A New Path

The rustling of leaves filled the air as Sakura adjusted her position against the thick tree trunk, her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and face set in the epitome of unimpressed exhaustion. Before her, in an utterly undignified heap, were her teammates—three of them, all completely unconscious.

Three.

Three heavy, helpless, chakra-drained teammates, completely useless in the face of danger.

Sakura let out a deep, irritated sigh. "Of course, it had to be me," she muttered under her breath, running a hand down her face. "Of course, the only one left standing is me."

Naruto was sprawled out on his back, his Hiraishin kunai still clutched loosely in his hand. His chest rose and fell in an even rhythm, but his face was slack, completely out cold. Sasuke had lasted long enough to make sure they were safe, but as soon as they found a decent hiding spot, he collapsed from chakra exhaustion. He was curled slightly on his side, his chokutō still strapped to his back. And then there was Harry.

Sakura's eyes landed on him, and an involuntary shiver crawled up her spine. He looked… normal again.

No pure white irises. No darkened sclera. No horns.

He just looked like Harry, fast asleep, his katana resting beside him.

Sakura exhaled sharply, finally allowing herself to relax against the tree, but her mind refused to quiet down.

Whatever that transformation was, whatever power had surged through Harry during that fight, it wasn’t normal. It wasn’t something any of them had seen before. And that scared her.

A new kekkei genkai. A new dōjutsu.

Her hands clenched against her arms.

Those weren’t just rare. They were dangerous.

There was a reason why history books were littered with the names of clans that no longer existed. Why bloodlines with unique abilities had been snuffed out before they could ever flourish. Why people like Danzo exist in the first place—men who sought to use such power for their own means, dissect it, experiment on it, turn it into a tool.

If anyone found out about what Harry had just done—what he had become—his life wouldn’t be his own anymore.

Sakura’s jaw tightened. No.

Not happening.

She would keep this a secret. She would protect this knowledge with everything she had.

She glanced back at her unconscious teammates, her expression softening ever so slightly.

“You three owe me for this,” she grumbled, though there was no real bite behind her words.

She shifted, making herself more comfortable, but as she moved, she felt a distinct absence at her hip.

Her fan.

Sakura’s expression darkened immediately. She turned her head slowly, scanning the area around her, but it was nowhere in sight.

Gone.

One of her iron fans.

Her fingers twitched with irritation.

“Just great,” she muttered, rubbing her temples. First, she had to babysit three unconscious idiots, and now she was down a weapon. Wonderful.

Sakura leaned back against the tree, keeping her ears sharp for any sign of movement in the dense forest around them. The Forest of Death was still living up to its name, and with four days left in this exam, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

For now, she would rest. But the moment one of them woke up?

They were coming up with a new plan.

And Naruto was carrying his own damn weight this time.

The air reeked of blood.

Dosu Kinuta barely spared the cooling corpses at their feet a glance. Three shinobi, no longer breathing, their bodies sprawled unnaturally across the forest floor. Their hands, once poised to form seals, were now stiff. Their eyes, wide open, stared at nothing.

Kin Tsuchi sighed, nudging one of the bodies with the tip of her sandal. “Ugh. That was boring.”

Zaku Abumi scoffed, cracking his neck as he stretched his arms. “No kidding. I was hoping they’d at least put up a fight. What kind of shinobi doesn’t even last a full minute?”

“Dead ones,” Dosu answered plainly. His voice, ever level, carried no emotion. This was a mission, nothing more. No thrill, no excitement—just another set of obstacles eliminated.

Kin crouched down, picking up one of the fallen enemy’s weapons—a pair of kunai strapped together with wire. She twirled it between her fingers before huffing and tossing it aside. “I was expecting a real challenge in this exam. But so far, all we’ve done is take out nobodies.”

Zaku folded his arms, leaning against a tree. “Well, we were supposed to be here to kill Uchiha, remember? That was the whole point. But now…” He clicked his tongue, irritated. “Orochimaru changed his mind.”

Dosu’s eye twitched slightly behind his bandages. Yes. Their mission had, indeed, changed.

They had entered this exam with one objective: to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha. It was a straightforward mission, one they were more than capable of executing. Assassination was their specialty—hit fast, hit hard, and leave nothing behind. But then, just hours ago, everything shifted.

A single command came through their seal, Orochimaru’s voice slithering into their ears like a whispered promise.

“Stay hidden. Do not interfere. Observe.”

Just like that, their mission to eliminate the Uchiha had been revoked.

Kin flopped down onto a tree root, her arms crossing in a huff. “So now what? We just sit around and wait?”

Dosu turned his head slightly, gaze unreadable. “We follow orders.”

Zaku let out a frustrated groan. “We were sent here to kill him! And now we’re just supposed to sit on our asses and watch? That’s such a waste of time.”

“Orochimaru-sama clearly sees something in him,” Dosu said, his voice steady but edged with intrigue. “The way he changed his plans so suddenly… it means the Uchiha must have done something to catch his interest.”

Kin tilted her head back, staring at the canopy above. “Well, whatever it is, it means we don’t get to have any fun.” She glanced back at the bodies, her lip curling. “And if this is all we get to do, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Zaku kicked a stray kunai across the dirt, irritated. “Tch. What are we supposed to do for the next few days, then? Pick off weaklings for sport?”

Dosu shook his head. “No. We keep our distance. Stay in the shadows. We can’t afford to draw attention to ourselves now.”

Kin clicked her tongue. “Ugh, great. I love doing nothing.”

Zaku grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “This better be worth it. If we’re sitting around for no reason, I swear…”

Dosu remained silent, but his mind was already calculating the possibilities. Orochimaru never made decisions lightly. If he saw something in Sasuke Uchiha worth changing their mission for, then it was only a matter of time before they found out why.

For now, they would watch.

And wait.

Pure, dumb luck.

That was the only reason Team Dosu stumbled upon the perfect opportunity to entertain themselves.

Kin was the first to notice. A makeshift camp hidden beneath thick underbrush, nearly imperceptible—if not for the faint signs of movement. A single figure sat in the middle, unmoving. The soft flickering of her breath, the slow rise and fall of her shoulders—Sakura Haruno. And surrounding her? Three unconscious bodies.

Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto Uzumaki. And that strange one—Harry.

A slow, wicked grin stretched across Zaku’s face as he stepped forward, his voice carrying a mockery that dripped with amusement.

“Well, well, well. Looks like we found ourselves a lone little leaf.”

Sakura’s entire body went rigid, her hands instinctively tightening into fists. No way. She forced herself to keep her breathing steady, her expression unreadable despite the way her heart slammed against her ribs.

Dosu remained still, his head tilting slightly. No traps. No signs of anyone else nearby. His gaze flickered to the unconscious bodies. Tch. This isn’t even a challenge.

Kin, however, giggled in delight. “Oh my, look at you,” she cooed, stepping forward, her eyes glinting as she took in Sakura’s defensive stance. “All alone with your helpless little friends. You must feel so scared right now.”

Sakura didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She had no chakra left—not enough for a proper genjutsu, not enough for a ninjutsu. If I waste any unnecessary energy, I’m as good as dead.

Her mind whirled. Taijutsu. That’s all I have left.

Zaku smirked, flexing his fingers. “You know, we were getting bored just sitting around doing nothing. But now? This just made our whole day.”

Before Sakura could react, Kin lunged.

The movement was too fast. Too calculated. And Sakura was much too tired to move out of the way of the attack.

A vicious yank at the roots of her hair sent a sharp shock of pain through her skull. Sakura let out a startled gasp as she was jerked backward, her body locking up as Kin wrenched her head to the side, keeping her completely still. The grip was iron-tight, unrelenting, fingers twisting into her scalp.

“Well, aren’t you just adorable?” Kin sneered, yanking a little harder, reveling in the way Sakura winced but didn’t cry out. “It’d be such a shame if something happened to your cute little face.”

Sakura’s stomach churned.

Her hands trembled at her sides. Her iron fan—her last fan—was strapped against her hip, but she had no way of reaching it.

Kin leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. “How about we carve a pretty little mark on you? Something permanent.”

Zaku laughed.

Something inside Sakura snapped.

She couldn’t waste time. She couldn’t hesitate. They'd kill her if she did.

Sakura moved.

A sharp, unforgiving slash of a kunai—her own kunai—cut through the strands of her hair, freeing her from Kin’s grip. The moment Kin’s fingers lost their hold, Sakura dropped low, twisting her body in a sharp motion before whipping her iron fan forward with all the force she had.

It hit.

A direct impact against Kin’s ribs sent her staggering, her breath leaving in a sharp exhale. The same momentum sent the fan spinning, clipping Zaku’s arm and slamming against Dosu’s shoulder with a solid crack.

But it wasn’t enough.

Not nearly enough, because like the dirty bastard he was, Zaku took the chance to ruin Sakura's face. Before Sakura could properly reset her stance, pain exploded across her face.

Something hot, sharp, and deep.

A kunai.

Her world tilted, her vision blurring as her body hit the ground with a brutal thud.

The pain was immediate.

Sakura barely processed the blood pouring from her cheek, but she could feel the searing burn that followed. She could feel the way the air stung against the raw, torn skin. The sensation was sickening, her stomach twisting at the realization. Zaku crouched beside her, twirling the kunai between his fingers—the same one he had just dragged across her face. His lips curled into something smug.

“Oops,” he drawled mockingly. “Looks like I slipped.”

Sakura’s breathing came in ragged, sharp gasps. The pain was unbearable. The wound wasn’t clean—it was jagged, deep, intentional. She didn’t even have to look to know it was going to scar.

Permanently.

Her vision swam, blood dripping into her eye, the taste of iron coating her tongue.

She shouldn’t move, her head swam with dizziness, and the taste of her blood made her want to puke.

She needed to think.

Dosu stepped closer, his presence looming. His voice, calm as ever, rang out.

“That should be enough, Zaku.”

Zaku rolled his eyes, flipping the kunai in his palm. “She’s still breathing, isn’t she?”

Kin wiped her mouth, clearly pissed about getting hit, her gaze murderous. “Let me handle her.”

Sakura didn’t move. Didn’t twitch. Didn’t breathe. She went completely still.

And then, subtly, silently—she cast it.

A genjutsu.

A cruel, silent, precise genjutsu.

She knew she didn’t have enough chakra for anything strong. But something small? Something unnoticeable?

That she could manage.

She let her body slacken, her chest barely moving. A corpse. A lifeless, bloodied corpse.

Kin stepped closer.

“I think she’s dead,” she muttered.

Dosu narrowed his gaze.

Something was off.

Something was—

The second Kin moved to grab her—

Sakura struck.

And this time—she would not miss.

Fast. Precise. No hesitation.

Her fingers snatched the string in one swift motion, and in the next heartbeat—she moved.

A brutal whip of the wire wrapped around Kin’s wrist before she could even react. Sakura pulled hard, mercilessly, yanking the other girl off balance.

Kin staggered, her breath leaving in a sharp gasp.

Sakura didn’t stop.

She twisted the wire, using her momentum to throw Kin toward Zaku. The collision was harsh, sending them both tumbling back and before they could recover—Sakura struck again.

This time—she mimicked Naruto.

Brutal. Unrelenting.

She pulled the wire tight—so tight it cut into Kin’s wrist, so tight that when Kin yanked against it, she only made it worse.

The scream that tore from Kin’s throat was satisfying.

Sakura moved in close, her breaths harsh, her muscles screaming. She had to fight with her left side now. Her depth perception was off, her balance shaky, but she adapted—she adjusted.

She had no choice but to.

Kin snarled, attempting to reach for a kunai—only for Sakura to slam a knee into her gut.

Kin choked.

The breath left her lungs in a sharp, painful wheeze.

Zaku gritted his teeth. “You little—”

He lunged.

Sakura anticipated it.

The second Zaku moved, she turned the string against him.

A sharp, brutal pull, as if she was tugging along a stubborn dog.

Zaku stumbled.

Kin, still bound, was dragged forward, and thrown into Zaku’s path. Their bodies collided, another tangled mess of limbs, and Dosu—who had been watching the entire thing in eerie silence—finally moved.

He vanished.

Sakura barely had time to react before she felt his presence behind her.

Too close.

Too fast.

A crushing force slammed into her back.

She hit the ground hard.

Pain exploded through her spine, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her body spasmed, her muscles locking up.

A single, chilling voice broke through the haze of pain—

“You’re smarter than I thought,” Dosu murmured, standing over her. “But it won’t matter.”

Sakura panted, her fingers twitching against the dirt. Her vision blurred again.

But she refused to black out.

Not yet.

Because hidden in the underbrush—watching, waiting—

Was another team.

“Damn,” Choji muttered under his breath. His grip tightened around a half-eaten bag of chips, completely forgotten. “She’s—she’s really holding her own.”

Shikamaru didn’t respond immediately. His eyes were sharp, and calculating, watching the battlefield with intent.

Sakura had been ripping through Team Dosu.

No jutsu. No chakra.

Just pure, vicious strategy.

It was a rare thing to see.

Ino’s fists clenched at her sides. Her expression was unreadable, but the tension in her shoulders spoke volumes.

“She’s hurt,” she muttered, voice low. “Her eye—”

“I know,” Shikamaru said.

Anyone with eyes could see that the wound Sakura now had was bad. Even if she survived this, even if she got proper treatment—that kind of cut wouldn’t heal cleanly.

Ino’s lips thinned.

She wasn’t used to seeing Sakura like this. Raw. Dangerous.

Sakura had always been the weak one in their class. The one who hesitated. The one who always stood behind others.

But this?

This wasn’t the Sakura Haruno that Ino remembered.

“She’s different,” Ino whispered.

Shikamaru sighed. Of course, she is.

“She’s completely out of chakra,” he muttered, rubbing his chin. “She won’t last much longer.”

Ino turned to him sharply. “Then we should help—”

“We could.” Shikamaru’s tone was calm and thoughtful. “Or we could take their scroll.”

Choji blinked. “Huh?”

Shikamaru nodded toward Team Dosu’s unattended bags.

“They have a Heaven scroll.”

Silence.

A long pause stretched between them.

Then—Ino sighed.

“That’s dirty,” she muttered, but there was no real protest behind it.

Shikamaru shrugged. “So is the exam.”

Another silence.

Choji frowned. “So what do we do?”

Shikamaru exhaled slowly, watching as Sakura struggled to push herself up—watching as Dosu prepared to end it.

“Well.”

A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips.

“That depends on how much more of a fight she has left in her.”

Sakura barely had the strength to stand. Her body ached, her limbs screamed, and the fresh wound across her right eye sent a relentless pulse of agony through her skull. Blood still dripped from the cut, the warmth of it trailing down her cheek, but she ignored it.

Because suddenly—

There was someone else on the battlefield.

“Yo,” a lazy voice drawled.

Sakura blinked in genuine surprise.

Shikamaru Nara stood just a few feet away, hands stuffed in his pockets, posture relaxed—like he had just woken up from a nap and wandered into a life-or-death battle by mistake.

The contrast was ridiculous.

Dosu turned sharply, his visible eye narrowing in suspicion. "And you are?"

Shikamaru sighed dramatically. “Man, I didn’t wanna get involved, but you guys are making a real mess of things.”

He tilted his head, his eyes flicking toward Sakura for a split second—just enough for her to catch the silent message.

Stay sharp.

Sakura moved.

She pushed herself up, gritting her teeth against the pain, and forced her body to obey. Her balance was off, her vision still blurred on one side, but she ignored it because Shikamaru showing up wasn't random.

It was planned.

He had a reason for being here.

She wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, stepping up beside him. "Tell me you have a plan," she muttered under her breath.

Shikamaru exhaled through his nose. "Would I be here if I didn’t?"

Sakura's lips twitched. Fair point.

Dosu’s eyes flickered between them, his expression unreadable. “You’re stalling,” he observed.

Shikamaru shrugged. “Maybe.”

Dosu frowned, but before he could say anything, Kin moved. Of course, she managed to recover from Sakura’s last attack. Great. The kunoichi lunged at Shikamaru, clearly irritated by his nonchalant attitude.

Sakura reacted first, even with her eyesight messed up, she was able to see the kunoichi, she wasn’t that fast. She stepped in front of Shikamaru and caught Kin’s wrist mid-swing, twisting it at a brutal angle.

Kin yelped.

Sakura used that brief moment of distraction to slam her elbow into Kin’s ribs, sending her staggering back, and collapsing. Weakling.

Shikamaru hummed in approval. “Nice.”

Sakura rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck. “I learn from the best.”

Dosu, now fully aware that something was off, narrowed his eyes. He took a slow step forward, the metal plating on his arm catching the dim light. "You're playing at something."

Shikamaru smirked.

“Am I?”

Dosu stiffened, a flicker of realization passing through his features—

Just as he whipped around.

Too late.

Because in that moment—

Choji and Ino struck.

From behind, Ino snatched Team Dosu’s bag in one swift motion, her hands light and practiced from years of precise kunoichi training.

Choji, at the same time, barreled forward, his massive body colliding into Zaku with the full force of Human Boulder.

Zaku was sent flying into a tree.

The impact was sickening.

Sakura grinned, something in her heart sang at the sound of pain coming from the bastard.

Dosu snarled. "You—"

"Oops," Ino cut in, swinging the stolen bag in her grip. She gave a mocking smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Looks like you guys just lost your Heaven Scroll. That’s rough, buddy."

Zaku groaned from where he was slumped against the tree. "You little—"

Shikamaru yawned. "Man, you guys are slow. What took you so long to figure it out?"

Dosu tensed. He was smart—smarter than his two teammates—but even he hadn't seen the strategy coming. They had been so focused on him and Sakura, so fixated on ending the fight—

That they had completely ignored the possibility of a second enemy.

A distraction.

It was flawless teamwork.

Dosu clenched his fists, but Shikamaru was already stepping back.

"Well," he said, "as much fun as this has been, I think we’re gonna take our leave."

Dosu glared. "You think you can just walk away from this?"

Shikamaru smiled. Slow. Lazy.

"Yeah, actually."

Then, before Dosu could react—

Shikamaru’s shadow lashed out.

Fast.

Like a striking viper.

It snaked along the ground and caught Dosu’s shadow before he could move—locking him in place.

His body froze.

Sakura smirked. Beautiful.

Dosu’s expression twisted in realization.

“You little—”

Shikamaru shrugged. “I told you—”

He stepped backward, forcing Dosu to mirror him.

“—we’re leaving.”

Dosu struggled, but it was useless.

Shikamaru’s control was perfect.

Team 10 backed away, taking Team Dosu’s scroll with them.

Sakura, sparing one last glance at Dosu’s frozen expression of frustration, followed after them—wiping the last of the blood from her ruined eye.

Team 10 had saved her life.

And she wasn’t about to waste it.

The tension of the battlefield was long gone. In its place was a different kind of tension.

A deadly one.

Sakura stormed through the undergrowth, leading Team 10 toward her unconscious teammates. Fury radiated off of her in waves. Every step was heavy, her shoulders were squared, and the fresh wound over her right eye made her look even more terrifying.

Shikamaru, who had been smartly keeping pace beside her, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"...You good?"

Sakura let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"Oh, I’m great, Nara," she said flatly. "I just had to singlehandedly fight three people, nearly lost an eye, had to pretend to be dead, and, oh yeah—I lost my goddamn fan."

Shikamaru sighed through his nose. “Unlucky.”

“Unlucky?” Sakura repeated. “I’ll show you unlucky.”

Shikamaru wisely said nothing.

Ino and Choji exchanged looks.

“She’s scary,” Choji muttered.

Ino hummed. “I think it’s hot.”

Shikamaru and Choji side-eyed her. Sakura pushed through the last of the thick brush, revealing the spot where she had hidden her team. Her footsteps slowed as she approached them, finally taking in the sight before her.

Harry, Naruto, and Sasuke were all sprawled out on the ground.

Sasuke was still out cold from chakra exhaustion.

Harry and Naruto, on the other hand—

Harry groaned, rolling onto his side. His face was pinched in discomfort, his body aching from the toll of his earlier mysterious transformation.

Naruto stirred as well, his fingers twitching slightly before his eyes cracked open.

Sakura crossed her arms. "Oh, good. You're finally awake."

Naruto blinked up at her, still dazed. "Huh?"

Harry barely had the energy to move, but he felt the danger in the air. Something primal warned him.

Run.

Sasuke let out a quiet groan as he fully woke, pushing himself upright—only to suddenly be met with a full-force palm strike to the face.

CRACK.

Sasuke’s head snapped sideways and he fell right back down.

Harry and Naruto jolted violently.

Sasuke wobbled, dazed from the impact. “What the—”

"YOU. LEFT. ME. AS. THE. LAST. ONE. STANDING."

Each word was punctuated with a jab to Sasuke’s forehead.

Naruto and Harry, in pure self-preservation, immediately scooted backward. Sakura turned on them next, rage practically radiating off her. She flung an arm toward her head, gesturing wildly to the uneven, jagged remains of her once-long hair.

"Do you SEE this?! Do you?!" she demanded.

Naruto, in a moment of sheer bravery (or stupidity), gasped.

"Wait—YOUR HAIR!"

Harry, still not fully aware of what was happening, blinked. "Huh?"

Sakura snapped her head toward him.

Naruto’s mouth snapped closed immediately.

Harry took one look at her expression and did the same.

"You know what? No," Sakura continued, her voice laced with pure venom. She gestured wildly at the wound on her face. “Let’s talk about THIS. Because I, alone, had to fight a team of assassins—three-on-one—while you idiots took a goddamn nap!”

Naruto swallowed thickly. "Uh."

Harry, wisely, remained silent.

Sasuke, rubbing his bruised forehead, finally recovered. "Look, I—"

He was cut off by another sharp jab to the chest.

“Shut up, Uchiha.”

Sasuke wisely listened.

From a safe distance, Team 10 watched.

Choji popped another handful of chips into his mouth. "Wow. I’m so glad Ino isn’t like that."

Shikamaru grunted in firm agreement.

Ino, who had been watching the whole thing with admiration, turned to them with a pointed look.

“You guys are dumb.”

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his temples. "Troublesome."

Sakura, still fuming, paced back and forth as she cussed out her entire team.

Naruto and Harry, still cowering, shared a quick glance.

Naruto mouthed: She’s scary.

Harry nodded vigorously in agreement.

Sasuke grumbled, crossing his arms—but even he wasn’t willing to say anything else.

Shikamaru exhaled. "This is gonna be a long exam."

The energy between Team 7 and Team 10 shifted as the dust settled. With the immediate danger behind them, both teams took the rare moment to breathe.

Sakura sat with her knees drawn up, meticulously cleaning her wound with steady hands. The cut stretched from her forehead, just above her right eye, all the way to her cheekbone. It was ugly, raw, and still bleeding, but she barely winced as she worked.

She had read about this kind of thing before.

Infections. Wound treatment. The basics of medical care.

She wasn't a medic, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let some filthy wound slow her down.

Ino crouched behind her, kunai in hand. “Hold still, Forehead,” she muttered. “Your hair’s a mess.”

Sakura rolled her good eye. “Yeah, no shit.”

Ino made quick work of the jagged, uneven strands, cutting away what she needed to in order to give Sakura’s hair a more deliberate, structured shape. With each soft snip, the weight of the fight slowly began to fade.

“…Not bad,” Ino admitted, tilting her head as she examined her work.

Sakura sighed, running a hand through the now-short strands. "Guess I have no choice but to get used to it."

Naruto, sitting cross-legged a few feet away, squinted. "Eh. It’s not that bad, Sakura-chan."

Harry nodded from his spot next to him. "It suits you."

Sasuke, for once, didn’t say anything.

Sakura rolled her good eye but didn’t comment.

Ino smirked. “I dunno, Forehead. Short hair makes you look kinda hot.”

Sakura froze.

Naruto choked.

Sasuke looked away.

Harry blinked, slightly confused.

Shikamaru sighed. “Can we focus?”

Sakura grumbled but turned her attention back to Team 10. "Fine. Let's get to business. What happened on your end?"

Shikamaru exhaled, taking the chance to sit down properly for the first time in a while. "Well, we came across a team that had already been wiped out—figured whoever did it was still around. And, lucky us, we ran into you and the three maniacs who did it."

Sakura scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "They fought dirty. They were trained assassins. No hesitation, no morals—nothing."

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, we noticed." Shikamaru then squinted his eyes at Team 7. All four of them looked like they went through hell and came back.

“…What about you guys?”

Naruto immediately groaned, flopping onto his back. “Oh, man—where do we even start?”

Harry, rubbing his temple, frowned. "We were attacked the moment we stepped into the clearing. That snake—"

“Wasn’t normal,” Sasuke finished, voice sharp. “It wasn’t a summon. That thing was created.”

Shikamaru frowned. “Created?”

Harry nodded. “It had no summoning contract. Someone made it and sent it after us.”

Team 10 exchanged glances.

Sakura clenched her jaw. “…And the person behind it?” Sakura was the first one to be taken out, so she was curious if her teammates managed to figure out who the weirdo was that attacked them.

Naruto grimaced. "At first, we thought they were just some random genin. But then—"

He trailed off.

Harry and Sasuke shared a look.

Sakura’s expression darkened. "Then what?"

Harry exhaled. "Then they transformed."

The air shifted.

Shikamaru’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean, transformed?”

Sasuke leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “The genin wasn’t a genin. We don’t know their real identity, but we do know that the transformation was—unnatural. Their chakra was wrong."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. “…Describe them.”

Sasuke’s fingers twitched slightly. “Pale skin. Snake-like eyes. Unnatural movements.”

A heavy silence fell.

Shikamaru processed the words carefully, piecing things together in his mind like a puzzle.

He exhaled slowly.

“…Shit.”

Ino blinked. "What?"

Shikamaru turned to them, expression grim.

“I think you guys just fought Orochimaru.”

Silence.

Dead silence.

Naruto's face froze. "...Who?"

Shikamaru sighed heavily, rubbing his temple. "Orochimaru. A rogue ninja. One of the Legendary Sannin."

Naruto’s eyes widened. "Wait. Legendary? As in, on the same level as a Kage?"

Shikamaru nodded.

Sakura’s stomach twisted.

Harry’s expression darkened.

Sasuke clenched his fists. “Tell us everything.”

Shikamaru glanced between them, then sighed again, preparing himself.

“Alright. Orochimaru was originally a shinobi of the Leaf—one of the strongest. But at some point, he went rogue. The guy’s a monster. His goal? Immortality.”

Harry stiffened.

Sakura’s jaw clenched.

“Experiments,” Shikamaru continued, expression serious. “Countless. He’s obsessed with jutsu, DNA, genetics—anything that lets him gain more power. He’s been kidnapping Shinobi and civilians for years. No one really knows how many people he's used for experiments, but—"

He exhaled.

“It’s a lot.”

A cold chill settled over the group.

Naruto’s fists clenched at his sides. "So he's just some crazy bastard doing science experiments?"

Shikamaru looked at him.

“No, Naruto. He’s not just some crazy bastard. He’s a threat.”

Harry, who had been eerily silent up until now, finally spoke.

“…He was after Sasuke.”

Shikamaru nodded slowly. “Yeah. He was.”

Sasuke exhaled through his nose. He wasn’t stupid. He knew that whatever Orochimaru had planned, it wasn’t good.

“…Then I’ll kill him,” Sasuke said, voice flat.

Naruto snapped his head toward him. "Bastard, you think you can just—"

"Shut up, Naruto."

Naruto gritted his teeth.

Shikamaru, exasperated, sighed again. "Look. We don’t have time for this. Right now, our focus is getting the hell out of here alive."

Sakura, finally done with treating herself, stood up. "Agreed. We have our scrolls. We need to move."

Harry pushed himself up as well. “We’re too exposed here. If Orochimaru really is after Sasuke, then we don’t want to stick around for round two.”

Shikamaru nodded. “Exactly.”

Naruto huffed but didn’t argue.

Sasuke remained silent.

Ino gave Sakura’s hair one last appraising look. “Not bad.”

Sakura rolled her good eye, it feels like she’s been doing that a lot lately. “Thanks.”

Choji finished his chips. “Let’s go.”

And just like that, they moved.

Each step forward brought them closer to the tower.

But Sakura, deep down, knew something.

This wasn’t the end.

This was only the beginning.

Naruto unfolded the worn map, the edges slightly crinkled from being shoved into his pocket during all the chaos. He plopped down on the forest floor, using the last bit of remaining light from the setting sun to examine it properly.

“Alright, according to this,” he tapped a spot near the center, “the tower is still a few hours away, but it’s already getting dark.”

Sakura glanced at the sky. The warm orange glow was giving way to darker hues of purple and blue. Shadows stretched across the forest, growing longer, thicker, and far more dangerous.

“We need to stop and rest,” she said. “We’re exhausted, and traveling at night is just asking for trouble.”

Shikamaru hummed in agreement, rubbing his neck. “Yeah, especially in this place. Too many blind spots. We could get ambushed in the dark.”

Naruto huffed. “Fine, but where do we crash? Can’t exactly sleep on the ground unless you wanna wake up with something gnawing on your foot.”

“Trees,” Sasuke said simply, crossing his arms. “It’s safer. Gives us the high ground.”

“Agreed,” Harry muttered.

Sakura looked around, scanning the area before pointing toward a massive tree with thick branches and ample cover. “That one should work.”

They wasted no time. Each of them used tree-walking chakra control to ascend, moving swiftly from branch to branch until they found spots that could comfortably hold them.

Naruto stretched his arms, then leaned back against the trunk. “Man, this is so weird. We’re literally camping in trees. We’re like—tree ninjas.”

Shikamaru gave him a deadpan look. “We are ninjas, idiot.”

Naruto clicked his tongue. “Yeah, but now we’re tree ninjas.”

Sakura sighed, already tired of the conversation. “Naruto, just shut up and go to sleep.”

“Geez, alright, alright.” He pouted but obeyed, tucking his arms behind his head.

As the team settled in, the atmosphere shifted. The tension from earlier was still there, lingering beneath the surface, but there was also something else—a quiet sense of relief.

Sakura sat on her branch, her newly short hair still oddly foreign to her. She absentmindedly touched the strands before shaking her head, forcing herself to focus.

She looked toward Sasuke, who had his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Naruto was already half-asleep, his breathing even. Harry, on the other hand, was staring up at the stars, eyes distant.

Team 10 wasn’t too far away, positioned in another set of trees. Ino was fixing her nails, Choji was munching on something, and Shikamaru was... well, being Shikamaru.

“Shikamaru,” Sakura called softly.

He glanced at her, brow raised.

“You sure about what you said? That it was really Orochimaru?”

Shikamaru sighed, tilting his head back. “Honestly? Yeah. I mean, it makes sense. A ridiculously strong opponent? Obsessed with bloodlines and rare abilities? After Sasuke? Sounds like Orochimaru to me.”

Sakura clenched her jaw. “Great. Just great.”

“If it was him,” Harry said quietly, still looking at the sky, “then why?”

Sasuke finally spoke. “Because of the Sharingan.” His voice was flat, but there was an underlying tension in it.

Shikamaru nodded. “Yeah. Orochimaru’s been after strong kekkei genkai for years. The Sharingan is easily one of the most powerful.”

Sasuke exhaled sharply but didn’t respond.

A silence stretched between them before Naruto mumbled, “...We’re really in some deep crap, huh?”

Sakura groaned, leaning back against the trunk. “No kidding.”

Naruto turned toward her, eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. “Hey, Sakura-chan?”

“What?”

“You okay?”

She blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.

She thought about it.

Was she okay?

Her hair was gone. Her face was scarred. Her right eye was useless. She had been forced into a brutal fight where she had to think and react in ways she never had before. And to top it all off, she now knew that one of the most infamous rogue ninjas in history had set his sights on her teammate.

So, no.

She wasn’t okay.

But she wasn’t going to say that.

Instead, she muttered, “I’ll live.”

Naruto seemed satisfied with that answer. “Okay. Just checking.”

Harry, still looking at the sky, spoke softly.

“…We need to be stronger.”

It was a simple statement, but it carried weight.

Naruto hummed in agreement. “Yeah. Next time, we can’t let some snake freak just walk all over us.”

Sasuke didn’t say anything, but his clenched fists were enough of an answer.

Sakura nodded. “Agreed.”

Shikamaru, watching all of them from his spot in the tree, exhaled. “Man, you guys are a pain.”

Choji chuckled. “You knew that already.”

Ino smirked. “Yeah, what else is new?”

Shikamaru groaned. “Troublesome.”

The group quietly laughed, the tension in the air easing, just a little.

Even if tomorrow brought more danger, at least, for now, they had each other.

And for tonight, that was enough.