Disclaimer: Nao is mine, everyone else is Kishimoto's. The troll.

Warning: Violence, fighting, panic, pain, you know. the usual.

Beta: Kalafina94

Beta: silverseed

Edit: 1/1/18

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(Third Person POV – Sasuke)

Sasuke swallowed roughly, his eyes never straying from the freak of a man that had attacked them. Yellow eyes, slanted into snake-like slits, were wide with unhidden fury. When Nao had finally stopped screaming, slumping unconscious in Sasuke's lap, the snake man pulled back.

"Impudent brat," he hissed, his voice low and smooth as ice.

Sasuke did not reply, words failing him for the first time in a long time. He was sure, damn sure, some part of him was furious, but that part seemed so small and detached that he was able to ignore it with ease. Now was not the time to allow emotions to rule over him. He had two injured teammates and a foe that would not die.

Finally, for what seemed like an eternity, Sasuke found his tongue. "What did you do?"

The shinobi's eyes met with Sasuke's, narrowing with annoyance. "It was a gift to you, originally. Something I cannot produce twice of so soon, so it would seem you will have to wait a bit more for yours, Sasuke-kun."

"That doesn't answer my question," Sasuke replied, struggling to keep his voice even.

"If she lives, you'll find out on your own," he said dismissively, "but I suppose for now it would be in my best interest to leave. I wouldn't want to be found out so soon, I'm afraid. Until we meet again, Sasuke-kun. And rest assured, we will meet again."

Before Sasuke could react, the man merged with the tree behind him, disappearing from sight and hopefully for good. When he was gone and Sasuke could no longer sense his chakra, nor his presence, Sasuke finally glanced down at the teammate in his lap.

Nao was breathing in short ragged pants, her face screwed up in pain. Sasuke carefully felt her forehead, annoyance flaring through him when he found it unnaturally warm.

Shit, Sasuke thought. This exam is becoming more and more of a hassle—

His arms wrapped around Nao and he shakily pulled himself up, silently grateful for her tiny body and light weight. If she weighed any more, Sasuke doubted his fatigue would allow him to carry her further. Speaking of more weight—

Sasuke glanced over to Naruto, who was laying down on a tree branch, unconscious.

Damn it, Sasuke cursed again. Why did Naruto have to faint, too? Now I have to carry his sorry ass, as well.

With a reluctant sigh, Sasuke kicked off in said orange shinobi's direction.

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Both of them were still unconscious halfway through the night when Sasuke finished fortifying their hideout. Hidden high up in the treetops, Sasuke had set up various traps to not only alert him of enemy presence, but hopefully take a few enemies out. After applying the last explosive trap, Sasuke let out a relieved sigh.

Jumping back up to the top, he landed in between Naruto and Nao. With a tired, jaw breaking yawn, he switched both of their cooling rags. Satisfied they would both be alright without him for the rest of the night, Sasuke settled himself down a little ways from them and closed his eyes.

Sleep greeted him warmly.

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Before dawn came up, Sasuke blinked his eyes groggily. Immediately, his body tensed, sensing the presence of others. His eyes roamed the forest floor below him, finally settling on a group of three Genin that were hidden not far from his tree. The three of them were speaking amongst each other, too far away to hear.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he felt his vision clarify as his Sharingan took hold. With narrowed eyes, he read their lips.

The first Genin, now dubbed Genin A, had a nearly entirely concealed face with wrappings. Sasuke could not read his lips, but he could read the others. Genin B, the only girl, was the first to speak since Sasuke activated his Sharingan.

So we've found three traps so far—there has to be more. We've only found the ones at the bottom, do you think there could be more up top? Genin B asked.

Probably, Genin C—the only other boy in the group—said. I say we blast the tree from the bottom up and see what happens. Odds are the Uchiha is still asleep and the attack will at the very least do some damage.

And draw the attention of every other Genin in the area, Genin B hissed.

Genin A had spoken because the other two turned to look at him.

You're right, Genin C conceded. So what are we supposed to do? We're supposed to attack at dawn, and it's nearly dawn. We've wasted all night finding them and when we finally found them, we find them layered in traps. Traps we've only found three of, need I remind you?

Shut up, Genin B snarled. You're going to draw attention if you raise your voice any higher, idiot.

A sort of strained breath caught Sasuke's attention. Whirling around, his eyes settled on Naruto who was slowly blinking his own eyes open. "Wha—?"

Sasuke held up a finger to his lips. Naruto frowned at the action. Satisfied Naruto wouldn't make any more noise, Sasuke turned back to the three Genin below.

— have to risk it. We need to attack at dawn or risk Orochimaru's wrath. The Uchiha must die, Genin C growled.

Orochimaru? Sasuke thought softly, filing the name away later for consideration.

Fine! Genin B exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air from exasperation. Genin A said something and the two of them immediately quieted.

Sasuke frowned, looking away from them and in the direction the sun would rise. Already the sky was beginning to lighten. He had, perhaps, seven minutes before it was dawn. Moving quietly away from the edge, Sasuke moved to kneel beside Naruto.

Naruto was looking at Nao with a worried expression, a frown tugging down at his lips. Gently, he felt her forehead, pulling back after a while. He glanced at Sasuke, his clear blue eyes shining with concern. "She has a fever."

"I know."

"What happened?"

Sasuke paused a moment before explaining what had occurred when Naruto lost consciousness. When he was finished, Naruto wore a hardened expression, a glower set on his face.

"That bastard," Naruto growled under his breath, voice low. For the briefest of moments, Sasuke could have sworn he saw a red tint in Naruto's eyes, but it was gone before he could really consider seeing it.

Sasuke did not bother to reply to that remark, choosing instead to glance down at the Genin below. "We don't have time for that."

"What do you—?" Naruto followed Sasuke's gaze and his eyes narrowed. "I see. Have a plan?"

Sasuke smirked. "One."

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Genin C was the first one to attack. He leapt from his hiding spot and straight above the third trap Sasuke had set. The third trap was a hidden trap; a barrage of needles kept ready to spring at the simple tug of thin twine Sasuke had up beside him.

He pulled on the twine, and the barrage of needles erupted from their hiding spot. Genin C's eyes widened as he quickly realized he had nowhere to dodge the needles while he was in midair. Grimacing, his arms shot out towards the needles and Sasuke watched with morbid curiosity as air shot out of his palms in a highly pressurized line. The air threw the needles off course and Genin C was able to safely make it to trap four.

As Genin C touched the top of trap four, the trap (it was a spring, meant to launch the enemy high into the air) triggered and back into the air Genin C went.

Genin C gave a startled shout as he flipped over several times, his back now to Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked and hurled himself into the air, delivering several nasty kicks to Genin C's vulnerable spine. Genin C was kicked further into the air as Sasuke safely fell back down to the tree tops, smirking in satisfaction.

When Genin C fell to the ground, it was with a loud and hollow thump, unconscious or dead.

Either worked for Sasuke.

Naruto snickered beside him. "That guy was pathetic."

It was then that a senbon needle flew out to land next to Sasuke, a bell ringing from it.

Tch, Sasuke thought. A combination of genjutsu and senbon. Great. Great.

With a final glance towards his only unconscious teammate, Sasuke readied himself for battle.

She owes me lots of tomatoes for covering her sorry butt, Sasuke thought, although there was no actual threat or malice behind his words.

However, that was the most he was allowed to think before Genin B froze. Genin B then proceeded to turn and start attacking Genin A (who had been hiding behind the bushes). Sasuke watched in surprise and wary confusion as Genin A attempted to reason with Genin B. That only seemed to anger Genin B, though, and then Genin A froze as well.

Sasuke's eyes widened in realization as Genin B then proceeded to take out some rope, knock out Genin A, and tie him up. The shadows that were once attached to Genin A slithered and moved to wrap around Genin B. Genin B then slumped forward and Chōji stepped out into the clearing, knocking her out and tying her up.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged brief smiles.

"Oi, what are you three doing?" Naruto called down.

It was Ino who responded. She came out of the bushes, her face screwed up with worry. "I—I had this feeling. Nao. Can I see Nao?"

Sasuke's smile (smirk, really) slipped and Naruto glanced away, his eyes trailing down.

"Boys," Ino said, her voice low and her eyes narrowing. "Where is my baby sister?"

"Up here," Sasuke finally said. "Be careful of the traps."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered as he stepped out of the bushes.

It didn't take long before the trio of friends reached team seven. Ino's eyes widened and she rushed to Nao's side, kneeling beside her and pulling her head in her lap. She brushed back Nao's hair, placing a hand over her cheek.

"She's burning up," Ino whispered, her voice shaking.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked, his eyes sharpening as he pinned Sasuke with his heavy gaze.

Sasuke took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

He explained everything.

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Ino was shaking by the time Sasuke was finished, but it was not from fear or sadness. The girl was furious. Her eyes were lit with unhidden fury and glinting with the promise of revenge. Sasuke had to admit, he had never seen the girl like that—then again he didn't spend much time with her in the first place.

"And you let that happen?" Ino finally asked, a bite in her voice as she glared darkly at Sasuke.

Sasuke blinked in surprise.

Wasn't she supposed to be my fan girl?

"You allowed her—again!—to shield you? First, she lost her fucking eye, and now she might lose her fucking life!" Ino snarled, shaking and bringing Nao closer.

Sasuke shifted uneasily, not liking how close to the mark Ino was hitting.

And he knew, he knew full and well that Ino wasn't really mad at him. She was hurt and angry that her sister had once again been placed in a less than desirable situation. It was possible that she may even be mad at herself for not being there, and that she was taking it out on him.

"So much for being Top Rookie," Ino sneered.

Or at least he thought he knew.

Sasuke, once again ignoring the uneasy feeling Ino reminded him of—guilt? What did he need guilt for? Sure, she was a friend, but it's not like he could have stopped her and it wouldn't do anyone any good for him to dwell on guilt—he exchanged glances with Shikamaru.

"We need to get her to the tower," Shikamaru finally said.

"What?" Naruto blinked.

Sasuke noted how Naruto had been hovering unusually close to Nao. Sasuke would have guessed that if Ino hadn't been holding (and hogging) the girl all to herself, he would have.

"It's the safest place and more than likely they have someone who can help her. It's our best option," Shikamaru said. "How many scrolls do you have?"

"The weird guy ruined one of ours. but we have an extra."

"Chōji. go check the team we took care of down there. See if they have one."

Chōji nodded, munching nervously on some chips.

Nao gave a small sigh, her brow furrowing. Ino pulled her closer, kissing her forehead and smoothing back Nao's sweaty bangs. "Shh. It's alright, imouto. Sissy's here."

For a brief—oh so brief—moment, Sasuke didn't see Ino and Nao. Instead he saw himself and—

Sasuke blinked as Chōji called up to them, "They've got one Heaven Scroll!"

"That's actually exactly what we need," Sasuke said.

"So now we need to get to the tower," Naruto concluded.

"We'll go with you guys," Ino said quickly.

"No," Shikamaru immediately disagreed, ignoring Ino's look of outrage. "We still need to get our scrolls so we can get into the tower. We'll waste too much time if we go with them, and we won't be of anymore help to them if we don't get in the tower. Besides, they're less likely to be spotted by other teams if they move on their own than if we traveled with them."

Ino glanced away, her eyes softening as she mulled over Shikamaru's words.

"Fine."

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(First Person POV - Nao)

My brow furrowed.

Now conscious, I felt myself wanting to frown. My entire body felt ragged and exhausted. My mind was weary and blurred.

For the life of me, I couldn't remember what had happened.

Only only wanting to protect and then pain. In my neck.

Right where it was throbbing erratically, actually; a constant pain that had me nearly cringing. To describe the pain it would be impossible. I could only tell you how it dug into me; into my very core and wrapped around my very essence. It was driving itself into me, trying to take me over.

Forcefully and painfully.

I noted I was being carried; piggybacked. From the scent and feel of the hair, by someone very familiar—

I cracked my eyes open. "Naru—?"

We had been moving quickly on tree branches, but at my voice, Naruto stopped, halting immediately. Sasuke landed next to him, eyeing me carefully, a mix of worry and fear in his face. I blinked my eye groggily.

"Nao-chan?" Naruto asked hesitantly, twisting his head to face me. "Oh thank thank Ramen King, you're awake."

"What—?"

"You shielded me from that man," Sasuke said quietly, his eyes trailing downcast. "I don't know how. One second you were far away and the next right there. That man—he bit you. There's a weird mark on your neck now."

I winced. "Thank you both."

They both tensed, looking at me alarmed.

"You're the one who saved me," Sasuke argued, a scowl on his face.

"But you pulled me away from him," I said softly. "You shielded me against him and were prepared to fight him for me. Naru, you saved my life. When he attacked me and Sasuke was too far I would not be alive without either of you. Thank you."

Thick silence fell between us, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

"There's no need to thank us," Naruto said roughly, his voice thick. "We're friends. We're all we have."

Sasuke gave a slow nod, not making eye contact with either of us.

"Let's go. We have to get to the tower," he said gruffly. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get Nao checked out."

I gave a small nod and my eyes fluttered closed. Unable to help myself, I drifted back into sweet oblivion.

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When I woke up once more, I was lying in a bed. My clothes had been changed. No longer were they bloodstained and dirt covered things; I was wearing gauze, too, and my hoodie. My injuries seemed treated and my body felt oddly relaxed. Well, aside from the neck, of course.

Naruto noticed me at once as he was sitting beside me. Sasuke was in front of Naruto on my other side and Kakashi next to Naruto.

I blinked my eyes and slowly sat up, frowning. "What—?"

"We made it to the tower," Sasuke explained. "We told Iruka what happened—who showed up because the scrolls were actually summoning scrolls—and he promised help. Kakashi arrived here about an hour ago."

Kakashi gave me a calculating look. "May I see your neck?"

I nodded my head and shifted. Turning my neck and brushing back my hair, I stretched my neck out for him to see. Kakashi ghosted closer to me, his light fingers brushing against the mark.

"Mn," Kakashi murmured. "As I thought. Although it's not—not like that woman's. Did he bite you or...?"

"He grazed her," Sasuke said slowly. "He snapped back pretty quickly when he realized she was in front of me."

"That may be why," Kakashi muttered. "It's not—It almost appears as though it's incomplete; like he could only give you a shadow of it due to lack of time or something. More than likely—I'm hesitant to call it this, but for lack of a better word, you have a Curse Mark. Something special to Orochimaru. It will have to be sealed, but—"

"But?" Naruto prompted.

"I can't."

"Then get someone who can," Sasuke said shortly.

"They can't either."

"What do you mean?" Naruto demanded.

"It's still the second part of the exam," Kakashi said, his voice flat. "By sealing the mark, I'm interfering with the exam. By sealing the mark on one of my own Genin, I'm playing favoritism and interfering with the exam. It's cheating."

"Then don't get caught!" Naruto exploded.

"Sealing something like this would alert every Jōnin in the area," Kakashi said dryly. "I can't not get caught. I can't do anything to the seal now. When the second exam is over, I'll be able to seal it, but for now—"

My eyes trailed down and my shoulders sagged.

"Son of a—" Naruto swore vehemently. Sasuke glowered and glared down at his lap.

Kakashi placed a hand on my head. "However—"

All of us looked up at him.

"Well," Kakashi hummed. "There is a medicine that'll ease the pain as well as induce a wonderful sleep. In fact, I have some right now."

He pulled out a small bottle of pills and set them in my lap.

"It would be a shame if I accidently forgot them so conveniently by my student who so happens to need some," Kakashi hummed. "Oh well. I better get going. Ja ne."

When Kakashi disappeared in a poof, the three of us were grinning (minus Sasuke, who was smirking).

"Kakashi-sensei is awesome," Naruto decided.

I agreed wholeheartedly.

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Resting for two days went by fairly quickly, seeing how the three of us mostly spent our time sleeping. Or at least I did. I awoke a scarce few times, one of them being to my sister who frantically hugged me and then refused to leave my side for the remainder of the day. Not that I was complaining. It was nice to have her by my side. I was not quite sure what my boys were up to when I was unconscious and they didn't feel compelled to tell me.

But despite resting for so long, I felt no better.

Oh sure, my body was nowhere near as sagged and limp as it was two days ago, but my 'Curse Mark' did not make anything easier. Constantly, I felt it throbbing, burning and searing. It wanted me to give in. It wanted me to bend and allow it to take over. It promised me if I did, the pain would stop.

I wanted the pain to stop so badly.

But I was too terrified of the consequences. Although I had never heard the term 'Curse Mark' until now, the very sound of it promised nothing but misfortune. Despite my obvious ignorance, I was petrified of it. Some buried subconscious part of me gave me the instinct to fear the mark with every fiber of my being. And to hate it.

And hate it, I did.

But it was so tempting.

Not only did it promise to stop the pain, but it promised to make me feel good and strong.

I was not strong in the fight against that man, and I most certainly did not feel good at all.

I wanted this exam to be over with, so I could get rid of that thing.

At the end of two days, the three of us stood in a large cement room. The entire floor held cracks and small craters with blood stains dotting them. The walls were large and long, also sporting many cracks and blood stains. On either side of the wall were balconies, and although they looked sturdy, they held many fractures and guess what? More blood stains.

All of my fellow Leaf Village Genin were gathered.

Gaara, I had also noted, seemed oddly calm and less edgy, but there was still a tense underline in his posture and his pale eyes somehow showed no sign of light. Temari and Kankurō seemed intent on refusing to look at him.

In front of us, the Hokage rambled on about a preliminary match, but I couldn't quite concentrate.

My Curse Mark was acting up once again. I winced and clutched my neck as a reflex. A useless reflex, but a reflex nonetheless. It throbbed painfully, longing to be released.

I couldn't concentrate.

At the end of his speech was the arrival of the new proctor, followed by a screen appearing the first match was decided.

Yamanaka Inonao

Vs.

Yoroi

I stared at it, momentarily uncomprehending before I understood.

Fuck.

Naruto winced sympathetically with me and gave me a worried look. Sasuke frowned at me before patting me lightly on the head. I gave a sort of grudging sigh as they, along with the rest of the Genin, moved up to the balconies.

My Curse Mark throbbed painfully and I cringed again.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kakashi appeared from behind me. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he bent down and whispered into my ear. "The Curse Mark will take over you if you use any ninjustu, or if your chakra is depleting too quickly. If the Curse Mark activates, I will be forced to interfere and you'll be disqualified. If you lose control, that is."

"Taijutsu only, got it," I muttered before wincing again.

Kakashi squeezed my shoulder reassuringly, before he too left.

I stood before the one who was supposed to be my opponent. Yoroi. I could see nothing distinctive about him —he looked like a cliché henchman for a doctor or something. However, from his stance and his chuckling, I could assume he was smirking and quite confident in fighting me.

I didn't like being underestimated.

I squared him off, frowning slightly as the proctor had us begin.

Immediately, Yoroi rushed forward, his hands glowing a light blue. His right hand snapped out towards me and I bent backwards, rolling with it. His chakra barely grazed my skin, but graze it, it did. I could feel a sickening pull from my own body and towards his. With a sinking stomach, I realized he was absorbing my chakra.

I could not have asked for a worse opponent.

I continued bending backwards, intent on flipping and kicking up at him, but my neck throbbed and I cried out from the pain. My balance was lost, as well as my focus, and I fell to the ground. Yoroi wasted no time and prepared to dive towards me. Searing pain throbbed from my neck, but I rolled over and kicked myself back to my feet. Already, I was running towards him.

I was no stranger to pain, but this—

That.

Damn.

Temptation.

I had to finish it quickly.

I bunched up my right fist, intent on punching, but the pain doubled and I was forced to falter. Yoroi took that to his advantage and grabbed hold of me, twisting me into a headlock and sucking my chakra quickly. I struggled in vain against him, but the pain from my neck was so intense and he was sucking my strength—

So tempting—

Just a second, just a second—

No, I shouldn't—

Why not?

Only a little—

The pain in my neck doubled before it was gone completely and a rush of satisfaction bloomed inside of me. I grinned maliciously and twisted out of Yoroi's grasp, grabbing his own arm and pulling it towards me with as much strength as I could muster. I heard a sickening pop and felt sick glee inside of me. Not finished, I released his arm and he staggered back with a cry of pain.

I rushed towards him, bringing up my dominant leg and kicking him as hard as I could.

He flew across the room, crashing into the wall with a disgusting thud and multiple cracks. Dust covered my view of him, but I didn't need it.

No.

No.

No.

That subconscious part of me seemed to be screaming no so loudly and shrilly in my head, it broke through the cloud of malicious haze that had previously taken hold of me.

My stomach dropped as I realized what I had done.

Relying on the curse mark—

I pushed it back, the power that flowed through me along with the sick satisfaction. I shoved it away from me fearfully, and already the pain returned. This time it was a thousand times hotter and I cried out. Shakily, I dropped to my knees, clutching my neck desperately as I fought for control.

I would not let this thing take me over.

I would not become someone's slave.

I would not lose.

As the incredible (dark) chakra receded back inside of me, the pain was almost unbearable. Nearly blinded, I could only vaguely make out the figures of the others and the words that I had won.

I had won but only in time.

I shook and bit back a whimper.

Kakashi appeared next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a smile.

I gave a sluggish nod, before sagging and forcing oblivion to take hold of me once more.

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Topless and bare, I shivered in the cold, damp air. The sealing room, as I had dubbed it, was a dark and dreary place. It screamed ritualistic horror movie. The poorly lit place had my eyes straining in the darkness to properly see.

I shivered again, goosebumps rising up my skin as Kakashi continued to draw seals on my body.

"What exactly—what exactly do I have?"

"I've already talked with—some others," Kakashi said. "Orochimaru has been experimenting with something we call the Curse Mark. In theory, its completed version will give someone an inhuman amount of power and strength. However, for it to take effect, to take root, it requires direct contact with Orochimaru and for him to inject it inside of the host."

"Like snake venom," I muttered.

"Yes," Kakashi said quietly. "From what Sasuke has described, and our own information, he didn't really complete the—injection. What you have is a fracture of the mark. Incomplete. It's more or less akin to—to his first living subject of the mark, with some exceptions. For instance, yours causes malicious intent and gives you a minor boost in strength with it. That's about as far as the differences stretch, however."

"How can you tell?"

"We do have spies of our own," Kakashi said dryly. "We. We know about the completed version of the Mark and from what we've seen of yours—and in comparison."

"I see," I whispered.

We lapsed into silence as Kakashi finished drawing the last of the seals.

"Ready?" I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper.

"Yes," Kakashi said. "This is going to hurt, a lot, but it will be over quickly. When you wake up, you'll be in the hospital and probably a bit delirious."

"Will it permanently seal the Curse Mark away?" I asked quietly.

Kakashi seemed to hesitate a moment. "No. I'm not a seal master The only person I could think of that could possibly seal something like this would be Jiraiya of the Sannin, but—"

He let the but hang in the open air. He didn't need to say it.

Jiraiya was nowhere near the village and even if he was here, there was no guarantee he would seal it.

My eyes closed and I felt hope drain away from me. Sagging slightly, I resigned myself to my fate.

Kakashi began the sealing.

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Answer: Neko from K. No particular reason.

Question: Best T.V. series you have ever watched?

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