Kyoko stood silently in the back line up of the students who'd made it through the Chunnin exams watching them avidly. Her village, the Hidden Cloud, had agreed to finally let her participate under strict guidelines. She was not to interact with anyone under pretty much any circumstances and her kekkegenkai was forbidden. That was fine with her; she didn't need it to pass anyway. She never had. She was the top of her class and had been set to graduate three years ago but there had been complications. She had been too young to graduate then. Not only that, there'd been the question of what to do with her once she did graduate and how to put her through the exams without getting anyone in trouble. She wasn't even competing with a team for the exams which had been another issue within itself but the Leaf had given permission only weeks before the exams. Kyoko shut her eyes for a long moment taking a small breath. Her head was splitting. It had been since they'd made it through the second round of fighting. Her body was used to denying herself the ability to use her kekkegenkai but that didn't mean it didn't put a strain on her. It was only natural to use it and by restraining the excess energy had to do something to her body.
A younger blond boy with far too much energy zipped past her, bumping into her rudely, and greeted his friends loudly. Her eyes snapped open and trained in on him agitated. What an annoyance. She flinched marginally looking up suddenly when a man appeared beside her with his arms crossed over his chest glancing down at her.
"The exams are over for now. Please refrain from any further fighting." his eyes moved towards her hand before going back up to her face and she looked down. She was gripping the handle of her katana tightly. She let go instantly and furrowed her brow letting the breath out from her lungs and moved a step away from the Leaf instructor.
"Sorry." she said putting her hands in her pockets looking away and then down.
"Thank you." he nodded as she noted that the ceremony was over for now until the third and final fights which would be two weeks from now. She made for the exit taking care to go around the elder male with a wide path. As she put her hand on the cold metal door she felt his eyes boring into her back.
Minimal interaction; that's the only order she'd been given. Screw up and the penalty was execution Level 11. Right now, she was already sitting at execution Level 8 which wasn't a whole lot better. The Cloud had recently started categorizing their nin into class systems based on strength. The problem was, the stronger you were, the more likely they weighed what that power would do to you. How would you handle it? How would you react? What were your past actions and where would you go with it from here? Kyoko had been born an enemy, a traitor, a secret. There wasn't much of anywhere you could go from there. She'd fallen out of the gate into a class you were just stuck where you were. It wouldn't have mattered if she sold rice buns for the rest of her life, they'd still consider her a maximum threat. She understood why...it didn't make it any better. She was used to being labeled a terrorist in the village and the only way to get out of that class was to prove herself the most formidable protector for them. She had to prove loyalty to them and only them. That was her ticket out and she knew it would take years. She might not ever get there but she had to try.
The streetlights flickered overhead as Kyoko traveled towards a district of Konoha that had affordable hotels. It wasn't like her village had given her money to go, what little she saved from working with mercenaries she was using to pay now. She took another bite from the rice bun in her hand and closed her eyes savoring the sweet rich texture. Maybe tomorrow she'd score some Dango before heading over to the training grounds to practice. Her feet carried one over the other as she opened her eyes again staring at the dirt road ahead of her. So many times she'd traveled places on her own and so many times she'd felt the creeping edge of loneliness at her heels. There wasn't time in her life to feel sorry for herself or to allow the pain to grip her chest. She would have to be strong to continue going...she'd have to be strong to get out of her village alive. Two weeks she told herself, two weeks and she'd be back fighting to prove she deserved to be alive there. She took another bite of the rice bun and enjoyed it remembering freedom was limited.
The sun hung over the arena as the children gathered to take the final battle of the exams. Kyoko had strayed back towards the exit and away from the others silently watching as their teachers came to talk to them. She headed over to her area where she'd be waiting until it was her turn to go in. She wasn't nervous. She didn't care. All she knew was that this put her moments closer to going home and a part of her was starting to be resentful of returning to that prison. She flexed her arms and crossed one over her chest stretching it out. As she let the breath out exhaling she let her arm fall, she noticed the trainer from the other day eyeing her. She narrowed her eyes on him before looking away towards the wall as she stretched her other arm. What? She hadn't done anything this time. She huffed ripping her hair up into a ponytail at the top of her head. Her hair had always been annoying. It was thick, ebony, and fluffy like a cotton ball. She needed two ties to hold it back because one would break. No matter how many times she attempted cutting it there was no helping the mess of snarled charcoal spikes that hung to her back. She caught a glimpse of herself in a glass window to the training ground in an old unoccupied watching room and stopped. Her own fierce reflection stared back at her and she slowly put her arms down.
I hate you.
She felt the thought form in her head before she could even stop it. She did hate herself. She hated the face she was given and who she was. Birth and family were not something you could choose and because of hers she was unwanted, lonely, and forever hated. If even one person knew who she was...she'd be dead on the soil she stood on.
Her empty midnight orbs roamed over her face for a moment before she looked down at the ground. She looked just like the man everyone hated. She looked exactly like her father. She looked like the kind of person they had told her was a killer. She swallowed a moment and felt a strange new feeling enter her body. What if she did tell someone? What could the Cloud do to stop her? No, they probably had nin here from their stealth squad to eliminate her if she even tried...but what if? Would Konoha hate her the same way they did? She glanced at the opening where she'd walk out of into the arena and bit her lip contemplating the results.
No.
There was no way this village would accept her. It was here that her father had done so much damage. He'r ruined families. He'd killed hundreds. She would be just as hated here as she would be anywhere else.
"That's a load of emotions for someone so young." the nin said walking closer to her. She stiffened and stepped back instinctively.
"What are you talking about?" she whispered again eyeing him dangerously.
"You don't hide the emotions on your face very well. You're a little of an open book. Kyoko correct?" he asked. She straightened up and sighed.
"Yes." was the only answer he got.
"Hatake, Kakashi." he said putting his hand out. When she didn't take it he raised an eyebrow slipping it back into his pocket.
"Whatever." she said walking around him towards the entryway. It would be her turn soon. Just as she passed by his shoulder he made eye contact with her.
"Kyoko what?" he asked.
"Kyoko of the Hidden Cloud." she snapped ignoring his determined voice. He turned to walk in pace with her towards the gate.
"You look oddly familiar." he commented like it was as normal as stating the change in weather.
"I don't know you." was her response. It wasn't a lie. However, she was sure he was picking up on her identity.
The name of the other student was being called just before hers. She knew the man, Kakashi, was still watching her every move. As her name was blared across the stadium she felt her muscles relax as if she was built for this. The blood in her veins began pumping into her ears and she felt the exhilaration of the oncoming battle. She loved the fight. She grinned cracking her neck as she walked through the doorway into the arena. She reached for her katana smirking at the other kid many feet away from her as the proctor raised his arm to signal the fight's start. All she knew was that she wanted blood, not death perhaps, but playing around with something was always a bonus. This kid wasn't even prepared for her actual skills which she'd shown only a handful of during the rest of the exams. This would be over in moments.
The proctor's hand went down.
Kyoko ripped her blade free and braced as the kid came at her full speed. Her eyes widened taking in everything around her. She brought the blade up to arc it down over his shoulder…
She stopped, smirk faltering, turning to confusion.
There was an ANBU coming up behind the kid suddenly. He had a kunai pulled and at the kid's back. No. Not at the kid. He was using the child as a shield.
He was coming for her.
Not many could react in the same manner of time as Kyoko. In fact, only two other people in this arena could see what she saw with accuracy and speed at the same time.
She grabbed the kid's shirt, close to his chest, and vaulted over him. She sent him skidding backwards in a huddle through the arena's dirt just in time to get him out of the way. She didn't pause or skip a beat as the ANBU engaged her. This had already turned into a real battle. He brought the kunai down in a swift motion but she caught his hand and sliced upwards. In the instant he dropped the kunai she used the momentum to continue barreling forward, catch him off guard, and slam her fist into his solar plexus. He stumbled back but didn't fall. Typical of what she'd expect from an ANBU. As her eyes took in the expanse around her, she noted that there were four more Leaf ANBU and six CLOUD stealth unit members surrounding her now.
She laughed and brought her katana down into the dirt.
The Leaf had figured it out.
The Cloud were trying to contain a massacre.
"Kyoko, stand down." one of the stealth members snapped. Her grin turned wild.
"What have I got to lose?" she asked. "You're going to kill me anyway. Someone with nothing to lose is very dangerous." she warned him. He took a step forward and the rest followed suit.
"Execution Level 11." he said to the others by him. "Do not hesitate." he glared her down.
"Cat's out of the bag." Kyoko said laughed.
Everyone who'd blocked her in suddenly felt wary as they stared at the girl facing them.
Her ravenous desperate eyes glowered at all of them. Despite her erratic grin, there was pain behind her face. The dangerous red glow was familiar to the ANBU of the Leaf and they moved to pull their weapons upon seeing it:
Kyoko had activated her Sharingan.