"Face it. You can't escape me. I will always find you."
My fingers gripped tighter and tighter around Shikamarus arm. Slowly but firmly, I pushed him behind me. The black-haired man began to resist my firm grip more and more. I squinted my eyes and tried to face my father as determinedly as possible, which proved to be extremely difficult as the rising panic spread through me once more.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru had managed to get rid of my stubborn grip and stood diagonally in front of me. His hands clenched into a finger sign. A determination flashed in his dark eyes, the likes of which I had never seen in him before.
„I made you a promise earlier, Tora. And I'm going to keep it," he growled, unleashing his shadows on my father.
Frantically, they shot towards the tall dark figure, splitting, and trying to catch him. With an amused laugh, the tall Jonin dodged them. He seemed to find straightforward fun in kicking us. But not with me. I had to show him that I was no longer the shy little Tora, but someone who was about to become a ninja.
In the meantime, Shikamaru had driven my father to the window. At least that's what he thought, because at the moment when the Nara was only concentrating on his opponent's feet, he hurled a few shuriken at him, which he managed to dodge, but at the same time he hit him in the temple with such force that the black-haired boy collapsed unconscious.
„And that guy wanted to take care of you? Someone like that won't pass the chunin exam for sure. The Naras are all such weaklings," he sneered.
In a single movement I stormed towards my father and pushed him out of the window.
Unfortunately, I hadn't seen that he was also holding me. And so, we both fell. Elegant as a cat, he spun in the air and got hold of a roof beam of the lower houses. Recklessly, mine was released. But I had long since reacted and exchanged my body with a vase. From a neighbouring windowsill, I watched him as he looked around for me.
But he made no sound. Yet the expression on his face alone was enough to make me feel disgust and anger. I still deeply detested that sneering, victorious grin. And he knew he could bait me with it.
Firmly I pressed my feet against the edge of the windowsill, squatted and jumped. Light-footed, I came up in front of my father, felt the metal of the kunai press through my pocket.
I knew that I was not yet strong enough to defeat him, but I was better than the last time we met. By a lot. And that was what counted. I would surprise him. It was my advantage.
„I heard you made it to the finals of the Chunin trials. Let's see, maybe I'll watch that too, but your body will be long in under the earth by then," he sneered.
My hands twitched. I couldn't let myself be provoked now, and least of all intimidated. That would be my certain death.
All at once he began to make a few finger signs in a flash, which I found hard to follow and which made no sense in my eyes because I didn't know them. Bad for me.
„Jutsu of a thousand windy splinters of wood," he said and all at once numerous wooden spikes rose up around him. They must have come loose from the beams of the many roofs. Now he could use them specifically against me. With the help of Fuuton.
It didn't help, I would have to use the shield, because the function I had recently invented was not quite finished. And an unfinished jutsu would not be of much use to me.
But the shield would take a lot of my chakra and I needed to stall as much as possible. I quickly created a shadow double and made myself invisible at the same time. Then I let chakra flow through my legs.
With breath taking speed, I dodged the flying splinters and ran towards my father. This time I would not need any help. I was not weak; I could get myself out of this situation. Then I let the small shuriken fly. They drilled right into his heart, but his body began to dissolve all at once and fizzled out before my eyes.
„I can hear your footsteps, little monster," he said in a chant that sent shiver after shiver down my spine. Loudly his footsteps hit the wet roof, once again reinforcing the fear I had felt before. My eyes closed as if of their own accord. Just a little more.
„Look how she's shivering. Is it the cold? Fear or maybe even remorse?", his voice turned into a terrible hiss.
I didn't turn, stayed frozen to the spot, even though everything in my body was screaming to run away. Away from this place and my father, who at this moment believed he had absolute power over me ...
„I think I can even understand you a little," I said quietly, and he actually paused.
„You want to understand me. No feelings you have, or you wouldn't have killed HER, the person I still cared about."
It was the first time I heard anything like pain in his voice and realised that he really had been attached to my mother, although I couldn't grasp what love really was. He could feel it, unlike me, and that was what made him a small part human.
„Growing up in a land where the Kekkei Genkai is feared. Yet my mother has never harmed you. In all that time. Now tell me why you still haven't left her?", I whispered, but received no reply.
Instead, a handful of kunai whizzed towards me. The attack caught me completely off guard. There was no shield I could create so quickly; they had already almost reached my body. Defending myself would take too long. I just stood there and looked him stunned in the eyes. And for the first time I saw emotions in them. I had never seen anything like that in him before.
The first kunai hit me hard, piercing through my clothes and into my shoulder. A sharp pain was felt in my thigh, the knife was also stuck in it. Blood ran from the wounds, wetted the clothes, dripped onto the wet floor, and flowed down the roof.
Shakily, my right hand grasped the knife and pulled it out of my shoulder in one movement. Straining, I bit my tongue and suppressed a pained gasp. But before I could pull the second one out of the wound, something thin wrapped itself around the injured leg like lightning and my body was jerked around. A brief gasp, then a searing pain in my back. A scream escaped me, and I struggled to my feet. Pulled the weakened body from the rubble of a destroyed crate. Sharp splinters of wood stabbed my side, penetrated my clothes, and tore small wounds in my skin.
„I've got you now," he laughed, and again the wood splinters came at me.
Just before they reached my body, they spun uncontrollably in the air all at once and flew off in all sorts of directions. My father stood frozen in front of me and then I heard footsteps. Light-footed, yet confident.
„Seems to me I've arrived just in time to save my soon-to-be opponent's butt," said a bright voice behind me.
My father's eyes narrowed.
„Who are you girl? Step into the light."
„That doesn't matter, I would be interested in the same thing though. Who are you?"
There was sharpness in her voice and a dark threat, but although she was very strong, I didn't know if she was capable of dealing with my father.
Deep hatred was in his eyes as he looked at me and realisation spread through his dark irises.
„Remember monster. Wherever you go. I will find you."
Then he disappeared, right before my eyes.