The tips of Adrik's fingers and toes twitched ever so slightly. A few minutes later, the twitching moved to his entire hands and feet. And a few minutes after that, his arms and legs began to slowly move. With what little function he had at the moment, he pulled himself along the ground and sat up against the base of one of the giant trees. The rest of his body slowly lost the feeling of numbness that had followed after enduring incredible pain for what felt like hours.
Adrik craned his neck up to the sky and wasn't surprised when all he saw was the canopy made by the gargantuan trees. Based on the lacking sunlight peeking from between the leaves, it was either early morning or late in the afternoon. He couldn't decide which was worse. He groaned as he tried to stand.
After a few attempts at getting to his feet, Adrik finally succeeded, needing to use his Element to pull himself up. He stretched as he looked around, not feeling the familiar weight of his daggers in their sheathes. He sighed in relief as Orochimaru had left them right where he dropped them. He picked them up and sheathed them before looking around. Apparently, the pain was so intense that it had also messed up his senses. He closed his eyes to focus on the signals he was searching for. After a moment, he reopened them with a look of concern. The best he could sense was a general direction to head in. But it felt like there were more than just three signals.
Adrik leapt to the trees, stumbling slightly as he had only regained his sense of verticality a few moments ago. He grunted as he had to resort to making ropes of ash to help guide himself along his path. He didn't bother taking note of his charred mask that materialized on his utility belt as he was too focused on what he would find when he arrives at where he needs to be. The only thing comforting him was the fact that he couldn't sense Orochimaru anywhere near the other signals.
X
Naruto grabbed Sasuke before the teen could land the killing blow on the Sound Genin who they learned was named Zaku. Sasuke stared Naruto directly in the eye coldly. After a second, he dropped his half broken tanto, making Naruto let go of his wrists.
"Eat this, you piece of shit!"
Zaku pointed a hand at the two genin and let loose a blast of sonic wind. Both Naruto and Sasuke jumped away just in time to avoid the attack, the latter grabbing his dropped weapon as he went. They landed next to Sakura, who had drained herself of most of her chakra to help her teammates recover and also fight off the enemy genin team.
"Zaku, they won't let you go if you get caught again. Trust me, I've seen this before. Those black markings, that stone cold look, the immense chakra. It's Lord Orochimaru's Curse Mark. We're dead if we aren't careful."
Zaku gulped as he nodded to the genin wrapped in bandages, who was named Dosu. Their other teammate, a female named Kin, readied some senbon as it seemed they would need to fight all together now.
"Sakura, do you think you can help Choji with Shikamaru and Ino? It's probably gonna get messy."
Sakura nodded to Naruto.
"I'll put them over with Lee."
Naruto and Sasuke nodded as Sakura moved out of their way to help Choji. Naruto still couldn't feel his chakra too well and he didn't know what was going on with Sasuke, but he still felt like the two of them could win if they played right.
Right before the two opposing genin teams could charge at each other, Dosu was sent flying into Zaku, the two carrying on until they impacted hard with a tree. In place of where the two enemy genin once were was Adrik, looking extremely worn out as he skidded to a stop. He stumbled forwards a bit before catching himself. Naruto rushed to his friend's side as the third member of the Sound team seemed preoccupied with staring at her downed teammates in shock.
"Adrik, are you alright?! Where were you?"
Naruto put Adrik's right arm over his shoulders to help hold him up. Adrik panted out his answer as the two slowly stumbled back over to Sasuke. The black, flame-like markings on the black haired teen had begun disappearing back into a mark on the side of his neck.
"Orochimaru... bit me... Some kind of... venom, I think..."
Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at Adrik's neck. He grew confused when all he saw were two puncture wounds that were already in the process of healing.
"Well, it's gonna be a little while before Sakura can take a look at it. She's about out of chakra."
Adrik gave a small nod. Naruto turned to look back when he saw Sasuke slowly approaching the remaining Sound Genin. Kin looked at him with fear evident in her features. She took a step back as the teen continued his approach. He stopped when her back hit the tree. He pulled out his tanto and raised it to her neck.
"Your scroll. Where is it?"
Kin looked surprised for a moment before the tanto was pushed against her neck, drawing a little bit of blood. She frantically pointed over at her two unconscious teammates. Sasuke glanced over at the two Sound Genin before looking back at Kin. He removed his tanto from her neck, sheathing it as he walked over to Dosu and Zaku. Kin fell to her knees, coughing slightly.
Naruto set Adrik against the nearby tree and watched Sasuke carefully, not knowing if he would have to intervene again. He sighed in relief as Sasuke simply rummaged through Dosu's belongings before finding a scroll. Luckily, the Sound Genin had the exact scroll they were looking for. Sasuke smirked as he pocketed the Heaven Scroll and began walking back over to Naruto. He turned back to Kin as he got halfway to his teammate. She flinched as she saw him activate his Sharingan for a second.
"Leave before I regret letting you live."
Kin stared for another second before grabbing her two unconscious teammates and running off into the forest. Sakura walked back over to her teammates with a slight limp.
"How did it go with Team Ten?"
Sakura sighed as she sat down next to Naruto and Adrik, Sasuke moving to lean against the tree next to her.
"Luckily, we won't be fighting over scrolls. Ino will still be out for a while, though. I'm thinking we can travel as a group since we don't have a reason to be enemies."
Naruto gave a small nod.
"And what about Lee?"
Sakura shrugged as she looked up at Sasuke. Before she could answer the teen, however, she was cut off. Adrik looked over and gave a small wave.
"Hey, Tenten. How's Lee doing?"
The bun haired girl sighed as she helped Lee walk with his arm around her shoulders. Next to them was their Hyuga teammate, Neji, if Adrik was remembering what Lee said correctly.
"I am fine, Adrik, but I appreciate your concern. Can I ask why you are here, though?"
Adrik shrugged.
"Just a chunin passing through. Trying to get rid of a... snake problem..."
The older genin in the clearing were confused but decided not to ask. Team Seven became alert when Neji stepped forward with his pale eyes narrowed at them.
"What is to stop me from taking their scrolls then, chunin?"
Adrik looked up at the older teen and his own eyes narrowed.
"Depends. Do you need them?"
Neji stared at the three genin for a few more seconds before letting out a "hmph" and walking back to his teammates.
"Simple curiosity. Nothing more."
Adrik nodded after a second.
"Tenten, Lee, we're going. Can you walk?"
Lee nodded as Tenten let go of him. Neji nodded and jumped into the trees, knowing fully that his teammates were following close behind him. Team Ten, who were at the edge of the small clearing, walked over to Team Seven and Adrik. Well, Choji walked while carrying an unconscious Ino and Shikamaru held onto his teammate's shoulder for support as they made their way over.
"Thanks, Adrik. And I'm sorry we got involved, you guys. I just thought you could use a little help. Well, before you and Sasuke woke up, I mean."
Naruto smiled at Choji and Shikamaru.
"You don't have to apologize. Trust me, you helped big time."
Choji and Shikamaru nodded back with small grins of their own.
"So, how long do you think it will take us to get to the tower?"
Sakura shrugged as she stood up shakily.
"Maybe... a few more hours? It depends on when Ino wakes up, and on how well we can still move after..."
Sakura trailed off. Adrik and Naruto stood up and Sasuke got off of the tree.
"I'll escort you guys there. I need to report to the Hokage anyways."
The genin nodded. Sakura put a concerned hand on his shoulder, however.
"Are you sure? I can tell just by the way you look that you're in bad shape."
Adrik nodded.
"I had to push myself to get over here as fast as I could, but I should be fine now."
Sakura nodded and let go of his shoulder. Adrik nodded to the genin in the clearing.
"Let's get going. If we move fast, we should make it to the tower before the afternoon."
They all nodded and followed Adrik into the trees.
X
The six genin looked at the wall with confusion as they didn't know what to make of the riddle.
"So, Heaven and Earth. Obviously that means the scrolls. Combine them, though? How do we do that?"
Sakura looked down at the two scrolls in her hands. She began unraveling them and Naruto's eyes widened in slight panic.
"Hey, I thought we weren't supposed to open them?"
Sakura nodded.
"The proctor said not to open them outside the tower."
Sakura continued unraveling them until a seal appeared on each scroll. Naruto squinted as he examined the seals.
"Huh... I think it's a summonin' seal, but I could be wrong. It looks pretty incomplete."
Sakura gave the scrolls to Naruto as she knew he had the highest level of experience with seals out of the six of them. Naruto sat down with the two scrolls as he tried to make something of them.
"Combine Heaven and Earth... Two incomplete summonin' seals..."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he nudged the two scrolls closer together subconsciously. Upon realizing something, he laid the two scrolls on top of each other so that the seals seemed to overlap. He took a few quick steps back and a cloud of white smoke erupted after a second.
"Iruka Sensei?!"
The six genin shouted their surprise in unison, not expecting their old academy teacher to appear from the scrolls. The brown haired chunin with a horizontal scar across his nose smiled and waved at his past students.
"So you all made it to the tower. It's good to see you again. Well, I am here to tell you that you all pass this portion of the exams. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, you three do the same thing with your scrolls. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, you three follow me."
"Wait up."
Adrik put a hand out, making Iruka stop and look over at him.
"Oh, Adrik, I didn't notice you. My apologies. You must be here for the Hokage, right?"
Adrik gave a small nod.
"As soon as possible. And I need to bring Team Seven with me since they're part of my report."
Iruka nodded in surprise.
"Oh, then let's get going. Follow me"
While Adrik already knew where the Hokage was as his senses had recovered, he didn't want to be rude to Iruka, so he decided to go along with him.
X
Iruka opened the door to the Hokage's temporary office.
"Lord Hokage, Adrik, as well as Team Seven, are here."
The old man nodded to the chunin.
"Tell them to come in."
Iruka nodded. A second later, Adrik, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke entered, all looking much worse than the day before. The Hokage raised an eyebrow as he noticed the dark haired teen looking noticeably on edge.
"Adrik. I was expecting you sooner. Report."
Adrik nodded.
"Upon leaving the observation room, I chased down Orochimaru as fast as I could. By the time I got there, he had already engaged in combat with Team Seven. As instructed, I stayed back to try and learn more about what he's doing in the village."
The Hokage nodded.
"And your conclusion?"
Adrik glanced to his right at Sasuke. The Hokage sighed.
"I see. And after that?"
Adrik scratched the back of his head.
"Upon seeing genin Naruto Uzumaki get separated from the rest of his team, I confronted him to tell him my plan. He and the rest of Team Seven were to run as far as they could towards the tower, hopefully getting to a safe place where they could lay low. My goal in the meantime would be to stall Orochimaru for as long as possible."
The Hokage titled his head down slightly.
"Then, I must apologize."
Adrik raised his eyebrows.
"What for?"
The Hokage sighed.
"By all means, you were never meant to engage in combat with Orochimaru, not even to stall him. Even so, it came down to making such a decision. And that was an error on my part."
The Hokage bowed his head slightly before looking back up.
"Now, continue."
Adrik nodded after a second of hesitation.
"It wasn't long before Orochimaru got the drop on me and injected some kind of paralytic venom into my body."
The Hokage's eyes widened. He stood up but was stopped when Naruto spoke.
"It's not there, old man, I looked."
The Hokage stared at Naruto, a myriad of questions running through his mind, before he nodded and sat back down.
"It was already morning by the time I was able to move again. My senses were thrown off, so I headed in the general direction of Team Seven. I apologize, Lord Hokage. I got involved in a perfectly sanctioned fight between two genin teams in the exams. I believe it was Team Dosu."
The Hokage looked down for a second before nodding.
"That is alright. I am sure you had your reasons."
Adrik nodded.
"I was told by members of Team Seven that the team's leader, Dosu Kinuta, along with the more vocal of his teammates, Zaku Abumi, were making constant use of Orochimaru's name in a manner that suggest he is their superior."
The Hokage narrowed his eyes in thought. Perhaps he needed to ask his pupil to investigate into the Hidden Sound.
"Upon their defeat and a short rest, I guided Team Seven, along with Team Ten, to this tower. That is everything, Lord Hokage."
The old man nodded.
"Now, can you three fill in some of the details? I couldn't help but I noticed you acting strangely, Sasuke."
Sasuke looked away. Naruto and Sakura took steps forward, the latter of the two speaking first.
"Orochimaru bit Sasuke on the neck."
Naruto nodded.
"It looks like some sorta seal, but I can't tell what it is."
The Hokage nodded with a sigh.
"So, he has already poisoned his prey..."
The genin in the room raised their eyebrows as they didn't hear what their Hokage said. The old man shook his head before responding, his eyes narrowing, conveying his seriousness.
"Very well. It is good that you three got here so soon. Perhaps we have time to take the proper measures. Come with me, you four."
The genin, along with Adrik, nodded with their confusion evident.
X
The Hokage opened the door to a dimly lit, blank, concrete room. The genin and Adrik stepped inside after the Hokage, still confused.
"Sasuke. I need you to take off your shirt so we can get a better look at that mark."
Sasuke stared at the Hokage for a second before complying. With the high collar shirt out of the way, everyone got a clear view of the mark on Sasuke's neck. On his skin were three black marks in the shape of tomoe, though not much else could be immediately said. The Hokage nodded and brought out a small sealing scroll. He unsealed the contents, revealing a brush and a small pot of chakra ink.
"As our current Seal Master is out of the village, you will have to make do with the next best solution that I can provide, Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded, still confused about what was happening.
"Naruto, I believe your expertise would benefit the process of drawing a seal to help contain this Curse Mark."
"Contain?"
The Hokage looked back down at Sasuke and nodded slightly.
"Yes. I do not know what Orochimaru or your experience with this mark have made you believe, but it will bring about nothing but harm. Not just to yourself, but to your team."
Sasuke glanced over at his concerned teammates before nodding solemnly to the Hokage.
"Hey, old man, before you do that, could you help me with something? It's my chakra. Orochimaru messed it up. He said something about a 'Five Elements Seal'?"
The Hokage looked over at Naruto, glancing between Sasuke and Sakura. He nodded after another second. He made a few hand seals and walked over to Naruto before the tips of his fingers lit up in a fiery, blue glow. Without warning, he slammed his hand into Naruto's stomach, sending him flying back and landing on his rear.
"Hey! What the hell was that for, old man?!"
The Hokage shrugged.
"Do you feel your chakra acting normally?"
Naruto raised his eyebrows as he nodded.
"Huh, I do... Thanks, old man!"
The Hokage nodded as he walked back over to Sasuke, motioning for Naruto to follow him.
"Do you think you can teach me how to do that?"
The Hokage gave Naruto a small nod before leaning in to whisper to him.
"You'll learn how to use the same seal Orochimaru used on you as well as the seal release I just performed."
Naruto nodded with a small smile. The Hokage turned to look back over his shoulder.
"Sakura, you may leave. Ask Iruka to help you to your room if you do not know where it is. Adrik, please remain in case something unforseen occurs."
The two teens in question nodded. Sakura left, though she was clearly hesitant to leave her teammates after what they had gone through in the forest. Adrik moved to lean against the wall, closing his eyes to focus on his senses.
"Now, bear with us, Sasuke, as this process may take some time and you must remain as still as possible."
Sasuke nodded to the Hokage before closing his eyes in concentration. He had his reservations about sealing down the power that this mark had brought, but he decided to trust the Hokage's judgement. He especially couldn't refuse after seeing the looks on his teammates' faces...