A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

“So, now our genin are in the second test of the Chunin Exams.”

Naria nods. “Yes, the Forest of Death.”

Kakashi sighs. “This is going to prove quite difficult for them.”

“Well, Ibiki’s test certainly wasn’t easy for them either. But I heard that your student, Naruto Uzumaki, gave the others some courage towards the end,” Naria replies, glancing at him as they walked side by side.

“Yeah, I can just picture the little loudmouth.” He chuckles, then his features turn serious. “But I have faith in them. And not only for my students, but for all of them.”

Naria nods in agreement. She then smiles a lopsided grin. “Yeah, and plus your naturally and genuinely optimistic.”

They both throw their heads back in laughter. But Naria stops short in her glee, sensing a presence somewhere nearby. A familiar presence. Her eyes widen. A dark, familiar presence. ‘No. It can’t be.’

Kakashi turns his attention down the path more. In a wind of leaves, Kotetsu Hagane; a chunin, appears.

He looks grave and says, “Naria, Anko Mitarashi wishes to see you right away.”

“Anko?” Naria repeats, puzzled.

~~*~~

I wince and jump back away from him, gripping my bloody shoulder.

He charges at me again, red-tainted kunai rose. I throw my hands my hands out in front of me, and a huge burst of wind rushes out. The strong gusts blow him backwards, but at the last instant he flips back upright and lands nimbly on his feet.

His cold stare meets mine, and he makes another hand sign. “Firestyle: Fireball jutsu!”

The inferno races towards me. I smirk and jump up a couple of tree branches to avoid the fire.

He grits his teeth and leaps through the air. I leap too, and we cross each other in midair, kunai hitting against kunai. We land in one another’s previous spot. He turns around and I turn around, and we both throw out knives with quick precision, but they both just hot the other and cancel out.

We run at each other again, weapons aside and fight hand to hand.

I punch, he blocks. He punches, I block. He flips over me and tried another punch. I hurriedly put my arms in front of my face like an X. He strikes my wrist and I twinge a bit from the sting and falter backwards.

He flips over me again, and the moment he lands behind me, I spin around with my leg held high, ready to kick him dead in his chest. He grabs a hold of my ankle, halting my attack. He keeps a solid grip on my ankle and tosses me over his shoulder. I make a hand sign, planning to execute that jutsu, but Sasuke was right in front of me as soon as I landed.

He shoves me into the tree trunk behind me, and pins me there; his right knee against my left thigh, his left hand grasping tight around my right arm, and his other hand holding a knife to my neck. I wince from the wound on my shoulder.

I then glance down at the blade held to my flesh, then back up to Sasuke’s cold, dark eyes. A smirk pulls at my lips as I feel the green chakra stir up inside me. I could get out of this position easily. If I got sliced then my healing power would just restore me.

I didn’t know what Sasuke saw in my expression, but a flicker of confusion flashes across his own face in response. He presses the kunai more against my throat and I faintly feel a thin line of blood trailing down my neck.

Pouf! My substitute poufs into thin air, and Sasuke steps back in surprise. I spring up behind him, arm pulled back. He rotates around and jumps out of the way at quick speed, and my fist collides with the monstrous tree, splitting it up the middle.

He throws a few shuriken my way, and I duck and step to the side out of there path. While he’s still in midair, I decide to use the jutsu.

I make a hand sign. I inhale a large breath of air, and then…

A scream of defeat billows through the area, and pure dread chills me to the bone.

Sasuke lands several feet from me, and stares out at where the cry was heard from. I wish I hadn't, but I saw for a moment a look of apprehension, or was it fear, cross Sasuke's features. “Damn it,” he mutters. Without a look back at me, he dashes away.

The green chakra swirls over my shoulder, healing and patching up the long cut along my skin. When it disappeared, I hurried after Sasuke, hoping desperately that nothing serious had happened. 'Naruto, you better be okay.'

~~*~~

"Anko, you wanted to see me?" Naria asks her, walking up beside her. She gasps, noticing the three corpses on the ground before them, blood everywhere and their faces cleaned off their bodies.

"Yes, I did," Anko replies. "I have ordered the Chunin who were here before to report this dyer matter to the Hokage, but there is something entirely different that I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Other than the person who did this, there is another vile creature who is here in the village."

'She has sensed it too,' Naria thinks to herself. "Yes, there is. Yasu, from the Five Brothers of Treachery."

"I will be taking care of this matter." She gestures to the dead bodies of the Grass ninja. "And I want you, for the time being, to have a look around for that brother. I am giving this duty to you since you have the most experience with his power."

Naria nods in understanding.

"Alright then, go on."

"Right." Naria takes off at a run due south of the village. She takes a glance back at Anko, and sees her briefly place her hand behind her neck. She turns back around. 'Whoever Anko is hunting for, I hope she will be alright. But I have a problem of my own. I would have already went for Yasu from the first moment I sensed him, but the problem is I can't pinpoint his exact location. That is really strange. It seems that whenever I pick up on him, he disappears completely. Something is seriously wrong here. I have to find him, otherwise this whole village will be in serious danger.'