Chapter 4
Against all odds (and through some combination of sheer luck, cheating, and possibly divine intervention), Team 7 passed the written exam.
Naruto barely scraped by. He still wasn’t sure how. One moment he was sweating bullets, staring at the paper like it had personally wronged him, and the next, he was celebrating with Sakura while Satsuki just muttered something about "miracles" and "incompetent teammates."
But none of that mattered anymore.
Because now—now they were in the real test:
The Forest of Death.
"Alright!" Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Time to kick some butt! No more stupid tests, just straight-up survival and fighting!"
Satsuki gave him a side-eye. "You say that like we won’t die in here."
Naruto grinned. "Please. We’ve got me! And I’ve got my eyes on you, Satsuki, so don’t even think about sneaking off!"
She scoffed. "Is that supposed to make it any better? And beside, I don’t need you to babysit me, dobe."
"Yeah, well, too bad, ‘cause I can fix you—"
"Shut up."
Unfortunately, Naruto did not shut up.
But he should have.
Because things went south fast.
One second, Team 7 was strategizing, moving through the forest, looking for scrolls. The next, they were being ambushed by a Grass ninja with an unreasonably long neck and a face that should not exist.
Naruto knew bad vibes when he saw them.
And this? This was peak bad vibes.
Their battle was a blur—Satsuki and Naruto fought together, holding their own, but their opponent was wrong. Too fast, too strong.
Then, just as Naruto got separated from them, it happened.
The Grass ninja lunged. Naruto barely saw it in time—Satsuki’s Sharingan whirled, her kunai flashed, but it wasn’t enough.
The Grass ninja bit her right on the neck.
Satsuki’s eyes widened. Her body went rigid.
And then she screamed.
Naruto’s heart nearly stopped.
"Satsuki!" He rushed toward her, but she collapsed, clutching her neck, trembling. Black markings spread from the wound like veins of darkness. Naruto didn’t know what the hell was happening.
But he did know one thing—
He was going to kill that freak.
His vision blurred with rage. Red chakra flared. He turned—ready to rip that Grass ninja apart—But they were already gone.
Coward.
"Naruto!" Sakura’s voice cut through the haze. "Satsuki—she’s—"
He turned back, dropping to his knees beside Satsuki. She was breathing hard, her whole body shivering, teeth clenched in pain.
Naruto grabbed her shoulders. "Satsuki! Hey—what’s wrong?!"
Her fingers clenched around his wrist, weak but still stubborn. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"…I don’t need… help…"
Naruto almost laughed. Even like this, she was still her.
But no—this was not funny.
Because for the first time ever, Naruto had no idea how to fix her.
And that scared him more than anything.