Blackbirds Follow
Shinobi Lesson Number One
One doesn't need to be under Genjutsu for it to be powerful.
I smiled down at the rubber ban I had discovered on my way to the training grounds. It had been lying scuffed in the middle of the road, but otherwise was as good as new. I had it stretched between two finger tips on opposite hands, slowly turning them in a small circle. This was calming and allowed me to sink into my thoughts easier; though I had no particular idea as to why that was.
We had been genin for almost an entire five months solid. Sadly, for most of that time we had been delegated to doing things like walking the Inuzuka dogs or fetching groceries for little old ladies who couldn't do it themselves. Just the day before, we had taken on our twentieth babysitting mission. While I had found it rather easy to handle the new born, my teammates hadn't had quite the same experience.
"You better not be thinking about yesterday," a smooth tone interrupted my quiet giggles. I looked up into Satoshi's face. One eyebrow lifted up in question when I erupted into laughter as the image of him being covering in baby vomit came to mind.
"Minori," Mitsuo complained with a quiet huff as he slumped against the tree I was lying near. Our dark-haired teammate was quick to take a place beside him. Of course, seeing them next to each other only forced me to laugh all the harder. I knew that both boys were sending their own versions of disgruntled expressions my way, but that did not lessen the entertainment they were still providing me with.
"Ah, I've never loved diapers so much," I managed through gasps for breath. Propping myself up on one elbow, I added, "I can't wait to have my own genin squad."
"Shouldn't you be working on your elemental jutsu instead of making fun of us," Mitsuo grumbled with his teal eyes locked firmly on the dirt he was churning up with his heel. I kept my content smile in place and sat up, shifting my hands to my sides as naturally as I could while summoning a bit of my chakra to my fingers and twisting it into my element. Briefly, I wondered if the boy's knew that the human body would pass on an electric charge to another if they were touching. Kind of like Mitsuo and Satoshi were.
"Zap," I chirped out in a plain, yet happy tone while my fingertips met the exposed skin along Satoshi's wrist. Mitsuo was quick to leap into the air, clinging to the side of the tree with his chakra and looking every bit like a woman running from a mouse. Satoshi, meanwhile, yelped more in surprise than pain while in the process of following our teammate. "I think I've got it down pretty well."
Satoshi never answered me directly, merely settling to scowl darkly. Faster than I could react, the boy had tackled me and we fell to the side in a heap, struggling for top. It didn't occur to me as his fingers threaded through the majority of my hair just what his plan was and I merely rolled us again. I slammed my fist into his ribs, knees pinning his thighs to the grass in a show of dominance, causing the boy to gasp in pain. My grin melted as strands of a familiar red fell all around me and the tension in my scalp loosened instantly.
"Y-you used your wind affinity to cut my hair!"
"Shinobi rule number 113," he managed between shuddering breaths, "A shinobi is required to keep one's hair no longer than the ends of their earlobes."
"No one follows that rule anymore, and I'm a kunochi," I pointed out in my still dimmed anger.
The edge of his lips pulled into a half-smirk, "I don't believe you're a kunochi."
"You little-"
"Well, it looks like I need to give you lot more D-ranks."
Our heads shot up to stare in Hamaki's direction. The man was leaning his shoulder against one of the many trees, a pile of papers tucked under his arm. Upon his face was the look of utter disappointment, "And here I had thought you all worthy of taking the test."
"Test," I questioned quietly, not liking the shadow in his eye as I got up.
"The Chunin Exams to be precise-"
"What," Mitsuo cut in with more than a hint of disbelief in his tone.
"Bullshit," my hands found themselves on my too young, too narrow hips as I met Hamaki's raised brow, "I call bullshit on this whole thing."
"Like I said," the man flicked his wrist once, sending a wave through the stack of papers in his hand, "If you would rather take more D-rank missions, I'm sure I can find some for you."
Immediately, Mitsuo spoke up, "No way; we can totally win the exams!"
I found Satoshi also stepping forward, determination shinning in his gaze. He crossed his arms loosely, "We have completed every mission you have given us thus far. I see no reason why we can't compete in the Chunin Exams."
Something akin to disbelief had nestled into the depths of my stomach as my boys turned to look at me. I knew that they wanted me to say that we could survive the most grueling test a genin could face, but the words stuck in my throat. We had only been a team for five short months; there was no reason for Hamaki to tease us with victory like this. Despite my thoughts, I could not deny the warmth of the idea. I would be one step closer to my ultimate goal.
"Alright," I gave in, taking one of the papers from Hamaki's hand. Mitsuo threw his fist into the air with a cheer of joy before folding back in on himself. The tips of his ears were bright red in embarrassment, but his grin never faltered. Beside him, Satoshi was looking up at the sky with a confident smile on his face. They honestly believed we had a chance in the exams despite the fact that we had only been genin for a handful of months. I guess, any genin thought that they could take on the world if they had never been knocked down.
"Now, bring these to the academy at exactly seven tomorrow night," Hamaki told us.
A wistful tilt of my lips was the only response I allowed them before I turned around, dismissing myself.
The streets were painted in golden oranges and rich reds. My shadow stretched out ahead of me as the sun began to set behind me. I crossed my hands against my lower back, not really caring that at the speed I was walking I would end up late for dinner.
I reached genin a whole year early, and now I was trying to gain chunin five short months into my career. At this pace, I just might become a jonin in time to train a group of genin from Naruto's class. Who knew, maybe I could be the Godaime Hokage instead of Tsunade. There was no denying a cocky grin at the mere thought. One could not say I was not ambitious.
"Minori, wait!"
My once shoulder length hair flew about when I looked at where the voice had originated. Running towards me with several bags of groceries tucked into her arms was none other than Kokoro Uchiha and I had to put all my effort into not grinning at the girl. Ever since our C-rank mission, we had taken any chance that came our way to spend at least as few minutes together. Though we had both actively looked for the man, neither of us had managed to contact the ever elusive Shisui Uchiha.
She easily ended her race with a neat hop, smiling smugly at me when she landed at my side, "Have a fight with a shuriken?"
"Good evening, Kokoro Uchiha," I said as formally as I could, knowing that it would bug her and that she would drop the subject of my hair. The rate at which her bright expression melted away was more than enough confirmation that I had succeeded.
"Don't do that," she mumbled with her bottom lip poking out in a pout. Kokoro let her shoulders droop to add to the dismal atmosphere she was creating, "You know there's a reason why I volunteer to do errands around the village instead of staying home."
My face was as unfeeling as I could make it while I was secretly laughing inside my head. I saw those nearly black eyes steal a peek at me and her expression soured further when she discovered her act was not working.
"Minori," she whined, bumping her shoulder into my own. My poker face cracked and I giggled under my breath. Kokoro huffed, but I still saw the satisfied bounce in her step as she took to a right path. My feet automatically moved to follow her lead.
"So, how's the family?"
"Well," Kokoro scrunched up her nose as she thought over her words. I did not rush her, because it wasn't my place to ask in the first place. It would have made more sense if she merely pushed past the topic, but she didn't, "It's getting worse."
I bit into my tongue at the hurt in her whisper. Out of everything I could ever hope to change in this crazy world, I had recently accepted that Itachi's genocide was one thing I could not alter. When I had first met Itachi, I had pretended to have not seen him. The day I discovered that he would be in my class, I was forced to make a choice: ignore what would happen to the Uchiha or try to be-friend Itachi. My mind had settled on the latter only for Itachi to move into a higher class until he was already a genin. The window to become his friend had passed.
My thoughts had eventually drifted onto the fate of my friend, and I knew I would have been content if she managed to survive as well. Life, in the way any pesky guardian was bound to be, had decided that my position was not enough. No; it had literally thrown a young Sasuke into me, giving the kid a chance to work his way into my heart.
He did just that, too, but he wasn't the only one. I had a grand total of three Uchiha who meant something to me, and it hurt so much to know that if things went as they were meant too, that I would lose two of them to death and one to something much darker.
My concern had constantly shifted from the salvation of the entire clan and the protection of the three Uchiha closest to me. All I had wanted was to make sure that Kokoro, Shisui and Sasuke managed to survive that night as undamaged as possible. My focus had been forced to remain on the well-being of the only girl I had actually grown close to aside from Saki, a man I had never spared more than a passing thought for, and the boy I had wanted to hate as much as Obito. I had sworn that I would not let Kokoro, Shisui or Sasuke be damaged by a boy who was my peer and yet so very, very far ahead of me.
Now, however, I was beginning to realize just how impossible and childish such a goal was. Unless I could convince the Uchiha clan to not attack Konohagakure, there was absolutely nothing I could do; I was useless to those I cared for yet again.
"This is my stop."
Kokoro's voice had lost some of its apprehension, but it was still softer than what I was used to. I reached out to ruffle her long, brown hair gently, not minding the fact that she was a good two inches taller than I was. Her face twisted into a scowl, "Don't worry; I'm always here."
I left before she could question me on what I had meant by that, mostly because I wasn't entirely sure myself.
"…Minori?"
I hummed lightly in response, never tearing my eyes away from my book as I relaxed at the kitchen table. It wasn't until I realized that the sound of a page turning in my book was all I could hear did I look up from the black print. Twin onyx eyes were staring at the cover of my book with an intensity that I was not quite used to. Bringing the book closer to my chest, I glanced at the cover as if the answer to Takeshi's odd behavior would be written among the bold print.
The urge to grin was murdered relentlessly when I connected the dots. In my own mind, I was well into my forties, but on the outside I was a little past my 12th birthday. It was only natural that the teenage boy was in shock over my chosen reading material. As innocently as I could, I asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Do ya even know 'bout," Takeshi strangled the end of his sentence with a choke and I tipped my head to the side as I had seen many children do when confused. The boy broke eye contact, "Where's Saki?"
"She's out shopping with Toshio," I answered.
"Wha 'bout Fumio?"
"He's off somewhere that we'll never find him, of course."
"Where's yer mother," the boy tried again. I opened my mouth to reply when he nodded to himself, "Orphan; that's right."
A newly born silence fell on us and I found genuine curiosity the longer I had to wait. Takeshi stole a peek at my face and, upon finding that I was silently watching him, he coughed into his fist while looking away.
"Um, h-have you ever heard 'bout the Shuriken and the Kunai?"
No, he isn't about to give me the talk, is he?
"Well, ya see…uh," a shade of pink was quickly forming on the teen's cheeks and I came to the conclusion that yes, he was about to give me the talk, "When a mommy Shuriken, no wait. I mean, when a Kunai finds a Shuriken he really…no. That's not right either."
"Ne, Takeshi," his stuttering came to an abrupt end at the sound of my voice, "Are you talking about sex?" There was a single second before the boy started sputtering in embarrassment and I started to laugh, "It's okay; we learned about the 'Shuriken' and the 'Kunai' during our kunochi classes."
"Then why are ya readin Icha Icha?"
I merely hummed in response to the accusation hidden in his question, allowing my feet to drop from the table top. No more than a week ago I come across a copy of the famous Toad Sanin's best seller in a trash can, and I had immediately saved it from its fate. Takeshi was left without an answer as I casually strolled out the front door so as to not be late for the first part of the Chunin Exams.
"Greetings genin, and welcome to the first stage of the Chunin Exams!"
The muscles in my back cried out in complaint as I straightened in my wooden seat. My shoulders rolled without my instruction and I heard the occasional muffled curse as the nearly one hundred genin gathered in the auditorium did the same. Each of us had arrived at seven and some had come before then. Of course, what did we get for being punctual? Our instructor hadn't shown up for three solid hours.
I swore; if I ever became a jonin, I would make whoever I was meeting wait at least 4 hours. Five hours for those I did not particularly like. Belatedly, I realized I was starting to sound like a certain 'Cool and Hip' man.
"Now the first part of the exam will test how much your village can trust you," the instructor smiled at the curious murmurs that overcame the groans of inpatients. "Under each of your seats is a small scroll with a key word. This will be what the interrogators will attempt to convince you to tell them. Your assignment is to keep the key word safe; to give up the key word is to betray your village."
My fingers were already probing about under my chair before the man had finished speaking. A short, smooth cylinder greeted my finger tips and I carefully detached it from the string that bound it. Sitting up again, I turned the small scroll over until my nail caught the edge of it. The paper was a pale yellow color and in the center was a single word: Paradise.
A short lived giggle was all I had time for before the instructor was calling out to us again, "Now that you have seen your key word, memorize it and step up to the front. Shinobi of Konohagakure, Kusagakure, and Amegakure, please form a line in front of the door to the left. Sunagakure, Takigakure, and Iwagakure shinobi, please do the same at the door on my right."
"Think happy thoughts," I murmured softly to my teammates as most of the genin were taking the time to chat up their teammates about strategies and the like. Mitsuo looked up from his scroll at my words, his eyes watching me quietly. I made sure to catch Satoshi's gaze as well before I continued, "Think of one thing and no matter what happens, don't forget what you were thinking of. I personally believe the safest thing to keep your mind on is our team, our victory over Hamaki back in the beginning."
"Who told you that would work?"
Satoshi's question was not cruel or meant to be argumentative, they never were. It was simply in his nature to question everything. The answer was quite simple, but there wasn't a way I could explain to my teammates about my previous set of boys or my previous life. So, I said the first name that came to mind, "Fumio."
"Anyways, are you ready to get this test done," I asked. My boys nodded in confirmation and I rose to my feet, easily weaving between those that were still speaking among themselves. I did not take the time to scout out the other genin since a good deal of them would not make it into the next part of the exams.
"Name," the bored tone of another jonin drew my attention and I noticed that his hand was held out.
"Minori Tachibana," I answered while placing my scroll in his open palm. He hummed lightly in return while leafing through a packet of papers that rested on the desk he sat behind. As he came to the page that had my name on it, he opened my scroll and copied the word onto the blank space beside my name. His pale green eyes met mine with probably the most imposed upon expression I had ever seen.
"You'll be in room 121 on this same floor. I assume you can find your way there?"
"It would be the door with the number 121 on it, right?"
I walked away from the man with a small bit of satisfaction hanging about my head. It truly was a talent of the Awesome to be able to cram so much sarcasm into so few words. The door slid opened silently and I exchanged the loud, bright auditorium for the tranquility of the hall.
I strolled through the empty hall with my hands hidden in my pockets. Shadows of the deepest blues were only interrupted by the occasional square of white moon light from the windows. They leeched any hint of color from the few posters tapped to the wall. My sandals clapped lightly on the tiled flooring, but they still sounded like an explosive tag going off with each step. It was such a strange feeling to be walking through the academy so late at night.
Tears formed in my eyes as I yawned, and I failed to bother covering my mouth. I felt no exhaustion in my body, nor did I notice it in my mind. Figuring it was just the mood; I looked to the nearest door and smiled in recognition. Nailed just above the door was a small plate that would tell any who looked at it that this was room 121.
My fingers brushed the handle of the door when thick arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Every instinct within me shrieked in alarm even as my elbow was thrown back only to halt in its course towards my attacker's throat when a gloved hand caught it. I wasn't overly concerned about it though; Hamaki's training was always full of subtle teachings. The first one I had learned was to never expect my attacks to hit. It was with a pleased smile that I spun out of his grasp to the sound of his surprised gasp.
No shinobi expected someone to target their unprotected toes. It was like an unspoken law that I gladly shattered.
The wall softly touched my back and I brought my hands up in a stance not entirely like the one taught at the academy. My chakra pooled in my fingers as I waited for the man to try again. If I could manage to make contact with his body, I could easily push my nature transformed chakra into his system. A stunned shinobi couldn't defend very well.
Every muscle in my body tensed as the sharp point of a kunai was pressed against my throat from behind. His voice was a bit muffled, but I still recognized it. All I could think about at that point was how utterly and completely hopeless my situation had just become. I could handle most of what anyone could throw at me as far as being interrogated went, but this was on a level I couldn't handle.
"Your test begins now, Fugaku," Shisui Uchiha spoke softly.
A high pitched scream tore me from the clutches of unconsciousness and I fought against my body's better judgment in order to open my eyes. My vision swam as I tried to distinguish between the blobs of dark colors, teeth clenched in concentration. I did not get far in my endeavor before the same person cried out, only this time they spoke a word, "Minori!"
Comprehension locked my breath in my chest as I focused on the all too familiar scent of earth and cheap soap, forcing my eyes to clear in the process. Tied to a chair not at all unlike the one I was strapped into was Mitsuo. His teal eyes were wide, glazed as if he were in a very faraway place and his lips parted to release yet another wordless scream.
"Snap out of it," roared a feminine voice from directly beside me, causing my head to jerk in its direction.
"K-kokoro," I gasped as her hard gaze fell on me, "What's going on; why aren't we in a genjutsu like Mitsuo?"
The girl shifted so that her shoulder was pressed against mine before she answered, "I broke through the genjutsu almost as soon as he cast it, and I used this contact to free you as well."
"But-"
The cry that cut me off was in equal volume to Mitsuo, but it spoke of something different. Leaning as forward as the ninja wire wrapped around my torso would allow, I looked past the Uchiha to see Satoshi's normally blank face twisted in pain. His brow was heavily furrowed as beads of sweat slipped down his face to collect along his narrow chin before falling to his dark shirt.
"Satoshi," his name rushed from my mouth quicker than my brain could move to stop it; my worry skyrocketing as I watched the boy with the better chakra control struggle with the genjutsu he had been put under. "Wake up!"
"Minori," Kokoro interrupted me with all the manner of a disappointed mother, "That won't do anything to help him. I-"
"Help him; break the jutsu!"
"I can't!"
"Why not," I finally snapped at her with all my fear turned anger.
She pulled her lower lip in between her teeth before using her hair as a shield while allowing her head to hang limply. Kokoro spoke in a whisper but, in the brief moment of silence between my boys' screams, I heard her as clear as if she had been yelling, "I can only get someone out of a genjutsu if I can push my chakra into their system, but your teammate isn't close enough for me to touch him. I'm sorry."
Useless, I scolded myself as my gaze fell to the grey tiles under our bound feet, dutifully ignoring the burn at the back of my throat. The kids I had found myself working with were in horrible pain, fear and there was not a single thing I could do to ease what they felt. I knew that genjutsu couldn't harm them physically, but some of the worst wounds anyone could suffer were those that our bodies did not show.
I had always thought that the Chunin Exams would be a challenge no matter what age I was when I took it; weeding out those not yet strong enough was more or less the purpose of the first two parts of the test, but I had never believed that they would have taken it this far. We had been told that the interrogators would want our key words above all else, yet no one had come to question us.
"Where are Arata and Daiki?"
"They already took them."
I flinched at the hitch in her voice, eyes widening in surprise at her answer. They had already taken them?
Steel hinges groaned in protest as the grey door on the opposite side of the holding room was shoved open. The pupils of my eyes shrank in reaction to the overly bright light washing into the dimly lit room from the doorway, enhancing the shadows that covered the man walking in. His steps were silent as he slowly approached the left side of the room where Mitsuo sat, mouth open in a hushed scream as his voice finally gave out on him.
Gloved fingers brushed through the boy's honey brown hair, tilting his head back so that the man could see Mitsuo's face clearly. The porcelain mask hiding his identity was frustrating since I could not tell what his intentions where. Kokoro, however, seemed to have an idea, "Stay away from him!"
"What's going on," I questioned my only source of information as the man thoroughly ignored the shouting Uchiha as he stood at his full height, face still turned towards my teammate.
"He's going to take him," terrified brown eyes searched mine as she jerked her head in the masked man's direction, "He going to take him just like he took-"
A screech tore into my ear drums as a pair of metal chair legs fought in vain to keep itself from being moved. Mitsuo was still in his seat as the man began to drag his chair out of the door he had entered from, all the while Kokoro was shouting for the man to stop. She demanded that he leave the boy alone, that he leave all of us alone, but I couldn't find the words to back her up.
…take him just like he took Arata and Daiki.
"Wait!"
The heavy door slammed shut behind the duo as I tried to puzzle out what had just happened. The strange man had not shown any active hostility towards my teammate, but Kokoro had reacted violently to his presence. She had claimed that her teammates were taken by that man. "How long have they been gone?"
"I don't know anymore; it's impossible to keep track of time here," Kokoro answered with the type of strain to her words that I was not unused to, "All I know is that they plan on doing whatever it takes to get our key words."
"Anything," I questioned as a heavy weight settled on my stomach. The girl took a moment to lift her chin from her chest in order to stare at the door as if her gaze was alone to make it melt.
"They plan on torturing us if we don't give up our information, Minori."
"Bullshit," I heard my voice mumble even as my brain took off at the speed of light, faster than even the Tardis, "Complete bullshit."
I felt my racing pulse settle to an even beat that allowed all my emotions to slip through my fingers without a fight. My body sagged under the sudden weight of the words and the possible repercussions from my lack of insight filling my head. I knew why the thought of anyone harming, much less torturing, a child had never come up in my plotting. Hell, some of my best plans involved using the natural 'oh, what a cute kid' card for them to succeed. I had forgotten that children where just a much soldiers as their adult counter parts in this world. I had neglected the fact that there truly was not a thing as innocent in the place I now called home.
Even in the new light I was forced to view this universe in, the idea that anyone would torture a child was still a bit beyond my comprehension; despite how low the Americans might have sunk during their war, even they had their standards. Harming children in any way was where their cruel actions usually stopped short. 'Children cannot be blamed for the views of their guardians' was an unspoken law in that country. It was a line that few crossed and those that did were severely punished on both sides of the conflict.
I knew children were not so weak and defenseless here because many of them had been forced to grow up quickly to fill the holes in the military roster. Children, in all their young glory, were actually incredibly dangerous in the shinobi world. Only an overly paranoid or observant adult would think that the adorable six year old with teary blue eyes would shove a kunai between their vertebrae when the chance presented itself. I guess there was something to that old saying, "Don't hit kids. No, seriously, they have guns now."
Don't hit kids. No, seriously, they can use advanced ninjutsu!
I was only aware of the smile that I wore because of the look Kokoro was giving me, a look that clearly expressed how little of my sanity she believed I was still in possession of. She had every right to judge me, of course, because the expression I wore had no right to be anywhere near the situation we were in. However, I could not find it in me to really care too much that something very important to my mental stability was starting to slip. If anything, I could always use this new yet old perspective to keep my key word safe. The Uchiha's faint voice caught my waning attention only for my nose to crinkle in utter confusion, "I'm sorry, but I don't speak muffled."
"I said-"
Kokoro didn't get far as my sentence replayed in my head and matched the words to something so far removed from the subject at hand that I couldn't hold back a chuckle. Fine eyebrows angled over her eyes in perfectly executed bafflement, her mouth partly open as if she almost wanted to ask me what in the name of the Hokage was I doing. My sides began to ache as more laughter came forward, blurring my vision slightly in the process.
"Minori," my friend's call penetrated the shell I had built around myself, "Help me, you lunatic!"
My eyelids slammed shut, shoving any lingering tears to either side, so that when my gaze focused back on the struggling Uchiha, it was as clear as crystal. The long braid she kept her dark brown hair in smacked across the man's mask, but it did not deter him. Her chair squealed as it was dragged closer to the door that I had not notice open, as determined to stay with me as its current resident was, "Minori!"
"Remember not to give up the key word or you lose," I chirped in reply, frowning down at my bindings when I could not raise my hand in farewell. Shrugging in annoyance, I smiled for her instead, "Good luck!"
Kokoro cried out one last time before she was removed from my line of vision, but my expression remained in place even when the door did not shut. My head fell to one side as I watched our captures break their pattern by sending a similar man into the plain walled room. His sandals were unbearably loud in the absence of any other sound, but I refused to flinch away from it on the off chance that he was here to be my friend; maybe he would even set me free if I was extra nice. I opened my mouth to help him out when he stopped between Satoshi and I with all the frustration of a man trying to pick between the red or slightly less red apple, but his quick movement killed the words where they stood.
My teammate's face turned roughly towards me, accompanied only by the sound of a sharp crack. A bright hand print began to form along his tanned cheek, stretching from the corner of his eye down to his chin. Something bone chillingly close to terror began to form in his increasingly alert eyes and I felt another crack in my shell appear with the recognition of that fact. Sound fell away from me without any warning, leaving me helplessly deaf as my teammate started throwing words at the masked man. His dark eyes were narrowed as he paused and I knew in that moment that he must have said something wrong. My missing sense came back with all the force of a freight train as Satoshi's scream of pain tore through my ears.
I couldn't force myself to look away as crimson began to ebb its way around the black kunai stabbed through Satoshi's left shoulder, just under the edge of his collar bone. Fear was layered so thick in our cell that I could smell it, taste it on the back of my tongue as I tried to deny what was happening. He was just a child of 11 years and hadn't seen a battlefield in anything but text books and paintings. Satoshi gasped while fighting against the tears flowing down his paling face as he fixed his watery glare on the masked man.
Why wasn't I doing anything? This kid was under my protection by default and I was allowing him to be tortured for a chance at raising our ranks? My jaw throbbed from the force of my clenched teeth, but no matter how hard I tried I could not make a sound beyond that of my breathing. I should be doing something to protect him since I was all he had left. Damn it, I had sworn to Alfred that I would be the hero that he always tried to be the day he died. What would he, or anyone else, think of me just watching as Satoshi was hurt?!
The masked man's hand caught the handle of the kunai, twisting it to the left with more speed that I could track and yanking it free. Satoshi's next bellow of agony wasn't what had me jerking backwards in shock as if I had been slapped. No, the droplets of warm liquid rolling down the curve of my cheek were the culprits and I felt my brain trying to compute what had happened. Blood, my mind supplied unhelpfully, I have blood on me. I have Satoshi's blood on me.
"Oh look at you, the big bad man picking on a weak little boy, "I snarled without comprehension of what words were flying from my lips, but that did not lessen the sudden wave of confidence that crashed over me. I was doing something and, while it wasn't very much, it would at least spare that child some pain for a moment. My lips pulled over my teeth in a snarl, "I bet you feel so proud of yourself too!"
I kept chanting the words 'false bravado' in an endless loop as the masked man slowly approached me with all the regalty of a Sphinx; the bloodied kunai rolled between nimble fingers before he flicked it in an effort to rid it of the blood staining the blade. I heard more than saw the droplets connect with the smooth surface of the wall beside me. I hardened my glare in retaliation as the man came to a stop in front of me, but Satoshi's words disrupted whatever comeback the man had, "Leave her alone!"
"Shut up, kid," I countered swiftly, "I can handle a pansy like this guy. I mean, why should I be afraid of someone who has to knock out and tie up eleven year olds before he even shows his face?"
"Give me your key word," his voice was softer than I had originally been expecting and I shoved that bit of information into the back of my head.
"Why don't you go hide behind your mother's skirt before I decide that kicking your ass is worth the effort," I spat at the porcelain mask, ignoring the kunai tracing the side of my throat despite the iron scent coming from it. "You wuss, cut me free from this wire and lets see just how tough you are!'
"Oh, you talk big for such a little girl," the ninja wire around my wrists bit into my flesh as I heard the grin behind the man's words, "How about I show you just what I can do?"
"No thanks, I don't date Orochimaru wannabes."
"You," the man hissed, but I didn't have any space in my mind left to worry about what he was saying. All my concern was on the kunai digging its way through my thigh. I shoved every shred of self control and discipline that I possessed into keeping any sounds from escaping. I couldn't be bothered to spare a moment for what form my expression had taken or if those were real tears falling on to my lap. Satoshi's shouts were the only things that managed to make an impression on me and even that was limited only to the fact that he was saying something.
In the end, all my struggling was for nothing and my burned energy served no purpose. The shinobi's kunai shifted, slicing previously whole flesh in the process, until it connected with the one thing that would not give way. My nerves shrieked when the pain reached them, searing them beyond their limits as the message was passed through my body to my brain. I was hurt; I was in utter agony. The kunai was scrapping along the front of my femur without remorse, and I wondered if a spinal tap felt like this. I did not get far with this new thought as I realized that my ear drums were begging for permission to bleed in response to the sheer high pitch of the scream tearing through my throat.
My teeth clamped shut and I ignored the brush of pain from where they had caught my tongue. A large breath of air was my last as I held it in an effort to cut off my screaming. Beads of sweat were soaked up by the collar of my shirt from where they had formed along the back of my neck and I felt my lungs rebel against being filled to their max capacity. There had to be a way out of this test; I could not find it in myself to believe that this was the extent of it all. Even Naruto's first exam had a second element to it, but I hadn't the foggiest idea as to what the underneath to mine would be.
Thought scattered to the four corners of my personal hell when a fist slammed against my stomach, forcing blood from my lips. My eyes had enough time to settle on the equally large amount of liquid pouring from the wound upon my thigh before that same fist caught my face. The blow caused my head to snap back, red hair covering the pain twisting my expression. Muscles in my neck protested fiercely in response to the abuse, but their complaints were not as loud as those of my swelling cheek. Iron's flavor filled my mouth as my tongue poked tentatively at where several of my teeth used to be. It was wrong; all of it was wrong.
"The key word," the shinobi's voice hissed near my ear, but I wasn't paying him attention anymore. The vision in my left eye was partially obscured from the swelling around my cheek bone and yet I could still see enough to notice the red pool surrounding my chair. I didn't feel light headed nor did I feel cold; it wasn't right. Gloved fingers snatched the hair along the crown of my head, tilting my face until I was looking at the shinobi, "I will not ask again."
I shouldn't have been losing that much blood since the kunai had not hit my artery, it was simply too far to the outside of my leg. Even if it had magically nicked it, I should have at least noticed that much blood leaving my system. The blow to my abdomen should not have caused anything more than pain; it simply wasn't strong enough on its own to make me spit blood. Then the missing teeth. He hadn't hit my jaw at all with that punch. It was all wrong; it was all fake. They were intimidation tactics.
"Genjutsu."
"What?"
"Genjutsu," I repeated louder, wincing when my mind told me that the volume of my voice would have caused my stomach pain. Diving deep into myself, I searched for the flow of chakra to my brain that I would need to disrupt. While Hamaki might never have taught us much about the chakra control demanding branch of jutsu, I had taken the time to learn how to interrupt that flow. All one had to do was think of Naruto to remember just how much not having a defense against genjutsu could render even the strongest tank as weak as a babe when fighting the right type of shinobi. "Kai!"
My eyes snapped open and, in that first glance, I saw that I was in the white room again, but I was alone this time. My lung shuddered in desperation as they swallowed as much air as they could even as I tried my hardest not to cry. They...Konoha...why was this world so utterly screwed up? Didn't they know that this kind of practice was not normal on any level; that they could break someone doing that to them?!
Or maybe that was what they wanted.
Instinctively, loyally, stupidly I shied away from the very thought. Broken soldiers would not do them any good, no one won with the cracked and shattering merchandise.
Unless it made them unbreakable. Was it not true that the strongest swords were created in the hottest fires?
"No," a watery voice denied, unknowing that the word would start a different kind of hell.
"H-help...me."
Author's Note: I changed the way this test works. Love me readers! Muahahahaw!
