5 Chapter 5: Deadly and Forgotten

Many things felt strange to Genma as he slowly arose from his slumber but most importantly his throat, it was scratchy and irritated, he had not had a drop of water in a while he surmised, perhaps several hours had passed but he could not remember what had happened. He remembered walking with the other genin and the lead examiner. As soon as they entered the building there was a loud and roaring sound, like an explosion and he was pushed back. He rubbed his tongue on the mouth of his roof, he could taste the ash, definitely an explosion then…what had happened? He slowly sat up and noticed Gai lying next to him and his heart jumped to his throat. He slid over and tapped the boy.

"Gai…Gai wake up."

He was about to tap again when the boy twitched and he took in a deep breath.

"Gai!" he called louder and the boy twitched again before slowly opening his eyes.

"AAAHHHHH!!!" the boy screamed loudly and suddenly sat up as Genma covered his ears.

"What the hell was that for, you stupid bowl head!" Genma exclaimed annoyed as he slowly uncovered his ears.

"Explosion!" Gai said. "What happened?"

"I'd like to know that too," Genma said as he looked around, the place was dark, one mangy little light attached to slimy, moss covered wall and judging from the smell, they were in the sewer tunnels.

As he looked further around, he noticed the cracks on the walls, recently made. He stood up and as he was about to walk forward he felt something yank him back. Annoyed and angry he turned only notice that it was Gai, simply using him to stand up.

"You could have just asked?" he said.

"What happened?" Gai asked again ignoring his previous statement as he cracked his knuckles and his neck.

"I'm trying to figure that out," said Genma.

They slowly moved forward when they heard another explosion, over their heads and they froze.

"What the hell?" Genma looked around again, confused, they were definitely in the sewer tunnels, he'd recognize this place, he had come down here on occasion for simply explorations with Hayate and Ibiki but the place seemed more ruined now.

As he walked further along, the light dimmed and he finally had to step into the filthy waters. Gai followed as well and they moved as quietly as they could until his knees hit something…it was solid but it also moved. He felt around blindly and touched something, a piece of clothing, it felt puffed up and slightly hard.

"There's something here," Genma said and that's when he suddenly remembered he had a source of light, he carried matches with him, in his utility box.

He reached back and grabbed the matchbox and lit one up and he froze.

"Oh…god," he said as he spotted what was apparently a dead body in a green jacket, Konoha style.

There was blood mixed in with the murky brown water as well.

"Is that…?" Gai asked, his boisterous self no longer present as his visage took on a grim styling.

Genma slowly reached forward and turned the body over and his eyes widened as he spotted the ever familiar headband.

"It's one of ours," he said.

"What on earth happened?" Gai asked getting frustrated as he stepped forward and Genma dropped his match and lit up another one as they looked down the tunnel and they froze in absolute horror.

There wasn't just a single body but more, many more, at least ten…maybe twelve more spread out across the water in the sewer, turning the water a darker shade.

"That's…that's not possible, they're all ours," said Genma turning pale as he walked forward with Gai, turning the bodies over one by one and noticing their headband.

"How did this happen?" Gai asked just as pale as Genma.

"They should be in here!" voices exclaimed reverberating across the sewer and they both froze. "I saw someone taking two genin in here."

"Well find them," another voice stated firmly as it too echoed across the sewer tunnels.

Hide…genin, were the voices perhaps talking about them. It had to be, all the other shinobi here were dead and they were the only two alive.

"We need to move!" Genma whispered urgently as he moved swiftly yet as quietly as he could back onto the embankment and Gai followed.

"That…I am…what is happening?" Gai asked his brain short circuited.

"Does it look like I have all the answers," Genma hissed as worries upon worries mounted on him.

If Konoha nin were dead in the sewers, did that mean an invasion, or was it just an isolated incident that they happened to be a part off. Either way they needed to get to the surface, they needed to find help.

"Gai, keep up with me and don't drop pace," said Genma steely eyed as he moved forward, quickening his pace.

He was somewhat familiar with these tunnels, not as much as Ibiki but he knew his way around some of it, the important thing now would be to find out where exactly they were, if he could find out where they were and connect it with a part of the tunnel he was familiar with, they stood a chance of getting out of here. As they moved they heard more voices.

"Where are they, I could've sworn I heard sounds here."

"Find them you imbeciles, they might be genin but they are still shinobi, don't underestimate them."

The voice Genma heard then projected an iron willed maliciousness, it sounded similar to a voice earlier, this was perhaps the leader of whatever was happening here and the voices sounded closer.

"Shou-."

Gai started but Genma quickly shushed the boy, as little noise as they could make, that was the way to go forward here. Gai suddenly froze again and Genma too stopped to look back as he felt the other boy cease his movements.

"What…what is it?" he asked annoyed.

"Ebisu…" Gai suddenly said and Genma paused, closing his eyes shut tight he raised his head up as he too understood what Gai was getting at.

"We lost him…again," Genma said gritting his teeth. "How the hell does he keep doing this."

"He was with us when we were walking into that building," said Gai.

"He wasn't with us when we woke up," Genma retorted.

"You don't think-." Gai started but was cut off as they heard voices very close by.

"There…I heard it," said a voice.

"Yeah, it sounded like two kids, likely those two genin."

Genma's heart dropped as those voices confirmed what he had been thinking of just then. If Ebisu was with us before this began and was not with us here then that would mean these men had perhaps got to him as well. Genma closed his eyes again and let out a pained sigh before grabbing a surprised Gai by the arm and bolting. He would not lose another team member. Ideally he would move slower with less noises but hearing the voices so close, speed was of the essence. As soon as he turned a corner he noticed a glint of metal flying towards them in the air, he turned back and pushed himself and Gai back around the corner as two kunai sailed past and hit the wall.

"That's them!" the voice exclaimed.

"Where are they?" another voice asked.

"Just around the corner."

Genma bit his lower lip as he tried to think of a way out of this and he turned to Gai whose eyes had lost its fear and taken on a fiery hue.

"They killed Ebisu!" Gai declared as his mouth was set in a taut angry line.

"Gai, don't you dare," Genma warned but Gai pushed him aside and turned the corner and ran in with a war cry jumping right back into the sewage water which splashed as he charged across.

"Dammit!" Genma exclaimed as he too turned the corner and intercepted two more kunai with two of his own.

Gai rushed past and slammed into one of them and under the flickering lights he caught their headbands. Iwa's symbol, two rocks overlayed on top of each other…what were they doing in this village. Last he heard they were still busy with Kusagakure. Had they dealt with it already and moved onto Konoha?

He threw another two kunai at the second man who wanted to assist his compatriot.

"No you don't," he hissed as he rushed forward weaving through the hand signs. "Fire Style: Mist Blaze Dance."

He blew out a steam of gas and quickly lit up another match and tossed it. As it caught in the gas stream the fire expanded and exploded outwards catching the Iwa nin who let out a roar of pain. The one that Gai was busy with suddenly turned in shock before Gai cold cocked right in the face knocking him out. The bowl cut boy pushed him off of himself and stood back up as he watched the other shinobi whose flak jacket still burned.

"This is very bad," said Genma looking grave. "These are Iwa nin."

"What are they doing in our village?" Gai asked.

"I don't know," said Genma. "Best case scenario, they're spies…worst case scenario…well let's not go there."

"These monsters killed Ebisu," Gai said kicking the one he had knocked out.

"We…we don't know that yet," said Genma. "We haven't seen a body, until we do, let's believe."

"Finally…caught you boys," said another voice, one Genma recognised as he whipped around to the edge of the present tunnel and noticed a shinobi in brown flak jacket and the ever familiar Iwa headband, out of the darkness behind him walked out another three shinobi and he gulped.

"Gai…" he said warningly. "Get back."

What he could do against chunin, possibly jonin level shinobi he had no clue, he looked back, they could try to run the way the came.

"You took care of two of my squad," said the leader. "Impressive for genin."

|[{BREAK}]|

He gestured for his squad to get them as they turned to when suddenly his head was slammed down and pushed underwater quick as a lightning. Genma and Gai paused as their eyes widened as atop the man sat Ebisu, calm as ever with his newly familiar look. The man's legs kicked up and his arms splashed around but Ebisu held firm as the other members of Iwa squad just watched shocked as their leader went limp. Ebisu raised the man back up and he regained consciousness again with a big breath of air but the reprieve was quickly taken away when his head was slammed into a side wall. The man slid down slowly, counting the birds and stars. Ebisu slowly stood looking at the other three with a tilted head.

"Who are you?" asked one of them but even as the words came out Ebisu disappeared and reappeared right in front of the man and with a quick jab at the man's throat he was made mute as he choked for air and gasped voicelessly in pain. He grabbed the man's hair and brought it crunching down on the point on his knee and he slid over from there into the water floating limp.

"Shit…what the hell, how's a genin so strong," said one of the Iwa squad as the remaining two both drew out a kunai.

Ebisu himself withdrew two kunai from his pouch and reverse gripped it. At the sound of a droplet of water hitting the stream of gunk below they charged. Ebisu parried they first strike, grabbed the man's arm which he used to parry the second strike and the man yelled in pain as his own squad members kunai cut into his flesh. He kicked out the man's knee and push kicked the man's head into a wall and he slid down unconscious. Finally turning to face the last, a woman from what he could tell, though the face was covered looked somewhat stricken and unsure of what to do but he gestured her to come at him all the same, perhaps this was the encouragement she needed for she charged and thrust her kunai. Ebisu slid out of the and vice gripped her arm in a strange hold which he used to swing her around and slam her face into the wall ending her resistance.

"Strange," he muttered as he looked around for more enemies before putting his kunai back in his pouch.

He then turned to face his two teammates, one of whom had tears welling at the corner of his eyes.

"Gai, Genma, are you two alright?" he asked for status update and as a form of greeting.

"Are we alright…are you alright?" Genma asked shaking his head.

"I am perfectly fine," Ebisu said.

"What happened to you?" Genma asked but before Ebisu could answer he had to dodge a jumping tackle hug from Gai who screamed out his name as he flew through the air. Gai landed in the sewer water head first as Ebisu turned back to face Genma who shook his head at Gai's antics.

"I saw the explosion, then I watched them put you all out with a genjutsu, then I watched as all the genin were carried away to separate places by the head examiner and his squad," said Ebisu. "I then followed them to you."

"What, how did you not get knocked out?" Genma asked.

"They forgot about me," he said with a straight face and Genma's right eye twitched.

"They…forgot…" Genma stated looking over Ebisu again.

"Yes."

"Ebisu!" Gai got up from the waters again, his snot, tears and the murky water all mixing together to make a very unappealing sight as he tried to hug him again.

Ebisu yet again moved out of the way as Gai ran into a wall. Once Gai stood back up, his stubborn head a bright red now and Genma moved forward knocked Gai upside the head.

"Knock it off you knucklehead," Genma said very irritated by all that he was hearing, primarily Ebisu's words when he stated that the jonin had simply forgotten about him.

"So this is this chunin exams?" Genma asked turning to Ebisu as Gai forlornly rubbed the top of his head looking between both Genma and Ebisu.

"The first stage," said Ebisu.

"How annoying," Genma said as he thought back to the brain cells he had expended and emotions he'd wasted.

"I actually felt sad that you were dead," Genma said openly as he reached into one of his pockets, fishing for something to chew.

"Thank you but I live and breathe."

"I can see that," Genma said. "But now that we know this is a test, what's the plan."

"We just go back up the surface!" Gai exclaimed with a thumbs up, his boisterous self back in full force.

"I suppose we can," said Genma thoughtfully, eyeing Ebisu to understand his reaction and thoughts but he looked as stone faced as usual, reading of his emotions made infinitely more difficult with the dark glasses that he constantly wore.

"What do you think Ebisu!" Gai asked whipping his head around to meet the expressionless boy.

"I agree with what you said."

"Well in that case, let's go," Genma spoke as he waded through the water leaving the Iwa nin behind, even if he now knew they were Konoha nin, he did feel very vengeful at present for this exploitation of his mind.

After around thirty minutes of one sided chatting from Gai, they finally reached a ladder that would lead them to the surface.

"Right, we climb up here and we're back in familiar territory," Genma said as he turned to face Gai and he then froze as his expression switched from disbelief to anger.

"Oh, come one!" he cried out.

"What, what is it!?" Gai asked whipping his head around before stopping himself as his jaw dropped open.

Ebisu had once again disappeared.