of the students boarded, the bus began to depart from the school en route of their destination. The only thing that Naruto found strange was the fact that none of their teachers were present. They must be taking a different bus, Naruto absently thought to himself as they pulled out of the parking lot. Or maybe their own cars...

The first thirty minutes of the ride seemed to go by as normally as anyone could expect, with moderate traffic that seemed to lighten up as they continued on their way. The bus was filled with lively chatter, though a few of the students were content with quietly playing with their phones or reading. Naruto conversed with Hinata, though he did most of the talking while she patiently listened to one ridiculous story after another. Even if she didn't add much to the discussion, Naruto enjoyed her company nonetheless. She seemed to be the only person he could talk to without getting annoyed with him.

The bus ventured further away from the city, the road leading through more rural-like areas. Fewer cars passed them, gradually becoming less and less as the vehicle continued on its path. Naruto gazed out the window for a minute, frowning a bit as he scanned the area. This didn't seem like the way they should've been going. It came off as a bit too isolated in his opinion. Then again, he didn't even know the exact location they were heading to to begin with. He was probably just over-analyzing the situation.

"So, this other time," he began once again, shifting his gaze back to Hinata. However, he went silent when he realized that the girl had dozed off next to him, her body lightly pressed up against his. "Hinata?" Naruto suddenly realized just how tired he suddenly felt, his energy just deteriorating within seconds. Where the hell had that come from?

There was a bump in the road, causing the bus to bounce slightly. Hinata began to topple over from the impact, but Naruto quickly grabbed hold of her, wrapping his arms around her. In a bit of a shocked state, he began to look around to the surrounding seats in the bus. His other friends had all appeared to have drifted off into sleep just as Hinata had. He hadn't even noticed that the bus had gone completely silent until now.

What the hell is going on? Naruto wondered numbly to himself, his blue eyes scanning over to the bus driver. The last thing he saw right before he passed out was the gas mask covering the driver's face.

Two hours later

Naruto let out a pained groan, slowly realizing that he was lying on a hardwood floor. His head ached dully, and he dragged himself up onto a sitting position. Just where the hell was he? The room he was in looked almost like a barren classroom, as there was a single desk in it for what would've been supplied for the instructor. A computer with a keyboard and mouse were the only items on top of the desk. There were no other seats or desks, but Naruto quickly realized that there were several other people sprawled on the floor around him. They were the other students from his class, as well as quite a few he didn't recognize.

"What the...?" Naruto trailed off, unable to finish a coherent sentence as he looked around, stunned.

Some of the others had begun to stir about as well, and Sasuke groggily sat up. His look of confusion quickly changed to that of horror as he, too, realized the situation. "What the hell?" he growled, scanning the classroom suspiciously. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea," Naruto mumbled, noticing that Hinata was lying on her side a few feet away from him. He moved over to her, then gently turned her over onto her back. "Hinata, are you-" Naruto went quiet when he noticed a strange metal collar around the girl's neck. He frowned, lightly brushing his fingers over it. "What the fuck is this?" His hands went up to where his own neck one, realizing that he was wearing one of those devices as well. Everyone was.

Hinata stirred, slowly regaining consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed that Naruto was gazing down at her with concern. "N-Naruto-kun?" she murmured softly. "What's going on?" She tried to get up, wincing from the soreness her body felt.

"I wish I knew," Naruto replied listlessly, helping her up into a sitting position. "We're all wearing these weird collars, too..."

Hinata's eyes went wide, her hands immediately feeling around her neck area to feel the cold metal against her fingers. The collar was snug around her neck without being overly tight, and it only covered the base of her neck, leaving the rest exposed.

"Where the hell are we?" Kiba snarled as he also came to. He stumbled over to the door and tried to open it, discovering it to be locked. "Hey! Open this damn door!" He pounded against it out of desperation. "Let us out of here! Shit!" He stormed away from it, running a hand through his unruly brown hair.

By now everyone else was regaining consciousness, many of the students panicking when they realized the situation. As if waking up in an unfamiliar and empty classroom wasn't bad enough, the metal collars fitted around their necks made the situation that much more terrifying. The room was void of any windows, and a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling provided little light. The locked door was the only way in and out of the room.

"What happened?" Sakura asked anxiously. "Why are we in this room?"

"I thought we were going on a class trip," Ino whimpered, moving closer to Sai. "But we all passed out on the bus and wound up here."

Naruto looked around at the teenagers he didn't recognize, wondering why there were students from other schools. Although the majority of the room consisted of his friends, there were nine students he didn't didn't know. They were also wearing the collars as well, making it obvious that whatever had happened to Naruto and his classmates had also happened to them.

"Somebody planned this," Neji muttered, as if reading Naruto's thoughts. "I thought it was strange when none of our teachers boarded the bus with us, but didn't think much of it. That driver used something to knock us all out, then brought us all here. It was a set-up."

"Very good, Hyuga-san. As perceptive as ever, I see." Uchiha Madara was standing in one of the doorways, clearly amused by startled group of high schoolers. They hadn't even noticed that the door had been unlocked and opened. "It's so nice to see you all again."

"Uchiha-Sama," Tenten murmured in shock as she gazed at their former headmaster. "What are we doing here? And why are you here, too?"

Madara sighed a bit as he entered the room, followed by a dozen heavily armed guards. They looked more like a S.W.A.T. team than anything else, and each of them were carrying at least two backpacks. The packs were tossed into a pile in the front of the room beside the desk, and the guards lined up against one of the walls without a word. Their faces were concealed behind their armored helmets, and all of them were also armed with several weapons, including riot guns.

"What the fuck is this shit?" A silver-haired male muttered.

"I don't like this," a redheaded girl with black glasses whimpered. "Why are we in this room? And what's with those guards and-"

"Patience," Madara lightly cut her off. "I am about to give a brief explanation of why you are all gathered in this room today and how your lives will be affected by this little game I've arranged for you to participate in."

Naruto glowered at him. "A game? What the hell do you mean by that!? We're wearing these weird collars and there's a damn S.W.A.T. team in the room! What kind of sick game do you have in mind?"

"Alway so impatient, Uzumaki-san. I told you that I'm going to fill you in on what is going to happen, but I expect you to be quiet and listen carefully while I do so. The less unnecessary outbursts, the more smoothly this will all go. Now, if you don't mind, please refrain from speaking until I am finished with this explanation," Madara said stoically.

"This is insane," Kiba muttered as he fruitlessly tugged at his collar.

Madara sighed, choosing to ignore him. "Today, twenty-five students from three different schools have been selected to participate in a game that I have taken the liberty of arranging. You have each been fitted with special collars that are impossible to remove without this key," he explained, holding up a small, silver key. "As you can see, they cover only the lower portion of your neck, leaving the rest of your neck exposed and unprotected. They are specifically designed to make sure that this all goes the way it is intended. Once the game begins, you will be sent out through this door with one of those backpacks and directed to a remote area outside, which stretches about two miles. The area is fenced off by electric wires, which will react with your collars if you try to escape by climbing over them. By touching those, you will be shocked by approximately 35,000 volts of electricity, so trying to escape is useless and will only guarantee your death." As he spoke, the students gaped at him with shock, barely processing the words he was relaying to them. "Once everyone is inside the enclosed area, the game begins. You have exactly six hours to kill off the rest of the students until only one of you remains alive. Each of those backpacks contain a compass, a map of the area, a canteen of water, and a small bag of food. It will also contain a special item that ranges anywhere from a useful weapon to a something as useless as a paper fan. You are allowed to steal weapons from each other, which will probably be your only hope of survival. If more than one person is still alive after the twelve hours have passed, your collars detonate and there will be no victor. Just an area full of dead high school students. Those collars also have an added feature where I can keep track of who is dead or still alive. I will make an announcement every few hours to report who has been killed within that time frame, and I will also let the winner know when they are the last one left. If there is a winner in the end," he added with a cruel smirk.

Naruto gawked at him. "Y-you're kidding, right?"

"We have to kill each other off...?" Temari's voice trailed off.

"But...but why are we here? What did we do?" Sakura demanded.

"I have my reasons," Madara replied in a cold, uncaring tone. "There's really no sense in telling you, but since I'm in a generous mood, I will let you in on why you students were selected to participate in this game." He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "It was because of your actions one year ago that has led you to find yourself here today. As you all know, Japan is in a state where unemployment is at an all-time high, and violence among the nation's youth is spiraling out of control. Students have been boycotting their classes, and in some cases, teachers have been assaulted by such unruly children. I was one of those whom was attacked, which led me to resign from my position as Konoha High's headmaster."

Sasuke glared at him. "But we didn't attack you!"

"Even if it wasn't you who personally assaulted me, you were still part of the group that boycotted their classes," Madara pointed out.

"We were boycotting against one of the teachers who had molested a few of the students but had gotten away with it," Ino defensively snapped back at him. "You allowed that man too keep his job even after it was proved that-"

"There was no proof," the older man cut her off. "Only rumors and speculation. So your acts of rebellion were completely unjustified. Other school districts have had been facing similar problems with students' violent outbursts. So I took it upon myself to introduce a solution for this animalistic behavior among the youth. It forces a group of students to fight each other to the death, and the act dictates that only one student is allowed to survive the punishment. He or she will return, not as the victor per say, but as the ultimate proof that there will be order to control the juvenile disobedience. Since you were some of my students, I decided to choose your class in particular, under the ruse of a school trip. It worked perfectly, I must say."

"Why the fuck are we here, then?" A girl with reddish pink hair snapped."If you have a vendetta against some of your old students, why the hell are we here, too? I don't fucking know you from a hole in the wall, so what are we getting dragged into this for?"

"Which leads me to our next explanation," Madara continued, not bothered by her outburst. "There are sixteen students from Konoha High participating in this game. There are also nine other students from two other high schools that will take part in this activity, since I know that the Konoha High students wouldn't willingly kill off their friends even under these pretenses. I needed some other students to shake things up and make the game more interesting. They were chosen to participate in today's challenge for a reason as well."

"The fuck do you mean by that, Dickhead?" The silver-haired teenager snarled indignantly.

Madara smiled thinly. "While Konoha High is a typical public High School, the other two aren't the case. Out of these nine extra participants, four of them come from The Sound Institution. It is a high school specially designed for troubled teenagers."

Three out of the four Sound students were female, each of them wearing identical school uniforms consisting of blue shirts, blue pleated skirts, and tan blazers. They wore white knee-high socks and plain brown shoes. One of the girls had long raven hair that she kept out of her face with a tan headband, and dark brown eyes. The second was a girl had dark red hair that was pin-straight on her left side and spiked out quite a bit on her right side. Her equally red eyes gazed at the others with unease from behind thick-rimmed black glasses. The pink-haired girl who had sworn at Madara was the third female of the group. Although she was shorter than the other two, she looked the angriest and most vicious of the trio. The fourth student from The Sound Institution was a boy with spiky black hair. Like the girls, he wore a blue shirt, tan blazer, and brown shoes. In place of the skirt was a pair of blue slacks. His face was rather unemotional, but there was a darkness within the depths of his listless eyes. It wasn't difficult to see why these students belonged in a school for troubled teens.

"The other five students come from The Akatsuki Academy. It is more or less of a reform-type school, where teens who have committed acts of violence can have a second chance. Some are in for more petty crimes, such as stealing, while others are in for something much more serious. It is somewhat of a juvenile detention center for teens, but the rules are slightly different and somewhat more lenient," Madara explained.

Unlike Sound, which was primarily female, Akatsuki Academy was a male-dominant group consisting of four guys and one girl. The male students wore dark gray slacks with matching uniform shirts with high collars. The silver-haired teen kept his shirt open, revealing a light blue t-shirt underneath it. Although he had initially argued with Madara, he didn't seem too distraught about the situation. If anything, a bit of excitement was evident within his dark violet eyes. The second male had spiky red hair and several piercings in his face and ears. His ringed, purple eyes looked rather unemotional, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. There was a blond boy with a ponytail, the left side of his face partially covered by his hair and making only one of his gray-colored eyes visible. The fourth boy had red hair and light brown eyes that gazed out of an otherwise bored-looking face. The only girl of the group wore a gray blazer with a matching pleated skirt, and a light blue blouse. Black knee-highs and high heeled black ankle boots completed her attire. Her light blue hair was adorned with a white flower, and her eyes were a dark amber color.

"As such, those nine students were picked to help this game move along, seeing how they're more aggressive. There are no rules in this game. How you obtain a weapon or kill an opponent does not matter. The only thing that truly matters is making sure that you're the only one left standing," Madara told them.

"This is bullshit!" Kiba growled, taking a step forward. "How do we know that these collars are even actually rigged? I think you're just trying to mess with us!"

"Oh, so you think I'm bluffing?" Madara quirked an eyebrow.

The brunette gave him a challenging glare. "Damn right I do."

"Interesting. Then you shouldn't feel this, then," the former headmaster mused.

All of a sudden, Kiba felt his entire body receive a sudden shock, causing him to scream and fall to his knees, twitching violently.

"Kiba!" Naruto rushed over to him as their other friends gaped at him with horror. "Hey, are you alright!?"

"He'll be fine," Madara answered for him, gesturing briefly at the screen. "It wasn't enough to seriously hurt him. Just enough to prove that I am not, in fact, lying about the effectiveness of these collars. I have complete control of your collars by using this computer and manipulating them when needed. Now that I've explained the game play to you, it is time for us to start moving this along. I will call each of you by first name alphabetically, and as I call your name, you are to take any of the backpacks and then form a line next to the door. Anyone who refuses will be shocked the first time they disobey, and then killed on spot the second time. I don't believe in third chances. The collars are numbered accordingly to where your name falls in the alphabet, though the boys' runs off a separate system than the girls', so each gender is numbered accordingly. Time to get started."

The teenagers stared at him warily, glancing over at the pile of backpacks and then to the armed guards. They could try to resist all they, but if they wished to leave that room alive, they had no choice but to listen to him. The punishment that Kiba had received proved it.

"Boy Number One, Chouji," Madara said, calling the first student.

The chubby male bristled, cautiously walking over to the pile of backpacks. He fumbled one, nearly dropping it, then shakily walked to the door. His body was trembling, as he was absolutely petrified.

"Boy Two, Deidara."

The blond male from The Akatsuki Academy took one of of packs and joined Chouji in the line.

"Boy Three, Gaara," Madara continued, watching as the redheaded male followed the orders. "Boy Four, Hidan."

The silver-haired male from Akatsuki lazily grabbed one of the book bags and stepped in line next to Gaara with a disgruntled sigh.

"Girl Number One, Hinata," the Uchiha announced.

Swallowing nervously, Hinata reluctantly went over to the pile of backpacks and chose one, her hand shaking as she grabbed it. She stood beside Hidan, too terrified to look up at him. Hidan glanced down at her with interest, clearly enjoying the fear written all over her pretty face.

Naruto glowered at Hidan, not liking the way the guy was leering at Hinata. His hands clenched into fists and he took a step forward, only for Sasuke to put his hand on his shoulder and shake his head. Naruto growled, but stayed back, as he would probably get shocked if he tried anything. Regardless, he would make sure to look for Hinata the second he got the chance. He didn't want to think about what would happen if that silver-haired bastard found her first.

"Girl Two, Ino." Madara paused to let the blonde female take a bag. "Girl Three, Karin." He waited for the Sound student with the glasses to line up with the others. "Boy Five, Kiba."

Kiba trudged over and grabbed a bag, not daring to act up again. His body was filled with a slightly painful tingling sensation that he hoped would wear off soon enough.

"Girl Four, Kin." The raven-haired girl from Sound came up and joined the line after taking a backpack. "Girl Five, Konan." This time, the blue-haired girl from Akatsuki stepped forward. "Boy Six, Lee." The bushy-browed male anxiously picked up a bag and quietly took his place in line. "Girl Six, Matsuri," Madara continued. A girl with short brown hair hesitantly followed suit and stood beside Lee. "Boy Seven, Naruto."

Naruto reluctantly took one of the backpacks from the pile, casting a hateful glare at Madara. He restrained himself from attacking the man, instead taking his place as next in line. He's not going to get away with this, he angrily thought to himself. I'll be damned if I let that happen.

"Boy Eight, Neji." Madara waited for the serious teen to select a bag. "Boy Nine, Pein." The red-haired male with the piercings stepped forward and took a pack. "Boy Ten, Sai."

Sai cast a glance at Ino, as if trying to reassure the worried girl. He picked up a backpack and stood beside Pein.

"Girl Seven, Sakura," the former headmaster continued.

The pink-haired female shakily walked over to the diminishing pile of book bags and grabbed one. She nervously looked over at Sasuke, whom was convinced that he would be called next.

"Boy Eleven, Sasori," Madara announced instead, calling the bored redhead from Akatsuki. "Boy Twelve, Sasuke. So nice to see each other again, isn't it, Sasuke?"

Sasuke angrily picked one of the bags, his dark eyes locking with Madara's. "Go to hell." They might've been related, but Sasuke didn't consider that bastard as part of his family.

Madara smirked, then resumed his task. "Boy Thirteen, Shikamaru." The male with the spiky ponytail begrudgingly took a backpack and stepped in line. "Girl Nine, Shion." A blonde girl who looked somewhat similar to Hinata took one of the remaining bags and joined the line. "Girl Nine, Tayuya." The fuming pinkette from Sound Institution snatched up a backpack. "Girl Ten, Temari." Madara waited for a femalel with four pigtails to make her selection. "Girl Eleven, Tenten." A brunette with her hair tied up in twin buns assumed her position in line after taking one of the last two bags.

"And Boy Twelve, Zaku," Madara finished, summoning the raven-haired male from Sound. "Now that everyone's been introduced and received a backpack, it is time for this game to commence. After you leave this room, you will guided through a gated area that has over a dozen paths that leads into the play area. Once everyone is within that confined location, the gates will seal and remain locked until there is a winner. You will notice that the paths veer off into several directions to lead you away from one another. It wouldn't be much fun if you all just wound up in the same spot for an all-out death match. It is a game, after all. After all of you enter that area, your only chance of survival is to take down anyone who stands in your way. As I said before, you have only six hours to finish the game. Once time is up, the collars will detonate if there is no victor by then. Your battle of life and death starts now. Go."

The door opened and the line of students hurried out of the room and headed towards the 'play area' as Madara had nonchalantly referred to it. They passed through the various openings in the gates, ushered by the guards to veer off in different directions. Naruto desperately looked around for Hinata as he entered the designated location. He had to make sure he found her no matter what. And fast.

From inside the confined briefing room, Madara smirked to himself as he watched the participants on his screen spread out throughout the game area. Each 'player' was indicated with a red dot with the student's name on it. An 'X' would appear beside the name in the event the player died. Which will commence shortly, Madara gleefully thought to himself.

"Let the game begin..."

Sorry for the long-ass chapter, but I didn't want to split it up into two parts just for the into. A bit boring, but it will pick up pretty soon. On that note, please review and hopefully I can get the next chapter out in a week or so.