Hey all. Oh my freaking god! It's chapter 9! Can anyone here believe it? I actually can't, I've been putting off writing this chapter 'cause I think it's going to be hard…
I have to say, strawberry coolatas are so good. And if anyone says coffee is better, I'll kick their ass. It's gross. –yuck-
Whoot! NoCareChakara and Silver-Serval reviewed AGAIN! You guys are my heroes! And I can now say that pairings will start to turn up!
Chapter 9: To take the test…
Setting: Konoha, the stadium thing
Time: Um…day after last chapter. Its third exam day!
Kabuto rolled over and opened his eyes slightly. He was really uncomfortable. When he opened his eyes wider, he realized…he was sleeping on the floor? Did he fall off his bed? Then Kabuto saw Toboe, Jin, and Kira and remembered the night before. Kabuto sat up, and looked at the clock. He started yelling, "Guys! Get up! We're gonna be late!" Kabuto ran over to Toboe and Jin and shook them awake while Kira awoke from his shouts. All three yelped when they saw the time and quickly ran to the door, hustling Kabuto along as they grabbed their shoes and flung themselves out of the apartment.
Once they were halfway down the street, Jin turned to Kabuto and asked, "How much time do we have?"
Kabuto snorted, shoved his hands into his pockets and replied, "Two hours."
Toboe and Jin squealed in anger and Kira stopped halfway through her step. Toboe sobbed, "Why, Kabuto? Why do you torture us so?" while he turned to cry into Jin's shoulder. Kabuto squirmed as the shop owners stared.
Then he replied haughtily, "The look on your faces was priceless. I was compelled to do it."
Kira still hadn't moved. Once Jin noticed, he poked her and asked, "What's wrong?"
She looked over her shoulder at the other three, and then pointed down the crossroads to a crowd. Toboe looked over, shrugged to Jin and Kabuto, then prodding Kira's back whined, "What's wrong with that? They're Traders. By the looks of it they come from the south."
Kira shook her head and said quietly, "I was pointing out that you guys are scaring away their customers with your antics…"
Jin shrugged as Toboe began his fake sobbing again while Kabuto covered his face with his hands. He was starting to regret his decision to wake them up so early…
One hour later…
By now, the four had eaten breakfast, and each had gone to their respective homes to change and prepare for the exam. They had met at the bridge so they could walk to the arena together. While walking there, they had passed very many crowds, and Toboe and Jin kept pointing out different Trader clans from the south. The farther the four got from the village and the closer they got to the stadium, the more clans they saw. Jin even pointed out a few from the north; he also informed Kabuto that seeing Trader clans from the north was unusual because they tended to farm during the summers and trade during all the other seasons. Since it was summer, it was unusual.
After passing so many crowds, the four stopped to rest. Jin sat on the grass by the road, Toboe began performing cartwheels again, Kabuto sat on a rock, and like usual, Kira just stood there waiting. Suddenly, someone tugged on her sleeve. When Kira turned around, Kabuto could see a short girl with white-blonde hair and light gray eyes. She wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck, her forehead protector around her neck, and a long purple shirt with black knee-length pants. (A/N Her clothes are like Sakura's from part 1. TamX2, who wanted me to use her in a pairing, gifted this character to me. You'll find out which later.) When Kira saw her, her eyes widened as the girl quietly asked, "Kira? Tabanachi Kira?"
Kira grinned. (A/N Still with the freaking veil…And I think I forgot to say that her forehead protector is on her forehead, Toboe's is there too, and Jin's is tied on his belt) "Rina? Is that you?" When the girl nodded and smiled, Kira pulled her into a hug. Both girls giggled and Jin and Toboe ran over.
"Heeeeey…is this the girl you told us about? Huh, huh? Is she, is she?" Toboe asked as he bounced from foot to foot. "She's as short as you are!"
Kira glared over at Toboe as Jin stuck out his hand and introduced himself. The girl shyly returned the handshake and asked Kira, "These are your teammates, right? The redhead is Jin and the loud, talkative one is Toboe." At that, she looked around Toboe to see Kabuto, who had remained seated. The girl nodded to him and asked Kira, "That one's Kabuto, right? The calm, taciturn one…" Kira blushed as the girl repeated all her descriptions of her friends.
Kira turned to Jin, Toboe, and Kabuto and introduced the girl. "This is Hitsugaiya Rina. She's a friend of mine from my home village. Um…she was in the ninja class I worked with. She's now one of the Trader guards for my clan." Kira turned to Rina. "Are they here too? I thought farming would take this part of the year…"
Rina shook her head. "I think boss decided farming wasn't good for business. He decided to trade all year around, and sell the land. He still has the house. But…Kira-nee-chan, he's not doing well…you should visit…" Rina glanced over at the other three genin, all of whom were listening very closely. Kira noticed and told Rina they'd talk later; that she didn't need to know.
Kira asked again, "Are they here? I didn't see any symbols or hear any announcements… Are they coming to the exam?"
Rina shook her head quickly. "Nope! They came because of all the people that come today. It should be too busy. But I heard the Kazekage of Sand is coming!"
Kira smiled and nodded. "That's good." When she looked up at the sky, Kira visibly blanched. "Guys…we are going to be so late! Let's go!" Rina waved as the four once again took off, racing to the stadium.
(A/N Kira and Rina are the same age, just Kira is a little older. Rina calls her nee-chan out of respect.)
At the stadium…
Toboe, Jin, Kira, and Kabuto panted a bit as they stood in the center of the arena with the other four genin. Kabuto didn't remember any of their names; he thought that they must not be too important. His opponent, number 2, had longish blonde hair with dark blue eyes. He reminded Kabuto of Naruto, but this guy had an evil-looking smirk on his face and dressed completely differently. Kabuto turned to Kira and asked, "Who was that girl?" He realized that he wasn't actually very interested, but that he was trying to distract himself.
Kira glanced over at Kabuto and replied, "That would be the friend I told you about. I've known her for a while, and she's the only person I kept in touch with from the north. She may be distantly related, but I don't think so. She's a very powerful ninja, Chuunin level. She told me that she became Chuunin when I was…let's see… I think I was 12 or 13, so she would probably be 12. Very talented." Kabuto nodded. At that, Genma began to explain the rules of the bouts, and called Kabuto and the man, Suzaku, to fight. Kira, Toboe, and Jin wished Kabuto good luck, and went to the waiting area.
Suzaku looked Kabuto over and grinned. Kabuto merely glared back and thought, "Jeez…this guy's older than I am." And then the fight began.
Suzaku said to Kabuto, "Forfeit now, kid. I'm warning you." Kabuto shook his head. He wanted to become Chuunin if it was the last thing he did. Suzaku shrugged. "It's your life." At that, Suzaku began his attack. Kabuto blocked the shuriken and kunai attacks quickly, and waited to see Suzaku's main attack. What he didn't know was that it might take a long time to get there…
10 minutes later…
Both genin had begun to tire. However, Kabuto still hadn't used any of his chakra to attack Suzaku, and Suzaku had used some simple attacks to try to confuse Kabuto. (A/N I don't think I, one, have enough fighting experience to give a detailed account of this fight, and two, know enough about attacks to describe them. I haven't watched enough of the anime…) Suddenly, Kabuto felt a huge amount of chakra collecting in Suzaku's hands. Having no idea what this attack might be, Kabuto backed away to observe. Suzaku laughed and said, "This is one attack you'll never block." Upon hearing that, Kabuto immediately began his Inyu Shometsu (Secret Healing Wound Destruction) and concentrated his chakra into his chest and back to protect his vital organs. Suzaku smirked and shouted, "Lightening attack!" as he ran forward to slam his fist into Kabuto, sending him flying as lightening played over his body.
Kabuto landed on his feet, but he could still feel the lightening sparking inside him. Suzaku laughed. "So just one won't kick it, huh. Let's try it again!" Suzaku focused his chakra into his hands again while Kabuto quickened his healing with his ninjutsu. Suzaku ran to meet Kabuto and try as Kabuto might to block the attack; the lightening jumped across the opening between their bodies and slammed into Kabuto, throwing him to the ground. Kabuto started when he realized that his ninjutsu…wasn't working? He tried to push the chakra out, but he felt as though he had no chakra. But he knew he hadn't used any…
Suzaku began laughing as Kabuto lay on the ground, struggling with the lightening that still played over him. "You'll never heal yourself. I've blocked all the nerve endings in your body with lightening. That will mess up any signals they send out. Even your brain will have trouble sending out signals to your lungs and heart. Forfeit. I win."
Kabuto coughed as he ran out of oxygen. None of the techniques he knew would cause his body to communicate again. As the darkness began to cloud over his eyes, Kabuto continued to struggle to get up, to do anything but lose. Coughing, Kabuto slowly stopped moving, and he fell into unconsciousness.
(A/N I told you someone would feel sadness… Oh! I looked up more info about Kabuto, and found that he doesn't have a Kekkei Genkai exactly. He's able to activate dead cells and create new ones. This was why Orochimaru valued him so much. And yes, Suzaku is from Yu Yu Hakusho, he's the bad guy who tries to take over the world or something…)
Kabuto coughed. His body ached all over. As he slowly cracked open his eyes, he saw white ceilings and walls, and two hospital attendants standing over him arguing with two people outside the door. Kabuto could hear "But he's our friend!" and "Let us in!" as well as "The boy is unconscious" and "You're not allowed in without permission!"
Kabuto called out, "I'm fine. Let them in." The two attendants turned around to look at him and then opened the door fully to reveal Imai and Uotani standing there. Imai rushed in to stand by the bed as Uotani glared over at the attendants and walked over.
Imai exclaimed, "We saw the fight! Are you okay? Uotani wanted to beat the crap out of that guy! What happened? I couldn't see real well…"
Kabuto sat up and rubbed his head. "He blocked all my nerve endings with lightening so I couldn't tell my heart and lungs to work." Kabuto carefully rubbed his chest where the ache was located and then reactivated the dead cells near his heart and lungs. For the time being, he felt that would be enough to keep him going. He stood and led Uotani and Imai out of the room. As he walked down the hallway, he asked, "So…how long have I been out? How many fights have happened?"
Uotani looked over at Kabuto and answered quietly. "You were out from about 30 minutes. Kira's fight is over, and Toboe's about to win. Kira won. I'm starting to think she's like a one-hit wonder or something…"
Kabuto looked over at Imai for an explanation. Imai said, "She did that thing again where she disappears and then reappears to smack the person and knock them out. Actually, to me is seemed as though she hit him a little harder than necessary. I think she was a tad bit angry about your loss. She might have taken it out on him. Toboe started fighting in that mindset too, I think. Then he started having fun, so he got all playful. I think he's just playing around with his opponent. It really doesn't help that the poor girl thinks he's cute." Kabuto snorted. Some shinobi that girl was, to let her feelings get in the way of fighting.
As the three walked to the stairs of the waiting area, they heard the cheers and Toboe being announced as the winner. Once Kabuto reached the top (without Uotani or Imai, they'd been stopped because they weren't in the exam anymore…), he caught sight of Kira, Jin, and Toboe standing at the railing. They were talking and egging Jin on for his fight. The other four genin were standing by themselves on the other side of the room, each standing alone and watching the three, some with disgust and some with awe and admiration. Kabuto walked over to Team Koenma, and Kira began waving as she said, "Glad you're better, Kabuto! We needed someone with sense to balance out our nuttiness." She grinned up at him as he stood next to Toboe.
Kabuto smiled weakly. "Thanks, Kira. I'll be sure to try." Toboe patted his back as Jin jumped over the railing to land on the ground, ready to fight his opponent. Kabuto sighed, and decided to mentally take notes even though he wasn't fighting them. As prepared as Kabuto was to take notes, he didn't get what he wanted.
Jin's opponent, a stocky older woman who seemed as uninterested in fighting as Jin seemed interested, looked over the boy carefully, as if to find any weaknesses. Genma called out, "Koizumi Jin, Kawashiki Tai, are you both ready?" Jin nodded and agreed while Tai seemed to think about it. She nodded slowly, and the match began.
Jin immediately took out two kunai and started spinning them around his fingers as he paced around, clearly ready to fight. Tai just stood there, and watched the boy pace. She glanced up to where the Hokage and Kazekage were sitting and then up to where Kabuto, Toboe, and Kira were clearly waiting for their friend to win the fight and get back up there. She sighed and raised her hand. "After considering my talents, and that of this kid, I've decided that he is much stronger than I. I forfeit."
Jin stopped and looked dismayed at the thought that he had to wait longer to fight. Genma shrugged and asked, "Are you sure, Kawashiki Tai?" Tai nodded. "Very well, Koizumi Jin is the winner." Jin sighed and stepped forward to stick his hand out to Tai. Tai looked at it, and a grin spread across her face. She shook his hand, and both went up to the waiting area.
Once they reached it, Jin turned to Tai and asked, "Why'd you forfeit? You have more experience than I do, you could have won."
Tai grinned. "You remind me of my son. He died a few years back, but when I saw you there, it was like seeing my son all over again. I figured I could get it next year. Besides, I don't really want to be Chuunin. Just doing it to be doing something that isn't brooding." Jin nodded. He waved to the woman, and walked over to the Kira, Kabuto, and Toboe.
He sighed. As he leaned his head against the railing, he whispered, "But I wanted to fight someone…"
Toboe grinned. "Don't worry! You'll be fighting me next!"
Jin grinned wildly and he and Toboe high-fived while Kira and Kabuto stared at the nutcases. She looked over at Kabuto and sighed, her veil fluttering lightly as she said, "I thought I was like them. Never mind, they're a heck of a lot nuttier than me." Kabuto laughed, but it sounded strained. He'd realized that he was the only one of the group that hadn't won their bout in one way or the other, and he wasn't happy. He was ashamed.
Suddenly, they heard Kira's name being called as the next fighter. She looked surprised and then said, "Oh yeah! I'm fighting lightening man. Yippee…Well, toodles to y'all!" She tipped over the railing to land beneath them. Walking out to the middle of the arena, she waited for Suzaku to meet her there.
Kabuto shook his head. "I hope she knows what she's getting herself into. He's a lot stronger than he looks."
Toboe and Jin shook their heads. Toboe said, "You wouldn't think it, but Kira was really angry about your fight. She watched really closely, so I figure that she's got something planned."
"She also talked with the guy after the fight, and asked him exactly what he did. I think he thought she worked with the medics sometimes, so she wanted to know how to heal it. He doesn't seem to think that she has a chance against him." Jin added.
Kabuto still worried. He thought, 'the only reason I'm standing is because of my ability. From what I know, Kira most definitely doesn't have that…'
Genma announced that Tabanachi Kira and Suzaku were about to begin their fight. Kira took a step back to ready herself while Suzaku just stood there, waiting to begin. Once Genma said the fight could begin, Suzaku started talking. Just as he had for Kabuto, he warned Kira that she would lose. She shook her head. Suzaku sighed and said, "Come girlie, you're a nice gal. I'm sure you'll win next year. Just forfeit, and keep your life."
Kira glared. Suddenly, she disappeared. Appearing behind the man, she said, "For your information, sir, I don't like being called 'girlie' or 'gal.' I'm a kunoichi. Get used to it." Then, slamming his fist into the back of his neck, she began her assault on Suzaku. Somehow she knew that one hit wouldn't take him down. Kabuto watched as Kira began slamming her fingers into different pressure points on Suzaku's body, even as he struggled to begin his lightening attack.
Suddenly, Kira stepped back and put a lot of distance between herself and Suzaku. He grinned. "Realizing the fruitlessness of your attacks yet, girlie? Nothing a tiny girl like you could do will hurt me." At that, Kabuto could only watch as Suzaku charged the chakra into his hand, and then slammed his fist towards Kira's face. Kira sidestepped as fast as she could, but Suzaku's lightening brushed her cheek, slicing through the skin like a knife. Kira stumbled backwards as Suzaku stood and laughed. Kabuto's eyes widened when he noticed that the small, blue cloth that she'd used to hide her face was now lying on the ground.
(A/N O. My. God. Kira's veil is off! What will happen? What does it hide? OW, stop hitting me people, I'm going to continue it, this isn't a cliff hanger, jeez…)
Holding her hand to her cheek, Kira raised her face to glare at Suzaku. She wiped the blood off her face, and then let her hands fall to her sides. Kabuto could see her shaking with anger as she stared at Suzaku. He realized that she, well, really did look very young without the veil. Her cheeks were still a little round, and she looked a lot more girly without the veil covering her full lips and small nose. 'Still,' he thought, 'she does look kind of scary glaring like that…'
Toboe and Jin cheered when they noticed the veil was off. Kabuto heard their voices echo as they yelled, "Whooho! Take it off Kira! Show that pretty face!" Kabuto noticed Kira glanced up at Toboe and Jin and smirked slightly. Kabuto realized that they had obviously seen her face before, how would she eat, or sleep? 'As kids,' he thought, 'they must have slept in the same room.'
Suzaku slowly stopped his laughter when he realized that Kira wasn't lying on the ground from his lightening. He put his hands on his hips as he stared down the small kunoichi. Suddenly, his face broke into a grin. "You've got a lot of spunk! I like that in kids. I must say, girlie, you do look better without the veil. You're much prettier without it-"
Suzaku stopped short as Kira slammed her fist into his stomach, sending him flying as she returned to glaring at him as she followed up the punch with a roundhouse kick to his temple. "Stop. Calling. Me. Girlie!" She screamed as she continued her violent assault with punches and kicks. Kabuto watched as the short girl tore up the ground with her anger-filled attack. He realized that Suzaku had her exactly where he wanted her. Angry, violent, and not watching carefully enough. Kabuto's observation was shown to be correct as Suzaku charged up again and attacked Kira's back as she turned to slam her kick into his face. Both genin went flying from the attacks; Kira with lightening crawling over her body, and Suzaku with blood flowing out of his broken nose. "Hey! Girlie, you broke my nose! How dare-"
Suzaku's words trailed off as he saw the kunoichi stand, her back to the stadium as she pulled herself up from the ground. Kabuto heard the collective gasp as people began to recognize the symbol that burned red on Kira's back. A burning phoenix, its wings spread and about to take flight was etched across the pale skin of her lower back. Kabuto stared and started when Toboe nudged him hard in the ribs.
"She doesn't like it when people stare…" The boy stated quietly.
Kabuto glanced over at him. "What is it? Everyone gasped when they saw it. I mean, I didn't expect a goody-goody like Kira to have a tattoo, but still, its not that uncommon…" Kabuto trailed off when he saw Jin shaking his head.
When Toboe noticed the other occupants of the waiting area listening in, he began to explain quietly so only Kabuto and Jin could hear. "Kabuto, how much do you know about Kira? About where's she's from?"
Kabuto reflected and repeated her words. "They're from up north, in the mountain area. The family is in a trading clan, so they move around a lot. She haven't seen nor talked to them since she was four. The only contact she has is Rina-san. Um…they didn't want her training with a shinobi teacher."
Toboe nodded. "Kira comes from a prestigious Trader family. However…in the entire family history, not a single person related to the family has become a ninja or shown any signs of abilities for it. They…um, they were very proud of that fact." Kabuto looked over and then looked at Kira. He felt that he knew where this was going. Toboe continued. "When Kira was almost four, she began wandering away from the house, and going to the near her house academy to watch the older kids practice. The first time she went to her father and showed him a technique she'd learned from watching, he went berserk. He beat her, and then yelled at her repeatedly, telling her over and over again not to do that stuff. Because she's from the north, it was usual to react like that about Bloodline limits, but not about regular shinobi. "
"Unfortunately, Kira didn't listen to him. She continued to sneak out, even eventually meeting with the teacher and being taught one-on-one. When her mother found out, she tried to hide it, saying that Kira wasn't feeling well and that she'd be fine soon whenever her father noticed her missing. But…Kira's older brother caught her there. It was the day before her fourth birthday. He dragged her back to the house, and told her father. The father locked her up. That night, the father had an…um, I don't know what to call him, I suppose it would a shinobi who specializes in curse seals."
"Anyways, her father paid this guy to place a curse seal on his only daughter. The curse went like this: the night of the full moon, the bearer would be put through pain, sometimes even torture. It started out the first full moon being slight discomfort, and from there increased one one thousandth every full moon. After her fourth birthday, which Kira spent locked up, her father disowned her, and banished her from the clan. He said that anyone who helped her would be killed. Luckily, Kira was helped by Rina-chan's kaa-san. She quickly explained to Kira that only her father could remove the seal and how, and then brought Kira as close to Konoha as she could. Kira then walked here because Hitsugaiya-san told her that she would be welcome and taught to be a shinobi here."
"Kira walked to the Fourth's, and tried as hard as she could in four-year old language to explain what had happened to her to him. He took her in, allowing her to grow more comfortable with the curse seal before she entered the academy. However, I don't think he expected her to pass in less than three months. I suppose you could call Kira a genius. Anyways, after she passed, he made her wait for people closer in age to her before becoming genin and joining a group. By the time Jin and I passed, she was bored out of her mind and begged the Fourth to allow her to join a team. He did, but on our second mission out, he died fighting. The Third took his place, and continued to allow Kira to live where she does, and be a part of our team." Toboe took a deep breath, and looked at Kabuto to see if he understood.
Kabuto nodded slowly as he connected all the pieces in his head. Toboe had asked how long the exam took to see if it was possible for Kira to participate, and the night of the prelims had been a full moon, so she needed to leave as quickly as possible. Suddenly Kabuto jerked his head up as the last piece of information fell into place. "Wait, but tonight's a full moon! Kira needs to end the exam before the sun sets!"
Jin nodded quickly. "Exactly. Why do you think we've learned to fight as quickly as possible? We never know when we'd be on a mission and someone might attack right before the sun set. Kira, more than either of us, knows how to fight fast. She learned to read her opponent so she could figure out their weaknesses, their strategies, so that she can defeat most Jonin in less than 10 minutes. Unless they're really talented of course. But Kira lives most of her life according to that seal…"
(A/N I know this explanation is way too long to be said while Kira and Suzaku are recovering, but it's done all the time in manga and animes, so I see no problem with it. Of course, that's not the whole explanation, but that comes later…oops, I cannot believe I let that slip…)
Kabuto turned back to the arena as Kira pushed her hair off her face. She stretched her shoulders quickly before beginning her attack on Suzaku. He rushed, trying to defend himself from the onslaught of fists, kicks, kunai, and shuriken that flew towards him. Suddenly, Kabuto's breath caught in his throat as Kira slipped on the ground, the effect of the lightening beginning to play on her nerves. Suzaku laughed, and in his hand quickly created a lightening sword and slashed Kira straight on.
Jin gasped as Kira slammed into the wall, and dropped to the ground on all fours. Kabuto stared as Jin slowly relaxed, and Toboe leaned over the railing to stare down at the fallen kunoichi. "Oh…she's angry now! Sweet, Jin, look. Her eyes have even gone all red!"
And it was true. Kira pushed herself off the ground and stood to glare at Suzaku with blazing red irises. Suddenly, she began making a seal. Kabuto thought, 'Her first seal use in this fight…'
Toboe giggled with glee. "Oh…he is soooo dead now! She's using her ultimate attack!" Toboe jumped from foot to foot, getting more and more excited as Kira formed seal after seal, none of which Kabuto had seen before.
After finishing the last seal, Kira said, "Iugum Ninjutsu!" Suddenly, four feathers on the phoenix from Kira's back began to glow, and then four spirals of smoke appeared at Kira's sides. Once the smoke cleared, Kabuto saw four more ninja standing around Kira. Each looked different, with symbols running over the skin of their arms and legs. The first one to look up had white, long hair with white eyes. She wore clothes exactly like Kira's, only they were white. Following her lead, the other three lifted their heads. One had short blue hair, and white eyes, with the same clothes that were blue. The next had brown hair with white eyes and brown clothes. The last had blonde hair and yellow clothes. Kira looked up from her seals and said, "Heh. Nice of all of you to come. May we start? Formation 3, please."
Kabuto looked over at Jin for explanation. Toboe seemed too excited to explain. Jin looked over. "It's her ultimate technique. It takes a large amount of chakra to create four different people. Each girl is her own person, with her own techniques and ideas. However, this technique plays to Kira's strengths. She's good with leadership in a group, and works well with people she knows. These people are simply part of her, but taken out of the curse seal that hinders her, but strengthens her chakra the day of the full moon. She created this technique, and it can neither be copied or beaten." Kabuto leaned forward to watch this "ultimate technique."
(A/N Okay! Kira's great technique! It's only usable the day of the full moon because the seal increases her chakra the day before, but unfortunately also causes chakra control to be unstable. That is why she tires herself out before doing anything with lots of chakra. And for your information, Iugum literally means 'team' in Latin. The first name that came to mind was 'Team Elite Ninjutsu,' but that sounds really cheesy. So I changed it into Latin…This attack occurs in around 5 minutes. It's quick, but efficient.)
Kira nodded to each of the girls as they took their place. Forming a crescent moon shape, they began to all form seals. Suzaku gulped, and leapt forward to slash at the white-haired girl. She blocked the attack with her fist, sending Suzaku flying as she continued her seals. Kabuto wondered why as a Kage Bunshin, the girl didn't disappear in a puff of smoke. Jin quickly explained that the girls actually weren't really Bunshin. They were people that Kira had created with the extra chakra inside her.
Once the seals were finished, Kira and co. began to shower Suzaku with flaming shuriken while they attacked him with regular attacks. Suddenly, Suzaku let out a scream of rage and sliced through all five girls with a lightening-filled fist, only to have all of them turn into puffs of smoke. They'd been Bunshin.
Suzaku began to turn around, trying to locate where they had gone, when suddenly, all five slammed out of the ground and attached their hands to Suzaku's shirt. Kira nodded to the white-haired girl and said, "Ichi, now!"
Ichi (A/N yes, their names are Ichi, Ni, San, and Yon, which mean One, Two, Three, and Four) smirked and, with her hand conveniently placed at the base of his neck, said, "Paralysis!" Suzaku stiffened, suddenly unable to move his body at all.
Kira nodded to the blue-haired girl and said, "Ni, now!"
Ni nodded and, placing her hand over his heart, said, "Kyu!" Suzaku found himself filled with spasms of prickling pain going up and down his body, stemming from his heart. (A/N the numbers 4 and 9 are considered unlucky in Japanese: 4, pronounced shi, is a homophone for "death"; 9, when pronounced ku, is a homophone for "suffering." Kyu, which is Ni's attack, is literally "nine," or suffering.)
Kira nodded to the brown-haired girl and repeated, "Now, San!"
San smiled beauteously and said, "Shikon!" Suzaku felt as though his soul was slowly separating from his body and he tried to move to dislodge one of the girls, to stop the technique before they finished. (A/N Shikon I got from Shikon no Jutsu, or Dead Soul Jutsu. It's one of Kabuto's attacks, but I figured it would be good in a different context. Also, I was losing words to say and shi is the number four.)
Kira smiled at the blonde and nodded. "Your turn, Yon." (A/N Yon is pronounced shi…)
Yon yawned and smiled. "Sensitivity!" she giggled.
Kabuto glanced at Jin for an explanation. Jin whispered, "Sensitivity to any further attacks that she does. I see that Kira was really mad at this guy…I'm surprised she's going so far. And that Genma hasn't stopped her."
Kabuto looked down to see Genma staring at the ring of girls around Suzaku. He seemed not to understand what was occurring, and just as Kabuto was about to warn him, Kira smiled, the cut on her check splitting open again. As blood slid down her chin, the red mimicking the color of her eyes, she whispered, "Burn…"
Suzaku's screams ripped through the arena, echoing up the stands to the sky. As suddenly as it started, they were cut off as Kira released him, and he fell to the ground. Genma reached over to the man, and saw that there wasn't a signal mark on the man. No cuts no burn markings, nothing. He stared up at Kira in awe as he realized that the girl wasn't attacking his body, she had attacked his mind.
Kira coughed and fluttered her hands at the girls. Puffs of smoke appeared in their places as they returned to her body. Kira sat down on the ground, waiting for Genma to announce her as the winner. As he did so, she reached over to Suzaku, and placed her hand on his forehead. Once she left, returning to the waiting area, he turned his head as he awoke. Sitting up, he seemed not to remember anything that had occurred, only realizing that none of his chakra was left, and a small kunoichi had beaten him senseless. He was carried to the hospital wing as Kira ascended to the balcony.
Jin and Toboe slapped her on the back, congratulating her for the win as she shook her hands. Kabuto walked over and asking what was wrong, turned over her hands to reveal burns running along her fingers and across her palms. She whispered, "I think I used way too much chakra…and I shouldn't have done that last attack. He didn't need it…I haven't done that technique enough to get rid of the consequences…"
Jin shook his head. "I think he would have kept going, at least until you knocked him out. He's the kind of guy who would do anything to win."
Kabuto healed Kira's hands as he asked Jin and Toboe, "Shouldn't you guys be worrying about your fight? It's coming up right now."
The two turned to each other, and seemed to look one another over. Both shaking their heads, they said in unison, "I don't think I could beat him." They began to laugh. Kabuto glanced over at Kira as she flexed her hands. Seeing her entire face was confusing for Kabuto, especially now that her eyes were back to normal. Having expected some terrible scar or disfigurement, he was surprised to see that nothing scarred her face. She just, well, looked very young. But, he realized, she was young. At 18 years old, she was still just a kid who knew a lot and was a powerful shinobi. Kira caught him staring and quirked her eyebrow.
"Find anything interesting, Kabuto?"
Kabuto felt himself begin to blush, no matter how he tried to keep it down. "N-no. Just thought there might actually be something wrong with it or something."
Kira smirked. "I keep it covered because customers tend to underestimate me. You saw that guy down there. The second he saw my face, he believed me to be some 14 year old who just got out of the academy. I can't help how young I look. It doesn't help that I'm kind of short." She waved her hand above over her head, as though to show how small her stature was. "So, I wear a veil."
(A/N I have absolutely no problem with short people. For your information, Kira is my height, so technically I'm making fun of myself. And if anyone did not like how violent Kira's attack was, I'm really sorry. I don't think I realized just how violent and evil that move seemed…But he can't remember it, because she healed over that part of his memories. All of the attack is psychological, so that's why Genma didn't stop the fight. One reason for that attack is that Kira works better leading a group, so I tried to show that…)
Kabuto nodded, and waited for Jin and Toboe's fight to end. They had began by simple attacks, but now they were, unfortunately, trying not to laugh as they tried their more advanced techniques, only to find that the other knew the counter to it. Having trained for eight years together, they had no moves the other did not know about. This fight was mostly about stamina. Soon, both began to lag as they grew tired, and suddenly both threw their hands up, waved to Genma, and announced, "I freakin' forfeit! He knows me too well!"
Green eyes met brown as the two glanced at one another, and began laughing. Genma shook his head, and announced that neither genin wished to continue, nor would either participate in another round. Both boys exhaled loudly and grinned. They helped one another up from the ground, and waved the rest of the genin down to meet with Genma about the end of the Chuunin exam.
Kira glanced up at the sky as she made her way down the stairs. She figured three hours before dusk, and then her fun would end. Putting her arms around Toboe and Jin shoulders and pushing them towards the exit, she smiled briefly up at Kabuto before following the other two into the crowd.
Kabuto looked up at Tsunade, and could have sworn he saw her wink. Then his eyes moved to the Kazekage, and he realized that the demon boy from two years before was back. And that he recognized him. Before Gaara decided to chase Kabuto down for working with Orochimaru, Kabuto decided to book it and catch up with Team Koenma for their last night together as genin. The Chuunin exam results would come out the next day, and he knew that he, alas, had not achieved that level.
Oh gosh…that was the longest chapter I've written! I hope it worked okay, and lived up to people's expectations. Very tired…
News flash people! On Friday, I'm going on vacation with the family! I will not be back at my lovely computer until the 28th of July! Then, I will be working during the day, so I do not know how often I will update. TamX2 and I are bringing her laptop with us, so I may get a chance to write on that. (If you guys haven't realized that Tam is my sister, I might just have to laugh until I die. I woke her up at 12 before to beta, sooooo…)
If you people don't review, I'm going to cry. Really. This chapter was the one I was NOT looking forward to writing. I put it off for a day so I didn't have to write it. I wasn't looking forward to it, so you guys better freaking review! (Don't worry, NoCareChakara and Silver-Serval, I still love you guys…)
