AN: Just beware of grammatical errors, inaccuracies, and violence?

Blood drizzled on the ground, tainting the grass floor in its crimson color. The pain erupted in my stomach as the knife inside my stomach dug in, resulting blood profusely seeping out, but I couldn't care less about it, rather those slitted eyes across me, staring at my wretched action had me entranced.

It was unexpected, probably no one saw it coming, and the horror in those eyes of my teammates could attest to that.

I did this because of them.

They don't deserve to fail, a mantra I had embedded in my mind before I left my house. I wouldn't hold them back. I wouldn't be the reason of their failure.

As I slithered the knife out, it squelched, gushing more blood, creating a small puddle of blood beneath my foot.

"I told you..."I hitched, and the pain intensified. Losing consciousness was lingering, almost taking over if I hadn't the strength to hold it back.

"I-" I gasped as air bit by dissipating.

"I-ah don't know. I have no idea what you're talking about. You can't fail us because of some unprecedented accusation!"

Or I really had no idea? Sometimes the lies spitting out my lips were walking in a fine line of truth. It was hard to list what was the truth and what was a lie. As the days had passed by, the lies morphed into my own version of the truth.

I raised the knife, and my blood splattered on his face.

I grinned in satisfaction.

"You never told whose blood it would be. Am I right, sensei?"

And for the first time, I could revel to this exhilaration running in my veins.

His eyes wide opened as he knew the mere implications of my words.

Then everything went dark, and my name echoed.

An hour earlier

"Isn't he's the cutest?" She squealed as she lifted the puppy, and flooded it on my face, ensuring I was seeing what she wanted.

The tiny puppy whimpered, and it was the cutest thing I had ever heard.

I nodded.

"His name Kuromaru," she grinned, pulling back, and hugged it.

"He can smell you a few miles, you know. We Inuzuka are specialized in tracking, a team needs at least one good at tracking, and Shibi's bugs are good, but ours is superior." She said in a haughty tone.

"When you put it that way, it sounds bad," the boy said nonchalantly.

"That's not my purpose!" She shouted, indignation oozing out, then she waved in dismissal, and her dark eyes pierced to me once again, "So Uchiha, what are you specialize in?"

"Huh?"

"What are you good at? I heard about sharingan, but I have never witnessed how you wield it. So what it does?"

"Sharingan?" I whispered. It was becoming familiar. It felt it had passed on my lips a couple times, but I had no idea when. I was utterly blank.

Sharingan

Sharingan

I heard it once, but where?!

A hand slapped my back, leading me to turn my attention at once at her.

"Man! You're helpless. You don't have an idea about clan politics, and you don't know about your kekkai genkai,"

My lips sealed shut and averted my eyes at her. Rather, I looked at those trees, shamefully.

"Is there anything you'd like to add to the list?"

"Oi," The boy who was slouching, stood between me and Tsume, "Be gentle to her,"

"Tch, my intention wasn't to offend, Aburame. I'd like to know more about us. Information as little may it be is important as a team. I'd rather know what's our weakest and strongest. I don't want to go to a losing battle." She said derisively.

Nobody wants to be on the losing side.

"She's right," I butt in.

"Damn straight, I am correct," She slung her hand on my shoulder, pulling me to her body, "Now, you're my favorite person in this team," she grinned.

A heat crept in my cheeks as I was unfamiliar with this kind of recognition. This was just...overwhelming.

Out of the blue, goosebumps ran to my skin, going to my spine. I thought it was only me, but Tsume felt it and she fastly took her arms off from me.

A loud crunch of steps resounded.

Soon his shadows became nothing. Unveiled his image to us, his wide grin spread.

"Ah, brave little thing. Desperate to play the shinobi?" His voice leading tremors in my body as he mocked us.

"I don't care about being desperate, but we're going to be a ninja and pass this exam." Tsume answered.

He cackled, sending a chilling sensation in my skin. "Better call it quits now. All of you have no chance to pass,"

"No," I and Shibi told in unison.

"Yeah, just give us the exam already." Tsume supplied.

"Since you badly want to fail. The rules to this exam are easy," He presented the two bells, "snatch this to me."

"By why only two bells?" I asked curiously.

"I will only need two people in this team, while the other one will fail," He stated deadly, "The least I like is failure entering my team."

"That's a lie," I murmured in disbelief.

The loud pound in my chest was starting. I could feel it in my bones, and deep inside me, I acknowledged the truth: that among all of us, I'd be the first to fail.

I had only a few jutsos in my arsenal, and most of them were low rank.

My feet trembled. It frightened me that I could hardly breathe.

"You're full of shit, aren't you?" Tsume's hand on her waist as the words went out of her lips.

"Be careful of your words, Inuzuka. I'm still your instructor and I demand respect."

"Respect is only earned when it's given. There's no such as two genin in a team unless someone is killed during the mission."

"Someone did their research. I applaud the effort," He smiled, patronizing her.

"I didn't. It's common knowledge," she hissed.

"Ah, since you all begging to pass this test, I'd say it'll be the day when blood floods this training ground and death becomes one of you, I will pass all of you."

Stop now. Stop now. Stop now. You have no chance. A horrid mantra was echoing in my mind.

"Just lay down the rules, sensei." Shibi's voice snapping my incoherent brain.

"You've got an hour. You can use anything you want, and that includes everything."

He said lastly before vanishing, but his voice left a mark on me.

"Can you smell him?" Tsume's authoritative tone.

The dog whimpered, then barked, and she nodded.

"Three o'clock, two kilometers from here," she announced at last

"So what's the plan, Tsume?" Shibi inquired.

"I doubt it's him. Probably, he laid a trap to lure us," her fingers flicked her hair, sighing gradually, "This isn't battle of strength, because if it is, then we are the loser. He has years of experience, that leaves us to use this," pointy finger tapped her forehead.

"Right, the best we could do is to outwit him," Shibi added.

"But how?" I asked.

Silence engulfed us.

"I have a plan." Tsume finally spoke, "Shibi, try to scan the area with your bugs, just to know how many traps he made. Then I will scan the area to north, and Kana,"

I looked up and gulped my own spit.

"You will be in the west. If you see anything suspicious, alert us at once,"

I nodded, "But how will I relay the message?"

"Shibi will attach one of his bugs on your body." She gazed up at Shibi, and he agreed.

"Flare your chakra, and I will get the message right away."

"Now let's get this done!" She cheered.

Veering off the direction I was told, it took me over ten minutes to reach the place. I scanned the area, but nothing was off; leaves being swished and a couple of insects could be heart what stumbled to me. There was no trace of his presence. It was a bit odd for a moment.

I only stood at the center of the forest, eyes gazing at the high density of trees.

Unlike them, I had no actual intention of ever wanting to be a shinobi. It was plain truth, a hard one. The sole truth, I was more invested in the fact that somehow she would look at me with those proud eyes.

Isn't this is what I want?

Yet, every fiber in me wanted to reject the idea.

I had no reputation to uphold.

I had only her—my mother.

Over thirty minutes had passed, nothing happened. Drifting my eyes above, the sky turning brighter, a clear sign of afternoon weather.

With no result, I decided to return to where we had left, just want to check if they got any information to spare as time was running out.

As I step closer to the place, the clank of steels caught my attention.

My hand swiftly got in the pouch to grab the kunai. Raising it, I tried to make my steps shallow.

Bang!

An explosion erupted. Every tendril of hair on my skin stood.

I hurried.

I gasped as I entered the ground.

The battered face of my teammates stumbled to my vision. Tsume's face had blood all over her arm, then Shibi's arms had gashes and opened wounds.

"It's nice for you to join us, Uchiha," He hissed.

"A bit late, are we?" he added.

"What did you do to them?" My heart thundered, my knees trembled, and mind forming a detrimental assumption.

"Ah, so they haven't told you?" He grinned.

I step back, "Told about what?"

He kneeled down, clamping Tsume's cheeks as one of the snakes wrapped around her waist, making Tsume's movement limited.

"What a naive girl. They planned an attack to me, a good one I must admit," he paused, "almost got one of this," raising the bell, "but unfortunately, they failed."

"You see, these two didn't trust you enough to share the plan with you," he cackled.

"Do you have any words, Inuzuka?"

I wanted her to say something, to disapprove of him, and that he was spouting nothing but lies.

Not a word. She merely averted her eyes from me.

And yet her silence hit me where it hurt the most.

A numbing sensation washed me. Nagase-sensei was right to fail me. I just put hope in my heart. So caught up by the heights of expectations, I forgot the truth that I had almost forgotten.

I was talentless.

I gripped the kunai.

A hand lifted my chin, surprising me with his presence.

"You poor girl." He hummed and kneeled.

"You're so weak that they couldn't afford you to hinder their plan,"

"That's not true, Kana," Shibi wailed, but the snake on his ankles had him ceased his movements, and dislodging was no longer an option for him.

I couldn't help him.

I was really that pathetic, wasn't I?

It didn't matter anymore as I recognized the gut-wrenching truth. They were in fact right.

My shoulder sagged in surrender.

Orochimaru-sensei flicked my hair, "Since they think little of you, how about we play a game?"

"A game?" I whispered in disbelief.

"Yes, a game," His eyes glinted, then pulled back as he walked a few

distance away from me, "The rule is simple: say the truth and both of them will pass."

"What about me?" I said frantically.

"You'll still fail," he deadpanned.

"So, do you wanna play?" He spoke as he toyed with the kunai in his hand.

I knew I was a failure, but my teammates had a dream and a reputation to uphold. And I wasn't cruel to deny what they wanted. Cruelty wasn't my specialty.

Gazing back to him, I held my knife viciously.

"Yes," I gulped, heart palpitating.

"Ah, fearless," his cold words echoed, perhaps mocking as he stared at the sky.

He trotted, then stopped on the center, putting his hand on his waist, and displayed his disturbing smile at me.

"Tell us something we don't know, Uchiha."

"What do you mean by that?" I stepped backward, unconscious.

"Feigning ignorance, aren't we?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I snapped back.

"Tell us the secret you're holding, Uchiha. I know it. I can see it in the depth of your eyes, and you know what it is," his words hissed like a snake, "You know what I'm talking about."

His gold eyes stiffened the back of my neck, "Don't you want to share it with them?" His tone mocking me.

Secret?

I was clearly lost. I had no idea what he's talking about.

Unless.. I heaved in desperation.

There was no way he'd know about...that! No one other than me had the knowledge about it.

It was unthinkable..

"Come on, don't be shy to spill it," coaxing me.

"I said I don't know!" my indignation.

"That's the truth!"

"Are you that selfish to refuse them?" He breathed, flicking a gaze between me and them, "Between you and me, you know what it is, just tells us and this will be over. Simple as that,"

Simple?! Did he think everything was simple?! From the moment I was born, everything was confusing. There were times I question the validity of my existence.

Reincarnation was supposed to be a new beginning, but with me, it felt like... slow torture.

Does he want me to say about it?

I don't belong here.

That's the only secret that I hid, and nothing else.

"I.. I-

"Tells us, why you did-

everything gone deaf to my ears.

I'd rather die than telling him. Dying wasn't new to me, anyway.

And a thought struck me.

A certain statement stuck in my mind.

Right.

Clenching the kunai, I drove it inside my abdomen. Without regret, I punctured myself, enough I could feel the knife slicing through my internal organ.

Then I looked up into his smug face, and grin etched on my face.

"you do to pass the graduation?"

Then I realized what he meant.

I'm so stupid!

How many times I had been in the same situation?

I shifted, and I felt a hand stopped me. My eyes opened, only to see a lady wrapping a bandage on my stomach. Her eyes caught mine, a grim line of a frown appeared on her lips. I gasped when she tightened the knot.

"Kid, I know shinobi's profession is dangerous, but what you did was a suicide. You cut yourself a deep. If Orochimaru wasn't quick enough to dump you here, you'd be a dead body," Her eyes burrowed, eyes wrinkled, and I steered my vision away from her in shame.

"You don't have any idea what consequences would happen?" she added, and the remorse in my gut.

"I did what I deemed was right," I said with conviction, unbothered to the pain resounding in my body. My fingers clutched the sheets.

"I didn't say it wasn't right, though at least..." she paused, turning me to cast a gaze at her, "there could be some other way, other than killing yourself in the process," she said deliberately.

"I couldn't think of another way." I said, gripping the sheet harder. And if the situation presented itself once again, I would do it again. My blood was a small price to pay.

Before she made a reply, the door suddenly burst out. The man with an obnoxious long hair popped inside.

"Tsunade!" He shouted.

"Not now, Jiraiya," she snapped.

"Well, I've got something to tell yah. Sensei didn't mention he put a talented young shinobi in my team. He passed my exam like it was no sweat for him." He chattered and grinned.

He would've continued, but ceased at once he noticed my presence in the room.

"Eh?! Naomi's child?"

Then the lady swept her eyes at me curiously, "Naomi has a child?"

He scratched his head, "Yeah, she has, but what is she doing here?"

"This kid stabbed herself to pass the final exam," she spoke coldly.

He whistled, gazing at me with disbelief in his eyes, "Wow kid. You have some guts,"

"Don't encourage her, idiot!" She smacked his head.

"I'm not encouraging her, but that explains his mood during the meeting."

"This isn't a good idea. I told sensei it'll never work that's why I rejected the offer," Her jaws clenched.

"That's harsh, Tsunade,"

"Harsh? But what about us? Did it ever occurred to you that this is too much?" She heaved, "He's asking too much from us!"

"Tsunade," A low tone, but exuded power, a very different from the man I had met, which surprised me.

"I always trust sensei's judgment. If sensei thinks that Orochimaru has a capacity to do it, then we should as well, and Orochimaru would never accept the job if he knew he couldn't do it."

"I know, I'm sorry, but I can't help it," she looks away.

He hummed then tapped her back, before going to my bed, "Neh, brat you caused a lot of ruckus."

"I told you my name isn't a brat,"

He chuckled heartily, "Heard it once, but that'll never stop me," he smirked.

I raised my left brows in confusion, "What do you want?"

"Ahh, nothing."

As I was about to snap back at him, the door slammed open again. The

"You're finally awake!"

Both of them marched their way on my bed, eyes stabbing me. Well Tsume's eyes to be precise as Shibi's eyes were...covered with his tea shades.

Tsume's hands clenched.

Just as I thought a punch would land on me, a death gripping hug overwhelmed me. By then, I heard a sniff, making the remorse in my gut intensified.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Shibi grabbed my hand, "I'm sorry as well, Kana. We underestimated your capabilities."

I titled my head in shame.

"It's nothing," my simple assurance.

"It isn't nothing, idiot. Do that again and I will be the one to end you!" She pulled back to face me.

Her eyes watered more, resulting in a total ratchet image, "I don't care about passing the exam if you're dead. When sensei asked me why we didn't include you in the plan, I thought he was bluffing us. If we only get those bells, then you wouldn't have to worry about the exam. I thought it was for the better-

"Tsume," I whispered.

"We were being unfair. I was selfish. I'm sorry!"

Shibi gripped my hand harder.

My throat ran dry.

And I hugged them as no better words to come out in my mouth. Tears flooding and I couldn't stop it.

"Kid, don't move too much. You're going to tear her stitches, so be gentle," The blonde lady interrupted.

"Maah! I'm jealous now. Orochimaru has a lively team,"

"He's an ass, and he doesn't deserve us," Tsume's come back.

"But he's cool, right?"

"it doesn't remove the fact of my statement,"

My heart glowed, and it was so warm.

"She passed," he murmured as he tapped the table, tea almost spilled between in his hand, "What an incredible experience!" He laughed breathlessly.

"I thought you wanted me to fail her," Orochimaru remarked nonchalantly.

Tilting his head, Kagami eyes shifted in red hue as adrenaline rushing to his veins, "That's the thing about her. I expected her to fail, her mother expected her to fail, but she held her ground, which makes her perfect."

"You almost made me risk my position by failing the two heirs,"

"And the cost granted me satisfaction. I can't believe she found a loophole," Kagami grinned, "Naomi crippled her before she even started. But that girl... "

"Yes, that girl," Orochimaru hallowed voice.

His eyes darted to the reddish sky, wondering about the next day, "She lied until her last breath," eyes cast down at the hot tea, "Is this the path you want for her to take?" His tiny voice.

"As I have always said, I merely gave her an offer. At the end of the day, it'll be her decision whether she will take it."

"Naomi," her name passed to his lips like a whisper, "Should I tell her?"

"You won't," his low but virile tone.

"I see,"

He hated the secrecy, and most of all, he loathed being lied at.

AN: I've read all the reviews. Thanks a bunch. Gosh! I mean thank you, seriously! I know the few chapters were difficult to read, though thanks anyway for giving it a shot. I know this chapter is a kind of bit uncreative, since I skipped most of the action scenes, and I'm so bad at writing an action scene. Just a fair warning! The rating might go up.