CHAPTER FOUR:
Anticipation
"The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained."
Sweat rolled down her forehead, dirt decorated her features. Her breath came out in puffs, labored and fast, her legs trembled due to the immense effort, her heart beat erratically inside its cage.
Her figure crouched over the grassy ground, and she placed her hands over her bent knees to support the heavy weight of her wounded body.
She coughed.
Droplets of blood stained the ground.
To say she was on the verge of falling unconscious would be an understatement. However, the corner of her lips stretched into a grin of triumph, and as adrenaline started to wear off, she stared straight ahead. Her orange gaze gleamed in utter satisfaction, prideful and enthusiastic.
It didn't matter the price, it didn't matter that she was about to drop dead out of exhaustion.
She had awakened her bloodline.
Nothing else mattered.
She had succeeded.
Some feet away, an astonished Maki regarded her brunette friend and the destroyed scenery before her, mouth agape. The kunai she was holding dropped to the ground, before she rushed towards Rei as she suddenly staggered on her feet and fell on her butt.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her voice, quickly crouching down to her level.
A weak chuckle escaped Rei, who sent her a small smile and said, "Peachy." Then, she fell backwards ungracefully. Alarmed, Maki was about to reach out to her, when the girl let out a deep breath and mumbled, "Let's just rest for a bit, though."
Suppressing an amused smile, Maki sat down next to her and warily eyed the disturbing field spread in front them. As though cut down without a care, fallen trees laid around; some of them far enough for her not to see. Splinters of all sizes decorated the ground, whose previously green color had faded into the brownish shade of the dirt that normally hid beneath. It was, to be honest, a scary sight.
It was the result of hours of constant practice. Truthfully, the fact that the girl had been at it through the whole night without taking a single break –and, not even once, had she dropped unconscious– shocked Maki to no end. And, if she was completely honest with herself, it also terrified her.
Upon catching a glimpse of her relaxed face as she glanced at Rei, she was suddenly hit by a wave of comforting realization.
They were both on the same team.
She let out a relieved breath.
Because, in spite of their friendship, Rei Koizumi wasn't someone she'd be eager to fight.
-#-
An unsettling silence invaded the rather-small room; inquisitive glances were shared between the Jõnin inside as to figure out if any of them knew the reason behind the sudden, unexpected gathering. But no one had the slightest idea, and so, they eventually turned their attention to the old man who sat before the lot of them.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the actual Hokage, smoke from his big pipe as he regarded his subordinates with expressionless eyes. For some long minutes, he remained quiet and merely observed them, seemingly pondering something. And then, his pipe was placed on the floor by his knees, and he sighed heavily.
"There is a very important reason why I've called for you," he began, voice low. "I trust, therefore, that what is about to be revealed in this meeting won't leave this room. I do not find it necessary to insist on keeping this private, for as ninjas of Konoha, you are to fight for this village and do whatever is required to protect it."
A man in his late twenties stepped forward, bowed slightly and voiced firmly, "Many years ago, we swore upon our lives to do so. On behalf of my comrades and myself, I assure you that promise won't be broken."
The old man allowed himself to smile, amused yet grateful.
"Thank you, Kakashi." He stood up then and, after taking a gander at the determined expressions plastered on their faces, nodded to himself. "As you are aware of, several of the most dangerous S-rank criminals gathered into an organization some years ago."
"Of course we do," Asuma Sarutobi, his son, spoke gravely. "One of those rats was once a respectable Shinobi of Konoha."
"As one of the greatest nations, Konoha has always been alert to any possible assault," the Hokage continued, ignoring the interruption with a rasped cough. "And even though we've never been directly attacked by them, we must be extremely cautious from now on. Word got out that they may have taken a special interest to this village, and the Chunin Exams are –without a doubt– the best scenery for them to approach."
Concern, suspicion and irritation crossed the faces of those who were present.
"Excuse my skepticism, but how can we be certain this rumor is true?" Kakashi asked, his only visible eye slightly narrowed.
"We can't, and I'm afraid I cannot say much more about it. However, it's safe to think this…" he paused and frowned, "…rumor –as you say– is closer to being true than expected." He sighed and glanced out the huge window behind. The village, glorious and ebullient, looked back at him. "Truth is, it's very conceivable they are already here."
A gasp was heard before a woman with dark, long hair and bright, red eyes spoke up.
"How is that even possible, though? Ever since the arrival of the exam's participants, there have been ANBU guarding every access to the village," she exclaimed, bewildered.
Asuma clasped a hand on her shoulder, both to soothe and silence her so the Hokage could continue explaining the facts.
"We're talking about S-rank criminals who have been wandering around –killing, robbing and committing every despicable atrocity you can think of– without being seen for years, no matter how many lands looked for them, Kurenai," he mentioned, to which his father nodded.
"Which is why this must remain a secret. It wouldn't be wise to let them know," he said in a low whisper, and his tired eyes momentarily glanced at the carefree people who walked down the streets below before drifting up again. "We can't allow chaos and panic to rise; they would take advantage of that. As a precaution until the threat is dealt with, I am asking you to take extreme precautions and keep a keen eye on your respective teams."
"Hokage-sama, do you know the reason why they've taken this sudden interest in our village?" Maito Gai asked after some seconds of tensed silence. Just by one glance at him, it became evident which Genin he trained –what with his close-fitting, green jumpsuit and shiny bowl-style haircut.
Hiruzen sighed and clasped his hands behind his back.
"It's not our village what has caught their interest, but someone residing in it," he revealed in what seemed to be a troubled voice.
Surprised eyes looked back at him, yet no one spoke a word.
"Sasuke Uchiha," muttered Kakashi behind his mask, but fell silent as the old man shook his head no with apprehension.
Not even close.
"Sasuke has his own enemies, of which he himself is the worst," he commented sourly and announced, "Akatsuki is tracking someone else; someone who is unaware of their real past and should be kept in the dark until said otherwise."
Knowing glances were shared between Kakashi and Maito, but no one voiced their thoughts and suspicions.
The meeting concluded after one last advice from the Hokage, and then the Jõnin started to leave the room to resume their previous tasks.
"Kakashi." The gray-haired man stopped hastily and turned towards Hiruzen, who waved him over. "Join me for a cup of tea."
-#-
"I have to admit that –even though this village sucks as hell– the food is not that bad."
Temari rolled her eyes at her brother as the boy began munching disgustingly, her face contorted into a grimace of revulsion. After a long night, through which they hadn't been bothered by Gaara –who probably had spent it sitting on the roof of the motel in the single company of his terrifying shadow–, both siblings had decided to take a walk around the village. At first, their purpose had been to become acquaintance with it and, hopefully, encountering some of their supposed-to-be adversaries in the exams.
In other words, they wanted to spy on them.
Nevertheless, they had made the mistake of running into a food stand. The change in Kankurõ's priorities had been immediate, and Temari could only huff in annoyance as they began to aimlessly wander through the crowded streets.
Catching a glimpse of the blonde's irritated expression; Kankurõ swallowed and waved a hand in the air.
"I don't think we'll find someone strong in this place, so stop worrying over this."
He received a glare in return.
"I'm not worried, idiot," she argued, scowling ever so slightly. "I'm bored out of my mind."
"You could always play shogi, or torture some stupid kid; I'm sure there are lots of them here," he commented, then yelped as he earned himself a kick in the sin. "Hey, watch what you're doing, crazy woman! If you make me drop my f–"
With a soft sound, the rest of his meal crashed against the dirty ground. His eyes widened in stupor, before they narrowed into slits. Painfully slow, he turned around to face the one who had slammed into his back, and consequently, had thrown his delicious food out of his hands.
An idiot-looking boy stared back at him with furious eyes.
"Hey, whatcha doing in the middle of the street, you –" he stopped suddenly, and his angry expression hastily faded into one of mocking amusement.
The boy covered his mouth with his hands, and as muffled chuckles began to escape him, Kankurõ quirked an eyebrow. He was beyond infuriated, and the more he glared at the blond, the more he seemed to amuse the little shit, thus leading him to laugh even harder.
"What is it?" the puppeteer growled, tightening his hands into fists and ready to punch the hell out of him. "Oi, you're asking for a beating, brat."
Naruto waved a hand in the air carelessly, not faced in the least.
"Yeah, yeah. You see, I used to paint the faces of a lot of people when I was a kid," he confessed, and Kankurõ's gaze hardened even more when he started to snigger again. "But I don't remember painting yours!"
A vein plopped on his forehead.
Temari stifled a snicker.
"Naruto!" a girl with annoying pink hair gasped, before she punched the blond on the back of his head.
"But, Sakura-chan, have you seen his face?!" he whined momentarily, the looked back at Kankurõ and cracked up scandalously. "He looks – like a clown!"
I'm done with these rats.
-#-
The sun was shining high in the bluest sky by the time the two girls decided to head back to the village, take a walk through its usually-crowded streets and leave the training fields behind for someone else to clean their mess. With sluggish steps, and careful not to run into someone –which was not that easy to avoid, to be honest–, they worked their way between the multitude. At that time of the day, the warm breeze of the morning roamed the main roads of Konoha, carrying the delectable scent of roasted pork and sweet melon breads and permeating them in it.
"Rei, why on Earth are we heading Ichiraku's?" Maki asked as soon as she realized where her friend was leading her, a frown already formed on her forehead.
Rei glanced at her from the corner of her eye and smiled in amusement at the sight of her pained expression. The fact that Maki hated ramen so much seemed to be enough to make her loathe that place too, and Rei couldn't help but find the fact extremely funny.
"I was hoping to see Naruto there," she confessed, and then, pursed her lips in thought. "I don't know if he's back, though."
At that, Maki arched an eyebrow, partly shocked.
"He is. His team arrived yesterday," she revealed, to which Rei hummed in wonder. "I thought you knew, but then again, I'm not surprised you don't."
Rei narrowed her eyes to glare at her, before she sighed in dismay and shook her head.
"So, how did you find out? You haven't left my side since last night."
"Actually," Maki drawled, causing the brunette to quickly turn to her, "Tenten dropped by when you were training. She told me that Lee told her that he had overheard Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei talking about something really shocking." She paused dramatically, muttered something under her breath, and continued, "Anyway, the thing is Sasuke has awakened his Sharingan."
Not expecting such revelation, Rei could only gape at her –which Maki misunderstood for confusion.
"Please, tell me you know who Sasuke is," she almost begged, pouting ever so slightly. "I used to hang out with him when we were younger."
Rei chortled mockingly.
"If you call being classmates 'hanging out', then sure, we all used to hang out with him," she joked with a light chuckle, but shut up when Maki sent her one of her famous glares.
"You didn't, because you always preferred skipping class with Naruto."
"Whatever." Rei rolled her eyes, knowing better than to discuss her unconditional love for the Uchiha boy, and then commented thoughtfully, "It is an interesting fact, though. But, I guess it was a matter of time that he awakened his Sharingan."
Maki put her hands behind her head as she walked and nodded.
"He's certainly a strong adversary," she granted. "I wonder just how many powerful Shinobi we'll face in the –"
The words died in her throat as something yellow flew before them and crashed into one of the wooden walls the surrounded the passageway. Naruto Uzumaki growled in anger before pushing himself to his feet, not once sparing them a glance; his narrowed eyes were focused on something at the other side of the street.
"I'm gonna kill you, clown face!" he shouted before rushing towards…
Kankurõ.
-#-
A mischievous grin was stretched across his mouth as he watched the blond run at him, fist already formed at his side. But, he didn't even need to move from his spot; he merely turned his head sideways to avoid his futile attack.
"You're a joke, kid." He laughed before grabbing the huge bundle attached to his back and placing it next to him. "But you asked for it."
Beside him, Temari sighed exasperatedly while shaking her head in disappointment.
"Are you really willing to take this that far?" She crossed her arms over her chest but didn't do anything to stop his idiotic brother.
"These kids need to be shown their place," he rumbled, all traces of amusement gone.
He was about to unwrap his deadly weapon, when a monotonous voice stopped him dead in his tracks.
"I don't recommend you to do that."
And suddenly, he wasn't facing Naruto's snarl anymore.
Calm, orange eyes stared at him in a way that almost caused Kankurõ to take a step back. There was something too familiar in them as she stared at him; for a brief moment, he felt a slight shiver run down his spine.
How did she get here so fast?
"It is against the rules of the exams," she said calmly, as if she were talking to an eight-year-old. "We wouldn't want you to get disqualified, would we?"
There it was again: the hidden threat in her words. Temari watched her with narrowed eyes, surveying her, while Kankurõ took his time to recover from the shock.
Naruto, on the other hand, frowned angrily and pointed an accusative finger at the back of the brunette.
"Rei, you're in the way!"
He was soon scolded by Sakura, who hit him again for good measure. The girl glanced at the curious scene and mysterious ninja afterwards, as if Naruto wasn't next to her whining like a miserable cat.
Rei stared fiercely at her childhood friends, and realization finally washed over her like gelid water. That friendship she had been wondering about for hours was but a false hope, a selfish thought that had been following for years. Now, as the hard gaze of Temari clashed with hers, she found her blood boiling with burning anticipation.
She did want them to be her adversaries in the Chunin Exams.
"Rei!"
Maki ran towards them and stopped in front of the Suna siblings, just beside the brunette. She didn't speak a word, for she wasn't even acknowledged by them, and simply stood there; observing the situation with keen eyes. The tension was so thick it was almost hard to breathe properly.
"We were just talking," Rei commented coolly. "But we're done."
A whirlwind of emotions flowed through her as she received the icy glare of her once best friend.
Nostalgia.
Anger.
Excitement.
God, was she eager for the Chunin Exams to start.
-#-
Hidden in the shadows provided by the branches of the tree he was perched on, a young man examined the situation taking place some feet away from his spot. The minute he found the person he had been looking for, a smirk of triumph tugged at his lips.
Taking the mouthpiece within his fingers, he spoke quietly,
"Target found."
However, the prideful grin promptly turned into a vexed scowl.
"Took you long enough," the monotonous voice of his partner came through his earpiece. "You know how much I hate to be kept waiting."
The young man clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I don't understand why Leader-sama puts so much faith in a sixteen-year-old boy," they muttered.
He grunted, close to losing his composure again.
"Anyway, I'll keep an eye on her."
"Don't get attached."
"As if," he scoffed. "I'll see you later, danna."
He received no answer, as expected. Taking the mouthpiece away, the criminal turned around – and stopped dead in his tracks. A boy with dark red hair was hanging upside down from the branch above. His arms were loosely crossed over his chest, and he carried a heavy gourd on his back.
The young man's blue gaze widened considerably.
How have I not noticed him? Better yet, how long has he been there?
Without a warning, aquamarine eyes glanced at him, cold as stone.
However, before the threatening sand that was approaching him could touch his face, he was gone.
Gaara stared at the vacant area for a brief moment before turning back towards the passageway, in which his siblings were still facing a group of Konoha nins.
Upon catching sight of a familiar face, his eyes narrowed.