It took a few days for Anko to get the permission for me to try and pull Orochimaru's chakra from the poor man, and I spent three days down there with him as I pushed and pulled at the chakra experimentally to see what I could do.
I pulled at it finally, pulling it to draw it away from him and it burned my chakra strangely. It wasn't painful as such, whatever Orochimaru had done to my chakra all those years ago seemed to be confusing the curse mark chakra.
It didn't resist me because it recognised his chakra, but it didn't help me because there clearly wasn't enough of his chakra in mine to be cursed. Basically, I had confused the curse mark chakra so it didn't know what to do.
Good for me, it meant that I wouldn't have to fight it, which meant less damage to the marked man (I hadn't asked his name, he'd be rehabilitated if this worked and I'd probably never see him again so there was no point) and less damage to me as well.
Eventually I began to pull it away, piece by piece it crumbled from his chakra and flew around mine, trying to find a way in. I gritted my teeth and kept it out, grabbing it in my chakra and forcing it down into the earth where the overpowering earth chakra would recycle it into purer chakra.
Finally I was done, and I pulled away and relaxed back into myself. I slumped forwards with exhaustion and both Anko and Hiro-kun leapt forwards to keep me from falling onto the now formerly-cursed man and hauled me up onto my feet.
"Well done Sho," Anko murmured in my ear as they helped me stagger away "you've just saved that mans life."
I huffed a weak response as they took me to the hospital for the night, or day rather, as we came out of the prison block I realised that it was still bright and brilliant out.
"How long was I in there?" I asked pathetically as I was laid down on a hospital bed and examined.
"Four days pretty much, give or take an hour or so." Hiro explained as he pretty much shunned the nurse from the room and started his own examination.
Handy having a medic on the team, it was a wonder every team didn't have one. We'd certainly never be understaffed again, and given what I knew was coming that would be a blessing.
"Just chakra exhaustion, you'll be feeling fine in a few days." Hiro finally decided after a thorough examination and a small smile.
I hummed a thanks and they both left me to sleep off my tiredness, which I was more than thankful for. Chakra exhaustion wasn't like normal exhaustion, it seeped into you very core and sucked you dry. It hurt sometimes, depending on what had caused it. Fortunately for me this exhaustion only caused my body to ache rather than burn or sting as chakra exhaustion could do.
Two days later, I was out of the hospital. A day after that, Kakashi was home.
"Yo," He greeted casually, hand up in greeting as he walked into my apartment.
"So you're home, now come help me with this."
Kakashi looked almost crestfallen when I didn't ask about his mission but given that a) I already knew and b) I really needed to sort through these scrolls Anko had given me now I had a spare moment before the chunin exams.
I had started my own petition to get access to some of the 'forbidden' scrolls to actually find out what was forbidden and what had just been considered forbidden fifty or so years ago. Nobody went through these damn scrolls and things had changed in fifty years.
"You aren't very excited to see me." He pointed out dejectedly, but helped me move the scrolls into something resembling an orderly pile when he saw I was struggling.
He frowned over me "What's wrong?" his eyes skimmed me carefully for any injury.
"Spent bout four days with Anko pulling foreign chakra off a missing-nin," I told him tossing an illegible scroll into the discard pile "I'm still feeling it a bit."
Kakashi relaxed now he knew I wasn't injured and moved to my kitchen, probably to raid my cupboards for something eat.
"How was the mission? The kiddies do alright?" I asked, and I heard him hum from my kitchen.
"Sasuke awakened the Sharingan, but Naruto did something too…"
I peered up from the scroll I was reading "Do go on." I beckoned as he walked back through, mask on his chin as he devoured an apple.
"He, somehow, managed to call on the nine tails."
I stared, okay I knew it was coming but I still had to act surprised. After I stared for a little while and shuddered at the memory of that nine tails colossal chakra I returned to my reading. I had about two days before somebody realised these scrolls had vanished and Anko needed them back tonight.
"Help me with this, give yourself time to rest." I urged patting the chair beside me as he crunched away, but I made sure he cleaned his hands before he touched the scrolls.
"You ready for the exams?" He asked after we'd finished up, packing the scrolls into boxes to deliver back to Anko when she arrived.
"As I'll ever be, aren't there something like twelve chunin?" I stubbed my toe on a box and cursed loudly but Kakashi just smirked.
"A record amount, three Hyuuga including you-"
"-I'm not a Hyuuga."
"-plus one other leaf ninja, five from the sound, and three from the sand."
I glared at him, he knew I didn't like being addressed as a Hyuuga, not because I didn't miss them but because I did miss them. When my name flashed up on that electric board during our preliminaries it wouldn't say 'Shoko Hyuuga' it would just say 'Shoko'. It hurt not being part of the family any more, maybe one day I could be a Hyuuga again, but that wouldn't be for many, many years yet.
"I presume you'll be putting team seven forwards?" I asked stiffly, still irked by his deliberate mistake, he smiled at me and pulled his mask back up as Anko pushed open my front door.
She grinned at us both and collected up the boxes, handing me an old earth scroll for my troubles.
"Nobody will ever know." She had grinned as she gave it to me, another scroll that I could add to my little library.
I was becoming quite well known for being a sort of earth jutsu guru, people didn't understand how someone banished from their home could be a master of earth jutsu. It was widely understood that the Hyuuga rarely branched out with anything but medical ninjutsu, but I had a firm belief that the Hyuuga were all gifted with earth jutsu from years of family marriages.
Cousins marrying cousins was the norm in the Hyuuga family, and were I still part of it something that would probably have been expected of me at some point in my life to keep my bloodline pure.
Well, that would be if I could actually have children of my own, something I could not do due to the illness I had had all those years ago. There was nothing to be done, but if I ever decided to adopt then at least they wouldn't be branded with the seal like I was. Most days I forgot the seal still bore prominence on my uncovered forehead.
"When will our prelims take place? They need to cut down on applicants I'm sure." I asked Kakashi after Anko and her clones had gathered the boxes and darted away to return them before they were noticed.
"The genin will be in the forest for five days, after that what's left will watch you lot. To give them a taste of what's to come, and how chunin fight." He told me and I rolled my eyes.
"Because traumatising children is an excellent way to make them want to be ninja." I scoffed but Kakashi didn't seem to care.
"You have applied of course." Kakashi made it a statement rather than a question and I beamed at him.
"Of course."
He beamed back, and tugged at the hem of my top suggestively. I groaned but let him pull me to the bedroom.
"What part of chakra exhaustion don't you get?" I asked but he just winked over at me.
"You won't be doing much, I hope you don't need to talk too much tomorrow."
I laughed "I never scream."
"You do for me."
Have another sort-of filler, although this one has an important plot point so you may want to remember it. Ya know, just in case.
10th Squad 3rd seat, Yes it was a mistake, a dumb one at that -_- I'll fix it later! Promise!
MusicOfMadness, haha you may have to wait a few chapters! I've got thirty eight already finished! Wow is that a lot!
Godric's Innocent Angel, Ah I hope you aren't too badly hurt! Sounds awful, even if you are hurt I hope you feel better soon! I always like reviews, lets me know I'm doing something right!
Read and Review guys!
Tulip Out.
