Chapter 29 - ch. 29

-------------------------------------Naru's team--------------------------------------------

They had been running for half an hour, looking for someone to steal from, but with no luck. They stopped, and decided to take a strategy meeting.

"So, Maka, Sakura, what do we do? You're the brains of us."

"First, let's go over what we know. There are currently 32 teams, each with a three man squad. There only 8 of each scroll, and need all four to gain entrance. Also, we know of two teams for sure, and their abilities. Hinata, and her team all have various weapons, each of which are sure to be a challenge. Then there is those from the sand: Kankuro the puppet master, Temari the wind witch, and Gaara of the Funk, I mean sand. We have no idea how strong any of them are, even Kid, Blackstar, and their weapons, because we've been away for so long. and then there are the other 29 teams we know almost nothing about. It might be best to err on the safe side, and have a passcode in case we get separated." Maka summarised.

"Why's that?" Asked Naru, never able to think things through like they can.

"Because if we split, someone can come back disguised as you, and we might not know it until our scroll is missing." Sakura in a sickly sweet tone she has come accustomed to using when Naru began pissing her off, but didn't want "punished" for it.

"Ooooh, so, what should it be?"

"I'm only saying it once, so pay attention. 'Under veil of darkness, when the night is silent; that is a shinobi's world, the shinobi's way.'"

"Under veil of darkness, when the... what was it again?"

"I told you I wouldn't repeat myself!" Maka raised her voice, irritated.

"*sigh* Alright. Let me use the bathroom before we continue."

She was gone for only a minute, and was ambushed by Sakura and Maka. "Password?" Muttered Maka.

"Under the veil of darkness, when the...time is silent?-"

"Wrong!" Sakura took a swing at her with her sword. Naru dodged just in time, seeing the blade rebound off the ground. She found this strange, but had no time to ponder it as Maka attacked him too. She was...clumsy, as though she never used a scyth before. Naru was sure something was wrong, but had to be certain.

After dodging several scyth swings, she ran over to Sakura, who readied herself, expecting an attack. What she didn't expect was to be groped just after Naru dodged her swing, spinning around her and fondling her breasts from behind. Sakura immediately jumed away with a yelp. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"That settles it. You two are the fakes. You can't fight worth crap, and my Sakura would never run from me!"

"W-what are you-" "Maka" started to blurt out as their ruse fell apart.

She drew her sword. "Protect, Inuyasha!" The resulting shockwave sent them flying back. When they looked up, they gawked at her new form.

Her shikai had developed over the last few months, when she was unable to use it. It matched har perfectly: a pitch black color that resembled the red garb before, but hung closer to her, accentuating her curves. It seemed tatered and battleworn, with ragged edges and occasional holes. A small thread cam out from the back and wrapped around her feral hair, managing to tie it and hold it to her back, though it still spike around the impromptu ponytail. Her blade had a black edge around the blade, but was otherwise unchanged.

"W-what are you!?"

"Your worst nightmare." She closed the distance in a second, and sliced at the fake Maka, who blocked with her scyth, which was immediately cleaved in half, letting her sword fall into her head. The illusion broke, revealing a man in a tan bodysuit, and a gasmask concealing his face. The other became enraged and attacked her from behind, swinging at her, only for her to duck at the last second and kick upward, sending him flying up and breaking his jaw. he landed with a thud behind her, passed out and bleeding from his swelling mouth. His own genjutsu broke, revealing a man in similar garb, but both eyes visible. "Well? Where are you!? I know there's a third around here!!"

Maka and Sakura walk out from the trees, carrying the unconscious man, with only one eye revealed. "Bastards jumped us from behind! They are experts at genjutsu, so we never saw them coming." She tossed him on top of the one Naru kicked.

"How'd you get away?"

"Simple."

--------------------------------------a few minutes ago-------------------------------------

"Wow, she's willing to pee out here??" Said Maka a little disgusted.

"Get used to it, there aren't any outhouses out here, and you have to go at some time or another." An out of place shadow moved behind them, the shape of a man.

Maka shuddered at the thought. "I might just hold it until we get to the tower." The shadow crept closer, unnoticed.

"Man, city girl! You need some survival training, badly!" The shadow was right behind them. He released a gas that made them both lightheaded, before fainting. When they came to, they were almost completely immobile. They could still look down, seeing they were trees. They tried to scream, but were silent. They futilly tried yelling more, before giving up. They looked around, seeing a man with gasmask and tan bodysuit facing away, watching something. They knew what when they heard Naru release her shikai. They knew she would fight without holding back, and decided they couldn't give up. "Let's see..." Sakura focused, well versed in chakra manipulation. "..To break a genjutsu, you had to build up chakra and release when it's power is more than the jutsu..." She began building up, finding out it wouldn't take much. Not even a quarter her potential, she released it, and was able to move again. She snuck up behind the man, who was now shaking in fear of Naru, and used her impact jutsu to chop him in the neck. It made a sickening crack before he fell into a heap. She turned back to Maka, and almost laughed as Soul became an odd-looking branch, but held it back and released them. "C'mon. Naru's probably already-"

"Where are you!? I know there's a third around here!!"

"That's our signal!" Maka chuckled as grabbed his collar and drug him out into the clearing with them.

---------------------------------------------fin--------------------------------------------

Naru chuckled. "If this is the hardest there is, we got Chunin in the bag!" Naru bragged, shouldering her sword.

Sakura searched through their belongings, and found a fire scroll. "Bingo! 1 down, 2 to go!"

"Lucky!" Said Naru as she reverted back to normal, sheathing her sword. "Let's go. People are bound to notice my release." The others nodded, and followed her into the wood.


----------------------------------------tomorrow--------------------------------------------

They were, by Sakura's estimations, nearly at the tower, but had not found anyone else yet. Strangely enough, they hadn't even met an animal either...until then. A giant white snake reared up for out of nowhere and struck, swallowing Sakura.

"Sakura!" Naru headed after the snake, but was stopped by an older woman. She looked very feminine, but her looks were average. She wore a tan tunic, black pants, and had a large woven hat concealing her eyes.

"Not so fast. I have a few things to discuss with you." She lifted the hat slightly, revealing yellow eyes which more that seemed like a snake's. Her very gaze chilled Naru to the core, the woman's bloodlust and murderous intent obvious from even this distance. She looked over at Maka, partly to avert her gaze, partly to get some reasurrance. She got none, however, as both she and Soul were speachless with fear, Maka having fallen, nearly losing grip on Soul.

Naru looked back, starting to shake herself even as she drew her sword. "W-what do you want."

"Simply, I want to test your mettle as my vessle." She said before she flung her arm at Naru, multitudes of snakes coming out. Naru didn't have time to release her Shikai, and was forced to dodge them. She attempted to chase the snake again, but was blocked by more snakes. "Your friend is on her own. And so are you, by the looks of it..." Mocking Maka subtly. She continued sending snakes out like whips, not giving Naru time to rest, or and opening to get close.

'Dammit! Sorry, Sakura, you're on your own...' She thought as she ran for her life.

------------------------------------------Sakura--------------------------------------------

Slimy, warm, constricting. This surrounded her as she slid down it's throat. "Dammit! What now!?" She asked, barely able to stave of panic from the subtle stomach acids started eating through her clothes and exposed flesh. She pulled at her sword, but couldn't find the room to draw it. She continued trying, as it was her only chance. As she tried she unconsciously started using her impact jutsu, stretching the stomach with each pull, until somwhow she got it free. She focused for a moment, determining where down was, and sliced to the side, cutting open the stomach into the muscle. Given a little breathing room, but knowing she could drown in the blood filling the area, she quickly sliced again, even wider, and could she light just beyond the length of her arc, beyond the flexing muscles. She Pushed hard against the opposite end of it's stomach, and jumped out of the snake, which had already lost too much blood to react.

"Damn. I've never needed a shower more!" She began running back, knowing that if Naru hadn't come to help, someone must have stopped her. And to stop her, they had to be strong. Possibly stronger than a genin should...

----------------------------------------Naru------------------------------------------------

She had formulated a plan, but hadn't want to pull out that ace yet, but was more and more sure as she had no choice as she dodged the snake-whips, each one getting closer. She hid behind a tree, and came out again, charging for her. She smirks and sends the snakes at her, entangling her, pulling her close. "You dissapoint me. I thought you would be more of a fight."

Naru grins. "Who said the fights over?" Suddenly a huge wave of power came from behind the tree. The clone took it a sign and dissappeared in a puff of smoke. Naru stepped from behind the tree, wielding Inuyasha in shikai form. "Now the fight really begins."

The woman smirks, and opens her mouth wide, looking up, as a sword comes out. She grips it, pulling it out of the sheath still in her mouth. She looks back down at a disgusted Naru. "Shall we?" She was on him in the blink of an eye, and she barely blocked, hearing a scream of pain in her head as the sword made contact.

"Be careful! That sword hurts!!"

"Well, you can't die as long as I don't, so suffer through it." She said as she blocked another blow, hearing Inuyasha scream in his mind again. She had barely a moment to recover between blows before the next came, not even able to dodge if she wanted to. Inuyasha was in constant agony as Naru was forced to block with him again and again, starting to nick her blade. She swung hard, and cut halfway through, making Naru's eyes widen in fear. She jumped back just as the woman added the little force needed to cut it clean in half. She looked at her now stumpy blade, less than a foot long, before looking back at her with fear. "W-who are you..."

She grins, and lifts her free hand to her face, grabbed it, and pulled it off, revealing her, actually his, true face. It was ghostly white with purple marks leading from under the eyes to the side of his head. He reached his head up and resheathed his sword before making a sign, and answering. "You will find out soon enough." His head stretched and bit his neck. She was in unbearable pain as his jutsu worked it's way into her, making three marks on her neck just above the bite. "You will seek me out, I'm sure."

"Dynamic Entry!!" Sakura finally returned, kicking him with both her legs only for him to turn to goo, leaving his pack behind. "That was anticlimactic." She looked around and saw Maka, who finally began moving again, and saw the whole thing, rush over to Naru, who was clutching her neck in agony, and staring at her broken sword. "N-Naru?"

She turned her attention to Sakura. "Sorry." She uttered before collapsing.

"NARU!!!" Sakura cried as she fell, unable to remain conscious any longer. "Naru, wake up! Naru!!"

Maka put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head. "The guy had the other two scrolls we need. Our best bet is to take her to the tower."

Sakura, teary-eyed, nodded in agreement, putting Naru's sword in its scabbard, and put the broken piece in her pack before hefing up Naru. "Let's go." She had a determined scowl on her face.

----------------------------------------6 hours later---------------------------------------

They arrived at the entrance, seeing it was a puzzle. They had no time for it, and figured it out quickly, each scroll being unrolled and placed on a corresponding color. The door clicked, and they rushed in, being meeted by Grimm. "I knew you girls would... What happened?"

"She was bitten." said Maka,looking away.

"What bit her?" He asked as he took her from Sakura, who begrudgingly complied.

"Not what, who..." She looked at her feet as they walked to the infirmary.

"Who? How did that happen?"

"She fought him, but didn't stand a chance. He was too fast, too strong, he was no genin."

"What did he look like?" They reached the infirmary, and handed her to a nurse who took him to a bed to be examined.

"He was masked at first, and I never got a close look..."

"I did!" Sakura piped up. "He had really white skin, with purple marks around his eyes."

Grimm grabbed her by the collar, and lifted her up. "His eyes! Were his eyes yellow, snake-like!?"

"Y-yeah." Sakura muttered, surprised at his sudden reaction.

He drops her, and stumbles back. "He's here. He's here..."

"Sensei?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"I'm alright. Just let me be for a minute." He walks away, leaving them with Naru. A doctor soon appears, asking them to leave.

The next day passed agonizingly slow as they waited for Naru to awaken. The doctor had said she had been under tremendous strain, and her body was attempting to compensate. Whether she would pull through was 50/50. They were on either side of her, including Soul, who was allowed in his human form again. "C'mon Naru, wake up..." They each had said at some point.

After a full day, she finally woke. "Oh, owie. Man, everything hurts!"

"NARU!! You're awake!" Exclaimed Sakura

"Ohhh. What happened?"

"That guy bit you, and you just collapsed!"

"You think you'll be ok to fight?" Asked Soul.

Maka slammed his face with a book. "Is that all you can think about!?"

"Actually, I think I will. How long until the prelims?"

"About 4 hours." Said Maka

"Yeah, just let me rest, and I should be fine. First, could I have some food?" Sakura begins laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just you ask for something so ordinary after nearly dying." She said, simmering down to a chuckle. "I'll go get you something."