Book of Redemption

Zero Three

We calmly thread through the forest, eyes were left and right, searching for traps and enemies, not that the inert threats of the forest were ignored. We were well aware of the wild animals that reside here, sizes were way out of proportions, venomous lifeforms were as lethal as it could get. Suddenly, I heard somebody screamed in the distance.

'That better not be a human scream,' said Sakura, 'I'm getting a little nervous.'

'This... this is nothing, Sakura-chan,' said Naruto. Yeah, right. Being in such a heavy forest presented their own set of dangers. It could be disorienting and life-threatening if we get lost here.

'We've trained for this sort of thing in the academy. Keep a level headed mind, guys,' I reminded my friends. Suddenly Naruto threw a kunai right past us and he disappeared as soon as the Kunai landed behind the big tree behind us. A few seconds later, he went out with somebody in his clutches.

'I was wondering when he would show up, you Kiri guys like to sneak up on people are you?' Naruto announced.

'Search him, is he alone?' Sakura said, seriously as she looked left and right for the presence of the guy's teammate.

'Don't worry guys, he's alone. The scroll was with his teammates I guess,' said Naruto.

'Let's tie him up, just in case,' I suggested. Naruto proceeded to tie each of the guy's limbs to a tree so that he would be hanged wide open in the middle of the forest. He then drew something on a piece of wood and hung it over the guy's shoulder. It says "I am a bad boy. I peeped on people".

'God, you got a sick sense of humor,' I said.

'Once a prankster, always a prankster,' he said.

'Enough of that, you two. Let's move,' Sakura chided us. We continued our journey towards the forest for an hour before we stopped for a breather. Sakura was doing better than us it seemed, she was still perky and energetic, ready for action at a moment's notice.

'Damn it!' Naruto gritted suddenly. 'We're being followed. A full team.'

'Can we take them?' I asked.

'Two of them, yes,' he paused.

'I waiting for the "but",' Sakura said.

'One of them is way out of our league,' said Naruto.

'Can we outrun them?' I asked and he shook his head.

'They were most likely targeting us right from the get-go. I had been sensing them since we ran away from that Kiri guy,' said Naruto. 'Get ready.'

It was faint but I began to sense one of them, getting closer to us. There was no physical presence so he must be underground. I withdrew my katana and stabbed it on the ground. In haste, I formed the seal as soon as possible, and lightning chakra surged right at the palm of my hands. I instantly grabbed the handle of my katana the minute he entered my jutsu's range.

'Chidori; Nagashi!' I yelled and my teammates jumped up towards the tree. Lightning erupted from my blade and spread outwards towards the assailant. I heard a brief scream before a charred Genin from the Grass village dug his way out of the ground.

'How did you know?' he croaked. 'That I was coming.'

'Seemed a bit foolish to target a group with an Uzumaki on board. He could smell you from a distance,' I said as I pointed at Naruto.

'Uzumaki with blonde hair, you're the Kyuubi brat,' he said. This guy must have been a fellow Konoha Nin in disguise for calling Naruto that way. It made me angry for his poorly chosen words. He then suddenly gagged and a hand appeared to be emerging from his mouth as if it was trying to go out of his body. What came out was himself as if he molted or something.