Hayate knelt beside Zaku as he lay on the ground, groaning and twitching in pain. He frowned slightly as he examined the boy's arms, where the air had blasted holes through. Hayate stood and coughed, then looked at Shino.

"It seems... the match is over." He coughed again- the episode lasting for several moments- before he cleared his throat. "The winner! Shino Aburame."

Kurenai smiled slightly down at her student, and, across the room, Kin scowled at her teammate. The observers were all silent, and Neji stepped back from the rail.

"What is it, Neji?" Lee turned to him.

Neji closed his eyes without answering, then formed a hand sign and opened them once more. Veins bulged around his eyes and he looked down below.

"Byakugan!" His eyes widened as he stared at Shino, and then he gritted his teeth. "So it's true, what they say about the Aburame. He's really something else...! It would be one thing for him to call insects to him with a Summoning Jutsu, however... those insects actually live inside his body."

"W-What?!" Lee's own eyes widened and he blinked.

"He belongs to the Aburame clan, one of the oldest and most mysterious clans of the Hidden Leaf." Guy furrowed his brows and explained.

"I'd heard about them before, though I've never seen one of them in person." Neji kept his gaze on Shino. "The talk of the clan whose members, as soon as they are born into this world, possess the secret technique of loaning their bodies to various insects as a nest in exchange for the ability to utilize the insects in a fight. They fully control the insects and entrust the majority of each battle to them... I've also heard that the insects consume their own Chakra as sustenance as part of the symbiosis."

Guy nodded slightly. "It's true. I've heard that the initial bonding of the host and their insects also carries great risk."

"What do you mean?" Lee looked up at him, and Guy crossed his arms.

"The symbiosis between the Shinobi and his insects is beneficial in many ways, though there are some among the clan whose bodies reject the insects or are unstable. In those cases... the insects totally devour their host."

"N-No way...!" Lee murmured under his breath and his eyes widened. "So, he is a member of such a clan?"

Kin gripped the rail tightly and scowled as a pair of Medics carefully moved Zaku onto a stretcher.

"That was unfortunate, Zaku..." Dosu mused aloud, and Kin turned to him.

"Why did that happen to his arms?"

"Most likely his opponent exploited the opening and had his insects infiltrate the exhaust opening in Zaku's hands. If he were to fire off his attack in that condition, the energy would have no way out and would expand in search of an exit. This led to his arms bursting open to relieve the pressure."

Kin's eyes widened.

"His arms are like water pipes... if there is a blockage at one end, the water will burst out at the weakest points. As of now, his arms are completely useless." Dosu turned his gaze from her to Zaku and narrowed his eyes slightly with a chuckle. "Our relationship was only having been assigned to the same mission, however... I will even the score for this."

Kurenai let out a sigh and she put a hand on her hip. "He still gives me chills whenever he gets serious like that."

"What?! What?!" Naruto clenched his fists. "Wait so Shino was that strong this whole time?! Darn it!"

"...I always just thought he was a quiet, creepy guy from our Academy class who I always competed with for top scores, but..." Sakura paused. "He's a lot stronger than I realized..."

"Oh..." Hinata turned to her teammate as he walked up the stairs to stand with them again. "Shino, good work."

"Hey, nice job!" Kiba grinned at him and Akamaru gave a small cheerful yap.

"Thank you." Shino stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I am confident in both of your abilities as well."

Kiba turned his face away and clenched his jaw and fists, glaring as his eye twitched. "He comes back here acting big like he's the team leader or something! Damn it!"

Akamaru woofed quietly up at him, and he let out a short breath. He patted the dog's head and nodded.

"That's right, bud. We'll show him up for sure."

"Man, Natsumi has been gone a long time, dontcha think?" Naruto crossed his arms behind his head. "She's gonna end up missing all of the matches."

"And Kakashi-sensei and... Sasuke, too." Sakura added after a pause and looked toward the door they had gone through. "They should have been back by now, right?"

Hasu frowned slightly and turned to Kiri, and she slightly frowned as well.

"It's not like her to rush off like that with no explanation..." Kiri's frown deepened and she sighed. "Who am I kidding? That's exactly like her."

Kankuro drummed his fingers against his crossed arms, a frown on his face as he muttered. "She's been gone a long time..."

"For supposedly not being interested in her, you sure are anxious." Temari scoffed and put her hand on her hip.

"I'm not." Kankuro shot her a look from the corner of his eyes. "I'm just wondering if I should go look for her."

"Right. As if that clears it up." She rolled her eyes.

"Look, if I'm supposed to gain her trust, wouldn't showing up if she's run into trouble accomplish that?"

"Not a bad plan, but you're on standby." Baki crossed his arms. "If your name gets called for a match and you're not here, it will mean an automatic forfeit on your part."

"Tch." Kankuro let out a breath. "Fine."

"There will be other opportunities." Baki watched him for a moment, then glanced toward Gaara, who trembled. His brows furrowed and he looked away in case the boy caught him staring. "Sure enough, he's itching to fight. He's being 'patient' for the time being, but there's no telling how long that will last for."

Kankuro's eyes darted to the door again and his frown deepened. "I guess I should feel relieved that I don't have to do anything right now, but... I still have a bad feeling."

Kakashi stepped back with his breathing suddenly heavy. Natsumi gasped and stepped away until her back pressed against a column, and she touched her chest as the gaping hole filled with smoke. She shifted from smoke to her normal solid form as her heart pounded in her chest and drummed in her ears.

I'm... okay. She closed her eyes tightly and clutched her shirt with a trembling hand. For a moment, I...

She opened her eyes and glared at Orochimaru, who stood at the very edge of where the light illuminated the room, and darkness surrounded him.

"You... you knew I was here! You did that on purpose!"

"Of course I did." Orochimaru laughed and smirked wickedly. "Tell me, what was it like to almost have your heart pierced by the infamous Friend-Killer?"

"W-What...?" Natsumi froze and shuddered. "W-What are you talking about?"

The Sannin chuckled. "I see that he still has the same weakness. How... delightful."

Weakness?

Natsumi turned to the Jonin and saw his expression- his dark eye wide in shock and watery as he gripped his right forearm and stared at his trembling hand.

What's happening? Why is he...?

"Aren't you curious as to how he received that title?" Orochimaru smirked and Natsumi turned to him. "Perhaps I should tell you..."

"That's enough from you." Kakashi blinked and gathered himself, glaring at the Sannin as he straightened. "As for now... you've really pissed me off."

"My, what a scary face." Orochimaru's tongue flicked from between his lips, and his eyes narrowed. "It seems you didn't like this little test."

Ignoring his remark, Kakashi glanced toward the redhead and lowered his voice. "Are you all right?"

"I..." Natsumi looked down at her chest, then loosened her grip on her shirt. The last traces of smoke could be seen in her shaking hand and she exhaled slowly. She nodded slightly and looked back to him. "It still kind of... tingles... but I'm fine."

Kakashi let out a sigh and closed his eyes briefly, then glanced at his hand again. "I couldn't stop... It almost happened again."

"Are... you okay?" Natsumi watched him carefully and her brow creased.

"I'm fine."

You don't look fine. Natsumi opened her mouth to press him, though she shut it again and turned to Sasuke, who still lay unconscious and sighed. I managed to get here before anything could happen, but my timing was... She swallowed and looked at Kakashi. That was a close one.

"This has been amusing, Kakashi, though the time has come for me to take my leave. Until we meet again." Orochimaru chuckled and turned toward the stone steps in the darkness, then stopped his eyes rested on the girl. "As for you... One snake recognizes another... isn't that right?"

Her eyes widened and he laughed at her expression.

"You've grown, little snake. I'll continue to keep an eye on you."

He disappeared again, and Natsumi trembled with her eyes focused on the empty space.

...What does that mean? He's been watching me? How?!

"Kill you as you kill me... am I an idiot?"

Kakashi watched her expression. For a moment, there was only silence, and then he slowly walked over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the contact and her eyes widened before she let out a breath and clutched at her chest again.

"Are you sure you're fine?"

She nodded and loosened her grip again, then muttered under her breath. "...I told him to stay away from my brother... but he went after their team instead. And now..." She hugged her arms close and glanced toward Sasuke as if forgetting the Jonin beside her. "And now this."

Kakashi cleared his throat and she tore her gaze from the Uchiha to look at him.

"Care to explain how you're already acquainted with that man?"

Her eyes widened and she balled her hands into fists as she averted her eyes. "...Not really."

"I thought as much."

"What about you?!" Natsumi rounded on him. "What did he mean by... that name? Are you going to explain that?"

Kakashi turned away and put his hands into his pockets. "...No."

"I didn't think so." She bit her lip and there was another silence. "...Sorry."

"You're not the one who should be apologizing."

"This is my fault." She gritted her teeth and looked back to where Orochimaru had been. "I thought I might be able to do something if I finally found him, but..."

"None of this was your fault. I shouldn't have rushed in blindly like that." He furrowed his brows and clenched his hand into a fist inside of his pocket. "I could have killed you."

"I'm fine." She prodded her chest. "I wasn't solid because it made it easier to sense him."

"Natsumi."

She quieted and looked downward. "...I met him by accident once. On a mission."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly. "What happened? Why didn't you report this?!"

"Because I couldn't!" She crossed her arms. "It's... just really complicated."

"Oto." His expression darkened. "She was a part of it, wasn't she?"

She opened her mouth to answer, and then flicked as the seal on her tongue sent a sudden shock through her body.

"This is all connected to that impenetrable form of yours, isn't it? Oro, Orochimaru..." He watched her expression shift to guilt. "But you can't talk about it?"

She nodded and remained quiet, and he knelt in front of her and met her eyes.

"Shift into that form for me."

Her cheeks warmed at his closeness, though she swallowed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, he moved his hand cautiously through her forearm and studied the marks around her eyes.

"I thought these looked familiar before but this goes beyond just being acquainted with that woman." He sighed and furrowed his brows. "How long have you had these markings?"

"They... used to be on my hands." Natsumi looked down at the back of her hands. "They moved to be around my eyes on the day I used it in that match."

"'Little Snake.'" Kakashi repeated to himself, then met her eyes again. "You're able to sense his presence because you've become like him, correct?"

She grimaced at the thought but nodded.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" He touched his chin for a moment and stood. "If that's the case, and she already has a history of running into him, this spells trouble."

"One snake recognizes another." Natsumi shuddered at Orochimaru's words.

"Where is he now?"

"Now?" Natsumi closed her eyes to concentrate for a moment. "He's not in the tower anymore. He's in the forest like... he's waiting for something." She opened her eyes and pointed to Sasuke. "I can also sense him... and Anko, too."

"Both have the Curse Mark that Orochimaru put on them." He looked at Sasuke, and then to Natsumi. "So, she has that kind of power?"

"What do we do now?" Natsumi asked. "He'll be back eventually, and he's able to hide in plain sight without you or anyone else noticing."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi frowned. "He was here the whole time?"

"He was right there... standing in line with you right behind the Hokage..." She mumbled.

"What?!" His eyes widened slightly. "So, you were aware of him from the beginning?" He paused to think. "That explains why she seemed so tense when she was observing the match before." He ran his fingers through his hair. "We need to inform the Hokage of this right away, but, even then, we can't stop the exam because he's already threatened trouble."

"I can follow him, and—"

"Absolutely not."

"But—"

He patted her head and smiled slightly, bending to meet her eyes. "You've done enough for now. The difference in strength is too great for you to try to act on your own. As for us, we got lucky that he wasn't interested in fighting us seriously."

He walked over to carefully lift Sasuke into his arms. "For now, you'll have to stay alert. Let me know if he comes back to the tower. We'll fill Lord Third in once the preliminary matches are through."

She nodded slightly. "What about Sasuke?"

"He needs rest for now. With Orochimaru hanging back, it should be safe enough to leave him with the Medics."

She nodded again and Kakashi started to walk away.

"Are you coming?" He raised his brow and looked over his shoulder at her. "If you're thinking about trying to chase after him once I'm gone, I will stop you."

"N-No, I won't!" She held up her hands and stammered. "I just... uh..." She rubbed her head and awkwardly laughed. "Need to use the restroom before I go back."

"Hm." He studied her eyes and then held up a hand to wave. "Alright. See you in a bit."

Once he had gone, Natsumi let out a breath, and then she turned to walk toward a column situated near the back of the room. She glared at the man who stood behind it, leaning against the stone with his arms crossed.

"Well, well... lying to Kakashi twice without hesitation? Tsk Tsk." Orochimaru clicked his tongue and smirked. "What a naughty girl."

"What do you want?" She crossed her own arms. "Make it fast, you Snake Perv."

"How testy."

"You tried to get me killed."

He laughed. "I knew you were in that form. I only wanted to play with Kakashi a bit."

"What do you want?" She glowered and he chuckled.

"I have something for you."

"I don't want anything from you."

"Oh, I believe you'll want this." His lips twitched in a smirk, and he reached into a pouch to take out a scroll. Each of its ends was a red crystal, with a swirl carved into them. He held the scroll out to her, and she looked at the offering cautiously.

"What is it?"

"It's a scroll that I found on my travels. However, I don't possess the qualities required to learn this technique, nor do I have any cute little underlings that meet the requirements."

"But... why are you giving it to me?" She reached out for it and then drew her hand back. "And, what are you trying to get from me in exchange for it?"

"Unlike Oto, I don't always seek something in return." He held the scroll out closer to her. "This is merely a gift... from one snake to another."

She gritted her teeth and shook her head. "I'm not like you."

"But you are." He smirked. "And you continue to become more so each day." He grabbed her hand, then placed the scroll inside. "My payment will be the satisfaction of you mastering this technique."

Her fingers curled around the scroll and she narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't want to learn anything you suggest."

"Oh... but, this scroll was found in the Uzumaki homeland."

Her eyes widened and she stared down at the scroll. "W-What?!"

"I knew that would entice you."

He got me. She stuck the scroll into her back pouch and then sighed. "Fine. I'll take it. Now leave. I don't like lying to people."

"But you do it so well, little snake."

She scowled, prompting him to laugh and press his hand to her cheek. She slapped his hand away and he stepped back into the shadows.

"Until next time."

He disappeared, and she shuddered.

I hate him.

She took out the scroll to look it over again, biting her lip in thought before she put it away and ran back to the arena.