"We've got two scrolls already? Then what are we waiting for?" Naruto exclaimed, in between two mouthfuls of roasted bear meat. "Leshgoalready!"
"Idiot," Sasuke muttered.
But Sakura wasn't exactly in a hurry to complete this phase of the exams. And in her opinion, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"The exam started a bit under twenty hours ago," said Sakura, voicing her thoughts out loud. "At this point, I think most teams would still be out hunting for the scroll they're missing, since there's still around four days to go. However, we can't discount the possibility that some of our rivals might be lying in ambush near the tower…"
Twenty hours was plenty of time for shinobi to rush to the central tower in the middle of the Forest of Death and set up traps, but doing so this early would be a high-risk, high-reward strategy; setting up camp on the only fixed objective on the map was just begging to get collapsed upon. So, more likely than not, campers would only begin popping up near the end of the five-day deadline, when people would begin to feel the pressure of the possibility of failure drawing nearer and nearer.
Even so, campers were still something to be wary of, even this early in the exam.
"Who cares about that?" said Naruto confidently. "Only weaklings and cowards need traps; we can take 'em, no problem."
"You're forgetting about the traps," Sasuke scoffed derisively. "Idiot."
In Sakura's opinion, sending in an army of Naruto Shadow Clones to set off all of the enemy's traps on purpose was a definite possibility, but the commotion would likely draw a lot of unwanted attention; in which case Team 7 would need a way to fight one against many. But luckily, Sakura had just the thing for such an eventuality…
"I've got an idea," said Sakura craftily, beckoning for Naruto and Sasuke to come closer. "Naruto, how would you like to develop a Collaboration Jutsu with me…?"
"Of course I would, ya know!" said Naruto excitedly. But before Sakura could begin explaining her idea, Naruto began scratching his chin sheepishly, saying, "but, er… what're Collaboration Jutsu, again…?"
Basically, just like the name implies, two or more shinobi are required for a Collaboration Jutsu. Each cooperating shinobi contributes their Jutsu to the mix, producing together a Jutsu more powerful than the sum of its parts. Take for example Jiraiya's Sage Art: Goemon; it's the combination of wind style, fire style and toad oil to produce something akin to sticky fire, or napalm!
"Got it, Naruto?" said Sakura patiently. "Now, we'll do something like this…"
To avoid having anyone overhear their strategy, Sakura chose to be on the safe side, so she whispered her idea in Naruto's and Sasuke's ear.
Incidentally, Naruto and Sasuke had also been affected by the explosion of sound that had knocked Team Dosu and Team 10 out of the running, but by the time they had woken up, their healing factors (Sasuke's partial cursed seal release and Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra) had taken care of those pesky injuries for them.
...…!
.....!
Sakura's idea was met with mixed reactions among her two teammates.
"I refuse to take part in this," said Sasuke, crossing his arms in front of him in a huff. "It's humiliating. I won't tarnish the Uchiha name."
"I'll do it!" said Naruto, laughing merrily. "I always knew my special Jutsu would come in handy, ya know!"
'You have no idea just how right you are,' Inner Sakura sniggered. 'One might even call it the most important Jutsu in all of history…'
"Planning on doing something fun?" came a familiar voice from above them.
Caught by surprise, Team 7 scrambled to get their weapons at the ready, while at the same time searching for the source of the voice. But wouldn't have to wait long to find out who had just spoken, because the person in question jumped down from the branch that he'd been standing on, and landed softly on the forest floor in front of them.
"I've already got both scrolls, just like you guys, so there's no reason for us to fight," Kabuto called out to Team 7, revealing the heaven and earth scrolls in his palm. "You're heading to the tower, yeah? My teammates are waiting for me there, so, mind taking me with you? Safety in numbers, and all that."
"Don't move an inch," said Sasuke coldly. "How did you find us?"
"The smell of roast meat," said Kabuto matter-of-factly. "And your friend here is very loud as well— which is also how I know you've got both scrolls, just like me. Now, shall we get going, or shall we wait for every single one of our competitors in the forest to come to us?"
That was a great story and all, but Sakura knew for a fact that Kabuto was only here to keep an eye on Sasuke, and to check on his progress as a vessel for Orochimaru.
'Should we find a way to get rid of him in advance?' Inner Sakura argued. 'He's the one who had made the Fourth Great Shinobi War turn into such a drag for the Gokage coalition with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu…'
"Fine, then," said Sasuke through gritted teeth, ignoring Sakura's internal monologue. "Let's go."
And so, the group set off for the tower at the centre of the forest, chattering away about the exam as they leapt from branch to branch. But after a while, Sakura got tired of the meaningless small talk, so she decided to mess around with Kabuto, just for the fun of it.
"Who are you, again?" Sakura asked Kabuto innocently.
"You've already forgotten my name?" said Kabuto, sounding rather amused. "I don't blame you, I'm pretty forgettable…"
"No, I remember your name, Kabuto-san," Sakura interrupted him. "I mean, who are you, really?"
The instant those words escaped Sakura's lips, the mood grew heavy, and all four of them came to a sudden stop on different branches. Kabuto pushed up his glasses with the base of his palm, and for a moment, he did not respond to Sakura's question.
He was likely wondering if she had somehow guessed something about his true identity as a spy for Orochimaru…
"I'm afraid I don't understand your question," he said in a levelled voice.
"Look at Naruto, for example," Sakura explained. "Naruto, would you mind reminding us about your dream?"
"I'm gonna be the Hokage!" said Naruto proudly. "I'll make everyone in the village recognize how great I am, ya know!"
"I've had this feeling since the first time we met," Sakura interjected, before Naruto got too long-winded about his future aspirations, "nothing about you feels quite right, Kabuto-san. We know nothing of consequence about you, even after all of our interactions. It's almost like you're empty inside."
'It's like Kabuto only exists to give us exposition,' said Inner Sakura mockingly. 'What is he, an NPC? An eroge best friend character, whose only purpose is to give info on the girls that the MC can conquer?'
Sasuke had also noticed that something about Kabuto felt somehow off, but since he hadn't been able to put his finger on what exactly, he had kept quiet about it thus far. But if Sakura thought something was off as well…
"What are you talking about, Sakura?" said Naruto in puzzlement. "Kabuto's a nice guy; he's a Leaf ninja just like us, and he helped us with those card things…"
"I'm not too ambitious, really," said Kabuto, with that fake smile of his. "I just want to graduate to Chūnin…"
Sasuke craned his neck to sneak a glance at Kabuto, but the sun's glare kept reflecting off of Kabuto's glasses, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking about...
"You're lying," said Sakura sadly. "If you won't be upfront with us, you can forget about travelling with us. So, this is goodbye, Kabuto-san."
"If you try to approach us again in the Forest," Sasuke added darkly, "we won't hesitate to attack. Got it?"
"Loud and clear," said Kabuto, still smiling mildly.
On the inside, however, Kabuto was much less calm. Sakura's words and Sasuke's insightful gaze had cut deep within his sense of self. Those two had seen through him, just like that, forcing him to face a fact that he himself was unwilling to acknowledge about himself: the fact that he was empty, and that it was only by latching onto others that he could ever feel whole…