Ayo, NarutoPlug back at it and I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW I BEEN GONE FOR A WHILE. LET ME EXPLAIN!

Ok, so just say this now, I've had this chapter finished for a couple of months-like five. The only reason why I didn't update it is because I found another 'hobby' of mine that I feel I can take far in my life. It ain't nothing bad, ya heard? Its safe and I feel like this is 'hobby' of mine is my calling in life. I've been so focused on that for so long that I just lost interest in Fanfiction… We'll not actually Fanfiction but my story on Fanfiction. I would still read stories everyday during my down time, I just didn't feel like updating my own story because I knew it would distract me from bettering my talents.

So yeah, that's my reason. If you still mess wit ya boy, good. If not, I understand. It's just that Fanfiction isn't as important to me anymore.

I'll still update my story, but it won't be consistent. Maybe once a month. I'll try to give you all something. My typing and editing has improved and I hope to show that in my story telling.

One thing I do want to clear up tho. Some people didn't understand why or how did Team Guy end up with a Heaven scroll at the end of the battle between Team Guy and Team 7. I'm here to explain what happened.

So, do you remember when Tenten was playing tug-a-war with the shadow hand with Natsumi, fighting over the Earth Scroll Tenten had in her pouch? Well, that's when I decided to put the extra scroll that Team 7 had into Tenten's pouch. Natsumi isn't a heartless person(at times), so she gave Team Guy what they didn't need anymore.

But yeah, enough with the explaining, time to get on with the story.

Cursed Chakra

Chapter 9

Forest of Death

Natsumi Uzumaki Namikaze and her team stood only yards away from her sister, Mito Uzumaki Namikaze and her team. Natsumi's scowl steadily increased in size as she took in the smirk on her older sister's face. Even though Natsumi wanted to smack that disgusting grin off her, she wasn't going to risk a fight when it could have been avoided.

" What do you want?" she said through clenched teeth.

" Nothing much." The older redhead stated without a care. " This exam is so boring. Me and my team were trying to find so type of entertainment before we arrived to the tower, but couldn't find any.." her half-lidded eyes and ever growing smirk gave her a sly, mischievous look. "…until now, that is."

" Look, we don't want any trouble." Said Sasuke, stepping into the conversation. " Just let us pass. Go find your entertainment somewhere else."

" Oh, hello there, Sasuke-kun…" Mito said seductively, causing a shiver to go through Sasuke's body as he looked at Mito's eyes. " Miss me? I know I have."

" Stop talking to him and leave! Now!" shouted Natsumi. Her anger was noticeably getting bigger as she started to leak out a small amount of KI.

" Imoto, such hostility." Cried out Mito in fake hurt. " What have I ever done to you?"

" So this is your sister." Said Suigestu making himself known to Team 7. He examined Natsumi for a while before grinning. " She may not be you, Mito-chan, but she's kinda cute."

Kinda cute!... the words went into Sasuke's ears and processed in his brain. Oh, now he knew he wasn't going to like this…this... Fish looking guy! Natsumi-chan is way more than 'kinda cute'!...

" Maybe we shouldn't be here." Muttered the other boy to the left side of Mito. " I-I mean, we could avoid t-t-trouble.."

" Come on, Chojuro!" said Suigestu as he slap Chojuro on his back, Chojuro yelping in shock at the sudden impact. " So what if we cause a little trouble? Nobody can stop us?! Plus, I know you have that battle-hungry side to ya'! Stop actin' like you don't want a nice fight every once in a while! That's what we swordsmen live by!"

" I know that.. I just know that if we proceed.. we may start something that will go to f-far." He explained.

" Don't worry, Chojuro-kun." Said Mito, still facing Team 7. " These blockhead leaf nins won't do anything."

Blockhead…. Thought Sakura, her right eye twitching in irritation. Sakura was always sensitive when it came to her….. unusual forehead size… so Mito's comment surely hit a sore spot in Sakura's mind.

" No need to be calling names now." Said the pinkette with a growl. She was slowly reaching into her pouch, readying her kunai. " We just want to get through. Your causing a scene that my teammates don't particularly like. Now, like Natsumi-baka said earlier, move."

" Well don't you three have some spunk talking to me like that." Said Mtio as she started to walk on the tree branch her and her team were on. " It's almost like you're willing to fight right now."

" If needed." Said Sasuke, activating his Sharingan. " We won't hold back, either."

" Good. I wanted to judge my sister and her team anyway. I want to know if you three would be a real challenge in the future." Said Mito as she crossed her arms underneath her breast, a confident smirk on her face. " So, if you wish to start off….." Mito grin was wiped off her face and was replaced with a serious battle face, ".. now would be the time…"

The two teams had a quiet standoff, with the faraway screams of other teams reaching the soon to be battlefield. Natsumi, Sasuke, and Sakura were all positioned into their battle stances, Mito still had her arms crossed, Suigetsu held onto a battle-crazed smirk as he slowly withdrew one of his two swords, and Chojuro shakily stood by, wondering what was going to happen.

The quietness continued, and the two teams waited for any signal to start the match.

" Can you all fight already! I'm waiting to see some action!" yelled Kobe as he poked his head from within Natsumi's hoodie, right underneath her chin.

Seeing the snake, the Mist Team was actually surprised at the talking snake. " Holy shit!" yelled Suigestu, loosening his guard from shock. " That's dangerous! Do you know what snakes do!?"

" Apparently I can serve as a distraction." Said Kobe with a hiss, showing off his fangs.

A distraction?!... thought Mito. Her head snapped back as she turned around, pulling out a kunai, and countering Natsumi's own kunai that was aimed for her neck.

" Sorry, I play dirty!" yelled Natsumi as she pushed forward. Her and Mito fell off of the branch and headed towards ground.

" Ah yeah! Let's go!" shouted Suigestu as he picked out his opponent. His eyes met the legendary eyes of an Uchiha and he jumped off his tree branch, headed straight for Sasuke.

" Get ready for the other one, Sakura!" said Sasuke as he dodged Suigestu's attempt of slashing his head off. The two took their battle to the trees, leaving Sakura and Chojuro alone.

Sakura, getting ready for battle, took out two kunai and held them in a defensive manner. Chojuro, however, was shyly scratching the back of his head.

" Uhhh.. do we really have to fight?" asked the boy.

" Isn't that what ninja are supposed to do?" asked Sakura.

" They do if they have to… I-I really do-don't like fighting when it can be avoided and I hate fighting when it can't be avoided." Said the swordsmen.

" Soo…. We don't have to fight?"

" No, thank you."

" Alright, that makes things easier." Said Sakura as she put her kunai away.

"…."

"…."

"….."

"…"

" Soo… nice weather we're having, eh?"

"DIE!" shouted Natsumi as she ran towards Mito with her kunai. Her attempt to stab Mito in her stomach was blocked once again as Mito grabbed her hand, pulled Natsumi towards her and flipped her over her shoulder.

" You know it's easy to read all your movements because of your anger." Said Mito. Natsumi grunted as she got up from the forest ground, summoning a Kage Bunshin while doing so. " Oh, so you specialize in Shadow Clones. Not surprising, seeing as we Uzumakis have large chakra pools."

" I use my clones in a different way than others.." muttered Natsumi as she stood side-by-side with her clone.

" And what would that 'different way' be?" asked a curious Mito with an amused smirk.

" You wish to know? Fine." Said Natsumi and before Mito's eyes, Natsumi and her clone sunk into the ground.

Doton?... thought Mito as she increased her guard, but only slightly. Natsumi couldn't be strong enough to actually hurt her.

Mito started looking around the surrounding area, ignoring the battle up within the trees between Suigestu and Sasuke, trying to detect the slightest presences of one Natsumi Uzumaki Namikaze.

" Up high!" Mito picked up Natsumi's voice coming from above. Jumping slightly to the left, she avoided the crashing body of Natsumi.

" Octo Blades!" Natsumi shouted. To Mito's surprise, shadow blades started to literal come out of Natsumi's body and headed directly her way.

" What type of technique?" Mito muttered to herself as she pulled out her kunai. Referring back to her training at home, she coated her kunai with chakra, making it longer and giving it a sharper edge.

Rushing forward, Mito slashed at three approaching blades, easily cutting them down. Her sensory skills signaled something behind her, and Mito jumped over a blade that would have impaled her fully. Back on the ground and sending charka to her legs, Mito ran at Natsumi with her body low to the ground. Weaving left and right, dodging and slashing through more tendrils, Mito reared her kunai back, ready to land a fatal blow on Natsumi.

" Too simple." Said Mito as she closed in on her younger sister. Natsumi just gave her sister an evil smirk as another shadow tendril came grew from her body, this one wider than the rest.

" You're too cocky for your own good." Said the apparent fake Natsumi. A second Natsumi came from the newest shadow blade, half her body out in the open. Catching Mito off guard of her sudden appearance, Natsumi drew her arm back while coating it in her dark chakra. " Meiton: Black Hand!"

Receiving the full force of the attack, a small amount of blood spilled from Mito's mouth as she punched in her mid-section. The force blew her back, hitting the ground a few times before skidding to a stop.

" Errrr.. Damn you!" shouted Mito, slowly losing her cool. Running through hand seals, Mito yelled, " Suiton: Water Dragon Missile!" Using the water in the atmosphere, Mito created a surprisingly large water dragon towards both the real Natsumi and Clone Natsumi.

Mito's smirk slowly grew back on her face as she watched the dragon make contact with the clone, hoping that the real Natsumi got caught within the explosion as well.

" You did good, catching me off guard like that," complemented Mito, ",but that doesn't mean you've won yet! Cheap shots won't win this match!"

Once again, Mito couldn't pinpoint Natsumi's location. Where is she? And what is that weird skill she has of using shadows? My sensory skills are superb, so I should have found her by now. Just where is she?... thought an aggravated Mito. She was never in the position in which she couldn't find her opponent.

" Gotcha'!" shouted a voice from underneath her. Mito saw Natsumi…. coming from her shadow?!

" What is this!" shouted Mito.

" Your death!" shouted Natsumi as her whole body shimmered into darkness. A shadow enveloped Mito's body and entrapped her in a black sphere.

The real Natsumi appeared from a shadow of the many trees in the area. " Meiton: Laughing Coffin is a success. Surprised, aren't you? This is what you get for underestimating me and messing with Sasuke-kun!"

" So you caught me in a black ball, so what? Not like I can just break out." Stated Mito from the inside.

" I'd like to see you try." Natsumi made a hand seal and waited for the magic to happen.

Mito was feeling around the sphere, trying to find any weak spot she can exploit. While feeling around, something sharp poked at her hand, piercing her skin.

" Ouch." She muttered as she rubbed her injured palm. She felt another prick at her thigh, causing her to hiss out.

" What in the hell's going on!?" shouted Mito as she felt multiple pricks all over your body.

" You're going to be impaled to death now." Said Natsumi. " Unless you can break yourself free, you will die inside that sphere and call it your tomb."

" Ooohh, so my sister has this dark attitude. How fun." Mito muttered from inside the sphere. " Let's see how long that'll last when I get out of here."

Natsumi's eyes narrowed when she felt a shift of Mito's chakra inside the sphere. Her eyes widen in surprise when she started to feel her jutsu weaken. Natsumi's sphere of shadows started to slowly fluctuate and fade until is disappeared fully.

" What did you do?!" shouted an aggravated Natsumi.

" Fuinjutsu really is remarkable." Mito's cocky smile only added on to Natsumi's growing aggravation. " You could have learned that during your childhood…. That is, if you had a mother that loved you."

Natsumi gritted her teeth in anger. How dare she talk about her! That women left her for dead in this god-forsaken village and Mito knew that! The hatred Natsumi had for her older sister and mother only grew as she watched blue seals made from chakra surround Mito, almost in a protective manner.

"Chakra Absorption Seals if you're wondering." Mito dismissed her seals, causing them to fade into nothingness. " The name explains it all."

Natsumi's chakra started to expand around her, fluctuating angrily as dark wisp floated off her being. Just seeing Mito benefitting off the teachings of their oh-so-dear mother just angered her in a way that she never felt.

Mito took a small breath before smiling at her sister. " Well, Imoto, I'm satisfied. I've had a little fun, and I'm glad to see that my little sister isn't just some weakling."

" What did you expect?! Growing up by myself, I had to be strong! No one else would take care of me!" she growled out at the older Uzumaki.

" Good. It'll be all the sweeter when I finally finish you off myself." Stated Mito, her playful voice killed by the voice of a serious war veteran.

" Why do you want to kill me? I've done nothing wrong to you!" shouted Natsumi.

" It's something you wouldn't understand. But you should be used to this, no? Growing up, hated because of the monster you hold inside of you. You should be use to people wanting to kill you."

Natsumi's charka started to expand even more, her dark aura almost running wild. This girl was going to get it good. Natsumi never felt this type of rage before, and she planned on letting it all out now.

" You're going to die. HERE!" shouted Natsumi, ready to battle again.

"Calm down, kit." Demanded Kurama from inside her head. " You'll fight her later, just not right now. You not alone out here. Think about your teammates. You have an exam to finish."

But Kyu-kun…

" I said stop. Now."

Sighing in annoyance, Natsumi's chakra receded back into her body. " Fine."

" It was a nice little fight. I hope to see you later on in the exam, Imoto." Said Mito with a wave.

" Aww, just shut up and leave!" shouted Kobe, slithering out of Natsumi's sleeve. " We don't want you here anyway, so take you and your fish-looking friends up on outta' here!"

Mito stared at the snake for a while, before giggling to herself. " When I kill Natsumi-chan, I'll make sure to make you suffer as well."

" That is if you can beat Natsumi-chan, which you can't!" said Kobe. " So get on outta here, wich' yo long, ugly, red hair. All that red hair, lookin' like a damn hot tamale! Extra hot sauce please! Extra hot sauce over here!" Mocked Kobe. "Get outta here!"

Mito's eyebrow twitched at the snake's comment on her hair, but she ignored him as she took to the trees, ready to leave with teammates.

Landing next to Chojuro, she noticed that he wasn't paying attention at all to his surroundings, as he was holding a conversation with Team 7's Sakura Haruno.

" So, are your teammates battle-crazy warriors?" asked Sakura.

" Yeah. Suigestu-kun and Mito-chan really do like fighting. I just don't understand why, though. Why couldn't I have teamed up with normal people."

" Same here. Both of my teammates are just crazy for fighting and getting themselves hurt. Why can't all the nations just sign peace treaties and be happy?"

" Right! Where have you been all my life!? Finally a girl who isn't crazy and actually cares about the world!"

" Finally a guy who actually shows his emotion and isn't set out to be stronger than everyone else! Chojuro-san, I've got to say, if we weren't from different villages, we would be great friends."

" Are you two done flirting?" asked Mito with an amused expression.

" Oh! Mito-chan. I didn't sense you there. A-and no, I was not flirting! Me and Sakura-san we're actually having an educated conversation!"

" Sure you were." Said Mito with a roll of her eyes.

" Argh! You bastard!" shouted Suigestu from up above. The Hoshigaki was kicked down on the same branch the rest of his team was, while Sasuke landed softly on the branch Sakura was currently on.

" Had enough?" said Sasuke with a deep breath. He had a few cuts here and there, and he was panting a little, so Sakura knew Suigestu was no pushover.

" Suigestu-kun, Mito-chan wishes to leave now." Said Chojuro.

" Awww, come on! Me and red eyes over there was actually havin' a good spar!" wined Suigestu.

" Too bad. It's time to go." Said Mito with another roll of her eyes.

Natsumi slowly appeared from Sakura's shadow, and the two other members of Team Mito were shocked at such a unique ability.

" Uhh… Did anybody else just see that?" asked Suigestu, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

" She has some type of power over shadows and has quite the control over them. She actually got a couple good hits off of me." Stated Mito, pointing to some of the small bleeding holes on her body.

" Woah, Mito-chan, are you going to be alright?" asked Chojuro with worry.

" Don't worry, the holes aren't deep. Nothing a little medical magic can't heal really quick." Said Mito.

" It was nice running into you three!" said Mito with a smile. " I hope we meet up later on during exams!" Mito eyes then targeted the eyes of the young Uchiha. She licked her lips and with certain intentions added, she said, " Bye, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure me and you can have some…fun…later on." And with her last smile she turned and left the area.

" Tch. Let's go Chojuro. We don't need to hold the 'boss lady' up." Said an irritated Hoshigaki.

" See you later, Konoha ninja." Said Chojuro as he and his teammate left to catch up with their team leader.

With the disappearance of Team Mito, Sakura sighed as she looked at her two teammates. " You two just couldn't hold onto your pride until we got to the tower!" shouted the girl.

" Hey! At the beginning of the battle, it sounded like you were ready to fight too!" accused Natsumi.

" Well, I was! But only because you two were sending threats, I had to do something to keep up! What, you think I was just supposed to just watch you two fight while I did nothing!?"

" Isn't that what you did, though?" asked Kobe. A sweat drop slowly went down Sakura large forehead.

" Uhh.. well… SO WHAT! WE JUST NEED TO LEAVE THIS FREAKY FOREST SO I CAN TAKE A SHOWER!" shouted the pinkette.

" Come on." Said Sasuke, ignoring the two's argument. " We're long overdue in this forest. Let's get to the tower."

" We all can agree with that." Said Sakura. " Let's head out."

Inside the Tower

Busting through the doors, Sakura Haruno took in a deep breath of purified air.

" Aaahhhh!" she yelled out happily. " Air conditioner. Almost as good as hair conditioner."

" I have to say, it's good seeing the inside of a building than an endless field of trees." Said Sasuke with a sigh, glad that they got past the second exam.

" What do we do now?" asked Natsumi. " We're here. We have both scrolls. Why hasn't anything happened."

" I think we need to open them now." Sakura said as she pulled out the heaven scroll out her pouch. " It's the only thing we can do."

" Agreed." Stated Sasuke as he pulled out their earth scroll. " On three. One…"

" Two…"

" FOUR!" Screeched out Natsumi.

" You dumbass!" yelled Sakura with a huff. " I almost opened the scroll! You know good and well that three comes after two!"

" I'm sorry!" laughed out Natsumi, holding her stomach in a comical fashion. " I just had to do it! Wasn't that funny Sasuke-kun?... Sasuke-kun?"

Unfortunately, Sasuke actually opened up his scroll and sleeping powder came from the scroll. He also felt a punch hit his stomach. Hard. He gasped out in pain as he took in a breath, taking in a heavy amount of sleeping powder, knocking him out instantly.

" That's what you get for looking at the scroll early!" shouted a familiar voice.

" Izumi-chan?" said Natsumi with an raised eyebrow.

" Huh? Natsumi-chan?" said Izumi. She inspected the body she knocked out and gasped. " Oh shit! Sasuke!"

" Izumi-chan!" Natsumi happily jumped on her sister-figure's back. " It's so good to see you!"

" Yeah, yeah, squirt. It's good to see you too." Said Izumi as she pulled Natsumi off her and hugged her. " Seems you passed the test. Congrats."

" Yup! Passed with flying colors! Why did you knock out Sasuke-kun though?"

" How was I supposed to know that you were in the tower! You were supposed to open both scrolls at the same time!" shouted Izumi.

" Opps!" said Natsumi while rubbing the back of her head. " Sorry, that was my fault. Just pulling a prank."

" Skipped three and went straight to four, eh?" said Izumi with a smirk. " Classic Natsumi-chan."

" Hello there!" Kobe slowly slithered out of Natsumi's hoodie. " Nicccce to meet you. My name isss…"

" Holy shit!" shouted Izumi. She quickly grabbed Kobe's head, almost squeezing his eyeballs out, and threw him against the wall. " That's a freakin' snake."

" Kobe-kun!" Natsumi ran up to the black mamba, checking for any injuries. " Are you okay?"

" Am I okay!?" shouted the snake in anger. " That bitch just threw me into a concrete wall, and you're asking if I'm okay! I'm in pain!"

" Wait a second.. you know this snake!"

" Yup, this is Kobe-kun! Proud member of the Black Mamba clan!" replied Natsumi.

" And don't forget it eit- OOOWWW, MY ASS! Stop touching me, Natsumi!"

Sakura, standing on the sidelines, could only watch the scene of Natsumi, Kobe, and the newly arrived Izumi have an argument that only families would have inside their house.

It's like they've known each other forever…. Thought Sakura as she watched Natsumi wrestle with Izumi, trying to get payback for hurting Kobe. Natsumi really doesn't have any family, and stuck with the Uchihas all her life. She then peered to the knocked out Sasuke, who had droll leaking from the side of his mouth.

How can I keep up with a girl when she knows everything about the boy I'm trying to pursue?...

" Anyway!" said Izumi as she pushed Natsumi off her. " Anything happen during the exam?"

" Oh yeah! The best thing possible!" said Natsumi as she gained stars in her eyes. " I met my Tou-san for the first time!"

" Tou-san?" asked Izumi.

" The one who gave me my mark!" said Natsumi as she pointed to her curse mark on her neck. " He gave Sasuke-kun one too!"

" What!" shouted Izumi as she rushed to her little brother's side. Sure enough, there was a mark with three black totems circled around each other. " Oh no."

" What's wrong, Izumi-chan?" asked Natsumi, not understanding the murderous look she had as she stared at the mark. " Isn't that a good thing? Tou-san was the one who gave me Kobe-kun."

Damn it, Natsssssumi… thought Kobe as he hid in her hoodie.

" Give me the snake, Natsumi." Said Izumi as she slowly approached the girl. " Now."

" Why!" said Natsumi as she hugged her hoodie, knowing Kobe was hiding inside. " Kobe-kun's trustworthy!"

" Anybody or anything that works with Orochimaru is bad. Trust me. Now hand the snake over!"

" So what about my mark!?" shouted Natsumi. " Am I bad because of it?! Just because Tou-san gave it to me!"

Izumi's eyes transformed into the Uchiha's legendary and trapped Natsumi into a Genjutsu. Shunshining behind Natsumi, she chopped the back of her head, rendering her unconscious. Izumi caught Natsumi falling body and slowly laid her on the ground. " If you don't come out now, I'm going to get you out myself and slowly torture you until you talk. And when you do break and give me all the information I want, I'll continue to torture you just to past the time by."

Hearing the quiet shuffling of Natsumi's hoodie, Kobe slowly came from Natsumi's sleeve. " Alright. No need to be ssssso hossstile."

" Oh.. You haven't even seen hostile." Izumi flashed her eyes into Kobe's. The snake had no chance as he was under Izumi's Genjutsu.

Izumi sighed as she picked Izumi up, still kinda creeped out that she was holding a talking snake that had an alliance with Orochimaru. Izumi turned to the only conscious member of Team 7, who was checking Sasuke's mark. " Yo, what's your name again?"

" Sakura Haruno."

" Oh yea, you're the one that Natsumi doesn't like." Said Izumi. " How's the competition? She's holding up, isn't she?"

" What are you talking about?" asked Sakura.

" Natsumi always talks about how you try to come after little Sasuke. Hehe, honestly I don't know what you two see in the little brat." Said Izumi as she picked up Sasuke, holding him under her arms. " Hmm, you've gotten heavier."

" Natsumi-baka likes Sasuke-kun? You know…. In that way?"

" Eh, it's kinda hard to tell. The two act more like siblings than lovers. Well, Natsumi treats Sasuke like a sibling. Sasuke on the other hand…. He can't go two minutes without being near Natsumi. Hehehe, those two are something to watch."

Izumi started to walk towards the doorway. " Take Natsumi to one of the rooms that a nearby Chunnin will provide for you. Stay there until the next part of the exam is given to you. You have three days to rest up and prepare, I'd take that opportunity and use it for the best."

" What are you going to do with Sasuke-kun and Kobe?" asked Sakura.

" I'm going to see if I can do something with the seal on Sasuke." Said Izumi. " The snake…. Well, it all depends on him and what he says." Izumi continued to walk away. " We'll talk sooner or later, pink-haired girl."

" Wait!" said Sakura, catching her attention. Sakura threw an object at Izumi, and she caught it with her mouth. Izumi checked and saw that it was Team 7's heaven scroll. " For your troubles. " said Sakura as she picked up Natsumi and left Izumi.

Izumi smirked as she watched Sakura walk away.

I like this girl…..

*Timeskip*-Unknown Area

" ..uhm…Ugh… where….. where am I?" asked a certain snake as he opened his eyes to world around him.

Moving his head to the side, he could see that he was on some type of table, belly up. Peering upwards, Kobe squinted his eyes as the light of a powerful lamp stunned him. After taking some time to adjust to the light beam up above, Kobe turned to his left. Sitting upright for him to see was some type of white platform that held….. tools… tools that would be used at a hospital to perform surgery.

What the hell is going on… thought Kobe as he started to regain some feeling of his body. Where ever I am, it's time to get…. Hold on.. I can't move!..

Looking downwards, Kobe's eyes widen is shock as he took in the sight of his body strapped down in five places, holding him down tight.

What a second… tools!.. Kobe turned back to the tools and his fear only grew as his eyes glanced over each one..

Power drill..

Saw…

Scissors..

Scalpel….

Butcher knife….

Hooks…..

" Oh no." muttered Kobe as he put it all together. " Strapped down.. on a table…. A freaking lamp over me…. Scary, sharp ass tools… there's only one thing missing.."

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening up caught the Black Mamba's attention. Hearing multiple footsteps slowly approaching him, Kobe's heart started to pump faster and faster.

Ibiki, along with Anko and Izumi, surrounded the freighted snake. " Hello there, snake-san. My name is-

" NOT THE DENTIST! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THE DENTIST!" shouted Kobe as he tried to free himself.

" The dentist?" asked Anko, looking at Izumi.

" The snake has a personality." Answered Izumi with a shrug of her shoulders.

" Nevertheless," continued Ibiki, " you will answer all our questions. If not.." Ibiki grabbed a scalpel and placed it dangerously close to Kobe's throat, " you won't be able to talk anymore."

Forest of Death- Tower

Shuffling within the sheets of her bed, Natsumi woke up with a soft yawn, her hand covering over her mouth. Wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye, Natsumi looked around to see she was in a very spacious room with three beds, a small desk, and two doorways. One to the hallway, and Natsumi assumed that the other lead into a bathroom.

" About time you got up." Said a familiar voice. Natsumi's blue eyes took in the sight of Sakura walking into their room, closing the door behind her. " You were out longer than I thought you would be."

" Where are we?" asked Natsumi with another yawn.

" In the tower. If you don't remember, we met up with Sasuke's sister and she knocked you out. Took Kobe with her."

" Oh no!" yelled Natsumi as she jumped out of the bed. " Where did she take him?!"

" Don't know. I tried to get him back but she wouldn't let me." Lied Sakura. " Just took him and Sasuke-kun and left us here."

" What about Sasuke-kun? Where is he?"

" Izumi-san took Sasuke-kun so that she could get some people to look at that mark he got from Orochimaru. Probably won't see him until tonight or tomorrow." Answered Sakura as she sat in her bed. " All we can do now is wait until the second exam is up to get any answers."

Natsumi took in a deep breath before falling back into the softness of her bed. She was tried from the events from yesterday, both physically and mentally. Even though they just passed the second exam, Natsumi couldn't help but worry about the future.

I don't know how she did it, but it totally left me open…. Thought Natsumi.

Natsumi was thinking about her match with her older sister, Mito, in the forest earlier on the day. She knew she had her in trap, but that Fuinjutsu that she used to suck the chakra out of her sphere was something she never encountered. It was scary. A seal like that could counter every move that Natsumi knew. Attacking Mito with NInjutsu was a no-no, fighting head on was also out since Natsumi didn't feel too confident with her Taijutsu, and that only left Genjutsu, something Natsumi had no experience with.

Seals… growled out the girl.

" Now you know how I feel." Said Kurama from within.

Yeah, being stuck in that seal all day must suck, Kurama-kun. I'm sorry you're in such a place all day….. said Natsumi, feeling a little guilty that her friend spent all his time inside her.

" Eh, it isn't as bad as my past jails. You actually give me some freedom, and it's bigger in here. I can last in here for a while until you die." Joked the fox.

Not nice, Kyu-kun…. You just want me to die so you can be free…. Whined out Natsumi

" That is the plan." Laughed out Kurama. " But to get back on topic, your sister is strong with her Fuinjutsu, and I have a feeling she wasn't going all out in your battle with her. In fact, I'm for sure that she was just playing with you just to gauge your strength."

So what should I do? Fighting her would be the death of me right now. How can I face someone who can counter all my attacks? My whole move set is based off chakra!...

" Don't worry about that right now. Her seals are troublesome, but I've gained some knowledge during your fight."

Which is?...

" You are faster than her." Stated Kurama. " We'll talk about this later. Right now, the little pink-haired girl is trying to get your attention. Good luck with the yelling she's bound to give you." After that, Kurama cut the connection.

" Natsumi-baka, I'm talking to you!" shouted Sakura while snapping her figures in front of Natsumi's face.

" Sorry, sorry!" said Natsumi as she pushed Sakura away. " I was just thinking.."

" Well, I wanted to ask you something." Getting a nod from the blond haired girl, Sakura continued. " What does that tattoo do to you?"

" What? This?" asked Natsumi as she touched her curse mark on her shoulder. " Nothing much. It just sits there and stuff. I hardly use it at all."

" So it can affect you in some way…. If you let it.."

" Right." Confirmed Natsumi. " I don't use the power that the curse mark gives me because….well, I don't need to. I'm strong on my own, so there's no use in bringing out my trump card."

" So, what about that time against Zabuza? You were in some type of trouble with him, right?" Sakura asked. " Why didn't you use it then?"

" I was in a tight spot, true, but I didn't feel the need to use it… or at least, I didn't want to. I wanted to beat the mummy-man with my own strength." Answered Natsumi.

" What about Sasuke-kun then?" she asked. Seeing Natsumi with a raised eyebrow, she continued. " You know how he is, wanting to kill his brother to avenge his clan and all. Won't his curse mark respond to his negative energy?"

" So that's what this is about!" said Natsumi as she laid flat on her stomach on the bed, her head laying on her arms. " Your worried about Sasuke-kun going all crazy-cra and stuff, right? It's understandable. Don't worry about Sasuke-kun, though, because your number-one blonde Natsumi-chan will handle him." Said our blonde hero with a wide smile.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Natsumi, feeling a little threatened by Natsumi's innocence. This was her rival in love, but it seemed as if Natsumi was doing everything that Sakura couldn't. Natsumi knew everything about Sasuke, knew his sister, was the only person he would publically show small amounts of affections with, and Sakura has seen the looks Sasuke gave Natsumi while she wasn't looking. Sasuke liked Natsumi and she felt as if that affection for her rival would never go away. She needed to understand more about Sasuke and his new predicament with the curse mark and how she could, in some way, try to relate to Sasuke in some way.

" -ey! Sakura-teme!" said Natsumi, trying to get Sakura's attention. Sakura shook her head and muttered a small apology for her lack of attention. " So, is there anything else you want to ask? I plan on going back to sleep soon."

Taking in a small breath, Sakura asked, " When was the last time you used that mark?"

Natsumi's faced visibly changed when she heard the question, and her eyes narrowed at Sakura. Sakura, sensing the hostility, turned her head in intimidation, hoping she didn't say the wrong thing.

" It was a few days ago actually." Answered Natsumi. Sakura looked back at Natsumi, curious in what she was saying. " When I found out that I had a sister, I had a slight argument with the old monkey about my life. It's not a nice feeling knowing that you've been lied to all your life and your mother chose to leave me here by myself. It aggravates me even more knowing that my so-called older sister wants to kill me for no reason." Natsumi sighed as she turned over in her bed, showing her back to Sakura. " But I should be used to people wanting to kill me….."

Sakura eyes widened in shock as she looked at Natsumi, hearing the new revelations she revealed to her. Her mother left her by herself?! Not only that, her sister wants to kill her. If she did, why didn't she do so while we we're fighting her at the Forest of Death? Things just aren't adding up. And that word that Orochimaru called her…

'Jinchuriki'. Orochimaru's voice rang through her head.

Sakura shook her head, going against the thought of asking Natsumi about what the word meant. Why would Natsumi be labeled as a 'human sacrifice'?

Let's see… thought Sakura as she rubbed her chin. Natsumi-baka has been known to be hated throughout the village for an unknown reason. Even my mother dislikes the girl, but father seems to… pity Natsumi? Then I learn that her mother left her… here… in Konoha… and she has a sister… hold on, Sakura, you're on to something right now…...

Sakura started to fiercely rub her temples together, trying to fix the gears in her thought process. She knew she had some type of lead on what was so... different about Natsumi.

Mother leaves you at birth with other sibling….

Everyone in the village hates you in the village because of something…

She finds homage with the Uchiha's, who also don't have a family due to a very traumatic event….

Sister wants to kill you….

The Hokage…. lied about your life…

Because you're a human sacrifice...

'Tou-san gave me this!" Natsumi's voice rang through her mind as she thought back on the conversation with Orochimaru before they fought. 'You gave this to me when I was born!'

" HOLY SHIT!" Shouted Sakura. Natsumi yelped in shocked and fell out of her bed. " What! What happened!?"

" Ssshhhh!" hushed Sakura as she pointed a finger at Natsumi, motioning her to be quiet. Sakura got out of her bed and started to prance back and forth, rubbing the bottom of her chin. She had it. She had the answer.

Natsumi said that she got that mark when she was born, Orochimaru being the person who gave said mark to her. Now, from the textbooks at the Academy, Orochimaru's own words, and from my own studying of Konoha history, Orochimaru is a Konoha outlaw. He was banished from the Land of Fire because of illegal human experiments, caught red-handed by the Third Hokage himself. Now….

Sakura ran up to Natsumi and pulled at her hoodie. Natsumi, in defense, slapped Sakura's hand away. " What are you doing!? Just because we've been getting closer these last couple of weeks doesn't mean we can cudd-"

" I'm not trying to do that. Let me see your mark." Said Sakura, not letting Natsumi finish her embarrassing comment.

Natsumi, reluctantly, let Sakura see her curse mark. The kanji of 'darkness' was what stared back at Sakura's emerald eyes. She took in every curve, the color of the mark, and the size.

This has to count as 'human experimentation'…... thought Sakura. Orochimaru… putting this on someone's child... human sacrifice…. Her mother left her…

Sakura then summed up the whole situation with the evidence that she was given. Any mother would be scared of what that creep would do to their child. Maybe Natsumi's mother felt the same way, believing that she was cursed by Orochimaru with this mark and left her here. It would also explain why so many people in the village would hate her because of this mark, shunning her just like her mother did. But something still doesn't add up…...

Sakura started to rub the mark, examining it even more. She didn't notice that she was tickling Natsumi and said blonde was trying her best to hold in her laughs. Why would Natsumi's mother just up and leave the village. Sure, I understand just abandoning her, but leaving the village is something entirely different. And then there's the deal of being a human sacrifice. In order for her to be a 'Jinchuriki', then she would've been sacrificed for the betterment of something else… This curse mark is just that. A curse. Her having this doesn't save anyone. This is just a plain experiment. This could be a factor to Natsumi's mother leaving her, but not the main one….

" Okay, you're finished now!" said Natsumi as she pushed Sakura off of her.

" Hey! I wasn't done inspecting it!" shouted Sakura in rage. She was fairly interested in solving the case of figuring out the reasons why Natsumi grew up the way she was, but she needed some more information if she wanted to continue on.

" Why are you inspecting it! It just sits there until I draw on its power! Nothing more and nothing less." Natsumi huffed as she crossed her arms.

Tilting her head sideways, Sakura asked, " Can I see what it looks like with your curse mark active?"

" No."

" Why?"

" No."

" I said why!?"

" Because I freakin' said so!" yelled Natsumi.

" Why are you getting like this!? I just want to know more about this mark and what's so special about it! In a way, I'm helping you!" shouted Sakura.

" No, you're not helping me, your helping out Sasuke-kun." Stated Natsumi. " You were never interested in my mark when Sasuke-kun didn't have one, but now that he does, you're trying to learn more about it! Stop acting like you're helping me when you're just giving me a headache!"

" Maybe I won't have to do anymore inspecting if you just told me more about it! This mark may hold the key to your past! The reason why you're so hated in the village! The lies! You said Hokage-sama lied to you all your life, saying your mother left you here by yourself! Maybe this is the reason why! Maybe this is the reason why your sister wants to take your life!"

" Why, huh? Why does she want to take my life!? Is it because I'm a monster?!"

" No!"

" Then what!"

" IT'S BECAUSE SHE FEELS RESPONSIBLE!" shouted Sakura.

The glare that was once on Natsumi's face slowly turned into a face of disbelief. Natsumi looked down on the ground and started to rub her arm, looking like a hurt child.

" She felt… responsible… that's your conclusion.." stated Natsumi.

Hiding the fact that Sakura was impressed that Natsumi had a vocabulary that used words with more than four letters, Sakura answered back. " Yes. She couldn't protect you from Orochimaru from giving you that…. Death hickey on your neck. Orochimaru isn't known for doing good things during his lifetime. He was banished from Konohagakure for illegal human experimentation. I guess your mother felt guilty that she couldn't protect you from that man."

" And what's her excuses for running away? Leaving me here?"

" Well…. It's a little harsh…"

" I don't care. Just tell me what you think of my situation."

" Alright." Said Sakura as she took in a deep breath. " Because of the mark, not only did she feel guilty herself, but she couldn't see you as….. her daughter... anymore… When she sees you, she sees Orochimaru, and unlike you, your mother hated the idea that Orochimaru had any type of influence in your life. His chakra was in you, and Konoha shinobi hate anything that has to do with Orochimaru. So I guess the hatred she had for him….. some of it got transferred to you."

Silence filled the room. A very uncomfortable silence. Sakura watched as Natsumi slowly made her way back to her bed, sitting on its edge, and cupped her face with her hands. The truth of the situation must be killing her, and she had to be in a turmoil on the inside, thinking of how it could have been different. How her life may have been different if Orochimaru never came into her life.

" Listen.. Natsumi.. I know it's a lot to take in, but that's just a hypothesis. It isn't even based off of factual evidence. Anything could have happened." Said Sakura, trying to bring comfort to her teammate.

" No." said Natsumi as she got up from her bed. " Everything you said is factual."

Natsumi walked towards the door, wanting to go take a walk. " I'll be back soon."

" Wait, Natsumi! I don't think being alone right now is the best thing for you." Said Sakura, worried what the girl may do during her absence.

" Sakura-teme." Said Natsumi, catching the pinkette's attention. " You're too smart for your own good. Stay out of stuff that doesn't concern you."

" What?" asked the dumbfounded Sakura. After all the thinking she did for the Jinchuriki, this is what she wants to do? This is the thanks that she gets for trying to help her out!

" This curse mark isn't the reason why I'm hated. The mark isn't why Mito-teme wants to kill me…" Natsumi walked out the door, slowly closing it behind her. But before it was fully closed, Sakura picked up on a whisper that came from Natsumi's mouth.

" The mark isn't why my mother left me."

Sakura stared at the closed door now, the only person presents in the room. Sakura growled out in frustration as she jumped on her bed and started to pull on the hair on her head. She stared up at the ceiling, taking in the detail of the noticeable paintbrush marks in the paint. She watched a fly repeatedly slam into the overhead light, find a small amount of humor in the scene. What was the point of slamming into the light when you couldn't benefit from it. In actuality, the light could be hurting the persistent fly, the heat slowly cooking its small body as it repeatedly slammed into it.

Sakura sighed and turned over in her bed, taking in the lesson the fly was silently giving her.

" Just because something seems interesting doesn't mean it's for your benefit. Messing with something for a long time can only hurt you in the long run." She quietly said to herself as she closed her eyes. Her mind was still active, though. Her advanced organ was trying to find out what else it could be that answer her question.

What is the reason why everyone hates Natsumi?

" October 10…." Sakura muttered Natsumi's birthday as the tenseness in her muscle slackened. Quiet snores could soon be heard from Sakura, signaling that she was asleep.

Konoha Interrogation and Torture Unit

" You're going to give us everything that you know about Orochimaru." Stated Ibiki as he glared down to the strapped down snake. " I won't accept anything less. The more you talk, the less pain you have to go through."

" Ha! You think you can make me talk?!" mocked Kobe, even though he was secretly scared. " Do your worst."

Ibiki, Anko, and Izumi's grin couldn't have gotten any bigger when they heard those precious words.

" If you say so." Said Anko, her evil grin made Kobe shiver in fear.

This is the Interrogation of Kobe the Black Mamba

Anko grabbed a scalpel and held it a couple of inches away from Kobe, just daring for him to say anything. Kobe's glare was centered on the purple-haired special Jonin. He had to keep a tough expression to let them know that they weren't getting anything out of him.

" If you don't say anything in the next 10 seconds then my blade will taste blood." Said Anko with a lick of her lips.

" You don't have the balls!" shouted Kobe.

" I am a female." Said Anko.

" Oh…. Well you don't have the breasssst!" shouted Kobe.

" 10….9…"

" Stupid humans."

" …4…3-"

" HOLD ON!" panicked Kobe. " You skipped about seven numbers! That's not counting like a smart person!"

" 3…2.."

" OKAY! OKAY! OKAY!" gave in Kobe, trying to wiggle away from the scalpel that was dangerously close to his belly. " What do you want! I give! I give!"

" Why did Orochimaru send you to Natsumi-chan?" asked Izumi with force, even going as far to moving the lamp down on Kobe's face.

" Ack! To much light." He said. Kobe then felt Anko's scalpel right on his belly and he panicked. " HE SSSSSSSSENT ME TO WATCH OVER THE GIRL! NOTHING MORE! PLEASSSSSE DON'T CUT ME OPEN! I HAVEN'T GREW MY FULL LENGTH YET!"

" Why does he want you to watch over the girl." Asked Ibiki, taking notes of everything that the Black Mamba was saying.

" Tch, I'm not sssssaying anything else! That's all your getting outa' me!"

" Ooooohh… look at this shiny hook I just found…"

" HE WANTED ME TO KEEP TABSSSS ON ANYTHING SSSSSIGNIFICANT WITH THE GIRL! Pleassse, that's all I know!"

" When did he meet with Team 7 during the exams?" asked Izumi.

" I don't know. I all do know is that when Orochimaru-sssam- I mean Orochimaru, sssssent me out to Natsssssumi-san, her and the pink-haired girl looked pretty beat up. The Uchiha kid was knocked out with a fever, I heard. After that, Natsssssumi-san beat up some Sssssssound Genin that wanted to fight Sssssasuke and that was it! I sssswear!"

" Hmm.. It seems the snake only has limited information. We can't get everything we want to know about Orochimaru-teme from him." Said Anko as she rubbed her chin.

" She's right. That's all he seems to know." Said Izumi.

" Yes! That'ssss correct. That'ssss all young Kobe knowssss! Time to let me go!"

" What should we do about him?" asked Izumi."

" We can just kill him now and not worry about him later on."

" No no! Bad idea! Kobe doessssn't like that idea. Uh uh!"

Ibiki silently stared at the small, trembling snake beneath him. He could see the fear in its eyes, and based on the way that Kobe talked, Ibiki figured that Kobe wasn't that old. A young snake staying with a young girl.. almost like Natsumi had a pet snake...

" We'll let the girl keep him." Said Ibiki.

" YESSSSS! THAT'SSSSS THE BESSSST NEWSSSS I'VE HEARD ALL DAY! RELEASSSE ME!"

" But," said Ibiki, cutting the snake's annoying rant and hissing. " you better behave yourself. Because if you don't, then I'll bring you back here and I'll personally finish you off. Slowly…. Painfully… understood?"

" Ssssir, if I had handssss I would be ssssaluting you right now. HIssss" said Kobe.

" Are you sure that's the right thing to do?" asked Izumi.

" If we take the snake away from Natsumi-san, then Orochimaru will know that we're up to something and be on guard more than what he is on now. And when the snake meets up with Orochimaru, we'll have him tell us everything that Orochimaru said or told him to do. Right?" asked Ibiki to Kobe who nodded his head in agreement. "It's better to take this situation quietly and resourcefully. I will inform Hokage-sama about our current events and if he wants anything done then we will follow his orders thoroughly. Understood?"

" Hai!" shouted Anko and Izumi.

" You're free for now, Kobe-san, but know that I will be watching." Said Ibiki as he released Kobe from the clamps that were holding him down.

This is the Pathetic End of the Interrogation of Kobe the Black Mamba

Two Days Later- Forest of Death Tower

Sakura was lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. The last two days was boring for the pink-haired girl. She didn't see Natsumi at all within the building, and she honestly had no one to talk to. Sasuke still hadn't returned, and her growing worry for both of her teammates wouldn't be solved until they were both in front of her.

Sakura's ears perked up when she heard the door open. She looked up to see her sensei, Kakashi, along with Sasuke. Happiness swelled to her face as she jumped up and hugged the young Uchiha. " Sasuke-kun! I missed you so much!"

" Oh yeah. Just act like I'm not even here. What a great way to treat your sensei." Muttered Kakashi under his breath.

" Hello, Sakura." Said Sasuke, slightly hugging the girl back. He was still kind of stiff from the sealing, but a good night's rest would easily solve that problem.

" Where were you? Are you okay?!" she asked hurriedly.

" Sakura, I'm fine. Kakashi took care of my mark that Orochimaru gave me during the exams." He explained. Kakashi nodded at Sasuke's words.

" That's right. The seal was strong, but I placed a seal that is as strong as Sasuke's will. As long as he doesn't want to use the seal, it won't influence him. His chakra was out of whack during the first two days, but it slowly recovered overtime. So, how are you and Natsumi-san?" asked the scarecrow.

" Me, I'm bored. I haven't done too much. Natsumi-baka is gone. I haven't seen her in two days." Spoke Sakura.

"Interesting. I'm sure she'll pop up around here sometime soon. The next part of the exams is tomorrow." Kakashi stated. " Well.. You two rest up for tomorrow. I want you all to represent Team 7 well and have great performances to become Chunin. Until next time!" With a wave of his hand and an eye smile, Kakashi Shunshined out the room to who knows where.

Finally alone, Sasuke sat down on one of the beds in the room. " You haven't seen Natsumi-chan for two days? What happened?"

" Well…. I was thinking about her current situation. You know when Orochimaru used that weird term 'Jinchuriki'?" Sasuke slightly tensed up and nodded at Sakura. " Well, I think that word means more than what we think. I used all the information I have about Natsumi, her relation with the Hokage, facts about Orochimaru and Mito, and things Natsumi said about herself and summed up a conclusion about why she is hated. Well, it's just a hypothesis, but it is based off facts."

Sakura then went into detail about the conversation she had with Natsumi the last time she saw her. Sasuke could only listen and was really impressed at Sakura's information gathering and how she connected clues together. Although her conclusion about Natsumi was wrong, it was a strong point forward in the right direction of finding out the mystery of Natsumi Uzumaki.

" Natsumi-baka said that her curse mark isn't the reason why she is hated, which is where I am stuck at." Said Sakura as she rubbed her chin. " I don't know what I'm missing or I just haven't thought about something. That's why I was going to ask you."

" What? Ask me about Natsumi supposed 'secret'?" asked Sasuke.

" Yeah. You know Natsumi better than anyone in the whole village. If anyone knows about Natsumi, it's you. I'm pretty sure that she has told you why she is treated the way she is. I feel if I'm so close and your words could solve it all for me."

" Uhh…" stuttered Sasuke as he scratched his head. " I don't think Natsumi would like it if I gave up personal information like that. If you want to know about her, ask her."

" But I can't find her! If she would stop acting like a little kid playing hide-and-go seek then I could ask all my questions! She just needs to pop up right now!"

Sasuke smirked as he saw Natsumi slowly grow out of Sakura's shadow. Natsumi wrapped her arms around the pink-haired girl, causing her to yell out in shock.

" Natsumi! You baka! Stop surprising me!" Sakura yelled.

" Sorry, I just couldn't stop myself!" laughed out the blonde girl as she streaked towards Sasuke and gave him a hug. " It's good to see you."

" You too." Muttered Sasuke as he smiled into the hug. Not seeing Natsumi for an extended amount of time, even if it was just two days, was something new to him that he didn't like. Natsumi had grown too much on him for her to be gone for long periods of time.

" Hey! I'm back as well! Sssss…" said Kobe as he wrapped himself around Sasuke's neck in a snake-like hug.

" Oh.. great." Muttered Sasuke, trying his best not to freak out that there was a freaking black mamba wrapped around such an important part of his body.

" I met up with Izumi-chan and Kobe-san two days ago. She said that I could keep him and now Kobe's my personal partner!" Natsumi exclaimed.

" That's right! I am Kobe the Black Mamba! Proud member of the Black Mamba Clan! Protector of Natsumi Uzumaki! Ruler of all sna-"

" Please shut up." Said Sakura with a deadpan face, sick of the snake's self-glory.

" Stop interrupting my speeches of greatness!" shouted the snake with a hiss.

Ignoring the snake, Sakura looked at her two teammates. " Well, now that everyone is back, what do we do now?" she asked.

" Prepare for tomorrow." Answered Sasuke. " While I'm not worried about most of the Konoha ninja, some of the foreigners…. we'll need our energy if we want to win tomorrow."

" Hmmmm…." Hummed Natsumi as she looked towards the door. " I feel like taking a walk. I want to use the last hours of freedom we have and spend them as a team."

" I'm alright with that. Being cooped up in this room started to get to me. Let's go." Said Sakura. In agreement, Sasuke and Natsumi followed their pink-haired teammate outside their room and into the long hallway of the tower.

The team didn't say a word as they navigated down the hallways, not having any type of destination in mind. The serene quietness within the group as they trudged on, letting their legs take them wherever they wanted.

Suddenly, the team froze as the sharp metal of a sword was placed underneath their necks.

"Well look what we have here." Said Suigestsu as he revealed himself behind the team with his twin-swords drawn.

How did he get behind us? And why didn't I sense anything?... thought Sasuke with wide eyes as he looked back at the Kiri nin.

"What are you doing?" asked Natsumi, who was inwardly also surprised that he got so close without them noticing.

" Nothing. Just wanted to have some fun." He said with a chuckle as he put his sword's sharp-edge closer to their necks. " Scoping out the competition 'round here. Got curious. Saw you three and felt like I needed to introduce myself."

" We don't want to know who you are." Stated Sasuke with a glare. "You're an enemy."

" We don't have to be enemies though. Just….. competitors." Suigestu said with another chuckle. " My name is Suigestu. Swords specialist, as you can see." He said as he brought his swords were now touching their necks. " I'm that happy guy that can get pissed really quick. You don't want to see me mad."

" Let us go. Now." Demanded Sasuke as he activated his Sharingan and looked Suigestu in the eye.

" There's the red-eyes I respect so much. Battle hungry. What would you do if I let you go-" Suigestu removed his sword from Sasuke's neck, "-but started to pierce their skin?" he said with a smirk and showed off his sharp teeth.

" It would be in your best interest to let us go." Said Sakura. " You're surrounded."

" Ehh?" asked Suigestu as he looked up. His eyes widen a little in surprise as he finally all the Natsumi's that surrounded them, all of them holding a black javelin pointed at him.

" Just because you got behind us unnoticed doesn't mean that I can't do the same." Said Natsumi with a blank face. If Suigestu was here, then her sister would be nearby as well.

" Seems as if I've lost this match." He said with another chuckle as he withdrew his swords and put them in their holster. " I was just kidding. I wasn't going to kill them. Everything's alright. See?" he said as he put his hands up in surrender.

Team 7 slowly relaxed their guard and Natsumi's clones faded away. Sakura crossed her arms and asked " What was the point in that only other to piss us off?"

" Ehh, maybe it was to piss you off. Maybe then our next fight will be really good. Talking to you there, Red Eyes." Said Suigestu to Sasuke. " I've been bored for the last couple of days and wanted something to do."

" Why does my sister want to kill me?" asked Natsumi, getting straight to the point.

" The hell if I know, cutie. She's hated your guts ever since I've met her." Said Suigestu. " I don't know what you did, but Mito-chan is the last person I'd want as an enemy." He said as he put his hands behind his head.

" So even you don't know." Muttered Natsumi with a sigh. This whole mystery between her, Mito, and her mother was starting to get to you.

Suigestu stared at Natsumi for a while, taking in her figure. Noticing him staring at her, Sasuke jumped in front of her. " Why are you looking at her like that?"

Suigestu just smirked as he said, " Even though you have blonde hair, you really do look like Kushina-sama." He then turned around and left a stunned Team 7 behind.

" See you in the rest of the competition!" he hollered out without looking back.

These next few days are going to be fun…. Thought Suigestu with a menacing smirk.

Yeeepppp that be it for this chapter. A strong way to make a comeback to Fanfiction if you ask me.

So yeah, I hope all of those who read this felt good about this chapter. I know I did. I really liked the Sakura/Natsumi scene. Sakura's brains against Natsumi's unsolved secret was fun to type (I remember typing this a while back) and I hope to have another scene displaying Sakura's strong ability to analyze anything.

Thanks for reading. I'll answer any question you all have. Please review so I can read everyone's opinions.

NARUTOPLUG IS BACK BABY!

NarutoPlug signing out,

Like a real nigga should.

*I haven't said that in so long! It feels good to be back!*