[Mad Tiger] Chapter 63

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed, spinning around to take in their surroundings. "I never would’ve guessed there was a place like this in the Forest of Death!"

"Yeah, it’s a good thing your little kitty led us here," Sakura agreed, crouching down to pet me. "Sorry I was against bringing you along, Namaiki-san."

I puffed up proudly and purred. Alright, fine, I forgive you, silly girl.

"There are even beds and a ton of futons!" Naruto called out, peeking into another room. "This place is awesome!" A moment later, we heard the rustling of something, followed by a triumphant, "Whoa, canned food! We won’t starve! I was getting as hungry as that giant bear after that fight!"

Sasuke shot me a sharp look, then glanced at Sakura.

"Sakura, go help Naruto figure out the food situation. Supplies are a priority."

"Of course, Sasuke-kun!" she chirped, blushing before disappearing through the doorway.

Once she was gone, Sasuke crouched down next to me and spoke quietly. "Tora-chan, have you been here before?"

I nodded, widened my eyes dramatically, sat up on my hind legs, and let my mouth fall open as I did my best zombie impression.

He got the message immediately.

"You were here after that night? When they put us under genjutsu?"

I nodded again and gestured with my paw toward a spiral symbol carved into the stone wall.

Sasuke’s gaze followed where I was pointing.

"A spiral…? It looks almost identical to the one chunin and jonin wear on their vests," he murmured, then suddenly turned back to me with a sharp look. "Is this a clan symbol?"

I nodded.

Huh. So Uzumaki was wiped from history too? Or maybe Sasuke just didn’t remember?

"Come on, let’s eat, Sasuke!" Naruto called as he emerged from the other room, and I immediately scampered over, paws reaching up in silent demand to be picked up.

Naruto huffed but hoisted me into his arms anyway. That’s right, human, hold your superior properly.

I took the opportunity to direct Sasuke’s attention to the left sleeve of Naruto’s jacket.

Say what you will about Hiruzen, but at least he didn’t have the gall to strip the kid of every last trace of his clan.

Naruto still wore his family crest—granted, it was tiny, nothing more than a little metal charm with a spiral engraved on it, tied between two thin strings with dangling ends that looked more decorative than significant. It was barely noticeable, more like an accessory than an actual clan emblem.

"What's up with you, Namaiki-chan?" Naruto chuckled, shifting me in his arms.

But Sasuke snapped his fingers, cutting him off.

"Look at your emblem and compare it to the one on the wall. They're the same."

Naruto blinked, then let me go, craning his neck to get a better look. He tugged at the small metal piece on his sleeve, comparing it with the spiral on the wall.

"Huh. I always thought it was just for decoration," he muttered. "But you’re right, they do look alike."

"Only Naruto could open this hideout?" Sasuke asked me.

I nodded.

"Whoa! So To—er, Namaiki-san didn’t just bring us here randomly?" Naruto’s eyes went wide.

"He said he was here after that night," Sasuke emphasized, then his expression darkened. "Which means…"

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Sakura popped back in. "Naruto, Sasuke-kun, come on!"

We joined her, and yes, I was given my share of the canned goods. As I licked up the juicy bits of meat, I let my mind wander back to how this whole Chunin Exam mess had started.

Honestly, it had all gone exactly like in the anime.

The kids were sent to the Academy, where I watched through the window as they struggled over a test in a giant crowded room. Then there was a bit of a commotion—outside in the schoolyard, a rather well-endowed woman was getting wrapped up in a huge, dark cloth like a human burrito. Two guys were helping her, literally rolling her up like a scroll before launching a kunai through the window, shattering the glass.

Then, in she went—like a dramatic bomb of boobs and bravado.

At first, I had no clue what was going on.

But then she landed inside, unfurled herself, and pinned the cloth down with kunai, revealing a massive sign.

Couldn’t read it, obviously, but I recognized the scene immediately.

It was the flashy announcement (and a formative experience for every teenage boy) for the second stage of the exams—the survival test in the Forest of Death.

Originally, I had planned to just see them off with some words of wisdom and not actually follow them into the forest. I mean, this was a dangerous, high-stakes mission, and I didn’t want to be a liability. 

But then, plot twist.

Apparently, the blessing that Kuromaru sniffed out on me worked not just on dogs and cats, but on all the local wildlife.

None of the creatures in the Forest of Death were hostile toward me.

No hungry giant leeches. No oversized tigers eyeing me for dinner. Even the insects seemed to ignore me.

So I thought, why not stick around?

I wanted to see the genin battles up close. I’d only ever seen training spars in the palace and the occasional hand-to-hand skirmish among my boys.

Plus, Orochimaru might show up.

No way was I missing that.

Just like in the anime, the goal was to get to the tower at the center of the forest while stealing the correct scroll from another team.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto had already gotten into a couple of brief fights, but their opponents had managed to escape. Then, suddenly, I smelled blood.

We stumbled upon a team from Grass, except… something had gone very wrong for them.

A huge bear had attacked, leaving one of their guys bleeding out on the ground while the rest had abandoned their injured teammate—a small, red-haired girl with glasses.

Sasuke leaped onto the bear’s back, nearly snapping its neck, while Naruto swooped in to yank the girl out of harm’s way.

She, in turn, handed over her team’s scroll since she had no use for it anymore, muttered something about getting out of the forest, and took off.

We just so happened to be near the exact spot where Kushina and Shisui had hidden out with me.

With night approaching, we needed shelter, and I had an idea.

It took some time—this place wasn’t exactly fresh in my memory—but I managed to find the entrance.

It was hidden behind overgrown trees, camouflaged by the terrain, and nestled against a boulder that served as a disguised doorway.

Naruto accidentally opened it—he leaned against the rock, and bam—entryway revealed.

Lucky break, really. I had no idea how to explain how it worked.

Once inside, the lights flickered on, powered by sealing formulas.

And, proving once again that his instincts were actually pretty sharp, Naruto noticed a seal near the entrance labeled close hideout and activated it without hesitation.

“This is awesome!” Naruto groaned in satisfaction. “With these exams, we weren’t allowed to bring any food—so this place is a lifesaver.”

“No kidding,” Sakura agreed, reaching down to pet me again.

“We shouldn’t let our guard down,” Sasuke warned, scanning the room. “The hideout is protected and hidden, but there’s no guarantee we won’t get visitors. Someone left this food here, and the place isn’t exactly abandoned.”

"You suggesting we take shifts on watch?" Sakura guessed.

"Not a bad trade for sleeping somewhere with actual beds," Naruto snickered. "But yeah, Sasuke’s right, we should rest in turns—"

Before he could finish, the seals on the door pulsed with a greenish glow, and with a soft shhk, the entrance slid open.

"Called it," Sasuke muttered, kunai already in hand as the others leapt up from their stools, ready for a fight.

"Not bad…" a rough voice rasped from the darkness as three figures stepped inside.

The first one I recognized immediately—it was the red-haired girl in glasses we’d saved from becoming bear chow earlier today.

The second was a tall man with long black hair.

And the third…

"KUSHINA-SAN!" I yowled in pure joy and launched myself straight at the so-called "intruders."