"What is this weird mark on Sasuke's neck?!" Ko heard Sakura scream making her eyes flash open. She sprung up as her instincts kicked in but unfortunately, pain spread throughout her body making her grunt in pain and lay back down. "You did this to him...and you want to fight?!" Sakura screamed more sounding as if she were about to cry.

"Damn, my bodies in too much pain to move. Who's attacking us?" Ko thought.

Ko still had most of her chakra left and activated her eyes to see what was going on. She was hoping for a miracle; she didn't feel like saving Sakura or fighting through the pain to get up. She saw three ninja running towards them and Sakura sitting down defenseless.

"Greeeaat, why did I expect her to hold her own?"

Sakura cut a rope making a log fall from the sky about to smash the enemy but they easily broke it still heading towards the leaf genin.

"Frankly speaking, you have no talent. People like you must work harder. A weakling like you shouldn't mess with guys like us."

Ko recognized the three from the last test when they attack Kabuto. She knew Sakura didn't have a chance. Thankfully, she could see Lee running towards them saving Sakura with a kick. Ko relaxed a bit not wanting Sakura to die during these exams or else the plan would fail; she still needed Sakura alive. Ko wondered why her Father sent his sound genin to attack them. They didn't know Sasuke had to curse mark but were only told to fight him.

"Knowing Dad, he knows Sasuke will survive and wants to see how he handles his best team. These kids are just pawns and they don't realize it. They think they are special but in reality, Dad is sending them to their death."

She watched as Lee protected Sakura battling the three with only taijutsu. He put up a fight even relying on his forbidden technique but didn't expect it to fail. The leader of the group stood before Lee who collapsed to the ground puking.

"There's a little trick here. You can't just dodge against my attacks. It's sound; even if you dodge my fist, sound will attack you." He explained showing off his arm with a metal encasing around it.

"Idiots, didn't they learn anything from when they attacked Kabuto?"

"I can freely control supersonic sound waves and air pressure, I have the power to even destroy a rock. Blasting air into the Earth and creating a cushion is nothing. Ours are different from your stupid techniques." The other guy chimed in.

"These guys are on a different level than them. I don't even know if I'd be able to take them in this state."

The Leader lunged towards Lee who managed to move even deflecting the attack. The Sound ninja was caught off guard but quickly recovered retaliating sending Lee to the ground. Sakura tried her best to distract them by throwing kunai hoping it would do something. Ko saw team ten approach and hide behind the bushes towards the left.

"They're not going to help her." Ko thought as she looked over at Sakura whose hair was being pulled by the female enemy. "They wouldn't stand a chance, either they're smart or too scared to fight."

Ko fought through the pain managing to rest on her elbows leaning backwards. She deactivated her eyes since she was able to see now. She saw Sakura wielding a kunai and cut off her hair just above the girl's hand setting herself free. She managed to outsmart them buying Ko time to get to her feet. She managed to numb most of the pain with her medical ninjutsu trying not to use up too much chakra.

Sakura landed on her attacker biting his arm making Ko hurry. Sakura is too weak to handle this by herself and is close to getting herself killed. Ko held on to the side of their shelter trying to get to her feet. Sakura was knocked back and he lunged towards her but team ten jumped in the way protecting her.

"Sakura, I won't lose to you. I've already told you that." Ino said as she looked back at Sakura.

The team put up a good fight managing to do some damage but their energy was running low and they knew they were no match for them. Before the enemy could attack once more, the rest of Lee's team appeared.

"Some minor sound ninjas bulling these...second rate ninjas and declaring victory?" The Hyuga scoffed as he looked down at everyone from the branch they stood on.

"They keep coming out like roaches."

"You injured our teammate; you're going to pay for that!" He said as he activated his Byakugan.

"You three should've stayed in hiding," Ko said as she stepped out of the shelter.

"Ko?" Sakura questioned looking over at her.

Ko stood hunching over a bit due to her pain even though she didn't allow it to show on her face.

"You're in no shape to fight." Shikamaru warned taking a step towards her.

"You three are no match for these guys and you know it. And you three," Ko said looking over at the sound genin, "why do you serve Orochimaru when you are only being sentenced to death?"

"What would you know Leaf Ninja? He saved our lives and made us better." The Leader replied.

"Hmph, you sure are dedicated."

"It seems Father brain washed them good."

He ran towards Ko attempting to punch her but she disappeared into the ground. He looked around for her then heard his teammate shout making him turn around seeing Ko kick his team mate to the ground then turn towards him.

"Looking for me?" Ko said with a smirk.

The leader lunged towards her again going for a punch but Ko jumped out of the way avoiding his attack only to be blown away by the other sound ninja. She landed on the ground getting the wind knocked out of her. He body ached even more when she landed on the ground making it hard to get back to her feet but she had to do something. She reached into her weapons pouch while making a one-handed sign.

"Fire style: Blazing Shuriken Dance!" Ko shouted as she threw the shuriken and blew fire on them.

They went in different directions attempting to hit the Sound Genin from every angle hoping she would land a hit. She hoped this would buy time to get to her feet and she managed to rise to her feet but her shuriken were sent right back towards her. She was in no shape to make sudden movements but was able to dodge most of the shuriken except for the two that slashed her uninjured side and thigh. Ko cried out in pain as she fell back onto the ground.

"Ko! Get out of there! You're still injured from the last battle!" Sakura desperately shouted. She was scared to see her teammate struggle so much just because she couldn't do it on her own. She needed all these people to protect her against an enemy.

The two were walking towards Ko but everything stopped when a dark wave of chakra chilled the air. Everyone looked over to the shelter seeing Sasuke standing with dark chakra swirling around him; Orochimaru's curse-mark spreading on his body.

"Sasuke! You're awake!" Sakura shouted happily but it was short lived once she felt the evil chakra he was emitting.

"Sakura, Ko, who did that to you?" Sasuke questioned with an unsettling tone as he looked at his female teammates.

"Sasuke?" Sakura gasped not believing this was the same boy in front of her.

"Who was it?"

"His chakra is completely different. It feels just like Dad's and is extremely dark, so this is the power of the curse mark?" Ko thought as she watched Sasuke feeling envious that he received such a power instead of her.

"Don't worry, not only that...I feel power overflowing from within me. I feel great. He gave it to me. I finally understand it...I am an avenger. Even if I must eat the devil's fruit...I am on a path where I must gain power. Now, it was you guys, right?"

"He's realized his goal isn't achievable in this village. Hopefully it won't be hard to push him even more."

Sasuke turned towards the sound ninja who had different reactions to his aura. The Leader knew Sasuke was different from the rest of them and wanted to be cautious but the other guy wanted a fight. Shikamaru yelled out to Ino telling her stop her ability and get back into her own body knowing Sasuke wasn't thinking clearly and would hurt the sound ninja.

The one named Zaku attempted to blow Sasuke away but he stood his ground and with great speed, attacked him. Ko watched as the once confident Zaku was being beaten by Sasuke eventually ending up with Sasuke holding onto his arms.

"So you're proud of these two arms?" Sasuke said as he pulled on them making a popping noise.

Ko couldn't help but smirk at Sasuke's behavior liking this new side of him. Despite Sakura's pleas, Sasuke kept pulling and pulling on his arms until they were dislocated, and he was screaming in agony. Sasuke let Zaku go then went towards the Leader Dosu but was stopped by Sakura hugging him from behind which made the curse-mark recede. Knowing they were no match for Sasuke, Dosu offered their scroll and retreated with his unconscious teammates in his arms. Ino went to help Sakura with her wounds while Shikamaru tended to Sasuke's. Ko looked down at her fresh wound then groaned out of annoyance. She looked up when she heard someone approaching her and saw the Hyuga's female teammate.

"Hey I'm Tenten, do you want me to look at your injuries?" She questioned giving Ko a pleasant smile.

"Uh sure, my other side and shoulder were also injured previously. I'm not sure when Sakura last changed them." Ko replied wishing she could heal them herself but was ordered not to.

"Hey Ko, are you alright?" Sakura asked as she approached Ko just as Tenten finished wrapping her in bandages.

Ko looked up at Sakura who had a concerned expression.

"I'll be fine," she replied then gave Tenten a slight smile. "Thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome, always happy to help." The brunette replied then joined her team who then left.

"Do you need help getting up?" She asked holding out her arm.

Ko accepted it and slung her arm over Sakura's shoulders meeting up with the boys. Ko's chakra still hadn't recovered making her feel weaker than normal making her realize over the years she has been slacking when it came to ninjutsu. It was uncommon to see an academy student practicing high level jutsu such as elemental jutsu so she barely practiced which now she regretted. After using just a few jutsu, her chakra was already depleted.

Days have passed since their encounter with Orochimaru. Ko was started to grow impatient with her team just wanting to move on and find a scroll before it was too late. They had been camping in one area so they could heal their wounds, mostly waiting for her to heal without fear of her injuries reopening. Ko wished she could use her medical ninjutsu but it would raise suspicion amongst her team.

"This is the fourth afternoon since the start of the second exam. We only have about 25-26 hours left." Sasuke started, reminding Ko of just how little time they have left.

As Sasuke and Sakura discussed the situation, Ko and Naruto scarfed down their fish not paying attention to the others. Once she was finished with her fish, Ko looked around at each of her teammates. They've all had time to rest and get their strength back but Ko didn't know how their mental state was.

Ko didn't know what seal her Father put on Naruto but his chakra has been different lately; very unbalanced. Sasuke had to go through the pain and almost near death of the curse mark and had to live with the fact that it turned him into a different person when it activated. Sakura was facing the enemy alone knowing she was no match for them but had to protect her team. Overall, they also faced the most dangerous person they will ever meet and live to talk about it.

"How does Orochimaru expect us to complete this exam? Those left will be desperate and attack us as soon as we get close to the tower. They can't handle this, even with my help I can't protect all three of them." Ko thought as she fiddled with her necklace.

Sasuke got up to get water leaving the three around the fire. Naruto looked around seeing Ko was further away from them lost in thought. He turned to Sakura holding their scroll.

"There's a way to get the scroll without fighting any enemies." Naruto said as he dumped a bag of scrolls out in front of him.

"You don't mean!" Sakura began.

"That's exactly what I meant. I've got tons of scrolls!"

Ko looked up hearing the two bickering. Seeing the scroll on their hands making her eyes widen.

"I'm gonna open this scroll!"

"Oh no you're not!" Ko said as she quickly snatched it from Naruto's hand. "You idiots, do you want to throw away all the work we did so far just out of curiosity?" She scolded looking down at them with anger in her eyes.

"But Ko, this might be our only chance to pass! It's going to be impossible now!" Naruto whined.

"You don't know that. You must always follow instructions when given a mission. This scroll is also another test in order to be a chuunin. If you are told not to look at the scroll you don't look at it. They know curiosity will get the better of some teams and they most likely did something to them." She scolded putting the scroll back in her weapons pouch.

"She's right you know," a voice said from behind the group.

They all looked to see Kabuto walking towards them and stood next to Ko.

"Those who ignore the rules are put in a condition that forces retirement. Those who open the scroll are knocked out here until the end of the exam."

"Told you guys, you would've costed us the whole exam!" Ko was furious with her idiot teammate and disappointed in Sakura for letting Naruto manipulate her into looking at the scroll.

Sasuke emerged from the trees with a concerned face as he eyed Kabuto then at the rest of his team.

"What are you doing all alone out here?" Sasuke questioned as he got closer to the group.

"It's not like I'm after your scroll." Kabuto held up his arms trying to indicate he was not looking for a fight.

"Even if you did," Ko chimed in, "you'd have to defeat me and it would be an easy fight."

"Yeah, for me." Kabuto replied which earned him a glare from Ko. "I already have both." He pulled out both Earth and Heaven scrolls to prove it. "Somethings happened and I'm on my way to the tower to meet up with my teammates."

"Wait! Fight me." Sasuke challenged.

"You're no match for him Sasuke," Ko warned honestly not wanting someone else to get injured.

"We don't have much time left. We don't have a choice." He got into a fight stance ready to fight for a scroll.

"How about I lead you to the tower." Kabuto suggested making the four glance at each other then nod.

The four genin followed Kabuto as he led them to the tower. Ko picked up her pace and ran next to Kabuto creating a distance from the others.

"So what a mere coincidence we ran into you or did he send you to help us?" Ko questioned.

"He knew your team wouldn't make it out on their own, so he sent me to assist you."

"Are there really enemies left?" Sasuke spoke up.

Kabuto explained to them the tactic many left over teams would use close to the tower. They ran for what felt like hours until Ko suddenly stopped and activated her eyes.

"What's wrong Ko?" Naruto questioned from her left.

"We're in a genjutsu." She announced.

They dispelled the genjutsu seeing the mist ninja from before who brought his friends. They all made clones to surround the Leaf Genin. While the others took care of the clones, Ko used her eyes to look for the real ones. The clones all showed chakra signatures making it a bit harder for Ko to find the real ones but she found three who had slightly different chakra than the rest.

She disappeared from the group heading towards the three chakra signatures. They were separated but not too far from each other. She ran into a few clones who tried to stop her but she could see right through them. As long as the real ones don't attack her, she's fine. The first one didn't pay attention to her which made it easy for her to knock him unconscious; once he was out, his clones disappeared.

Ko went over to the other two who have met up knowing she was coming for them. When she approached them, they stood in a defensive position waiting for her to make her move.

"How unlucky, two against one." The one from before chuckled.

"Yes how unlucky for you two, you don't have enough people." Ko said as she lunged forward towards the two.

They dodged her attack and tried to slash her with a kunai but she blocked them with her own. She jumped in the air forming hand signs.

"Earth style: Earth Shards!" She shouted.

Small but sharp rocks started to rise from the ground circling around Ko as she landed onto the ground. She lifted up her arm commanding the shards to fly towards the two mist ninja. The shards were going too fast for the two genin to dodge. The shards pierced their skin but they still ran from Ko trying to take cover in their clones but Ko's eyes still tracked them.

"Ninja art: Hidden shadow snake!" She shouted as she caught up to them.

Snakes emerged from her sleeves wrapping themselves around the mist ninja giving her enough time to take the rope from her bag and tie it around the enemy. They tried to fight back but Ko knocked their heads together hard making them groan in pain. Ko tightened the knots and grabbed the two hoisting them over her good shoulder carrying them on their back. Their clones were still attacking her team when she returned.

"Found something!" She shouted getting the others attention.

The clones slowly disappeared as the rest of the team eyed the two enemy ninja who Ko just put down.

"The third one is behind that tree over there. They have the Earth scroll we need." She said pointing towards the body then started to search for the scroll.

"How'd you find the real ones?" Sasuke questioned.

"My eyes, it wasn't that hard." Ko said as she flipped her hair behind her and grabbed the scroll they needed. "Now let's get out of here. We have what we need."

The rest of the trip was quiet and they finally reached the tower making Naruto and Sakura show tears of joy.

They read the scriptures on the walls and opened the scrolls which created smoke revealing Iruka. He explained the scrolls answering everyone's questions then they went to the room with the other survivors.

Edited April 14, 2020