Chapter 28
Aftermath of Sound: Just Another Word for Friend
"Amaririsu has reached her limit," Aoko murmured.
Mimi's head dipped in a barely visible nod to her companion's diagnosis. "Yeah. She has," she agreed quietly, blue eyes refusing to budge from the downed kunoichi.
The stench of blood and smoke filled her nostrils, the former being sourced predominantly by Amari. Her fair skin seemed paler, drained of what little color it had via blood loss. Crimson red covered her face like war paint. Around her shoulders and thigh the blood was thicker, staining her clothes and her limbs, but the blood continued to trail down like tiny rivers, weaving and winding to the tips of her fingers and toes.
With every passing second her exhaustion became evident on her face and in her body language. The tension in her muscles faded, slowly but surely becoming fully relaxed after the extreme exertion she put them through. Shikamaru supported her collapsed body in a seated position, and even at a distance Mimi could see how the red fire in her eye had been doused for the dull, exhausted onyx.
Sakura was doing her best to transfer over chakra—a good move considering what Amari had done, but what she needed most was medical attention. And she needed it soon.
The state Amari sat in reminded Mimi of a particular training exercise she had with Guy. It had been one of the most intense days she ever went through, but the experience and the lesson he taught her stuck in her mind like a splinter she could never remove.
"You need to push harder, Mimi. Go beyond your limits!" Guy coached, stern and absent of his usual excitable attitude.
Mimi struggled to lift her head up, chest heaving against the hard ground with every labored breath. "Gu- Guy-sensei, I don't—" She winced in pain. "I don't think I have anything left in the tank."
"If that's the case, then you can forget fighting from the front," Guy told her. "You are without a doubt strong, but not nearly as strong as is necessary for a medical-ninja to fight at the front."
She didn't have it in her to growl in annoyance, yet those words ignited her anger faster than a fire to oil. "To hell…with the back. I'm…not going to…sit back and watch you all fight!"
He narrowed his eyes. "Then get back up. Prove to me you have the will to stand up again and again no matter what your enemy throws at you."
Mimi growled. Everything hurt. Every limb felt heavier than one of Lee's leg weights, but she wouldn't lay here and quit. If Guy wanted her to prove her strength, she'd punch his teeth down his throat!
Mimi started to push her heavy body back up; her arms trembled underneath her weight, both begging her just to stop and collapse back to the ground. No way. She hadn't trained her ass off to be a medic and a fighter to give up here. Hana believed she could do it. Her parents would have too.
Nobody was going to take away everything she fought for. Not the Academy teachers who hated her because of her father's place of birth. Not the bullies who tried to make her life more akin to hell than it already was. And not Guy!
Her dream was to protect people. To heal and save as many lives as she could to keep more kids from losing their parents like she had.
That meant she couldn't give up now.
Slowly but surely she got one foot under her. Then another. Soon she was braced on her knees, panting and sweating out of every pore. Her warm body contrasted the cold sweat dripping off of her body, soaking everything from her hair to her clothing.
"Come at me again!" Guy demanded, raising his arms out and leaving himself wide open. "Even when you reach your limit, you have to go beyond for the sake of your comrades. That is your duty as not only a medical-ninja, but as a Leaf shinobi. You want to heal and save as many lives as you can, right? Then stand up and fight! Stop me from killing your comrade!"
On unsteady legs, she trudged forward, collapsing now and then, but pushing herself back onto her feet every time. By the time she reached her sensei, every last drop of energy seemed to be drained out of her. Somehow, though, she managed to lift her heavy fist up to punch him square in the sternum with her remaining strength.
Guy gasped in pain and hunched over. For a moment teacher and student stood there, one panting in exhaustion, the other silent and bent at the waist. Then Mimi felt weightless. It took her an extra few seconds to realize Guy was lifting her off the ground in a giant bear hug. "Great work, Mimi! I knew you could do it!"
Later that day, when she finally recovered enough to breathe normally, Guy taught her an important lesson.
"Listen close, Mimi. For what I am about to tell is possibly one of the most important lessons I can ever teach you," Guy started, his voice and face serious. "There may come a time when you face a shinobi who pushes you all the way to your limits. It may feel as if the fire in your heart has burned itself out. But a shinobi who has someone precious to them will find embers waiting among the ashes.
"When you feel you have nothing left to give, look for those embers. Remember what is most precious to you, grab hold of it and use it as a new flame to burn even brighter than before! Use it to surpass your limits, and you will overcome even the toughest of opponents. After all, it's not only powerful jutsus and intelligence that determine a battle." He grinned. "Guts are just as important to a shinobi."
Guts, willpower, mind over matter; regardless of what it was called, it wasn't something any average person could tap into. Those embers were hard to find, and the flame it created was even harder to sustain for an extended period of time. Out of every shinobi Mimi had ever met, she only ever witnessed three do so firsthand: Guy, Lee and Amari. Four if she included herself every time Guy pushed her to prove she could still do it.
Never, though, did she witness it in a real combat situation like this. Training and sparring was vastly different than the real thing. When Guy pushed them, he didn't intentionally break bones or harm them with ninja tools. When they pushed Amari, only Neji tried to actually bring real harm to her.
To have the wounds Amari sustained and still find those embers…
"You are one tough kid, Amari," Mimi muttered under her breath.
The younger kunoichi put on a tough face, but internally she was a mess according to Aoko's senses. A ruptured eardrum, kunai wounds to her right thigh and both shoulders—the right shoulder being severe and one of her greatest worries—and that didn't take into account the head injury, which likely caused a concussion or the deep tissue contusions Mimi was certain she'd find when she did a Diagnostic Jutsu.
Any one of those would have incapacitated an average shinobi. One ruptured ear drum knocked that Kabuto guy down, and he was older and more experienced than them. But Amari…she pushed her body past its limits to keep everyone safe. She found her embers and turned them into one final inferno to protect the people precious to her. Adrenaline played its role, of course, but Mimi wouldn't discredit the girl's willpower or how she risked her life with her defensive jutsu.
For her chakra to become essentially a shield…"Neji, how fast was her chakra flowing when she created that dragon head?" Mimi asked, turning her head to look at her teammate. His Byakugan had been activated during the clash of the two jutsus. He must have seen something.
"Incredibly fast," he answered, voice analytical and to the point. "Right before the attack hit them she unleashed a massive amount of chakra all at once, which wouldn't have done anything on its own. But…" He hummed, thoughtful and unsure.
"What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked.
"While she did manage to increase the flow of her chakra to reach a reflective speed, the shape it took and the color of its eyes weren't sourced by the chakra alone." He brought a hand to his chin as he examined the kunoichi. "It was hard to see, but I noticed the shape shift into the dragon head right before the moment of impact. And at that moment, there was a spike of immense chakra in her right eye."
Mimi raised her eyebrows. "You think she used the Sharingan to enhance the technique?"
"I can't be sure," he said, lowering his hand. "The amount of chakra she unleashed in that brief moment made it hard to pinpoint every tiny detail. But I find it harder to believe she gained chakra control mastery beyond a medic-nin like yourself and a user of the Gentle Fist like me in such a short time."
"Good point."
Amari was good, but it hadn't been nearly enough time for her to surpass their chakra control. Definitely to pull off that technique.
"The Sharingan is incredible, but it is not flawless," Aoko murmured. "Although her shield kept the other's safe, her use of it did not come without a cost. I can sense new tears to the muscle fibers in her arms."
"What? How?" Mimi questioned in surprise. When could that have happened? Neither of the Sound shinobi had a chance to strike her again after the shield. And the movements she made couldn't have torn muscle fibers, even in the pitiful state she currently sat in.
"Think about it, Mimi. Imagine trying to stop a raging bull with a shield. The shield may protect you for its horns, but the force of its attempt to gore you is still behind the strike. And every ounce force from Zaku's jutsu went right into her arms," Aoko explained. "She may have called it an Ultimate Defense, but it is an imperfect jutsu and imperfect defense."
Mimi hummed. And it drained her chakra to nearly absolute zero. She would need to warn the kunoichi not to use it until she either had greater chakra reserves, or she found a way to lessen the damage done to herself. Otherwise it'd be safer labeling it a Forbidden Technique to never be used again.
Her blue eyes flicked up into the tree Team Seven used as shelter, her nose sniffing the air to track the scent of the crow who spoke. She's still there, she noted. Hidden from sight, yet still among the shadows to monitor them. Without the interference of those crows, it's all too likely Amari would have died before anyone realized she needed chakra.
"All of these problems on top of blood loss." Mimi shook her head. "She needs serious medical attention, more than I can provide in this forest and during this test."
"The damage to her right shoulder and thigh are the worst of the wounds I can sense. However, I'm unsure we will be able to fix her shoulder after the torture she appears to have sustained," Aoko informed.
The Inuzuka growled lowly at the reminder. She wouldn't know the real extent of damage until she checked it out firsthand, but she didn't doubt her ninken's analysis.
"You think it was one of those punks?" she asked, her voice more of a snarl than anything else. Her blood was still boiling. If one of the Sound punks were responsible for the wound, she'd gladly extract vengeance on them and make their corpses unrecognizable.
"Doubtful. Had they been responsible, I don't believe the crows would have let them walk away freely. Their fierce loyalty to their chosen companions is only rivaled by the Inuzuka Clan ninken. And their wrath is said to be truly terrifying."
Mimi shook her head, eyebrows raised in fascination of the information. She had heard older shinobi mention the Crows of the Leaf before, usually those who had fought in wars or patrolled the borders, but the younger shinobi usually dismissed it as a joke. An old tactic used to frighten invading shinobi into paranoia.
Once she asked her Aunty if they were real, but Tsume only grinned and said, "Maybe. Maybe not. Might be forbidden for me to tell you. Might not be. You'll just have to keep an eye out and your ears open." She paused. "Though, I'm not sure what good that'll do you. They say the crows move through the shadows of the Leaf. Seeing everything, but never being seen." Her grin widened. "So, if you do piss them off, you probably won't know until it's too late."
It had come off as just a big joke to her as a child. A way to try to make her paranoid about going outside. Yet now…"I always thought the Crows of the Leaf were just a legend. A ghost story to spook invading shinobi," Mimi said.
Yet now it seemed her Aunty's words had been truth veiled as a joke.
"As did I," Neji agreed. "But clearly they are very real. I've heard whispers of their existence among my Clan. I thought it nothing more than gossip of old men, yet it appears that is the point. As a fictitious legend, future invaders will lower their guard and fall prey to them one by one."
"A wise conclusion." The voice came from directly behind them, and the scent of the crow she had been tracking disappeared completely. Mimi spun around and searched everywhere with her eyes and nose, yet she could find no trace of the bird. Neji and Tenten did the same, the boy of the pair attempting to use his Byakugan. "You will not find me, so I implore you not to waste your time. Fear not, I have no quarrel with you as of now. I came to ask a favor."
"I cannot sense her," Aoko murmured. Her ninken exhaled a small snort, sign she was grinning in thrill. "It's no wonder they are feared by all who know of their existence. Terrifying indeed."
A nervous grin pulled onto Mimi's face. A creature the Byakugan and an Inuzuka could not track? This crow was one dangerous bird. "A favor, huh?"
"You are a medic." A statement, not a question.
Mimi nodded once. "I am, but if your favor is to heal Amari, save it. I plan to do it anyways."
"I see. You have my gratitude then. Know your teammate, Rock Lee, did not fall easily. Even after the Primary Lotus, he continued to do everything in his power to defend Team Seven." Mimi didn't expect anything less from her stubborn teammate, but she nodded in appreciation of the information. "When he awakens, extend my gratitude to him as well. He has earned honor for himself and brought honor to his Sensei, team and the Leaf."
"Lee will be ecstatic to hear that," Mimi said. If he isn't beating himself up too much.
"Fair winds guide you and farewell."
A moment later her scent returned to its original position. "She's gone," Mimi informed her teammates.
"It seems the Crows of the Leaf live up to their legend," said Neji, his Byakugan eyes returning to normal. "I could not find her anywhere until she returned to the tree. What unnerves me even more is she already knew you were a medic, Mimi. As far as I know, you haven't revealed your Medical Ninjutsu in this forest."
It came off as a statement, but the way his lilac eyes flicked over to her turned it into a question. "I haven't. Didn't see the sense in healing our competition."
His eyes returned to the tree the crow hid within. "So unless she eavesdropped on our conversation, which seems unlikely given the distance between us and the tree, it can only mean they've gathered intelligence on us long before we entered this exam."
"But…why would they gather intelligence on us?" Tenten asked. "We're Leaf shinobi. We haven't done anything to draw the attention of them, unless you consider Guy-sensei's crazy challenges."
"No, we have, Tenten. We just didn't realize it." His eyes flitted down to Amari. "The crows specifically aided Amaririsu. From what we heard her say to them after the Sound shinobi left clearly shows she doesn't seem to know them personally. Furthermore, that crow came to ask Mimi to heal Amaririsu—a favor, she called it." Neji shook his head. "It can't be coincidence. They must be monitoring her, at least as far back as our fight with her."
"I can see your point, but they may just know I'm a medic because they researched the shinobi taking part in the exam," Mimi pointed out.
"Perhaps you are right. But one thing I remain certain of: they are not here by coincidence."
Mimi and Tenten nodded. "Yeah, no doubt about that," the Inuzuka said.
"…I'm going to be paranoid about every crow I see from now on," Tenten muttered.
Mimi chuckled lightly. "You and me both, Tenten."
"Agreed."
"I'm going to go help Lee and Amari. Tenten, can you try and wake Lee up for me while I run a Diagnosis Jutsu on Amari?" Mimi asked. She needed to learn the full extent of the damage and then figure out from there what she could do to help.
Her teammate nodded. "I'll handle him."
Both kunoichi jumped down, separating to go to attend to the wounded. Amari appeared to be barely hanging onto consciousness when Mimi approached her. Her chest heaved from controlled but large breaths. Every time her chest expanded, however, she winced and her breath shuddered.
Shikamaru held onto her, bracing her seated frame while Sakura had beads of sweat formed on her brow as she transferred over more chakra. She keeps this up, she'll weaken herself in an attempt to fix something that only time can fix now.
Her approach didn't go unnoticed. All three looked up at her, Shikamaru and Sakura equally hopeful and desperate for her to help. Amari offered a weak smile. "Hey Mimi. Fancy meeting you her—agh!" Every muscle in her body tensed and her eye slammed shut. By the time the pain faded, the kunoichi was panting and struggling to look up at her.
"Fancy that," Mimi returned, smiling as supportively as she could. She's in bad shape. Worse than Aoko can sense for me. Her blue eyes moved to Sakura. "Sakura, you've done enough. I'll take things from here."
It was time for her to take charge of the situation.
Sakura nodded, albeit reluctantly, and removed her hands from Amari. "Okay."
"Thank you, Sakura," Amari thanked.
Mimi crouched down in front of Amari and performed her Diagnostic Jutsu. Warm and inviting green surrounded her gloved hands in a hue as she moved them across her injured body. Muscle tears in her forearms and biceps, just like Aoko said, she diagnosed. And whoever stabbed her got the blades in deep. But this one on her right shoulder…Mimi frowned. Someone rotated the blade back and forth as they impaled it into her.
The internal damage was extensive. Tears in her rotator cuff tendon, a small fracture in her shoulder girdle and mere inches from severing the subclavian artery. Mimi took a calming breath, nerves rattled by how close Amari came to death. Any closer and she'd have died long before Mimi arrived on the scene. And even had she been here, to sever that artery meant death without someone of Lady Tsunade's skill around.
"How's the right arm? Still feel it? Tingling? Anything besides pain?"
"Tingles a little. Tips of my fingers feel numb."
Mimi hummed, filed the information away and moved on. "Breathing hard?" she asked.
"Every now and then."
Another hum. She can't feel it because of all the other pain, but she has severe contusions to her ribs. Nothing splintered, thankfully, but whatever hit her chest left a mark. Mentally she shook her head. And her back isn't in any better shape. She had to hit something hard for these contusions.
There were other cuts, none that coincided with an average blade, closer to a Wind Nature Jutsu at a guess. Scratches from tree bark tore through the fabric of her clothing and marked her back. Overall, though, those were surface wounds. Nothing too hard to fix up.
"Headache?"
"If it's there, I can't feel it."
A minor concussion, too. I can't tell if it's from someone head-butting her, or if she was the one who head-butted someone else. There was an open wound on her forehead too, the source of the blood covering her face. Mimi lowered her hands and rested them on her knees, a frown on her lips. I can heal the majority of her injuries, no problem. But it'd take most of my chakra and several days of intensive healing. And we're still in this test.
She needed to maintain her strength and chakra so she could fight on the chance they ran into enemies. Also to heal Amari fully would require her to leave her team for the remainder of the test and travel with Team Seven. With both scrolls already in their possession, her three teammates would want to head straight for the exit to finish the test. If Team Seven started with an Earth Scroll, they'll still need a Heaven Scroll to match it.
"Have you gotten both scrolls now?" Mimi questioned.
Sakura shook her head no but Amari nodded yes. Mimi cocked an eyebrow. Either Amari was delirious, or there was a serious lack of communication between teammates here. I'm not sure which is worse.
"Shika…Back pouch."
Shikamaru reached into her back pouch and pulled out two Heaven Scrolls.
The sight of them shot Sakura's eyebrows skyward. "But…how?"
"I created a fake for ours when we were waiting to ambush that Rain ninja. A carbon copy with the same marker in case we needed to do a mock surrender. After we captured his Heaven Scroll, I decided to do it again to—" Amari grunted and squeezed her eye shut again. Muscles rippled as they tightened in response to wherever the shooting pain came from. "The scrolls Sasuke gave to Orochimaru were the fakes I created. I kept the real ones in hopes he wouldn't notice the difference. Fortunately, he didn't," she rushed out.
"Orochimaru?" Shikamaru and Mimi balked in unison.
What the hell is the rogue ninja attacking them for?
"Long story, too much pain to talk," Amari forced out. "I know…I know you have an Earth Scroll, Shika. Take one so we can all pass this stupid, troublesome test."
Mimi didn't say anything, but she noticed Shikamaru squeeze her hand in thanks.
"So, it seems Orochimaru is the one who attacked them," Aoko murmured, concern in her voice. "I wonder: did she outsmart him, or did he allow her to? Orochimaru was said to be a genius. I do not doubt Amaririsu's cunning, but his presence unsettles me. Especially since they survived."
"Yeah," Mimi agreed. Team Seven obviously barely survived, but the fact they even survived against one of the Legendary Sannin could only mean he let them. As long as he doesn't show up again…
"Come on, Lee! Get it together! Snap out of it, all right!" Tenten's shouts brought a laugh out of Mimi and a grin to her lips.
That's Tenten.
With Team Seven in possession of their scrolls, the matter of healing Amari became far less complicated. All she would need to do was stay with the team and escort them to the tower.
Simple.
Yeah, right.
Her blue eyes flicked back over to Amari's right shoulder. Everything except that shoulder is in my realm of skills. I can heal the less severe portions of it, but she needs a seasoned medic-nin for the rest. Possibly even surgery.
"Amari, it's going to take me a few days to patch you up," she said. "I'll heal as much as I can now before I take care of Lee. I won't lie to you and say you're perfectly fine. Honestly, you're in pretty bad shape."
"Are you sure? I think I can go another round, Doc," Amari jested weakly.
Mimi chuckled. "All right, smartass. Let's stop you from bleeding out first. Afterwards I'll kick your ass."
"I'll pass. I've already hit my butt kicked quota this year."
"Hehe, all right. I have to wait my turn anyways."
She did promise Lee to have the first bout. As soon as he did, though, it'd be her turn to finally fight her again.
After what she witnessed today, she was even more excited for that day to come.
Power. It had been Sasuke's goal to gain as much power as possible to destroy his brother. To do so, he listened to Itachi's final words, his final piece of "advice" as an older brother.
Hatred. He needed more hatred. To grow the darkness and forsake the nuisance bonds around him to focus solely on this single bond of hatred binding two brothers together. In that darkness, where his hatred broiled and festered, he would do more than surpass his brother. He would strike him down, destroy the shadow he casted over him and finally be free…and alone.
"You weren't the only survivor."
Those five words changed everything. It started to shift the path he walked alone, slowly, but he could feel it. He could feel his pace picking up, no longer trudging further into solitude and darkness, but jogging, running, sprinting towards this single light his eyes finally saw. Trying desperately to catch her to see the truth with his own eyes, to reach out and touch her to prove she wasn't an illusion.
Another Uchiha. Another survivor.
She was vastly different from him, but they shared a similar goal: to destroy the people who tore their loved ones from their arms. Unlike him, though, she did not shut the world out. She kept trying to reach out to others, to help them, to save them from their loneliness like Naruto, and to save herself from her own. He couldn't understand why. Why couldn't she see the single connection of hatred she needed? Why did she risk becoming attached when it only shortened the distance the knife needed to travel to sever what was left of her heart?
Yet she kept getting stronger. She kept pushing past her limits, surpassing him with the strength she found in her bonds.
"And if your strength ever fails you, you can always look to us to give you ours in its stead to overcome whatever obstacle is in your way."
He could hear the wisdom behind her words, but he latched onto his brother's words instead, forgetting again and again the single greatest lie Sasuke lived with for years: he was the last.
The only survivor Itachi decided to spare.
All lies. He wasn't the last Uchiha. He wasn't the only one who was spared. And he wasn't alone. But he was stubborn. He chose to stand near the only light he had seen in his darkness but never followed it beyond the shadowy border. There he stood, basking in its warmth, but always looking back to the cold shadows.
"You're a- an Uchiha and a member of Team Seven, after all. That makes you family."
Family…His only family had been murdered, their ties of love severed from within. Family…he had forgotten what having one felt like. In the cold shadows he walked through, those past feelings all but disappeared. But those words—no, that declaration burned away the shadows around him so he could finally see the scarred left hand reaching out to him, trying to save him too. Trying to pull him off a path he had been shoved onto and left to walk alone so he could walk beside her.
They wouldn't have to be alone.
For so long he walked a path of deceit, led by the master puppeteer behind his suffering: Itachi. All of his lies, they never stopped, even in those final moments. Why would his brother give him any real advice? Why would he tell him how to destroy him? He hadn't wanted him to grow his hatred because it would make him stronger than him. No, he wanted him to grow his hatred and nothing more so when they finally fought, he would be able to defeat his naïve little brother with ease.
I…refuse to follow your lies any longer, Itachi. I won't be your puppet!
But after those flames destroyed his original shadows, more darkness leapt forward to pull him back in. He could feel its cold tendrils around his body. He could hear its indoctrinating whispers in his ears, using his pride and his goals against him to give in to the darkness.
Sasuke wouldn't lie, it was so tempting. He could feel the power thrumming in the shadows. He knew if he just let go of that scarred hand and fell back into it, the immediate boost of power would be so gratifying. He could just give in and it would all be his to use.
Yet, he still held onto that hand. Because his Sharingan eyes could pierce this darkness. He could see the snake slithering in the shadows, tempting him for its own purposes, attempting to get him to use this evil power so he would become the puppet again.
I refuse to be your pawn! I refuse your "gift" and all it entails! I will walk the path I decide to walk! I will gain the power to kill Itachi my own way! I won't listen to your honeyed words or Itachi's when I know you're both using me to reach your own ends! I will not be either of your puppets! Now get the hell away from me!
Sasuke bolted up right, body cold with sweat and trembling as he gasped desperately for air. His vision remained fogged, blurry figures on both of his sides, and his left shoulder burned with fierce intensity. He could feel the taint thrumming through his body; burning, itching, clawing to be freed of his control. Despite the physical pain it caused him, he kept fighting to keep it caged.
This tainted power would only cloud his vision. He would become a tool, a pawn for that Orochimaru's desires. To hell with your power and your schemes! I don't need you to achieve my goals!
His internal shouts only incensed the taint. Its claws set fire to every inch of his body. He choked and hunched forward, grabbing at his shoulder as the indoctrinating whispers echoed in his ears. The honeyed promises, the demands to let go of his control and use this power tempted him. This power, he could use it to destroy his brother, if only he sacrificed his free will to do it. If he sacrificed everything for his goal he could have the power necessary to defeat Itachi.
"That makes you family."
Sasuke growled in agony and clawed at his shoulder.
I…don't…need…your power!
All he had to do was say he wanted this power. All he had to do was give in and it'd be his to use for his own whims. He could surpass all those around him, gain power unlike anything they had ever seen and continue on the path he had been walking.
The path of an avenger.
The path of loneliness.
He only needed to give in and he could have real power.
I…refuse!
He would regret it more if he didn't take this power. Why should he play at shinobi when this power was at his fingertips? Why play by the rules of the Leaf? Why hold onto that child's hand when this power could be his?
Because…she's my clan-sister! Sasuke's eyes snapped open, red Sharingan blazing. Now shut the hell up!
The clawing and burning slowly began to recede back towards his shoulder. Eventually it faded and cooled until all that remained was an irritable itch.
He heaved heavy breaths, face dripping with sweat, body trembling against the internal agony he just withstood. A pitiful state for an Uchiha, but he didn't much care. The whispers had faded. Again his body and mind were his own. That was a victory in itself, one worthy of an Uchiha.
"Sas- Sasuke?" The voice of Sakura startled him but he kept his body from locking up. He looked to his left and found her kneeling next to him. She wore a bewildered and almost frightened look, but his eyes were the ones that widened when he noticed the differences in her appearance. "Are yo- are you okay?" she asked.
There was a tremble in her voice. Was she…afraid of him? Or for him? Exhausted from his internal fight, he could only deactivate his Sharingan and nod tiredly. Whatever had been happening to him, it wasn't happening anymore. His body was slowly cooling off and his breathing calmed through practiced breaths.
He did his best to survey the area in his current seated, hunched over state. On his other side was Naruto, still unconscious after what Orochimaru did to him. I need to figure out how long I've been out. He glanced back over to Sakura. And figure out what the hell happened to her hair.
Later, though. When he wouldn't be impeded by his labored breathing and as soon as he was sure the area was clear. Eyes moving again, he noticed the signs of traps set up underneath the shelter he was under. His nose caught the scent of smoke in the air. They must have set off paper bombs.
A thin layer of smoke hung with dust, signs he only just missed a fight from the looks of it. Behind Sakura, he noticed the shapes of a handful of people, but his eyes struggled to make out their identities, still fogged by the struggle he just experienced.
"Are you sure you are okay?" Sakura pressed. "There were these…black marks all over your skin, and your chakra was swirling around you. But then they receded back to your shoulder."
"Is there…anything there now?" he asked.
She nodded. "A small black mark, some kind of Seal according to Amari."
A Seal, huh? So that's what the freak planted on him. The "gift" he gave him and the source of the burning and whispers. If it's still there, I guess that means my fight with it isn't over yet.
"Amari said you would need to be careful expending chakra. She said the mark provided chakra, but it was vile and more akin to a poison from what she could…see." Sakura's eyes flicked to the corner, as if trying to use her eyes like a Byakugan to see behind her. The subtle action made it clear the secrets of their teammate needed to remain as such.
Sasuke nodded. From what he felt, he didn't doubt her observation at all. He could feel the power behind it, but he could feel the evil in it, a malicious intent that claimed it could be controlled, yet would assert control over him instead.
"We won't be able to do anything about it without Sensei, but—"
"We have to finish the Exam first," Sasuke finished for her. His strength slowly returned. Sitting back and removing his hand from his shoulder, he shook his head and sighed. "And we don't have any scrolls. Great."
Sakura giggled lightly at his words. He turned to her, confused by her action and by the shortness of her hair. The ends were uneven, cut hastily and without care for what it would look like. "Funny thing about that, Amari gave you fakes." Sasuke's eyebrows rose to their peaks. The look on his face only served to cause Sakura more laughter. "We still have a Heaven scroll, and while you were unconscious we got an Earth scroll. The other Heaven scroll she gave to Shikamaru."
Sakura shifted her body so he could see past her to the figures in the distance. His eyes finally adjusted to the world around him. Shikamaru's team and Team Guy were out there. Shikamaru sat closest to the tree, his torso used as a cushion for Amari's body. Chōji crouched next to them, feeding a chip to Amari as he smiled kindly to her. In front of his teammate was Mimi kneeling on the grassy floor, her eyes focused on the task of what appeared to be healing Amari while Aoko lounged in her hood.
Everyone else was spread out, Tenten and Ino stood near one another with Lee sitting at their feet. Neji stood in a nearby tree, eyes moving between Amari and Sasuke for one reason or another.
There were signs of battle everywhere. Kunais pierced into trees, craters from explosions, ash from fire and smoke in the air. Two areas caught his attention. First was the huge cratery path aimed right at the tree that stopped abruptly where Amari and Shikamaru sat. The other spot were the pink strands of hair among the grass only a few feet away.
What happened while I was unconscious?
A battle, obviously. But what was everyone doing here? Why was Shikamaru bracing Amari? And why did Sakura look different? He didn't just mean her hair, either. There was something different about her. She carried herself with pride—real pride, not the fake kind she exuded before. Her eyes were harder emeralds, confident and defiant in a new strength.
He must have missed something important.
"She gave me…fakes?" Sasuke questioned.
Sakura nodded, a smile playing at her lips. "I didn't know until a few minutes ago, but yes. She did."
"Clever. I'll give her that."
She put on a great act to convince him and Naruto. But it was more to convince Orochimaru to escape with their scrolls than anything else. She needed them to believe so Orochimaru would believe it too. With the Snake Sannin so focused on his obsession of Sharingan and placing his mark on one of them, it left him blinded to Amari's scheme to keep the scrolls in their possession.
"What happened when I was unconscious?" he asked. "Are you and Amari all right?"
She gave a sheepish smile and brought a hand up to the uneven cut strands. "Oh this? Don't worry about me. I'm okay." He believed her. "I've only got a few cuts and scrapes, nothing serious. It's thanks to Lee and Amari I was able to stand and fight to protect all of you."
Wait, you protected us? Sasuke bit the question down. This girl…No, this kunoichi wasn't the same annoying fan girl he had grown accustomed to dealing with. She was stronger, fiercer and without a doubt stood up to protect them. "Who did you have to fight?"
Who was able to topple Lee and Amari?
Sakura sat down next to him and explained everything from the moment he first fell unconscious to now. She explained Amari's injured state Orochimaru left her in. How the Sound shinobi came to fight them, Lee's interference and Primary Lotus. How the battle spiraled out of control and Amari's desperate adrenaline fueled attack to put an end to them all.
"But her injuries finally caught up to her and the adrenaline wore off. That's when Zaku hit her with a Slicing Sound Wave," Sakura explained.
Sasuke listened intently to Lee's and Amari's willpower and ability to push past their injuries, all for Sakura's sake and the sake of him and Naruto. She told him of Lee's and Amari's inspiring words, words he could feel the fire behind despite hearing them secondhand. And then she told him of her final stand against the Sound shinobi.
Her thought pattern through the fight and ability to take on the three alone impressed him. She probably could have taken them all on alone if not for Dosu recovering so quickly, but that's when Shikamaru's team arrived to save her.
Then Team Guy showed up and Zaku tried to blow them all away. The final act of the fight took him by surprise. "A…dragon head of chakra?" he questioned.
Sakura nodded. "Yes. She used every ounce of her chakra to protect us. Without the crows providing her chakra, I think she might have hit absolute zero."
It was an incredible feat. Again it proved to him her will and strength never stopped growing on the path she chose.
"I gave her as much chakra as I could. Mimi's healing her now, but she said she's in pretty bad shape," Sakura finished. "I'm no medic, but even I can tell Amari's hurting really bad on the inside right now. The way Mimi looked at her a few times…I think…I think we're lucky she's still alive."
Sakura may not have medical knowledge, but she was still smart enough to connect the dots. If she thought that, then it was all too likely she was right.
"She'll be fine," they said in unison. Sakura blushed and averted her gaze. Sasuke chose a place on the tree to stare at instead of risking eye contact after that.
A lot had happened in such a short time, yet there was still much to be done. If he needed to be careful with his chakra then they needed to move quickly. Amari needed immediate medical attention. Although he was confident Mimi could take care of most of it, he knew she'd have to hold back a little to keep her strength. They were still in a dangerous forest, after all. She couldn't drain herself healing Amari if there were other fights on their horizon.
If Amari isn't in good condition afterwards, we may have to wait longer. One of the rules would make bringing their teammate in poor condition to the end bad for them all.
"Mimi is about to check on Lee. Do you want to go see her?" Sakura asked. Sasuke gave a quiet nod and joined her in going over to the still and quiet kunoichi.
"You understand me, Amari?" Mimi questioned pointedly.
"No more…Ultimate Defense," Amari responded, voice drowsy.
A sharp nod. "Good. And you, Slacker, no detours. You go from here to the tower as quickly and safely as you can."
Shikamaru nodded. "I got it."
The Inuzuka glanced up at the arriving pair, nodded once in greeting before leaving for Lee. Shikamaru remained seated to brace Amari. "Any better?" Sakura asked the Nara.
"The pain doesn't seem as severe and she isn't bleeding all over the place," Shikamaru said. The look on his face was serious as he looked down at the slouched form of his cousin. "I think the exhaustion is settling in. She's fighting to stay awake now."
Sakura knelt down on her side with Sasuke. "Wouldn't be Amari if she wasn't trying to push herself past her limits," the kunoichi said.
"Yeah, stubborn girl doesn't know when to stop."
"Lazy bones," Amari murmured.
Shikamaru snorted and shook his head. "Which one of us has ended up injured the most?" Silence and a frown. "Thought so." He lifted his eyes to meet Sakura's. "Mind switching with me? I have to go organize my team. Sooner we start moving, sooner we'll be out of this forest."
"Go ahead." Sakura switched positions with him and braced Amari's body against her torso.
"Shika…Stay safe."
Shikamaru knelt down and gave her hand a squeeze. "We will. Go to sleep, troublesome girl. You need to rest."
"Mm. Soon." She squeezed his hand back and let him leave, eye shutting as sleep began to claim her.
One look at her bloody and exhausted state proved Sakura's fears true. They were close to losing Amari. Way too close. Her wounds could have easily been fatal as could the chakra exhaustion.
Those crows saved her life. He wondered why they had and where they had come from. Although he appreciated their interference, he couldn't get Orochimaru's furious scream out of his head.
"Itachi! Show yourself!"
It couldn't have been his brother. Itachi wouldn't have been there to protect them. So why did the crows really interfere? What was their goal?
"Oh no, Sakura!" a brash and loud voice shouted.
Sasuke and Sakura half turned to see Naruto sprinting over with a panicked look on his face. Knocked out by Orochimaru and comes out of it shouting his head off the same as always. On one hand he appreciated the lack of change. He'd never admit it out loud, but the knucklehead helped him find his will to fight.
On the other hand…well, would it have been too much to ask for Naruto to learn to keep it down a few notches? Sasuke glanced to Amari, who was completely oblivious to the knucklehead's shouting. Her chest slowly rose and fell, a clear sign she finally passed out. Explaining everything is going to give us a headache.
"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura! Something happened! I mean something serious happened! To your hair!" He slid across the grass on his knees and stopped right next to them.
"Oh." Sakura smiled sheepishly. "That's all you're making a fuss about? I had…a moment of clarity. I focused a little too much on my long hair and less on being a kunoichi, but that's changed now. It'll be easier to handle this way."
The boy hummed in a small understanding before looking around at everyone. "Why is everyone here?" He sniffed the air then frowned. "And what's with the smoke?" Finally his eyes landed on Amari's bloody and sleeping form. The sight of their wounded teammate caused his cerulean eyes to widen. "Whoa, hey, what happened to Amari? There's dried blood everywhere, even on her face and ear. Is she…Is she gonna be okay?"
Sasuke sighed. "There's a lot to catch you up on, Naruto."
"Everyone came to help," Sakura inserted. "After you fell unconscious, the Grass shinobi fought Amari and then Sasuke. We later learned she was actually Orochimaru of the Sannin in disguise."
"Oro…chimaru?" Naruto's eyes about bulged out of his head. "No way. What the hell is he doing in the Leaf?"
The question everyone wanted to know. The question none of them could answer.
"We're not sure," Sakura admitted. "But these wounds," she pointed to the shoulders and thigh of their teammate, "were done by him. He even tried to steal Amari's Sharingan, but…It's a long story. He didn't succeed, and that's what's important. After he left her and Sasuke unconscious, I moved you three here and applied fresh bandages to Amari's wounds after she woke up.
"But those Sound shinobi, they work for Orochimaru. They came to fight, but luckily Lee happened upon us and stepped in to help. He and Amari did everything they could to protect me and you two. Even after they were badly injured, they still kept standing up, but ultimately…" Sakura's eyes fell back to their teammate. "Their injuries were too much."
"Are you serious?" Naruto's shock couldn't be hidden. "Those Sound guys were able to beat Amari and Bushy Brows?"
"Under better circumstances, I have no doubt Lee and Amari could have handled them without a problem, but…Well, Lee's Forbidden Technique took just as much out of him as it did the Sound shinobi, and Amari's injuries were already bad before fighting them. It left them vulnerable to weaker opponents. Otherwise…Let's just say Amari did a lot worse to them than they did to her."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused by the vague answer.
"I'll explain everything later. Don't worry, though. They won't be coming back."
Putting it lightly from what little you told me, Sakura, Sasuke thought. Zaku's and Kin's reaction to Amari's genjutsu was unsettling, and the fear Dosu had of Amari and the crows ensured they would leave them alone. He was pretty sure Dosu wouldn't want to be within a hundred meters of Amari as long as he had a choice in the matter.
"Bu- but is she going to be okay?" Naruto asked.
He was worried. Hell, they were all worried. To them Amari almost seemed invincible. She had scars that proved otherwise, yet she somehow always found a way to bounce back quickly. The Lightning Blade didn't seem to have any effect on her whatsoever. She marched on with her physical scars and became stronger for it.
To see her like this: out cold, covered in blood and paler than she should be…It rattled them all. They were so used to her strength and willpower that they all forgot their balancing point was as fallible as all of them. That she too could fall in battle.
But none of them, even in that moment, questioned if she hid more pain from them. Despite remembering she could be physically wounded, they continued to forget that the worst scars and worst pains usually laid underneath the surface. And Amari, for all her great strength of will, was just as vulnerable as them to those pains.
"Mimi can heal a lot of her injuries, but not in this situation," Sakura explained. "She has to be careful not to weaken herself while we're still in this forest, so she's going to travel with us to heal what she can on our way to the tower. But Amari needs professional treatment, and that means we have to finish the exam."
"Fine. I'll go hunting for scrolls then, that way we get her help!" the blond declared. Sasuke grabbed his arm to stop him from getting up. "Wha- hey! Sasuke, let go!"
"Calm down, Loser. Amari never gave me the scrolls. She tricked us both into thinking those were the real Heaven scrolls so she could trick Orochimaru. The ones she gave me were fakes," he explained sternly, easing his grip once the boy calmed down. "She also got us an Earth Scroll from those Sound shinobi, so there's no need to waste your energy."
"Fakes?" Confusion was followed by guilt. Naruto lowered his head, eyes darkening as his own words came back to haunt him. "She looked so disappointed in herself because of my yelling. I thought…"
Sasuke frowned. He didn't intend to guilt the idiot. Sighing internally, he did the only thing he could think of. He gave his arm a light punch and tried to sound reassuring. "Because of her we got away with both scrolls and our lives. Beating yourself up about that isn't going to do any good. Right now, Amari needs us to be strong for the sake of the team."
Naruto didn't react at first. His eyes remained on Amari's limp body for a few moments, guilt and sorrow prevalent in them. Eventually he nodded in understanding and agreement. "Yeah, you're right." He turned a weak smile to the Uchiha. "When did that start happening?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, the corner of his lip twitching up in a smirk. "Shut up, Loser." His smile fell. With everyone on the same page, he needed to address a serious subject. "We'll need to take our time getting to the end."
Both his teammates made sounds of confusion. He understood it. Why wait to get to the end when they could rush there and get her help? The longer they waited, the more poison chakra would get into his system and the longer Amari would have to wait for professional help. Logically, it sounded best to get there as soon as possible. But there was one flaw in that plan.
"One of the rules stated if one of our squad was incapacitated and unable to continue then we would fail. If we bring Amari like this to the tower…"
"Then all our hard work would have been for nothing," Sakura finished.
Amari needed help, but to go there now would render everything she did to protect them and keep them in the Exam pointless. They needed a mostly functioning teammate to finish this, and Amari was not in a functioning state.
Footsteps behind them brought their gazes to Mimi with Aoko on her head and Tenten holding up Lee. The bushy-browed shinobi didn't look as bad as he had, but he still clearly needed time to recover.
"Lee." Sakura's voice was soft as she turned a smile up to the shinobi. "Thank you. Because of you and Amari, I was able to stand up for myself. And now I've become a little stronger."
Lee first appeared shocked, but then his eyes began to water, touched by her words. "Thank you, Sakura…I'm only sorry I couldn't do more to defend you." He wiped at his eyes then bowed his head. "Thank you for protecting me when I was unconscious. But please, do not credit me and Amari too much. You were the one to fight, Sakura. It was your will, your strength that protected all of us when we could not protect you."
Humbled by his words, Sakura smiled and bowed her head in return. "Thank you, Lee. That means a lot."
He raised his head and looked to Amari. "Please, when she wakes up, thank her for being an inspiring rival. I do not know if I would have been able to keep standing up if not for her incredible will."
"Lee." Amari's voice caught them all off guard. Her eye remained closed. "One…Zero…me."
One-Zero me?
Mimi grinned widely at the statement. "Heh, looks like your rivalry has come to fruition, Lee. Guess I gotta up my game if I want her to see me as one too."
Sasuke sweat dropped. You got roped into a rivalry with him and then you accepted it? Only you, Amari.
The bushy-browed ninja beamed, albeit tiredly. He then returned his attention back to the pink-haired kunoichi. "Sakura. The lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice." Mimi's grin shifted into a knowing smile she shared with Tenten. "When we meet again, I will have become a stronger ninja. I promise."
"I have no doubt you will, Lee," Sakura said, smiling back at him.
"Hey, Sakura!" Ino waved the kunoichi over. "Come here real quick so I can fix your hair!"
"Naruto, can you—"
"You've got it, Sakura." Naruto traded places with her so she could get her hair fixed by Ino.
"Give Neji my plan and stick to it," Mimi said to her teammates. "Two days from now we will meet you at the Exam doors." Aoko barked in agreement.
Lee and Tenten nodded, although the latter seemed worried about splitting up for the time being. "Be safe, both of you. Don't do anything reckless," Tenten said.
Mimi grinned. "Come now, Tenten. It's me and Aoko you're talking to. When have we ever done anything reckless?"
Tenten rolled her eyes, a small smile pulling onto her lips. "More times than I choose to count." Her features sobered. "Seriously, Mimi, be careful. There are still a bunch of teams out there, and no offense to them, but Team Seven's taken a serious beating. To top it off, one of their strongest members is down. Do everything you can to avoid a fight, for our sake."
The Inuzuka gave a sharp nod. "I will. Don't worry."
"Too late," Tenten replied, smiling at her teammate.
"Be wary around the tower. I am sure there are shinobi who have prepared traps closer in to capture those rushing to the finish," Lee said.
"Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. You three should try to avoid all confrontations if you can. We have no idea if they'll pull some stunt at the tower to test our endurance."
They both nodded in agreement. "We'll see all of you at the tower then," Tenten said then jumped up to the tree with Lee to regroup with Neji. They shared a short conversation before the Hyūga boy gave Mimi a small nod. Afterwards the trio disappeared into the forest.
"Good luck you three."
We'll all need a bit of luck now.
Moonlight shone down on the Forest of Death. Stars littered the sky, providing the Genin no longer in combat the chance to relax and gaze up at the twinkling dark canvas as they rested from the day's events. Day three of the survival exercise was nearing its end hour by hour. For some, the last three days had ended in misfortune, either through lost scrolls or being claimed by the forest. Some were far more fortunate and already within arms distance of the tower.
Then there was Team Seven. Fortunate to gain their scrolls, misfortunate in the enemies they faced. The double-edged sword gained them the necessary mission requirements to pass, but in the process incapacitated Amari completely and handicapped Sasuke and Naruto to lesser degrees.
It was a bad situation. But it could have been worse. Fatally worse, Mimi thought, yawning as she sat down at their camp. Against an enemy like Orochimaru, their survival only came at his whim. He could have killed any one of them without blinking. The fact Amari's subclavian artery was just missed could easily be luck of the draw in a fight against the average shinobi. But the more Mimi thought about it, the more she believed it wasn't decided by luck.
Orochimaru was said to be a genius, one of the greatest shinobi of the Leaf alongside his two teammates. Being the student of the Third Hokage and teammate of Lady Tsunade, Mimi couldn't believe he didn't intentionally miss the artery. On any given day he could have severed it, but this time he missed? She wasn't buying it. He wanted her alive. Severely injured, no doubt about it, but alive.
Why? Mimi doubted she could guess his motives, so she let the thoughts go. Traveling and healing Amari left her too tired to spare another thought to it. Sooner rather than later she wanted to shut her eyes and call it a night.
These are some of the worst injuries I've ever healed. She had spent some time at the hospital, healing injured shinobi to gain more experience, but she hadn't ever dealt with a patient of Amari's severity. Granted, she appreciated being able to gain more experience and was happy to help a friend. But damn it to hell, it pissed her off she couldn't do more because of this test. She had to constantly monitor how much chakra she used, mending minor wounds while offering what was essentially half-assed treatments to the more severe areas.
Amari needed help. Badly. And the single medic around could only give her a fraction of the help she deserved.
It's infuriating! Mimi growled under her breath. I hate this so much. I should be using every ounce of chakra I have to fix her up. But because of this test I have to put my wellbeing before hers.
She understood the importance of restraining herself. If she exhausted all of her chakra healing as much of Amari's wounds as she could, she'd be dead weight and become a liability. And if someone else got injured later on, she wouldn't be able to help.
By conserving her chakra now she could help more later. Without her, no one could be healed. Her survival and her conservation of chakra was a priority for the long game, not the immediate gratification. Every medic understood the logic behind this. Mimi would listen to the logic; she just vehemently hated putting her needs ahead of the wounded.
The feeling only intensified since the person wounded was someone she knew.
Tomorrow we'll reach the tower, and as soon as this test is over I'll do everything I can to help her.
Her time with Team Seven hadn't been all doom and gloom. The three team members were working well together. She hadn't been impressed by Naruto or Sasuke's bravado or attitudes when they first met, and Sakura let herself fade into the background too much for her liking.
"There has been growth since that day," Aoko had told Mimi earlier today as they watched the trio's interactions. "I cannot say if it is directly related to Amaririsu's current state, or if it was simply the fights with Orochimaru and those Sound shinobi that has brought them together. The result, however, doesn't change. They are far more cohesive than antagonistic towards one another."
Her companion was right in her examination. Amari was the only glue keeping them together before, Mimi thought. She could team up and talk with each of them without issue, and through her they found ways to work together. I thought for sure her temporary absence would cause a rift, yet I think it's done the opposite this time.
The trio realized they couldn't rely on Amari to carry the weight of the team on her own. They each had to stand up, put their egos aside and pull their weight equally so their wounded teammate wouldn't collapse again from carrying the burden on her shoulders.
About time they wised up. Mimi didn't need enhanced senses to see Amari carried some deep scars on her heart. In that, they were kindred spirits. They wore their masks to hide sensitive wounds from others. Not a healthy lifestyle, but it wasn't her place to confront the Nara about it. They hadn't known one another long enough to give her the privilege to address the hidden scars. But she was happy the other three had picked up their slack.
One less burden for her to carry alone.
The transition hadn't fully taken form yet. That was okay, though. Growing as a person took time. Growing out of bad habits took patience, time, and sometimes friends to help you through it.
Mimi knew that struggle intimately. It was ongoing even to this day, but she'd keep fighting to be better than she was yesterday as a shinobi and as a person. That was Team Guy's motto, after all.
Aoko climbed into her lap and curled up, letting out a small yawn of her own. Mimi scratched her behind her ears and gently patted her head. Her blue eyes drifted over to Amari's still form next to her. She was covered by Naruto's orange jacket while balled under her head was Mimi's blue sweater as a pillow.
Over the last two days, Amari's total time awake was barely more than an hour total. Even when she woke up she appeared completely drained. She hardly spoke a word, except for the word of gratitude for someone's help or a question of how much further they had left. Otherwise she stayed up just long enough to eat, drink and handle nature's call. Afterwards she fell back into her deep slumber without stirring.
It made her an easy patient to deal with—not a single argument or debate about anything. She didn't even try to shift away if internal pain hit her. Honestly, though, Mimi wished she didn't appear so…lifeless. There was no fire in her eye. None of the usual spirit in her body or behind her words. She was quieter, if that was somehow possible.
I'm not sure if she's like this because of her injuries and chakra exhaustion, or if this is another problem caused by her Ultimate Defense. It clearly drained her chakra, but Mimi hadn't ever dealt with a level of chakra exhaustion like this before. She wasn't even sure her current state was caused by the amount of chakra she expended through the two fights, or if that jutsu alone caused this.
To sleep two days away? Had her body simply decided to hibernate to recover from the injuries? Or had the jutsu taken so much out of her it had no choice but to hibernate to recharge?
Mimi could only assume the former was true. There were too many variables to juggle here to place the blame on the jutsu without real evidence. Sure it was flawed, the muscle tears in her arms proved that, but it being innately flawed didn't necessarily mean it led to this. This whole situation could be the result of every problem piling on top of itself.
I'll still need to warn Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei to keep an eye on her. Mimi leaned back onto her elbows and extended her legs out to keep her feet warmed by the nearby fire.
Amari was stubborn like Lee. She'd keep practicing the technique to try to perfect it even if she was told not to. But she needed to be wary of this new technique. If it caused this level of exhaustion, it'd be even more dangerous than they thought.
Without her sweater on Mimi was left in her bottom layers of clothes: a long sleeve mesh top and a plain black short-sleeved V-neck. The fire a feet away was there to cook the trio's dinner. This late at night it would normally attract unwanted attention to their camp by the main river, but they kept themselves and the fire hidden via a genjutsu casted by Sakura called Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Jutsu.
The jutsu, as its name stated, creates a false surrounding around the area it is casted on. In their scenario, anyone caught in it and unfamiliar with genjutsu wouldn't even see them unless they dispelled the genjutsu.
For the time being they were safe. Hopefully they would remain that way.
"Mimi, can I ask you something?" Sakura's voice brought the Inuzuka out of her thoughts.
She looked up from the fire in front of her to the trio waiting for their fish to cook. Naruto was practically drooling as he watched his food cook while the Uchiha of the trio monitored the cooking and the knucklehead.
Sakura, on the other hand, stared thoughtfully between Mimi and Amari with a question at the tip of her tongue. "Sure Sakura, what's on your mind?"
"I am really grateful for what you and Lee have done to help us, but…why have you two gone so far for us?"
Mimi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Where's this coming from?" They may not have been teammates, but they were still Leaf shinobi. Leaf shinobi stuck together, rain or shine, hail or some other terrible weather. Didn't matter.
"It's just…Back after Lee's fight with Sasuke you said Amari was one of your targets."
Realization hit Mimi immediately like a stiff punch to the jaw. "If we're all coming clean about lies then I suppose I should too. While Amari has definitely earned her place as one of our targets, she isn't the one Lee wants to defeat most. Our other boy teammate, Neji, he's Lee's end goal. As for me, I want to fight Amari again more than anyone else."
Looking at it that way, she could see how this question formed in Sakura's mind. Her fierce desire to fight Amari and Lee's desire to be her rival came off far more aggressive from an outsider's perspective. To go so far as calling her a target almost made it sound like they were enemies rather than rivals.
It gave the wrong impression. Don't get her wrong, she still felt that connection urging her to fight Amari, and it continued to grow every time she was around her. The fire burned brighter, filled her with a level of thrill she still hadn't found a medical diagnosis for. What this connection was bound them together. It demanded to be known. But she wasn't looking to bring permanent bodily harm to her or kill her. Neither was Lee.
"Ah, my bad. Lee and I didn't mean to make it sound like she is our arch-nemesis. Lee wants to be her rival, and earned that on his own. I want…"
To fight Amari at full power. To feel the strength of her blows and jutsu without restraint. To feel her will battle her own as they ignited their embers for a final push. To finally define this connection she felt.
Mimi shrugged it off. "I've never been good with putting my feelings into words. But I suppose I see her as an upcoming rival." She smiled softly at the others. "And a rival is just another word for a friend."
Recognition flickered in her emerald eyes. "Hey, I've heard that before. Lee said it to Amari just before he fought the Sound ninjas when we asked why he was helping."
Mimi wasn't surprised. It was Guy who had taught them those very words when pressed about his eternal rivalry with Kakashi. "It's true I want the chance to fight her one on one. By helping here I do increase my chances of that." She shook her head. "But that's only a fragment for why I am helping. Part of it is my duty as a medic-nin, but even that is another fragment."
Duty only went so far to her. If a medic only did what was within their duty then they were all too likely to give up on someone who needed their help. She wouldn't give up so easily. Maybe that made her naïve and would give her a lot of pain in the future, but she'd take it all on.
Anyone who told her otherwise could go to hell.
Sasuke and Naruto looked from their food to her as she continued to speak. "What Lee told you yesterday, Sakura, don't brush it off as nothing. Lee's a pure soul. He means what he says and wouldn't butter you up. You asked why he went so far? Because to him, you and Amari were worth the pain. Because she," Mimi lifted her chin in the direction of Amari, "inspired him to keep standing up even though his body told him not to. What you witnessed him and Amari do, I know it's given you a new foundation. Build on it. For them."
Sakura nodded.
Mimi's eyes trailed back over to Amari. "Those two, they're special. Their nindo's, their dedication to the people they care for…Believe it or not, it encourages and inspires me to be better than I am." Better than the person she became after the death of her parents. "I can't help but be here. I have to help her, because if Amari was me she'd do it in a heartbeat."
"So, because she is dedicated to her friends and her family, you want to help her?" Naruto asked. He grabbed one of the sticks holding a fish, as did Sasuke and Sakura.
A simple way of looking at it, and he wasn't wrong about it, but it was also even more complicated than that. It wasn't just her dedication to her friends and her family that drove her to help. It wasn't just because she would do this if the roles were flipped. Some of the feelings Mimi felt, she wasn't even sure there were words for them. At least none she could think of at the moment.
"Loyalty to family and friends is something I hold in high regard. And I understand the struggles of being a…" She cringed as the word began to form on her tongue. "A half-breed, as Neji eloquently puts it."
He wasn't the only one to say it, though. "Half-breed mutt with a mutt" was one of the more popular things she was called in the Academy. Usually around that time she shoved their teeth down their throats. Mimi learned to have thicker skin after a while, but those who tried to bully her physically or verbally soon learned she wasn't one to sit and take it.
She was a fighter. Hot-tempered and full of pent up aggression and pain she had no problem unleashing on bullies. The amount of times she ended up in trouble were numerous. Eventually teachers just started sighing in exasperation when she showed up to detention with a busted lip or black eye.
Mimi always gave worse than she got. She made sure of it. No one insulted her or her family and walked away without their proverbial tails tucked between their legs, whimpering like the pathetic pups they were.
Nowadays she could grin and be happy for real instead of wearing the stupid mask to cover up her pain. Losing her parents at five years old…it was a wound that still hadn't healed, not fully anyways. Their faces, their voices and their scent remained crystalized in her memory banks—never forgotten. As long as she still remembered them, they wouldn't fade away with time.
Pain like hers couldn't be healed by Medical Ninjutsu. Time was said to dull it, and maybe it had. The sharp blade didn't slip past her barriers as much anymore, but the pain still remained.
After her parents died, her Aunty took her in. She provided her a home, a family who still cared for her and wanted to help her heal. People she could rely on to help toughen her up, or be there to hug her when she truly needed it.
It took time for the mask to form to hide how not fine she was inside. To Mimi, though, it was necessary so people stopped asking her how she felt. She hurt, what the hell did they think she felt? Her parents were gone. People she cherished were taken from her grasps, never to return. Did they think she'd just walk it off? Rub out the pain and pretend everything was okay when it absolutely wasn't?
No. She didn't expect people who didn't understand loss to comprehend what she felt. So she learned to mask it all. She put on the smile, made it seem like she was moving on and tricked everyone outside of her family.
Bullies became her stress relief. Mimi practically dared them to say something to piss her off—the harsher the better. That way she could justify herself for unleashing her pain on them. A few teachers in the Academy had it out for her too. They actively tried to sabotage her for one reason and one reason alone: Her father was a former Mist shinobi who defected to the Leaf.
"I don't get it. Is being from two separate Clans really that bad?" Sakura asked.
Mimi's lips twitched into a smirk when she noticed Sasuke's eyes lower. "Ask him. He'll tell you all about it," she said, lifting her chin to Sasuke. He might not have ever taken part, but he would have seen it. The Uchiha Clan was notorious for casting out anyone whom they deemed "deluded" the bloodline with weakness.
Naruto and Sakura both turned to Sasuke in question. "Sasuke?" the kunoichi of the pair asked.
"She would have been out casted as if she had a plague," he answered. "Many of our Clan were…cruel in the years leading up to the massacre. Honestly, I would bet they treated her as if she was a stain on the Clan. And if she was remotely close to being as shy as she used to be, they would have chewed her up and spat her out."
The distance in his language regarding how his Clan acted made it clear to Mimi he didn't take part. Good. He was barely starting to work his way off her bad side. If he even hinted at taking part, she wouldn't ever forgive him.
"Bu- but look at how strong she is," Naruto pointed out. "What difference does it make it she's from two separate Clans? That doesn't change the fact she's really strong, and it doesn't make her a bad person either."
Sasuke merely nodded in agreement. "I know. Trust me, I do. But it wouldn't have mattered to those people. None of them would have believed she could unlock the Sharingan, and that alone would have created a stigma of disdain for her."
"The Uchiha Clan were prideful and are considered the strongest Clan of the Leaf Village," Mimi interjected. "In their eyes, her half-breed blood would weaken the Clan. What good is she to them if she can't even awaken the Sharingan, right? She'd be better off dead."
"That's…really harsh," Sakura said, a frown pulling onto her lips.
"It isn't right," Naruto stated. "Nothing about that is right. What's it matter, anyways? Sharingan, half-breed blood? Amari would still be Amari without it to me. That stuff doesn't define who a person is in their heart. What gives anyone the right to think they're superior because of stupid things like that?"
Mimi lowered her head slightly, using the shadows provided to hide her smile as she recalled similar words Lee once said.
"I'm sorry I was not able to defeat Neji this time, Mimi. But next time I will, and then he will have no choice but to stop calling you a half-breed."
"Lee, please…Just stop. It's fine. Don't get yourself beat up on my behalf."
"No, it's not fine. Just because you are not a full-blooded Inuzuka does not make you any lesser than him or me or anyone else. You are still Mimi Inuzuka, a Leaf Village kunoichi and our comrade. Being a half-breed or full-blooded does not change that. Such a silly thing like what Clan you are born into should not and does not decide who you will become. You, Mimi Inuzuka, have a good heart, and that should be all that matters. I will stop him from insulting you, even if takes my whole life to show him he is wrong. I will do it. I promise."
Mimi would always be grateful to Lee. Always. Even if Neji never stopped calling her a half-breed, the fact Lee tried and shared those heartfelt words with her were enough. This little goofball…The Inuzuka looked across the fire at Naruto. He's another bright light. Amari's bright light, no doubt. The one who inspires her the same way Lee inspires me.
"If I may ask, what other Clan are you from? Is it one in Konoha?" Sakura quizzed.
"Nah," she shook her head. "Not from Konoha. I'm not even sure my father belonged to a Clan, but he was from Kirigakure. Because of that I had a lot of trouble."
"That is putting it lightly, Mimi," Aoko quietly rumbled from her lap.
Mimi hummed in agreement and rubbed her ninken's head. Aoko had been there with her through it all. Through the worst of her struggles and her rise out of the darkness, Aoko had her back. Always.
She doubted she needed to explain much more than her father's place of birth. Surely these three already knew how bad relations between Kiri and Konoha were over the years.
"Why?" Naruto questioned.
Or maybe not.
His ignorance actually brought a grin to Mimi's face. Sakura and Sasuke did not find it nearly as amusing, sweat dropping and frowning at him.
"And to think, if he achieves his dream, he may be our Hokage someday," Aoko pointed out humorously.
Mimi applauded her own strength of will—because it took every ounce of it to not laugh hysterically at her ninken's valid point. Deciding to throw the kid a bone, she offered him a small, condensed explanation. "There were many bloody battles fought between us and Kiri. The shinobi who lived through it and those who lost their parents to it still resent Kiri shinobi to this day. My father defected way back because he grew tired of the terrible and bloody reign of the Fourth Mizukage. It was still known as Blood Mist Village when he left."
"Zabuza," the trio breathed out in shock.
Alone Mimi sat in confusion as the trio began to share in their own conversation.
"Maybe that's why he tried to assassinate the Mizukage," Naruto said.
"He might have been an ambitious freedom fighter of a sort," Sakura agreed.
"We don't know what his reasons were," said Sasuke. "But if the Fourth Mizukage was a tyrannical leader that had people trying to kill him and defecting to Konoha…Maybe his ambition early on was to stop kids from turning into himself."
"Amari will definitely want to hear about this," Sakura said, earning nods of agreement.
"Uh—"
"Leave it be, Mimi. However they know of Zabuza Momochi is none of our business. It could be forbidden for others to know," Aoko murmured below her.
Can't argue there. Don't know if I really want to hear about the Demon of the Hidden Mist. When the trio finished their conversation, they turned back to her, eager to hear more about her story. "Anyway, because my father defected he was always looked at suspiciously. No one trusted him despite many times proving his loyalty to the Leaf. I think everyone thought him, and me through him, were some sort of sleeper agents. Parents always eyed me suspiciously, called me half-breed under their breaths. And because of that their kids hated me. They tried to bully me. They learned why that was a bad idea."
"By kicking their asses and rising to the top of your class. If it weren't for the missions with Guy-sensei, I may actually miss seeing you knock those brats around," Aoko murmured in amusement.
Mimi scratched her ninken's head, grinning a little as she did. "Seems like the good old days now, but it was hell then and you know it, Aoko. Now get to sleep." Her partner huffed but did not argue. Aoko was always with her, watching from inside the neckline of her sweater or on top of her head, giving her encouragement as only a true partner could.
"I dealt with the bullies easily, but when the teachers started coming after me it got bad. The tiniest of mistakes was punished with full scrutiny. The good teachers didn't know it was going on, and I didn't want it to get worse so I stayed quiet." She took their scorn, grew angrier at the world and took it out on the next punk to say something to her. "It was a mistake on my part."
"I assume it stopped," Sakura said, unsure if it was true or not.
"Aunty Tsume and Lord Hokage found out there were teachers trying to sabotage my grades and constantly punished me for nothing in class when the teachers teamed up to kick me out of the Academy. Went to Lord Third and everything with their 'evidence.'"
Their hatred for Kiri fell on her shoulders. They saw her as the daughter of an enemy shinobi. Mimi would bet they lost friends or family to Kiri shinobi in the past and decided to take their pain out on her, but hatred was a cycle that never stopped spinning. Their actions bred resentment in her for them. The pain she felt grew and the darkness consumed her. She then took her pain out on others, spreading the pain and hatred even further with every new broken nose and fractured jaw.
Mimi wasn't proud of the person she became, but she wouldn't hide from it.
The greatest miscalculation those teachers made was trying to go to the Hokage with their "proof" of her treachery. What was their proof exactly? Ramblings about her father, sabotaged grades and her own actions of assaulting other kids. The first two were lies, Mimi owned up to the third.
"Yeah, I have beaten the crap out of those kids. But only because they instigate me by hurling insults over and over again. And where the hell are all of you when they push me around, taunt me, shove my textbooks out of my hands and call me a half-breed traitor, huh? You've been in the same damn room and just ignored it until I can't take it anymore. But they never get punished, do they? They get coddled and praised for standing up to the great big bullying half-breed, Mimi Inuzuka."
She hated them. Hated them all for everything they were putting her through. Hated them for bringing her Aunty into it. Hated that her parents were gone and how much their absence hurt. Hated that she wanted to cry from held back rage. But she refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much she was hurting inside.
What neither they nor Mimi anticipated was how well the Hokage knew her father. It should have been obvious, he would have had to allow him into the Village, but it took everyone except her Aunty by surprise. When their ramblings fell short and all the "evidence" had been laid out, only then did her Aunty lose her temper and tear them a new one verbally. Mimi would get her own later for staying quiet for so long, but that came from a place of care.
The one those teachers received came from rage.
"What happened to them?" Sakura asked.
"Lord Third and my Aunty defended me and my father. They lost their jobs. I graduated, got put on Guy-sensei's team and haven't been looked at suspiciously since."
"So that's where your blue eyes came from."
"Yep, my father," Mimi answered with a fond smile. That was her genetic inheritance from him, that and her natural affinity to the Water Nature. Her mother's final gift to her had been at her side through everything: Aoko.
Mimi shook her head, feeling the shivers of emotional thoughts creeping up on her. "That's enough about me for now. We've gotta get moving tomorrow and I need some sleep. I'll take third shift so wake me up then."
They nodded and the Inuzuka laid down. She moved Aoko from her lap to her stomach then rested her hands behind her head, staring up at the moon and stars.
Tomorrow we'll finish this exam. I just hope we can make good time.