Chapter 34

Amari's Desperation: A Dragon's Spirit Revealed!

Hisashi, like his teammates, was older than the Rookie Ten and Team Guy; at least four years older than Amari, maybe even five by her estimations. He towered over the younger kunoichi by several heads. Naturally his height advantage came with greater reach; Hisashi's strong arms and legs outmatched her smaller, twelve year old arms and legs in length. She'd be nervous if every opponent she faced didn't have these same advantages on her.

Her growth spurt hadn't exactly hit yet, but it would! …One of these days. Somedays she feared she'd be short for the rest of her life. She wondered if her parents had been tall. Had one been short? What if she ended up with a rare gene of shortness in her family? I can't think like that. I'll hit a growth spurt! I'll become taller!

…Hopefully. Amari sighed. At least I'm used to fighting taller opponents. It rendered the advantage mostly moot. Training with her mother taught her how to make the best out of her shorter size against an opponent with better reach and longer legs than her.

Her opponent had unruly sandy blond hair underneath the forehead protector he wore as a full bandana. The length of his hair reached his shoulders in the back but only his cheekbones in the front. He wore an opened black sleeveless jacket and nothing beneath it, a blue sash around his waist, slightly baggier standard Konoha uniform pants and sandals.

Overall he wasn't in bad shape. Lean and mean with light definition to the muscles in his arms and entire torso. The shirtless display probably had Ino lovesick.

Amari was unbothered. It took more than abs and the chiseled torso of an enemy to distract her. Her tactical eye was drawn to two far more important details. It flicked down to the sword hung from his sash, hidden in its black scabbard, awaiting its call to battle from its master. Ornate designs decorated the hilt and the guard, and no doubt the steel within the scabbard was in pristine condition. His hand rested on the hilt, ready to spring it forth in the blink of an eye to cut her down.

And I'm down to two kunai. The rest of her tools were used to combat Orochimaru and his Sound shinobi puppets. It didn't help her that right hand—her dominant hand—had numb fingertips and tingles dancing up through the arm itself. She was better off keeping the limb in the sling. Her right hands grip strength wouldn't be impressive, probably akin to a cooked noodle more than the firm rock climber grip she was used to. With only two kunai left, the loss of a single blade in the midst of combat could be fatal.

Which led into her second detail: Hisashi's eyes examined every detail about her. He saw the bandages on her right thigh, the sling holding up her arm, the torn up tank top and dried bloodstains; he saw her weakness. Her wounds couldn't be hidden from the analytical eyes of her opponent.

Unlike Hironori, Hisashi didn't have a single qualm about fighting her. He didn't see the wounds and scoff at her decision to fight. He looked at her as an alpha wolf might size up a new contender; cautious, pointed, intelligent. Could this new challenger be the one to topple him? Were the wounds superficial? Was she playing possum, hoping to get him to lower his guard even a little?

Hisashi showed no intention of lowering his guard. He remained alert. Eyes examining the kunoichi before him as she examined him in return. What kind of threat might she pose? What had the Hyūga felt to back away from her moments before? Why had her Sensei taken her away?

He's not going to underestimate me. Normally she'd be glad. Being underestimated perturbed her greatly, but at a time like this Amari would have liked the advantage of underestimation. Given the choice to pick her opponent, she would have easily chosen Zaku or one of the other Sound shinobi. Against them she could use her Sharingan to strap them in a genjutsu the moment the fight started, preventing the agitation of her injuries and sealing her victory before anyone could blink.

Against Hisashi, though… She couldn't risk it. Being a Leaf shinobi wasn't enough to earn her trust anymore. Kabuto proved her a fool. Preyed on her loyalty to the Leaf to attach himself to her team like a parasite. To use the Sharingan—an eye meant to be kept secret—against him could lead to unknown consequences she couldn't foresee or defend against. Hisashi might blab about her Sharingan to anyone who listened, spreading the news throughout the Leaf or even the Shinobi Nations of another Uchiha survivor. Eyes would be drawn to her. Unwanted eyes of powerful shinobi she had no chance against.

The sight of it could stir in his heart the same greed that led Kasai to kill Ryu. Maybe not here, but later Hisashi could decide to steal it for himself. The urge to gain new power to overcome his weakness could drive him to pluck the eye from her head. For his sake and her safety, she couldn't risk using it here.

I'll have to win without my Sharingan. She glanced down to her right arm. And my right arm, I suppose. I'll still be able to create handseals, but I'll need to rely on my feet and left hand for combat. Plus my Byakugan.

This whole thing was going to be a drag, she could feel it. Her tactical mind needed to be her main weapon. Down to three limbs, no Sharingan and two kunai placed her at a significant handicap due to her injuries. Hisashi wielded a sword; that meant he would want to stay close, force her to fight his battle instead of the other way around. His sword wasn't bulky like Zabuza's. It'd be meant for quicker strikes, not large, powerful cleaves.

So how was she going to play this?

Hayate looked between them. "Amaririsu Yūhi and Hisashi of the Leaf, are you ready to begin?"

Amari activated her Byakugan and grabbed at her back pouch where the hilt of a kunai waited for her. "Ready," she said. The cool steel brushed against her fingertips and she gripped the hilt. Her heart beat steadily raised its tempo a single notch; electricity flowed through her veins. Her fight was mere seconds away. The anticipation she felt as her feet shifted into place made her thrum in excitement.

Hisashi's sword hand barely moved at all, but her left eye caught the slightest twitch as the fingers tightened around the hilt. Unreadable to the naked eye, of course. He's planning to end this with the first blow. Smart. She was thinking the exact same thing. Their similar strategies turned this first move into a game of quick draw. Whoever drew first could seal victory. If her reflexes were even a fraction of a second late, this fight would end as soon as it began.

"I'm ready," Hisashi said, cool and collected. Arrogant, but not smug.

Hayate swung his hand down. "Begin."

Only in her Byakugan eye could she see every single movement he made. The contractions of his muscles in his arm, the shine of the pristine steel as it sprung from the scabbard and his Body Flicker all moved naturally to her left eye, as if these movements did not happen in milliseconds. Amari dashed in simultaneously, mirroring his use of the Body Flicker as she darted in a half circle to her left, hoping to out maneuver him. As she moved, he tracked her and adjusted course appropriately, planting his foot and pivoting direction. Every adjustment and movement was imperceptive to anyone except a veteran or a dōjutsu wielder.

He reacted a fraction of a second faster than me. Internally she smiled. Heh, what a drag. She spun her kunai into the proper guard and slid on her feet across the concrete, preparing her body for their strikes to land.

All her peers saw was Hayate's hand swing down then the two shinobi disappear upon blinking. Sounds of metal colliding against metal hit their senses next and, as their eyes opened, they noticed the new positions of the two combatants. Amari now faced the giant statue's arms coming out of the wall, her kunai holding back Hisashi's blade. Her opponent stood calm and collected behind his blade, unfazed by the draw.

This guy has lightning fast reflexes. His blade pushed down on her, seeking out the flesh beneath it with its master's strength. She pivoted her body and pushed the blade off to the side. Before she could capitalize, the sharpened steel sought her out again. Their blades met twice more; parries of aggressive attacks as their feet carried her enemy forward on offense and her backward on defense. Hisashi swiped twice, hopped back and sheathed his sword—his hand held the hilt tightly and his feet braced to spring him ahead like a kangaroo as she moved in.

I see. Amari hit her skids, pivoted her body towards his blade and spun her kunai into a guard. Their blades met again and held one another back.

"Your reaction speed is impressive. I've felled more than twenty bandits and shinobi with that move. But can you keep it up when all I need is one strike to finish you?" Hisashi said.

The weight against her blade vanished. So this is what it's like to face a Body Flicker user like me. Talk about a drag. Amari tracked him via her Byakugan and spun one-eighty on her toes to face him again then dashed ahead to force him to strike earlier than he intended. One strike is all he needs? Sounded like his arrogance needed to be crushed into dust.

Hisashi planted his foot and sprang in at her, sheathed blade all but jumping from its scabbard into its master's hand once more to cut an angular upward slash. He followed the parried attack with a series of steel strikes biting at her with the speed of a viper. Amari dodged back out of range of the first strike then sped in, parrying the second and third before getting past his reach advantage. In close, she used her left forearm to block his arms before they could bring his blade into range, halting his forth attack completely. Hisashi reacted quickly, dodging back and out of range of her shorter leg as she tried to land a chakra filled strike to his ribs.

Then he was back on her, blade striking fast. The cutting of air and clang of their blades filled her ears with the symphony of battle. Both tried to unsuccessful ends to land the first blow. Hisashi's footwork and technique were far superior to her own. Every move was fluid, every opening covered—the result of years of practice and experience she had yet to gain.

Neither blade greeted flesh. He kept himself covered with his technique; she kept her body unharmed through quick reflexes honed by a Jōnin mother combined with her dōjutsu's ability to perceive body movements.

Hisashi pressed his assault and kept her on the back foot. I won't win this fight in a one-on-one duel, she realized, dodging her torso back for the blade to pass underneath her chin. She could see the reflection of her face on the steel; determination and focus rather than anger or fear.

Although she could wield a kunai with her left hand, there was a definitive difference between her skill and Hisashi's. He outmatched her. I'd feel more comfortable with two blades instead of one…

Two well-timed blocks kept his blade from opening new wounds. Amari held him in a deadlock, both using only one hand to hold their chosen weapons, eyebrows furrowed in their resolve to win this battle. He's too skilled for me to find a decent opening. I'll need a different strategy to beat him. Continuing to fight to his tune would only expend more of her energy as he wore her down strike by strike. The longer it went on, the higher the likelihood Hisashi found an opening in her defenses. She couldn't risk that. I need to force him to start fighting my fight.

"You've managed to last beyond one minute without a single scratch. I must say, you have skill. Still, this fight is over." Hisashi brought his free hand up and created a seal; his pointer and middle finger flexed upright while his ring finger and pinky bent at horizontal angle to create a cross.

Amari's eyes widened. A one-handed handseal?! Only highly advanced shinobi could pull off techniques with one hand. Aw man, what a drag!

A second chakra signature matching Hisashi's formed directly behind her. A Shadow Clone? Amari's Byakugan witnessed the Clone reach for its blade. Her heart hammered against her chest in a desperate attempt to break from of its cage and spare her life. As the clone drew his sword, instinct directed her right hand into action. Fabric tore as a blade cut through the cloth sling. Amari pivoted on her left foot, the white cloth falling from her body, revealing her second kunai gripped tightly in her right hand.

Clang!

Amari grit her teeth. The reverberations of the block rolled up her tingly right arm into her shoulder. The grip on her last kunai shook as she held it vertical next to her right hip, the blade pointed towards the ground while holding Hisashi's back mere inches from her flesh.

"How did you—"

"I kept a kunai in my sling just in case I needed it. And your handseal looked similar to the Clone Seal for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. You also gave away its solid nature when you bragged about the fight being over." Her eye narrowed. "Don't predict a fantasy you can't turn into reality. I'm only getting started."

Chakra swirled across the ground around her feet in a ring of green fire. An instant later she released it and flew out of the deadlock into a tactical retreat. I'm impressed he can even use Shadow Clones. It isn't as if they don't take their toll on chakra reserves. The fact he even managed to do it with a one-handed handseal…

Her enemy was dangerous, that was for certain. One wrong move and she'd end up needing more than surgery after this fight was over.

Amari landed on the arena floor then jumped again, backflipping and parrying two separate blows from the two Hisashi's. She landed feet first on one of the arms of the statue. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two Amari's appeared on either side of her just as her two quick opponents darted in from her sides. Their blades met the kunais of her Clones, but her hands were already moving through handseals. Dragon, Rat. "Now try this. Ninja Art: Shadow Dragon!"

Two separate black tendrils shot between the legs of her clones, shaping into the heads of four-horned dragons. Both Hisashi's jumped back, narrowly dodging the dragons lunging at their legs. Amari retracted the dragon going for the clone and created another Shadow Dragon to send after the real one. With one of her clones keeping Hisashi's at bay, the other sped after the real one, running alongside the two Shadow Dragon tendrils on the hunt for human flesh.

Speed is his ally, Amari noted, eyes watching her enemy as he hopped back swiftly to avoid the Dragons hunting him. Hisashi relied on his quickness to outmatch his opponent and break their defenses where he could land fast slashes. Because of her dōjutsu and speed, though, she was able to neutralize this advantage he would hold against the likes of Naruto or Shikamaru and Chōji. Hence why he decided to use a Shadow Clone. If he couldn't overwhelm her by himself, he could do it with two.

Again her abilities allowed her to neutralize his advantage. He never suspected her to be able to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu either or for her to be able to create the sudden disadvantage of numbers. Now it was time to test how fast he really was. One mistake and her Dragons would have a new meal to feast on and break.

The Shadow tendrils curved and chased him up the vertical statue hands. Her clone sped in, clashing steel against steel in rapid strikes that kept Hisashi on retreat. Hisashi parried a strike and kicked the clone away. Simultaneously a Shadow Dragon lifted off the hands and shot directly at his chest. Her opponent skidded back and watched as the Shadow Dragon pierced into the stone. His head jolted to the floor beside him as the other darted right for him—mouth open and sharpened teeth ready to break him.

He handspringed back again, equipping three kunais and throwing them towards the real Amari just as the Dragon ensnared his foot. The Byakugan analyzed the paper bombs attached before the three kunais were in blast range. Amari smirked. Good move. He knew he was about to get caught so he's giving me no choice but to release him or be blown up.

The Shadow Dragons receded and released him as she jolted forward in a Body Flicker. The explosive kunais landed a moment later and exploded. Heat caressed her skin and air pushed her wild hair to drape over her shoulders as curtains of blue. Amari's head lifted up to the heavens to see Hisashi diving at her, blade at the ready for another strike. And now he's pressing the assault so I can't focus on my Shadow Dragon Jutsu.

Amari cartwheeled back out of range of the strike and let her Clone put herself between her and her opponent to block the next strike. Hisashi's eyes watched the clone and the floor equally. Intelligent. He wasn't going to let her previous trick come close to him again. What he doesn't realize is the toll my Shadow Dragons take on me. For me to extend two of them that far drains a lot more chakra than the average Shadow Possession. The fact I wasn't able to capture him means the next use won't be as strong. I'll need to save it and my chakra for a moment where he'll have no chance to escape or dodge it.

"I have to say, you have skill," she parroted his words back at him. "And you're fast, but let's see how long you can keep it up when we go full blast!"

Amari hopped over the clone holding Hisashi in place, light gleaming off her onyx kunai blades. Hisashi pushed her clone away and blocked her first strike and second strike. The Nara's feet touched the surface of the statue again and she launched an assault of aggressive attacks. His eyes watched her movements closely, using her own body language against her to predict her attacks.

Rapid strikes were parried one after another after another; sparks flew from their blades at each meet of steel, warming the blades at the points of impact. Amari spun like a dancer on her toes in her whirlwind of strikes, blades seamlessly spinning in her hands to attack from different angles before she firmly held her ground to block Hisashi's offensive strike, catching his blade between both kunais. Tingles shot through her right arm and irritated her shoulder again, but she ignored it and how the kunai shook in her grip.

Now wasn't the time for weakness.

Amari's clone slid between her wide stance legs, a surprise attack that had the desired effect. Hisashi cursed and jumped back, blocking the two thrown kunai blades out of air before landing on the hands of the statue again. Chakra emanated from his feet to hold him in place; he lifted his blade in front of him and pointed it directly at the Nara.

Amari received the silent message loud and clear.

Show me what you can do!

If that's what he wanted, she would make him regret asking for her very best. The real Amari shot at him, zigzagging up the vertical hands and engaging her enemy once more in a fierce duel.

For the second time in the fight, Hisashi didn't push forward on offense. He ran backwards on defense, parrying and dodging every fierce attack all the way up to the tips of the statues fingers and down the other side. Amari reached the tip of the fingers then swan dived off with chakra, shooting through the air faster than a kunai and clashing with Hisashi's blade as she darted past him.

"Take this!" The kunoichi spun her body around and tossed her right kunai back up at him before corkscrewing to land on her feet. Hisashi spun around and dodged his head out of the way of the kunai, still calm and collected despite their battle. The blade impaled against the statue fingers behind him. He skidded to a stop in his forward momentum when he saw her hands in Tiger.

Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!

A barrage of fireballs from the hottest depths of hell surged out of her belly and throat on a direct course to scorch her opponent. Thinking quickly, Hisashi sheathed his blade and dodged back, handspringing his way up the statue hands out of the way of her attack and, unbeknownst to him, right into another.

"Hope you didn't forget about me!"

Hisashi gasped. He did forget about her clone. Spinning around, Hisashi tried in futility to block the weaponless clone's attack. She feinted a right then Body Flickered past his guard to land a hard left hook. The punch had him stumbling back past the kunai he dodged. Her clone sprinted ahead, sliding across the statue with chakra, grabbing the kunai and hopping up to attack. Hisashi's unsheathed his sword fast, the sound of the steel sliding out, cutting through air and meeting the kunai heard by all.

Unwilling to stand by and watch the fight without participating herself, Amari dashed up the hands again to attack her enemy from behind. As she neared him, he blocked a strike from her clone then proceeded to awe his opponent and the spectators. Despite having no dōjutsu, Hisashi fought the two Amari's on singlehandedly with them at his front and back. Hisashi pirouetted and moved with such agility and technique he essentially had someone fighting back to back with him despite his clone engaging hers on the other side of the hands. Soon it was the Amari's on defense as he pushed them back with his defensive offense.

Kami, this guy is good.

Hisashi blocked her strike, ducked under her clones then sliced the clone in half. Her second kunai fell past her, but she couldn't let it be lost at a time like this. Amari cut off the chakra to her feet and let gravity pull her towards the forearms; the action causing Hisashi's blade to slash the air as he spun back around to attack her. Distant clangs of blades sounded off from the other side. At least my clone is putting up a decent fight.

Her opponent darted at her through the air, streamlining himself to reach her faster. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Another clone appeared in front of her. She pressed her feet to its back and pushed off into a nosedive directly at her kunai. Her fingers curled around the hilt once more before she flipped around to land feet first on the forearms of the statue. Her clone popped simultaneously. Amari lifted her blades up, braced her body and blocked the hard downward slash from Hisashi.

This time the aches rolled through her right thigh as well as her arm.

Amari grit her teeth and pushed Hisashi back before hopping back, hands darting through handseals. Burn out!

Fire Style: Fire Ball Barrage!

One small fire ball after another raced for Hisashi. Again he impressed her with his speed, darting out of the way of every single attack until but two meters separated them. Amari's foot touched the statue again and chakra flooded through her body. She shifted the weight of her body from backwards movements to a charge. Then she was gone.

Hisashi's eyes widened when she appeared sliding on her back across the hard surface of the statue directly at him. He instinctively jumped up and started weaving handseals one-handed again before inhaling. Amari knew the familiar technique before it could expel from his lungs. She expanded her own inhale and molded her chakra to increase the power and size of her next attack.

Together they unleashed shapeless torrents of hellish fire at one another. The blasts impacted like an explosion of paper bombs, covering them in smoke as their attacks doused each other. Amari spun back up into a crouch, kunais at the ready in front of her. Hisashi landed and held his blade up in anticipation for the next strike. Neither moved immediately, their breathing not heavy or labored by exhaustion, but uneven after such an exchange of blows.

He's fast. His technique and skill with a sword is great. He knows ninjutsu and can use one-handed handseals.

Hisashi was an excellent opponent for her. She couldn't help but smirk. The sight of her lips turning upwards turned his in the opposite direction. "What's with that smile on your face?"

"I'm just excited to be challenged. I came to these Exams hoping to be pushed and forced to overcome my weaknesses. You're delivering on everything I wanted."

Hisashi stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment. Then he chuckled despite himself. "Heh. Well, the feeling's mutual, I suppose." He readied his blade and his body for attack. Every tiny muscle ripple hinted at his planned attack, she just had to read it. "But I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to win."

"So am I."

With that, the battle continued.

Leave it to 'Risu to enjoy a tough fight. Troublesome girl, Shikamaru thought, rolling his eyes. She didn't even look worried despite not landing a single defining blow yet. Then again, Hisashi hadn't either. Looking at how this battle turned out, he was happy to get Kin for his opponent instead of Hisashi. Sure, he had to fight a girl, and that was a drag. And he didn't even want to be here fighting anyways, but at least Kin was too overconfident like her other Sound shinobi pals. It let him play her right into his hands.

Against a guy like this, though? He'd be screwed. He just didn't have the reaction times Amari had, or the stamina. These two fought on an entirely different level than he was used to. The Nara boy watched as closely as he could, afraid if he blinked he would miss the decisive moment.

Hisashi's set of skills were impressive. Especially his ability to fend off his cousin and her clone to make the numbers game moot. Technique like that, it takes years of dedication. To fight off two enemies as if he has eyes in the back of his head when they're coming at you with the speed and strength 'Risu uses takes experience none of us have yet. He turned defense into offense as if it was nothing.

Amari was clearly at a disadvantage going in. Her injuries left her using her non-dominant hand at first, and every renewed strike with her right risked agitating the injury and losing the blade. Those were her known disadvantages at the start. Now that he had seen Hisashi fight, he could say with certainty that Amari didn't have the same ability and finesse he did in swordplay. She was good, better than every Genin except Tenten, but Hisashi was an expert with his sword. It was an extension of himself. To put it in a corny way, he was one with his sword, and his sword was one with him.

This made Amari's ability to stay on even ground a greater feat. Even Asuma was impressed by the two, and the guy had hardly got into any of the fights.

"Whoa, Amaririsu and Hisashi are amazing. I can barely track them," Chōji said, his awe clear.

Shikamaru felt it too. The awe. The amazement at both his cousin's and this other guy's skill. The sudden doubt in his own ability to win a match like this. He was too slow. He preferred slow. Being energetic or moving any faster than necessary wasn't his style. Shikamaru preferred to move at the speed of clouds, not the speed of sound, but this battle was a perfect example of what to expect between two shinobi. If he ever faced a swordsman like Hisashi—who relied on quickness to overwhelm his opponent—or someone like his cousin—who coupled speed with strength as well as physical and mental flexibility—a simple Shadow Possession trick wasn't going to do him much good.

Something flickered on in him because of the battle. Was he…feeling motivated to be better?

I blame you for this, 'Risu.

"I'm just glad I'm not the only one," Ino said. "You weren't kidding, Sakura. How is Amaririsu this good? She's keeping up with someone with more experience than her without breaking a sweat."

"That's my little one," Kurenai beamed in pride.

The pair returned to the side of the hands; their clones mirrored their fight on the other side, only reversed. The real Amari was being pushed towards the fingertips while the clone Amari pushed Hisashi up towards the top.

"Watch them closely, all of you," Asuma said. "This is what full battle intensity between shinobi looks like. One wrong step, one misjudged strike and it will be all over for one of them."

Shikamaru wasn't a frontline fighter. He was support. A tactician who worked from the back to come up with a strategy so the frontlines could defeat the opposition. Through their missions as a team and even in the Forest of Death he never experienced frontline fighting. He saw glimpses of it. Heard about it from the likes of his father and Asuma. His sensei spent a few shogi games talking to him about it, usually scolding him when he complained about how much of a drag the lessons were.

"You know, despite having a genius level intellect, you can be incredibly shortsighted, Shikamaru," Asuma once chastised him.

"Huh?"

"I'm not telling you about how fast paced a frontline fight is because I want to regale you with old battles of mine. I'm telling you because you need to be prepared."

"Prepared for what? You said it yourself, we're a support team. We won't be on the frontlines."

Asuma sighed. "One of these days you'll understand."

"This is what you meant," Shikamaru said suddenly. He hated how slow he was sometimes. All this brain power and something so simple could slip past him. It was such a drag.

"What who meant? Are you okay, Shikamaru?" Chōji asked.

He refused to take his eyes off the battle, but he knew Asuma was listening. "I get it now, what you were trying to prepare me for. We hear it all the time, even Sakura pointed it out in her fight with Ino, how battles are fought and determined in seconds. Only now, though…"

Only after seeing his cousin and Hisashi battling faster than his eyes could keep track of did he understand.

"What are you talking about?" Ino questioned.

"I thought because we were a support team we wouldn't have to worry about the frontlines. I'd have the time to think and strategize a plan as the shinobi held the line, and then we could implement it." But that was so shortsighted, just like you said, Asuma-sensei.

The real Amari made it to the fingertips first, still without a scratch on her. Hisashi's clone reached the fingertips next and the pair bumped into one another. Amari ducked under a strike and swiped at his legs. The clone jumped over the attack then reengaged her clone as the real Amari attacked the real Hisashi.

The clones and the real versions dueled with increased intensity, as if their fierce fight hadn't been intense enough. The real ones would trade blows, then the clones would jump in and attack the real versions. In a quick space of time, all four switched places, blocking and parrying one another in an incredible four-way dance until the real Amari and Hisashi were back to back fighting off the clones.

"I don't see what's wrong with that," Ino said.

"Think of it this way: We're engaged by 'Risu in combat. Chōji would be our frontline and you and me are support. The immediate plan would be to capture her with my Shadow Possession to neutralize her speed so you could use your Mind Transfer Jutsu or so Chōji could flatten her." Shikamaru shook his head. "And we would fail, spectacularly. Even if 'Risu didn't know our techniques, Chōji's jutsu are built for power, not speed. You're jutsu is best used when I have already captured our enemy. And I have a better shot at capturing someone when they're distracted by Chōji."

"Now you're getting it." Asuma sounded pleased.

"But against someone of 'Risu's speed? Or Hisashi's? Or Mimi's?" In real combat, against enemies who wouldn't hold back a killing blow, they'd die. "She'd run circles around Chōji, letting him wear himself out and only attacking when he was vulnerable. As we've seen with her fight with Hisashi, they're awareness of more than one enemy at a time would neutralize my ability to capture her, because she would be monitoring my movements the entire time she's fighting Chōji.

"Against someone like Naruto, who is a power build like Chōji, we'd be fine. And honestly, he just doesn't have the same battlefield awareness or intelligence 'Risu has."

"Hey! Why are you dragging me into this?!" Naruto whined.

Shikamaru ignored him, frowning as Amari and Hisashi spun around each other, their blades striking like flashes of lightning in their dance as they moved to rejoin their clones. "But what happens when the frontline fighters break through to us? When our enemy is physically faster and has battlefield awareness outmatching our own?" It was a calculation he never accounted for. He had no strategies for that situation. "How do we fight someone like that and come out on top?"

It was a question he really needed to think about.

How do you always find a way to make me work harder? Troublesome girl.

Both Amari's and Hisashi's breathed in the air of the arena deeply; their gazes monitoring their enemy's movements down to the slightest twitch at the top of the statue hands. A few droplets of sweat beaded at their foreheads. This battle was intense. It wasn't like fighting Zabuza, Haku or Orochimaru. Those battles were intense in a different way. Against them the fight was an uphill battle for her as an underdog to overcome the gap of power between them.

Here against Hisashi they were on even ground. He wasn't out of her league, and she wasn't out of his. They were meeting as equals. This fight wasn't about survival against an overwhelming powerful enemy. This fight was about winning. About proving who the better shinobi was. Neither wanted blood. Neither exuded killing intent nor felt connected by past pain.

Hisashi and Amari were simply shinobi doing battle. Here to be the indisputable winner to earn their place in the finals. Her opponent had his own reasons to win. Reasons as legitimate as hers, but Amari couldn't allow herself to lose on his behalf. She had to win.

I owe it to Kakashi-sensei, Mom, Uncle Shikaku and everyone else who helped me to become a kunoichi to win here. I can't let them down by losing to him!

So far, from the outside, the battle remained even. Neither she nor Hisashi landed any significant blows, and neither found a significant opening in the other's defenses. From the inside, though, the battle wasn't so clean cut. Like an onion, their battle had several more layers to cut through beyond the surface.

Every exchange provided further Intel for both opponents on openings and weaknesses. Amari was beginning to see patterns. He varied his technique well enough and made his movements hard to read, but the longer they fought, the more she could see them. There were moments she could capitalize on them and get a minor wound on him, a single cut perhaps, but Amari and her clone held themselves back.

It was all a part of her plan. She was waiting, compiling Intel and letting this become an endurance battle. At any moment she or her clone could have eliminated his clone. Unlike the real thing, a clone could only take so much damage before popping. One good slash and he'd be gone. But by leaving it active longer, by forcing the real Hisashi and the clone to expend more and more energy, the greater his fatigue would be when she finally eliminated it.

Hisashi didn't have her chakra reserves or chakra control. His limit was likely one clone at a time, and she'd wager at least two or three total before his average reserves started to feel it. So if she took out the clone, it was unlikely he would create another in its stead. He already proved to her and himself he could handle a two on one fight with relative ease.

There's no winning this fight by breaking through his defense and landing a decisive blow. Not yet, anyways. No, she needed to do the exact thing she wanted to avoid: draw the fight out for an extended period of time. The longer it went, the more energy they would both expend until the intensity of their fight began to dwindle.

It wouldn't be an hour. Shinobi battles were not hour long slugfests. They were looking at another ten minutes at most, if he could keep up with her that is. Amari wasn't nearly as tired as she made herself look. Her stamina and her team's earlier arrival at the tower gave her more energy to burn than Hisashi had in reserve.

Hisashi's fighting style was meant for quick, decisive ends. He was in good shape and his stamina wasn't poor by any means, but he didn't drag out fights. Amari could and was. She trained herself to be able to endure battles for long periods of time, to endure bruising and pain so she could stand back up again and fight.

From this singular point of view, she was winning. But there were other layers to this onion besides her plan. For every weakness and opening she noticed, Hisashi's intelligent eyes found one of hers. He continued to force her to block with her right hand, weakening it more and more with every hard blow.

The numbness was spreading. It was nearly at her knuckles, making it harder and harder to hold onto the kunai tightly. Tingles were agitating her entire arm up to her shoulder girdle. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to use it.

Was she worsening the damage done? Pushing it beyond repair?

Her footwork wasn't nearly as smooth as it could be, nor was her speed. Her right thigh ached as if she overworked the muscles.

Dragging out the fight to exhaust her enemy would be the perfect plan for her if she started at full strength. Amari hadn't. The longer she let the fight continue, the weaker her injured limbs got. Unfortunately, against an opponent with Hisashi's skill—who matched her speed and reflexes almost perfectly—there wasn't much else she could do except rely on her greater endurance.

Hisashi knew this all. He knew he couldn't keep fighting her until the end of time. They were both on a timetable. Hers revolved around how long it took for him to weaken her right side. His revolved around his depleting stamina.

This battle wouldn't be won by an explosive finish. It would come from whoever could wear their enemy down faster. Whoever could force the other's hourglass to run out first.

I can't let him rest any longer. I have to push him to his limits first!

Her opponent must have had the same idea. Hisashi darted at her before she could do the same. She parried two blows then pushed off the statue to avoid a sweep kick. Hisashi chased after her. Gravity tugged them both down towards the floor while their clones remained on top of the hands to play their game of king of the hill.

Their blades clashed in air again before both landed. Amari scrambled to the side of the forearm and dodged under a whistling slash then pushed off back to the arena floor. He's pushing his assault even harder than before.

Hisashi sheathed his sword as she skidded across the concrete on the balls of her feet, her eyes never leaving him. In her Byakugan she saw the surge of chakra emanate from his feet. Then he shot directly at her like a homing kunai. "This is the end!" he yelled.

Amari's Byakugan tracked his movements the entire way. What only happened in a mere second passed slower in her mind. Hisashi waited until the very last moment to draw his blade from its sheathe. She prepared her block, bracing her legs for the impact. As their blades were about to collide, she saw chakra sheathe his sword.

Damn! It was too late for her to dodge out of the way of the blow. All she could do was send chakra to her own blades and hope he didn't cut them like butter. Their blades collided. The strength behind his attack rocked her arms and made her feet skid back across the cement. She felt her right hand give way a moment later. The blade fell from her hand, and she knew at that moment the tides of battle had shifted away from her.

Amari managed to spin out of his strike, but Hisashi was back on her in an instant. His blade sliced across her left forearm, cutting through the fabric and leaving behind a tiny cut on its way to find her abdomen. Then the blade halted mere inches from her stomach.

Despite catching him with her Shadow Possession Jutsu, Amari's heart hammered against her chest, eyes wide at the sight of the blade one deep breath away from touching her.

The wound on her arm was slowly beginning to burn more than it should. Desperate to regain footing, she slowly forced him to remove the blade from her side and then had him toss his sword towards the balcony he came down from. But the burning was intensifying. Muscles in her forearm were contracting and stiffening to be harder than an Earth Style wall. Pain etched onto her features as she started to pant.

"You were a good opponent, but it's over, Amaririsu Yūhi," Hisashi stated.

Amari's legs gave way, forcing Hisashi to mimic her movements down to the slightest twitch. What her Shadow Possession couldn't make him imitate was the strangled cry of agony escaping her lips. Perspiration slowly started to build on her face and beneath her clothing.

"Your reaction speed is impressive. But can you keep it up when all I need is one strike to finish you."

Poison. His blade had been coated in poison. It wasn't arrogance, but the smallest hint at his trump card. She was the arrogant one to not see through such a blatant tell.

"Grrg! Arggggghhhhh!" She shut her eyes and grit her teeth, doing her best to keep the Shadow Possession on tightly. It was like someone cutting circulation off to her hands while telling her to squeeze a stress ball. Mentally she tried to order her Shadow to hold him, but she could only feel it trying to slither back to her. "Clone! Finish him!" she cried out.

"I'm on my way!" she called back. There was a pop. "This fight isn't over yet, Hisashi! You still have me to deal with!"

Her Shadow Possession faded a second later. Against the searing pain coming in wave after wave, she just couldn't focus enough to keep it active. Her entire forearm felt as if someone had set fire to the limb and the flesh was gradually being eaten away by the flames.

Damn it, damn it, damn it! She couldn't even move her hand anymore. The entire thing was stiffer than a board, and upon looking at it, her forearm was turning an angry red.

"Gahhhhh! Ahhhh! Rrgghh!"

What the hell was she going to do?

Shikamaru clenched the railing tightly. This was really bad. Amari was in extreme pain and all he could do was stand here and watch it unfold.

"What the hell is going on? Amari caught him! I saw it! Why is she the one in pain?" Naruto didn't like the situation any more than he did. The only difference was Shikamaru understood exactly what happened.

"Hisashi coated his blade with a Leaf Village poison," Mimi answered. She looked jittery again. The Inuzuka started bouncing on her toes in held back panic at the sound of another agony filled scream. "That tiny cut he gave her was all he needed to get it in her system. Searing pain is the first reaction as it starts to break down her cells. Then the paralysis hits. It'll start in her forearm, but soon enough it'll spread throughout the rest of her body." Her gloved hands squeezed around the railing before she spun around to face Kakashi. "You have got to end this fight now. She needs the antidote before it gets worse."

"No way! Amari can still come back from this!" Naruto argued.

Mimi shot the boy a look that would have incinerated him into ash. "Stay out of this, Goofball. You don't understand the slightest thing about poisons. You think she's in pain now? It gets worse. Much worse. And if she doesn't get an antidote, the reaction she has to the poison could be fatal."

Naruto grunted, concerned but defiant, and turned back to look at Amari. "You don't know, Amari. She'll make it out of this. She'll pull through."

Hisashi swung his leg back and followed through his kick to her hunched over head, sending Amari head over foot across the concrete as her clone rushed in to fight him.

"This isn't just a physical attack you can brush off, you knucklehead! It's not like the wounds Kiba dealt to you! Poison isn't something I can heal using Medical Ninjutsu or that Hinata's healing ointment can fix. Even if we give her the antidote now, she'll still need to be monitored until it's out of her system. And the longer its in, the worse her situation gets. I want her to win, but not if it comes at the cost of her life or career as a shinobi!"

Shikamaru hardly heard her at the sudden jump of his heart into his eardrums when he saw his cousin's bandana be pulled off after her face dragged across the concrete. Around him he felt the tension in the Jōnin rise significantly. The entire balcony seemed caught in a Shadow Paralysis Jutsu.

Through all the pain, his cousin started to kick and crawl her way towards the lost piece of cloth. Hisashi regained his sword after several dodges and engaged in a heated battle with her clone.

"Why is she trying so hard to get her bandana back? Is that really important at a time like this?" Ino asked.

"That bandana is more precious to Amari than this entire tournament," Kurenai said.

"It's just a piece of fabric. It can be replaced."

Kurenai shook her head firmly and stepped closer to the balcony, placing one hand on the railing in preparation of intervening if need be. "No. Amari's bandana isn't some random piece of fabric. It cannot be exchanged like an old outfit or her torn up attire for something new. You may as well say the people precious to you can be replaced."

"I don't get it. I understand it covers her blind eye, but I don't see how it's that important."

Shikamaru couldn't help but hiss out a breath at his teammate. How could she be so blind? "We all just learned a few days ago she's an Uchiha. You even went to blab it to Hinata's team, and yet you have no idea how that bandana can be important to her? Use your head, Ino."

"Oh yeah, smart guy, then what's so important about it?!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "It's the only connection 'Risu has to her past. The only thing left from her life before the Uchiha were massacred. The only material item 'Risu would risk life and limb for, because it was given to her by someone she'll never get to see again. Someone she can't even remember, but still feels the connection to in her heart."

Ino's features shifted into embarrassment for her ignorance then sympathy for the girl she once tried to bully. Shikamaru turned his eyes back to the battlefield. It wasn't Ino's fault. Amari kept these secrets from everyone, and most of them had no idea what it was like to lose family.

"So yeah, she's focusing on grabbing it again. Not because it's a piece of fabric. Not because it covered her eye. But because through her life at the orphanage, through the pain she experienced there and through everything since, it's been with her. Just as the words sewed into it promised."

"So you've seen them too, Shikamaru," Kurenai said.

He nodded. "Once." He had gone over to the Yūhi household to see if Amari wanted to cloud watch. She had been up in her room getting ready after spending the evening training. As he waited for her to come down, he noticed the purple cloth was among a few other pieces of laundry, cleaned and set out for his cousin to grab with the part always against her forehead facing out.

Shikamaru never told her he saw them. Those words hadn't been meant for him. They were like her little secret. Or another secret, he supposed. But those five words meant the world to his cousin. They gave her strength when she needed it most. Despite how much he wanted her to just stop, a part of him hoped she'd find that strength before it was too late.

Almost…there.

Amari's right hand clutched around the soft fabric of her bandana, though even that was hard to do between the fire consuming her left forearm and the numbness in her right hand. Her teeth clenched together as she struggled to pull the bandana in to her.

As she laid there on the cool concrete, barely catching the sounds of her clone fighting out of the sheer hope she could end the fight before the proctor ended it for her, Amari felt the urge to just give up. The poison would keep spreading through her until every cell in her body was screaming in the same pain her forearm was. There was no telling what kind of lasting damage the poison might do to her if she didn't get an antidote soon.

I…I don't think I can keep fighting. Amari pulled her bandana to her chest and shut her eyes. Cousin, you wouldn't let something like this stop you, would you? You'd find some way to keep fighting, to not let everyone down like I am. I…I wish I had your strength.

In that moment, before the words I quit could form, Amari felt her consciousness pull her back to a time she had long since forgotten.

A time long before she knew what the pain of loss was.

Several Years Ago

Haya laid flat on her back staring up at the blue sky and the pillowy white clouds drifting across its bright canvas. The wind brushed across her skin and over the all-encompassing ocean of green grass she was surrounded by. Among the sea of green of her backyard lay a lone, tiny purple island with wild and curving blue streams spreading out like a spider's web.

Her thoughts drifted away like the clouds above her. She exhaled a relaxed breath, closing her onyx eyes as the sounds of nature filled her ears. The house Haya and her family lived in wasn't in the center of the residential area of the Uchiha District, which meant it had a lot more green than most of the other areas and was a lot quieter.

It was really nice.

There was something really calming about her home. A tranquility the busyness of the main part of the district and the rest of Konoha lacked. Those areas had a different heartbeat to them that just wasn't the same as the calm of home. Here she was safe. Here she could be among the shadows where the rest of the Uchiha's couldn't bother her.

Haya knew why other Uchiha's hated her; they shouted it in her face every chance they got.

Half-breed.

A simple word. Simple and to the point for their reason to hate her, yet Haya couldn't understand why they hated her. Why did coming from two clans make her so different? Why was it such a travesty that her mother wasn't from the Uchiha Clan? Why did they hate them for it?

Her cousin was the only one outside of her parents that cared for her and encouraged her to not give up on becoming a ninja. He was always there when she needed him most and his presence always managed to comfort her when her parents weren't around. Still, some days it felt like her family was only telling her that she was good without meaning it. Part of her knew they truly did believe in her, yet because of the daily berating's, their words on certain days felt hollow.

Logic would be overturned by self-doubt and the discouraging words from kids her age and older. Some days were worse than others, but today wasn't one of those days. Today Haya was free of all the burdens doubt gave her, and like the clouds she was just going to take it easy today, letting the wind guide her wherever it decided to take her.

"Now what's my favorite little cousin doing just lying around?"

A smile made its way onto Haya's face at the voice. She opened her eyes and looked up to see her cousin standing above her; a broad smile split his lips. Life and happiness shone in his onyx eyes and were passed onto her through the single look.

"I'm cloud watching," she answered simply.

"Cloud watching? You don't say." He sat down next to her crossed legged. "What are the clouds up to today then? Are they plotting their course for world domination?"

She giggled softly at his question. "They're going where the wind takes them. No direction and no strenuous thinking about it. And no missions for world domination. Maybe when it doesn't take so much energy."

Her cousin snickered. "Yep, its official, you are definitely part Nara." Haya simply smirked at him before looking back up to the clouds above. "Any interesting shapes this time? You saw a leaf shaped one a few weeks ago."

"I saw an interesting one today but I doubt anyone would ever believe me."

"Well not if you keep it to yourself they won't. You have to share your secrets, Haya! How else will we know what the clouds are up to?"

Haya rolled her eyes, smiling as she did. "It looked like a dragon head, troublesome boy."

"Huh, that would be a pretty well defined cloud."

"It was. Maybe the clouds knew I would be watching so they formed a special one for me." Haya had a fascination about dragons. They weren't the malicious killers that some stories made them out to be in her mind. To her they were wise protectors who watched over the world from the sky. Obviously they weren't actually real. Sometimes, though, she liked to imagine they were. That they'd pass by overhead one day and share some of their wisdom with her, or just take her for a flight around the shinobi world.

"You really like dragons, don't you?"

She nodded. "Mmhm. They're wise protectors and they get to fly around the sky."

"Aww, you're not trying to replace me being your protector, are you?"

Once again Haya giggled to herself but this time she sat up and poked him in the forehead. "You aren't replaceable, Cousin." He smiled at her, flattered by her genuine love. She tapped her own forehead. "You're the one who gave me this bandana so you are always with me even when I am alone, after all. Like Papa always says, our spirits are tied together by our bond. To me, this bandana is the physical symbolism for our bond. As long as I have it, you're always at my side, protecting me and giving me the strength when I need you most."

"Hey, come here." Her cousin pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. "I'll always be with you Haya, no matter what. I promise."

She squeezed him a little tighter. Who needed dragons when she had him? "I love you, Cousin. One day I'll be able to protect you and this village so you don't always have to do it for me. I'll be strong and wise like a dragon."

"You won't have to protect me and this Village alone, because we'll do it together." He stood up and carried her up off her feet as he did, receiving a squeak of surprise at the sudden movement. He sat her on his shoulders and held her hands. "We'll be the wise dragons that protect our home. Starting right now!"

To her delight, he began running around the yard, spreading her hands out wide to imitate a wingspan. In that moment, neither cared about life beyond the safety of their yard or what the rest of the world might think of two members of a prestigious Clan roaring like dragons and imitating sounds of flight as they giggled, laughed and played.

Haya lost track of time because of the fun. No matter what, her cousin would always be her hero; the person she wanted to grow up to be like more than anything else. Someone who never lost his compassion for others and always remained true to the people he cared for most. Someone who could brighten another person's life just as he brightened hers every day. A person who could inspire strength and love equally.

After a while the duo noticed her parents watching them, smiling lovingly at the two children they raised. Her cousin wasn't quite out of steam yet, though. There was fun to be had, and he would have it even he had to drag them in.

"Uh-oh, it's Shadow Dragon and Wind Dragon coming to share their wise words of 'lunch time.' What should we do, oh wise blue-haired dragon?" her cousin asked.

"We'll have to use a shield to protect us from the terror of ending our playing around," Haya grinned.

"Right! We'll use our Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield, for nothing can penetrate it. Dragon scales are impenetrable to even the strongest of jutsu's!" Her cousin let out another roar and started running around again. Haya couldn't stop the giggles even if she wanted to.

"Looks like he forgot the number one weakness of the Dragon Shield, my love. They can be dragged out by another," her father said and 'charged' after them. Her cousin began to use the Body Flicker in a desperate effort to escape him. Her father and cousin even used their Sharingan's to predict movements and continue the intensity of their chase through the skies.

Suddenly her cousin stopped in place, unable to move a muscle. "Uh-oh," he muttered. "It would seem the Shadow Dragon has captured me, oh wise blue-haired dragon. You must escape!"

"Too late." Her father patted her on the head. "For I have captured the wise blue-haired dragon as well."

"Aw man. What a drag. Sorry, Cousin."

"We were outmatched today, little cousin. But one day we will defeat them!" he grinned up at her.

Her mother rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Come you two. A dragon must eat the Shadow Dragon's glorious food or it will get into a troublesome situation."

Their stomachs growled at the promise of glorious food. "Our greatest weakness," her cousin deadpanned.

"The treat of glorious food," Haya echoed him.

Once her mother's shadow receded, she smiled and motioned for them all to follow her back into the house. Her father ruffled her cousin's hair and then her own, grinning fondly at the pair before following after her mother.

I promise that one day I'll be strong like you, Cousin.

Present Day

Amari gasped as the memory faded and the real world came back into sight. Whether from the shock of the memory or the returning pain was hard to say.

"You are strong, Haya. You can do this, I know it. You're an Uchiha and my little cousin after all."

Tears brimmed in her eyes at the swarm of emotions the memory left her. She didn't need to look at the bandana to read the words sewn into them. She could feel them in her heart and see them in her mind.

I'll always be with you.

Amari gripped the bandana tightly.

I'm…not giving up yet.

Raising her watery eyes from the concrete, she noticed one of her kunais a few meters ahead of her, lying flat on the arena floor. I won't be able to wield them with my hands to any effect. And with this poison in my system, it won't be long until it circulates through my body. I'll be completely immobilized and unable to keep fighting if it turns out that way. There has to be something I can do to slow down the poison, but what?

Her eyes locked onto her other kunai, further away but pierced straight into the floor. A sudden memory of Kakashi's voice came to the front of her mind.

"Naruto! Stand still. These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to get the poison out of you quickly. You have to open the wound and remove it. Because the poison is in your blood you need to limit how much you move otherwise you'll end up spreading the poison faster through your body."

Amari's eyes widened. That's it! I need to get to my kunai, now! Gritting her teeth through the pain, she wiped away her tears and pushed herself onto her feet. She wasn't done yet. She still had one last card to play.

"Have you seen her scar yet? She isn't covering it up," Ino prodded, shifting around in her place to try to get sight of Amari's other eye.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her. "You're such a pain, Ino. If she wants you to see it, then she'll let you see it. Otherwise mind your own business."

Admittedly, he was curious. But he didn't really care about the eye she kept hidden as much as whatever motivated his cousin to stand up and stumble towards her kunai, left arm gripped tightly as she hissed out breaths of pain. Step by step she forced her way forward until she all but collapsed in front of one of her kunais and took it in her right hand.

His eyes bulged. Oh man. He knew what she was about to do. Granted, it was intelligent, but it was also incredibly stupid.

"Amaririsu Yūhi, are you certain you wish to continue?" Hayate asked.

"Don't…count me out…yet!"

His cousin brought the onyx to the wound and slashed it across her flesh, opening the wound and causing blood to spread across her arm and plop to the ground. "Argh! Fine!" Mimi snarled. "Since none of us are going to stop this…Amari! You've gotta tie something tightly just above your bicep! It'll slow the blood flow like a tourniquet! Opening the wound won't be enough to stop the poison at this point!"

"Way…ahead of you," Amari grunted.

Why did his cousin have to be so stubborn? At this rate, he was going to wither away, go gray and die early from the stress she put him through on a daily basis. Troublesome girl.

Using her teeth and her right hand, Amari tied her bandana around her bicep as tightly as possible. Her hair covered the left side of her face until she tugged the bandana hard with her teeth. Then it became visible—scar, eye and bulged veins equally.

"Is that…It can't be!" Neji gasped.

Shikamaru saw it too. The lavender eye of the Byakugan, veins stretching from the eye, across her cheek and temple just like Hinata's and Neji's. 'Risu…So, this is the burden you carry, Shikamaru silently realized. This is the reason why you've had so many Jōnin watching over you and why you've trained so hard to become stronger. It's not just the Sharingan or what happened at that orphanage. You are in possession of two of the most coveted kekkei genkai's of our Village. Kekkei genkai's other Villages and our own allied shinobi have killed for. He exhaled a soft but burdened breath. I can't imagine the kind of stress it's put on you. The fear of anyone learning. And with what Mimi said about the Hyūga Clan…

This is why the adults kept the Genin out of the loop. They couldn't risk word reaching anyone, whether that was the Hyūga Clan or one of the other Villages.

"Just so you're all aware," Kakashi spoke up, somehow sounding casual and light despite the gravity of the situation, "what you know of her heritage and anything you see in this fight is considered top secret. You are forbidden from speaking of it to anyone, including the leaders of your Clans or your family." Suddenly his tone shifted to grave seriousness. The same voice he used when he spoke to Neji after he tried to kill Hinata. "If I even catch wind of any of you spreading word of it beyond this group, you'll answer directly to the Hokage. Am I understood?"

"But…How did she—"

"Am I understood?" Kakashi repeated, firmer and unflinching in the severity of the punishment.

"Yes," Neji growled.

"Good."

"You've gotta kick his ass fast, Amari!" Mimi continued to coach, unbothered by the reveal of her eye. "That poison is still gonna spread through your system. And the pain is gonna get worse!"

'Risu…Finish this fight already.

Hisashi dispatched her clone with a single slash and turned his attention back to her bleeding and pain filled form. His eyes went wide with disbelief. "The…Byakugan?" He shook his head, as if trying to shake a bad thought off. "Are you seriously going to keep fighting? You won't be able to wield a kunai with either hand, you know that."

Amari nodded and pushed herself to her feet. "You're right. I can't wield my kunai against your sword with my hands. But that just means I have to get creative." She prepared her body for combat. "I refuse to lose!"

She brought the grip of her kunai up to her mouth and bit down on it firmly. I may not have my hands, but I still have my mouth and my feet. That's all I need!

Chakra flooded her body and she darted forward, arms hanging limply at her sides as she sped across the arena floor. Hisashi growled then Body Flickered directly in front of her path, his blade slashing horizontally at her. All he needed was one more strike to end this. One more strike to put her down for the count. She couldn't let him have it. No matter what, she had to win this fight!

Amari slid under the strike. She twisted her head to avoid it, sacrificing strands of her blue hair instead. She felt her blade grind against his for a brief moment before zooming past him. The kunai sticking out of the cement was her real target. She came out of a Body Flicker, spinning around on her feet across the floor and pressing the bottom of her left foot to the blade when she reached it. Chakra emanated from her foot and connected the blade to it, giving her back her second weapon.

Pain still seared across her forearm. Screeching cries of agony from her cells all but ruptured her eardrums. The feeling of her being torn back by a cheese grater despite remaining intact throbbed at her mind like a giant nail wedged between her lobes. Yet just like against the Sound shinobi, the pain paired with her innate need to win sent an explosive surge of adrenaline through her system, drowning out everything except the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ear and the sight of her opponent.

Let's go, Hisashi!

She flashed back in with the fierceness of her warrior spirit at its peak. Speed, flexibility and the Will to never give up was all she needed to win here. So long as she had strength left in her body, so long as she had this bandana, she wouldn't quit. Because fighting right alongside her was her precious cousin. Together they could overcome anything!

She ducked, weaved, dodged and spun around his attacks, parrying with the kunai in her mouth when necessary but attacking ferociously with it in return. Growls like some kind of wild monster from a fantasy novel rumbled through her throat as she struck harder and harder against his blade.

Every clang rolled through her teeth, but she kept the pain in the back of her mind. This was her last chance to win. Her last chance to earn her place in the finals. She couldn't give him an inch. She had to attack him at full power and win this beyond any shadow of a doubt.

I won't lose to you!

Amari sidestepped an attack then darted in, growling viciously as she moved to cut him. Hisashi dodged back and moved for a strike on her left side. She ducked down, bracing her weight on her numb right hand and blocking the strike with the blade attached to her left foot. Quickly moving into action, she kicked the sword away, pushed back up onto her feet and dashed in under another strike, going low, beneath his guard where he was vulnerable. As she passed by him, she swiped her blade across his side, drawing blood that splattered against her cheek.

Spinning around him like a ballet dancer on top of her own blade, she planted firmly on her right foot then kicked her left foot blade into his other side—once in the thigh and the other in his hip. As her leg retracted, Amari loosened her grit teeth just enough for some play with her blade, spinning it around between her teeth so the blade was facing her left cheek instead. Clenching it tightly again, she jumped back in to slash across his back.

None of the wounds were deep, but they were progress and she needed that. It was the slightest glimmer of hope, the flicker of an ember igniting for her to turn into a raging inferno.

Hisashi jumped back and away, unprepared for her to even land a single strike on him in this state, let alone sneak through defenses after dueling on even ground for so long.

Get back here!

"Rrrraahhhhhh!" she roared, charging ahead. Their blades grinded against one another as they met again in the center of the arena. Despite not foreseeing the poison blade, her initial plan to exhaust him had worked. Hisashi was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. His reaction time was slower, his attacks weren't as frequent, but he still held to his technique. Technique was his greatest ally and her greatest weakness at the moment.

Blades clashed, the smell of the sparks filling her nostrils with every renewed attempt to strike him down.

I won't let you beat me!

Amari jumped over him, corkscrewing her body as she did. She pulled her head back, forcing his blade to pass harmlessly underneath her chin. Hisashi spun around with her. As she pulled her legs back down to land, she released the chakra at her foot and threw the kunai directly at him. He didn't see it coming. The kunai passed through his defenses and pierced into his left shoulder.

Thrown off his balance by the wound, Hisashi didn't have time to block the next kunai either. Amari released the blade from her mouth and kicked it at him, sending it right into his right thigh. I'm not finished with you! The Uchiha surged forward, jumping onto the kunai in his leg with her right foot and grabbing the one in his shoulder with her teeth again. With chakra clutching the blade again, she kicked him hard in the sternum with her left foot and yanked her blades free.

She landed and spun on the bladed foot before moving back down to brace her weight on her right hand again. Hisashi Body Flickered a moment earlier, but this time she was the one moving a fraction of a second faster. He appeared behind her, swinging his blade downwards at what he likely meant to be her back. Now it was aiming right for her face. Amari craned her neck to place her blade in the line of attack, but as she did her Byakugan picked up the sight of chakra emanating from his blade again.

You're not going to get me with this attack ever again! Channeling her chakra through her teeth, her blade sheathed itself in chakra as well, and their blades met with the same strength. This is my chance!

Amari tightened her core and twisted her body while placing her right arm to be flush against her side. She turned her head next. Hisashi's blade slid right off and towards the ground where no target was. Still moving fluidly, Amari jumped and spun rapidly in the air, mimicking Mimi's Fang over Fang rotation to increase her speed. With her Byakugan eye she targeted and released the kunai on her foot with precision aim to pierce directly into the center of his back, just to the side of his spine. Her feet touched the ground again and she darted in as he reacted to the blade piercing into his back.

Just as planned, his body was left open for her final attack.

You may not be alive, Cousin, but I know you're at my side right now. Let's finish this together! Intense features took over her face. The Sharingan activated in her right eye in response to the emotions flooding her heart.

To Hisashi's eyes, the visage of a green scaled dragon appeared behind her. It did not give off the dark emotions of the demonic black scaled dragon, but instead burned with the fire of the bond tying her and her cousin's spirit together. It's red and lavender eyes revealed unflinching determination, love and a promise of protection, no matter what she faced.

This is the end! The dragon roared as she growled fiercely. Don't ever underestimate an Uchiha!

Her blade cut up diagonal left across his torso. She spun it in her mouth once more then cut horizontal right across his open chest. As Hisashi collapsed to a knee, she stepped on his blade, pinning it to the ground and brought her blade to his throat.

Hisashi's eyes widened in horror as he breathed heavily, the edge of her blade resting against his throat. Looking into the intense lavender and red three tomoe eye, he swallowed hard and watched them stare straight through him. No one else could hear it, but he could; the flaring nostrils of the dragon as it breathed in sync with her.

"You're finished," she said.

The finality of her statement kept him from arguing. If he didn't give up in the next second, he knew she could either kill him or strap him in a genjutsu to make him wish he died.

"I…concede."

"Since he has conceded to defeat, I declare the winner of this round Amaririsu Yūhi. She will move on to the finals."

Amari backed away from Hisashi, her own breathing becoming more labored by the second. The blade she held in her mouth clanged against the concrete, blood still dripping off it and off her face. The adrenaline was wearing off quickly. The pain it nulled crept out from the shadows of her mind back towards the light.

"You're pretty good, Amaririsu Yūhi," Hisashi complimented.

"You are…too. Thank you…for the good fight."

And though she was declared the winner, Amari did not appear as such. She collapsed to the floor again and yelled out a strangled cry of agony as the intensity of the poison skyrocketed through her entire arm.

She was not aware of anyone coming to her side. Not her team. Not her mother or Mimi or Hisashi providing the antidote she eagerly drank when prompted. She couldn't recall anything anyone might have said to her, nor was she aware of the browless Sand shinobi watching her with immense interest.

All she was aware of was the searing pain of what could easily be described as acid tearing up the inside of her arm. Eventually a lack of sensation and light followed when the Medical Ninjas put her under to stop her from screaming so much. Before unconsciousness took her completely, she had one final thought.

Cousin…Thank you.

He may not be physically with her, but his spirit was always there for her when she needed him most.