In
15…
14…
13…
…seconds, I'll just die.
Now I felt on my own skin what it means to be a shinobi—juggling running chainsaws, as they say. One wrong move, and there's another grave in this world.
But it started out so perfectly!
A few hours earlier
"We're coming! Run for your lives!" Naruto yelled as we leaped through the trees. And so began our second stage of the chunin selection exams.
Whether it'd be tough was easy to guess. Everything in this forest, from plants to people, wanted to kill us. And the question of whether Orochimaru would show up at the exam was gone. It was replaced by: "How do we stop the sannin from sealing Sasuke without dying?"
"Naruto, if you were..." Sasuke didn't finish before a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the forest. Just a few minutes in—someone already got knifed?
"Did you hear that?" Naruto asked. We stopped in a small forest clearing.
"Yeah," I replied, scanning the area. Huge trees surrounded us, hinting this forest was centuries old and hundreds of genin had died here. The thick canopy blocked the light, making it hard to tell if it was still day or already evening.
"It got quiet somehow..." I glanced at Sasuke, and he got it right away. Yeah, those three genin watching us from the bushes didn't escape me. After all, I'm a sensor, right?
"Don't worry, Ari! We'll take 'em all!" Naruto grinned and clasped his hands behind his head. "Oops, sorry! Gotta go!" He was about to do his business right in front of us, but Sasuke shooed him into the bushes.
"Wait, Dobe," I put a hand on his shoulder, stopping the doomed Naruto trudging into the bushes. He looked at me intently, and I handed him a kunai, adding: "Don't drop your guard."
He nodded, took the kunai, and went on.
Sure, the odds he'd get it right were low, but still. Naruto wasn't weak, and Sasuke and I were ready to jump in any second if a fight started.
"Doesn't sending Naruto into the bushes where the enemies are hiding seem like a bad idea?" Uchiha raised an eyebrow.
"I'm watching what's happening there. Naruto would've gone anyway. I just warned him."
A few minutes later...
"Ooo, I held it so long! Haven't felt this good in ages!" "Naruto" walked back, adjusting his pants. I wouldn't even need sensor skills to guess this was an enemy shinobi. Transforming like an academy first-year.
"Naruto, see any enemies?" I asked him.
"Nope, why, did you?" He made a surprised face and looked around.
"Yeah, I did," I nodded calmly, and he stared at me intently.
"Who?!"
"You!" Sasuke answered for me and kicked him in the gut. He plowed several meters and slammed into a tree.
"Ariza, watch out! He went insa—" He didn't finish, hanging in a net three meters off the ground a second later. That's the trap our clones set the moment we spotted approaching enemy ninja.
To give the enemy no chance, I threw a kunai with sedative at him. One cut—and you're in Morpheus's realm for at least five hours.
"We need to find Naruto," As soon as I said that to Sasuke, kunai flew at us. We leaped to a nearby tree branch, and two shinobi appeared before us unexpectedly, one holding the dangling Naruto in the air. His arms and legs were bound with rope, mouth gagged with his own headband.
By the forehead protector, I recognized them as shinobi from the Hidden Rain Village. They wore beige jumpsuits and special masks. No idea what the masks were for, and honestly, didn't care. What interested me more was why they had so little chakra—clones maybe?
"Hand over the scroll, or your friend dies!" the one holding Naruto shouted, pressing a kunai to his throat.
"Damn!" I cursed inwardly and glanced at Sasuke. We had an instant plan. He got it.
We'd attack. Risky, yeah, but no guarantee they'd let us go even if we handed over the scroll. Fight was coming anyway. And I'd start it now.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" I didn't use seals or yell the name. I silently made a clone that struck the enemy, grabbed Naruto, and leaped to us. Uchiha quickly freed his friend from the ropes, and we all watched the shinobi turn to smoke.
"Clones?" Naruto stood, tying his headband. "Those bastards!"
"Naruto, they didn't leave. They're close," I warned my teammates, and we watched as enemy shinobi started crawling out of the trees. This time, even less chakra than before.
"Don't waste time on them. It's all illusion," Sasuke said, fully activating his Sharingan.
"Sasuke, Naruto, to sense the originals, I need time—too many chakra sources here. They won't show because they're weak in taijutsu, and one clone's enough to beat them.
"Go for it," Naruto said seriously, and I quietly made a clone nearby. Not open terrain here; enemies probably didn't notice.
"We just wait and dodge," I whispered to my teammates as another volley of shuriken and kunai flew at us.
It took the clone a few minutes to find and destroy the originals. Meanwhile, we just dodged shuriken and kunai.
Finally, when all enemy clones dispersed, my clone brought us the Scroll of Earth. I took it.
"Awesome! Now we have both scrolls! We can head to the tower!" Naruto yelled joyfully. Honestly, I was just as thrilled. We'd avoid so many problems and not waste all five days! Maybe we wouldn't even run into that Orochimaru!
"Friends! Here's my proposal: let's run straight to the tower right now, non-stop, as fast as we can. Main thing—no stopping anywhere," I said a bit excitedly. We were so close to victory. But still so far!
"I'm in!" Naruto said.
"Me too," Sasuke agreed, and we dashed off. We had to keep the scrolls safe.
We could cover those ten kilometers on foot in under half a day. But running... with our speed, half an hour tops! Half an hour to pass the second exam? Could anything be better?!
We weren't running—we were flying, so inspired after so long. Naruto couldn't stop grinning, Sasuke smirked triumphantly nonstop. They were probably imagining telling their dads they passed in an hour. Fantasizing how their parents and friends would be proud. Isn't that happiness? Isn't that success?
In the ten minutes we'd been running, we'd spotted other teams multiple times, but my sensory skills let us notice them way before they saw us. We just bypassed them by kilometers. Why extra hassle?
"You smell that?!" Naruto's grin got even brighter.
"What?" Sasuke asked.
"The smell of victory!" Uzumaki pumped his fist.
"Then I smell it too!"
"Stop!" I yelled suddenly, and we halted instantly. I felt the guys boring holes in my back with their stares as I looked ahead.
That chakra...
That horrific, inhuman chakra! It's ahead! Right in front of us!
"Get off the path now!"
We leaped into a clearing just before an incredible air wave blasted the branches we'd been on.
Seizing the moment, I made a clone that hid in the foliage, watching the situation.
"What was that?!" Naruto asked, stunned.
"Naruto, Sasuke, there's a very, very, very strong guy ahead! I can feel it from the chakra," I pointed forward, and we all peered into the darkness.
A second later, a tall man with long black hair and a wide straw hat appeared in a smoke cloud. Dressed about like in the anime—beige outfit with a purple rope belt.
"Impressive," he approached, mock-clapping. "Getting a scroll in ten minutes without a scratch—not everyone can."
"There are three of us, you're alone," Naruto yelled, drawing a kunai.
"Naruto, even if we had chunin and jounin—it wouldn't help!"
"He's that strong?" Sasuke asked from my left.
"Incredibly strong..." I nodded, frantically thinking what to do next. "And he doesn't really need our scroll."
Attack—we die. Run—we die. He'd catch us in three seconds. Stand still—die even faster. I didn't think he came to mark Sasuke, since Uchiha had no reason to leave the village. He wouldn't go to Orochimaru. So the sannin might just kidnap him. All options led to defeat!
"The girl is right... I'm not here for that..." Orochimaru tossed off his hat.
"Then why are you here?" He smirked smugly at my question.
"I'm here for you," his voice dripped with blood lust.
"Naruto... Sasuke..." I swallowed, turning to my friends. "Run to the tower and tell the examiners a S-rank criminal sneaked into the exam. I'll try to hold him."
"S-rank criminal? Ariza-chan, you're crazy!" Naruto yelled.
"We won't leave you," Sasuke said.
"You're competent... Tell me, where'd you get that info?" the rogue ninja grinned.
"Read it in the Bingo Book..." I took two steps forward and drew a kunai. "You're one of the Legendary Sannin, and a criminal wanted by the whole world!" Scary as it was, I didn't take my eyes off him. I didn't remember the anime details, but I knew he was insanely strong! I stood closest to him; main thing now was saving my friends.
"No matter what great criminal you are, we won't give up or retreat! Know that!" Naruto yelled and started to charge. Thank God, I grabbed his collar in time.
"What are you doing, Naruto?!" I yelled at my friend for the first time and shoved him back. "I said run! Forget the scrolls and exam! Just survive now!" I stared into Naruto's scared, surprised eyes.
"Survive if you can," I looked at Orochimaru, locked eyes, and saw my death moment... Blood... blood everywhere... dozens of kunai embedding in my body to the bones. A knife smashing my skull, shuriken snapping ribs.
I dropped to my knees, unable to breathe. Couldn't move. Fear paralyzed my whole body. Genjutsu? Ki? Illusion? What was that?
"Ariza-chan! Ari!" I heard distantly. My friends were beside me. Naruto shook my shoulder, Sasuke said something to Orochimaru.
When I could grasp reality, I saw my friends had been hit by the technique too. Naruto stared blankly upward, Sasuke puked. I tried calming my body's tremors. Had to think of something fast! Get out now! Or we'd die...
The stress and fear made even my eyes hurt. It hit me: "This paralysis... pain can break it!"
To do it without the sannin noticing, I quietly snapped my left pinky. Fear didn't vanish, I still shook, but I could move.
"Hah... you're paralyzed. Thought you'd be tougher. Disappointing. Don't worry, it'll be quick..." He drew a kunai and eyed Sasuke. I looked at my friend, who drew his kunai and stood on shaking legs.
In a split second, three kunai flew at us, Sasuke swinging at his leg.
Would Sasuke make it?
The clone in the foliage, watching all along, knocked the kunai off course. That gave me time to grab Naruto and Sasuke and bolt.
At 500 meters from the sannin, I stopped and set my friends down. Sasuke shook off the paralysis fast and painlessly; Naruto needed a bit of shaking.
As expected, both were terrified but holding it together. Even eternally cheerful, optimistic Naruto was dead serious now.
"We need the tower, ASAP!" I blurted, scanning the area. He could pop up any second from anywhere! I'd left a clone to delay him, but it dispersed long ago—Orochimaru was coming.
I extended a hand and helped Naruto and Sasuke up.
"He's closing in!" I felt the massive chakra source racing toward us. But Orochimaru's couldn't be that huge! What was it?
"Retreat!" Sasuke yelled, and we leaped to another branch as a giant snake obliterated this one an instant later! There it was!
It lunged at us fast, and we pelted it with shuriken. When the snake dropped dead, we stared as that man crawled out.
"What the hell?! Where'd that huge... huge snake come from?!" Naruto yelled.
"I can feel you trembling... Prey always fears the predator," he hissed, emerging from the snake.
"What do we do?"
"I have an idea," I said, "but to discuss it, we need distance from the enemy. So let's make clones now and hold him off."
The guys nodded. Naruto and I made fifty clones each, plus a dozen from Sasuke. 112 clones vs. one sannin. Hope five minutes was enough.
We fell back several hundred meters and sat facing each other.
"Sasuke, we're good with wire—here's the plan: while Naruto distracts with his clones, we tie him to a tree. Then hit with our strongest techniques. After, we just run. As fast as possible. Got it?"
"Running away like cowards ain't for me!" Naruto protested.
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered curtly, earning the same from Naruto.
"Naruto, we're not surrendering—we're tactically withdrawing to survive and pass the exam intact. I explained: we're no match. He's world-class criminal. No genin—not me, you, or Sasuke—can kill him. Sannin match Hokage in power."
"Hokage?!" Naruto gaped, then smirked smugly. No way he wanted to beat Orochimaru?
Damn!
No time to chat—Orochimaru found us and attacked with shuriken.
"Ariza, Naruto, go!" Sasuke yelled, and we charged. I made a couple clones to attack with Naruto's. They created the perfect opening: original Orochimaru (not clone) distracted, blind to his rear. Sasuke and I threw wire-laced shuriken. Easier for Uchiha with Sharingan, but I didn't miss either. I was just support; he'd manage alone.
Seconds later, we had Orochimaru tied to the tree.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique," Sasuke whispered and exhaled a massive fire stream at Orochimaru. A loud scream echoed over the forest, like someone burning at the stake. Pretty much.
"Don't relax!" my clones yelled. When the wire burned through, they re-tied him. "Naruto! Go!"
While Naruto hurled shuriken and kunai at Orochimaru, I prepped a fireball. Hadn't used my fire orb in ages!
I dropped to Orochimaru, charged straight at him, yelling: "Fireball!"
When the technique hit the snake sannin's body, a massive explosion erupted.
"Ariza!" friends yelled together as I was flung dozens of meters. Damn! Needed to refine it—no instant boom. Shouldn't boom at all! Damn, years of work, still unfinished...
I closed my eyes, bracing for tree and ground, but someone caught me.
"You're okay. How's your arm?" Sasuke asked, holding me, smiling faintly. Surprise in his eyes—oh, the questions later would be endless. First time showing them this technique.
I smiled back and checked my arm. Bandages burned off, another burn from the technique—would hurt for days.
"Fine, all fine," Sasuke set me down, and we watched Naruto's explosive seal kunai detonate. We dropped to him and eyed the sannin.
"Think he's dead?" Naruto peered. The tree was nearly charred. Sannin badly beaten, tons of shuriken and kunai wounds. But he hadn't burned, clothes intact (how?). His true face was visible now—what was there before, destroyed.
"Doubt it, so we bail," I said and leaped to a branch. Thought my friends followed, but no. I turned—they stood frozen, staring at the enemy. "Hey, guys, what? We gotta go!"
"You have great teamwork, and each of you're pretty strong," Orochimaru's voice deepened as he snapped the wire and stepped forward. "You master the Sharingan superbly—better than your brother even. And you," he eyed me, "I'll experiment on you sometime. It'll be fun..."
Bastard, I'll make him my lab rat!
Only when Orochimaru's neck elongated did I get why Naruto and Sasuke froze. He paralyzed them again! It didn't hit me—my arm hurt like hell.
Knew he wouldn't let us go easy!
No predator releases prey that simply...
As Orochimaru's head neared Sasuke, I shoved Uchiha and Uzumaki aside, avoiding the strike myself.
"Why mark Sasuke if you know he won't join you? No reason for him!" I said as my clone whisked Naruto and Sasuke away. Now it was one-on-one with the sannin...
"I'm impressed by his power, but he's just a backup," Orochimaru said, extending his long tongue. His head on long neck was five meters away—forcing constant vigilance.
"Get near him, and I'll take your head," I drew my tekko-kagi and ignited it with fire. Now that the clone took them to the tower, I could go all out with every technique. My belief it'd end well gave confidence. Like I forgot this wasn't a cartoon anymore—real life, real pain. Pain of losing comrades. Pain of lifelong disability. And fear of death.
Yeah, I could've done nothing—he'd mark Sasuke and leave. But who knows... would Sasuke survive this world? Couldn't risk friend and loved one assuming it'd play out.
"Tell me, how'd you know it was me?" he smirked, tilting his head.
"I knew you switch bodies. Saw you before the Forest of Death—knew instantly. No normal shinobi has multiple chakras in one body. Unless jinchuriki."
"So that's it... You're a sensor... intriguing... When paralysis wears off, your friends'll come back. I'll mark them with my cursed seal. Predictable," he eyed me slyly and elongated his neck toward me. Damn! Thought he'd retract and fight! He wanted to mark me! Mark us all!
I dodged, trying to decapitate him. Didn't know how long I could hold—needed body replacement ASAP. Hope this technique needs recharge. Fun if he marked a log!
I flashed seals instantly. Body replacement. Watched from foliage as the technique created the optical illusion I'd stopped.
Orochimaru seized it and marked.
"Hah," I smirked inwardly as Orochimaru, in smoke puff, held a log in his teeth.
"Gotcha," I emerged, grinning triumphantly at stunned Orochimaru. My clones on upper branches prepped fireballs.
"Sure I got caught?" a disgusting whisper came from behind. The front Orochimaru holding the log turned to dirt.
"A clone?" I froze—paralyzed again. Felt how close Orochimaru was behind. His breath on my neck. "Why didn't I sense your chakra?"
"Because you shouldn't have told me you're a sensor. Your biggest—and maybe last—mistake," he hissed in my ear.
"My biggest mistake was not telling anyone about you before the exam..." I said, feeling Orochimaru's teeth sink into my neck.
"Da—mn..." I sank slowly to my knees, clutching my throat hard. My body shook, couldn't move again. Neck burned like fire—I wanted to claw it. Breathing sped up; no matter how much air, not enough. Like being torn from inside.
Couldn't take it anymore.
"A little gift from me," I heard the sannin's slow voice through my screams. "While your friends come, I'll watch you die."
I decided to dive into my subconscious and check. But first, in a shaky, gasping voice to Orochimaru: "Someday I'll find you and kill you."
"Big talk from a helpless weak girl," his laugh followed as I slipped into subconscious.
I appeared before a monitor flashing red. Center: physical health bar racing to zero.
Horrorstruck, I watched 60% drop to 50, 50 to 40.
Past forty, countdown.
My body couldn't handle this seal and...
In
15…
14…
13…
…seconds, I'll just die.
My knees buckled. I knew I had to act now, but couldn't. Fear of death gripped me inside.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan