Why hello there! It's been a while! There're not enough reasons to justify the fact that I gave so little love to you guys. Been trying to write something every now and then but life kept getting in the way. However, I'm a firm believer of finishing whatever one starts, and as such, I'm here to finish my fics, and I left this one hanging just before it got real good.

Now, if you're reading this you might have noticed (or remember) that Midori is quite the mystery on this story. Well, her secrets (and Habataku's) will be revealed during this arc.

Because the climax of Midori's story is approaching she has some spotlight at the end of this chapter. I don't want to spoil a chapter you're about to read, but I just want to say please, finish reading the chapter, there will be another note from me there that will hopefully explain a little bit more about her.

Without further delay, please enjoy. Read and Review.

OoOoOoOoO

Forest of Death

"Shoot that last question!" demanded Naruto-kun "I'll ace it! And if I don't, who cares! I'll stay a genin all my life! I'll be the first genin to become Hokage!" he said slamming his hand on the desk.

Proctor Hibiki just stared intently at us, I wasn't sure as to what was he trying to find, but where we had been nervous or afraid of his written exam, now all we had in our hearts was a burning determination, ignited by Naruto-kun's words. Even I had a confident smile in my lips. The proctor's face shifted slightly to show a smirk.

"Alright, I guess these are it for this year. Congratulations on passing the first test!" He said

"Wh- Ho- Wait, what about that last question?!" Naruto-kun almost yelled and several other voices raised backing him up on his complain.

"That was the last question" he explained "whether to take it or not"

He noticed we weren't understanding and continued "In the ninja life many situations are life or death ones, or at the very least carry a great risk, whether for your life or country, maybe even both. May it be information gathering, an infiltration mission, the assassination of a target, or a combat with rival ninja; we live in risk all the time. A Chunnin has to take on such missions."

He made a small pause and looked at us "We are ninja, this is our job, and we don't refuse the missions just because they are dangerous. The missions have to be done, no matter the risk" he began to undo his head clothing, showing deep scary scars, as if drills had been introduced into his skull. "This test had two objectives: first, analyzing your capacity to obtain information. The questions in your exam were far beyond the capacity of regular gennin, thus the rules were intended to give you a hint, along with the pressure. You had to cheat, but in such a way that we wouldn't catch you, for a ninja who shows his art is dead, or in the best of cases the information obtained might be wrong. We placed two Chunnin who knew the answers hidden, mixed among you, these were intended to be the targets of your cheating attempts. Finding the correct source of information is also important"

As his explanation went further we slowly comprehended the written exam we had just finished.

"And the second motive" he said removing completely the cloth that covered his head "was to check if you guys had the guts needed to be a ninja!" He allowed a few seconds for us to contemplate on his mutilated head "Information is vital in the ninja world. To obtain it and protect it will be your life and there is a high risk of torture or death"

Then it all hit me...his scars where the mark of torture, he had been captured and tortured for information. I couldn't help but believe that this exam was like a parental test and warning, so that we wouldn't have to experience what he had. He wasn't as evil as he had seemed at the beginning; he was actually a nice person, an adult caring for us kids.

"And all of you have demonstrated that you have what it takes to do so! As I said, all of you in this room, you pass the first test!"

We all cheered in celebration, and I could see that lovely blond boy actually stand over the desk and skip on the rows, walking (or well, more like hoping) on them to reach me. The temperature on my cheeks increased as he got closer and closer until he finally stood next to me.

"We passed Hinata! We passed!" He said holding my hands and moving them up and down. After the couple of seconds it took me to get out of my befuddled state I smiled at him, though not as wide as he was smiling at me. Getting into the moment I helped his hands' movement and started chanting as well.

"We passed!" We passed! We passed!"

Our close proximity dispersed all of the stress from the test and the warm touch of his hands made me regain my confidence. I couldn't help but smile and imagine how it would be to kiss his lips...yet I couldn't dwell upon those thoughts since a large noise called our attention.

One of the classroom windows got broken and a ninja entered through the shattered crystal, rolling closer to the center of the room, a barrage of kunai being launched to pin a large sign to the backboard

"Second test: Test of survival and acquisition/transportation skills. Proctor: Mitarashi Anko! n_n"

Anko-sensei?!

"Ossu!" It was her alright, she stopped rolling and took a quick look at us and then turned to Hibiki "What happened? There are so many this year, have you grown soft?" She asked him nonchalantly.

So nice of her...sarcasm intended...she was Anko-sensei no doubt. Her interlocutor merely smiled.

"This year it's a good batch" he replied.

"Is it now? Well I'll make sure to cut it at least in half" she said, but I didn't quite like the way she said it. I had a bad feeling about it.

She introduced herself to the rest of the would-be Chunnin, and took us outside to one of the training grounds surrounding the village; a place she had told us was named 'the forest of death'. The place looked kinda creepy from the outside, but the dangers which we could find inside were without doubt what had earned it that nickname.

The premise of Anko-sensei's test was quite straightforward. Each team would be given a scroll either with the kanji for earth or heaven and would have to reach the center of the forest with both an earth and a heaven scrolls within five days. The teams had to be complete and in good shape (combat capable) to pass. What was more, we had to spend those whole five days, whether we passed or not, on our own with no food or water. The ultimate survival test, as Anko-sensei had said.

Now, the thing was, and what scared me the most was that it was it. No more rules...we even had to sign a "no responsive" kind of agreement contract where we had to acknowledge the risk of death and that if it were to happen, well, we wouldn't be blaming it on the village! I was extremely scared! I had nearly died during our mission in Wave Country and was kind of hoping to go a little longer without everything going all 'deadly' again. Then again, I remembered how Habataku had mentioned that the path I had chosen was filled with hardships and dangers and besides, unlike Wave Country, we would only be matched against other Genin. Sure, we were rookies, but it couldn't be that big of a gap in skill and power, right? And even if things were to take a turn for the worst Naruto-kun and Midori-sempai would be there to help me and I would be there to watch their backs too. We were a three-man unit to cover for each other's shortcomings.

I looked around and saw my teammates just a few meters away from me. Naruto-kun was still talking to Konohamaru-kun, as the academy students had come to visit us for a homework Iruka-sensei had assigned them. Most of them were already gone, but the young boy and his peers were still there talking to their 'Leader'. Midori-sempai was just a few meters opposite to them, her attention focused on the other teams, as if she was looking for something or someone. When I questioned her she said she was looking for a weakness on the opposing teams. Her answer was very short and direct, using that tone of voice that made her sound way older than she was.

We delivered our three forms, said our good-byes to the young corps and received our Earth scroll (much to my frustration since I would have liked to receive a Heaven scroll) and were assigned a gate number. That relieved me since I had been a bit nervous about all of us gennin going in through the same door, as that would have meant either a large scale battle right off the bat or that the fastest ones, those who got in first, would have an advantage. To avoid this, each team was given a random gate to enter the training ground, which meant all of us would be safe at the very beginning and start at the same time.

Naruto-kun was anxious, I was nervous, but Midori-sempai was dead serious.

"We need to know which gate Sasuke-tan's team going to enter by and rush there" she said as we were walking around the edge of the forest towards our gate. I almost didn't hear her, as I kept looking at the metal knitted fence with barbed wire above it as if it was merely a paper wall between the team and the things that were moving around in the bushes just a few meters away from us. Seeing only the bushes movement but not what was causing it gave me the creeps, but I didn't want to use my Byakugan in order to save chakra.

"Why should we go after Sasuke first?" asked Naruto-kun "Are we trying to take out the strongest opposition first?"

"Sasuke-tan isn't the objective per se" she explained.

"There are higher threats than Sasuke in this test" whispered Habataku.

"Like wild animals?" I asked her whispering as well.

"Then why are going after Sasuke?" kept questioning Naruto-kun

"He is going to get attacked during the test and whether you like it or not he is a big asset to the village" said Midori-sempai "We are going to protect him and take out the guys who'll attack them before they can accomplish their objective"

"All right, seems like a nice plan" said my blond teammate.

"Really?" questioned Midori-sempai "I thought you'd be against this course of action"

"You are kidding, right?" replied Naruto-kun with determination "I'll show Sasuke how strong I've become by defeating those enemies. If they want to attack Sasuke that means that they are stronger than him...or at least have some cool jutsu to neutralize his power. So, if they defeat him and we defeat them, then that will show our power and he'll have to acknowledge me!"

Habataku seemed to agree when she continued to whisper her own opinion "As they said, there are some really powerful ninja here, that is the biggest threat...remember that guy Gaara? He is extremely strong, we have to be careful. But don't worry Hina-chan" again that nickname that my mother used, it made feel safe "you are not alone, your team is here and I'm here too."

"Thanks" I whispered.

"Hinata, focus" Midori-sempai lightly scolded; had she noticed that I was talking to Habataku? "We're here"

"Let's rumble, Hinata" Naruto-kun said with a confident smile. Seeing him was all I needed to get pumped up too. I answered in kind, giving my own smile and a nod. "How long do we have until it starts?"

s if answering his question a voice was heard all around the forest "All teams are in position. Get ready, we'll start in few minutes" Anko-sensei's voice came through a megaphone on top of the fence.

"Clearly not long" said my white haired teammate "Hinata, I need your help. Your Byakugan is the only thing that can find Sasuke-tan" she advanced and placed her hands on my shoulders "please tell me where he is" I suddenly froze. Midori-sempai needed my help, but my Byakugan wasn't that strong, even using all of my chakra I wouldn't reach that far. This place was several kilometers long.

"Midori-sempai I-"

"Don't say you can't Hinata, PLEASE! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH! IF YOU CAN'T DO THIS THEN YEARS OF EFFORT WOULD BE FOR NOTHING!"

"Midori-sempai I'm sorry! My yakugan, it can't-"

"PLEASE HINATA TRUST YOURSELF, HAVE SOME SELF CONFIDENCE! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN HELP ME NOW!"

"Oi! Midori, leave Hinata, she already said-" Naruto-kun tried to intercede, but sempai shut him up

"Stay quiet Naruto!" she was direct, maybe rude even "She needs to do this, she must! Otherwise...otherwise..."

Then I remembered, I had an ace under my sleeve that would let me see and hear anything around someone no matter how far he was...I had Habataku's Farsight!

"Sempai!" I called the attention of the aqua eyed girl "I'll do it, but with a different technique"

"As long as we get that information, all is fine" she said slowly letting me go.

I ran a few meters and sat down in a meditation pose, I had to pull as much chakra as I could if I wanted to know, "farsee", where he was.

"I'll help you!" Said Habataku and suddenly a rush of her chakra got into my system. As I tried to access my highest Chakra Point my concentration shifted completely to Sasuke-san. In seconds I was already watching the forest from above and began falling quickly. I understood this was merely Farsight kicking in so I stayed calm. The first time I used it I saw the whole village from the skies. Suddenly the fall shifted direction and stopped on the edge of the fence. Sasuke-san, Sakura-chan and Oshikuru-san where there, doing some warm-up exercises and talking among them.

"This is going to be easy right, Sasuke?" Asked Oshikuru-san checking on his wire made protections.

"As long as you don't make silly mistakes Sasuke-kun can defeat any enemy that we find" replied a confident Sakura-chan.

"After all you were the one who's got the least battle experience" said matter of factly Sasuke-san.

I tried to ignore their talk, but not suppressing it completely just in case they would mention their gate number. Instead I focused on the gate that should be in front of them.

'Focus Hinata, focus!' I thought to myself 'You can do this! C'mon!'

Slowly the gate came into my sight and with each passing moment became a bit clearer.

"What's the plan, Sakura?" Sasuke-san asked "You are the one with best grasp of theory, can you propose a course of action?" The pink haired blushed before answering.

"Well...most of the strong teams are going to either rush towards the central tower or hunt enemy teams to reduce competition. Weak teams will probably opt for hiding near the edge which means moving sideways surrounding the area will most likely lead us to some weak teams thus being the best way to obtain both scrolls. If we can reach the tower within the sun hours of the first day we should be safe of traps and encounters that would hinder late teams" as usual, Sakura-chan was very intelligent.

Slowly the number on the gate began to take shape; it was almost defined when suddenly the gates in front of team seven opened "the second test of the Chunnin exam has begun!" the megaphones all around the forest resounded. As team seven rushed forward my senses were forced back into my body.

"Gate fourteen" I said gasping as if I had just come out of a long dive "They are at gate fourteen" I looked around and saw myself suddenly inside the forest, seeing the trees pass quickly around me. For a second I thought I was still on a Farsight effect but then I noticed a pair of hands holding me by the back of my shoulders and the backside of my knees. As a blond head adorned with whisker like marks appeared above me I could feel my cheeks getting hotter and hotter to the point I almost felt like fainting.

"Are you ok?" asked Naruto-kun concerned. I nodded "You sure? Can you walk?" I wished to say I couldn't so that he would continue carrying me, but I knew this wasn't the moment to be fooling around. Not trusting my voice I nodded again and he set me down gently.

"Apparently luck hasn't abandoned us yet. We came through gate nine." Midori-sempai said, still sounding anxious but a little calmed down. "We can reach them relatively quickly, but there are still several kilometers between us"

"We're going to find enemies on the way, or at least some wild beasts!" I argued worried about the dangers that 'several kilometers' would mean.

"I can mask our presence with Genjutsu, but I'm going to be concentrating on it, meaning I won't be able to move too fast...you won't be able to use that 'Flash' you use Naruto-kun, I would be left behind" explained Midori

"That's fine, let's get moving! I'm eager to fight!" said Naruto-kun excited.

"They are sticking to the borders of the forest, they're hunting for the scroll they are missing, but sadly I don't know which scroll they have" I said finally on my own two feet.

"Hinata, how do you know that?" questioned me Midori-sempai

"The technique I used before. It let me know that too, but that's about it" while I explained, Midori-sempai's face turned serious.

"Hinata, could it be that you...no, nevermind. This not the time or place, let's go! We have a lot of ground to cover!" Called Midori-sempai

And thus we resumed jumping along the trees, from one branch to another, sometimes we would stay on the trees a long while, others we would have to run on the ground. Along the way we passed three teams while looking for team seven. Midori-sempai seemed really desperate to find them. For hours we ran and looked for them, I would use my Byakugan for this. Finally as the sun approached the time of dusk, I found them.

"There they are! They are being attacked by giant snakes!" I said pointing the correct direction.

"Damn! We might be too late! Hurry!" pressed Midori-sempai

We jumped through a few more trees and the snakes finally came into view. Sasuke-san was trying to avoid the bigger-than-a-house snake's bite and tail slap, meanwhile Oshikuru-kun and Sakura-chan were throwing everything they had to another one, be it kunai, shuriken or explosive notes...managing to barely hurt it and stop it from going after Sasuke-san too.

"Naruto! After the snake! Get Sasuke! Hinata! Sakura and Oshikuru! Defeat their snake!" ordered Midori-sempai. It was the first time she was giving orders as team leader, but it was clear she had a plan.

"On it!" Replied Naruto-kun

"Midori-sempai, what about you?" I asked concerned.

"That snake-bastard is mine!" She said charging at the grass ninja that was standing on a nearby tree, which I hadn't even noticed.

Naruto-kun and I moved on to our assigned targets, it was uncommon to hear Midori-sempai giving direct orders and even weirder to watch so eager for battle, bloodlust was almost palpable in her voice.

In a sudden burst of adrenaline rushed through my system and I could feel that anxious sensation on my chest, almost as if I couldn't breathe.

"Byakugan" I said activating my bloodline limit without any hand sings while taking out my fan and a handful of senbon needles.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" resounded in the forest as Naruto-kun rushed to Sasuke-san's aid.

"Heh,heh,heh,heh" half laughed the grass ninja "so more of those cute Konoha ninja want to play?" He said getting into a combat stance "Fine. Let's put our lives on the line!"

Suddenly all around me snakes fell from the trees, gushing their sharp fangs at me. As the tiny teeth penetrated my skin, a fiery sensation painfully filled my body. I couldn't move and their poison hurt horribly, I wondered if this was what lava would feel like in my veins. Suddenly a kunai blade passed tearing my neck in two, causing a large amount of blood to leak out due to the pressure.

"Hinata! Snap out of it!" Habataku yelled at me and that made me react. The large tail of the snake that was pursuing Sakura-chan and Oshikuru-kun was moving extremely fast towards me!

"Moon jump!" Just a tiny amount of chakra was enough to teleport out of it reach. It passed by, hitting a tree and crushing its bark.

I landed on a large branch and checked my condition. I was fine! No snakes, no bites, no poison, and, thank god, no neck wound; what had that been? Genjutsu? As if reading my mind Habataku replied.

"That person is no ordinary Gennin, I could almost assure that he is as powerful as a Kage" she said "I've only felt such bloodlust once...could it be that...one way or another, Hinata, you have to avoid fighting him directly. This opponent is far beyond your current level. Even teams five and seven combined won't win"

My nervousness became fear, 'what's going on?! This was supposed to be another Gennin! Not a stronger opponent and definitely not someone stronger than Zabuza! We have to run away! We all have to run away! Now!' As my thoughts rampaged I could only care for one thing: Naruto-kun. If nothing else I had to protect him!

He was still on the radius of my Byakugan, and I could see him. He was fighting against the snake, Sasuke-san was trying to catch his breath.

Kyaaa!" Sakura-chan yell snapped me out of it. She had been captured by the snake's tail and was trying to free herself with a kunai while Oshikuru-san was trying to use his wire to cut the snake's skin, but the scales were far too thick. They needed my help, I was their only hope. Midori-sempai had trusted us with their protection while she went to fight with a much more powerful foe. I had to trust Naruto-kun, trust him to be fine on his own, but more importantly I had to have faith in myself. Jumping towards the snake I tightened my grasp on the fan.

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!" And with a single cut fully charged with chakra I hit the snake, piercing the scales and the body and thus freeing Sakura-chan. The snake cried and twisted in pain. Oshikuru-san saved Sakura-chan with wire and I turned around to face the snake, which spiteful turned around to face me. As swift as a lightning bolt it spring-attacked me, flying several meters with its jump.

For a moment I thought I was gonna be eaten yet suddenly it all slowed down dramatically, so much that it seemed like slow-motion to me. Paying little attention to the reason I capitalized on the situation and charged my senbon needles with the electricity of a 'Shocking Fingers Jutsu!' throwing them at the open maw of the snake, aiming for the back of the palate in hopes of getting to the brain.

The needles flew, hit their mark perfectly and the whole snake seemed to have a seizure while in mid-air. At that point life began to speed up, regaining its normal speed. The snake continued its trajectory harmlessly and I landed safely a couple of meters away on another tree.

"Hinata!" Sakura-chan came to my side "Ohmygod! Thank you! That was so awesome!"

But I barely paid attention to her or to Oshikura-san. My Byakugan and my focus were on Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san, and also on Midori-sempai.

The two boys were avoiding the bites and tail slaps by almost nothing. Naruto-kun was being relentless and determined; he was more focused on his sword attacks and on defending. Which was quite his style. Sasuke-san was moving slower than usual, as if doubtful and confused. I couldn't believe it, Sasuke-san was afraid, just a little more and he would be pettrified with fear! He wasn't even attacking, merely dodging...I had never thought about it, but this was probably the first time he had to fight a clearly outstanding opponent, and his inexperience was showing clearly. Was my own battle experience the reason behind my quick reaction before?

Meanwhile the Grass ninja and Midori-sempai were exchanging kunai and shuriken at high speeds, each weapon clashed with another one in the air, bouncing inoffensively to the ground far below.

"It seems you are no ordinary Prey" said the Grass ninja.

"Make no mistake!" replied the white haired Gennin "I'm your predator!" Without any hand seals several copies of her came out as after images, substituting the original with the throwing. Midori-sempai performed several seals.

"Adaptable jutsu! Uchiha clan: Battle Precognition! Adaptable Jutsu: Hyuuga clan: Radial Vision!" Her aqua eyes became pupil less and three small colon signs appeared at the iris.

The standing of the Grass ninja suddenly changed and his chakra flow was altered too. He had become serious.

"Never in my life have I heard of that technique" said the ninja tossing a bang of hair over his shoulder "This might be interesting after all"

"You have no idea! Prepare to die!" yelled Midori-sempai. I had never seen the ninja who had expressed such hatred towards violence being so hostile before, she marked a hand sign and a gigantic cube of chakra formed in front of her "Dust style: Particle Desintegration Jutsu!" The huge cube traveled at a fast speed to the Grass ninja who became mud as he performed a substitution. The attack reached its destination and an instant later everything that was inside the cube had completly disappeared! Trees, ground, bushes, even the dust in the air had vanished.

Still her opponent had no time to rest; Midori-sempai looked like that attack hadn't consumed any of her energy. She took one step and literally flew through the skies to her target. Making another hand sign she exclaimed "Lava style: Pyroclastic Breath Jutsu!" and fired a technique similar to my Water Cannon, except it was made of red-hot Lava! Standing his ground her opponent made his own hand signs.

"Water Style: Tsunami Jutsu!" From his mouth came forth a raging wave that clashed directly with the lava, causing a lot of steam to cover the whole section of the forest. "Very impressive" conceded the enemy "that is Kage level ninjutsu...what is a ninja your level doing on a Chunnin exam?" asked the dark haired ninja hidden among the steam cloud.

"I suppose I could ask you the same question...don't you think so, S-class missing-nin?"

Midori-sempai was looking around, searching for her opponent. At that moment something pulled Midori-sempai from behind. With my Byakugan I could see through the steam and watched as she was grabbed by the waist with the elongated tongue of her opponent.

"You could become dangerous" he said slamming his hand into my teammate's revealed bellybutton. Tiny purple fires burned her skin drawing a seal on her body and then disposed of her as if she was a corpse, but it seemed her chakra flow hadn't been altered in any way.

"You rely too much on your sight, even if that weird technique of yours gave you radial vision it was still unable to see through the steam. Now your chakra is sealed. There's nothing left for you to do...thanks for the fun"

"Do you really think this is going to stop me?" asked Midori-sempai standing up, the steam was about to dissipate completely "if you've enjoyed the fight so far, wait until second period. This is only halftime" she smirked with confidence and marked a hand sign "Storm style: Laser beam barrage Jutsu!" A series of white light rays shot from her hand seal.

"Medusa-head Jutsu!" From the insides of his clothes he produced several snakes that slammed themselves against the beams of energy, stopping each one of them. Both techniques had cancelled each other. But Midori-sempai wasn't done yet: a new hand sign was already prepared.

"Crystal style: Crystal Sarcofagus Jutsu!" Suddenly right where her enemy was standing large purplish crystal began to form around him, holding him within a large shard of the mineral formation. However a few seconds after he seemed to become something similar to sludge and came out of the ground next to the crystal shard.

"No one has that many Bloodline Limits!" Spouted the Grass ninja, and for a second it seemed as if he was losing his cool-head.

"That's the second time I force you to use your special substitution to escape my attacks, let's see how long can your chakra keep up" taunted my teammate.

"Who are you girl?"

"You really wanna know?" She made a few familiar hand signs "Henge! This is how I used to look" she became an adult man with long brown hair, the front of it was parted at the middle of his forehead so that two walls of hair marked his head, the rest was left to hang except for a tiny tail almost at the end of it. Byakugan eyes showed on his face and he had no branch family seal. He was wearing an orange T-shirt below a bright yellow vest, pale green pants and brown boots.

"My name is Kasugano Tohru, 42 years old" said the man even if he looked like he was on his thirties. He couldn't be that much older far than Anko-sensei "Defender and Last survivor of the Hidden Waterfall Village" that made no sense, I saw Waterfall Gennin in this test! "And I've come to stop your plans! Orochimaru! You won't get Sasuke, and your whole invasion won't work...because you're going to die here!"

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

There it is, the end of this chapter. Thank you for keeping up reading up to this point.

Before I get a thousand flames about it, I know that Midori seems like a Mary Sue, I know it, and I know this chapter doesn't precisely help her case, but please, just cope with her for a little longer, I promise everything will be explained before we get out of area 44...and you will see she's not omnipotent. Trust me on this one. And please read and review!