DISCLAIMER: I STILL DON'T OWN NARUTO, BUT IN MY DREAMS I DO *starts dreaming*

A/N: SORRY IT TOOK TOO LONG TO UPDATE! ENJOY~!

Game of Survival by Ruelle

Ch 15: The Chunin Exams Pt. 3
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THIRD POV
Riko steps back, but she's unable seeing as she's already against the tree trunk. Looking with wide eyes, the Kunoichi stares as Shinkai steps closer. From within her chest, she can hear the loud beat of her heart ring through her ears, a gasp escapes her lips.

"So, you're the solo participant that my teammate wants to kill? Interesting," the male muses with a dark grin. "You know, she wants to butcher you, but me? I want to stretch out your death! There's a torture technique that I'm rather fond of, maybe you've heard of it? Does the name Death by A Thousand Cuts, sound familiar?"

Riko doesn't say anything, but the technique he's so fond of does sound familiar. She knows everything about it. The instigator stretches the victim's death by cutting at their body. Not severing any severe arteries, no it's a long, brutal, death that's insured by bleeding out.

She turns to look away from him, but the clone of Shinkai grabs a hold of her chin. With his index finger, he softly traces her lips which makes Riko stop breathing, too scared to make any sudden moves.

"Such a shame, someone so young and beautiful shouldn't have to die," he says before laughing. "At least, not in a simple way. I will savor the moment when I slice at your soft, pale skin. I want to hear that your last breathing moments are filled with screams of agony!"

His hand on her chin lowers with every word until it's safely secured around her neck. He tightens his grasp, but isn't exactly choking the breath out of her. Heeding his words and being aware of his actions, she stops quivering and finds the courage to glare up into his eyes.

"Is that so," she questions with no emotion before giving a dark smirk of her own. "You first need to render me useless before you start making plans about my death!"

And with that, Riko quickly and efficiently takes a kunai from her pouch before stabbing it into the clone's stomach. With the fatal blow, the clone dissipates with a poof. Though, as she starts to move, the team below her are already alert.

"Up there! She's in the trees," Shinkai yells, informing his two teammates.

"Damn it," Riko curses, clenching her jaw and glaring.

It's Akano who reaches the branch first. Jumping at her level, the ginger haired Kunoichi spins wildly as she attempts to slice at Riko. Backing away, Riko jumps a fair distance from the sword wielding girl before she senses a presence behind her. On high defense, Riko quickly lowers her body into a crouch as she barely avoids the large sword aiming for her head.

Noticing that she's surrounded, Riko swivels her body to the right and free falls towards the forest floor. As she lands, Riko drops to a roll before standing straight. Quickly looking around to find her last opponent, she tightly grasps her kunai, securing it into her hand. Though, just as she looks to her left, she's immediately bombarded with a barrage of senbons. Riko quickly dives out of the way before running to get some kind of coverage.

Well, that's until she's intercepted by Akano, once again. The Kunoichi quickly slices at Riko, trying to land an attack. Her movements are fast and agile, but there's also strength behind her attacks. Riko dodges just as fast, but she's not skilled enough to go up against three opponents. Especially, if they're older and much more skilled than she is. She quickly steps back and avoids a swipe directed at her face. Looking at Akano, Riko instantly spots the devilish grin on her lips as her gray eyes sparkle with amusement.

She's too fast, and she's not even trying! She's toying with me, Riko assesses, barely avoiding another swipe. Only this time the katana cut a few strands of her purple locks.

Riko grits her teeth as she forces herself to move faster, but Akano is already ahead of her. Swinging her right arm, Akano's katana makes contact with Riko's torso. Gasping, Riko steps back before placing a hand on her new wound.

Akano laughs. "Oh! I finally got you, haha! I must say, for a rookie Genin, you're pretty impressive. Not many people can avoid my katanas for that long! But once the first cut is made, my victims start to slow down," she states with a menacing grin.

Riko stares, now she's actually feeling terrified. She's up against three opponents and she has no chance. I mean, how could she? She's already dealing with Akano, and the older Kunoichi hasn't revealed her full potential yet. Plus, she barely scratched the surface with the other two. She's just a sole Genin, a rookie to be more specific.

Karasu appears next to Akano, leaning on his sword with a grin. Riko, who's still holding her wound to minimize the bleeding, she stiffens as she feels a presence behind her. She immediately knows that it's Shinkai.

The said boy, takes a strand of her lavender colored hair before twirling in his fingers. Immediately, goosebumps rise in her arms as he leans forward, breathing in her ear.

Shinkai laughs, feeling her tense up. "What was it that you said? First we had to render you useless before making plans for your death? Well, guess what? You're surrounded and you have no way of surviving this, little girl. Whoever chose to put you into these exams alone, made the wrong choice," he informs, dragging a finger across the back of her neck. "Especially, when you have a large target painted on your back, Kiyomi-hime."

Riko's mood immediately takes a one-eighty. Her fear turns to anger at the name, not because of her title, but for the revelation he made. They're not really targeting her, but her father.

"So, you only want to kill me in order to hurt my father, right? What did he ever do to you? What did my clan do to you, that made you want to kill me? Or, did you just figure out that I was related to the proctor and wanted to have the satisfaction of killing me," Riko muses as she looks towards the two swordsmen.

That hand that she's been holding to her stomach, she lets it fall to her side. Because, after all this time, she's been healing her wound, quickly, but stealthily. With her free hands she moves blindingly fast, taking hold of his arm that was tracing her neck, Riko grasps it by the wrist before turning towards him. Shinkai turns serious as he tries to pull away, but Riko who so badly wants one advantage, concentrates on her chakra and punches him in the stomach, releasing the centralized chakra.

Releasing a groan, he bends over in pain and Riko moves quickly to direct a roundhouse kick. Shinkai yells as the kick hits the side of his head.

"Shinkai," Akano's voice rings out, calling towards her teammate. The ginger haired Kunoichi glares at Riko. "No one! I mean, NO ONE, hurts my teammates!" She announces twirling her katanas in her hands.

Riko snaps her head towards the Kunoichi, sending her own glare at the girl. Quickly bending down to grasp some dirt, she performs the single handed signs.

"Earth Release: Earth Element Sword," she mutters before the pile of dirt in her other hand turns to a single katana.

Akano laughs bitterly. "Do you really think that you have a chance against two master swordsmen?! This game just got a lot more exciting," she grins so big that it looks that it could hurt her face, but it's her eyes that scream deadly. Gray eyes so wild and filled with a desire to spill blood.

More like my blood, Riko muses darkly.

"This is the Chunin Exams, the rules said that I only need to obtain two scrolls to pass. Specifically, I don't have to kill you, I just need your scroll," Riko stares before standing in a defensive position, tightening her hold on her katana. "And that's what I intend to do!" She glares at the Kiri Nins.

Akano jumps right in, Karasu is more as a backup, he'll only help when it's needed so instead of joining the fight between the two Kunoichi's, he moves towards his groaning teammate. Akano swings her left hand and attacks towards Riko's right side. Using her katana, Riko instantly blocks the blow, but it's Akano who has the upper hand. Wielding her second weapon, the ginger haired female swings her right katana at Riko's open side. Gritting her teeth, she blocks the second katana with her kunai.

Pushing her weight towards Riko, Akano smirks at the Leaf Kunoichi. With her right hand, still holding the katana, Akano makes a series of single hand signs. "Water Style: Boiling Gas Stream," she announce a with a dark look.

Inhaling a large supply of oxygen, which she can muster water from, she blows the heavy stream of boiling air, now stream, into Riko's face. Getting assaulted with the blistering hot air, Riko winces in pain, groaning at the temperature as she subconsciously lets down her guard. Seeing the vulnerable state that her opponent's in, Akano smirks before moving forward.

Hitting the weapon out of Riko's hand, Akano spins on her heel and slices the initials bicep. Jumping away to avoid further damage, Riko quickly places the kunai in her right hand before placing her left hand on the deep wound of her bicep. Gritting her teeth, she moves to heel the laceration, but Akano is already in front of her. The latter swings both katanas down, though Riko sees this coming and rolls to the side. Standing up, Riko attempts to run and create distance, but Shinkai, who has evident bruising on the side of his head, glares down at the girl. Frowning, the girl drops her hand from the wound before giving a smirk.

Quickly stepping aside, she jumps and leans back, doing a series of backward handsprings. Landing several feet away from the trio of Mist Genin, she stops to her knees.

"I only wanted your scroll, but look at what you made me do? You pushed me a bit too far. Now, I have to show you why they call the Kiyomi Clan, the deadliest clan in Konoha," she announces with an unemotional look, her eyes holding nothing, but a deadly gleam.

Quickly, she joins her hands and creates a long series of hand signs. Once, she's done, Riko pushes her hands and plants them on the ground.

"Nature's Omen: Yurei of the Sea of Trees," Riko announces as she pours her chakra into the ground.

Immediately, the wind of the forest picks up, sounding like many moans of pain. Screams of agony peirce the night sky as their surroundings seem to darken. A shrill scream startles the trio as a ghostly woman appears behind them. The place where her eyes should be, is hollow as dark blood bleeds from her empty sockets. The ghost - or Yurei - leans towards Karasu, moaning in pain.

"Help me," she says, her voice raspy, but haunting. "Please! Please, help me," she continues making Karasu step back, slightly terrified of the woman. Though the woman's demeanor quickly changes. "I said help me!" She roars with anger as she throws her hand into his chest.

She tightly grasps onto his heart, squeezing it which makes Karasu yell in pain. But it quickly diminishes as Akano slices at the woman making her vanish. The male Genin leans on his knees, breathing heavily. He takes a moment before glaring at Riko.

"W-what is this," he questions, still trying to maintain his breath.

The Kiyomi heiress smirks darkly. "It's a Genjutsu that reveals a locations past. Like this for example, this is, after all, the Forest of Death. Do you wonder how many souls are lost here, still lingering in the place of their deaths. That woman that appeared, she was just like us, a Genin competing in these exams. The fun part of this Genjutsu, is that these ghosts can still harm us!"

"You think you're so clever, don't you?! You're just hiding behind a jutsu," Akano yells towards the Kunoichi. "If you want to play like that, then let's make it fair. Let's see how you compare with this!"

The ginger haired Kunoichi makes a single hand sign before raising her other hand. She gives Riko a smirk filled with bloodlust.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu! Now, I'll show you why Kirigakure was once called the Blood Mist Village," she cackles as Riko's vision becomes impaired.

Even with her jutsu that heightens her senses, a mist this thick is far greater, plus the already dark atmosphere, makes it useless. Riko curses silently, because whenever she makes a move, Akano's already three moves ahead of her. Though, she at least has an idea with what she's dealing with, recalling the late swordsman that was Zabuza Momochi.

If they're anything like him, I need to be careful. I need to be especially cautious of all my vital spots, seeing as Zabuza had a tendency to aim for them. I also need to be quiet, man, why did I have to stumble upon one of the most bloodthirsty teams here!? I have the worst luck, Riko frowns as she carefully gazes over the area.

Positioning herself to stand on her tiptoes, she silently runs to a different spot, not wanting to risk staying in the same position. Though as she continues forward, a senbon grazes her cheek. Eyes widening, she quickly ducks and falls to the floor. Raising a hand to her cheek, warm blood seeps onto her fingers. She curses again.

They always seem to land a hit on her, but she can't seem to land an attack on them. Yeah, she hurt Shinkai, but they've already managed to make her bleed three times. Her body immediately freezes with realization.

Blood! They can smell my blood. They're using my scent to find me, Riko assesses.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Another shrill scream pierces the air. "Here in the forest, dark and deep, I offer you eternal sleep," a man sings slowly with a raspy voice.

Another voice joins, singing their own song. "Did you ever think as a hearse goes by, that you may be the next to die? They wrap you you up in a big white sheet, from your head down to your feet. And the worms crawl in and the worms crawl out, in your stomach and in your snout, and your eyes fall out and your teeth decay. And that is the end of a perfect day," a little girl, probably the same age as Riko, sings as her giggles echo into the dark.

Goosebumps rise in Riko's arms as the hair on the back of her neck rises with alert. Releasing a shaky breath, she tries to calm her rapid heartbeat as she actually begins to feel a bit scared. Looking around her, Riko cautiously stands up from the floor.

"Boo," the events of earlier repeat as Shinkai appears behind Riko.

Her heart practically jumping out of her chest, she turns around with wide eyes. Shinkai laughs before bringing up his hand full of senbons, the needles filling the spaces in between his fingers, and slashes towards Riko's throat. She goes to step back, but she quickly realizes that it won't help. So, instead she raises her already injured arm and let's the senbons slice at her skin.

Gritting her teeth in pain, Riko feels the gush of warm blood run down her arm. Noticing that Shinkai is open to an attack, she makes a move. Riko quickly thrusts her uninjured hand forward and moves towards his face. Moving with blinding speed and with precision, she digs her index and ring fingers into his eyes. Moving forward, she uses her other hand and body to push him to the floor, Riko follows. Straddling him, Riko digs her fingers further into his eyes, his screams of agony fill the air as she continues. Blood bleeds from his eyes and covers her hand with the red substance.

Hearing the screams of their teammate, both Karasu and Akano rush towards them. Dropping her jutsu, Akano quickly finds Riko on top of Shinkai, noticing what the Kunoichi is doing to him. Feeling an immense amount of anger, she rushes forward and hauls Riko off of Shinkai. Taking a hold of the Kunoichi's collar, Akano sends a quick and chakra filled sucker punch at the girl, letting her go at the process.

Riko lands harshly against the forest floor, the hit to her face makes the Genjutsu dissipate. Her mouth fills with blood making her spit it out with a cough, she could already feel her cheek begin to swollen up as pain overwhelms her face. Tears sting her crimson eyes, but she refuses to let them fall.

She refuses to cry, even though she's feeling worthless. Nothing she's doing is helping her gain the upper hand, a sense of defeat is already lingering on her shoulders. She can't even defeat one, how is she expected to defeat a whole team? Why did they believe that SHE could survive these exams alone? Is it just because she keeps a cool head, that she doesn't succumb to her emotions, that she can understand what it means to be a shinobi?

Her mind's working way too and too fast to come up with a solid strategy, it's useless, her plans are mush. She can't think straight, and if she does, Akano is already thinking ahead. Plus, she hasn't even fought against Karasu yet.

Ignoring the continuous screams coming from Shinkai, Riko stumbles up into a standing position. Breathing in and out, she squeezes her eyes shut and forces herself to calm down.

Inhale, exhale. Repeat. Inhale, exhale, she orders.

Gritting her teeth, Riko opens eyes and her crimson gaze lands into a steely glare. She locks eyes with Akano and they stare into each other's eyes. They state into their souls. Red clashing with gray. It feels like a lifetime, but in reality it's a few seconds filled with suffocating tension.

That's before they run towards each other, intentions to kill. Even if Riko feels like she's losing stupendously, she won't ever give up. Akano, who has a burning desire to kill Riko, she's determined to get her revenge on the person who hurt her comrade, her friend.

It's the ultimate game of survival.

Determination versus revenge.

Meeting in the middle, Akano immediately slashes her katanas and Riko instantly dodges, dancing around the swinging blades. Reminding herself of her father's teachings, Riko forces herself to keep a clear head, to not get overwhelmed with emotion. Akano, who's impressively talented, battles with her experience. It's a dangerous dance of life and death.

Ducking and dodging, Riko uses her flexibility to her advantage. She breathes calmly and keeps a steady heart. Her crimson gaze glances at Akano's fighting style, trying to spot a moment of vulnerability. An opening, even if it's for a second. Stepping back, Riko watches as one of the Kunoichi's katanas cuts at the space in front of her.

Acting quickly, Riko immediately takes a hold of the katana, not caring if the blade cuts into her hand. Not hesitating, she takes advantage of Akano's momentary shock and delivers her own sucker punch at her face. Letting go of the blade, she watches as the ginger stumbles back before falling to the ground.

Moving towards the Kunoichi before she can stand back up, Riko rushes forwards and instantly steps on Akano's ankle, adding pressure. The Mist Genin glares up at the Leaf Kunoichi, knowing that she's momentarily unable to do anything.

"If you give me your scroll, this could all be over. I don't want to kill you, but if you keep insisting that we fight, I won't hesitate," Riko informs with a stern gaze.

"I'm not insisting anything! You hurt my friend, my comrade, and no one does that! You blinded him, you basically just ended his shinobi career! And after doing that, you expect me not to fight! Screw you bitch, I will kill you," Akano yells, her eyes flashing with hate.

"Yes, but I only did that because you were already trying to kill me. I was only defending myself which is fair since I'm the underdog in this situation. It's three against one," Riko calmly informs.

"Ha! Keep telling yourself that! You're the one who originally started this. You wanted our scroll from the very beginning, you did this! You made this happen, so don't play the victim card," Akano narrows her eyes at Riko, exposing her of the truth.

Akano looks over Riko's shoulder before smirking. "Besides, it's like you said. It's three against one. Isn't that right, Karasu," the Kunoichi says, laughing.

Eyes widening, Riko turns around and spots Karasu behind her. Though, the thing that makes her heart stop is that he's in the process of slashing his sword towards her. She goes to step away, to create some distance, but she immediately feels a hand hold onto her ankle, tightly securing her in place.

That's when Karasu brings the sword down. Still wanting to avoid the sword, Riko leans back, but it's too late.

A hot flush of severe pain hits her face and Riko drops to the floor with a cry. Her vision immediately blurs and all she can feel is the sensation of white fire burning at her face. Tears hit her with a sudden barrage as her pain overwhelms her. Riko, who's still on the floor, cradles her face with her hands. Though, the moment her fingers touch her face, more pain erupts and makes her flinch. But for that millisecond that her fingers made contact, Riko's fingers were met with the essence of warm blood.

"Oh! Haha, how does karma feel? You took Shinkai's vision, and we justified it by taking yours! It's a pity, we were just starting to have some fun. Such a shame, but that's what you get," Akano laughs with wholehearted amusement. "Karasu, get Shinkai and let's go. There's nothing here for us. Taking a scroll from her will be an embarrassment!"

That's all Riko heard before the sounds of their departing footsteps. Sitting up, her body shakes as she struggles to breathe. Her chest feels heavy as her lungs struggle to receive air. Her hands tremble excessively as they dance inches in front of her face. Her heart pounds heavily, each beat is like a stab to the chest. Her throat begins to close up as her breathing becomes strained, each breath is too rapid to actually give useful air to her lungs. The extreme worry of never having the chance to see again drops a weight on her shoulders, one too heavy to carry.

No, no, no! No, breathe, please breathe! Please stop crying, please! Riko mentally screams, trying to calm herself down.

Her hands that increased in trembling, gently touches at her face. She ignores the instant pain and feels at her skin. Riko gasps all of the sudden before releasing a whimper. As her fingers gently caresses her face, Riko feels the large, and deep laceration across her face. From the top of her right eye, where her forehead makes contact with her hair, running across her nose to the bottom of her left cheek, meeting her jawline is a large diagonal cut that decorates her face.

Dropping her hands which have stopped trembling, her breathing returns to normal, but she immediately releases a sob. But Riko quickly puts a stop to it, hating herself for being weak. She forces herself to feel nothing as she steels her skin, building walls around her heart.

"No! I am not a weak little girl! I am a shinobi of Konoha, a member of the Kiyomi Clan! I can't waste time by crying and feeling sorry myself! How can I call myself a shinobi when I'm here crying. You're strong, Riko! Finish this exam and cry later, when you're not in a middle of a life threatening situation," Riko chastises herself, building up the confidence.

Raising her hands to her face, she focuses chakra to her hands, allowing them to glow their usual mint green glow. Not caring for precision, she quickly heals the laceration. Both of them, the one on her cheek made from a senbon and the one made my Karasu's sword.

Though, seeing as the senbon wound is smaller and thinner, it heals quickly. Showing nothing, not even a scar. But with the cut across her face, it's deep and too large. This healing couldn't be precise, plus how can she fully heal something when she can't exactly see it? No, this wound left a scar. A scar that will permanently run across her face.

Ripping the already ripped sleeve from her dress, she quickly wipes the semi dry blood from her face. Moving to her, now bare, right arm, she also heals the deep laceration made by Akano's katana. Letting her left hand glow on her right bicep, Riko heals it with a bit more efficiency. Even though she's squinting to see better. Her vision isn't permanently gone, but seeing as it sustained damage due to the attack on her face, it'll take time to return to normal.

Once done with the healing process, Riko stands up and releases her jutsu that heightens her senses. After all, why would she need it when the sunrise is already starting to peak through the thick foliage of the trees. Anyways, trekking through the forest floor, she squints her crimson eyes to spot any fruit trees or wild berry bushes.

This is now Day 2, Riko states the obvious.

######

As the sun was beginning to rise and the sky starting to change from the black starry mess into a mixture of pastels, Sakura sits awake, wringing wet towels before placing them on Naruto and Sasuke, who are unconscious. Though, as she switched the towels and lacking a night of sleep, her eyes are starting to droop. But just as she begins to close her eyes, she startles herself to stay awake.

I can't let myself sleep. It's already dawn, she chants to herself, feeling physically drained.

When she starts to relax, Sakura's heart leaps out of her chest when she hears a rustle of a bush. Trembling, she tightens her hold on a kunai and prepares herself. Then, she turns around.

She deadpans, a squirrel?

"What are you doing, scaring me like that," she accuses the creature.

But just as the squirrel goes to walk forward, Sakara prepares to throw her kunai at it. Though, another kunai lands a few inches away from it, followed by a string of incoherent curses as the squirrel runs away.

Grumbling underneath her breath, Riko steps out of the foliage of bushes. Even though she has fruit, Riko would have loved to get that squirrel. She could have cooked it and ration it to last however long it takes to finish the exam.

"Stupid squirrel! Stupid vision! Stupid exam! Stupid everything," Riko chants with a loud mumble.

Though, as she walks further into the clearing, she turns her head to find anything else for her use. Well, that's until she spots her team. To precise, she finds both Naruto and Sasuke unconscious along with half asleep Sakura. Riko goes to walk closer to her team, but stops as Sakura raises her kunai.

What the hel- Oh, yeah! In this exam I'm still her enemy, Riko reminds herself.

Raising her hands up in surrender, she squints towards the Kunoichi. "Wait! I come as a friend, an ally, not your enemy. I'm not here to fight you, Sakura," she calmly states, careful to not make any sudden movements.

The Haruno girl boss before sighing in relief. She watches as Riko steps closer, noticing a bandage wrapped around her head, and across her face. Something happened to her too, Sakura thinks to herself as she also spots the wounds on her arms, and blood on her clothes.

"So, what happened? Why are they both unconscious," the Kiyomi girl questions.

But before Sakura can answer, the two girls are startled by a new voice.

"Heh heh. You've been up all night standing guard, eh? As of now, you're off duty. Just wake Sasuke for us," a male voice states.

Turning around, both Leaf Kunoichi spot the three Otugakure ninja. Riko clenches her jaw, not physically fit to fight another team, but she will in order to protect her own team. Crouching down, she speedily grabs a handful of dirt and makes the following hand signs.

Standing up as the dirt creates itself into a katana, she places herself in front of Sakura, protecting her. If Riko isn't physically fit, how can Sakura manage a whole team when she's physically, mentally, and emotionally drained?

"The three of us want to take him on," the mummified Nin, by the name of Dosu, continues.

Riko grits her teeth, Sasuke may be strong, but no one can take a whole team by themselves! I learned that the hard way! Plus, I watched their earlier attack on Kabuto, they attack with sound. Something that's somewhat impossible to defend against.

"W-what are you talking about?! I know that some guy named Orochimaru is the one who's pulling all the strings! So what do you want," Sakura reveals, quite angrily.

Though, Riko perks up at the name of the Legendary Sanin, Orochimaru? What is he doing here? He's a criminal, he can't just strut through the gates, he'd be arrested or killed, well they'll try. Unless, he's in some sort of disguise, but it needs to be good enough that the Hokage won't suspect.

As Riko's mind enters overdrive to figure out what the Sanin wants, the Otugakure trio stand in shock, surprised from what the other Kunoichi stated. Though, that doesn't stop Sakura by bombarding them with questions.

"What does this mark on Sasuke's neck mean," she pesters.

Riko turns to her teammate, mark? She then glances behind her through squinted eyes to look at the Uchiha. With this distance, she can't see anything that small. Giving up, she turns back around towards the Sound Nin.

"With Sasuke in this condition, now you want to fight him?! Get out of here! Go," Sakura tells with evident anger.

Riko shakes her head. "Sakura, just because you tell them to leave, they're not gonna follow through. You forget where we are and what we're doing," she mumbles to the Haruno.

"Hmm, I wonder what Orochimaru's up to," Dosu questions.

"Whatever! I can't walk away after hearing that! I'll destroy you girl, and your little Sasuke, too," the other male states.

At this, Riko tightens her hold on her katana before standing in a defence position. She glares towards the Nin that threatened Sakura. She may not be in love with Sakura, but that doesn't mean she'll stand idle to see her get hurt. Above all, she's still her teammate, feelings aside.

"Wait Zaku," Dosu warns.

"Wait? Why?"

"It's obvious," the first male states, walking forward. He squats down and examines the dirt. "Freshly turned stones, exposed soil, grass in a place it would never grow. Someone's been setting booby traps, but what's the point of laying them if the evidence is out to warn your prey?"

Damn it, Sakura, Riko shoots the Kunoichi a pointed look. But her look softens as she realizes that Sakura must've done this in a rush. I can't blame her when her priority is on taking care of Naruto and Sasuke.

"It's amateurish," Zaku laughs.

"Well, the girl is no use to us, so let's eliminate her first," Dosu informs his teammates.

They rush forward without a second to waste, running towards the Kunoichi duo. But mostly towards the Haruno as they deemed her useless. Riko pushes Sakura behind her and prepares for the incoming attack.

Well, that's before the Kiyomi hears a string snap. Quickly taking her eyes off the Sound trio, she glances behind her to see Sakura set another trap. Smirking, Riko turns back around. She turns back right on time to see a giant log racing towards their enemies.

"A log?! The trap was above us all along?! Nooo," the voice of Dosu yells out. That's before he drops his act and scoffs, "very funny."

And with that, the Kunoichi watch as he obliterates the log with his sound device, making it shatter to small smithereens. At the sight, Sakura immediately feels useless and begins to cry. Riko on the other hand, keeps standing tall and prepares to protect herself and her teammates. She glances at the Haruno, knowing full well on how she feels, seeing as she felt like that a few hours ago.

"To be honest, you know you're a complete no-talent, don't you? Stop dogging it and start working at it! It's an insult being underestimated by slackers like you," Dosu yells at Sakura.

Riko shoots them a death glare, tightening her grip. "You're not touching her, not without getting through me first!"

Though, before Riko can act, a sudden blur of green attacks them. "Leaf Hurricane!" They hear Lee's voice yell out.

With that, the two Leaf Kunoichi witness as the Sound Nin topple to the ground with groans.

"Look who's talking! Try taking your own advice," Lee says towards Dosu, referring to the insults thrown at Sakura. He swiftly lands next to Riko with a hand stretched out to them, daring them.

"W-who are you," Dosu questions, caught off guard.

"Konoha's Handsome Blue Beast, Rock Lee," he announces making Riko deadpan.

"W-where did you come from," Sakura questions.

"I came because you needed me to! And I always will," Lee professes. Riko gives him a soft smile.

Although, the thought of someone else protecting Sakura irks her to the core, she's thankful for Lee. Heck, they're not in the same team, or even in the same year, but he's still going out of his way to protect the girl. With this, Lee gained Riko's full respect. He's the literal definition of a true comrade.

Sakura better not take him for granted, Riko notes to herself.

"I don't know how to thank you, you're a lifesaver," Sakura tells him.

"I promised when we met....to protect you, until death do us part," Lee announces with a determined look.

"And don't forget me Sakura! I said this on our first C Rank mission, I'll protect you no matter what! It's a promise I intend to keep," Riko states, giving the Haruno genuine smile.

"Lee, Riko..." Sakura says with awe, wiping away at the fresh fallen tears.

"It can't be helped," Dosu cuts at their small moment. "Zaku, little Sasuke is all yours! They're as good as dead!"

Just as he finished saying that, Dosu rushes forward towards Lee. Revealing his arm device, he aims to attack the Taijutsu prodigy. Well, that's until Lee digs his whole arm into the ground and literally pulls out a tree root. Riko's eyes widen with so much awe, that she even let's out a tiny squeal. Clearing her throat to compose herself, she narrows her eyes at the situation.

"This is some kind of illusion, right? So, I'd be wasting my time ducking as though your attacks were real. I've seen you use these moves before," Lee comments, gaining the Kiyomi's attention.

Her eyes widen. "No! Lee, they come from Otugakure, their attacks are sound based! Even if we can't see them, they're still real. The attack from before was a vibration sent thr-"

Riko was cut off as a senbon sliced her cheek. Scarlet eyes widening, she looks towards the Kunoichi of their team, the only one who hasn't done anything, until now.

"You talk too much," Kin states with a scowl.

Riko glares at the Sound Kunoichi. "Tch," she scoffs.

######

Deeper in the forest, but still close to the clearing, there stands a team made up of Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino. They stand in a path surrounded by large bushes, careless and complaining - well, Ino's doing all the complaining.

"How can we pick off the weak when we can't find any weaklings," she groans, retying her hair into a ponytail.

"Well.....besides Naruto's team, of course," Shikamaru states nonchalantly.

"What are you talking about, you idiot," Ino immediately defends, raising an angry fist.

"What," the Nara states innocently.

"Naruto and Sakura are total losers, but they're teamed up with Sasuke! The best of the best. And not to mention, Riko -" Ino sighs dreamily. "Nevermind! She's not even there!"

"Now, why is that? Maybe your precious Sasuke is better in theory than he is in practice," Shikamaru states matter of factly. "And Riko, she may be doing these exams alone, but that doesn't mean she's strong-"

But he stops when the blonde Kunoichi gives him a heated glare.

"All right! All right! Sorry for dissing your idols," the lazy brunett exclaims, giving a sigh.

"There's no way anyone here is gonna beat Sasuke, or Riko. But Sakura? She's a complete wimp," Ino exclaims.

"Hey! Sasuke's unconscious! And Sakura and Riko are defending him," Choji alerts them, viewing the scene.

"Oh!" Ino turns around with shock.

######

Further into the forest, stands an incomplete team, made up of Ten Ten and Neji. Standing by their rendezvous point, next to a kunai, they wait for their missing teammate to arrive.

"It's not like Lee to keep us waiting," Ten Ten sighs with slight concern.

Neji says nothing, allowing her to continue because she's right.

"It's odd, he's usually a stickler for punctuality.  I wonder if her ran into trouble," she comments.

"Not him," Neji states with a smirk, gaining the Kunoichi's attention. "No way. But we should look for him."

"Right!"

And off they go.

######

Back at the scene of the fight, Lee begins to unravel the bandages on his arms. As he does, he grits his teeth with determination, Gai Sensei, the time has surely come for me to use the forbidden skill you taught me, and not hold back!

Dosu runs forward as he initiates an attack. Riko glares at the Sound Nin, tightening her grip on her katana. Though, even if she's there, she knows that this particular fight is between Dosu and Lee, she's just there for back up.

I'm defending the life of someone who's precious to me, Lee internally exclaims as he makes a signal hand sign.

Riko glances at the older Leaf Nin, one second he's there, and gone the next. Eyes widening with surprise, she pushes her awe to the back of her mind before concentrating on her task. To protect her teammates. To protect Sakura.

The Kiyomi heiress watches with keen eyes as Lee appears under Dosu before delivering a kick to his chin. The sound Nin shoots up and Lee performs a technique that Riko's never heard of, or even seen. Watching with silent admiration of his skills, she views as the bandages start to wrap around Dosu like a cocoon. That's until they start spiraling towards the ground at high speed. In the corner of her eye, Riko spots Zaku digging his palms into the dirt.

What is he doing, she spectates to herself. His hands are important. He obliterated the log, and now this.

But before she can say something, Lee and Dosu both crash on the ground. The older Leaf Nin jumps away, creating distance. Lee stares at his opponent with confusion, suspecting that there's something off. Looking at Dosu's upside down body, they watch as he twitches before falling back to his knees, digging himself out of the ground.

"No way," Lee exclaims, both in equal shock and confusion.

"What a terrifying technique. I managed to land on a pillow of soil and it still wiped me out," Dosu comments, bringing Riko to furrow her eyebrows.

Pillow of soil? She twists a foot into the soil, feeling it, but it confuses her even further. The soil isn't soft, so why compare it to a pillow. Either he's thick headed, or something changed the soil's density. Her mind immediately clicks and she narrows her crimson gaze on Zaku. She found the answer to her questions.

"But now, it's my turn," Dosu announces, revealing his arm gadget.

And with that, Dosu runs at the exhausted Lee and attacks. He doesn't physically hit him, but he doesn't need to. The silent attack from his device is all he needs to make an effect.

Invisible vibrations hitting him, Lee is immediately affected. His vision turns distorted, along with his hearing.

Sakura tries to run forward and help, but Riko blocks the Kunoichi with her body. The Kiyomi is also concerned, but attacking blindly and without a proper solution, it'll be more risky. It's even more risky when they don't know how to counter Dosu's attacks.

Lee doubles over and vomits, overwhelmed with effects of the attack. What surprises him more is when his left ear starts to bleed.

"It's this appliance on my arm. You see? It prevents you from blocking my attacks," Dosu explains.

"What did you use on him," Sakura exclaims angrily, stepping away from Riko.

The Kiyomi narrows her eyes - well, eye for the moment - at Dosu. "That weapon of yours! It uses vibrations, right?! You attacked Lee by focusing on his left ear, a part where it's sensitive of sound. A particular area where it affects his while body, didn't you," she points her katana at him.

Dosu chuckles at the girl's accuracy, her observation is keen. "Precisely. When you hear sound, it's actually those vibrations displacing the air, which trembles against your eardrums," he explains, going on about the specifics of his attack. "Heheh, it'll be a while before your equilibrium returns. So, you see, crude, old fashion physical arts simply don't work against us!"

"You did start out very well, though. It's rare for a for to force me to reveal the nature of my techniques, but now the tide has turned against you," Zaku exclaims before giving a sinister grin. "I can wield sound waves as a weapon, with enough to force to crush entire boulders! And with a mere thought I can use sound waves to force air into the earth beneath me, transforming hard-rock soil into the softest kind of cushion! A far more elegant and effective art than your crude application of brute force."

Riko glares, so, I was right. I hate when I'm right.

"And now, it's your turn," Dosu announces as he runs towards Sakura.

Glancing at the weak Lee, Riko grits her teeth and pushes herself forward. Pushing Sakura back, she steps up and prepares for the incoming attack. Raising her katana, Riko makes contact with Dosu's gadget which creates a cringing screech of metal.

The contact surprises Dosu, not expecting her to intervene. Seeing as Lee was lulled into an unconscious state due to internal pain, Riko was, and is, the last line of defence.

"You startled me for a second, but now, where's that intelligence you showed earlier. It was rash of you to suddenly intervene, especially without a plan. This arm of mine magnifies every little sound from within the utmost limits. It's an amplifier. And it goes to 11!!! And not only that, but far from relying on the momentum of my arm's swing, I can use my chakra to direct its power towards my chosen prey, wherever they may lie!" Dosu informs as he pushes weight on his arm.

Though, not matter how hard she pushes, the gadget nears her face. One second she's regretting her decision, and the next, she's suffering an ear shattering assault.

Riko screams in pain as her left ear starts to bleed, feeling as if someone's stabbing her repeatedly in the head.

For one moment, her world is distorted.

And suddenly, she's succumbing to all the pain she's endured.

Her vision collapses into a void of darkness as her body falls to the floor.

She failed.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yayayay! That's Chapter 15! Sorry, it took long to update! Anyways, it was a simple 7,407 words!

So...what did you think?

Was I too harsh on Riko? Was the Kirigakure team too harsh on her?

Did you enjoy the violence? I always make my stories too gory....oh well.

Did you like the Nature's Omen: Yurei of the Sea of Trees? It's something I made up while looking up that one Japanese forest, which is known for its high suicide rates, I forgot the name.

Is Riko suffering too much in these exams, I mean, the Chunin Exams aren't meant to be easy, but is it too much? I mean, first the scars and now her ear.

Does she really need to protect Sakura?

Anyways, don't forget to

COMMENT

VOTE

&

FAN!!!

ARIGATOU, My fellow anime lovers!

?¿ If you could enter one movie world (it has to be a movie) which one would it be?¿

I would probably enter into the movie, It (2017), even though I despise and fear clowns *shudder*.

Riko art for the chapter....