Chapter 14. Semi-Finals.
Scorch marks littered the clearing like a polka dot pattern, adorned with stray kunai and craters of all sizes as well. The grass beneath our feet was no more, and as the dust settled around us, my opponents came into view. The Haimaru brothers had retreated into the foliage because of some broken bone or other induced by yours truly. They hadn't been happy with Hana's order, leaving their partner to fend off the enemy by herself was something that did not sit well with them, but pain and lack of mobility had left them with no other choice. I for one had been relieved of the crippling guilt of injuring puppies, and could not have been happier.
Hana had stood her ground and faced me on her lonesome, something she had never done, and because of it, she held nothing back. We went all out on each other, and got very close to exhausting each other to unconsciousness, but one fortunate (or in Hana's case, unfortunate) shot had made it all the way home, earning me the victory. One of my fire balls was faster than my friend's reflexes, and hit her full on the back.
The noise that came out of her mouth scared me half to death, and when the smoke finally settled and I could see my friend trembling on the ground, I couldn't bring myself to celebrate my win. Hana was on all fours, trembling and emitting little whimpers of pain as she tried to force some air back into her lungs. The entire back of her shirt had been burnt away and melted into her skin, all the way down her spine, raw and an angry shade of red.
Panting and lacking reason to continue with the fight, I approached my friend. She was in so much pain she didn't even notice my arrival, so when I reached out for her hand, she made to grab a kunai from her pouch out of mere instinct. When she saw it was only me, she let go of the weapon and shot me a grin that didn't quite mask the agony in her eyes.
"Now I know how your hands felt that one time you got burnt," said my friend, breathless. "Those things burn like a bitch."
If there was someone who could still smile after getting the skin of their back burnt off, then that was Hana. She knew this had been part of the risks of facing each other off in a hostile situation, and she would not hold it against me because this was the Chunin Exams, after all. It didn't stop me from feeling like trash though, hurting my friends and family was something I was willing to avoid even if I had to die for it, and being forced into this situation left a very sour taste in my mouth.
I smiled back as genuinely as I could before taking my first aid kit from my back pouch. Being a Fire Style user meant I spent considerable amounts of money on good ointments I carried everywhere, this particular one, was one of the best Konoha pharmacies could offer. Had I been prone to do the logical thing, I would have saved the ointment in case me or my team mates needed it later, but I was not about to leave my best friend injured and unable to move or protect herself in the forest of death while the Chunin Exams were taking place. So, before I set off to look for my team mates I patched her up and did what I could for the Haimaru brothers.
"This ointment has numbing qualities as well as disinfectant. If you manage to regroup within the next six hours and get your hands on a hostage, you could still make it."I tried to encourage my friend once I was done bandaging her and turned to take a look at the puppies. "You might have to carry a dog each though, I'm pretty sure I broke some bones earlier."
Hana groaned as she stood up with considerable instability. Her low pony tail had long succumbed under the strain of battle and her hair was now a wild brown mane that could rival her mother's. She glanced at her wounded littermates with a sad smile before turning to me and shooting me a wild grin I'd seen thousands of times since I'd met her. She looked rougher than I'd ever seen her, and knowing it was my work, tore at my heart guiltily.
"Hai,hai, Akane-chan." She said, walking towards the foliage to retrieve one of her fallen companions.
"I'm very sorry about this, Ha-chan, I shouldn't have- I went overboard." I said looking down in shame; even if I knew holding grudges over something like this was far beneath my friend.
"Spare me your apologies, Aka-chan. Had I been the winner, I'd be rubbing it in your face about now. You are making me feel like a little shit." She said with a wicked grin. "Don't get used to it though; I'll make you eat dirt next time, Uchiha Akane. You better beware."
Leave it to Hana to turn a defeat into a promise for vengeance. I smiled at her despite our current situation and extended my fore and milled fingers for her to shake. That was the moment I realized, when my friend completed the reconciliation sign, the power that gesture held. And I could have never expressed how glad I was the gesture existed. I just hoped my fried didn't notice the flask of ointment in her pouch until I was long gone.
()()()()()()()()()()
Our team regrouped at the designated location with the proctor still in our care. Taka looked just as bad as I felt, and Hotaka was simply a little ruffled up. The plan had worked out perfectly, the Idea had been to force the enemy to break formation in order to pursue the target, and thus engage each team member in one on one combat. Once I stayed behind with Hana, my team would go on until engaging was the only option left. That would be the moment when Taka stayed behind and allowed Hota to continue onwards with the proctor in tow. Hotaka, as a member of the Hyuuga Clan and a Gentle Fist user, was better suited for body-guard-type missions than Takahiro and I were. Had it been a team with a stronger individual dynamic, our plan would have failed, and as for now all I could do was thank Kami for a successful mission.
We took a couple of minutes to catch our breath and patch ourselves before setting out on our way towards the tower. It was a five hour run, and since Hota hadn't sensed any danger close enough to be relevant, we decided to push ahead and end the mission as soon as possible. We were running on low chakra and even lower stamina, but we would be damned if Sensei had made his partner hunt us down for nothing. Let me tell you there is no better incentive to run than fear for your life; besides Sensei said it built character.
When we crossed the barrier surrounding the tower, we made sure to check in at the front desk before we were put through a compulsory checkup in the infirmary. They run us through a series of complicated analysis that I was too tired to notice and too relieved to care what they were. We had made it through another instance of the Chunin Exams, we still could make it, we only had to survive two other trials and we would be Chunin! We had all suffered a few cuts, bruises and sprains, but thankfully none of us had suffered injuries that would hinder our performance in the next stage of the exams: one-on-one combat.
Since we had arrived on the second day, we were allowed to rest until the Survival Trial was over. Each team had been given a room to share, and as we started to get settled for a calm afternoon, someone came knocking at our door. Taka got up from his place on the tatami mats to get whoever was knocking while Hota and I set up the sleeping rolls. But when our team mate froze at the door, our guard went straight up.
"Um, Akane-chan? There's an ANBU operative looking for you."
I rushed out the door and slammed it shut as soon as I recognized Kakashi's mask. He would never seek me out in public while on duty if it weren't an emergency. Hell, he barely visited as it was and I wouldn't see him at all if I hadn't made it a habit to cook for him and stock his freezer while he was out on missions.
"Is Shisui okay?" the words left my mouth before I could stop them.
I couldn't see Kakashi's face behind his mask, and being unable to search for the slightest hint in his expression made my frustration and worry grow further. But then, he shook his head and sighed, he dropped his shoulders into a slouch he usually reverted to when things grew complicated.
"Shisui-san is fine. I'm here to give you a heads up." The tight feeling in my chest didn't disappear, even if Shisui's safety gave me the slightest relief. "The medics on call reported an Uchiha with damaged chakra coils and are forced by the Clan Decree to pass the information to the Clan Had for him to deal with."
I could feel the blood leave my face and my mind go blank. I couldn't even thank Kakashi for his gesture; I couldn't hear his attempt to reassure me. No, Fugaku-sama would not be understanding, nor would the elders or the rest of the Clan for that matter. And Shisui, oh Kami, Shisui would lose the respect and prestige he worked so hard for. He would lose face, he would lose the respect he had earned over years of service and it was all because of me; her defective sister.
My mind was racing, and my breath was attempting to follow, quickening with every second, shallow breaths doing little to nothing to keep the oxygen flowing into my bloodstream. The corners of my vision started to darken, and my throat and chest were constricting so much, that it restricted my breathing with every second. My sight was rapidly turning tunnel-like, narrowing and blurring further by the moment. I lost balance, but something caught me and held me in place by the shoulders.
I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe? Am I drowning?
My eyesight was nearly gone, and the ringing in my ears was becoming painfully loud when a warm feeling appeared on my chest. It started small, almost untraceable, and started to expand through my chest, covering my lungs and heart, commanding them to move slower in order to allow the air to enter once more. Lulling my heart and guiding it into a far slower pace unlike the erratic one it had taken to just moments before. I opened my eyes as soon as I realized I'd closed them, and as I tried to make sense of the scene before me, my hearing started to return as well. When the blurred figures around me took their original shape, I realized Taka's face was too close for comfort.
"Holy crap, Akane-chan! Don't scare us like that!" He managed to say before Kakashi dragged him away by the back of his collar.
"Give her some space, kid." He said once he had pulled my team mate away. "Since you are awake and in capable hands, I'll take my leave."
That was all Hatake Kakashi said before disappearing in a whirlwind of dust and leaves.
The warm feeling in my chest was still present, and as my grogginess faded, I noticed the glowing hands on my sternum. Someone had sat my unconscious self on the floor with my back to the wall and left me in the care of none other than Hotaka. Who apparently hadn't thought that telling us about his iryo-ninjutsu abilities was relevant. He looked up at me and back down to his hands once he realized I had been watching him, a deep blush appearing on his neck and ear.
"Nice iryo-ninjutsu." I said with the shadow of a smirk on my lips.
"Shut up, Uchiha. I was planning on using it as a trump card on the next event. Then you had to go and faint, tsk." Even if he was trying to sound annoyed, I couldn't help but smile.
"Well, I find it reassuring to have a medic nin in our team. I'll try not to be much trouble in the future. We are in your care."
Hotaka's face flushed even redder and placed his gaze stubbornly on the floor.
"Make sure you don't die on the semi-finals, and you can consider me satisfied." He said finally, cutting the flow of chakra to his hands and sighing as he stood and helped me to my feet.
"Hai, hai, Hyuuga-sensei."
Hotaka punched me in the shoulder for that comment, but the look on his face was completely worth it.
"Shut up and get some rest, I may be able to help you breathe, but I still have a long way to go."
()()()()()()()()
"Well, look who decided to finally show up!" I heard a voice I knew all too well say, as I made my way to the arena for the matches. "Did you think a little fire and a few cuts and bruises would stop us?!"
Hana ran to me and gave me a hug that would have crushed the ribs of lesser men, before walking me to where the other genin were assembled and waiting for instructions.
"I knew you would make it Ha-chan. Tsume-sama doesn't train weaklings." I said quoting the woman's own words. "Besides, I wouldn't put it past you to pass to the next stage out of sheer spite."
My friend laughed hard and loud as she always had, showing her elongated canines without a care for the world. Like I hadn't burnt her back less than twelve hours ago. She knew better than to hold a grudge for something that could not be helped, and I was extremely thankful for it.
"Okay twerps, gather up! We'll run through the rules only once, so line up and pay attention." Barked a female proctor with long purple hair and the sharpest eyes I'd ever seen. "My name is Uzuki Yugao, and I'll be your proctor for today. That means, I will decide who wins, I am not here to babysit you lot. If you get killed, you have only yourselves to blame."
The lined up teams tensed, apparently, some of them hadn't been told they could lose their lives that day; so when Uzuki-san asked, I wasn't surprised some wanted out, in fact an entire team decided to back down. Where had these people been when they told us to sign we were responsible for our own lives before entering the forest?
"Alright. The matches will be decided in a moment. Please retreat to the terrace where your Jonin Sensei are and wait to be called. The matches will go on until someone concedes, is unable to continue or dies. Dismissed"
I went to stand next to Akira-Sensei, who congratulated us for making it this far before quieting down for the starting match. The three of us waited in tense silence, watching every fight and waiting for our name to be called. One after the other, the matches started and finished, leaving a lone victor behind and a genin with broken hopes. The fights varied in intensity depending on who was taking part of them, and as names were called here and there, I prepared myself for what I knew would be coming.
"The winner is: Aburame Torune. Next up: Uchiha Itachi vs. Uchiha Akane."
I sucked in a breath and put my best game face on. I was no match for Itachi, but I would be damned if I didn't give it my best.
()()()()()()()()
Two men in masks looked down on the arena from their perches on the ceiling beams. Had anyone seen them, they would have been intimidated by the dark, cold, predator-like aura they gave off. But these men were not on guard duty, they were scouting. ANBU had taken a huge hit during and after the war, and their numbers had decreased exponentially. They simply didn't have the operatives for the mission load they had. Hence scouting that year's Chunin hopefuls. Younger shinobi learned faster and were easier to train than those who had already chosen a specialization or had made a name for themselves.
"What do you think of the Uchiha?" said the one with a cat mask, as the two members of the clan stepped into the arena.
"Itachi? He's good, very good actually, but I was hoping to recruit him for assassination." Answered Hound
"I mean the girl." Said his partner as he watched the start of the match.
She had managed to get the upper hand, engaging the heir in close combat (her forte) to avoid his stronger jutsu. She was looking anywhere but his face, which meant genjutsu would be hard to cast without hand signs or eye contact to speak of. She was fast as well, more so than any of the present genin, enhancing her eyesight and muscles to move almost as fast as the Shunshin no jutsu. Her taijutsu was good, she had a lot of potential, but she was no match for the heir, and still she charged ahead.
"Shisui-san's sister, you mean? Makes sense, her team is infiltration oriented after all." commented hound.
The girl moved in swift, clean motions that no matter how precise still look wild for an Uchiha to use. She was flexible, and she used that to her advantage, finding openings in Itachi's guard to unbalance him and compensate for her lack of strength. Cat took a closer look at her, noticing the cold determination in her black slanted eyes and the fire burning inside of her. She was Shisui's sister alright. She was willing to lay down her life in order to achieve her goal, and she was fierce. Her eyes the perfect reflection of her brother's and her wavy hair moving behind her in a loose pony tail he had often seen on the Hyuuga, floating behind her and making her look like the ghost of a bride wearing a black veil.
The girl was managing to pose a challenge to the Uchiha heir, and from what they both understood, that was not an easy feat even for a low level chunin. She also lacked the Sharingan, Cat noticed, which made her progress all the more promising. This was not the result of being able to copy any jutsu; this was proof of hard work and hard work only.
"Even if she doesn't make chunin this year, I think she'll fit in our division just fine. Infiltration needs people with those eyes." Said Cat with determination. "The hardest part will be to get the clan to approve. If a ten year old female genin is doing better than her male seniors, there's bound to be trouble."
In that moment, Akane's eyes slipped a bit too high and the all seeing sight of her opponent saw the opening and took it. It was a single slip, but one genjutsu later, Uchiha Itachi had won the match.
"She has been reported to have compromised coils, are you sure about this?" asked hound.
"You should have a little more faith in my decision making, Senpai. I don't half ass my job."