Chapter Three
For the love of God always have a hidden stash of instant ramen if Haruno is the one on cooking duties. Always.
– Lieutenant Uzumaki
Team Beast’s compound is massive.
We are all piled into their conference room, which is stocked with a mini bar and food cart to boot, as Hatake and Team Beast’s Captain, Might Guy, brief us on the rules and objectives for this exercise. Captain Guy threatens us that the losing team will be forced to pick up the other squads cleaning duties before Hatake cuts him off demanding a word. It is clear there is no love lost between Hatake and Guy as they have their quiet argument as we all wait for further instructions.
“Right, there is a change of assignments” Captain Guy says in a frustrated bark and his gaze fixes on me with a glare. “Lieutenant Haruno, stay here as Team Hound get into position for the drill.”
Team Hound shares victorious grins and file out of the room with a cocky Hatake who gives me a two fingered salute on their heels as I stay seated silently fuming.
“Lieutenant Haruno you will be playing the hostage for your team, hand over all your weapons” Captain Guy demands apologetically, and I don’t move for a second.
“With all respect Captain, you can’t be serious?” I ask incredulously as it sinks in just how low Hatake is willing to go to humiliate me.
“You pissed off the wrong guy Lieutenant, and I unfortunately owe the slimy bastard a favour, he cashed in for this” Captain Guy explains and gestures for my gun and gear.
Wanting to throw something, I stand and strip all my weapons onto the table as two of the Team Beast Lieutenants come and handcuff my hands and blindfold me. They perp march me out of the room and my face colours with anger as I hear Team Hound sniggering as they gather their gear.
We silently walk along linoleum floors, I assume from the sound of our soft squeaking shoes, and after what feels like ages we come to a stop, and I can hear the rattling of heavy metal doors. The two lieutenants walk me a few paces forward, and I hear the clanging of the metal again before my stomach is swooping as we rise, an elevator then.
“Is there a reason I can’t be handcuffed and blinded once we get there?” I ask into the silent lift, and I hear the two of them shuffling as they look at each other.
“Captain’s orders, Lieutenant” one of them replies and I sigh dramatically.
“I am going to uncuff your hands so you can climb into the tower” the Lieutenant on my right says into my ear and I wait until my hands are free before pushing up the blindfold slightly so I can see.
We are at the back of a large training arena that has been made to look like a living breathing jungle, and it stretches for what looks like miles.
“What is this place?” I ask, impressed with the level of facility for a training scenario.
“They call it the Forest of Death; climb, we are meant to be in position in two” the Lieutenant on my left says with a nudge towards the ladder.
We climb up and they re-cuff me and blindfold me before leading me to a chair and pushing me into it. One of them radios that they have me in position and then we lapse into silence.
The time stretches and I unashamedly doze as there is nothing but darkness and silence for hours. The two Lieutenants stretch every now and then but none of us make small talk and they haven’t used their radios, so I have no clue what is happening. It must be nearing the five-hour mark when one of them finally breaks the silence.
“Copy that Captain, I’ll head now, and Jiro will monitor Pinky.”
Bristling at the nickname, I hear one of them stand and climb down as the other stands and shuffles around with something near me. There is suddenly something tied around my arms and middle tightly so I can’t move off the chair and I swivel my head toward Jiro where I can hear his heavy breathing.
“Uh, what are you doing?” I ask annoyed as he roughly forces my feet together and cuffs them uncomfortably together as well. “Undo this now asshole.”
“Shut up” Jiro says harshly, and he is gripping my hair and forcing a wad of cloth into my mouth until I almost choke.
I struggle in my new bindings trying to loosen them, but I am very effectively immobilised so have no choice but to stay where I am. I try and listen for what he is doing as that is my only sense left to use right now when my head is suddenly snapping to the right as Jiro punches me sharply on my jaw.
My head rings from the hit and he is pulling my head back to centre where he is standing in front of me with a painful grip on my hair. I can feel him moving his other hand and then a cold blade is pressed to my cheek.
“I’m not allowed to kill you… but I think we should have some fun, no?” Jiro whispers hotly into my ear as he slices a shallow cut along my left cheek.
I am still gagged, and I refuse to give this asshole the satisfaction of a response right now, so I stay quiet as he moves the knife down my throat until it rests between my breasts. Another shallow cut as he uses the knife to cut through my shirt until it is just my bindings keeping my dignity intact.
“Why are you military chicks never over a C cup?” Jiro says as he trails the knife point over my bindings slowly. “Not bad though, I’m a simple man really.”
Jiro shoves his sweaty meaty hand down my bindings and roughly fondles my right breast as he pushes the knife into my neck and leans his head down into the crook of my shoulder, biting down hard enough to draw blood. A whimper escapes at the pain of the bite and Jiro chuckles as he pulls his head back a bit.
Using the very little movement I have I slam my forehead forward to connect with his face that I can still feel close to mine, and he rears back with a loud shout as I manage to hit him.
“You bitch!” Jiro hisses and his fist connects sharply with my nose as my head snaps back from his retaliation.
Warm blood trickles down my lips and chin and soaks into the gag in my mouth and I huff a stuffy laugh through the searing pain in my nose. The punch has moved the blindfold uncovering one of my eyes and I can finally see the small room I am in as Jiro moves over to dab a tissue at his nose oblivious to my newfound sight. Gritting my teeth I take a steadying breath and then using all the strength in my legs I send myself falling backwards as I bring my cuffed hands up and over my head to remove the tie around me.
Jiro shouts at me as I manage to get out of the chair, and I break for the ladder to escape but he yanks me back by my ponytail with a snarl. With my feet and hands cuffed I struggle in his grip as he drags me away from the exit with all I have when I spot his ankle knife.
Twisting painfully until I feel hair ripping, I yank it out of his boot and arc the knife for his hand gripping my head. I manage to somewhat slice his hand, and he lets me go with a fistful of cut hair as he rears back falling to his knees. I launch for him with the knife and stab him under his chin as I manage to shove him fully to the floor and he gurgles with wide eyes for a moment as I try to pull the knife back out. It is too stuck, and I can’t get it with my hands still cuffed so I shimmy down his body and reach into his pockets for the key to my cuffs.
Locating the small silver key, I undo my feet first and then my hands before standing over him. Jiro isn’t dead but he is gasping and gurgling around the knife through his mouth, and I roll my eyes at his dramatics as I pull the gag from my mouth and remove the blindfold.
“You’ll be fine asshole, stop whinging” I say to him as I strip him of his weapons.
Righting my bindings to cover myself properly, I tie the ripped sides of my shirt together in a makeshift shirt and grab his abandoned gun and knives before taking his comms set too. Turning to him I smile serenely as I crouch and pull one more time on the knife to see if it would budge.
“Dang, that’s really in there isn’t it? Well hold tight, I’ll send someone up soon to find you, ok?” I say with a mock pat to his shoulder, and he pleads with wide eyes as a pool of blood dribbles out of his trembling mouth. “Oh, before I forget!”
I stand and bring my boot down sharply on his right kneecap that has him choking and rolling in pain as it snaps.
“Can’t have you walking off now, can we?” I say as I head for the exit and wave to him before climbing down the ladder.
The radio in my ear is silent and I can’t see or hear any sign of movement in the arena around me. Who knows what my so-called team is doing right now.
I pick my way through the Jungle quietly, not seeing any sign of Team Hound or Team Beast on this side of the arena. I am almost halfway to the other side when I hear low voices from a dense brush area ahead of me.
“Shouldn’t we move to grab her now? It’s been almost six hours” Naruto’s slightly worried voice murmurs.
“Guess so, Jiro is probably taking it a little too far if I know that guy, wouldn’t want to permanently disfigure her” Sasuke replies jokingly as they stand and gather their weapons. “Captain we are moving in on the tower to retrieve Haruno.”
I stay silent as they move through the trees towards the tower I had just left. That asshole had told Jiro to attack me? My own “team” let that happen, for what? Scare me? Make me want to quit? Fuck these guys.
Checking the gun I had taken from Jiro I make sure it is loaded with blanks before following Sasuke and Naruto as they move silently through the trees. I keep a good distance from them, waiting for the right moment, and watch as they take up positions in the tree line surrounding the tower. Naruto gestures for Sasuke who is closer to the ladder to ascend as he provides cover, and Sasuke lets go of his gun to use both hands to climb quietly. Using the opportunity for what it is, I sneak up behind Naruto just as Sasuke reaches the top of the ladder and knock him unconscious with the butt of my gun. He drops and I quickly take aim at the back of Sasuke’s head and fire a blank at him.
The blanks will not kill, even if they hit a soft or vital spot, but they are powerful enough to split skin or knock someone unconscious and I watch as the force of the blank makes Sasuke’s head hit the wrung of the ladder and he falls in a heap out cold. I remove Sasuke’s radio and pocket it along with his weapons and then move to Naruto and do the same. If they wake up before this is over, I did not want them to be able to warn the other two I am coming.
My team had no one but Sasuke to blame for losing this mock fight today and I can’t wait to see the look on Hatake’s face when I put a green powder mark on his chest in a perfect kill shot to win this for Team Beast.