Shinji jolted awake, gasping for air. Cold water dripped from her nose and hair. Pain shot through her wrists and ankles and her head throbbed.
"There you go. Now we can talk."
A woman's voice spoke from near her ear. She tried to move but she was tied to a rock hard chair. Panic started flooding her senses as she took in her environment. She was in a small room. All the walls were gray and like the chair, they looked like they had been carved out of a cave. There was a narrow door in the front with a huge lock dangling from the handle. Shinji doubted that the woman really needed it.
The woman walked around her and panic was now accompanied by rage.
"Who are you? What do you want from me? WHERE IS MY TE-"
A gloved hand pressed on her lips. Deep purple eyes stared at her, mocking her.
"You can scream all you want later on, sweetie. For now just save your voice."
If looks could kill, this woman had died and gone to Hell five times over. But they couldn't and thus she was still alive.
Still. Because once I am free, I'll put the Kyuubi to shame. Shinji thought bitterly. With a start she realized that her hands were shaking and she clenched the armrest.
Her cheeks flushed when she saw her body. She was stripped down to her underwear and soaked in water. Even in these conditions she managed to be embarrassed.
Why did I wear this underwear?! PINK for crying out loud!
She peeked at her capturer, she was wearing a black one piece suit with the same mask as before. There was a black whip attached to her belt, along with a knife on a chain.
She looks so cool! Wait, she is an enemy...
The lady stood in front of her. The Genin was, to her credit, still glaring at her with the same stubbornness as a toddler who wanted a toy, although the blush made it less intimidating. The woman let her eyes go over the girl and only made her turn redder. Her eyes went back to Shinji's.
"What can you tell me about the Uchiha clan?"
Her voice was cold and sharp, in a tone as if she expected Shinji to answer immediately.
While she initially planned to curse at her and taunt her, Shinji found that she could not say anything. So she stayed quiet. The woman's eyes narrowed a fraction and suddenly a fountain of blood shot up. Shinji screamed when a short knife embedded itself in her thigh, and got pulled out. A deep cut was left behind bleeding profusely on her leg and she was already dreading the scar that it would become. It was almost hilarious how much she still cared for appearances when the chances that she would even survive were so slim. Shinji bit her lip and blinked the tears away.
"Let's try that again, shall we?"
In the second room~
The man laughed while Ryuya cried. The chains grew hot again and she screamed. The sweet smell of burned flesh reached her nose and she gagged, only for a fist to connect with her jaw. Her head snapped to the side and bits of spit and blood flew out of her mouth. A hard pull on her hair made her face the horrible eyes of the man again.
When she had woken up it was because of a dozen of sharp needles stabbing her feet. Ever since then the man had asked her about the Uchiha clan and she failed to answer every time. It resulted in the scorched skin on her arms and legs. Ryuya sobbed, she had tried to stay strong but had given up, yet she still couldn't answer. The words just never formed.
She suspected that it was because of the seal but didn't dare to tell. She knew she was a coward for giving in so quickly, but she was not going to betray her friend. That was a rule that was drilled into each student by Iruka-sensei.
Konoha does not betray her allies. And neither did she, damn it!
Instead she uttered some nonsense about a Sixth Raikage and a blue eyed Yokai. It was complete rubbish and the man knew it, so he punished her.
"You know, I can do this all day. I could even do this for months."
That was a bluff but she wasn't going to call him out for that. She simply closed her eyes. Her head slammed into the chair and her vision turned white.
"LOOK AT ME!"
The voice thundered and echoed from all around. Ryuya's eyes snapped open again and tears fell down again. She wanted to be home again, with her parents, in her safe bed. So what if she never became shinobi? At least she wouldn't be in her underwear chained to a chair.
"You are only making this harder for yourself, you know?" His voice was close, too close. Ryuya tried to squirm away but found that impossible. Luckily, he leaned away and instead stabbed a senbon in her neck. A flaming pain crawled up from her neck to her forehead and she screamed again. She was slightly worried about the seal becoming visible but the man walked away again.
Ryuya coughed and spit the blood on the ground. She needed to find out about her team. She remembered that Chi had no time to put a seal on herself. She was strong, much stronger than she and Shinji, but their captures were even stronger. For all Ryuya knew, Chi could be dead or dying and Shinji would be long gone. And that was unacceptable.
"Where are my friends?"
The little girl on the chair growled at the back of her torturer, hot tears running down her cheeks. His response was senbon to her chest, paralyzing her as the chains burned up again. But this time, she cursed at the man, wishing him to the deepest pits of Hell, that his limps may fall off and burn.
Ryuya was going to fight for her teammate's sacrifice and for her dignity.
The man only seemed to enjoy it even more.
In the third room~
"WE ARE GENIN! We d-didn't even p-pass our s-sensei's test yet! W-what do you e-expect to learn f-from us?!"
From the moment that Chi awoke to electricity coursing through her body, she had been talking and thus far had succeeded in taunting Yatsushi. The man kept electrocuting her, to a point were all she could do was spasm uncontrollably.
It didn't matter to Chi. If she would die then at least she had managed to bother the bastard. Besides, her greatest problem was the constant drain on her chakra. She was running on empty and had to give up her own blood to feed the seals. She needed to rest or some blood to recharge. She was a Ketsueki after all. The clan that studied blood and practiced all the arts connected with it.
She felt faint and dizzy as yet another bolt shocked her. The pain had long given way for numbness.
"I want you to tell me about your classmate Uchiha Sasuke." Yatsushi was hiding his impatience well.
Chi spit at him "Why won't you?"
She was too tired to correct her slurred words. Her muscles were limp. Her eyes were drooping and her limps wouldn't stop shaking.
Yatsushi came close to her "I can let you rest if you want. But only if you promise me to tell me what I want."
Chi grinned wearily "Are you stupid, old man? I ain't telling you anything."
His eyebrows knitted together and he leaned forward
"What did you say?" He seemed genuinely curious.
Damn, my speech must be really bad now... Idiot. Must be a newbie at torture.
"S-stuuupppidd..." She slurred and slumped in her seat. The chains were to only thing keeping her from toppling over. She figured that he might stop now.
Yatsushi flicked her forehead and everything became clear at once. He saw her confusion and grinned
"Did you think I never tortured someone with electricity before?"
Chi scowled and fruitlessly tugged the chains around her wrists. It felt as if she had submerged in quicksand and only managed to get her head outside. Everything was limp and heavy like lead. Her bare skin was covered in dark lines, showing where the electricity coursed through and at some places the skin had melted away. She sighed at them and looked at the man again. Time to change tactics. Lifting her head with a conspiratorial smile, she looked him in his eyes.
"I you want me to talk..." She drawled, smug that he seemed interested. "then give me your blood."
The pale eyes widened but he schooled his expression again. Chi watched him with bright red eyes. She desperately needed some blood to gain some advantage and energy.
"I see... Is that the reason your clan was always despised?"
Chi scoffed, still eager to make her plan work one way or another. "My clan consisted of a bunch of jackasses who liked to creep the hell out of others. Of course they were despised." Now get closer so that I can bite you and get your blood. She almost scared herself with that thought.
Almost.
Unfortunately, Yatsushi moved away and casually send another shock wave through her body. Chi gasped and choked on some blood. She swallowed it again, she needed every drop.
"Hmm, perhaps my colleagues were more successful."
Chi hissed at him in anger and he send her a sweet smile.
In the first room~
Shinji felt the knife leave a hot mark on her cheek, tracing a line from her cheekbone to her chin. It was one of many cuts she received and she already stopped dreading the scars. Now it was a game. A game in which she got hurt every time she did something right. She didn't know for how long she had been here and had no clue where she was but watching the lady growing annoyed was worth every drop of blood.
She was about to go and challenge her again when there was a soft knock on the door. The woman turned on her heels and opened it. The first man walked in. He send her a look and then looked at his colleague.
"Tooru's brat won't stop talking about a Sixth Raikage."
Shinji almost choked on her blood laughing. The whip struck her leg again and she bit her tongue.
"This one is no better. Seems like they coordinated."
Through the blood dripping from her eyebrow, Shinji tried to look smug at the two.
"Well, mine is busy striking creepy deals and questioning me." He sighed.
Way to go Chi! The bleeding girl cheered her teammate on in silence.
"Perhaps you could help her. I already send Tooru at her but he started cursing at her two minutes after she opened her mouth."
The lady's eyes curved in a cold smile. "I'll be glad."
"NO!" Shinji lunged but couldn't move. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"
The knife buried itself in her shoulder and Yatsushi winced unsympathetically "That's harsh, Minji."
"Who cares?"
She pulled the weapon out and walked out of the door. Yatsushi followed her and soon Shinji was left alone, trashing in her chair and crying for her teammate to hear. There was a puddle of blood on the ground surrounding the chair.
Two doors further, Tooru was attempting to give Chi a crispy skin without success. The chains were glowing red, the skin was scorched black. Chi herself was convulsing but still gritting out insults. Minji took one look at her and decided that she was pretty impressive. Still, she could hurt her even more.
Yatsushi went and calmed his enraged colleague down and the chains dimmed again. Smoke rose from her skin and the smell of burned flesh filled the room. Chi fell back in the chair, panting and sweating from the extreme heat.
"So, the little brat won't talk?"
Chi managed to raise her eyebrow. "Another one with pent up frustration?"
The whip cracked and the left strap of her bra fell down.
"Ooo, kinky." Chi gave her a feral grin.
Truth was that she was nearing her ultimate limit. Both her chakra reserves and the energy from her blood were depleted. She needed some blood or she was going to die. The first two men gave her nothing, but this lady reeked of it. Her weapon was bloodied and there were dark spots on her clothes. Chi's eyes glowed hungrily.
"What the f-"
Yatsushi cut the man off. "She is from the Ketsueki clan. Their eyes change with their mood, though I am not sure what red means."
"Does it matter?" The woman stepped forward, pulling out the chain. "I got her teammate to cry, I can make her bleed and then she'll talk."
If Chi had the energy, she would have cursed at the woman.
The chain flew in the air, reflecting the candle lights, before it came down on her arm. It buried itself until Chi was pretty sure that it scratched the surface of the chair. She could feel the coldness spreading and a stinging pain overcoming the numbness. Minji pulled slowly, dragging a long line down her arm. Chi bit her tongue, tears burning in her eyes.
"Wait." Yatsushi stopped her and pointed. The skin that was supposed to be torn open and bleeding, instead turned black. The wound never bled. The skin split but the insides were black. The blade got pulled back and whipped out again to slash across her stomach. The bruised skin immediately tore apart only to reveal a similar view.
Minji stepped closer to inspect the injuries. Her scent overwhelmed the young girl. She had not drank enough before she left. She had needed it before because she had used the Kage Bunshin before, but there was no time. She needed blood right now.
And it got presented. The woman leaned close, her shoulder in front of Chi's face. Instinct took over and she lunged.
The cloth was no match for her canines and the skin broke just as easily. Blood spilled and she greedily drank it. Minji yelped in shock and pushed her off, but Chi had practiced for years. Those two seconds were enough to replenish some of her reserves.
Minji jumped back, dizzy because of the blood loss. The two men caught their female colleague and stared at her in horror. Chi was thrilled. She licked her lips clean and attempted to get to the drops on her legs. Minji could only watch and feel sick.
"Let's leave for now. We'll come back." Yatsushi hissed and they turned around only to walk into Tooru's back. He stared at the door and his team stared at him. He pointed and they all looked.
Two yellow lights reflected on the door. As one, they turned around and came face to face with the yellow eyes of Chi. She was still seated but it seemed a whole lot closer. Her teeth were bared and her hair stood on end. Minji let out an strained gasp when the eyes focused on her. It seemed to be the only visible part of her face, everything else was hidden in shadows.
Blood exploded from her injured shoulder, getting a scream out of the three adults. Chi cheered and eagerly caught the drops that got to her. Yatsushi lunged at Chi and managed to stab a green glowing hand at her neck. The bleeding stopped and Minji collapsed against Tooru. Chi's eyes turned to him. He felt his heart sink. The yellow seemed to pierce his soul.
But then it dulled and turned to the color of clay. She coughed "Her blood was not that rich..."
Her chin fell against her chest and the man could only watch her unconscious figure until his heartbeat slowed down.
Some time later, in the fourth room~
A moan escaped her dry lips before Chi woke up. She was no longer sitting on the chair, she noted. She was on the ground with her arms tied behind her and her legs in front of her. It felt as if someone was beating a hammer against her skull, all her limps were shaking and burning. With another moan she let her head fall back, only to hit a warm surface.
"Huh? Oh, thank God, you're awake!"
A voice cried out and Chi winced. Another voice spoke up, much softer this time.
"Shh, she seems to be in pain."
Chi opened her eyes only to meet darkness. "R-yu... Shin..."
"Yeah, it's us. They got you pretty bad, huh?"
Chi fought both the nausea and the hunger "It smells like blood in here."
"Yeah, that's me... That ***** was very creative with her knife..."
"Ryu?" She was too tired to speak more.
"I-I got burned a bit... How about you?"
"Psh that is easy to guess. She gave us all a shock remember?"
Chi groaned and the two girls giggled. Then Ryuya spoke up
"I am glad that we're at least together. Even if we are in a cave." 'At least we're dying together.' was the unsaid message but everyone understood and shared the sentiment.
"W-where are we..."
Shinji frowned as she heard the weak voice slur out a question. It was pretty hard to understand the girl.
"We're in some nasty basement with tons of mosquitoes and cockroaches that are driving us mad!"
Ryuya shivered and nodded even though no one could see it. Chi sighed and leaned against the warm bodies of her teammates.
"Oi, don't get too comfortable here. These bugs can smell it, I tell ya!"
Even in the terrible state the girls were (one sliced up, the other flambéed and the last shocked into next week) they managed a laugh.
"H-how long was I out?"
Shinji shrugged, Ryuya hissed when the rope around her burned flesh moved. Chi could hardly feel her own arms.
"Sorry 'bout that Ryuya. A long time. I don't really know. We might have been here for a day, but it could also be a week for all I know."
Chi leaned to the bloodied shoulder, her brain putting itself to work. "Your wounds are still fresh but the blood is old and dried. I'd say no longer than two days since you got out of her hands."
Whether one wanted to reply or not, the words got cut off by a soft buzzing sound and Ryuya cried out.
"They're back again!"
The buzzing grew louder and soon became part of an orchestra of sounds. Buzzing, creaking, fluttering and tiny steps. Chi jerked when she felt a weight crawl over her leg. Mosquitoes hummed in her ear and she shook her head, only for her headache to return in all its glory. Something walked over her stomach but she didn't want to look at it.
"It's in my ear!"
Shinji squirmed and shook her head wildly. Ryuya was in tears and hyperventilating, a huge wasp was flying around her. She sat as still as she could, trying to ignore the worms sliding over her legs. The bugs crawled over them, poking in their wounds and stinging them. It went on for hours, at least that's what it felt like to the three. Chi felt her head spin and decided that it was better to remain unconscious for the rest of the time. The screams and cries from her teammates faded and blissful oblivion took her mind away.
When she woke up it was to silent sobs. Her head was calmer and she took a deep breath. The air was a far cry from Konoha's air but it helped anyway.
"You.. awake again?" Shinji's severely weaked voice sounded gruff but worried all the same.
"Yeah... Feel much better now." Chi straightened up a bit and sighed. "How long do you think I was out?"
Her throat was like sandpaper, she realized.
"Who knows... A long time though. The bugs came back another time and left before you woke up."
Feeling guilty, Chi decided that it was time for them to put their exhausted minds to work. First she needed energy. She took a sniff, the blood on Shinji had dried completely and from the occasional attempt to scratch, she guessed that the wounds were closing as well. For now at least...
"Shinji..."
"What? No... Nicknames?" Her voice was too weak and with a start Chi realized that Ryuya had yet to say a word.
She swallowed and coughed "Y-you know... My clan uses blood for its jutsu's. It is also some sort of chakra to us. Or to me..."
She coughed again and decided to just go for it "Can I take some of your blood?"
Her voice echoed eerily in the dark but much to her surprise, Shinji shrugged "I guess... If there is still some left..."
"It is going to drain your energy a bit since the drops have to be enriched with chakra. I need one hundred drops. And then I can create a chance for us to escape... I hope." Chi heaved and waited for a reply.
"... Sure... I am not sure if we can move though... Ryu is out cold."
"I think we can handle it. Our chakra should be partially restored now anyway. It's the thirst and our injuries that are taking their toll."
"Hey... That's true... We haven't used it in days... I think."
Chi decided that anymore words were a waste of breath, then worried about the amount of oxygen in this place, and just went to lean against Shinji.
"Here goes..." She muttered and bit.
Her teammate hissed and cursed, Chi had reopened a wound on her shoulder. A strange rush went through her and it felt as if the wound was closing all of a sudden. It was quite awkward, she found. To sit in the dark in nothing but your underwear and having a teammate suck out your blood. Not something worth repeating.
The pressure on her shoulder left.
Chi's body was tingling. Her blood was rushing and mixing with the latest addition. Her chakra surged and gave her the energy she needed to locate the woman. She could feel her blood burning in her body and focused. In her mind's eye she saw her, sitting only a few meters away behind the wall. The wound was nearly healed. Chi could almost taste her blood again. She called upon all of the stolen blood and linked herself with the woman. Pain shot up in her back when she sat up straighter.
"Ninja art, Ketsueki style: Blood puppeteer."
Shinji's breathing halted when Chi's body went cold. She heard her murmur a jutsu but she had no clue what to expect. She gently nudged Ryuya because whatever was going to happen, they all needed to be awake. The small girl stirred in her sleep but her restored chakra reserves helped her wake up.
"Wha-"
"Hush! Chi is performing some kind of jutsu that might get us out!" Shinji had to catch her breath after that. Her throat hurt like hell and she was sure that moving would break the scabs on her wounds, making them bleed again. Ryuya's gasp was enough for an answer and both girls set on preparing themselves.
I can't wait to see the sunlight again! I am never complaining about anything again, except for sensei. That bastard! Whe-
Shinji's train of thought got cut short when a new presence entered the room along with a sharp beam of light. Through tearing eyes, she managed to make out the form of the woman, Minji. The light disappeared again and Shinji couldn't help but feel grateful for that. She hoped that this was all part of Chi's plan.
Next to her, rivers of sweat were streaming down the body of Chi. She was forcing all her chakra and blood in this jutsu. They had to get out of here. The woman was resisting but could not do much when her blood forced her to walk to the girls. Her knife flew in the air and the tight ropes got cut, one by one.
"Y-you l-little..." She growled at the trio. All three looked worse then victims of Orochimaru, but it seemed that their chakra was restored. One was staring at her in confusion, the other was close to burning holes in her head with her scarlet eyes. The third one was her victim. And she was looking smug.
Minji almost cried out in frustration when the ropes fell off the girls. They quickly crawled up, staggering and leaning onto each other. Her only satisfaction was that it seemed to be extremely painful for them. Her body was burning and she could feel her wound bursting open again.
This time the terrified shorty snapped out of her confusion and quickly went and tied the ropes around her ankles. She could only watch. Damn kid and her jutsu! Damn her all the way to hell!
The burning of her veins had lessened and the girl responsible was shaking. Just a bit longer... Just a b- DAMN YOU BRAT!
The brat she had cut up had pressed her finger in the wound, reopening it and forced more blood to come out. She caught some of it with on hand and quickly went to her friend. Minji watched in disgust as the brunette attempted to get as much of her blood as possible in between the lips of the other. Immediately, the burning of her veins returned. The kid herself was impossibly pale and her eyes were glowing again. Then she spoke, gritting and hoarse, but with authority.
"Create a way out for us without alarming anyone." She had to pause but gathered more energy. "Or else I'll turn you in to a fountain."
Minji could feel her arms cool down and was temped to use them to destroy the girls but she remembered her orders. Besides, who knows how fast that girl could make her blood explode? Instead she formed some seals and hoped that they would get crushed underneath the rubble. Her lips were sealed close so she was unable to smirk at the shocked Genin who rushed to get away from the rocks that fell down. Minji realized with a shock that she had used to much chakra and had thus ripped the roof above them apart. She never got to realize she was free to move again though, for a rock hit her on her head.
Once the dust was cleared. The three girls scrambled to the source of light and air. Above them was a hole that lead straight into the daylight.
"Let's go." Chi coughed. Ryuya took a breath, inhaling the distant scent of leaves and jumped with as much chakra as she could muster in her legs. She shot up, ignoring the pain in her body and landed on a rough carpet of grass and sticks. She started crying.
Shinji grinned at Chi who returned it. Then they both jumped out as well. Though they both landed on their feet, Shinji immediately collapsed on the ground. Chi rolled her eyes. "We need to get out before they find out, ya know."
"Carry."
"Bastard. I went through torture too you know..."
Shinji shrugged "I gave you my blood."
Chi had the feeling that this would become a much used excuse in the future. Because we are going to live!
She took a refreshing breath and summoned two clones. They looked as bad as she did (and were also in their underwear) but went and picked the two girls up from the ground. With a grunt, they took off, running in what felt like the right direction. Chi could feel her blood call out to it's original owner and sped up.
Ryuya's foggy mind cleared as she felt the air rush against her. She was going to live another day. She was going to make it, she was not dying. Her heart lurched and she laughed. Not too loud of course, they could be followed.
Shinji was taking in as much as she could. Be it air, sunlight or the view, it didn't matter to her. She was free now.
Chi was glad to be the one to walk. Her abused muscles were finally moving accordingly again, though every now and then they would jerk aside or cramp up. She would have to come up with an explanation to Naruto. He was still too innocent and brash. She was like that too, once. But that time was far behind her and their capture only pushed her further in the mold of her clan. Her teammates would change though. They could no longer live like they used to, too much had happened.
A fence appeared and Chi squinted her eyes. Where they still in the Forest of Death? She signaled her clones and together they managed to barely jump over the dangerous points. When she landed, her knees buckled and she fell. The clones dispelled and exhaustion took over.
Shinji and Ryuya got closer to her and looked around. Ryuya brought her hands together "Release!"
Nothing changed.
"We... I can't believe we never left Konoha!" Shinji exclaimed and regretted it right away. The wound on her face started dripping again.
"Come on." Chi panted and got up again with the help of Ryuya. "The Hokage will need to know."
"And he will know." A male voice sounded and all three shot up and turned to it. There he was. Their sensei, Morino Ibiki, in all his scarred and black leather and bandana glory. Surrounding him stood various ANBU members and Chi tensed.
"Sensei?" Ryuya's voice shook with relief and she was about to run to him when Shinji grabbed her shoulder. Her eyes were dark.
"You knew?" The silence that followed was heavy with tension. Eventually Ibiki sighed "I told you that I was the head of the Torture and Interrogation unit right? I also told you about a test in this forest. It shouldn't be too hard to guess."
Shinji was about to snap when three familiar signatures jumped in. They needed to up their senses...
Ryuya gasped and stepped back. Chi automatically stood in front of them, her posture rigid. Shinji looked at them with no emotion. "Stand down, Chi. They are part of the test too."
Yatsushi came forward and even Shinji couldn't help but tense up. The man noticed and smiled apologetically. "You are right. I am sorry for all the pain we caused but we had to test you."
"How is torture a test?" Chi growled and Minji's face contorted. The blood in her neck was pulsing dangerously.
"Oi stop that!" Yatsushi called out, his hands up in the air when he realized what was happening. Ibiki looked on curious. Chi's eyes dimmed again. Minji panted and grabbed her shoulder. Ryuya looked at her teacher.
"Did we pass?"
This time the entire group, minus the girls, fell in to an incredulous silence. Ibiki cleared his throat and walked closer to them. They didn't flinch or moved their gaze. They all simply stared at him with the same question in their eyes.
"Do you all still want to become a shinobi?" All three nodded.
"You realize that with me as your sensei, you will be exposed to more horrors than most Jonins have ever experienced before? You will spend your days either in the office sorting through files and secrets that could cost us our village if they get exposed, or you will be out torturing and infiltrating. You three will have the highest kill count of your class depending on how the heavy assault team does." Three never wavered and Ibiki sighed again.
"Do you want us to fail?" Again it was Shinji who asked the real questions.
Ibiki looked at her. He had been feeling queasy for the past four days and now it was taking a toll.
"I don't. I also don't want to talk three kids into joining the underground world of ANBU and S-ranked missions. The fact is, however, that you three passed the test and are my students now. I am just giving you a choice to leave and live in peace."
"As long as I won't become an ANBU myself, I am in." Chi matched his gaze with her color changing eyes. Her body looked terrible. Purple lines branched on her skin, her veins protruded and her limps were constantly twitching. Her skin itself was either scorched black, bruised purple, completely black or paper white. He found that he had a hard time peeling his eyes of the gaping black tears in her flesh. Chi didn't seem too bothered by it but Ibiki suspected that it was the adrenaline and that she was going to fall apart in a hour or so.
He looked at the other girls and barely suppressed a wince. If Chi looked like a very curious case, then those two had to go straight into surgery. Shinji was cut all over. The wounds had either covered themselves in scabs or had started to infect. The wound on her face would definitely leave a scar. Her hair was matted with blood and clung together in a thick red mass. She was way too pale and already swaying on her legs. He'd have to carry her.
Or he would have to carry Ryuya.
Scratch that, they all needed to be carried. The short one barely had any flesh left on her arms and legs. It was all burned and melted away, the white of her bones showing through. It would take one heck of a medic to patch her up again. She was skinny too, he noted. He would have to get her a proper diet and some extra training. Her eyes were the worst. When he first met her, they were warm and filled with rainbows and hearts. Now they were suspicious and fearful.
His three students had broken and he caused it. Ibiki signaled his ANBU and they all left after a curious glance at his back. He summoned one Shadow Clone and looked at his new team. They all stared back with those worn out faces. He was going so going to get drunk tonight, and with a bit of luck a certain Chuunin wouldn't skin and deep fry him.
"I'll take you to the hospital. You all passed so you can rest now." He assured them and was relieved to see the tension fade. His clone carefully took his coat off and covered Shinji with it before picking her up and speeding away. The girl was out the moment he pulled her close.
The original took his coat as well and choose to wrap it around Chi. He couldn't risk aggravating Ryuya's burns by covering them with a leather coat. The two girls fell against his shoulder when he tightened his arms around them and went in a slumber. Ibiki pushed chakra into his legs and made his way to the hospital's special wing reserved for ANBU.
He idly wondered what the other Jonin had done and then remembered that they told him that very night after the graduation. Only Kakashi had nothing to say other than that he had his test tomorrow. Then the next evening at the bar, he showed up with a smug looking eye and declared that his brats had passed the test and destroyed the training ground. The entire bar then turned to him and he had to make an excuse so he claimed that they were doing some simulation of a mission. He still remembered the look Kakashi had given him. The man was a former ANBU, he knew something was off the hook but he kept quiet. Fortunately because Iruka had joined them.
He sighed again. He still couldn't understand how that man wasn't promoted to Jonin.