The night air was a cool, crisp caress against Naruto's skin. The scent of damp earth and fresh leaves filled his lungs as he sat near their makeshift camp, the flickering light of the fire casting long, dancing shadows against the surrounding trees. The world felt quiet, a temporary lull in the chaotic, high-stakes hunt of the Chunin Exams. Sasuke was a silhouette of quiet intensity, sharpening his kunai with a soft shiiing-shiiing, his eyes occasionally darting toward the impenetrable darkness beyond their firelight. Sakura lay on her side, her arms folded beneath her head like a makeshift pillow, her body a coiled spring of alertness. She was trying to rest, but the tension was palpable, a silent hum of awareness that kept them all on edge.
Naruto's nostrils flared, a habit born of a lifetime of relying on his hyper-sensitive senses. Something was off. It wasn't a human scent, not exactly. His nose twitched as he caught a strange, conflicting aroma on the wind—a potent mix of fear and something else entirely. It was a girl. And… a bear? He stood up without a sound, the movement barely a ripple in the stillness.
Sakura, ever vigilant, lifted her head. "Where are you going?"
Naruto's gaze was already fixed on the dark line of the forest. "I smell something weird."
Sasuke snorted, a dry, dismissive sound. "You always smell something weird."
Naruto ignored him. His feet were already moving, his body a silent, graceful blur as he leaped onto a branch and began sprinting through the treetops. The scent was getting stronger now, a pungent cocktail of sweat, fear, and wild animal musk.
Then, a sudden, piercing scream tore through the night. It was a sound of pure, unadulterated terror.
Naruto came to a stop, his body a statue of taut muscle on a thick branch. Below him, a girl with wild, unruly red hair was running for her life. Her round glasses were slipping precariously down her nose, and her clothes were torn and snagged. Behind her, a massive, enraged bear charged forward, snarling, its powerful paws tearing up the dirt with every single, ground-shaking step.
The girl tripped, sprawling onto the forest floor. The bear reared up, a colossal mountain of fur and fury, its shadow a terrifying monster against the trees. Naruto tilted his head, his mind processing the scene with inhuman speed. Should he help her? His instincts screamed to attack the threat, to neutralize the predator. But the bear wasn't a typical threat. It was an animal, and he was something else. He exhaled slowly, a long, quiet breath that seemed to calm the very air around him.
Then, instead of attacking, he called out, his voice calm, even, and a low rumble that carried through the night. "Why are you chasing her?"
The bear froze. Its roar died in its throat, its massive body holding in a tense, frozen posture. The girl on the ground gaped at him in utter horror and confusion. But Naruto wasn't looking at her. His sharp, sapphire eyes were locked onto the massive beast, waiting. The air was thick with the strange, telepathic connection that had just opened between them, a silent line of communication that only he seemed to understand.
Then—like a whisper in his mind, a thought that was not his own—he heard it. It was not a voice, but a feeling, a deep-seated panic. "She got too close to my cave. My cubs are inside. I'm defending them."
Naruto blinked, his understanding of the situation complete. "I think your cubs are alone right now, since you're here chasing her. Some humans might find them. Some might kill them for fur. Or for fun."
The bear's pupils shrank, its primal, animal brain processing the new information. The fight, the chase, the rage—it all melted away, replaced by a single, overriding panic. Its cubs were vulnerable. It spun instantly, a powerful vortex of fur and muscle, bolting back the way it came. It crashed through the underbrush with reckless abandon, a desperate, thundering rush to return to its cave and protect its young.
Silence. The forest was still again, save for the girl's heaving chest. She sat frozen on the ground, staring after the retreating bear, her mind unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed. Then she turned her wide, red eyes to Naruto.
"What the hell," she breathed, the words barely a whisper. "Did you just… talk to that thing?"
Naruto shrugged, his posture still, his eyes scanning the trees for any new threat. "I guess."
She scrambled to her feet, brushing dirt and leaves off her torn clothes, her body still trembling with adrenaline. "Thank you," she stammered, her voice still laced with disbelief. "Seriously. That was insane. I thought I was gonna die."
Naruto was already turning to leave. The bear was gone. The problem was solved. There was no longer any need for him to be here. He had a camp to return to, a team waiting.
But the girl, her mind still reeling, hurried after him. "Wait—wait, hold on!"
Naruto sighed, a subtle, almost silent sound. He stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "What?"
She stared at him, her round glasses having slipped down her nose again. She pushed them up mindlessly as her gaze locked onto his face. Or, more specifically—his hair. It was a vibrant, fiery red, a striking and unusual color for someone in the Leaf Village. Her eyes widened, a flash of recognition flickering in them. "Red hair?! What was your name again?"
Naruto blinked. "Naruto Uzumaki. Dattebane."
The girl's face lit up, a brilliant, unrestrained grin spreading across it. "No way! I'm an Uzumaki too!"
Naruto tilted his head, a hint of curiosity entering his voice. "Really?"
"Yeah!" she grinned, practically bouncing in place with a newfound energy. "I knew it the second I saw you! Uzumaki hair, Uzumaki eyes, Uzumaki—uh, weirdness!"
Naruto frowned slightly. He had been called many things, but "weird" was not usually one of them, at least not in this context. "…Weirdness?"
"Yeah, yeah, like the crazy chakra, the ridiculous stamina, the not-dying-easily thing—that's all a part of being an Uzumaki, you know?" she explained, waving her hands in the air.
"Huh." Naruto had never thought about it like that. He just figured he was... himself. He was used to being told he was strange, an outsider, but never in a way that implied a shared trait.
The girl crossed her arms, her grin softening into something more genuine and triumphant. "So. Who's your parent? Are you a full Uzumaki?"
"My mother was Kushina Uzumaki," Naruto said, his voice flat.
The girl gasped, her eyes going wide. "No way! Kushina the Red-Hot Habanero? The one who disappeared? She was your mom?!"
Naruto blinked. "Yes… way?"
"That's so cool!" She practically vibrated with excitement. "I don't even know my parents! I mean, my clan's dead and my assholic teammates are dead too, so I guess I'm alone—but not anymore!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression turning serious. He had sensed the presence of her former team—their scent was a mix of blood and death. "Not anymore?"
She smirked, a flash of a confident, almost arrogant personality emerging. "We should stick together!"
Naruto stared at her, still processing the rapid-fire conversation. "Why?"
"Because we're family, obviously," she said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
He considered that for a moment. It was a simple, yet profoundly foreign concept to him. Family. A group of people who stuck together because of a shared bloodline. It made sense. Animal sense, a primal understanding of a pack.
Naruto gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Okay."
The girl's grin widened into a triumphant, full-blown smile. "Hell yeah!"
"But," Naruto said suddenly, his eyes sharp and serious. "You can't eat my ramen."
She blinked, her excited expression freezing in confusion. "Huh?"
"Buy your own," he said, his voice brooking no argument.
"Wait, what—?"
But Naruto was already leaping away into the trees, his body a silent blur. The girl, still sputtering, scrambled after him, a flurry of wild red hair and panicked motion. "Wait! That's not fair! What kind of family member doesn't share ramen?!"
"An Uzumaki one," Naruto called back, his voice floating on the night air.
And just like that, a new part of the pack was added.
—ToT—
Sasuke wasn't sure what to think when his weird, creepy, and ridiculously strong teammate came back to their makeshift camp with a vibrant redhead girl trailing behind him. She moved with the nervous energy of an excited puppy, all wide eyes and restless limbs. Naruto, in stark contrast, landed in the middle of their camp with the light, silent grace of a ghost, his presence a sudden, unannounced arrival. The girl, however, landed with a noticeable stumble, panting slightly, her round glasses askew on her nose.
Sakura, who had been trying to rest with her back against a tree, immediately sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Who—?" she began, her voice a mix of confusion and alarm.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, a silent demand for an explanation. "Naruto. Explain."
Naruto plopped down by the fire, his movements as fluid and unburdened as ever. He grabbed a ration bar from his pouch and bit into it with a loud crunch, his answer muffled by the food. "This is Karin. She's an Uzumaki. She's with us now. Dattebane."
Sakura blinked, her brain struggling to process the information. "Excuse me?" she asked, her voice incredulous.
Karin, who was still trying to catch her breath, shot Naruto a look that was a perfect mixture of disbelief and offense. "That's how you introduce me?!" she huffed, her voice full of indignation.
Naruto tilted his head, chewing thoughtfully. "Should I have said more?"
"Yes!" Karin huffed, dramatically placing a hand on her chest. "Like, 'Hello, my name is Karin, I am an incredibly talented and skilled kunoichi from Kusagakure who happens to be the last known female Uzumaki in existence!' And that I am now generously offering my superior abilities to you peasants!"
Sasuke let out a long, slow breath through his nose, a sound of profound exasperation. "Great. Another loud one."
Sakura stood up, planting her hands on her hips, her posture radiating a defensive fury. "Hold on—just because she's an Uzumaki doesn't mean she can just join our team! We're a squad of three, not a revolving door for people with red hair!"
"Why not?" Naruto asked, blinking at her with a baffling sincerity. "She doesn't have a team anymore. And we're still down a person, aren't we?"
Karin crossed her arms, her expression hardening into one of disinterest. "They're dead. Rip. Too bad. Oh well."
Sakura flinched, her outrage momentarily replaced by shock. "Oh well?"
"They sucked anyway," Karin said bluntly, her tone flat and emotionless. Then she waved a hand in the air, a dismissive gesture. "They only ever tried to use me. Besides, Naruto literally just saved my life, so I owe him."
Naruto frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "You don't owe me anything. I just helped because you were in trouble."
Karin squinted at him, a flicker of something resembling fondness in her eyes. "You do realize that's how making friends works, right? Someone helps you, and then you stick around because you appreciate it? It's a transaction. A bond."
Naruto hummed, his mind connecting the dots in a way that only he could. "So… like a pack?"
Karin grinned, a sharp, knowing smile. "Exactly."
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice a low, pained groan. "I hate everything about this conversation. The ridiculousness. The weirdness. The absolute lack of logic."
Naruto ignored him, his focus entirely on Karin.
Sakura groaned, her exasperation reaching new heights. "Okay, fine. Let's pretend we accept this for now. But how do we know she's not gonna betray us? For all we know, she could be another one of those weird snakes from before."
Karin gasped, clutching her chest with a melodramatic flair. "Betray my own blood? How dare you! I am an Uzumaki, for goodness sake! We're known for our loyalty!"
Sakura deadpanned, her eyes completely devoid of emotion. "You just said you didn't care about your dead teammates like, five seconds ago."
Karin's theatrical performance faltered. She paused, her mind scrambling for a defense. "…That's fair. But still!" She turned to Naruto, pointing a finger at him. "You trust me, right?"
Naruto tilted his head, his face a mask of serene honesty. "I don't trust anyone."
The silence that followed was thick and awkward. Karin's eye twitched. "…Okay, ow. That hurt a little."
Naruto blinked, genuinely confused by her reaction. "But I don't distrust you either. So it's fine."
Karin considered his words for a moment, then a slow, thoughtful smile spread across her face. "I'll take it. That's a good enough start for me."
Sasuke crossed his arms, glaring into the fire. "This is stupid. Everything about this is stupid."
Karin smirked at him, a predatory glint in her eyes. "Aww, what's wrong? You mad that I might steal your spot as Naruto's favorite?"
Sasuke scoffed, a single, derisive sound. "Naruto doesn't have favorites. He's too dense for that kind of emotional complexity."
"Wrong," Naruto said instantly, his voice firm and unwavering.
Everyone turned to him, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, a flicker of unease entering his gaze. "…Who?"
Naruto swallowed the last bite of his ration bar, a small, knowing smile on his face. He stared Sasuke dead in the face, his sapphire eyes holding a challenge. "Ramen."
Sasuke sighed, a sound that carried the weight of a thousand battles and the frustration of a hundred team meetings.
Karin burst out laughing, a genuine, uninhibited sound that broke the tension.
Sakura groaned, her head falling back against the tree in utter defeat.
Naruto, satisfied that the conversation was over and his point had been made, stretched with a long, contented yawn. "Anyway, she's staying with us now. Dattebane."
Karin grinned, her smile wide and triumphant. "Hell yeah, I am."
Sasuke muttered something under his breath about idiots attracting idiots, a familiar refrain that by now was more a tired acceptance than a true argument. He didn't argue further, though, his posture now one of reluctant resignation.
Sakura just shook her head, a sigh of weary acceptance escaping her lips. "Fine. But if you screw us over, I will personally make sure you regret it."
Karin smirked, a flash of arrogance returning to her face. "Aw, you do care."
Sakura simply rolled her eyes, her mind already moving on to the more pressing matter of getting some much-needed sleep.
Naruto, his mission of finding a new pack member complete, curled up against a tree and closed his eyes, his breathing evening out into a slow, steady rhythm. Karin sat down next to him, her body a restless contrast to his serene stillness. Sasuke stared into the fire, his expression unreadable, but his shoulders had relaxed, the tension bleeding out of his body. Sakura sighed and leaned back against the tree, her eyes fluttering closed.
And just like that, without fanfare or ceremony, their pack got a little bigger.
—ToT—
It was too quiet. A tense, suffocating silence that was a stark contrast to the living, breathing chaos of the Forest of Death. Naruto's nose twitched, a small, involuntary movement as the faint scent of unfamiliar sweat and cold steel hit his senses. His eyes snapped open, a faint, sapphire glow illuminating his irises in the dim light of the dying fire. His teammates were dozing, their exhaustion evident even in their rest. Karin was a small, curled-up bundle of red hair against the base of a tree, her breathing soft and even. Sakura leaned against her pack, her hands still clutching a kunai even in her sleep. Sasuke sat near the fire, arms crossed, his posture radiating a defiant wakefulness, but Naruto could see the slow, measured rhythm of his breathing. He was pretending he wasn't half-asleep.
The smell grew stronger. Naruto sighed, a soft sound of weary resignation. This was a familiar pattern. A familiar mistake. "Three," he murmured, his voice a low, steady rumble.
Karin shifted groggily, her head lifting from her chest. "Huh?"
Before Naruto could answer, the branches above them rustled with a sudden, violent motion. In a blur, three shinobi dropped down from the trees, their movements synchronized and precise. Their faces were hidden under dark Ame headbands, and their eyes were filled with a cold, predatory intent.
"You're too relaxed!" one of them sneered, their voice a low, mocking hiss. "That's a mistake!"
Sasuke's eyes snapped open, his Sharingan already spinning to life as the attackers raised their hands in a blur of seals. "Multi-Cloning Jutsu!" A thick, white puff of smoke erupted, blotting out the attackers. One second, there were three. The next, there were dozens.
"Tch—" Sasuke leapt to his feet, his kunai already drawn. Sakura shot up, instantly on guard, a kunai in hand. Karin blinked blearily, her mind still in the fog of sleep. "Ugh. What the hell? Can't a girl get some sleep—"
"ATTACK!"
The clones lunged, a silent, menacing wave of bodies. Naruto sighed, a long, drawn-out sound of pure, unadulterated annoyance. "Why do people always do this?"
Sasuke was already moving, cutting through the clones with his kunai, his eyes analyzing their formation, their movements, and their weaknesses. "Tch. Annoying," he muttered, his voice a low growl. Sakura ducked under a strike and slammed a fist into the nearest clone, dispelling it instantly in a puff of smoke. Karin stayed back, watching the chaotic battlefield with sharp, analytical eyes, her mind already calculating the weak points of the enemy's jutsu.
Naruto, however, didn't move. He stood perfectly still, his body relaxed and unbothered, as the clones swarmed around him. The real Ame genin noticed his lack of movement. "Oi—what's with the redhead? Too scared to fight?"
Naruto blinked slowly, his eyes glowing. "No." And then, he vanished. One second, he was there, a still point of calm in the storm of clones. The next, he was everywhere. A flicker of movement—then a clone's neck snapped sideways with a soft, cracking sound, dispelling it into a wisp of smoke. A blur—then another clone exploded into a mess of shattered bark as Naruto punched straight through it, his chakra-infused fist a force of pure, destructive power. A heartbeat—then an entire line of clones burst apart in a single, devastating sweep as Naruto moved through them like a phantom.
The remaining clones hesitated, their mindless charge interrupted by the sudden, terrifying efficiency of their opponent. Naruto exhaled, the sound a low, rumbling growl. "You picked the wrong fight."
One of the real Ame genin—the leader, most likely, judging by the intricate markings on his headband—snarled, his face twisted in a mask of frustrated rage. "Don't back down! He's just one guy!"
Big mistake.
Naruto turned to them, his glowing eyes fixed on the three of them. And then, he moved. A sudden gust of wind, a small, self-contained explosion of compressed air, erupted through the clearing as Naruto surged forward at inhuman speed, his chakra-enhanced legs propelling him faster than any of them could even track. He appeared behind the first Ame genin, a ghost of motion. "What—?!" the genin gasped, his mind reeling from the sudden appearance. Naruto's hand snapped up, grabbing the back of the genin's head with a vice-like grip, and then he slammed him face-first into the dirt, the sound of the impact a sickening thud.
The second Ame genin barely had time to react before Naruto twisted and drove his elbow straight into their gut, a precise, calculated strike that sent the genin flying backward, their body creating a small crater in the ground beneath them. The third Ame genin, the last one standing, tried to run, his mind screaming in fear. Naruto didn't let him. "Nope." He moved. A single jump—and then he was in front of the fleeing genin, waiting. The Ame shinobi barely had time to register what happened before Naruto reached out and flicked his forehead. It should have been a joke. A simple flick. It wasn't. The impact sent the genin flying backward, flipping twice through the air before landing in a heap next to his unconscious teammates.
Silence. Naruto stretched, popping his neck, his body completely relaxed, as if he had just been on a pleasant walk. Sasuke lowered his kunai, his eyes sharp and analytical as he watched Naruto. "Well. That was fast."
Sakura sighed, rolling her shoulders. "I didn't even get to do anything. I'm starting to think you don't need us anymore."
Karin smirked, a wicked glint in her eye. "Damn. That was hot."
Naruto blinked, his expression one of pure, innocent confusion. "Huh?"
Karin grinned. "Nothing. Just appreciating the art of a clean kill."
Sasuke shook his head, stepping over the unconscious Ame genin. "They had a scroll?"
Naruto crouched down, his movements economical and efficient, and rifled through their packs. He pulled out a Heaven Scroll. He held it up, a small, triumphant smile on his face. "Lucky."
Sakura let out a long breath of relief, the tension leaving her body in a rush. "Finally! We can head to the tower now!"
Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Let's move." Naruto slung the scroll over his shoulder, the battle over. It was just another step closer to whatever came next.
The journey to the tower was… unsettling. Not because of enemy shinobi. Not because of ambushes. But because the entire damn forest seemed to be alive, and it had decided that Team Seven was the most interesting thing to exist. Everywhere they went, something slithered, crawled, or skittered just a little too close. Huge centipedes, as thick as a grown man's arm, coiled around tree branches, their too-many eyes fixed on Naruto. Venomous spiders the size of a fist scuttled over leaves, pausing only to wave a few legs in his direction before skittering off. Snakes—long, coiled, and way too interested—dropped lazily from the canopy, curling over his shoulders before flicking their tongues at him and slithering off.
Karin was losing it. "Why are there so many bugs? Why are there so many bugs? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY BUGS?"
Sakura groaned, rubbing her temples. "Just ignore them, Karin. It's the Forest of Death, there are bugs everywhere."
"IGNORE THEM?" Karin pointed wildly at a massive millipede crawling over a fallen log. "Look at that thing! It has more legs than I have brain cells! And it's LOOKING AT ME! I can feel its judging gaze!"
Naruto tilted his head, staring at the insect. "You're creeping her out," he murmured, his voice a low, steady rumble. The millipede twitched, then turned and scuttled away into the darkness, its many legs a blur of motion. Karin froze, her mouth agape. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope—how did you just tell it to leave?"
"I asked nicely," Naruto said, a small, amused smile on his face.
Sasuke sighed, rubbing his temple. "Just keep moving. We're almost there." It was a long night, filled with the rustling of leaves and the unsettling sensation of being watched by a thousand non-human eyes.
By the time they reached the tower, the group was more than ready to be done with the damn forest and its unnerving inhabitants. The structure loomed before them, tall, fortified, and surrounded by thick walls that seemed to offer a promise of safety. "Finally," Sakura breathed, a wave of relief washing over her. "We made it."
Karin swayed slightly, her body on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. "I need a bath. A long one. Preferably somewhere without multi-limbed abominations that talk to you with their minds."
"You get used to them," Naruto said simply, as if it were a fact of life.
Karin turned to him, her expression a mix of horror and outrage. "I don't want to get used to them! I want to never see another one again!"
Sasuke ignored them, stepping forward toward the large doors. "Let's get inside. This place is giving me the creeps."
The team entered cautiously, their bodies still radiating a tense awareness, making their way down the dimly lit halls. At the end of the corridor stood a plain, unadorned room, empty save for a simple inscription on the wall and a single, circular table in the center. On the table lay an empty space, a clear indication that it was meant for two scrolls.
"This must be where we open them," Sasuke murmured, his eyes scanning the room for any hidden traps. Sakura placed their Heaven Scroll on the table. Sasuke did the same, placing their Earth Scroll next to it. The room was silent for a moment, the only sound the soft thud of the scrolls hitting the polished wood. Then, in a sudden burst of smoke—
"CONGRATULATIONS!" a familiar voice rang out, cheerful and proud.
As the smoke cleared, a figure stood before them—tall, clad in a Konoha vest, and smiling warmly. "Iruka-sensei?" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and relief.
The man grinned, a genuine, happy smile. "You made it!"
Naruto blinked, his eyes fixed on his old teacher. "You were in the scrolls?"
Iruka laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. "Well, sort of. It's a summoning technique. Designed to bring out an examiner when both scrolls are opened successfully." He glanced around, taking in the exhausted but unharmed team. "I'm really proud of you guys. Making it here isn't easy."
Sasuke crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "We had a few… complications."
Karin snorted. "Yeah. Like getting stalked by nightmare fuel that follows your cousin around like a lost puppy."
Iruka blinked, his gaze finally falling on the wild-haired girl. "Uh—who's this?"
"Karin," Naruto said simply. "My cousin. Dattebane."
Iruka froze, his smile faltering. Sakura coughed, covering her mouth with her hand. "What?" Sasuke blinked, then slowly turned his gaze to Naruto, a single, unreadable question in his eyes. "Cousin?"
Karin grinned, pushing up her glasses with a triumphant smirk. "That's right! I'm an Uzumaki, too! It's a family reunion!"
Iruka opened his mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again, a look of profound confusion on his face. "I… wait, what? Since when did you have family? You were… you were alone, Naruto."
"Pack must stick together," Naruto said, his voice quiet, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Iruka stared, trying to process the concept. Sakura pressed a hand to her forehead, a quiet groan escaping her lips. "I don't even know what to say to that."
Sasuke sighed, the sound a tired resignation. "It doesn't matter. We passed. That's what's important. This entire test was designed to see if we could work together."
Iruka exhaled, still trying to wrap his head around everything. Finally, he nodded, a warm, genuine smile returning to his face. "You're right. Regardless of how unexpected this is… You made it. That's what counts."
Naruto blinked. "So what now?"
Iruka smiled, a look of kind understanding in his eyes. "Now? Now you rest. The next phase will begin soon. But for now, get some food, get some sleep. You've earned it."
Karin nearly collapsed in relief, her body slumping. "Finally!"
Naruto tilted his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "Can I sleep outside?"
"NO," the other three chorused instantly, their voices a single, unified roar of exasperation.
Naruto pouted. "Tch."
Iruka chuckled, shaking his head. "You really haven't changed, Naruto."
Naruto blinked, tilting his head slightly. Then he shrugged. "Maybe not." For now, they had passed. The real test was still ahead. But for now, they were a pack, and that was enough.
TBC