~*****~

"Breakfast time!"

Naruto and his shadow clones readied themselves to jump into the stream by our campsite while Sasuke stood in wait, ready for the fish to jump out of the water so he could use his kunai to pin them to the tree. I wanted to try and use my water release, but with my chakra still low, all I could do was gather edible mushrooms and plants for us to eat, just un case I needed to defend myself. I came back to the fire with my arms full of edible plants to hear Sasuke and Naruto arguing about the fish. I sighed out and started brewing up burdock tea to replenish our energy. "What's that, Ren?" Sakura hummed, squatting down besides me as I set down four bamboo shoots full of liquid and root.

"Burdock. It's nature's cure all." I state with a smile. "I make this all the time when Kakashi and I train at home. It's great for reinvigorating your body." As I finished explaining the properties of burdock, Sasuke and Naruto came back with the fish. Sakura and I got to work cooking them. We all huddled up by the fire, sighing out when the warmth washed over our bodies.

"It's already been four days since the second exam began," Sasuke commented.

"That's right." Sakura exhaled, watching me adjust the fish so they cooked properly. I started handing out the tea, smiling when the aroma wafted up to my nose.

"We're sure not gonna break any records," Sasuke continued. "And we only have twenty-four hours left." I sighed in annoyance as the wood burned my fingers slightly when I handed out the fish to everyone. Naruto immediately started horfing it down, while Sasuke, Sakura, and I savored it. And with the mushrooms finally cooked enough to eat, I attempted to hand them out.

"No thanks. You and Sakura need those more than Naruto and I." Sasuke commented. Naruto was about to complain, but stopped when he gazed at the bandages covering my hands and face. I looked like wreck with scratches, scrapes, and puncture wounds covering my body.

"Yeah! You and Sakura were totally awesome, fighting against those Sound Ninja! Believe it! All we did was sleep the entire time!" Naruto giggled, rubbing the back of his head. I smiled gratefully and set the mushrooms down between Sakura and I. 

"There's probably not any more heaven scrolls left." I state, wrapping my arms around my knees.

"Well, that's a cheerful thought." Sasuke grumbled.

"Maybe so, but it's true," I answered. "Look, you said it yourself, Sasuke. This is the fourth day we've been out here. That means we've already used up eighty percent of the exam. Only thirteen teams can pass and there are only thirteen pairs of heaven and earth scrolls. And you've got twenty-six teams for them. And if those offs weren't bad enough, things have gotten even worse. Don't forget -Orochimaru- burnt the heaven scroll we had, and ate the earth one he had." I snap.

"Yeah, I remember." Sasuke, begrudgingly, admitted.

"The number of complete pairs of scrolls that could be found was  reduced by one right there, not to mention all the ones that have been found and secured by other teams since then."

"Maybe we gave ourselves too much time to rest and recover after our last fight." Sasuke thought aloud. "I don't know. What I do know, is that we've got to get serious now, and make up for lost time. The next enemy we face could be our last chance." Sasuke stood up before walking off. "I'm gonna go get water."

Sakura looked after him, worrying. Naruto picked up the scroll they had before, having come up with an idea. "Hey! Sakura!" We both looked over at him after popping in a mushroom or two while he explained how we could switch out the scrolls for one of the ones he had, and make it look like the heaven scroll before being immediately silenced by Sakura. She tried to deter him, telling him that even if he could fake the outside, he couldn't fake what was written inside and that it was a stupid idea that would get them disqualified. Naruto tried to explain himself while Sakura called him a nimrod.

"You obviously can't be left alone with the scroll, Naruto." I commented, earning an angry reply from the blond. "Look, all I'm saying, is now that you've thought of the idea, you're gonna wanna look inside, which is against the rules." Sakura and Naruto both glared at me for thinking neither of them were capable of holding themselves together before bickering about the scrolls again.

"We've never even had a heaven scroll, so how the hell are we supposed to fake what's inside!?" Sakura yelled at Naruto.

He sat for a while, thinking. He exhaled loudly, not being able to think of a good enough idea.

"How about the next brilliant idea you have, keep it to yourself!" Sakura growled. "We already have enough problems!"

"But wait!"

Sakura turned in annoyance.

"We do have a clue of what's inside the heaven scroll," Naruto answered. "The Earth Scroll!"

Sakura caught on to what he was thinking before narrowing her eyes at him. "You wouldn't...."

Naruto began explaining it was their only chance and was punched in the head for it as Sakura called him an idiot. "Yeah, but if we don't do anything, we'll never make it!" Naruto cried.

Sakura sat back. "You seriously can't be considering this, can you?" I ask, shocked that Sakura of all people would back down from the topic. Usually, she'd be a stickler for rules. They began to ready themselves to open the scroll. I stood up and slammed my fists down on their heads, and the scroll dropped, unopened. "You're both morons!" I snap just as Kabuto appears. Sakura and Naruto held their heads in pain as Sasuke ran up, thinking Kabuto was an enemy ninja. Kabuto explained what had happened.

"If Ren hadn't stopped them when she did..."

The two began apologizing as Sasuke scolded them heavily.

"There have been others who've broken the rules and tried to peak at the scrolls. I've seen what happens to them. They're protected by a powerful hypnosis jutsu, a kind of booby trap for anyone unwise enough to try and ready them. It'll knock you senseless and by the time you wake up, the exam is over." Kabuto explained. Sasuke asked him what he was doing all by himself in the woods, seeing as it was the last twenty-four hours and why he had no teammates with him. "Don't worry, I'm not after your earth scroll."

"I guess not. I suppose if you were, you would've just swiped it from Naruto when you had the chance." Sasuke figured. "So, you're looking for a heaven scroll too, huh?"

"Not really. See, I already have them both." Sasuke's eyebrows quirked a little in surprise.

"Then why are you still out here?" I hum, propping my hands on my hips. "Why aren't you at the tower?"

"I was on my way when I saw those two about to open the scroll. I should be on my way now to see if my teammates showed up. Excuse me." Kabuto answered.

Sasuke immediately stopped him, offering to fight him for the heaven scroll. Sakura and Naruto argued with him, but he told them both to shut up. "It can't be helped. It's either him or us. Out here, it's all about surviving and winning and that's all that matters.

"You're lying." Kabuto hummed.

"Huh?!" All of us gasped.

"Come, behind all that tough talk, your heart just isn't in it." Kabuto explained. Sasuke's facial features grew darker and darker with each passing moment. "If it was true, if winning was really the only thing that mattered to you, why openly challenge me to a fight? Why announce it and put me on my guard? Why not just jump me when my back is turned? After all, that's what a ninja would do."

I pressed my knuckle to my lip to stifle off a chuckle. "He's got you pegged, Sasuke." I giggle, earning a flushed scowl from the Uchiha.

"It's okay," Kabuto smiled. "Actually, I admire you for it. So, here's what I'll do. I'll show you the path you should follow. But let's go. It's best we get out of here. The smell of that cooking fire is going to draw every wild beast in the forest. And not only animals, but other competition too." We didn't waste any time to get out of there.

"So, there still are other candidates out there?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh yeah. Just think about it. What's the most efficient way of finding scrolls in the area as large as this? To go searching through the forest for them?"

"No. Is that why we're heading towards the tower now?" Kabuto nodded in answer to my question. "So an ambush? We wait for another team to come by and then we attack, right?"

"Precisely."

"So what?! The more the merrier I say!" Naruto cheered boastfully. "Whoever they are, we'll take care of them. Wouldn't want this to be too easy? That wouldn't be any fun! Okay, so we grab someone else's scroll and keep those losers from grabbing ours and bingo! We've passed the second exam!"

"That's two thirds of the problem."

"Well, at least, we're getting closer. What else?"

"Well, there's bound to be some collectors waiting at the finish line." He went on to explain about those who would wait at the entrance or even inside the tower to steal the scrolls and collect lots of different types to bribe their way out of trouble, trick others, keep candidates from rival states passing or helping teams from their own village who couldn't find the scrolls themselves. Even some steal them for their own dark purposes, using them as blackmail and extortion purposes.

"I see. And I'm starting to see why you brought us with you."

"Hm?"

"You're scared, aren't you?"

Kabuto chuckled at Sasuke. "You bet I am."

We jumped further in as the sky started to grown darker with each passing moment as we closed in on the tower. I was glad the burdock root was finally taking effect. I could feel my chakra swelling up and filling my body once again. And the burning sensation on my stomach I felt earlier faded to a warm feeling spreading over the flat plane of my abdomen. I rubbed at it, sighing out when the pain in my body had all but dissipated. But what I wasn't ready for, was the fact that the wounds were now healing at an extraordinary rate.