The cool breeze of early morning drifted through the dense foliage of the Forest of Death, carrying with it the earthy scent of dew-covered leaves and damp soil.
The golden rays of dawn filtered through the towering trees, casting patches of soft light on the makeshift camp that Team 7 had set up for the night.
Sasuke stirred slowly, a soft rustling sound escaping from his sleeping roll as he blinked against the sunlight. His body felt oddly heavy, and his mind was still clouded with vague memories of the night before, memories that felt oddly disjointed, like pieces of a dream that refused to fall into place.
"…Ugh…" He muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
He stretched his arms with a quiet groan, then glanced to his side, and there he saw Naruto, sitting calmly near the dying embers of last night's fire. The blonde-haired ninja looked surprisingly fresh, dressed and alert, as though he hadn't been awake all night.
Sasuke frowned slightly.
"You didn't wake me up," He said, voice low and laced with slight irritation. "We agreed to take turns on watch."
Naruto turned his head and offered a small smile, his expression calm and reassuring.
"Oh, I figured I'd just take over," Naruto replied. "Sakura woke up halfway through the night and insisted on taking a shift too. Besides, I wasn't all that tired."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. There was something in Naruto's tone, light, almost playful, that made him pause. He didn't press further, though, because he trusted Naruto completely.
"…Fine," Sasuke said, brushing some leaves off his shoulder as he stood up and adjusted his shirt. "But don't make it a habit."
Naruto gave a short chuckle. "Noted, Captain Sasuke."
Just then, from the left side of the small clearing, Sakura emerged. She had already freshened up at a nearby stream, her hair slightly damp and tied back neatly. Her cheeks glowed slightly from the cool water, and she looked more composed than usual, the fatigue of yesterday's journey seemingly washed away.
"Good morning~" She said with a gentle smile, holding a bunch of gathered fruits and wrapped leaves filled with roasted nuts and dried meat. "I found a few more edible fruits near the edge. Not much, but enough for breakfast."
Naruto gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice. I'm starving."
Sasuke nodded wordlessly as he crouched near the fire, helping to rekindle it with a small burst of chakra.
The faint flames danced once more, giving off a comforting warmth.
Sakura distributed the food, handing each of them a small leaf bundle before settling down near the others. They ate quietly for a few minutes, the silence peaceful and natural, broken only by the occasional crunch or snap of fruit skin.
As they ate, Naruto leaned back against a tree and exhaled.
"We've covered a decent distance already," He said, wiping his hands on a cloth. "But we still haven't run into any strong teams with scrolls."
Sasuke nodded slowly. "That's what bothers me."
Sakura looked up. "You think they're hiding near the tower?"
"Most likely," Sasuke said. "If I were trying to conserve energy and ambush someone, I'd wait near the final destination. That way, I'd only have to move when someone with the scroll we wanted appeared."
Naruto rested his chin on his knuckles. "Makes sense. We should avoid the last two kilometers for now. Scout around the edges. Pick off a team or two from a distance if we can."
Sakura tilted her head slightly. "We're down to… what, two days?"
"We have enough time," Sasuke said. "Let's tread carefully."
Sakura smiled lightly. "That's right."
"Yeah. There is no need to take unnecessary risks," Naruto said. His tone was steady. "We've enough time to go at our own pace."
Sasuke glanced at him for a moment, noting the calm certainty in his expression.
It was… strange.
Naruto always carried a kind of unshakable energy, but this time it felt different, like it was grounded intentionally.
"…What happened last night?" Sasuke asked suddenly, surprising even himself.
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
"You said Sakura took a watch shift too," Sasuke added. "But I don't remember waking up at all. Not even when you changed shifts."
Sakura's eyes widened for a moment, then she laughed lightly. "That's because Naruto knocked you out cold."
Sasuke stared.
"I'm joking," She added quickly. "You were just really tired. You didn't even stir when I woke up."
Naruto grinned. "Maybe I cast a genjutsu to make you sleep better."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but a small smirk twitched at the corner of his lips.
"Whatever. Let's just not get caught off guard today."
Naruto nodded, more serious now. "Yeah. We stay sharp. We strike fast. We keep moving."
Sakura finished tying up the remains of their food into a cloth pouch. "Let's pack up. The faster we move, the less we risk."
The three of them stood and began gathering their gear. The clearing was quickly emptied with no trace of the fire remaining, save a few faint embers and a spot of ash. Within moments, the team was once again on the move, their footsteps silent against the underbrush as they pushed deeper into the forest's shadowed interior.
All three were aware that danger could come from any direction, at any time. But none of them showed fear.
They were stronger than everyone inside the forest...
The sunlight filtered weakly through the dense canopy above as Team 7 moved swiftly and silently across the forest floor.
Nearly half an hour had passed since they began searching for a target, and tension lingered in the air like mist. Every rustle of a leaf, every flicker of movement among the trees was met with sharpened gazes.
Naruto's eyes narrowed suddenly. He raised his hand, signaling for Sasuke and Sakura to halt.
His voice dropped to a whisper, laced with certainty. "Three of them. Eighty meters east. Moving slowly… They've got a scroll... Maybe we will be lucky this time."
Sasuke's eyes flashed. "How sure are you?"
Naruto smirked. "Almost a hundred percent."
Without another word, they melted into the foliage like shadows.
The opposing team never stood a chance.
It was a swift and perfectly executed ambush.
Naruto emerged from the treeline like a ghost and took down the team's sensor ninja before the poor boy could even gasp.
Sasuke followed right behind him, unleashing a flurry of swift, calculated blows that overwhelmed their remaining fighters.
Sakura, while not needing to lift a finger in this particular battle, stood ready with medical support and traps, her eyes locked and alert.
In less than a minute, it was over.
The opposing team lay unconscious and neatly bound under a tree, their scroll now in Naruto's hand.
"Earth scroll," He confirmed, inspecting the seal. "No damage. Perfect."
Sasuke clicked his tongue. "That was too easy."
Sakura exhaled slowly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. "Let's not complain. Easy means less noise and less time wasted."
Naruto tucked the scroll safely inside a storage pouch and looked in the direction of the tower. "Let's move. I don't want to attract any desperate teams looking for a last-minute win."
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