The forest of death was interesting to Naruto as he entered with his team. Sakura was shaking in fear. Sasuke and Haku were silent and confident next to him.

Naruto was glad the test had finally started. Anko had begun to annoy him with her over dramatization of the dangers within the forest.

It wasn't called the forest of death for no reason. "So, what's the plan, Naruto?" Sasuke voiced his question lowly so as not to draw attention.

"Retreive the other scroll as quickly as possible." Naruto breathed the answer quietly. Haku gave him a deadpan look and Naruto tried not to laugh.

"We know that. How are we planning to do that is the question, Dobe." Sakura just had to chime in and Naruto cringed at the shrill pitch of her voice echoing off the trees. The forest went silent around them for a few seconds in response to the out of place sound.

"Quietly, Sakura. The absence of sound is like a flashing neon light to our location." Naruto all but hissed at her. Sasuke was glaring at her for insulting Naruto. Haku was frosting the grass he stood on, having taken exception to her insult as well.

Naruto raised his hand slightly and his lovers slowly relaxed. "First, we locate the team with the scroll we need. Then, we persuade them to hand it over. Lastly, we go to the tower and wait for everyone else."

"Got it." Was the answer he received from his teammates. With a nod to Haku, Naruto summoned a few clones to scout the area. Haku nodded back and began to quickly gather any supplies he could find for food stuff to cook later. Sasuke stood watch over them, Naruto having sat to focus on his clones. He had modified the juitsu so he could mind link to them.

Ten minutes went by before he opened his eyes. "The scroll we need is to the west of us." Naruto stood up and dispelled his scout clones.

Sasuke, Haku, and Sakura fell in line with him, Sasuke as point, Haku and Sakura side by side in the middle, and Naruto bringing up the rear as the traveled in the direction Naruto had indicated.

A hissing sound was coming towards them and Naruto paused, trying to get a feel of the foreign chakra that accompanied it. Reptilian and cold, with a distinct smell of greed and rotting corpses. 'Orochimaru', the blond thought in disgust.

It figured that the creep would try now to come after Sasuke. Naruto turned and met the summoned snake that had been sent to distract him. His blue eyes glared fiercely into the sickly yellow ones staring at him.

"Leave now, or die." Naruto said it quietly and left no doubt that he meant it from the commanding tone.

"Little human brat. You have no say over me." Came the hissed reply.

"Then you've made your choice." With that final say, Naruto launched forward, his kunai in hand and pierced the beast's eye, dispelling it with a loud burst of smoke and acrid blood.

A large flare of chakra caught his attention and he rushed forward to his comrades. Sasuke was staring at a grass nin, his body shaking from the effort to move. The KI that was coming in waves over his body had him paralyzed. Unable to think, barely able to breathe. Haku was desperately pulling on him, trying to break the hold the strange nin had on him. Sakura was screaming hysterically on a nearby branch.

'Useless as always.' Naruto thought as he stealthily made his way toward the grass ninja. 'Well, maybe not completely. She makes a great distraction.' With that thought he launched himself at the enemy, making him break eye contact with Sasuke.

A sinister laughter escaped from the ninja as he caught Naruto's fist. "That was great try, Naruto Uzimaki. But you will have to do better than that to stop me from claiming my prize." The grass nin flung him away, the blond slamming into the bark of a giant tree. The impact sent shards of wood flying into the air.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as Sakura's screaming finally stopped. It was a good thing too, as the blonde's ears were ringing. The grass nin gave a psychotic grin and began peeling it's skin off, revealing the pale face of Orochimaru.

"Sasuke-kun. A pleasure to finally meet the little brother of Itachi. Tell me. Are you as strong as he is?" The last word was a demonic hiss as he sprung forward, his neck elongating as he unhinged his jaw to show fangs. Sasuke stumbled back and fell down to the bark of the branch he was on.

Just as Orochimaru would have bitten him, a flare of orange flames exploded in front of him. Naruto's flames were exuding enough heat to burn the snake nin's face, making him scream and rear back, shaking his head side to side in pain.

"I would never allow you to harm one of my precious people." The last words were guttural and growled. Naruto's eyes no longer blue, but red. The wind was beginning to pick up around him, swirling leaves and blowing the tie in Haku's hair loose.

Haku and Sasuke couldn't stop staring at Naruto. They had never seen this side of him. It was as if the very wind was angry. A living entity that was encircling the blond they loved like a cloak.

"How interesting. Maybe it's you I should mark, Naruto-kun. The very air seems to bend to your will." The snake nin's eyes narrowed in thought before he threw a scroll at them. "Consider that a reward for obstructing my goal. For now." With that parting statement, Orochimaru vanished.

"What did he give you, Naruto?" Sakura asked him as he let his flames extinguish and he helped Sasuke up. His blue eyes searched him over for any injuries before he looked Haku over. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he noticed the subtle motions of the brunette putting away his senbon. He knew Haku would have had a means to defend himself as well as their shared lover.

"It's the scroll we needed. Let's hurry to the tower. We need to report that Orochimaru was here." Sasuke nodded and took point again. His pride was smarting from getting his ass kicked by the Snake nin. He should have been able to fend the prick off. He shouldn't have needed Naruto to save him. 'I need to get stronger.'