Chapter Fifteen
"Bring it Onji, if you still got it!" said Kuwabara, as he flexed his arm up and clenched his hands into fists.
"And by the unquestionable authority of randomly rolled dice, Kuwabara and Onji will fight, starting right now!" announced Juri. The crowd cheered throughout the stadium as most have returned after Shishi's defeat.
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Outside the stadium Neji was still seated at the base of a tree with Yusuke sleeping peacefully against him. Their moment of peace was nice, considering all the craziness that had been going on between the Chuunin exams and the Dark Tournament. This gave Neji some time to reflect and ponder about what the next step was between him and Yusuke. Calling her his rival seemed ridiculous since it was painfully obvious that Yusuke was a class beyond reachable for someone like him. And by how their jounin teachers all seemed to react, it was clear that she had gone beyond even their level of capability. As he came to this revelation their peace was soon disrupted as three ugly youkai walked up to Neji and Yusuke, with evil grins on their faces.
"Isn't that sweet?" said a grey pig-like youkai.
"Hey there, mon ami. We've been looking for something fun to do. Why don't you drop the dead weight and come with us?" suggested a green goblin-like youkai. While the third, hairy youkai looked down at Yusuke.
"If it isn't..." he trailed off.
"Urameshi!" They all said in unison.
"You know what this means for us, don't you boys?" began the hairy youkai. "It means all those years of avoiding steady employment finally paid off. Once we whack Urameshi they'll make us into heroes! We can have anything we want! Here's to glory!"
Neji held Yusuke close to him, secretly pulling out a kunai as the hairy youkai was about to swipe his giant claws at them, when suddenly he was knocked in the face by a yo-yo. Neji's eyes widened in surprise.
"Who the—?" stuttered the pig, as he and the goblin looked up at the offender.
"It's Rinku! And Chu, as well!" said the goblin. Both hurried to quickly get away, when they were blocked by two more people.
"Am I hallucinating, or is that Jin and Touya, too?" said the pig.
"Um, excuse us." the goblin said, as he and the pig picked up their fallen comrade and scurried off.
"Well, I guess I owe you thanks." Neji said, relaxing a bit but keeping his hold on the kunai just in case. After all, they might have the same idea of killing Yusuke while in her vulnerable state.
"Don't get all mushy and stuff, man. It was no big deal. You're just lucky we happened to walk by." said Rinku, folding his hands behind his head.
"Right…but didn't Yusuke's team beat you guys?" Neji asked, looking up at the four youkais. "Why are you helping us?"
"Now mate, your girl did alright by me, and I don't forget." said Chu, as he crouched down in front of Yusuke to get a better look at her. "Hah! You should be grateful that the tike wanted to hang around for a few more days."
"And he's been drinking this country dry since he lost to Urameshi, the big mope!" Rinku grinned.
"I ain't no mope! You take that back!" Chuu yelled in defense.
"Not gonna!" Rinku yelled back.
"Ya better!"
While Chu and Rinku squawked like a pair of hens, Jin was looking down at Yusuke curiously. "What's wrong, Jin?" Touya asked, as Chu and Rinku stopped their pointless fighting to look.
The Wind Master crouched down before Yusuke, getting a closer look but it wasn't what he saw that caught his attention, it was what he felt and he was in awe. "Why…she seems to have gotten a lot stronger!"
"Really?" Rinku asked.
"You're right." Chu said, crouching down beside Jin to analyze Yusuke too. "If I went another round with her, I might actually have to try." he said to himself.
"I would say you tried pretty hard before." said Rinku, earning himself a conk to the head by Chu.
"Shut yer clacker!" said Chu, as he bent down to Yusuke again.
Jin snickered in good humor. "Look at her passed out. She looks so harmless...so human, asleep like this. She's even cuter like this!" Jin gave a light pinch to Yusuke's cheek, annoying the girl in her sleep as she absently swatted at his hand with hers.
"Ow…Neji that hurt, you jerk..." Yusuke mumbled as she slid down, her head landing onto Neji's lap, making the Hyuuga boy blush profusely.
"Uh, Yu-Yusuke?" Neji stuttered, more than a little embarrassed to be in front of four youkai who were obviously going to get the wrong idea.
"Stop treating me like a baby all the time. I'm not a little kid…anymore." Yusuke mumbled. Jin stood up straight again as he stared confusedly at the sleeping girl. Chu threw his head back and laughed while Rinku and Touya joined in the laughter.
"She is so whipped." said Rinku.
"I see you've domesticated our sheila nice and fine, mate. We'll leave you two alone. You keep on havin' your naughty!" Chu said with a teasing wink at Neji.
Neji immediately turned red from the base of his neck to the top of his head. "Why is that all anyone thinks a boy and a girl can do when they're alone?" Neji asked, making the four laugh even harder.
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Onji dodged every swing of Kuwabara's fists with great agility for an old man like him. Especially when comparing him to Kuwabara and his youth.
"I was gonna give you a senior discount, but now its reiki time!" Kuwabara said, as he summoned his Rei Ken.
"A weapon like that must use up a lot of ki. Don't burn yourself out too quickly now." said Onji, as he jumped to the side, away from Kuwabara strike. "It might help if you aimed for me." He taunted. "Oh, too slow!" He said, as Onji continued to taunt and dodge Kuwabara's sword, Kuwabara was beginning to wonder why he could not hit the old man.
Why can't I keep up with this geezer? His reiki feels weaker than he looks! I'm glad I left the girls outside and Yukina's not here to see this. Kuwabara thought.
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"Go Kazuma! You can do it!" called out Yukina from the stands.
"You can't just wait for him to die from old age, bro!" yelled Shizuru.
"You don't want to lose and disappoint Yukina, do you?" Kiba said teasingly.
"Why would I be disappointed if he lost a fight?" asked Yukina.
"Oh no, sweetie, it's not true. That's just what we call motivation, you see!" said Botan.
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"Where'd you run off to, you slimy weasel? I can't fight you if you vanish!" said Kuwabara, as he looked around the ring.
"Oh, is that what you were doing?" asked Onji, looking out from behind Juri.
"You sir, are a coward, running and hiding behind the innocent! Why don't you stand in one place and fight like a man?" said Kuwabara.
"All right, crybaby. I'll stand in one place and promise not to budge." said Onji.
"Liar!" Kuwabara yelled out.
"My body's not so spry these days, I could use the rest." said Onji.
"Fine. Stay put exactly where you are old man! And I'll help you rest in pieces!" Kuwabara said, as he charged forward. Juri ran away screaming as Kuwabara came running up to attack, swinging his Rei Ken.
"Don't do it, Kuwabara." Kurama warned, as Onji moved his hands to make a black bubble appear.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Kuwabara asked, as he ran forward, with his sword raised to strike, and ran straight into the bubble. Hitting his head against the bubbles wall and falling onto his back.
"I can't believe he walked right into that trap on his own." Kurama sighed.
"He is a first class fool." said Hiei.
"Agreed. A fool and a moron." said Genkai.
"An exciting turn! Onji led Kuwabara inside a big bubble, and he can't break free! Who knows what's planned for this boy in a bubble?" said Koto.
"Hey! Let me out of here you stupid trickster!" Kuwabara demanded.
"Don't worry. This is going to feel something like Shishi's Cape of No Return. You do remember what that was like, don't you? After all, that wasn't very long ago, and it's tough to forget being transported through a different dimension." said Onji. "Shishi required the piece of cloth I gave him to perform this technique, but since I invented it, I don't need any props. The other four member of Team Urayutogi were merely fillers so I could enter the tournament, but they never amounted to anything without me and my gifts. The Steaming Spheres, the Idunn Box, the Banshee Shriek. All specially-tailored by little old me."
Kuwabara began to spin inside the bubble as the bubble itself began to shrink. Until it vanished all together.
"I know where this is going! Kuwabara is out of the ring and won't be back in ten! The winner is Onji!" announced Juri.
xxxxx
Elsewhere, a black cloud spat out Kuwabara again, as he again was falling back towards the ground like a falling rock. "Not again!" He cried, as he hit the solid earth once more. Pushing himself up, he looked around him and found that he was back in the old stadium once more. "Of all the places, why do they keep sending me here? If they don't think Kuwabara Kazuma is cut out for inter-dimensional travel, they've got another thing coming! Let's go geezer!"Kuwabara turned and ran towards the exit, sprinting back up the path to the semi-finals.
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"Let's see who I'll have the pleasure of humiliating next." Onji said, holding up the die with the Urameshi team member's names. "I've got a faint feeling in my old trick knee that it's gonna be you." he looked at Kurama. "Now, I know all the secrets of the Idunn Box, and I can change you into whatever form I please. So sorry, but you'll have to fight me in your human form."
"Presumptive, considering you haven't yet rolled." said Kurama. Onji tossed the single die, as it rolled on the floor and landed on Genkai's name.
"So it's the Unmasked Warrior's turn to meet her doom. Isn't this a riot? The battle of the elderly!" said Onji, giving a light chuckle as Genkai walked up into the ring.
"Why don't you drop your tired act and lose the disguise. You won't be fooling anyone else with that crappy mask." said Genkai.
"Disguise?" Kurama repeated, slightly surprised that he did not pick up on the act.
"I don't know who you are, but you're no old man. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the kind of person who will underestimate you based on false age." said Genkai.
"You've got a pretty sharp eye there, for such an ugly, worn past-its-prime body. You're the first to notice. I even masked my own Reiki. You see, disguise is one of my favorite hobbies." Onji ripped the skin of his disguise off of his face, as his aura began to glow red. "To be brutally honest, there are a few things I find more repulsive than old people. That moth-ball smell that hovers around them makes me absolutely retch. That's why I chose this getup. I thought wearing the skin of something I abhorred would all the more fuel my rage. Now..." Onji raised his arms up and began to chant: "Fallaces sont rerum species tamquam alter idem flamma fumo est!" In a puff of purple smoke, Onji's laugh became deeper and richer. As the smoke cleared, everyone seemed rather appalled than surprised at the sight of Onji's true form. All eyes, looking at a man dressed up like a colorful clown. "Yes! Free at last! A few more minutes smothered under that mask, and I might've got real wrinkles! You see, I plan to die before showing any signs of aging. This is my fate. It's the price we artists have to pay. My image is my greatest masterpiece; and so will live on as a legend eternitus! I must rely on all of you who witness my art, to recount it throughout the generations and keep me alive! So never forget, ladies and gentlemen, what you are about the see from me, the master of a thousand faces and a thousand tricks, the Beautiful Suzuka!"
"Of course I'd hate to ruin a piece of art, Suzuka, but I have no holdups with you. You're a piece of trash." said Genkai.
"You must never refer to me by my proper name without placing 'beautiful' in front of it, or you won't live to repeat your mistake. 'Beautiful' is a word made just for me and we two shall never part!" said the Beautiful Suzuka.
"Fruitcake." said Genkai, not caring either way.
"This idiot makes Kuwabara look smart." said Hiei.
"I admit; I'm embarrassed listening to him." said Kurama, as the "Beautiful" Suzuka laughed richly to himself.
"Well, the decrepit Onji has transformed into Suzuka with an odd, better make that interesting wardrobe selection on his part." Koto said, before she shrieked and ducked as a sharp-edged card whizzed over her head, and embedded itself into an audience member behind her. "That was freakin' sweet!"
"I've already told you to put 'beautiful' in front of my name. It's very important." said Suzuka.
"For somebody who wants to be known by the world, you sure hide behind a lot of masks. You must be compensating for something abysmal." said Genkai in a matter-of-fact tone.
"The greatest legends are all shrouded in ambiguity. It seems the imagination is more captivating by the unknown." said Suzuka, as he threw his hands up. "People are simply more inclined to build up in their own minds that which they cannot see, or which have multiple incarnations. Look at how they fear the Devil and revere God. With mystery comes colossal power! And that power will be mine. In a thousand years they'll worship me, and each will have a unique vision and one will say: 'The Beautiful Suzuka, he looked like this!' And another will say, 'No, like this!' 'No like this!' And each vision will be grander than the last and I will live forever!" Suzuka laughed, as he, himself, envisioned such a theory.
"I don't get what's so funny." said Hiei.
"I thought clowns made everybody else laugh." said Kurama.
"Let it be sung throughout the land that upon my victory at this tournament, I'll first eradicate the elderly from the world, in honor of the soon-to-be-late Genkai. And then I shall strike down all who refuse to worship me, the Beautiful Suzuka! And that, as they say, will be that." said Suzuka, causing a riot in the stands.
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"Go back to the circus you ridiculous looking clown!" Naruto yelled out, along with many other youkai. Suzuka raised his left hand and shot a blast of blue reiki up at the stands. Blowing away a section of the stadium, where Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Tenten, Chouji, Botan, Shizuru, and Yukina were seated very near.
"You just had to open your big mouth." Sakura hissed, smacking Naruto's head.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry!" Naruto exclaimed from every smack he received.
xxxxx
"I'm not a fan of insubordination." Suzuka said.
"This wacko's serious about that domination stuff." said a youkai.
"This sucks, now we can't root for either of 'em." said another youkai.
"For once they're showing taste." said Hiei, hearing the complaints of the audience.
"I guess I fired 'em up." said Suzuka, as he laughed at his own joke.
"So, um, you think you might be ready?" asked Juri.
"Yes, let's shut this jerk up!" said Genkai.
"Right! Let the battle begin!" announced Juri.
"You're feeling so confident because you managed to defeat my front man. But while I did teach him everything that he knew, I didn't merely teach him everything that I do. Don't even think of using that same reiki-borrowing stunt on me." said Suzuka. "For that to work, you have to lock onto its exact wavelength, and as you're no doubt discovering, I can disguise that as well as my face. You're frustrated! You can sense I have so much reiki, but you can't hone in on it! Marvel at my art as I unleash my palette! I call this one Rainbow Cyclone!" Suzuka's power began to rise, as colors of the rainbow streamed out, hitting Genkai and forcing her back into a wall. Devastating a small part of the stadium, and a small portion of the audience as well.
"It seems Suzuka—I mean it seems the Beautiful Suzuka has blasted Genkai with his gorgeous Rainbow Cyclone. And he didn't just knock her to the wall. He knocked her right smack through it!" said Koto.
"It's truly a spectacular attack. Not only is it lethal, but its killer to look at! All those vibrant colors are so lovely, aren't they?" Suzuka boasted, "Though I'm sure Genkai didn't think so as they plunged through her heart and bashed her into that wall! You! What are you waiting for?"
"Oh, right, out of the ring. I'll start that count." Juri said as she began the countdown.
"What a tragedy it's over. I had nine-hundred and ninety-nine more faces and nine-hundred and ninety-nine more tricks I wanted to use!" said Suzuka.
"Five..." Juri stopped her count as Genkai moved the rubble out of the way, appearing to be unscathed.
"Genkai's emerged from the rubble unharmed. There's not even a scar or a deep bloody gash on this woman! Not that that makes the Beautiful Suzuka's beautiful attack any less beautiful." said Koto, needing to avoid getting killed by the clown youkai.
"Forgive me if I'm not impressed." said Suzuka, as Genkai reentered the ring.
"I know, you play by higher standards, but at least give me credit for the nose." Genkai said with a smirk. Suzuka gasped as he realized his bright red nose was gone, paralyzed by shock as Genkai twirled the rubber nose around her finger. "If I'd had more time, I would've taken that big, ugly grin off your face too."
"But when'd you do that?" asked Juri.
"Naturally my eyes could follow every inch of Genkai's movement." said Hiei.
"I saw the whole thing, too." said Kurama. The large gate to the arena slid open as Kuwabara returned, stopping behind Kurama and Hiei to catch his breath. "Kuwabara!" Kurama said in surprise.
"And only five hundred seconds too late to matter." said Hiei.
"Hey, where's that guy I was fighting? I wasn't done yet!" said Kuwabara.
"So which is more humiliating, losing to an old man or to a clown?" asked Hiei.
"A clown, definitely worse to a clown!" said Kuwabara, as he looked up into the ring.
"So you lost a nose." Genkai said, as she shot the rubber nose at Suzuka's face. "Who cares? I've ripped out vital organs that were real!"
"But I feel so naked without it!" said Suzuka, covering up his bare nose with his hands.
"Stop your whining, you joker. I put my whole body through hell to make it strong enough for my Reikoudan. And you're crying about some nasal accessory?" said Genkai. "You're not a real fighter. I sure as hell won't waste what little reiki I have left on your half-assed routine. Why, it won't take more than these two bare, wrinkled fists to knock that sissy make-up right off your face and onto the concrete, right next to your false nose..." Genkai raised up her fists, hopping from foot to foot to prove her point. "So come on, kiddo. No matter what you throw, I promise not to use any weapon other than my own muscles to pound the beauty out of you." said Genkai.
"I'm not scared of an old lady. If you're not using reiki then neither will I!" Suzuka said, as he stood firmly on the floor, pulling at his power to enhance his muscle mass as they ripped through his colorful shirt. "Toguro's got nothing on me! Welcome to the Body of Steel Muscle Explosion!" Suzuka laughed again, as he admired his own body by flexing and showing off. "Will you just look at these magnificent washboard abs? Watch me now as I rhythmically flex my pecs!"
"Featherweight. Let me tell you what your problem is, Suzuka." said Genkai, getting her opponent's attention.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Admittedly you have talent. You helped scrounge up a team of third-rate youkai and found weapons suiting them well enough to get to the semi-finals. You know more about arsenals and techniques than anyone I've met. But like a true idiot you forgot all about your strength. You're nothing but surface. A supped-up cannon without ammunition to fire. You're even weaker than your front man." said Genkai.
Suzuka then became enraged at Genkai's words, as he ran forward, intent on striking first. Only to be punched square in the jaw and flew across the ring with Genkai running next to his flying body. And then, having Genkai jump on his back like a trampoline before hopping off and then kicking him skyward like a football. As Suzuka came spiraling to the ring, Genkai caught him in the back with her raised fist.
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"Wow! She's amazing!" Naruto said in awe.
"And the fact that he's substandard doesn't help him much." said Shikamaru.
xxxxx
"You see?" said Genkai, as she kneed Suzuka in the face, sending him spinning like a top. Genkai ran around to the other side of him and punched across his face again. "You-just-don't-have-what-it-takes!" Genkai said, emphasizing each word with every hit she made, until she abruptly ceased her attack. "That's enough. Oh, I forgot to look at that so called beautiful face of his."
Suzuka's face was now all misshapen as welts and bruises, along with a few missing teeth was what was left of the "Beautiful" Suzuka, before he fell to the floor.
"You okay?" Juri asked, as she prodded her foot against Suzuka's bottom. "It seems the Beautiful Suzuka, who has a remarkably firm toosh, is pretty much incapacitated, making Genkai the winner!"
After the semi-finals were over, the Urameshi Team were all walking down the hall of the stadium towards the exit together. While some of the fans had run off, avoiding to get in their way.
"Don't look now, it's the ningens." muttered a youkai.
"Can you believe we made it to the finals? You guys were all super!" said Botan.
"I got a kick out of watching you, Kazuma-kun." said Yukina earnestly.
"Why, thank you, Yukina-chan. It's nice to see someone appreciates my strategy. See there was no one worth wasting my reiki on, so I had the bad guys reveal their weaknesses so Genkai could knock 'em down." Kuwabara said.
"More like you made a big mess and Genkai cleaned up after you, like someone always does." said Shizuru.
"Hey, that stung! You take that back, nee-chan!" Kuwabara demanded, as everyone laughed.
"Just the truth, bro." said Shizuru.
"Well no one cares!" said Kuwabara.
"Actually, I'd like to hear it." Hiei said, smirking at Kuwabara's expense.
"Stay out of this shorty!" said Kuwabara, rounding up on Hiei.
"Now everyone, behave." said the Hokage, as he and the jounins and Sasuke came walking up the hall to meet them.
"Hokage-sama!" the genins all gasped.
"Ack! Sasuke-teme! What the hell are you doing here?!" Naruto yelled.
"Heh, Dobe, still as dumb as ever." Sasuke scoffed.
"Well done, Genkai, I enjoyed watching your match today, it brought back memories of when we fought side-by-side." said the Hokage.
"Glad to know I didn't bore you, Sarutobi." Genkai said.
"Unlike some idiot who walks into obvious traps." Kiba said, hinting that he was talking about Kuwabara who definitely heard.
"That was just a cheap trick!" Kuwabara said in his defense.
"I'm leaving." said Genkai, as she walked ahead of everyone, her teams voices slowly dying away as she walked on down the hall.
"It took all of us working as a team to make it this far." Kurama said.
"Not him!" said Hiei, looking pointedly at Kuwabara.
"I fought just as many fights as you did!" said Kuwabara.
"And lost them both." stated Hiei.
"Oh yeah? Well you weren't the one..."
Genkai turned a corner to see Toguro leaning against a wall, seemingly to have been waiting for her.
"Greetings old friend. I have to talk to you soon." said Toguro.
"I know you do." Genkai replied, as she walked past him.
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"That girl sure can sleep at the most hectic point of time." Tenten said, coming downstairs after she had checked in on Yusuke.
"Good. For now…" Genkai turned her gaze to the stairs that lead upstairs. "…let's just let her sleep."
"But the finals are three days away. What if she doesn't wake up in time?" Kuwabara asked.
"Trust me, Yusuke will wake up, she's not the stupid kid she used to be." Genkai said.
"Just how well do you think you know your student?" Susumu asked. Genkai sweat-dropped as she didn't reply. There's a question for the ages. she thought dryly.
Later that afternoon, Neji stopped by to check if Yusuke was awake but when he came inside he stopped mid-step from the entrance when he saw Genkai coming to him. The old woman stopped before him, looking up at him, studying his face. Neji was fully aware of who Genkai was, having heard of her legend and bowed respectfully to her. After a while, Genkai smiled up at him.
"So you're Neji." she stated calmly. Neji nodded his head in acknowledgement and Genkai's smile softened. "Take care of Yusuke. She loves you." she said, and then proceeded to slip on her shoes. "I'll be seeing you around. Oh, and if she wakes up, tell her not to follow me."
Neji was slightly taken aback by Genkai's statement about Yusuke's feelings for him, and by how casually she said it as if Yusuke had told the old woman herself. Shrugging it off, Neji proceeded to Yusuke's room, only to notice that Yusuke was still sleeping soundly in bed. Only Kuwabara was present in the room, taking charge of watching over his teammate since it was feared that other teams in the semi-final would send an assassin. Neji had taken a spot to lean against the window, silently watching over Yusuke. Kuwabara didn't mind one bit as he read through a magazine. After an hour, Yusuke suddenly awoke from her sleep and immediately sat up in her bed; catching both Neji and Kuwabara's attention.
"Hey, you're up in time after all." Kuwabara said, "Uh, you okay? You have a nightmare or something?"
"Genkai…where did she go to?" Yusuke asked sternly.
"We don't know, but she did say for you not to follow her, though." said Neji.
"Baka!" Yusuke yelled, as she jumped out of bed and ran out the door immediately.
"Hey, Urameshi! Tell me what's going on!" Kuwabara called out as he and Neji followed her down the stairs. Yusuke pushed through the doors of her house as she stumbled a bit in her hurry to get her shoes on. Once that was secured, Yusuke sprinted off at top speed towards the direction where she could faintly sense Genkai. Neji and Kuwabara frantically followed Yusuke but lost her all too quickly. "Which way do you think she went?" Kuwabara asked.
Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the perimeter, seeing her unique chakra flow running southwest from the Urameshi compound. Without a word, Neji took off after Yusuke, leaving Kuwabara behind.
"Urameshi! Neji! Come on, this isn't funny!" Kuwabara called out from outside the compound. "Man, I bet this is a plan by all four of those jerk-faces to have a secret meeting and leave me out of it. Probably learnin' some cool new attack."
"That's a bad sign. He's mumbling and walking backwards." said Shizuru, as she, Yukina, Botan, Tenten, and the rookie nine (minus Sasuke and Hinata) came walking up to the compound.
"Yukina-chan! Hey and you brought your servants, too!" said Kuwabara, earning himself a wallop over his head.
"For a joke to get old it has to be funny in the first place, baby bro. Why were you talking to yourself?" said Shizuru.
"Well, Urameshi ran away. I was just trying to catch her! And then Neji went after her without saying a word." said Kuwabara.
"Yuu-chan isn't in her room?" Tenten asked, suddenly worried.
"Well if she is, I've sure been yelling for no reason." said Kuwabara.
"Perhaps she just left to get some exercise." said Botan.
"No, it was more urgent than that. First Genkai steps out, then Urameshi wakes up, calls me an idiot, and leaves too. I know I'm missin' somethin'!" said Kuwabara, as he ran off in the direction Yusuke and Neji had gone.
"Hey! Kazuma-kun, where are you going?" Tenten called.
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Neji felt a great surge of power that chilled him to the bone as he continued to chase after Yusuke. His heart was beating fast in his chest, each step making him feel colder. It was amazing how fast she had become; just trying to keep up with her was giving him a stitch in his side. Within moments, he finally saw Yusuke; standing at the edge of the forest, still as if frozen in place. Neji slowed down and stopped just slightly behind her, looking forward to stare at the gruesome sight. His heavy panting hitched in his throat and his pale eyes widened in horror.
Toguro slowly turned around, facing away from Genkai's body on the ground towards his rivals successor, too shocked to move while staring blankly at the old woman's body lying in a steadily growing pool of blood. The Hyuuga behind her was of no consequence to him, as he was solely focused on the girl.
"You've arrived too late." Toguro said passively. "I will never forget her expression. It was clear she was trying with every ounce of reiki to stop me. But she didn't even scratch my body with the final attack of her life."
Yusuke said nothing as she swiftly moved, flickering out of sight and then reappearing to her fallen teacher's side in the blink of an eye. Her swiftness was not missed as Toguro turned his head the other way to wait for the girl's reaction. Yusuke gingerly turned Genkai's body over as she cradled her teacher in her arms. Not caring that her teacher's warm, sticky blood was getting on her as she softly called out her teacher's name. "Genkai, you're alright. I'm here now. You're gonna be fine, trust me Genkai. Come on! Let's get out of here!" Her voice was quivering, trying her hardest to fight back the tears that stung her eyes.
Genkai slowly opened her eyes and turned her gaze up at her student, a weak smile splayed across her thin lips. "Hey…Dim…wit." she said weakly. A relieved smile was on Yusuke's face as she placed a hand over Genkai's.
"Yeah, that's right." she said, a tear rolling down her cheek, followed by another. "I knew you were too stubborn to be killed by a jerk like that. Come on, we'll get Botan or Kurama to heal you. Or Yukina! Hell, we got a whole E.R. unit now!"
"It's okay Yuu-chan, I knew…" Genkai said, coughing up small amounts of blood.
"Knew? W-What do you mean? Knew what?" Yusuke asked; her hold on her emotions beginning to break as her calm was quickly slipping away as panic quickly was washing over her.
"They came to inform me, three months ago…When an old teammate traps you into a tournament after fifty years…you don't take it lightly. I knew I would die here." Genkai said; her voice dry and hoarse. Yusuke's brows knitted together as she could not make sense of the situation.
"Hey, you're not making any sense. What are you saying—old teammate? You can't mean you and Toguro!" she said. Genkai closed her eyes briefly, remembering back to the last time she fought alongside Toguro.
"He asked them to turn him from a ningen into the highest class of youkai…A kind that lives for centuries and whose body will practically never age. A kind with strength absolute." Genkai said.
"It's the truth, Yusuke." Toguro said, "That was my wish fifty years ago. When my team became the champions of the Dark Tournament. Suffice to say your sensei didn't exactly agree with my choice." Yusuke visibly scowled at the muscle-bound man.
"Yuu-chan …" Genkai wheezed, quickly snapping the girl's attention back to her.
"Hey, try and save your strength." Yusuke said, her voice hinting that she was on the brink of losing her calm.
"Damn it, Yusuke." Genkai bit out, as she grabbed hold of Yusuke's shirt, fisting it in her bloodied fist. "Listen to me. Everyone has to fight with time to find their place before their inevitable death. Toguro—he ran away from that fight. Don't you ever do the same…No person is ever a one-man show—Every decision that you make will affect the countless people who care about you. Do you understand?" At this point, tears were running down the dying woman's face as she desperately collected the last words to say to her student. "You can't be a…cocky kid anymore…You—have—to…" Genkai's words were lost as her glassy eyes closed, here labored breathing suddenly ceased.
"What—I have to what?" Yusuke asked desperately, shaking Genkai a little, as if the action would bring out the missing words.
Genkai's hold on Yusuke's shirt slackened as it fell heavily to her side and her head rolling to the side. Yusuke's breath hitched in her throat as her eyes began to glaze over, realization crashing down on her like a wave crashing into the side of a cliff. Her hold on the old woman tightened, as Yusuke rocked her in her arms, fighting back the urge to scream.
"You have no more reason to mourn for that woman than I do, Yusuke." Toguro said, cutting through the silence. "She died a long time ago, decades before you were ever born. A fighter only has two choices in their life. Either die or get stronger. And Genkai chose the former." Yusuke stopped rocking Genkai's body, her anger gradually rising up like a flame on a hearth. "Ever since she abandoned her potential and hid herself like a frightened animal in that mountain compound, she's been nothing but a corpse."
"Shut the hell up." Yusuke bit out, her tone sharp like a razor. "You think you know everything, but you don't have a friggin' clue."
"Don't fear the truth, Yusuke. All I did was clean up the filthy mess that she left behind." Toguro said.
Yusuke's eyes flashed dangerously as she turned her heated glare up at her teacher's killer. Setting her teacher down with care, Yusuke then shot up and charged at Toguro with blind rage. "You don't know anything about her!" she screamed, throwing a punch at Toguro.
The large man caught Yusuke's fist in his massive hand, a twisted grin on his darkening face as he swung around his free hand and hit Yusuke in the face, stunning the girl as she went flying backwards. Her body hit the ground, bouncing a few times before skidding to a halt. Yusuke coughed and rolled over onto her stomach, pounding her fist into the ground before getting back up, her anger still fueling her as she charged at Toguro again.
"Yusuke!" Neji called out, running out to stop her from getting herself killed. Toguro was suddenly in front of him, grabbing the Hyuuga's head with his massive hand and flung him around, throwing him straight into Yusuke and sent the two teens to the ground.
"You better get stronger than this, Yuu-chan." Toguro said, clearly mocking Yusuke as he stalked over to the two of them, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and then head-butting her. Yusuke let out a shocked scream as her head snapped back.
"Let her go, monster!" Neji yelled, getting up from the ground only to be grabbed by the throat by Toguro. He slammed the two teens into each other before throwing them, sending the two rocketing into the surrounding forest. A trail of snapping branches and bark followed after their flying bodies.
Neji and Yusuke came to a rough halt as their backs slammed into the strong trunk of a giant tree, and gravity did the rest as both of them slumped down to the dirt. Neji stiffly turned his head, looking to his side at Yusuke; trying to ignore the throbbing pain coursing through his body. He let out a cringing hiss as he rolled over onto his stomach, coughing up a bit of blood. A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning erupted overhead. "Yu…ke…" he rasped, dragging himself across the dirt to reach where Yusuke lay prone on her side. The unfocused look in her eyes…he recognized it as shell shock and he didn't have to question why she was like that as he finally reached her. With an outstretched hand he grabbed onto hers, curling his fingers around hers.
At his touch Yusuke instantly snapped out of her shocked state and back to reality, her eyes glazed with rage. Another crackle of lightning flashing overhead, casting an eerie shadow over Yusuke as she pushed herself off the ground with a strength she never had before. Neji watched as Yusuke spun around and began to punch the tree in frustration, the tears finally streaming down her face as the bark splintered under her assault. Neji knew he had to do something to ease her pain as he struggled to get himself up.
"Yusuke …" he said softly, still tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. As he got to his feet he hissed, clutching his right side as a sharp pain went through him. He must've cracked a rib or something when they went hurling through the trees. But his physical pain couldn't compare to Yusuke's emotional pain. "Yusuke stop."
He watched as Yusuke's shoulders shook as her body was wracked with sobs. He reached out and grabbed her upper arm, forcefully turning her around to face him. Her face was twisted up in pain and anguish, her tears mixed in with the blood and dirt on her face. He pulled her to him, getting no resistance as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. Her hands fisting the back of his shirt as her face was buried in the crook of his neck, crying harder than before. The Hyuuga knew that no words could console her and thus could only offer her this much, being a shoulder to cry on.
xxxxx
"Ne, ne! Where's Yusuke-nee-chan?" Naruto asked, but knew no one would answer. But he just had to lift everyone's mood, even if his whole heart wasn't into it. Naruto and his generation of shinobi didn't quite understand what was happening. But they understood why the adults have suddenly become grim.
They all knew to a degree.
"Let's all get some sleep, the finals are drawing near." Kakashi said, ushering Naruto and Sakura away to escort them both home.
"Wait! What about Neji? Where's he at?" Naruto asked, turning around to look at the rest.
"Don't worry, the Hyuuga boy is with Yusuke right now." said an older version of Koenma, who suddenly appeared into the room.
"Where are they? Are they hurt?" Naruto asked.
"They're fine, Naruto-kun. I assure you." Koenma said, as Kakashi almost forcibly steered the blonde out of the room and down the hall with Sakura close behind. Once the door was closed, Koenma turned to look at the other young genins. Seeing their crest fallen faces, he felt sorry for them to feel such gloom at such an age. "Don't think too hard on what happened." Koenma said, gaining their attention, along with Susumu and Shizuru who were still seated on the couch. "What little bits and pieces you know of Yusuke's pain is best explained if she tells you herself when she has come to terms with the matter at hand."
"And just what is this 'matter' you're talking about, if I may ask?" Susumu queried. Koenma raised a brow to the young man's boldness towards him, immediately seeing the resemblance between him and his Spirit Detective.
"In truth, it's not my place to say." Koenma replied. "But I will part with this: someone dear to our Yusuke, to all of us, has passed on with no regrets." At that, Koenma left the room as a heavy silence filled the room.
xxxxx
The Third Hokage sighed heavily, staring at his cooling cup of tea, recalling the news that the young prince of Reikai had told him moments ago. Genkai was dead…killed by the hands of a man that was once called a friend…an ally. Sarutobi rest his elbows on his desk and bowed his head into his hands. Another of his friends was dead.
Flashback
"Saru-kun, what are you doing out here? You should still be in bed, resting." scolded a fourteen-year-old Genkai, as she strode over to the future Third Hokage, laying on his back in the grassy field, staring up at the stars.
The fourteen-year-old Sarutobi looked to his left to see Genkai looking sternly at him with her hands on her hips. Her long, rich pink hair braided loosely over her dainty right shoulder. Loose strands danced in the wind and in front of her face as her stern look grew harder.
"Genkai-chan…" Sarutobi breathed, a light blush tinted his cheeks as he sat up on the windy grass field.
"You dimwit, are you trying to make yourself get even more sick?" Genkai asked as she marched up to the boy and towered over him with a dominating air.
"Heh! Sorry, Genkai-chan, but I've been cooped up in my room for a week now and I just had to get out!" Sarutobi said with a sheepish grin.
Genkai merely sighed as she sat down on her knees beside Sarutobi, placing a cool hand on the boy's forehead, making him blush even harder.
"You still feel a bit warm." Genkai muttered before slapping his forehead lightly. "Dimwit, if you just listened to me in the first place you wouldn't have fallen into that frozen lake!"
"I said I was sorry, why do you have to be so mean?" Sarutobi pouted.
"I only act like this because dimwits like you don't listen!"
"All right, Genkai-chan…I understand…I'll listen to your warnings next time."
"Yeah right, you and I both know those are empty words."
Sarutobi smiled as he grabbed Genkai's small hand, holding it up to his heart, making it Genkai's turn to blush.
"Have I ever lied to you?" He asked, leaning forward and kissed Genkai tenderly on the lips.
After a moment, Genkai pushed away, knocking Sarutobi over as the pink-haired girl was blushing profusely and looking quite angry.
"Are you an idiot?! Kissing me while you're still classified as contagious!" Genkai said, jumping up onto her feet, her face still as red as a tomato. "If I catch your stupid flu, I'll kick your ass to the point where you won't be able to sit down for the rest of your life!"
Sarutobi grinned up at Genkai. "You know you feel the same way." he teased, standing up and brushing off invisible dirt and walking over to the blushing girl and draped an arm around her shoulders. "I won't mind if you'll hate me for getting you sick, but please don't push me away."
"Fine." Genkai scuffs, "You're such a baby sometimes."
End of Flashback
The Hokage smiled fondly at the memory of his younger adolescent years. But a frown soon appeared on his aged face.
Flashback
Sarutobi, sixteen-years-old, ran to the gates of the village to catch his two friends before they left forever. He saw them, heading towards the open gates. Genkai and…Toguro.
"Genkai-chan! Toguro-kun!" Sarutobi called out, stopping once he reached them.
"Saru-kun, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your teammates right now?" Genkai asked.
"That's not important right now, where are you two going off to?" Sarutobi asked.
"Saru-kun, I already told you, it's compli—"
"We're going to pursue strength beyond our full potentials." said Toguro.
"And you can't find that here?" Sarutobi asked.
"No, we can't. This village won't understand nor could it give us the power we seek." said Toguro, as he turned and left down the dirt road. Genkai held back a bit longer as she and Sarutobi stared into each other's eyes. A look of betrayal was in Sarutobi's eyes as he stared at the girl he gave his heart to.
Genkai stepped into Sarutobi, hugging him. In an instant, Sarutobi wrapped his arms around her small frame tightly, not wanting to let go as he felt her push away from him.
"I'll come back, I promise." she whispered, before following the taller boy down the road. A great resentment towards his rival for Genkai's affections only growing more, knowing that he had already lost her to him.
End Flashback
The Hokage sighed sadly at the irony of his beloved friend's death. Dying at the hands of an old lover…a man they had trusted so willingly without question. He could only rely on Yusuke's strength to avenge Genkai. And perhaps…
Even him.
xxxxx
Yusuke sat outside the entrance of the cave she had taken her final test in. Nearby, Neji was leaning against a tree, keeping a watchful eye over his grief-stricken friend. Time passing by without either shinobi's noticing as both were too engrossed in their own self pity. Yusuke's thoughts wandering to her final test, remembering the hours of pain she went through.
"I am about to transfer something to you, a something that only the true and deserving successor of the Spirit Wave can receive. For years I toiled with this creation. Reiki of the Spirit and the body concentrated into the smallest space. It is both part of and separate from me, and it could power a whole city block. Your test is to incorporate this into your own body, and hope it doesn't tear you apart. The agony of this is beyond words. It could for on for hours or days."
"Screw this test! I'm getting us out of here!"
"Give into the pain now, and I assure you, you will die."
"You really did surprise me, Yusuke. I was certain that my eagerness had killed me favorite dimwit."
Yusuke unconsciously clenched her fists in her lap, as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart feeling heavy in her chest, not caring in the world that she was showing off her vulnerable, weak form. Maybe if you had your power, but it's this dimwit that killed you. Yusuke thought bitterly, blaming herself for the death of her teacher.
"Here I am, Koenma-sama." Botan said, her usual cheerfulness was heavy with gloom. Her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. "Isn't there some way to reverse this?" she asked.
For a brief moment, the child-like ruler did not respond as he quietly stared down at Yusuke from atop a hill. His youthful appearance was also heavy with grief. And though he did not want to make his presence known just yet, he all but knew that Hyuuga Neji was fully aware of him.
"Genkai's passed her abilities to an apprentice. We both knew once that happened Toguro would take her life. It's both Yusuke's and Genkai's destiny." he said.
It was now in the late afternoon and Yusuke was still sitting outside the cave, silently mourning. Her senses fully aware of Neji watching over her nearby, and the visitor approaching behind her as they came to a stop. The visitor silently looked over at Neji, who gave him an indifferent look before turning his pale eyes back on the mourning girl. Taking this as a sign, Koenma proceeded to his Spirit Detective.
"What do you want, Koenma?" Yusuke asked bluntly.
The older version of Koenma jumped slightly. "Hey, I always surprise you!" he said.
"I'm not in the mood for your stupid gags." Yusuke said.
"Yes, neither is Botan. It makes it very hard to function these days." Koenma said, "Actually it's a real pity. Botan is just too depressed to perform the duties that are expected of her. I'm sure if Genkai were still here; she'd call Botan a big whinney-baby and give her a much needed slap in the face."
An extended silence fell over the two, as Yusuke's shoulders shook and her fist balling up into tight fists. "I should've woken up right when she left the house. I knew I could've stopped her." she said, gritting her teeth as a wave of guilt poured down on her like the bucket of water was poured on her during her months of training.
Koenma sighed and shook his head at the pathetic girl. "How'd she pick a moron apprentice like you?" At that, Yusuke snapped out of her self pity for a moment to jump onto her feet and roughly grab Koenma by his robes. Neji did nothing as he silently watched, inwardly hoping that this would bring Yusuke out of her depressed state.
"Who you callin' moron, pacifier junkie?!" she yelled, though Koenma proved un-phased.
"They spent the majority of their lives consumed with each other. A young fighter and her role model, to teammates, to bitter enemies, whatever terms they happened to be on, they were always opposite magnets on a life-long crash course." Koenma said, "Genkai came here knowing she would die and Toguro came knowing he would kill her. How were you, a kid whose mother wasn't even born when this conflict began, planning to interfere with this dispute?" Yusuke looked Koenma straight in the eye, unsure of what she was looking for as he calmly stared back. "So, you gonna let go? Or are we just gonna stand here and do the tango?" he asked. Yusuke released Koenma's robes, turning back around and slumping to the ground to wallow in her guilt some more.
"Why did you go?" Yusuke silently asked. Koenma stared at his Spirit Detective's back, feeling sympathy for her, and yet knew no matter what he said, she would not listen. Turning his gaze upward, he quietly asked: "Is this the final ordeal you planned for her, Genkai? Overcoming her teacher's death?"
It had grown dark, and Yusuke had yet to leave her post outside the cave. Her eyes slightly puffy from her mourning, yet she refused to accept her loss. Staring into the caves mouth, she could see the shadowed outline of Genkai, walking out to greet her. Scrambling onto her knees, an unbelieving look crossed her face as a hopeful smile spread across her lips.
"You're—back! I knew you weren't gone! I knew you weren't!" she said. But then Genkai vanished, and nothing but the caves mouth was in front of her. "Baa-chan... Wait."
Yusuke dropped her head, as her hopeful smile vanished like Genkai had. Footsteps were approached to where Yusuke was, still mourning, as the visitor stopped several inches behind her.
"How long do you plan to stay out here like this, Yusuke?" Koenma spoke. When Yusuke refused to answer, he sighed heavily. "Why do I deserve this? Well anyways, Yusuke, Genkai left us a message that you might want to hear."
Yusuke looked up at Koenma as Neji walked up to the two, just as curious to hear what Genkai had said. "Are you serious?" Yusuke asked, turning her body around. "Please, what'd she say?"
Koenma gave a heavy sigh. "She said the last year of her life sucked because as a student you were such a pain in the ass. And she asks you to stay alive for a really long time so she can have some peace and quiet for once." said Koenma. "So in other words: dimwit, go win the battle. Sounds just like her, doesn't it?"
Yusuke cast her eyes downward, a sad smile on her face. Tears spilling from her eyes again, Yusuke hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand. She took in a deep, calming breath, and flipped onto her feet, suddenly feeling lighter than ever as she looked up to the stars.
"Yeah, yeah it does." she said, wiping away the last tear.
"It's time you bit the bullet and started caring about something with all your heart and reiki! But you can't care about it if you're always holding yourself back in case it doesn't work out!"
"I got it." Yusuke said, raising her right hand up to the sky. "Watch, baa-chan. I got a message for you, too." Her power spiraled up as she gathered it all to the tip of her right index finger. "It's a little sample of the power you gave me! My way of saying I understand!"
A giant blast shot out from Yusuke's finger, shooting upwards towards the heavens. The force alone sent Yusuke stumble backwards into Neji, who was in awe by the shear raw power Yusuke had, had caught her.
Everyone in Konoha could see the blast from wherever they were, ogling at the power it was emitting. And only a great handful of them all knew who had made such a sight.
Such as: Sakura and Ino who were looking out the window, admiring the power. Naruto, who was standing awe-stricken while Jiraiya laughed whole-heartedly beside Kakashi, saying: "What a way to get out of a slump!"
Lee, who was lying in his hospital bed, could see the blast from his window, and knew it was from Yusuke as Tenten, who had snuck in to visit him was smiling with tears of joy streaming down her face. Susumu, Kimiko, and Shizuru were also watching the giant blast. Susumu nodded his head in approval as a smile graced his lips while Shizuru took a drag from her cigarette. Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino were visiting Hinata at the Hyuuga compound, all looking up at the blast that was rising like a rocket. Hyuuga Hiashi was also present with Hanabi at his side.
"Look at that! Is that all Yusuke?!" Kiba wondered as Akamaru howled excitedly.
"That's right, it's all Yusuke's doing." said Shino.
"So, the Urameshi girl truly is the next Spirit Detective." Hiashi said under his breath.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asked, looking back at her younger sister who nodded.
Shikamaru and Chouji were lounging on the rooftop of the Akamichi house, staring at the blast of reiki, admiring the beautiful light.
The Hokage was standing up on the rooftop of the Hokage mansion, as every shinobi awake was doing, to look up at the impressive blast of power shooting up into the stars.
I am very proud of you, Yusuke-dono. I have faith in you that you will avenge your teacher's death. the Hokage thought.
"The kid is stronger than I thought." Asuma said.
"Yeah. The Urameshi clan are full of surprising prodigies, I will admit to that." Kakashi said.
"Do you suppose the next Hokage will come out of that clan?" Asuma asked.
"I won't deny that it's a possibility." Kakashi said.
Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei, all at different parts in the village, could see the powerful blast. Each staring and admiring the power.
"You think it got all the way up to her?" Yusuke asked, while she sat on the dirt looking up, leaning against Neji's legs as he stood directly behind her and Koenma standing by.
Neji looked down at Yusuke who was staring up at the stars, and could not help but smile. "Yeah. I'm sure it did."
xxxxx
Around mid-morning, the day of the finals, Yusuke and her team were standing outside in front of the village gates, saying goodbye to their supporters and friends.
"Good luck in the finals you four." Kiba said as Akamaru ran up to Yusuke who knelt down and scratched behind his ears.
"Yeah, and don't bother coming back until you're the grand champions." said Tenten, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
"Right…" Yusuke sighed, scratching the back of her head.
"The stands will seem much quieter without any of you around to cheer us on." said Kurama.
"Don't worry, it won't be too empty. I'll still be there, cheering you on." said Jiraiya.
"Same goes for me." said Shizuru, "Plus, as a big sister I have to keep an eye on my baby bro."
"How touching. Clingy much?" Kuwabara snorted, only to duck behind Yusuke after receiving a death-glare from his sister.
"Well that's good to hear. Knowing that we still have a few groupies left, I feel a little better." said Yusuke.
"You should get going before the tension becomes unbearable." said Susumu with Kimiko at his side, holding onto his fingers with her small hand.
"Right." Shikamaru said, "Good luck with the finals."
"Same to you, good luck with your chuunin final exam." said Kurama.
Kimiko let go of Susumu's fingers and ran to the group. Yusuke knelt down on one knee to embrace the little girl but ended up being brushed off as the five-year-old ran pass to Kurama instead. "Come back soon or I will be angwie. Okay?"
Yusuke's eye twitched at the brush-off from her little sister. Sakura and Ino were both shocked and envious that Kimiko got to hug the handsome red-head.
Kurama smiled down at the little girl. "Don't worry. I promise we'll all come back." he said, patting Kimiko's head with affection.
"I'll be waiting!" Kimiko said, as she turned back and returned to Susumu's side.
"And what about me?" Yusuke asked, her eye still twitching.
"What about you?" Kimiko asked.
Silence.
And then…
HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
"Why you little—" Yusuke began chasing Kimiko around, weaving in and out between everyone who were all laughing. "Hey! Hold still!"
"How troubleso—" Shikamaru was cut off when Kimiko ran out between his legs and Yusuke knocked him over, still chasing the child.
"You okay, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.
"Maa, what a troublesome pair they are." Shikamaru said as Chouji and Naruto helped him up.
"At least Kimiko managed to liven up Yusuke's mood." Susumu pointed out, as he bent down and plucked Kimiko up as she ran by him. One second later, Yusuke fell at his feet, grumbling about "pain-in-the-butt-little-sisters."
Kurama helped Yusuke up as they all gave one last goodbye.
"Good luck, all of you. Keep your youthful flames burning strong!" Gai said, giving his signature thumbs up. Tenten hugged Yusuke and gave her a good luck charm to keep in her pocket. Anko hugged Yusuke too, but not before giving her a whack over the head.
"I swear if you lose I'll be giving you even more hell than this Toguro." she said sternly, but then her expression softened, her brown eyes showing worry. "But most of all, come back home alive."
As Anko turned away, Neji looked at Yusuke and locked eyes with her. She gave him a reassuring grin and a thumbs-up, as Neji replied with a nod of his head, as she and her team left.
Turning back to her teammates, Yusuke put on a brave front. "Let's go kick some ass." she said.
"Yeah!" Kuwabara cheered. Kurama nodded, as Hiei smirked as the three of them followed their team captain down to the new stadium.