(WIP)The Hidden Dragon Chronicles: Series 1

Episode 15: The Chunnin Exams: Part Two! The Forest of Death!

~More than a month later, the remaining teams assembled in front of a large gate.~

(CW: Mentions of blood, torture, and death)

"This is the Forest of Death... and sure enough, you're going to know why..." Anko Sensei explained.

Naruto began emulating her with a strange dance.

Suddenly, the female hurled a kunai, grazing his cheek and prompting him to recoil. Dozens of gasps could be heard, surprised by her quick reflex.

Then Izumi detected an unusual chakra. She turned to face a woman.

"If you value your life... I suggest don't be too near behind me..." she said.

"Sorry... it's just, the sight of blood excites me..." she replied, extending her snake-like tongue and lapping a drop of blood from Naruto's cheek.

Izumi's eyes widened, horrified at the sight. Then, as moments passed, the blonde realized who the woman was.

'Levi....is that who I think it is?...' she asked in her head.

'Yeah. It's him alright...' he replied

'Orochimaru' they thought together. She shuddered at the thought, turning away to face Anko once more.

At this revelation, Izumi couldn't help but worry what would happen during the exam, 'Not again... never again...'

~flashback~

The Northern Hideout loomed like a phantom in the lonely terrain, its walls cloaked in mystery and obscurity.

Orochimaru's sadistic experiments played out within its confines, creating a symphony of misery and suffering that echoed throughout the hallways.

Izumi, at just four years old, gripped to her grandmother's hand as they walked through the hideout's elaborate passageways, their hearts heavy with uncertainty and worry.

The aroma of blood and desperation permeated the air, serving as a constant reminder of the horrors lurking in the shadows.

Orochimaru, a figure of darkness and depravity, watched with cold detachment as his assistants, including the sinister Kabuto, subjected their captives to endless nights of testing and torture.

His eyes glittered with a perverse curiosity, his thirst for knowledge driving him ever onward in his quest for power.

"Tell me," Orochimaru's voice was a whisper of malice, his gaze piercing through Izumi's grandmother with unyielding intensity. "What was the jutsu Raijin Suoh and his brother used to sacrifice both main families on the night of the girl's 4th birthday? Tell me..."

Izumi's grandmother remained mute, her eyes filled with defiance in the face of horrific injustice. She had survived numerous nights of agony, her tenacity unflappable, her spirit unshakable in the face of defeat.

But Orochimaru was unrelenting, and his techniques were ruthless and unforgiving. Night after night, he pushed and prodded, hoping to find the key that would unlock the mysteries of their genealogy, but he constantly fell short of his twisted goals.
...

In the dead of night, Izumi's grandmother appeared from the Northern Hideout, her arms carrying her Izumi's badly wounded form.

Every stride was a battle against the pain coursing through her veins, and every breath demonstrated her steadfast will.

The weight of her ordeal weighed heavily on them with each passing second, trying to extinguish the glimmer of hope that burned brightly within her heart.