THE TIGRESS' LANTERN - A HINATA HYUGA FANFICTION

CHAPTER TWELVE - DANCING WITH PAST DEVILS

[ Training Ground Forty-Four: The Forest of Death / With Team Eight / 3rd Person Point of View ]

"Gah! This place is disgusting! Why did they have to host the exams in this death trap?!" The whining voice of Mori cried out as the members of Team 8 leaped from branch to branch of the powerful trees; searching for anyone who might hold their target: An Earth Scroll.

- Note: I don't remember which scroll Team 8 had during the Chunin Exams, thus I'm giving them a Heaven Scroll. - 

"This place is to teach us to use the grounds around us to trap and disable our opponents; this is not meant to be a cakewalk." Shino explained calmly but under his calm demeanor, he was boiling with anger. This girl - this pampered brat - has been nothing but a hindrance since she was placed on Team 8; whining and griping about every little thing that didn't go her way, she was a disgrace to Kunoichi everywhere but then again, she was not a kunoichi - she was merely a Lord's Daughter who thought everyone should bow down to her.

"Well, they should have done the exams in a better place: like a shopping strip or a gallery of fine clothing." Mori complained.

"What the hell would we be learning there?" Kiba growled along with his Ninja Hound.

"How to choose better clothing." Mori said in an all-knowing tone of voice. Kiba was going to growl out at her again until he and Akamaru caught a scent that caused them to stop and gesture for the two of them to stop. 

"Wait. There's someone here." Kiba said, his eyes looking around at the dense forest around them.

"My Bugs are picking up on a very strong chakra but they can't pinpoint where it's coming from...it's like it's everywhere around us." Shino began looking around as well. Kiba looked around even more...until a blue gleam came falling from the upper tree leaves, causing him to look up and shout out in alarm.

"MOVE!" Kiba ordered and the team moved without second thought - just in time to watch the jaws of a Crystal Dragon come crashing down from the leaves above, sinking it's jeweled teeth in the branch; the force caused the massive branch to snap from its trunk, following dragon as it went crashing into the forest floor below, making a cloud of smoke and shards as the dragon shattered upon impact, completely destroying the wooden branch along with it.

Team 8 landed on the forest floor, back to back, looking around for any sign of the person who attacked them but there was nothing there. 

"What the hell was that?!" Mori screeched like a banshee. "Who the hell attacked me?! Don't they know who I am?! I'll have their head for this!" Mori yelled; that's when a familiar voice called out from behind a tree trunk before Kiba on an elevated branch.

"Do you ever shut up, you privileged shrew?" The voice asked as its owner walked from behind the tree to show their identity, the mask gave it away - It was Tigress. Kiba glared at the feline masked girl with his claws in battlestance, ready to fight.

"It's you, huh? I should have known, there's no one else in the exams who can use crystal like that." Kiba weakly smirked at her - he was scared of her but he couldn't let her know that.

"Whatever. Now, answer me something - What scroll do you have?" Tigress asked as she leaned against the trunk, 'looking' at her claws through her ribbon.

"What does it matter to you? You're not getting your hands on our scroll!" Mori yelled as she pointed at Tigress, who just growled at her.

"Be quiet." Tigress said as she jabbed two of her fingers in Mori's direction, sending 2 Crystal Needles soaring from her finger nails and landing in Mori's left knee.