Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice

The next day.

The morning mist clung stubbornly to the branches as Teriyaki moved through the Forest of Death. The echoes of distant fights still rang faintly in the air — a reminder that no one was safe here. After spending the first night scouting, he'd gathered enough information to know some teams had already been eliminated.

Teriyaki had spotted Neji and his group near a cluster of jagged rocks the night before but he had left quickly to avoid being caught.

.His orders were to watch closely, but Neji's Byakugan complicated things. He needed to be smart about this — careful. 

"If Rock Lee can use the gates and Neji takes it seriously, there's no way I can beat them."

His bones ached after a night of sleeping on rocks and leaves.

He stayed downwind as he stalked them through the trees. Neji's team was moving steadily — Neji at the front, Tenten at the rear, and Lee bounding excitedly through the brush. They were relaxed, gathering supplies and staying close to one another. Worse still, Neji activated his Byakugan often, scanning the area.

"I can't get too close." Teriyaki adjusted his position, climbing higher into the branches to avoid detection. He watched for an hour, memorizing their movements. They had an Earth scroll — exactly what he needed. Stealing it without a fight seemed impossible with Neji's vision and Rock Lee's speed.

"I should wait for them to seperate, so I can pick on them one by one."

As he shifted to reposition, his foot pressed down on a brittle branch. It cracked.

"There!" Neji's voice snapped out, and Teriyaki's blood turned cold. His Byakugan had already locked onto him meaning casting a stealth jutsu would mean nothing.

"Tenten! Lee! Close in from the flanks!" Neji barked. Veins sprawled from his eyes as his byakugan saw everything.

Teriyaki bolted, pushing chakra into his feet and flickering forward in a burst of speed — but his Body Flicker technique faltered as he blinked just short of a branch. He stumbled slightly, landing hard on uneven ground.

"Crap."

"There's no point in running," Neji called, voice calm but firm. "I can see you."

Teriyaki gritted his teeth. I can't use stealth... not with those eyes. Trying to run would just be a waste of energy at this point.

"Fine," Teriyaki muttered. His fingers blurred through hand seals. "Water Release: Rising Water Slicer!"

A crescent-shaped blade of water shot out, ripping through shrubs and trees. Tenten leapt aside, flipping a scroll into her hand. With a rapid flick, kunai poured out, each one angled perfectly to intercept him. Teriyaki twisted away, narrowly avoiding the deadly hail.

"Why is his body so flexible?" Tenten cried out with a look of shock.

Lee was faster than he'd anticipated. The taijutsu specialist closed the distance in seconds, fist already swinging. Teriyaki barely managed to sidestep and curve his body away, feeling the air whip past his face. "They're too coordinated."

"He's got reflexes." Lee said nervously.

"Try this." Teriyaki cursed as he used his biological seal to summon two snake clones, Orochimaru's words ran through his mind.

"Don't use Kinjutsu unless nessecary as they might link you back to me."

But he had no choice, failure here could mean death.

Two perfect copies of Teriyaki appeared beside him, rushing forward. Lee struck one, and the clone collapsed in a burst of snakes. The second clone circled Tenten, forcing her to retreat and giving Teriyaki space to regroup.

"Snake clones..." Neji muttered as he sped along branches to catch up to Lee and Teriyaki.

"I don't have time for this," Teriyaki muttered. He flickered away again, this time landing behind a twisted tree. The brief distance he gained didn't last — Neji's voice rang out again.

"He's here!"

Before Teriyaki could react, Neji was upon him. A quick jab struck Teriyaki's arm, numbing it instantly. Another blow glanced off his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs. His body screamed at him to flee, but Neji's precision kept him cornered.

He felt his chakra become blocked slightly.

"I know your chakra points," Neji said coldly. "You won't last much longer. I've already taken one out."

Pain flared in Teriyaki's shoulder — a sharp, biting sensation that spread like fire through his veins. His vision blurred, and a twisted heat ignited beneath his skin. The curse mark.

"No," he whispered, clutching his shoulder. "I don't want to use this power, he'll gain even more control-."

"He's weakening!" Lee called out, charging in again.

"Get back!" Neji warned, but it was too late, even though Neji had backed off Lee was in the firing range.

"Get away!" Teriyaki yelled.

Teriyaki's fingers jerked through desperate hand signs. "Of course you guys won't give up."

"Snake Binding Jutsu!"

The curse mark enhanced the jutsu. His entire body heated up in a frenzy.

A serpent came from his arm and twisted unnaturally, chakra mutating its form. It shot forward, coiling around Lee's arm before striking his shoulder. Lee staggered back as he tried to rip the snake off him, to no sucess.

"This snake has a tight grip." Lee grunted. "It's not too strong though." He slowly began to remove it from his shoulder.

"Lee!" Tenten shouted, rushing to his side.

Neji dashed back in, Teriyaki drew his kunai and the two clashed on the tree branches. One mistake meant falling, for Teriyaki that meant death as Lee and Tenten stood below.

Neji's taijutsu was far superior, but with the curse mark rolled over his skin Teriyaki held superior physicality and speed, coupled with his flexibility Neji was slowly brought down.

Every strike Neji almost landed, Teriyaki landed two. 

Since Neji only went for chakra points it meant Teriyaki's curving flexibility proved a true counter.

"I can't match him?" Neji said in disbelief. "His chakra points keep moving in ways I can't control."

"Wild Water wave."

The huge torrent of water that came crashing from Teriyaki's mouth didn't even cause Neji to flinch.

"Palm Rotation." 

A wild blue dome was spun around him as he used one of his clan's signature Jutsu's.

"He blocked it..." Teriyaki spat out in dissapointment before lunging for Neji, his curse mark enhanced body almost a blur. He went for the neck.

Neji's gentle fist style led him to almost dance circles around Teriyaki.

"If it wasn't for you being so slippery..." Neji sighed, as he wove another punch into Teriyaki who simply curved around it.

"What scroll do you guys even have?" Teriyaki shouted through the forest.

"Heaven scroll." Said Neji. "And you?"

"The same."

"Well you attacked us first, so there will be reprucussions." Neji said, a look of anger in his eyes and veins.

Teriyaki wanted to end it quick.

"Snake binding."

This time four curse mark enhanced snakes leapt out towards Neji.

He used palm rotation once more.

"Palm rotation." The snakes went flying below, Rock lee had began to scale the tree.

"I'm not dying here, you won't be able to catch me."

Teriyaki released 5 snake clones through his biological seal, each holding back Neji as he tried to chase Teriyaki further into the forest.

Teriyaki body flickered from branch to branch, eventually becoming no more than a distant smudge.

Rock lee and Neji grapped with snake clones before being left in frustration.

"He got away... These snake clones are too strange, the issue is when they die we get bit to death." Rock lee whined, as his sore arms were shaking.

"We'll kill him if he shows his face again."

After eliminating the last snake clone Neji who was stuck on the thin branch, jumped off slowly doing a backflip in midair before landing calmly.

"It's not worth chasing him, we need to stay fit for the third part of the exam. It looks like he came alone for a reason, his snake jutsus and water jutsus are strong."

Standing on the branches, Teriyaki could only look at his opponents from above. Unable to hear what they were saying.

He was exhausted, 

Teriyaki stumbled away, chest heaving. His curse mark pulsed, its influence clawing at his mind. He knew staying longer would only increase its hold. With one final flicker, he vanished back into the dense forest.

When he finally stopped to catch his breath, the curse mark still smoldered angrily against his skin. He clutched his ribs, feeling the bruises forming. He hadn't gained anything from fighting there.

"At least I know I can put up something of a fight." He said. But he knew that was disingenious, if Neji's group really wanted they could've beat him. He had to resort to Kinjutsu to match them and the curse mark, even then he couldn't outright win. Their taijutsu was so much better, being locked up in Orochimaru's lair had starved him of a lot of things, including fighting experience.

He cursed under his breath. He had no choice — he'd have to change plans, he wouldn't limit himself to only water jutsus.

"This isn't over," Teriyaki muttered, his fingers curling tightly around the scroll. "Judging from the show it took at least a few days for the forest of death to end... I can surely find some easier targets. I also burnt a lot of chakra there..."