A/N: Thanks to beta-reader HatefulShinobi for editing. YATTA!
Dimensions
Chapter 28: Sanomi's Winning Heart
Third Phase Area
"You miss your hair huh? WELL I DON'T CARE!" Ayame shouted. Sanomi was silent as she was boiling in her mind.
/Sanomi-chan...daijoubu ka/ Chikako stuttered.
Sanomi shook her head as slow as possible. She just took off her hair tie that would no longer be used anymore. Her hair flowed as a slow wind passed by her. Ayame was growing impatient by the silence and revealed what her spear does.
It started to glow bright yellow that it was blinding to see like the sun. Sanomi's eyes were staring straight at her and Ayame smiled as she paid attention to her death. Ayame was chanting something, something that Sanomi was unfamiliar of but then-
FLASH...
A bright beam overshadowed the spear and it formed into a larger spear.
"It's time for the finish!" Ayame ran towards Sanomi and at the last minute---
00000000000000000000000000000
BOOM
00000000000000000000000000000
Collision was in the air...
"SANOMI-CHAN!" Naruto shouted madly.
/KUSO! WHERE IS SHE?/ Naruto waited for the smoke to clear but nothing had changed since then. Everyone was waiting frantically for what might've happened to the two girls. As the smoke cleared, Naruto made the biggest grin of his entire life. Sanomi was still at it!
When Ayame was about to charge at Sanomi she quickly swiped her sword in and blocked it in the nick of time. Ayame struggled with her as the spear glowed more brightly than before. The Kochou Sword flowed pink chakra like flames.
"Wow...impressive. Reckless...but impressive." Ayame complimented roughly on her. Sanomi ignored the compliments and wanted to know something.
"Answer me...what is that thing you carry?" Sanomi asked as she groaned with exhaustion. She stayed strong no matter what because the battle was heating up. Ayame smirked and tried to hit her more but Sanomi blocked each blow.
"What is that thing you carry?" Sanomi asked once more. Ayame smirked and decided to answer the question.
"Fine I'll tell you. This is a weapon that my family passed on, the Hikari Spear." Her voice grew softer.
"I'm...the only one of the Kutoro clan." Sanomi made a frown and clanked more with her sword. She stepped back only to be cautious.
"What do you mean the 'only one'?" Sanomi's said as she skid across the dirt. She made a step and was waiting for an answer. Ayame turned her head to the side and showed sorrowful eyes. The spear was still on her hand but she continued to strike blows toward Sanomi.
"When I was eight years old...the Kutoro clan was strong. They were the most powerful clans in the area and stayed strongly no matter what the mission was." She eyed the ground like it was person staring right at her.
"Then one night...everything changed for me."
Flashback
Kutoro Clan Area
A eight-year-old little girl was sleeping soundly in a quiet night. She was having sweet dream when suddenly something disturbed her. She heard glass breaking rapidly and terrifying screams echoing behind the doors of her room.
"KAA-SAN!!!"
"KATSU MOVE!!!"
More glass was breaking and plates smashed into the floors. Noises high and low were causing destruction.
The girl walked rapidly and opened the door. With her cold bare feet she ran towards the first floor of the house and saw something dreadful.
Blood. A deep, rich red.
Blood was everywhere on the floor. She was about to throw up at the sight but she had to keep going to see what actually happened.
She went into the kitchen and heard deep voices. Not familiar with it she was behind a wall being cautious as possible. Her dark green eyes showed terrified fear and sweat was trickling down her forehead. She peeked her head by the walls and gasped. Her mother and father's bodies were on the floor dead. Not a breath being heard from them. Not even one tiny shallow type.
/K...Kaa-san? O...tou-san?/ She thought in her mind madly.
/Matte! Where's-/
"AYAME LOOK OUT!!!" Ayame turned around and all she saw was a silver blade coming right at her. But something stopped her-and it wasn't what she was expecting.
"ANE-SAN!!!" Ayame went to the ground and saw her sister herself. She was slashed as a pool of blood started to form around. Ayame felt like throwing up as the intensity of the visual made her sick. A voice croaked from her sister.
"...Imouto...take what's in my...back...I love you." Soon she fell out of unconscious and was with their parents.
"ANE-SAN!!! NO!!!" Ayame cried with all her might but she saw what was in her back. It was the Hikari Spear. Ayame's hand was shaking but the two men were behind her.
"Come with us little girl. Or your life with vanish forever." The man laughed greedily. Ayame shook her head madly and had running tears in her eyes. She immediately grabbed the Hikari Spear and pointed it to the two men.
"Get closer and you'll die." She whispered harshly. The two men smirked with disbelief.
"Aw what are you going to do with that? It's just a toy."
They were both samurai men with their swords shining in the moonlight sky. Ayame gulped and held the stick tightly. She closed her eyes and prayed that something would happen.
The spear made an enchanting glow and the samurai men were too awed to realize their death. The spear flew immediately through both the two men and both were on the ground. Ayame panted short breaths and she had to leave the house. She ran with all her might hoping that there was another way out of this world.
The sky was red and orange meaning the sunrise was about to appear but in Ayame's mind it was bathed with darkness. She was too preoccupied to see that a man was standing in front of her in a pathway. She was down on the ground holding the glowing stick. She lifted her head up as she panted tiredly looking at the man. It turned out that he had a peach kimono worn in his body and had long black hair. His eyes were so mysterious that Ayame was frightened by them. The man started to speak in a hissing voice.
"I saw what happened little girl. Come with me. I'll give you all the power you need to avenge samurais everywhere." He lend her a hand. Ayame did knew that samurais killed her whole clan. She was angry at the point and wasn't thinking clearly. But she shook her head no.
"No?" He hissed. "Well it's your choice. Follow me if you want. It'll lead to your success." The man silently walked away and Ayame heard his words. She closed her eyes and thought about her whole family being killed at one. She gulped and hoped that this was her path to avenge. She ran. Ran to the man who offered the help.
"Excellent." He licked his long tongue through his lips. The sun rose with a new beginning to start.
End Flashback
Ayame thought about that terrible event. But it was now in the past. She had been through tough decisions and she was making the best one of her life. Now only Sanomi was in her way of success.
"Stay back!" Ayame made a final blow and Sanomi was back on the ground again.
"Sanomi! Stand up!!!" Naruto shouted.
Sanomi went up and eyed herself. She had a lot of rips on her red clothed dress and part of her sleeves were ripped terribly. No matter what the situation was, she couldn't give up. She wanted to do this on her own as blood dripped on her cheek and mouth. She swiftly wiped it with her hand. Ayame's spear was incredible. When it was just a foot apart it could rip part of Sanomi.
"My dream is to kill all samurais village after village. I killed one who was a bit weak anyway. Do you want to know who that person is?" Ayame asked. Sanomi eyed the ground.
"YOU!" Ayame charged immediately towards Sanomi but Sanomi just stood there like an imitation. Ayame did a slash on her glowing Hikari Spear but it just passed through.
"A clone?" Sanomi was in a cloud of smoke and turned into nothing.
/Where is she?/ She thought. Just then a shadow was surrounding the Sound nin and she looked up in the sky. Sanomi punched her in the chest making Ayame down on the ground. Sanomi took a couple of breaths and eyed the dark eyed girl. Ayame was on the ground with kunais Sanomi pinned.
"Nobody calls me weak!" Sanomi shouted. Ayame gasped at the sudden movement and tried to get away. But Sanomi was on top of her.
"Everyone has their own unique talent. Killing is not an option for me. Change yourself, I hear a lot from the Hikari Spear in old fairytales." Sanomi responded.
"In the fairytales, the Hikari Spear only had a purpose; to let people live and survive. The spear is not to kill innocent people who want to be samurais. Little boys and girls dream of becoming one and serving their country, and that's what I'm doing. My purpose is not to kill anyone with this sword." Sanomi glanced at her sword.
"This sword is to guard and defend someone precious." Ayame slowly got out of the kunai trap and got up to eye Sanomi closely.
"That sword...the legendary swordsman Mirai killed innocent people's lives with that murderous thing."
"YOU ARE A LIAR! She sheltered many people with this sword. Your sister protected you when you were in danger. She risked her life for you to save yours. Why does that sicken you so?" Sanomi wanted so many answers and explanations.
"BECAUSE SHE SHOULDN'T DIE RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE!" Ayame screamed and had her head up high.
"I should've been the one killed not her." Ayame wiped the sweat in her forehead. Tension was incredibly rising and Sanomi tried to calm everything that was happening.
"She did it because she loved you. You would do the same wouldn't you?" Sanomi asked. But Ayame had other things in mind.
/The Kochou Samurai...she's making more sense...KUSO! I MUST KILL!/
Ayame clutched the spear tightly in her hand that her knuckles turned white. She charged at Sanomi and she did the same with her Kochou blade. Clanks of collisions rose everywhere that Sanomi nor Ayame couldn't give up on this. Ayame wanted to do one last move and this would be the final finish.
"AYAME STOP THIS! YOU DON'T NEED TO DO THIS!" Sanomi shouted.
"Well don't interfere! You don't know anything!" Ayame screamed back.
"KAGE HIKARI NO JUTSU!!!" Ayame's spear turned into a neon green and it looked like dark flames were bursting through. Everyone stared amazed and her eyes were full of intent. Sanomi had to face the attack but had something up her sleeve.
Ayame screamed with fury as the spear touched the sword with power. Explosions were caused on the ground that it made a humongous hole. Grounds shook madly and the impact was hard like an earthquake.
"SANOMI-CHAN!!!" Naruto shouted. Dust was clouding the whole arena that it was impossible to see. No one knew who won and everyone was waiting for the dust to clear.
Once the dust was clear only a dark wall was seen in front of the audience. The proctor waited until something had to happen.
/Nani? Sanomi-chan.../ Naruto thought worriedly. It took 30 seconds before something happened. Something swiftly flew out of the dark walls and high in the sky.
"S-Sanomi?" Naruto whispered. Sanomi had her eyes closed and was doing the Dark Garden jutsu. Her wings popped out and was safely lowering down on the ground.
/Finally. All that training paid off.../ Sanomi thought as she did hand signs continuing the jutsu. Even the examiner was shocked at the movement.
Sanomi had pink chakra flowing through her that Naruto couldn't believe what he was seeing.
/Is this...the real Sanomi-chan?/ Naruto thought.
Meanwhile in the Dark Garden Ayame's eyes were total blank. She was seeing so many glowing vines and butterflies around her that she was amused by the look of them. She didn't know that she was in a genjutsu attack.
/I think that's enough.../ Sanomi thought and she undid the jutsu with a clap of her hands. The dark walls disappeared leaving the opponent down on the ground.
/Did that do it?/ Chikako thought. The examiner took a look at Ayame and he nodded for no approval of movement.
"The winner of this match is Kariko Sanomi." He finally announced. Sanomi took a deep breath of relief. She couldn't believe that she was already done. The match was hardcore, that she was rubbing her arm in pain.
The spectators were roaring with cheers. They had never seen such a match before. Even the new participant in the exams.
Flashback
Before the big collision Sanomi whispered something in Ayame's ear.
"I do understand."
"No...you don't..." Ayame whispered as she was inside the dark wall. She punched Sanomi multiple times in the arm that Sanomi tried not to feel so much pain. She was standing with Ayame not being fazed by the Dark Garden. Vines glowed rapidly and Sanomi did slow hand signs to keep the jutsu going.
"Why do you do this? Do you know that this is my purpose?" Ayame whispered harshly. Sanomi closed her eyes avoiding such a question.
"Do you?"
Sanomi had one simple answer as she opened her eyes.
"No. Purposes do not always come true. It is the person's will that will change everything..." Sanomi sprouted her wings from her back and Ayame was struggling with the vines, trying not to look at them.
"But..." Ayame grew very weak and the vines were illuminating her. Sanomi turned away from Ayame.
"Sumimasen, forgive me. I will erase your mind except your past. But you'd never knew a person named Orochimaru."
Ayame couldn't believe this was happening. This was her only chance to make Orochimaru proud of her and her family. But one girl got in her way...but was she right? Her mind started to fade away...and she was now with the neon vines glowing slowly and slowly. Sanomi had a tear in her eye and flew out of the darkness.
/Kutoro Ayame...we never knew each other./
End Flashback
"Good job Sanomi-chan." Chikako's butterfly form appeared in front of Sanomi's face.
"Arigatou gozaimasu." Sanomi whispered.
"I guess you revealed the Dark Garden jutsu's real power." She whispered. Sanomi felt so sore that Naruto was waving at her happily.
"GOOD MATCH SANOMI-CHAN!!! YOU SHOWED HER!!!" Naruto shouted with all his might. The only thing that Sanomi could do was make a smile and wave letting Naruto know that she heard his voice.
"All right, will Sabaku no Gaara and Uchiha Sasuke come to the arena?" The examiner chewed on a senbon needle and waited for anyone to come up. Gaara came to the field yet Sasuke wasn't here.
"If Uchiha Sasuke isn't here for five minutes, the match is withdrawn to Sabaku Gaara."
As Gaara was waiting he watched as the doctors carried Kutoro Ayame and was sending her to the hospital.
"Hold on." Gaara saw Sanomi walking slowly towards the doctors and it turned out that she had the Hikari Spear in her hand.
"This is hers." Sanomi gave the spear to the doctor as they scurried along.
/This is not your purpose Ayame. You are not meant to kill innocent people.../ Sanomi closed her eyes with pain all over.
/I hope you know how to use that thing now./ Sanomi thought.
"Excuse me. Kariko-san?" A fellow doctor was running towards her.
"We need to examine you to see if you have any injuries." He said. Sanomi shook her head.
"I'm fine, thank you." Sanomi smiled.
"You sure?" He asked dumbfounded. Sanomi nodded and the doctor had no choice. He ran towards the other doctors who were carrying the injured girl.
"Kariko..." Sanomi turned and saw Gaara walking over to her.
"Na-nani?"
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Well that's me to know and you to find out." She answered. Gaara lowered his eyes. In the next three minutes his opponent would be disqualified if he doesn't show up. But he couldn't stop questioning the girl.
"Why did you give the spear back to your opponent?" Gaara asked once more. Sanomi cocked her head.
"Because I wanted to. She deserves another chance." She whispered. She lifted her head to look at the sky and she was worried.
/Sasuke-kun...come on.../ Sanomi waited as she was standing in the open field. But as every minute passed she felt so dizzy. She should go back to the sidelines now. She did lose a lot of chakra from doing the genjutsu. Kochou chakra had to be used wisely. It doesn't always do every jutsu in one day.
"Sanomi-chan?" Naruto walked over to her a couple of feet away and Sanomi was about to fall.
/So...tired.../ Naruto was running towards her but someone appeared out of no where behind the trees. Naruto stopped as the figure caught Sanomi in the nick of time. The figure had a white cloak and the hood was on the head. In the figure's wrist was a jade bracelet while in the back of the cloak there was a picture of a designed snowflake.
"Sanomi-chan...wake up..." The figure whispered in a soft voice. Sanomi opened her eyes a bit and she could barely see the figure's face.
"Who are you?" Sanomi asked in a confused tone. The figure smirked.
"Someone you knew for a long time." It was all the figure could say and embraced the body tightly.
"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SANOMI-CHAN! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Naruto shouted. The figure made a small smile and helped Sanomi up in her feet.
"Arigatou gozaimasu..." Sanomi whispered. The figure nodded her head.
"I love your hair exactly how it is...Haru. I'll miss you." The figure disappeared in a flash and Sanomi turned her head to side to see Naruto was running towards her.
"Who was that Sanomi?" Naruto asked. Sanomi made a blush.
"No one..."
/I have no idea how you got here...Yuki.../
Suddenly a gust of leaves flew all over the place and two people were standing. Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke.
/Sasuke-kun.../ Sanomi was thankful that he didn't miss the time limit.
"State your name." The referee said.
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke responded himself. He then spotted his opponent and the rest of the gang.
"Sasuke! There you are! I thought you wouldn't make it. And guess what? I won that match!" Naruto exclaimed.
"You? Of all people? Hah." Sasuke scoffed. Naruto made an anime vein.
"Well it's true!" He pouted. Sanomi went over to the raven-haired boy and bowed respectfully to him.
"I'm glad you're better Sasuke." Sanomi turned to avert his gaze. Sasuke looked at her and she was dirty and her hair was cut off.
"You fought?" He asked. Sanomi nodded truthfully.
"I did by best and won." She responded. Gaara was looking straight at them.
/Look at them...fools.../ He thought, scowling.
/I can't wait to kill him, okaa-san needs blood/
"I wish you luck, Sasuke-kun." Sanomi rubbed her arm playfully.
"Hn." He replied. Naruto took Sanomi to Kakashi and wanted to check how she was doing with the previous injuries. Meanwhile, the match between Sasuke and Gaara would now begin.
/Good luck.../ Sanomi thought.
Reality
With a bright light Wong Yuki was back in her room again. She eyed the cloak close to her and rubbed it softly in her cheek.
"Haru-chan..." She whispered. "You did very well."
