25 End of Survival Battle

Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were making their way through the Forest of Death, each one trying to keep their senses alert and focused – except Shino, who was secretly monitoring the situation with his map and deploying his bugs to prevent accidents.

Kiba was leading the group, with Akamaru by his side, his keen sense of smell aiding them in avoiding any traps or enemies – or so he thought.

Little did he know, Alina was babysitting him at Shino's orders – feeding the group with danger simulated to match their strength.

Giant creatures, annoying insects, poisonous plants, and traps were arranged to test their wits and agility. This was the 'welfare' package Shino provided to the team, for free.

Suddenly, the group came to a pause as Hinata seemed to have discovered a situation. Shino silently adjusted his glasses as Hinata explained what she saw.

"Hey, Shino," Kiba said suddenly, turning back to look at the bug-user. "What do you think about grabbing some extra scrolls while we're at it? You know, Kurenai sensei never said we couldn't grab extra scrolls and knock out a couple more competitors!"

Shino remained silent as he adjusted his glasses, staring at Kiba with a stoic face. This dog boy is just asking for it isn't he?

"That would not be wise," he finally said. "The risk of encountering stronger opponents-"

Kiba interrupted like usual and shrugged. "Eh, worth a shot," he said, grinning. "Can't blame a guy for trying to gain an advantage, right?"

Hinata looked over in shock. She was undoubtedly the only person in the group that prefers to avoid conflicts whenever possible. Alas, Kiba didn't listen to her persuasion.

Seeing Kiba rush off, she looked over to Shino for help, but Shino only shrugged and showed that he was helpless. Hinata sighed inwardly and chased after Kiba - her Byakugan activated as she scanned the area for any signs of danger.

Suddenly, Akamaru began to shiver in fright, his fur standing on end.

"Stop," Kiba said, his voice low and urgent. "Something's wrong. Akamaru is sensing danger."

Kiba tensed, his hand rubbing Akamaru to comfort him. "Stay alert, everyone," he said, his voice low. "We don't know what we might be facing."

As they cautiously made their way through the forest and hid behind some bushes, they were suddenly greeted by a gruesome sight.

Gaara, the infamous Sand ninja, was crushing enemy Genins to death with his sand. Watching the bloody rain splattering through the air, Hinata gasped in horror, while Kiba looked on in disbelief.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. "That's some messed up stuff right there."

Shino was silent, his eyes focused as he prepared his bugs for interception.

"Go. Go. He'll kill us if we're discovered!" Kiba was the first to show signs of retreat, but they barely moved before they felt a gaze lock onto them.

[Warning! High-risk target Gaara malice detected. Expected probability of target neutralization in phase one is 86%. Overmind, please give permission to engage!]

Shino held back the urge of having an all-out battle with a worthy opponent and commanded, "No. Hold on. I don't want to trigger his second form unless absolutely necessary."

Suddenly, Kankuro jumped out first to stop Gaara. Temari also appeared, her fan on her back as she persuaded Gaara to leave. Cold sweat rolled down the faces of everyone, except for Gaara and Shino.

Gaara stared in the direction of Team Kurenai, and his eyes seemed to lock onto Shino. His face didn't show any emotions, but Gaara finally reigned in his bloodthirstiness and corked his gourd. He turned around, strolling off - leaving a battlefield painted in blood.

With that, Temari breathed a sigh of relief and glanced in the direction of the trio. She then followed Gaara and Kankuro - disappearing into the forest, leaving behind the group with two frightened individuals.

On the following journey, the group moved cautiously, each one on high alert for any sign of danger. As they made their way through the forest, Kiba suddenly spoke up.

"Man, did you guys see the look on Gaara's face?" he said, grinning. "I mean, I know Shino's bugs are disgusting and all, but that guy is seriously messed up."

Hinata nodded in agreement, a look of concern on her face. "I've never seen chakra like his before- he's very dangerous," she said quietly.

Shino was silent, his eyes scanning the area for any sign of danger. Suddenly, he spoke up. "We should be careful," he said, his voice low and serious. "Gaara is not someone to be-."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, don't take our enemies lightly," he said, grinning. "But hey, at least we're not the ones getting crushed by sand, right?"

Hinata gave him a stern look. "Kiba-kun, that's not funny," she said, her voice firm.

Kiba shrugged as he rubbed the still shivering Akamaru.

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood," he said, his grin fading. "To think we will have to fight someone like that soon - This exam is really starting to get to me, you know? I mean, we're fighting for our lives out here – I think it's best we head to the tower directly and turn in our scrolls. Who knows when we will bump into another dangerous guy."

Shino nodded in agreement. Finally, this boy learned to reign in his temper. His eyes flicking to Hinata, who now seemed happy over the turn of events.

Hinata nodded, her Byakugan scanning the area for any signs of danger. As they made their way through the forest, they encountered several traps and obstacles, but managed to navigate them with ease. Some were set by other ninjas, some were the training Shino had Alina secretly arrange.

Finally, they reached the central tower hours later, their goal within reach.

Handing the scrolls over to Kiba, the trio figured out the clues, opened the scroll, and turned in the scrolls with no problems, completing the exam.

Sadly, the chunin who appeared to receive them was a simple, unknown chunin in the village. It seems that only the protagonist trio gets the special Iruka treatment.

"Looks like we made it," Kiba said, grinning. "We're the second group to finish the exam. Not bad, huh?"

Hinata smiled, relief flooding through her. "I'm glad we made it," she said softly. "I was worried for a moment there."

Shino was already studying the tower, finding a good spot to rest so he could start the next step of his plans.

Kiba nodded, his eyes scanning the area. "Right," he said, his voice serious. "But to think they came hours before us… it seems they really aren't simple. Let's find a place to rest while we wait for the rest, and hope we don't bump into them."

Both Shino and Hinata nodded in agreement.

As they made their way over to an empty corner, they talked and joked, the tension of the Forest of Death slowly fading away. Kiba even made a few more jokes, but this time, Shino and Hinata couldn't help but chuckle along with him.

Unlike the original, Shino didn't ask about Akamaru, so Kiba continued his role of reducing tension and pleasing Hinata.

With a grinning face, Kiba soothed Akamaru who had begun to tremble slightly once more, "Hey, although Shikamaru has no chance of becoming a Chunin due to his laziness, but I still hope he can pass this part-"

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as a figure emerged from around the corner.

With spiky, auburn hair framing his fair skin and striking green eyes, a boy walked in with arms crossed.

His lack of distinctive pupils or eyebrows only adds to the intensity of his gaze. Dark, tanuki-like rings circle his eyes, giving him a menacing appearance. On the left side of his forehead, the kanji for "love" is deeply carved and visible only when his hair is parted.

His attire consists of a black body suit with t-shirt-like sleeves and almost full-length leggings. Over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips, he wears a white cloth. His forehead protector denoting the symbol of the sand village wrapped around a wide leather band stretches from his left shoulder to his right hip, allowing a sand gourd to be carried on his back.

This was the dangerous Genin they had bumped into earlier, Gaara of the Sand.

Following behind him was Temari, with sandy blonde hair gathered in four consecutive pigtails, and Kankuro in his puppeteer suit - a black, baggy, full body suit and hood with cat-like ears.

The intimidating trio passed by silently, the brother-sister duo's eyes locked onto Team Kurenai with a dangerous glint, as if recognizing them and at the same time, radiating a sense of superiority.

Watching the sand trio disappear, Shino adjusted his glasses. Having foreknowledge of the future, Shino didn't feel degraded to be looked at that way. He could only feel sympathy for the poor Gaara. Soon, the boy will be brainwashed by Mouth no Jutsu.

"Damn. Akamaru is scared again…" Kiba muttered before he fell silent while soothing his pet.

Hinata fidgeted with her fingers as she whispered softly to bolster her own confidence, "Naruto-kun."

Hearing this, Kiba seemed to have twitched unintentionally, but in the end, he silently continued to comfort Akamaru.

Shino surreptitiously glanced at his two teammates, wondering what thoughts were running through their heads.

He couldn't help but notice the glint of relief in their eyes as they realized they had completed the exam and were in the safe zone. But for Shino, this was just the beginning of a new game, one that he had been waiting for.

Shino closed his eyes, his mind racing with plans and strategies. His harvest was waiting for him in the forest, and he knew it was time for the Zergs to move.

The hunt was on – the feast begins.