CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
"Slowly we unfurl,
As lotus flowers."
"This is bullshit!" Naruto spat, staring into the arena with rage burning in her eyes. "These matches are horrible! C'mon, they're all so-"
She couldn't find the words, moving her hands vaguely. Shikamaru nodded, understanding without words. "These are shit pairings!" She managed ineloquently.
"Yeah." Tenten agreed, "I hate to see who I'm against. But I guess it's a learning experience.. For all our skills, there's bound to be someone out there with the perfect counters." It was clear that Tenten was thinking of Temari.
Naruto scowled, but she had to admit, Tenten was right. The only ones Naruto worried about facing were Lee, Gaara, and Sasuke.
Ino and Shino could pose a challenge, and Shikamaru too. She could see herself beating them without serious injury, though. The other three would probably fuck her up.
Tenten.. She swallowed her shame, but ultimately, she thought she could probably beat her best friend. She wished the thought never crossed her mind.
She glanced at the brunette, who seemed to be silently praying.
What for, Naruto didn't know. From the small time she had with Karin… The girl was physically lacking.
And that was Lee's specialty. Karin's proclamation seemed grim now.
Ino put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, don't fret. Lee's a good ninja, he's not like Temari or is gonna be like a spar."
Ino had heard the last name announced. Uzumaki. And even with the twinge of betrayal about not knowing Naruto had any family, she understood. It never came up, and they both had secrets. And now it seemed, as Naruto chewed the inside of her lip, she was worried. Ino didn't know Lee well, not at all on the battlefield, but their whole group had hung out a couple of times. And Lee was one of the more polite people she knew.
Karin would be okay.
Naruto breathed a sigh, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Ino."
Shikamaru wasn't content with a new Uzumaki. "Who is she?"
Naruto hummed. "Cousin, I guess." There wasn't much movement in the arena, the two were hesitant to engage. Lee didn't want to hurt her and Karin didn't want to hurt.
"Just a spar, Karin-san. Let us both show our abilities." He said slowly, his way of welcoming her to move first.
"Um.. Yeah, just a spar." Karin agreed.
God, this was the most awkward match yet. The brown-haired boy from Suna wasn't having it. "God, just slug it out already!" Some irrelevant genin jeered their agreement, making the other Uzumaki's eyebrow twitch.
"Shut the hell up! They'll fight when they're ready!" Naruto broke from their conversation to scream brutishly at the man across the room.
Good. Silence.
Huffing, Naruto continued. "She came to us in the forest.. She was injured. She has the same sensory ability I do, and she said.. Well, ugh, she just felt drawn to me, I guess. So I helped her. Gave her a scroll and took her to the tower."
Shikamaru gaped, but Ino blinked. "Wait, so you don't know her? You just trusted her?"
Shikamaru looked around, trying to gather himself. Naruto? Sensor? Huh? "What if she lied?" He asked, baffled.
Naruto sighed, but found a spoonful of amusement in their questions. "Again, sensory ability. She and I both can sense liars, that's what Mind's Eye of Kagura is. It's an Uzumaki kekkei genkai."
Shikamaru rubbed his face. Okay. Sure.
Ino hummed, "I guess that's why you're a good fit for T&I, huh? Human lie detector."
Yeah, Shikamaru was gaping again. "You- You're in a department?"
Naruto looked at him, blue eyes wide with curiosity. "Sure am."
He made a strange noise, something like a shortened sigh. He was borderline exasperated. "That's.. Really not normal for a genin." He told her slowly, watching her expression.
"I mean, my sensei is in it, and I'm kinda kickass, so.. Maybe I'm just the exception." Naruto shrugged lightly, but Shikamaru couldn't accept that as it was.
"No, Naruto, it's super rare. For a reason. You're supposed to round out all your skills before you get stuck in a department… Departments like T&I."
Here was an argument Naruto hadn't heard before. Most people only ever thought of T&I as too immoral for her, too dark or traumatizing. Shikamaru had another angle, and Naruto wanted to hear it.
He flushed slightly, maybe out of shame. "Genin really only get put in departments when, um.. They aren't as useful for anything else."
Naruto's ears started ringing. "What?"
He made a noise of pure exasperation, he clearly didn't know how to explain it.
"Urg, well, my dad's Jounin commander, so he knows all this stuff. There's a place for every shinobi, ya know? Right now…"
He looked around. "Everyone here is in general forces. Except you. Because in the village's eyes, we're more useful doing missions, growing our skills.. That sorta thing."
He fiddled with his hands a bit, looking into the arena. Wow, Karin and Lee still hadn't done a thing. Good thing these watches weren't timed.
Ino slowly started. "I… Shikamaru, I think I get what you mean.."
He nodded, thankful he wasn't alone in finding this fishy. "The genin corps, they're for all genin who aren't ready for departments, but for some reason, aren't working in a traditional team formation. They're um, seen as cannon fodder by some of the more.. Uncaring folks. Maybe they lost a sensei, or teammate, maybe they never got either. Typically, someone like you would've been tossed in there. A lot of our schoolmates did, particularly the civilian ones."
Naruto was listening with full ears, turning to face him. Tenten was too, sitting down to hear where this was going.
Even Ino was hanging on his words.
"Their senseis failed them, but they still passed the genin exam, so.. They get to go to the corps. You were the odd one out, so you would've been sent there automatically, no chances given."
It was grim, Naruto thought. That she would have never been given a chance.
"But, uhm, I guess you were special, so they gave you a sensei. One that's in T&I. That's an apprenticeship and they aren't totally unheard of… When someone has an existing skill set aligning with their sensei."
Naruto swallowed. "But I didn't."
"Yeah." He said slowly.
"And even if you did, being moved into her department is.. Unnatural. She would've had you working in it, sure. But official membership? No, the Hokage has to request the department for your inclusion."
Tenten raised a brow, the Hokage requesting something, rather than doing it himself? Interesting. Shikamaru met her eyes.
"Sounds weird, but it allows departments a bit of independence in who gets to join. If that didn't exist, he'd probably throw most of the corps into random departments." Ino nodded her agreement, and Naruto swallowed, this wasn't a conversation she ever expected to have.
"Um," She thought of the day she was made a member, the pride it gave her. The joy of being accepted somewhere, of Ibiki and Inoichi and father's she never had. She thought of the trench-coat she wore with pride.
It couldn't be true. The Hokage couldn't have been the one to decide that for her. Why would he? How could that be right? "Couldn't it maybe, just be that my superiors asked for me."
Shikamaru sighed, blowing air out his lips. "It's possible, I suppose. Definitely possible. Most people don't know the specifics of departments… Well, really, no one except department heads knows it all. And the Hokage himself, obviously."
Shikamaru abandoned the point that Hiruzen had pushed her not only into a sensei, but into a department, which was apparently very odd.
Naruto was glad he did. She wasn't willing to think of that. There was no way that was true.
"Either way.. Being in a department early, it's just. Insulting you! I mean, unless you have some crazy, exemplary skill in it, and you're better there than in the field.."
Naruto was getting more confused. "But I am in the field, I take D-ranks and I had my first C-rank already.."
He looked askance. "Yeah, D-ranks are for everyone. They're pocket change… Usually, though.. Apprenticeships include missions that build the apprentice's skill set. Oh, you're a sensor? Great, here's a mission to track a guy." Shikamaru paused, "It's that sort of thing."
Her earth was shaking. "My first c-rank was with another team.." She said slowly. It wasn't oriented to her skills at all. Anko didn't even go.
"Something isn't right with all this." Shikamaru said outright, and Tenten gave Naruto a worried glance. Ino seemed to be thinking hard. "Maybe she is in there for exemplary skill. That's what I meant earlier, when I said her sensory ability explained it."
Shikamaru was silent, he didn't say anything for a few seconds. "It's possible."
Tenten spoke up, "I mean, what's the alternative?"
The brown haired boy looked at his feet, unsure. "That.. That someone in power didn't think Naruto should be in the field."
Dizzy, the blonde turned away. She wasn't going to even consider that. Not even for a second. She looked into the arena hollowly. "Good thing it's the first one." Her voice was strangely monotone, it wasn't like her.
Ino patted her back, "I really think it is. I mean, you'll probably get a stint in the sensory unit, too. Mind's Eye of Kagura is really, really special.. They might throw Karin in with you. It's not impossible for someone to have a crazy skill as a genin."
That was something Shikamaru absolutely agreed with. "Yeah, I mean, if Sakura Haruno is as booksmart as she was in the academy, they could put her in the Research and Development department by tomorrow. I'm destined for jounin commander because of my dad, and my own intelligence. It's not impossible."
The two of them seemed to soothe her a bit, and Tenten joined then, too. "Hear that, Naruto? You're exemplary."
Shikamaru nodded his agreement, but kept one part to himself. Even if Naruto was exemplary, putting her in a department was still fucked. She should be in the field, getting even more exemplary. Not put in a department. Complacency grows in comfort, and that's what departments can absolutely become. Comfort.
Someone in Naruto's life had to know that. He hoped someone was keeping that from becoming the case with her.
He wanted to see her succeed.
Naruto, who expected to see a spar by now, after their more than 5 minute conversation, was disappointed.
"Alright, changed my mind! You two have had enough time, throw a kunai or something!" She yelled, pointing her finger at the offending pair.
"About time you see things my way!" The Suna brunet yelled, getting an even angrier response. "Go to hell!"
Naruto heard howlish laughter and damn near turned her emotions on another, only to see it was Kiba.
She sniffed. Kiba got a pass. She liked him, really.
Karin reached into the pouch on her thigh, withdrawing a handful of shuriken.
She threw two, rather artfully, Naruto thought. Lee dodged effortlessly, and Karin followed him with more shuriken. The pattern continued, Karin would throw shuriken, trying to keep up with Lee's speed as he dodged every single one.
Karin frowned, because god, Lee was fast.
Naruto and Tenten could tell that by Lee's standard, he was going slowly.
Karin threw and threw, up until she didn't have a single shuriken left.
And then Lee was behind her. If he'd used kawarimi, or even shunshin, she'd have detected him beforehand. But Lee was just fast, he jetted behind her with only the woosh of air to alert her.
Well, until he outright told her. "Behind you." Lee informed her as she swerved to meet him, reaching a hand into her pouch. She drew out a kunai, finishing her spin to meet Lee with a stab.
She aimed to cut him, but Lee's arms were faster than hers ever could be. Stopping her mid-air, he gripped her wrist tight.
Agonizingly, her arm trembled as she tried to force some movement. She couldn't. He wasn't even pushing her.
"Good try, Karin-san." He said politely, releasing her wrist. Karin wasn't entirely discouraged, attempting again to stab the boy in the green jumpsuit.
He swerved away, letting her stay on the offensive. She swiped over and over, out of breath already. He batted away her hand once, knocking the kunai away. She just pulled out another.
"Would you mind suggestions?" He asked, getting the girl the flush dark red.
She was horribly embarrassed, she almost wanted to berate him for even asking. But Karin knew how that felt, her teammates berated her constantly because they were better.
But, then, this boy was better, and he was kind. She hadn't known it was even possible.
If there was anyone to learn from, it was him, she decided. "Fine." She agreed through gritted teeth, sweat down her forehead.
"Weight training would benefit you. It's strength and speed at once." He said with a smile. "And steady your footing a bit, Karin-san, when you try to stab me, you put your whole body into it. You might fall."
She huffed, shame burning her from the inside out. Pausing, she straightened herself, planting her feet firmly into the ground. "Naruto-san wears boots in the field, which have better traction. If you need assistance in holding firm, I would recommend that."
"Got it." She managed, face as red as her own hair.
She felt like an academy student. It was suddenly clear to her that she didn't deserve the chuunin title. Not yet at least, she tried to mend.
It wasn't wrong to say the realization left her a bit broken-hearted.
"Don't lose your spirit,Karin-san! You're in the spring-time of your youth! This is simply a poor match-up." He smiled at her warmly, his black hair swaying with every dodge he made.
Karin's face might have gotten redder.
It was hard to tell.
"This is actually… Kinda wholesome." Ino broke their group's silence, watching the match neutrally. "That's Lee for ya." Tenten agreed, smiling.
Karin was starting to slow, and to Lee, she must be worse than a tortoise. Still, he engaged her rather good-naturedly.
"S-sorry." She huffed her apology, sweat-soaked and exhausting. "I'm not an offensive fighter."
He gave her a charming thumbs up. "That is okay! Never forget that you can always learn!"
Karin mentally fought off the part of her that wanted to demonize him. When you've had so many bad people in your life, it's hard not to see people for their negatives. He was nice to her. He was motivational.
His tips weren't from a place of egoism.
Huffing dramatically, she wanted to drop. Her muscles were aching and she was out of weapons.
"I.. I can't even scratch you." She admitted, bending over to put her hands on her knees.
He stopped, looking fresh as a daisy. She tried not to envy him, she really did.
"Not yet." He agreed, giving her an apologetic smile. "Not yet…" She repeated to herself, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"But," She greedily sucked in air, trying to ignore the pain in her body. "Maybe one day." She looked at him with a softened expression, seemingly having the energy totally knocked out of her.
He smiled, "I look forward to the day, Karin-san!"
She forced herself straighter, ignoring the way her teammates glared and jeered at her. "Proctor," She called, the man named Hayate leaping into the arena. He looked apologetic, and Karin wondered if this was hard on him. She figured that he could only call matches when one party was rendered totally, absolutely unable to continue.
Or, in her case. "I forfeit." She forced herself to say, tears stinging at her eyes. She forced them closed, trying to send them away.
Thankfully, it worked. With a sniff, she reopened them, finding that the proctor was looking at her. "Knowing your limits is an admirable strength all its own." The man told her, which she didn't reply to.
Eager to heal her muscles, she went to bite herself, but Konoha medics were rushing in to bring her water and a pain-relief pill. They must've noticed how hard she'd been exerting herself.
She allowed herself to smile, taking the bottled water eagerly. Lee was offered one too.
He must've noticed her teammates, because when the medics left them, he spoke to her quietly. "Come sit with Naruto, I'm sure she wants to see you." He offered, and Karin didn't even consider it.
"Okay." She agreed, following him up the stairs.
She lumbered a few steps behind him, hoping the medicine would kick in soon. Her eyes were glued to the floor until she heard Lee's group calling them over quicker, offering congratulations and anecdotes.
He immediately started talking to his brunette teammate, who gave him an audible pat on the back and encouragement.
When her ruby red eyes left the floor, she was met with a face.
Naruto, who was grinning at her excitedly. "Karin, you did great."
"I'd have forfeit too, Uzumaki-san." An unknown boy told her genuinely, "It was humble of you." Another blonde agreed, forcing Karin to smile.
Oh man, her tears were back.
Strong arms wrapped around her in a hug, the warmth enveloping her bones like a fleece blanket. She tried to fight back a whimper, and Naruto squeezed tighter at the sound. "Hey! It's alright." Naruto soothed, rubbing Karin's short jagged hair.
She sniffed, taking in Naruto's smell on accident.
Tears wetted the blonde Uzumaki's skin, who was desperately attempting to comfort her. "Hey, c'mon, you gotta be tired, let's sit." Karin obliged, sitting next to Naruto. The blonde girl had moved to make room for her.
Naruto stuck both legs through one of the gaps in the iron railing, and patted her lap. "C'mon."
Karin blinked at her.
"Lay your head down! You gotta be tired.'
With her pride already burned to a crisp, the redhead sighed. "Okay." She decided emptily, laying her head on Naruto's lap.
Naruto pet her slightly, and if this was what it felt like to have a caring older sister, Karin wished she'd never missed out on it.
No one said a word to her.
She was asleep in minutes.
With two of his genin in the medical bay, Kakashi decided he was going to have to leave Sai on his lonesome for a moment.
Patting the boy's dark brown hair, "Maaa, I suppose I should check on my other little ones. Watch the exams for me, would you?"
Sai looked at him expressionless, "Yes, sensei."
Patting him again, "Who's a good genin! You are!"
One shunshin later, Kakashi was gone.
He let his feet carry him the rest of the way to the medical bay, his pace easygoing. He saw Naruto's teammate fight, and he had to give it to Guy, the boy seemed well-trained.
And kind. His students could learn from him.
Maybe that was a good idea. Call it baby boot camp… If the boy was anything like Guy, that's what learning from him would be like.
And it would get Kakashi some time away from them. Oh yeah, he really was a prodigy. He needed to write that down.
He passed Sasuke's room, the door was shut, so he'd give the boy a couple more minutes. He'd check on Sakura first.
Entering her room, a nurse greeted him. "You're welcome to wake her. Any injuries to her body are healed."
The injuries to her pride weren't as easily fixed, he figured.
Sitting down by her bedside, he gave her a gentle shake. "Sakura." He spoke aloud, trying to bring her back to Earth.
Her eyes flew open, the girl sitting up suddenly and looking around the room in a frenzy. "Easy. The match is over."
Immediately, Sakura's fearful face turned to utter shame.
She hugged her knees to her chest, hiding her expression by burying her face in them.
Kakashi regretted his decision to see Sakura first. This was a terrible idea. He hadn't the slightest idea how to comfort a crying kid.
And crying, Sakura absolutely was.
It started with small whimpers, irregular breaths and sniffs.
"I'm pathetic." She told him, with a wobbly voice.
He swallowed, not knowing what to say. When he'd first met his Team 7, his brain had tried to see ghosts in all of them. He'd thought Sakura as Rin, Sasuke as Kakashi and Sai to be the Obito.
But it wasn't true. Sai was so far from Obito it was a shock, Sakura didn't have Rin's heart. Sasuke was close, he was broken too, but they were still worlds apart.
Rin was a medic, and he couldn't recall a single time Rin had felt totally, absolutely useless.
Sakura seemed to be feeling that way more and more often.
"I'm fucking pathetic." She repeated, more aggressively this time. She tugged her hair, tears still falling from matcha eyes.
"So you think you're pathetic." Kakashi tried.
He almost wished Sakura could've witnessed the match between Uzumaki Karin and Rock Lee. Because Karin too, had been in a position where she couldn't do much to her opponent.
Lee had encouraged her, though. They'd agreed, in fact, that one day.. Karin might be able to.
He would have to take inspiration from them.
"No one is telling you that you must be. You're young, only a genin. Sakura, you have years to pick up new skills. You could start learning tomorrow." He told her, awkwardly trying to pat her back.
Sakura wailed. "I'm a civilian! I don't have special trainers, or a sharingan, my parents are never going to teach me anything. You're all I have and you haven't taught me a thing!"
She tugged away from him, and it truly stung.
He couldn't argue, though. He'd been waiting for his team to warm up to each other before he started really teaching them anything. And… They hadn't.
They hadn't warmed up to each other.
And now, Sakura had paid for his lack of teaching.
He bit his tongue for a second, before he forced his shoulders to relax. Releasing the tension in him, he spoke. "Then I will start."
Sakura turned teary eyes on him, wide with surprise. Before she could feel any joy at his proclamation, she turned her head.
"Probably too late now. I've got nothing. Everyone is better than me." She grumbled brokenly.
Kakashi didn't agree. "You were top of your class with every test score. You have a genjutsu affinity and excellent chakra control without even training it."
"Doesn't matter. Can't do anything with it."
Kakashi sighed. "That's not true. Excellent chakra control opens doors to everything. Can I show you something?" He asked her gently, getting a slow nod.
Standing up, Kakashi turned to the wall. And started walking up it, and up it, and up it, and up it.
Until he was upside down on the ceiling.
"This works on water, too. A little chakra control, and you're an all-terrain shinobi." He gave her an eye smile, noting that she didn't seem incredibly impressed.
Fine, he'd up the ante.
"Throw me something." He told her, and she obliged, tossing him a box of tissues.
Kakashi had to admit, he barely had the skill for what he was about to attempt.
Still dangling from the ceiling, he caught the box of tissues.
Recirculating his chakra, he allowed some to flow down and into one of his hands. Ensuring the box was stuck to his hand, he stayed upside down, letting his arms dangle.
The tissues slowly slid down, until it was hanging from just one of his fingers.
"Now you're an all-terrain shinobi with sticky fingers."
"Oh, joy." Sakura remarked sarcastically, smiling slightly despite herself.
"Getting your chakra refined like this makes even enormous jutsu possible, even if your reserves are on the average side… This expands your horizons. And that genjutsu affinity, it's even stronger with good chakra."
Kakashi threw the tissue box to her, which she caught and put back.
He dropped from the roof, flipping mid air and sticking the landing.
"Now, I have to check on our dear Sasuke.. And if you're feeling up for it, I recommend you practice wall-walking. When we're out of here, I'll get you some genjutsu books.. Maybe even teach you a few." He offered with a smile, watching Sakura wipe her eyes roughly. Nodding fiercely, he felt he was finally able to leave.
"Good luck, Sakura-chan." He told her genuinely, walking out the door.
Sasuke was next.
With Karin sleeping soundly on her lap, and Lee happily chatting with Tenten, Naruto was honestly feeling okay.
Shikamaru looked envious of the sleeping redhead, and Naruto told him, "If I had two laps, you could nap, too."
The next match was announced minutes later, the arena was cleaned of all Karin's lost weapons and the name boards revealed themselves once more.
First up, the board spun to a familiar name.
Aburame Shino
VS
Naruto looked across the room, spotting the boy in all his concealed-appearance glory.
She gave him an encouraging smile, which she wasn't quite sure he noticed. The board kept spinning up until he entered the arena
"I've always wondered about him." Shikamaru informed the group, watching Shino walk down into the center of the arena.
"He's cool." Naruto informed them, smiling slightly.
Ino hummed, and then outright squawked as the next name was announced.
Inuzuka Kiba.
Naruto blinked, jaw dropping instantly. "But they're teammates!" Tenten exclaimed, saying what all of them were thinking. Ino sucked her teeth. "That's rough."
Facepalming, Naruto almost couldn't believe it. "That's it. These exams are fucked."
"No kidding." Shikamaru agreed, scowling.
Lee, sensing his team's dissatisfaction, spoke up. "Maybe they will both pass!" Always an optimist, he was. Tenten chuckled lightly, "I suppose it's possible."
Kurenai stood closer to the railing, looking over at her students. She looked nervous, but no one could blame her. She was in a rough position.
"Please enter the arena." Hayate called, looking at Kiba in particular.
The boy-dog pair seemed to be in disbelief.
Nonetheless, he obliged, leaping over the balcony and into the ring.
The pair didn't move further, not stepping a minute closer, prompting Hayate to sigh. "Step closer, please."
Again, they not-so-willingly obliged.
"Let the match.."
Hayate stepped back, "Begin!"
He leapt out of the arena, taking his place amongst the other spectators.
No one knew what to expect from this.
Shino adjusted his glasses slowly, making no sudden movements to avoid alarming Kiba.
"I do not wish to fight you. Why? You are my friend."
Kiba scratched his neck, kicking at the ground aimlessly. Even Akamaru was in agreement, letting out a low-whine.
"Ts alright, let's just do what they did, yeah? Spar."
There were audible crickets. Again, the boy from Suna had an outburst. "Oh come on, let's see some blood!"
"Would you shut up already!" Ino yelled, in place of Naruto, who gave her an appreciative pat on the back.
Shino clasped his hands behind his back. "It seems that won't be enough for the masses."
Kiba shrugged. "Never could care what they want."
A small smile curved Shino's lips.
"Our promotions rely on this. We should give it our all."
Kiba grinned fiercely, "Then I will. Don't know about you."
Behind black glasses, Shino watched Kiba's hand inch towards his pouch. "I shall give you my best. Why? Anything less would be an insult."
And it began then.
Kiba threw kunai at Shino with lighting speed, showing Naruto he's really been training since Wave. Shino, too, was quick to impress her.
He bent backwards at a near 90 degree angle, letting the three kunai fly overhead harmlessly. Instead of bending back up, the boy dropped into a flip, and was soon again upright.
"Bug clone." He said monotonously, flying through three hand seals. "We may as well fight on equal terms."
It was then that the crowd noticed Akamaru's absence.
Behind the two Shino's, another Kiba attempted to hit the original Shino with a right hook.
A flash of smoke only a second long revealed nothing, except that Shino had the Dog Clone's fist gripped in his own. Shino's words revealed it all.
"Kawarimi."
Kiba growled slowly, as Shino's Bug Clone twisted the Dog Clone's arm. "Tricky bastard," he sounded almost fond.
The Inuzuka style was fantastically rough and tumble, as shown by the way the Dog Clone dropped itself to the ground, yanking Shino's bug clone into closer quarters.
While the pair of clones scrapped on the ground, flipping over each other and roughing it out, the boys themselves engaged.
Kiba aimed for a wild haymaker to the gut, connecting it, only for Shino to swing a cupped hand at Kiba's eardrum.
Ino gasped, "Damn!"
Kiba visibly winced, disconnecting from Shino, whining like a dog. Despite his pain, the boy was no doubt a rager. And somewhat thoughtless, apparently, because he nailed Shino with a direct headbutt.
When he leapt back to recuperate, blood was visibly spilling from his eardrum, and the both of them seemed a bit wobbly on their feet.
"Shit.. He burst his eardrum with that slap." Naruto realized, baring her teeth. "Can you even call it a slap?" Shikamaru asked in quiet wonder.
"This is shaping up to be an interesting match.. What peculiar moves they use." Lee chimed in, eyes glued on the arena.
Kiba was breathing roughly, the ringing in his ears not yet subsiding, his vision swaying slightly.
Meanwhile, the Dog Clone fiercely bit into the Bug Clone, getting a mouthful of kikaichu in the process.
They crawled out the clone's mouth and into the eyes, seemingly at a stalemate. The Dog clone was blinded, but the Bug clone was pinned.
Kiba felt himself getting dizzier by the second, "You fucker!" He yelled in realization. Shino forced himself to straighten as Kiba yelled again, "You're draining my fucking chakra!"
The boy threw his shirt off spontaneously, trying to tear any of the bugs off his skin. Kikaichu stuck to his skin like feeding ticks, engorged and fat with the chakra they sucked out of him.
The bite wounds were inflamed and reddening, the numbing mucus of the kikaichu leaking from the punctures.
Grabbing them in his fist, he crushed them carelessly, splattering them in his palm. He nearly gagged, looking up to glare at his teammate.
"Akamaru!" He screamed, calling the dog back to him. Dropping his transformation into the dog clone, he scurried over to his owner. The kikaichu unraveling into a horde of crawling beetles, both parties returned to their masters.
KIba dusted off his loyal companion, knocking loose any hanging bugs.
"Let's go, boy."
Shino's kikaichu crawled up him, reentering his skin and becoming one again.
Again, Kiba had two of him, standing side by side.
"Hope you're ready, Shino! You haven't seen the newest version of Fang Passing Fang yet!" He grinned wildly still wobbling on his feet.
Naruto wondered if the pair had dual concussions.
"Show me, then." Shino implored neutrally, prompting Kiba not to leave him waiting.
The entire room seemed to be holding their breath, wondering what was to come, and if it could end the match.
Kiba could feel the lost chakra that Shino had sucked out of him, could feel the burst eardrum, and the throbbing pain from his own headbutt. He had no doubt there were still kikai somewhere on him, feeding on him.
Shino was in similar straits, dizzy and nauseous from Kiba's punch to his gut.
Kiba had always been ridiculously strong, he'd certainly need checked for internal bruising after this.
"Fang Passing Fang! Twin wolves!"
Both Akamaru and Kiba turned into identical, hulking white wolves. Panting in rhythm, blinking in rhythm, twitching in rhythm.
"It's utter synchrony." Shino muttered.
Roaring, a defiant noise in perfect harmony with one another, they began to move so fast it resembled a spinning blur.
No one could hear the jutsu Shino called out, not one word of it, as his body was enveloped in a layer of bugs, another layer tried to form a bug-dome around him.
In the time it took for the blurring, rotating silhouette of Kiba and Akamaru to reach Shino, his bugs were creating a thick shield of their own bodies in front of them.
"My kikai are being slaughtered!" He seemed to yell out, and then, as if the kikai were worth more than his own life, he dropped his bug shield.
Naruto wondered, if he'd let the jutsu complete, how effective a bug dome would be. Certainly more effective than a bug shield, and even more effective than a dropped one.
The tunneling pair ran directly into Shino, the collision happening immediately. The boy hadn't even thought to run, he'd raised his hands to his face in a shoddy block and taken it.
Shino had just wanted to save some of his hive, at the sake of his promotion.
It seemed he was in luck, because as Kiba's jutsu undid, it was revealed how improper this newest rendition was.
Kiba had landed square on top of Shino, knocking the taller boy into the ground. It appeared the both of them were unconscious as Akamaru skidded onto the ground.
The pup tried to lift himself, but a variety of kikai seemed to think even without Shino commanding them. Independently, they opted to pin Akamaru by his tail.
The crowd was silent.
Naruto blinked, "Are.. Are they both?" She looked around, taking in the expressions of her companions.
"No way." Shikamaru stared in disbelief, "Out of all the outcomes, this is the most unlikely."
Ino was so surprised she laughed, Lee smiling genuinely. "What a match! A true showcase of their youth!"
Hayate leapt into the arena, studying the scene up close and personal. He bent over the pair, looking at the two of them.
"It appears… That this match has ended in a double knock-out." He spoke slowly, seemingly in disbelief.
As the medics rushed in, carting away the boys, Kurenai ran to the med-bay with them. Hayate went to the Hokage, leaving the scene to hear his kage's judgement on the match.
When he returned, he looked away as his fellow shinobi cleaned up the battlefield.
With utter finality, Hayate spoke. "Neither combatant will proceed to the final rounds."
When Kakashi came to speak with Sasuke, and to seal the mark the Orochimaru had given him, he was surprised to see Sasuke wasn't alone.
"Who are you?" He immediately asked, voice colder than ice. He didn't recognize the man before him at all, not beyond the glimpses he'd seen of him in the medical bay.
"My name is Suneko. Sasuke is fond of me." Suneko spoke, rather oddly, to Kakashi. The silver-haired man looked to the raven haired boy, silently asking for his confirmation. Sasuke shrugged, which wasn't a no. Easing slightly, Kakashi became a bit less defensive.
The one named Suneko didn't react, making Kakashi immediately peg the fellow as an ex-root.
"Sasuke… I know the idea bothers you, but we need to seal up that mark." Kakashi told the boy slowly, opting to let Suneko stay. A medic would be comforting to have around for the sealing.
Sasuke bit his lip, glaring up at the Hatake man.
"Surely you understand his hesitance," Suneko spoke for him, steady as ever. "He has had his body invaded once, and now you are going to once again put something on his skin he never before wanted."
Kakashi breathed slowly, fighting not to sigh. "I understand that, but it's necessary to keep the seal from.. Invading further." He tried to appease them, because there wasn't much else the man could do.
Suneko put a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder, eyes on Kakashi, "You haven't even told him what it is yet. You aren't even a seal master."
Kakashi fumbled slightly, unprepared for the push-back he was receiving.
"It's simply referred to as the Evil Sealing Method. There are.. Hundreds of horrible seals out there, this is just one way of limiting them. It's a will-based seal."
Kakashi explained, rubbing his forehead. "For as long as you don't want that cursed mark Orochimaru gave you, it will do its best to protect you." Sasuke seemed to be subconsciously hugging himself, reminding the older pair that he was still so young, shinobi or not.
Sasuke looked up, "Have you done it before?"
Kakashi thought about it, "I have."
Suneko looked to Kakashi, "I still don't see why Jiraiya of The Sannin can't be bothered to do this himself. Surely it's his responsibility before it's yours."
Kakashi thought about it for a moment, and he actually agreed. Word around the village was that Jiraiya was staying in Konoha until the exams ended.
The man hummed, "If I weren't so anxious to finish this.. I would seek him out now."
The tension in the room grew palpable, which Kakashi was quick to amend. He sighed, long and heavy, finally getting it out of his system.
"Sasuke, if you let me seal this now," The boy looked at him, eyes far too vulnerable. It was the first time Kakashi had ever seen anything like that in the boy.
"I promise to have Jiraiya look it over the moment he's available."
Suneko looked at the boy, silently telling Sasuke that if he didn't want it, he'd stand by him. Kakashi really did believe that the Uchiha boy must have some mysterious fondness for the medic. Otherwise, he would've shrugged that hand off.
"Alright…" Sasuke started slowly, "Seal it."
The next match followed right after, no one was protesting the judgement made. On Team 8, only Hinata Hyuuga would proceed to the finals.
And that was that.
The boards once again revealed themselves, the crowd of shinobi was smaller now than it had been in the start. The genin waited with even more anticipation than in the beginning. As the numbers got smaller, the higher the chance that you were next.
The first name was revealed.
Yamanaka Ino
All eyes were on the blonde then, studying her. Naruto was shocked, grabbing her friend's hand immediately.
The other blonde swallowed, looking at Ino with seriousness etched into her features. "Kick ass out there." She didn't want to see Ino unconscious in a hospital bed at the end of this.
"Seriously, Ino. Show 'em what you're made of." Shikamaru encourage as Ino walked past him, Tenten stopping her next.
"I'm rooting for you! Well, unless your opponent is me." Tenten mended immediately, "But otherwise, yeah. Good luck!"
Lee gave her a one-thousand watt smile, "Do your best!"
She grinned, passing them all. Trying not to show her nerves, she quickly thanked them.
Down in the arena, Ino stood tall. No one would see her cowering.
"Kankuro of the Sand."
Ino blinked at the name, but ended up snarling when the boy leapt into the arena. "Oh, you," she practically growled.
"Tch, you'll be easy work." Kankuro told her, self-assured and haughty.
She already wanted to kick his ass, and the match hadn't even started yet.
"You're just a little girl. You probably still play with dolls." He rubbed it in further, flaunting that he was older. Ino snorted, venom in her eyes. "You say that like you aren't a little girl, too. You're still playing in your mother's makeup."
His cheeks reddened with his fury, glaring at her. "My mother is dead." He staid plainly, clearly still feeling the burn of her insult.
"Even worse. She's probably rolling in her grave with what you've done with her lipstick." Ino checked her nails with faux-indifference, riling the boy up even worse. "You bitch." He growled, baring his teeth at her.
She just smiled.
Gods, let her training pay off, because this guy was pissed.
And from the looks of it, Kankuro of the Sand was going to be a challenge.
"Let the match begin!"
Kankuro knew that he couldn't reveal his ace in this battle, so he would stick with taijutsu and whatever else would hide his true talent.
Ino had learned a little from Sakura's battle with Temari of the Sand. One, being that Suna-nin have a rather rugged taijutsu style. Temari's evasion was jerky at best. Two, wind-style and strange weapons were common. From what Ino knew of Suna already, they were known for puppet masters, poison, and survival skills.
Her style, as opposed to his, was all finesse.
It showed the second he engaged her physically, throwing punch after punch at her. Yamanaka's were flexible, fluid, and precise. For this reason, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were immensely compatible taijutsu-wise.
The Akimichi were powerful, they could throw strong blows and withstand them. The Yamanaka were smooth evaders, similar to Naruto's Hebi style and the Hyuuga. Then, the Nara were the balance of both, right in the middle.
This boy, Ino realized, was not taijutsu focused. He was nothing like Lee, or Naruto, or even Kiba.
Sure, she supposed if he could connect any of his blows, they'd probably hurt. But as she bent and flipped away from every would-be hit, he only got angrier. And angrier just meant sloppier, much to her glee.
She'd easily admit she was lacking in power, so when her fists struck, she aimed dirty. He swung for her head, and she weaved away, throwing a fist of her own. Her own fist struck true, landing against his nose in a loud crack.
He cursed, loud and angry, and she flipped backwards away from the scene. The Yamanaka also fell into the list of hit-and-run fighters, similar to the Inuzuka. Hit 'em, and get the hell out of dodge. Then run back in and hit again.
However, there was a difference. Inuzuka were strong, and they were dirty. They'd hit wherever they could connect.
The Yamanaka would do the same, eyes, nose, throat, none of it was off-limits. They'd strike with precision, not force, in the weakest spots. If your nose was in limits, they'd aim for the bone.
And that was exactly what Ino had done, because when Kankuro removed his hand from his face, his nose was curled to the side and bleeding rivers.
"You'll pay for that!" He screamed, malice clouding his thoughts and showing in every inch of him.
Surely, Kankuro thought, he could dip into his secret arsenal just slightly. There had to be some way, he could use something he was better in without showing the world his skills.
He needed them, after all, for what was to come.
Ino watched every twitch he made, as his hand shot into his pouch.
Kankuro grinned, a perfect middle-ground. After all, puppet strings and ninja wire weren't terribly different.
The girl was strangely still as he wrapped his kunai, he supposed she was waiting to see what he would do with it.
She looked at the crowd, giving a reassuring smile to her friends. Kankuro nearly rolled his eyes, leaf-nin were just too friendly for his liking.
He wondered, what would the girl do if he outright captured her? How well could he humiliate a Konohan in front of their very own peers?
Throwing a few duds, the girl narrowly dodged his weapons, getting scraped by a shuriken when he altered its trajectory with an invisible chakra-string.
She palmed her injury, eyeing the sticky crimson blood that covered her hand. Whatever he'd done with that shuriken, she'd paid for it, the gash was deeper than it looked.
Trying desperately not to think of it, Ino leapt directly over his wire wrapped kunai. Drawing it back to him like some fucked up lasso, he didn't slow down his assault of weaponry.
Now though, he was becoming more daring.
He'd throw weapons, and then one or two of those weapons would suddenly alter trajectory. They'd swerve around her, aiming to make her a human pincushion.
He was growing more and more confident of his abilities by the second, attacking her in waves. Attack, then he'd try to trap her, attack, trap, attack, trap. The cycle continued endlessly, the boy exhausting her slowly.
Various nicks marked Ino's skin, stinging and leaking blood. Her skin was slick with sweat and she was barely dodging.
"He's using chakra strings!" Tenten suddenly shouted to Ino, discovering it before anyone else. Not even Shikamaru had guessed it yet, too caught between whether he was using small wind jutsu or strings.
"Fuck!" He yelled, his secret revealed. Naruto closed her eyes, confirming it instantly. "Every weapon he has is a risk, even the ones in the ground!" Naruto said allowed, trying to make it sound like she was talking to Tenten and not giving Ino a hint.
Ino was getting desperate, because once Tenten had announced that, Kankuro had taken it up a notch.
She was trying to analyze him even as she rapidly dodged weapons, learning the boy could only maintain four separate strings at once.
Or so it seemed, anyway.
He finished his wave of attacks, again trying to ensnare her in ninja wire. Ino swallowed her nerves, she only had one idea left.
There were two techniques she could use, one of which she hadn't even been fully taught yet.
The problem was, though, that Mind-Body Transfer technique required her opponent to be caught.
And here she was, wrapped in wire.
Kankuro stepped closer to her, laughing morbidly. "Now look at you."
Ino swallowed, remembering her father's technique in the back of her mind.
Mind-Body Disturbance.
Her consciousness didn't need a straight shot here, there was no risk her body would go limp and she would lose it all on the spot.
To do Mind-Body Disturbance, all you needed was your own chakra.
Hand-signs can help to channel it, sure, but at its core? Chakra and the ability to control it.
She'd just have to stall.
Squirming, the boy laughed again, ignorant to the chakra she was gathering. If he'd touch her, she wouldn't even have to connect hers to him, just slip hers in his system and she'd be golden.
Or at least, she hoped. She'd only been given demonstrations of this technique, her father had never taught it to her. She'd never even seen the first hand-sign, her dad had known she'd try to copy it.
Now, she was.
"You can't break out. Forfeit. Show everyone how pathetic you are." He stared down at her, not an ounce of shame in him.
He made Ino sick.
"You wish." She seethed, focusing her intent into the chakra.
"Just admit it. You lost." He stepped closer to her, his forehead next to hers.
Oh god, she thought.
She was about to take a note of Kiba Inuzuka's book, in the most dangerous way possible.
Slowly, she inched her chakra up to her head, desperately hoping she wouldn't fry her own brain. Or burn her own skin off, or blind herself, or whatever else concentrating chakra in your head could cause.
Trickling into place, the chakra hadn't killed her yet.
"Fuck you." Ino growled, slamming her head into his with no further ado.
The boy fell back, shocked. "You bi-"
He froze.
Ino felt dizzy, suddenly, she was overwhelmed with the stimulus of another body. Her mind was linked to his body, her chakra overrunning his.
She felt phantom sensations in her own body as she worked his hands and fingers, feeling her way around the new technique.
It was a conscious decision, sending intent to her chakra, which would then move the body in accordance. She didn't have long to take in the way her new jutsu worked, no time to ponder how she could feel two bodies at once.
First, she had the newly possessed Kankuro untie her, and then sit docile on the ground while she used the wire on him. It was strange, at times, she would do a certain movement with the wrong body. She'd move to her left, and accidentally move Kankuro with her. She'd reach forward, and Kankuro would too.
It was the most bizarre form of multi-tasking to ever exist.
By the time she had him tied, Kankuro had finally seemed to realize what was happening to his body, attempting to flush her chakra out.
It was perfect, actually. He wanted her out, so she drew out her chakra, releasing it into the air. Her reserves were a quarter of their original capacity, making the girl even more weak.
When he reclaimed his body, he first went entirely slack. Slowly, he twitched back to life. When the boy realized the place he was in, he began screaming and cursing.
"You fucking bitch! What did you do to me!" She shushed him, the same way she would to a toddler.
"Goodnight, Kankuro." She lifted her leg, aiming to finish him in a classic Yamanaka kick.
Her foot collided into his temple, the boy utterly defenseless as she ended the match.
Tied up and laying on his side, Hayate decided the boy was out before he even leapt into the arena.
"And the match goes to Yamanaka Ino!" He announced, loudly. Ino smiled, paler than usual but still somehow glowing.
The medical team yet again rushed in, surrounding the two genin.
Ino's friends weren't shy as they whooped their approval, "Fuck yeah!" Naruto screamed.
"I've never once seen her use that." Shikamaru told them, entirely shocked. She was walked into the medical bay by a pair of medics, while the others unwrapped Kankuro and put him in a cot.
"That was amazing! What a turn-around!" Tenten cheered, watching as the boy was wheeled away.
"I've never seen anything like it," A booming voice joined them, Guy finally returning.
Without questioning where he'd gone, he was met with various greetings. One of which, was just too fucking much.
"GUYYYYY SENSEEEEIIIIII-'' Lee screamed with wobbling eyes full of tears.
"LEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Guy yelled in return, grabbing Lee in a tight hug.
"GUYYYYYYYY SEEEEENSEEEEEII!"
Naruto, who was on a far shorter leash than normal, raised her voice in a scream. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am about to go DESTROY some chicken parmesan. Quick update this time, so I hope you guys are happy! Much love.
