Fate

by PancakeFlying

The Kanbayashi were supposed to die, wiped out and never mourned because in the eyes of the world, they never existed. That is not what happens, nor what should have happened. A black alien creature came for them and burned everything they loved to the ground; Sachi, against all odds, survives when she wouldn't have. This will change everything. [Fem!OC] [Fix-it fic]

19. Third Stage

Betaed by Winschatten 3

.

The stadium was packed with people. Minato peers down to see the stands absolutely brimming with shinobi and civilians alike. The Chūnin Exams were a public event, and attracted all kinds of people, not only ninjas. That was part of the purpose of the Chūnin Exams after all, to evoke pride among their people and show their strength to their enemies.

Also, it was a great opportunity for business, such as gambling.

"A hundred ryō on Team One!" A voice exclaims, hoping to draw more attention to the betting pool. "It seems that the Hokage's son is going to win this year!"

Minato sighed. The Chūnin Exams were a yearly occurrence, but that didn't stop the whole village from betting all their money as if it were the first time. Jōnin senseis were the worst since their confidence usually got the better of them. Minato had seen instructors lose a year's worth of wages after overestimating their team's performance, and this year was bound to be even worse.

The stadium where the tournament took place was usually a normal training ground, although reinforced to avoid damaging the surrounding area when using high level jutsus. During the Chūnin Exams, the stadium is cleaned up and decorated with bright red flags, all to greet Fire Country's great daimyō.

The jōnin instructors of the genin participating in the tournament had a private area, designated to oversee their students. A perk from having trained them for so long, Minato thinks. But that same advantage allowed for announcing bets loudly without any repercussions. Minato couldn't really complain, however, since he had betted on his own team too.

Among the instructors, Minato catches sight of Orochimaru. Difficult not to, when he's standing as far away from the others as possible. The Hokage's suggestion to have their teams train together had been a shock to Minato, but he had seriously considered it for the sake of his students.

But, seeing Orochimaru now, Minato hesitates. He still remembers Orochimaru from his genin days, when Jiraiya was his sensei and sometimes took their team to visit his 'bastard of a teammate'. Orochimaru hadn't paid them much mind, only speaking to Jiraiya about one matter or another, but when Orochimaru turned to look at him…

Minato had feared for his life. Orochimaru's presence was normally overwhelming, but being so near him made Minato's skin crawl and breath hitch with dread.

That had been the only time he had feared for his life, and Orochimaru had only looked at him.

(Orochimaru's chakra was wrong.)

Still, years after his initial meeting with Orochimaru, Minato's reaction is still the same. Goosebumps raised just as his blood froze and knees wobbled the slightest bit. Nothing has changed since he was a child, and Minato is slightly embarrassed by it.

Shaking his head, Minato squares his shoulders. He was determined to help his students, even if it meant facing his childhood fears.

"Orochimaru-sama," Minato nods in greeting, trying his best not to show his nervousness.

Orochimaru was leaning on a pillar with his arms crossed, having a great view of the arena. He turns his head towards him, and Minato has to stop himself from gulping. Orochimaru's chakra was tightly wound around him but Minato was a particularly sensitive sensor. That's why he was fully aware just how powerful Orochimaru truly was. The older man's eyes fix on him, and for a moment Minato believes he will be ignored like the others.

(Or killed.)

"Namikaze," Orochimaru acknowledges and then goes back to looking down to the arena.

It's a relief that Orochimaru remembers him, but Minato doesn't know what to do with himself. Had Orochimaru dismissed him? Should he go? Was he bothering him? Was he going to be angry at him? Minato leans on the rails, searching for something to strike up a conversation with Orochimaru. In the arena there is a proctor holding a list, preparing to say something.

"Oh! They're starting soon," Minato comments.

"First battle," the proctor announces, the whole stadium falling silent. "Aeka Kasui vs Might Guy!"

There was Minato's opportunity. "That is one of your students, right, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru doesn't answer at first, focused on observing his student enter the arena, but then he agrees, not particularly excited. "Yes, he is."

"Ah… Well, Guy-kun is quite the strong genin," Minato continues, quickly adding, "But I'm sure Kasui-kun will manage!"

The Sannin isn't bothered nor does take offense at nearly insulting his student, but he shifts his body to face the stadium properly. "That remains to be seen."

That response strucks Minato as odd. Granted, he wasn't that familiar with Orochimaru's demeanor, but shouldn't he support his own students?

"Last bets! Last bets" the same jōnin from before shouts. "Who will win this battle? Aeka or Might?!"

"Ha…" Minato sighs.

Betting on your own team was understandable, but other jōnins took it too far and thought of it as some sort of indicator of the instructor's skill. Minato didn't agree with that kind of behaviour, since it tended to antagonize certain teams because of their sensei, which wasn't fair at all for the students. Minato knew that Team Two was perhaps more infamous than popular, and it showed in the bets stacked against them.

Glancing towards Orochimaru, he was as impassive as ever. If he heard the other jōnins whispering about how Kasui was going to fail, he ignored them.

"Have you betted, Orochimaru-sama?" It seems today was Minato's lucky day, because Orochimaru actually nodded. "I guess every jōnin sensei has… Not that there's nothing wrong with it! I mean, it's completely normal for senseis to bet on their teams haha…"

Minato decides to shut up for the moment, feeling the awkward atmosphere between them. Kasui and Guy are facing each other now, the proctor in the middle explaining the rules to them. Everything was permitted as long as it didn't endanger the lives of the bystanders, or injure themselves too much.

"I figure you have bet on your team as well, Namikaze?"

"Ah, yes! Yes!" Minato answers hastily, surprised that Orochimaru would speak to him. "I admit that my students need more training, but I believe in them." Or at least in Kakashi; he has done incredibly well so far. "I'm looking forward to their fights. I've bet that at least one of my students will win the tournament…"

Although that was more Kushina's bribe than anything. She had told him that she had a 'good feeling about this, ya'know?' and Minato couldn't say no to her. He had put his foot down when she tried gambling all her savings, but he was embarrassed to say just how much they had ended up betting.

"I've done something similar," Orochimaru remarks.

"That one of your students will win the tournament?" Minato asks. Perhaps he judged Orochimaru unfairly, because he actually had faith in his students. Orochimaru had spent the last months away, and was generally difficult to approach, but Minato would be lying if he wasn't curious about Team Two. Minato wonders if Jiraiya would've liked to see it as well…

"No," Orochimaru says, and Minato's sense of danger flares up when the Sannin actually smiles. "None of them will."

.

"Might Guy is a fuckin' beast," Anko mutters, almost wincing when Guy goes for another punch to Kasui's midsection. "It couldn't have been worse for Kasui."

Indeed. Sachi and Anko watch from the stands reserved for the genin that will be participating in the tournament. From there they had a direct view of the arena, and how Kasui was getting beaten up quite thoroughly. Taijutsu had never been Kasui's forte, and Guy was anything but taijutsu focused.

Sachi clicks her tongue. One only needed to look at how dust rose whenever Guy threw a punch, or how cement broke when he missed a hit to confirm that Guy wasn't an ordinary shinobi. He must be older, because Sachi wouldn't have missed such talent. No matter, she made a mental note not to mess with Guy.

"Come on Kasui!" Anko howls. "Twist his dick!"

Kasui manages to stop Guy from breaking his nose, but soon he has to put distance between them because Guy nearly kicked Kasui on the chin with his leg. "Damn…" Sachi murmurs. Guy was not only a taijutsu genius, but flexible too.

As for Kasui, he had yet to hit Guy. Sachi tried her best to stay put in her seat, because if she didn't, she was going to go into that arena and show Guy that Kasui was not that weak. Alas, it was Kasui's fight, and so Sachi remained seated.

"Why's he not doin' anything?!" Anko hisses, annoyed to no end. "Kasui can beat that Guy's ass in no time! Then why…?!"

"Putting up a show, remember?" Sachi reminds her, although she's not pleased by it. "Other people would've been knocked out by now, or forfeited."

Kasui has withstood many beatings, but Sachi didn't like the sight of Kasui getting hurt. Guy lunges for Kasui, aiming at his solar plexus, probably to knock the air from his lungs, but Kasui blocks his attack easily. He was faster than Guy, but continuously blocking was leaving Kasui ragged.

But so was Guy.

"I'm amazed by your stamina, young genin!" Guy clamors, which prompts Anko to yell at him to shut up. "But your arms…!"

"... shut… shut the fuck up, yeah?" Kasui says between breaths, bringing his fists towards his face in a fighting stance.

"That's it! Go for the neck!" Anko shouts. "Come on, Kasui! For fucks sake!" She was nervous as well, and Sachi could see that Anko was struggling to not intervene in the fight. They had fought together for so long that seeing one of them battling alone was nerve-wracking. "Agh! He usually doesn't take this long!"

"Sensei…" Sachi begins to say, but Anko groans louder.

"I know what sensei said! But breaking a few bones— Fuck, that doesn't look good."

Apparently, Guy had noticed Kasui's attempts at wearing him out, and so he decided to finish the battle for good. To everyone's shock, Guy discards his leg warmers, which aren't leg warmers at all, but training weights. The ground gives out where Guy throws his weights, leaving a crater worthy of an earth jutsu.

Sachi, Anko and Kasui grit their teeth at the same time.

Chakra unravels around Guy's body, and Sachi doesn't know if it's a jutsu or not, because Guy disappears in a blink. There's little Kasui can do, and when Guy appears behind him, he doesn't have a chance.

Guy punches Kasui right through his back, and people gasp in horror as they see Guy's fist protrude from Kasui's chest. Kasui's body dissolves into water, and before Guy can move, he's sent flying into a wall.

"What…?" Anko mumbles, searching for whatever hit Guy. There's nothing on the arena except for the holes Guy left while battling Kasui.

"Look closer," Sachi whispers to her, smiling to herself. "Don't you recognize it?"

The stadium is baffled, a murmur picking up. Then, just as quickly, Kasui appears in the middle of the arena. He's exhausted, wiping up dirt from his chin as he tries to stay upright. Anko gasps, catching sight of a Mi on Kasui's shoulders.

"The bastard… he didn't…. Did he?" Anko turns to Sachi, who is grinning widely now.

"Oh yes, he did."

But before they could cheer for their teammate, Guy stands up. He shakes the rubble from his body, and despite being severely bruised, he is laughing.

"Genjutsu! I didn't expect this from you, young genin!"

Guy proclaiming that Kasui had used a genjutsu made everyone confused. That is, everyone except Kasui's team. However, it excited Guy even more, because he entered the arena again, more invigorated than before if possible.

Kasui was visibly startled, but he wasn't scared of him. Kasui had stared death in the face after all, and Guy was not going to be the death of him. Still, it's clear that Kasui is barely holding on, after an hour of keeping up with Guy's incredible techniques.

And, in the face of adversity, Kasui smiles.

"Oh-ho! That's the spirit, young genin!" Guy exclaims, but his tone was serious. "I might ask for your name after this!"

Kasui's answer is to make the dog seal. A deafening roar erupts the puzzled silence of the spectators, and some of them yelp when a giant water dragon materializes in the arena. Sachi and Anko aren't surprised, they have seen that jutsu countless of times, but everyone else was.

The Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu was B-ranked. But Kasui's version of that jutsu…

Guy faces the incoming dragon face-on, and the dragon lunges with all its strength towards him. They clash, blood splatters and a yell echoes, but ultimately…

With a mighty punch, Guy dispels Kasui's jutsu, and hits him square in the face. Kasui is thrown several feet away, until he hits a large boulder. A minute passes, Guy heaving for breath as he stands in the water that had made up the water dragon. Kasui doesn't wake up.

"Aeka Kasui is unconscious," the proctor says, appearing quickly. "The winner of this match is Might Guy!"

.

"That's my call," Tsunade comments, getting up from her seat. "If you excuse me, Kabi-denka, I'm needed elsewhere."

Kabi Tsuyo turns his face towards Tsunade, regarding her with those disgusting eyes of his. He gives her a small smile, saying, "You're quite busy, Tsunade-dono. We haven't spent more than a few minutes in each other's company."

Tsunade let the disgust wash over, summoning the strength to bite her tongue or risk killing someone she really shouldn't kill. Kabi Tsuyo was none other than the Chancellor of Fire Country, and the current daimyō's nephew. He was also a sleazy bastard that had the delusion of one day marrying Tsunade.

"Tsunade is Chief Medic," Dan intervenes by the Hokage's side. "She must perform her duty, even if the conversation was this compelling."

Dan was perfectly innocent, as was Tsuyo, but both of them were on the brink of killing one another. As it happened, Dan and Tsuyo are first cousins, and absolutely loathe each other. It was just their luck that Dan was to become the next Hokage while Tsuyo was aiming to usurp the daimyō's throne. If one were to spell disaster, it would probably include those two being at odds.

"Oh, I'm sure we will get to have that conversation," Tsuyo beams. "Don't let me keep you, Tsunade-dono. Duty calls, yes?"

Tsunade bows again, suppressing the pressing need to throw a punch and separate Tsuyo's head from his body. Hiruzen gave her a nod as she left the private booth where the Hokage watched the Exams, and then used a shunshin to get to the medical ward.

Kabi Tsuyo was the reason Tsunade didn't look forward to the Chūnin Exams. She enjoyed to bet and watch the battles, but being forced to stay by Hiruzen's side and endure Tsuyo's advances was beyond her patience. Because the daimyō, Kokasai Gōman, was at the end of his days, Tsuyo had been performing his duties in his stead as Chancellor. If someone like Tsuyo managed to rule the country… Tsunade shook her head. That would be the day she became a missing nin.

(It will happen.)

Tsunade opens the door to the medical ward, finding a nurse examining her patient. "Tsunade-sama?" She calls, confused. "What are you doing here? You aren't on this shift."

"Figured I'll lend a hand. You can go take a break."

The nurse, Nohara Yari hums, not really convinced; she has always been keen on sensing bullshit, that one. "It's not that grave, Tsunade-sama. I believe I can heal him just fine."

Nurses were quite proud in their field, and dealt with many medics trying to teach them how to do their job. Nohara Yari just so happened to be Head Nurse in the hospital, which meant they butted heads a lot. This time, however, Tsunade isn't in the mood to argue.

"The boy is my teammate's student. I'll heal him, if only to get Orochimaru off my back," Tsunade lies. She was sure one of Orochimaru's students went to get healed after that thorough beating, but Tsunade was certain Yari could do it. Regardless, Tsunade really needed a good excuse to stay away from that Tsuyo creep, and using her teammate rights was the best way to do it.

Yari squints her eyes, suspicious of Tsunade's sudden desire to work overtime, but agrees. "Then I'll go to watch my daughter's battle, if you don't mind. I wouldn't want Orochimaru-sama to make another scene because of his students."

Tsunade chuckles dryly. "Please tell him that if you see him."

Yari smiles politely and leaves in good spirits. Yari was one of the few people that was able to somewhat deal with Orochimaru, since they worked briefly together in Research. She had been the one that was on call the day Orochimaru came back with his students severely wounded after the ambush.

"Anyway, where's…" Tsunade goes to the end of the room, where a portion is hidden from view by a curtain. "Here."

On the bed is the boy in question, Kasui if she wasn't mistaken. He was conscious too, which was a surprise. Tsunade could've sworn that Kasui had been knocked out after Guy punched him into oblivion. However, he seemed perfectly fine, although half his face was beginning to bruise a brilliant shade of purple.

"Tsunade-sama," Kasui greets with a cold tone reminiscent of Orochimaru.

"Don't frown at me like that, Kasui-kun," Tsunade warns him, going to wash her hands. "I'm here to heal you."

Tsunade hoped that Kasui didn't imitate Orochimaru's aversion to being healed, or she would need to curb it. Ninjas avoiding medical attention didn't survive long. She brings a stool near the bed, flexing her fingers to warm them up and circle her chakra slowly.

"Take a deep breath…" Tsunade reaches for him, the boy's eyes never leaving her as she does so. "It shouldn't take long," she says, in hopes of making him relax.

Tsunade and Kasui hadn't had the chance to talk, even after being hospitalized. She had been too busy then, not that it was her business to chat with a genin that wasn't even hers to begin with. But, Tsunade is considering it now.

Because when Tsunade runs the diagnostic jutsu through Kasui's body, she finds it already healed.

"What did you do…?" Tsunade begins to say.

"Kasui!"

Two girls enter the room hurriedly and loudly, being none other than Kasui's teammates. Sachi and Anko rush to Kasui's side, not sparing a glance to Tsunade, before they start patting and poking at Kasui worriedly.

"You good?" Anko asks. "He got you pretty good, right?"

"Is your head alright?" Sachi says over Anko. "How's your chakra reserves? I saw you—"

Kasui lets his teammates prod at him, apparently used to this. It reminded Tsunade of how Nawaki didn't even try to stop her whenever she healed him, because he knew it was useless. Kasui does the same, waiting until Sachi and Anko stop arguing over who is more concerned about him.

"Stop," Kasui says, and the girls stop immediately. "You're making my head hurt. Shut up." Sachi and Anko wait exactly one second before they're ready to tell him off. "I'm fine, so stop bickering."

"And here I was worried for you…" Sachi sighs, but she's visibly relieved. "Did you…?"

"Tsunade-sama is healing me," Kasui interrupts her, turning back to look at Tsunade.

Sachi and Anko are startled to find Tsunade there, seemingly blind in their haste to get to their teammate's side. Tsunade found it cute. How did Orochimaru get such wholesome genin?

"Why?" Sachi asks, confused.

Or maybe not. "You haven't learned anything, have you, Sachi-chan?"

Tsunade enjoys seeing Sachi cower for a moment, and surprisingly she doesn't rise to the bait. Sachi might have learned something, after all. "I apologize, Tsunade-sama. I was very worried for my teammate, you see…"

Ah, Sachi and her sly words. "Still a brat, hm? Fine. You've seen your teammate, but I have to heal him. Get lost you two."

Tsunade didn't have anything better to do than tease genins, which was so very shameless of her but she didn't care. Orochimaru was her teammate, so Tsunade got to mess with his students by proxy.

"We have teammate rights!" Anko says. "We can stay with Kasui as long as we want. Support and things like that, right?"

"As long as you don't interfere," Tsunade adds. "But you're noisy, and I would've finished healing him by now if you hadn't interrupted. So, shoo."

Tsunade wants to laugh at the girls' sour expression, but keeps her face straight. "But Kasui's fine!" Anko exclaims. "His bruise is already gone."

Much to Tsunade's shock, Kasui's bruise had faded away. There were some traces of yellow around his eyes but they were quickly disappearing. Tsunade frowns. That shouldn't be possible. Bruises were a consequence of broken blood vessels, and it took a while for the body to absorb it, which is why the bruise gradually changed color as the blood oxidized.

And yet, Kasui's injuries were now gone. Tsunade pushes her chakra further into Kasui's body, the boy not even flinching at the intrusion of foreign chakra. She had watched the fight intently, as a way to ignore Tsuyo, and she had guessed that Kasui should have at least a few broken bones; as well as chakra depletion because of that water dragon.

Further surprising Tsunade, Kasui's body was thoroughly healed. She detected traces of healing chakra on several points of Kasui's body, especially around his arms where new bone tissue had been regenerated to fortify the bone and fill in the fissures. Another medic would have overlooked that, but Tsunade was deeply familiar with that technique. Because Tsunade had invented it.

"Either way, I lost," Kasui murmurs.

"Are you an idiot?" Sachi states. "You did your best! I saw that trick you did, you know? It would've worked if that Guy hadn't had a thick skull."

"Oh yeah! You copied me!" Anko accuses, but she's grinning. "Did you use the Mi's?"

Tsunade was still processing the fact that a genin had healed himself flawlessly. She remembers the conversation between her and Orochimaru almost a year ago, when Orochimaru compared his team to them. Tsunade realizes that Orochimaru had been more serious than she previously taught.

One with 99th percentile chakra control…

"Mi?" Tsunade asks, cutting Team Two's conversation about Kasui's performance in the battle. "What's that?"

The three of them look at each other, speaking through their eyes. It was incredible to see a unit so close after only a year of training, and Tsunade had no doubts that they would follow in the Sannin's footsteps if they continued to grow at such speed. Kasui is the one that makes the decision, reaching behind his head to pluck what happens to be…

A snail. A blue snail ringed with yellow and orange, with a spiky ivory shell. "Eep!" it chirps, and Tsunade stares at it with unseeing eyes."That's your summons?"

Kasui nods. Tsunade knew that Orochimaru had taken his students to the Land of Marshes, but she was pretty sure she hadn't seen Kasui summon anything during his match. "When did you summon it?"

"I have them summoned all the time," Kasui explains, showing yet another set of snails around his body. Tsunade counted ten. "It's good practice."

"... practice?" Tsunade echoes, completely lost. "How are you able to keep them summoned? It should take a great deal of concentration…"

And astronomical chakra control. If what Kasui said was true, then he had been keeping his summons in this world while he was fighting Might Guy. That was a feat on its own, but to also heal himself…

Just what kind of genin did Orochimaru have?

"Kasui is amazing like this," Sachi chips in, proud of her teammate. "You used the Mi's for that genjutsu, right?"

"What genjutsu?" Tsunade hadn't sensed anything like that.

Kasui is sheepish when he answers. "I can share my chakra through my summons… So I put them around the arena to cast a genjutsu over the entire stadium."

"Tsunade-sama was watching from the top, right? It mustn't have reached that far," Anko muses. "Well, we can practice later. Your Mi's can't move like my summons, so it's difficult to cast such a large genjutsu."

Tsunade blinks. What Kasui had attempted to do… From Tsunade's position she had seen Kasui form a water clone easily and then hide behind a boulder. She had thought it was weird, seeing that Guy hadn't reacted to it, but now it made sense. Kasui had distorted his opponent's senses, just as he did with those watching closely. A genjutsu of that caliber would have drained someone till the brink of death, but Kasui was unbothered.

How much control did that boy have over his chakra?

"Is still impressive though!" Sachi praises. "You hid your presence well to switch with that clone, and then used the Mi's to gather water from the air for the water dragon."

Tsunade figured that he had done something like that. Water dragons were high ranked jutsus because it was nearly impossible to create water from chakra alone, and it needed to be drawn from a source; usually large bodies of water. But the arena was only gravel and stone, and yet Kasui had collected enough water from the air to perform a massive water dragon.

Interesting.

"Could've used an earth burial first, though," Anko shrugs. "Then that water jutsu that you make…. What's it called? Water blade? The one that helps you decapitate—"

"That wasn't my objective," Kasui frowns. "Showing off was more important, but I thought I would win…"

And show off he did. Kasui had planned the entire battle, and Tsunade wasn't fooled to believe that Kasui couldn't have done more. He seems dejected in not winning his match, but Tsunade firmly believes he should be grateful for still being able to move. Tsunade had dealt with the aftermath of one of Guy's spars, and she knows that his hits can easily cripple someone.

"It was better than to make sensei angry." All three of them nod in understanding, the fear of upsetting Orochimaru worse than losing one spar. "Are you done now? We can go watch the other fights together."

"May I leave, Tsunade-sama?" Kasui asks sweetly, which creeps Tsunade out. That boy, small and cute as he is, was different from regular genin.

"Yeah, go and play with your teammates. If you feel dizzy go see a nurse in case you have a concussion."

He nods, jumping from the bed and leaving the medical ward with his team.

"Aeka Kasui, hm?" Tsunade murmurs. "I'll keep an eye on you."

.

"Next battle!" the proctor announces. "Mitarashi Anko vs Shiranui Genma!"

Minato perks up. "That's another of your students, is that right, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru hums, watching the genins enter the arena. "Yes. I'm curious about how she will approach this."

Minato doesn't know what he's talking about, but when the battle begins, he soon understands. Genma and Anko throw senbon at one another, and the weapons clash at the tip. They both had terrifying accuracy and great skill, so much that it was difficult to follow all their movements.

Genma was more taijutsu inclined, just like his teammate Guy, but Anko met each and every one of his strikes. Genma was keeping up with Anko and not the other way around. Anko is smiling.

"They have the same skill set," Minato observes. "Taijutsu, accuracy and weaponry. They are perfect opponents."

"There's something else," Orochimaru notes, prompting Minato to look closer.

Both Anko and Genma were careful not to touch the other's weapon, always deflecting it with a weapon of their own or dodging it; never letting it touch them. One could argue that it was to avoid being needlessly wounded, but Minato caught a glimmer in one of Anko's senbon.

"Poison," Minato breathes. "Is it okay for them to…?"

"If not, they will be held accountable," Orochimaru promises, but Minato suspects that he's only referring to Anko. "Poison is only useful in battle when you have access to the antidote."

Which is why poison masters were so hard to come by. The trade of learning the complex chemistry behind each and every poison, as well as how it affects other organisms or their surroundings was extensive and time consuming. There were several common poisons that some ninja used on missions, although always with a way to counter their effects in case an accident happened. Poison was useful, yes, but it didn't discriminate. You could poison yourself just as well as you could poison someone else, and that possibility only increased when in active battle.

Genma lunges with a hidden kunai, nicking Anko in the shoulder as she dodges. "Oh no…" Minato mutters. Genin didn't have access to highly dangerous poisons, but paralytic ones were commonplace in the village. The diluted versions were hardly deathly, but highly painful.

At Minato's side, Orochimaru doesn't react at seeing his own student be poisoned. Anko and Genma separate, the latter smirking and advising Anko to forfeit before the poison acts out. Anko's response is to attack him.

"Let's see…" Orochimaru murmurs.

"Snakes!"

A rattlesnake, long and with brown marbling, appears around Anko's body, immediately uncoiling towards Genma. The boy is quick to use a kawarimi before he's bitten. The battle stops instantly, as Genma doesn't dare to come near Anko and engage in taijutsu. Anko is struggling to stay upright, the poison undoubtedly already taking effect.

"You want true poison?!" Anko exclaims loud enough for the whole stadium to hear. "Then I'll give it to you!"

The stadium gasps at the same time when the rattlesnake savagely bites Anko's arm. Anko's complexion turns grey, but she's still standing, and remarkably cheerful. Genma tries to distract Anko from whatever she must be planning, but the fire jutsu he attempts is interrupted when Anko slashes her palm and plants it on the ground.

A puff of red ominous smoke fills the entire arena, so thick and heavy that not even Genma's wind jutsu can hope to dispel it.

A minute goes by, and then it suddenly clears. Only Anko is standing, and her snake disappears in a puff of smoke. At her feet is Genma, passed out and unmoving.

"If you wanna use poison you need the antidote," Anko repeats Orochimaru's earlier words. "Or be immune to it!"

The proctor appears soon after, declaring Anko the winner of the match and requesting medical attention for Genma, who is swiftly taken away. Anko waves to a certain part of the stands, where all the Inuzuka seem to be watching. They cheer for her with shouts and howls of approval. When Anko looks towards Minato and Orochimaru's direction, she only gives a nod.

Orochimaru nods to her. "Quite an unconventional jutsu."

"For her to poison herself…" Minato trails off. The students resembled their teacher greatly; the apple never falls far away from the tree. "It's more than unconventional, it's dangerous."

"True," Orochimaru amends. "Although she may appear to be, Anko is not this thoughtless. She cannot afford to."

That sends chills down Minato's spine. It very well sounded like a threat, but Orochimaru was proud of his student. Was perhaps something Orochimaru had taught her? Anko also had summons, so perhaps...

"Well," Orochimaru adds. "This time it worked. She tends to get ahead of herself more often than not."

Minato has a headache from trying to decipher Orochimaru's sentiments towards his students, and so he gives up. Better to see for himself than speculate.

"Next match, Nohara Rin vs Hyūga Tōkuma."

"Ah, Rin!" Minato looks up.

"Your student, Namikaze?"

"Ye-yes," Minato says, witnessing his student now face her opponent. A Hyūga no less…

Orochimaru gives him an odd look, but refrains from commenting. The match ends quickly, and Minato is ashamed to watch. Tōkuma didn't hold off, and despite Rin's best efforts at matching his taijutsu by using both water and fire jutsus, it was useless. The moment Tōkuma used his byakugan, the fight was over. And painfully so.

Rin has to be carried off the arena by the medics, and Minato cannot bear to see it happening. He knew that Rin and Obito weren't near Kakashi's level, but for Rin to not even last ten minutes… Apart from shame there's guilt, and Minato wonders if he shouldn't have let his team enter the Exams. He was fully aware that Rin and Obito were still lacking, and to see Rin get hurt because of him...

"Nohara Rin… she must be Yari's daughter," Orochimaru hums. "Judging from her match, she must have inherited her mother's chakra control."

"Why…?" Minato begins, catching himself before he says something he shouldn't. "How did you know, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru takes a moment to answer, pondering if he should answer him or not. "I've worked with her mother in the past, Nohara Yari," he explains. "The Nohara family has great chakra control, but Yari is exceptionally talented. If Rin takes after her family, it's clear that she would be skilled as well."

Unexpectedly, Orochimaru's words comforted Minato, but he shook his head. "It's true that Rin has good chakra control, but… You've seen her fight, Orochimaru-sama, she's still…"

"Weak?" Orochimaru finishes, not missing a beat. "Yes, of course. The only thing she seems slightly proficient in is ninjutsu, but she's lacking a true strength of her own."

Orochimaru wasn't blaming Minato for Rin's underwhelming performance, but he felt responsible nonetheless. For Orochimaru to notice so quickly… Minato wonders if he really should be Team Seven's sensei.

But Minato was with Orochimaru, and he had already decided to not only train his students, but also help them. It gives Minato the last bit of courage he needed to ask Orochimaru for help, but when he tries to voice it…

"Orochimaru-sama, would you…?"

"Next match!" the proctor shouts, interrupting Minato. "Inuzuka Sachi vs Uchiha Arisu!"

.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" Tsume growls.

All the Inuzuka in the stands show their disappointment through their howls. Ashi was eerily silent, watching the arena with crossed arms. Kasui was baring his teeth by Ashi's side, having come to see Sachi's match with the clan.

"What's up?" Anko asks, confused. It made sense that she didn't know who Arisu was, considering that she and Sachi met after the Uchiha Incident settled down.

"That's Uchiha Arisu," Kasui hisses, and has the mind to stop his killing intent from leaking. "She's the one that nearly killed Sachi."

That seems to go through Anko and soon she's sporting the same dangerous scowl that Kasui had. "Arisu, hmm?"

Ashi puts a hand on top of their heads, a small gesture to keep them still or they would undoubtedly jump into the arena. "It's Sachi's fight," Ashi warns them, but the pups are intensely focused on Arisu, in the same way one looked at a target. "She's the one that has to fight it."

Not that Ashi was thrilled about it. She looks towards the private booth of the Hokage, and makes sure to lock eyes with the man. After all the turmoil that caused the Uchiha Incident, how could the Hokage allow Sachi and Arisu to fight? They advertised the matches as random, but Ashi knew better.

The Hokage looked away. If Sachi got hurt again because of that damn Uchiha, there would be blood.

"Last time Sachi almost—" Kasui starts.

"But she didn't," Haiiro interrupts him. "They're 'bout to start."

Sachi and Arisu face each other. After the proctor leaves and the whistle announces the match to begin, Arisu's first move is to make a fireball.

.

Sachi wasn't the only one that graduated early.

"Stop dodging!" Arisu shouts, spitting fire with every breath.

Sachi ducks behind a boulder, the damned urkin. Arisu could feel rage fill her lungs, as she gathers her chakra and knots her hands into the seals for another katon jutsu. Nothing will stop her.

Not even fucking Inuzuka Sachi.

Arisu moves at the last second, a kunai nearly nicking her in the shoulder. "It's useless!" Arisu yells. "With the sharingan, there's nothing you can do!"

That's right. Arisu was a true Uchiha because she had been blessed with the sharingan. Father finally acknowledged her as his daughter, and even the Uchiha Clan Head had accepted her. Arisu was an Uchiha, and as an Uchiha, there was no one above her.

"Face me!" Arisu forces Sachi out of her hiding spot by using a shunshin, startling her. "You only know how to run, Inuzuka! Coward, that's what you are!"

And although now the clan knew Arisu's name, they also resented her. Because she was the reason why the Uchiha had to bow to the Inuzuka. Those filthy mutts, they didn't know their place. But that's alright, Arisu was going to remind them. And then the Inuzuka will have to kneel before the Uchiha.

Another kunai flies past Arisu, but it's not even aimed right, missing her completely. "Who's useless now, Inuzuka? Why don't you give up, huh? Come on, give up!"

Sachi had told Arisu the same thing that day; the day that Arisu failed to kill her. It was all Sachi's damned fault, that bastard Inuzuka that just wouldn't listen to her! If she had only been Arisu's friend—

("If I'm the best at everything, everyone will like me…" Arisu whispers to herself. "Everyone, everyone, everyone…")

But no. Inuzuka Sachi always liked to do her own thing, didn't she? She just couldn't get along with Arisu, respect her, be with her! They could've been teammates if Sachi wasn't an insufferable brat with a god complex. The potential of having an Uchiha with a sharingan and good at ninja arts paired with an academic genius with seals… They would have been unstoppable.

"Fight me!" Arisu howls, not caring that her throat was burning because of how much chakra she was putting into her fire jutsus, or how her voice was becoming hoarse.

If only Sachi hadn't refused to become her friend… Arisu would have befriended her whole class, and she would have been admired by all of her peers. There wouldn't have been a shadow of a doubt that Uchiha Arisu was worthy of being loved, of being respected, of being feared.

Sachi, stupid little Sachi, had told Arisu to give up. And because she said such a thing, Arisu was going to prove her wrong.

Another katon jutsu escapes Arisu's lips, so hot that the fire turns blue. The rock that Sachi was hiding behind melted until there's not even ashes left behind. Sachi stands in front of Arisu, silent and looking at her with those disgusting yellow eyes.

"You… you don't get to… to judge me, Inuzuka," Arisu rasps, her voice almost gone. "This… is all your… fault."

The entire arena has been smoldered and smoked; there were no rocks or walls to hide behind, and Sachi couldn't create any because she was a failure at being a ninja. Yet, Sachi stood with her head high, continuing to look down at Arisu in spite of Sachi being the wrong one, the one that should be hated and resented instead of acclaimed and loved.

(If only Arisu could be better, then everyone would—)

"G-ive… up," Arisu advises her, feeling proud as Sachi's features harden. She should fear Arisu, everyone should, because she was strong, she was an Uchiha. Her sharingan bleeds her vision, the dōjutsu allowing Arisu to predict all of Sachi's movements before she can even think about them.

Arisu knots her hands into the now familiar tiger seal, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with precious oxygen, knowing that when it will be heated and ignited once she releases the jutsu.

If Sachi won't stand by Arisu's side, then she won't stand at all.

The fireball is massive, engulfing the entire arena with greedy flames and blistering heat. Sachi should remember it well, because she had felt it on her own skin before. The Inuzuka doesn't move, doesn't wince, doesn't do anything as the fireball reaches her and hits her. It's the same as that day, and Arisu feels the same dread and satisfaction. Arisu should feel grateful, because Sachi had given her the sharingan, but Arisu doesn't feel an ounce of sympathy towards that bastard.

Let her burn, once and for all.

The fire dissipates and Sachi is still standing, untouched by the flames. Arisu falters, frowning as she blinks in the image. It wasn't a genjutsu, it couldn't be, the sharingan was immune to it but—

"Why are you alive?!" Arisu shrieks, her voice breaking at the last word. When she tries performing another katon jutsu, she chokes on the flames, spitting blood instead. She tastes charred flesh at the back of her tongue.

Not deterred, Arisu breaks into a dead sprint towards Sachi, taking out a kunai and killing her with her own hands. Only then Sachi will stop reminding her of how much of a failure Arisu was, and then the Uchiha will stop scolding her about losing to an Inuzuka. If she shows the clan that she can kill Sachi, then—

The sharingan makes everything so clear, and Arisu sees Sachi slowly lift her hand. Arisu continues charging at her, because Sachi won't be able to do a single hand seal before she—

A wall of fire surges up before Arisu's eyes, and she tries to shield her face. Her strength leaves her body suddenly, so quickly that Arisu's sharingan flickers out. The flames are angry and nasty, and they burn so hot that Arisu finds herself heaving for breath. The fire was smothering all the oxygen, and her head was getting dizzy.

A kawarimi. Or a shunshin. Or— Arisu's hands are clenched awkwardly, her pathways gritted raw after using so many katon jutsus, and her chakra is being painfully suppressed. The pain is visceral, and every cell in Arisu's body is screaming at the abuse.

Arisu can only see red, orange and yellow, and it's the first time she has seen fire as an enemy. As a threat. Fire was what gave her power, so why was it against her? Why did everything she held onto always leave her behind?

("Useless," Father spats, and Arisu begins to believe it.)

When Arisu is on the verge of passing out, the fire dies out. Sachi is standing above her, and Arisu locks eyes with her.

Something changed.

Arisu knew that Sachi was weak, crippled, hopeless, but…

(Sachi is a predator.)

"... w-why…?" Arisu pleads, why can't Sachi just stop hurting her? Couldn't she just die already? Let her live in peace?

"I'm not someone you want to make an enemy out of, Arisu-kun," Sachi says in a neutral tone, revealing absolutely nothing for Arisu to grasp. "Forfeit."

("Give up.")

"Never—"

Sachi flicks her wrist, and the pain comes once more. Arisu refuses to scream, but her entire body feels as if she's on fire, as if she's melting, carbonized, burnt to the ground—

"You Uchiha are so prideful…" Sachi sighs, almost bored as she watches Arisu throw up because of the pain. "Ironic, isn't it? The Uchiha boasting their sharingan and visual prowess, only to be blinded by their pride?"

"Ah… ah… a-ah…" Arisu gasps, breathing was so escrutiacing that she would rather die—

"Did it feel good to try and burn me again?" Sachi asks, and Arisu can glimpse that she's smiling at her. Arisu trembles, not because of the pain, but because of the fear.

(Monster.)

"You see, Arisu-kun, you were just so conceited that you didn't even notice how I planted the seals." The world is spinning, and the words are echoing in Arisu's skull. "I created this one just for you, Arisu-kun, who was all but throwing her chakra away with all those flashy jutsus. Didn't you notice how quickly you were getting tired?"

"... a-h… p… le…" Arisu tries to say, but Sachi's presence was more overwhelming than the pain.

"You're laying on top of a chakra absorption jutsu," Sachi says, pointing at the ground with her chin. Arisu struggles to look down, and when she does, she sees dark lines across the entire arena. When did she do this…? "The kunais," Sachi answers, as if she was reading Arisu's mind. "They had sealing tags on them, and were slowly soaking your chakra with every jutsu you made... Not that you noticed."

Arisu tries to move, but she can't feel her limbs anymore.

"The thing is, Arisu-kun, that you lost the moment you were matched against me." Sachi squats in front of her, casting a shadow over Arisu's shaking body. Sachi's eyes are even brighter up close, and her smile more unsettling. "I could have ended this fight in under a minute, but I didn't. Do you know why?"

Arisu can't speak.

"Because I was curious just how long it would take for you to know that you lost," Sachi shakes her head, feigning disappointment. "But… you didn't, Arisu-kun. You didn't even fucking notice. I even gave you plenty of opportunities, and yet…" Sachi clicks her tongue. "You're blind, Arisu-kun."

Sachi's words hurt Arisu more than having all of her chakra drawn out of her.

"You have a problem, Arisu-kun, and it's not with me," Sachi states, not showing an inkling of emotion towards her. "I advise you to sort yourself out, because I'm done playing games."

That was a threat.

"Forfeit, Arisu-kun," Sachi insists. "I'm giving you the choice to give up now."

("You're now an Uchiha in blood, Arisu-kun," Tsurugi-sama congratulates her, and Arisu stops herself from crying. "Be proud of your blood.")

"Hmm…" Sachi hums, not really interested. "I guess you haven't read about the dangers of chakra depletion. That's okay, I'll tell you." Sachi comes closer to Arisu, whispering directly into her ear. "Dōjutsus require a constant influx of chakra, and when they are deprived of it…"

Arisu can hear Sachi laughing.

"The dōjutsu becomes useless," Sachi finishes. "Who knows? Perhaps you've lost your sharingan already…"

("Useless—")

("Be proud—")

"... f… fo…"

"Oh, what did you say?" Sachi leans closer. "Can you repeat that?"

"I… f-forfeit…"

Sachi beams at Arisu, her features so twisted that Arisu feels her stomach lurch one more. "Good girl."

Sachi gets up, turning her head to the side. "Did you hear?" she asks someone out of Arisu's field of vision.

"... yes," a man's voice answers. "Uchiha Arisu has forfeited, Inuzuka Sachi wins this match!"

Arisu sees Sachi flick her hand again, and the force that was sucking all her chakra disappears. The pain is still there however, but Arisu believes the humiliation is much worse. Everyone has seen their match, Father, the clan, the village— Everyone, everyone, everyone.

Arisu has lost to Inuzuka Sachi again, but she has lost her pride as well.

"Remember what happened today well, Arisu-kun," Sachi speaks again, right before the medics get to them. "Because next time I won't be as kind."

.

The second day of the Chunin Exams comes without much fanfare. Usually, it was the least crowded day, people preferring to watch the beginning and the end of the tournament rather than the awkward middle stage. Sachi had thought so too, having predicted that the most important fights would take place tomorrow, and that she would be keeping an eye out for those that were sure to pass today's fights; as well as prepare for her own.

Staring at Hatake Kakashi across the arena, Sachi begins to reconsider.

"Hatake Kakashi vs Inuzuka Sachi!" The proctor announces the first fight of the day. "You know the rules."

But neither Sachi or Kakashi were listening to him. They were focused on the other, still as statues, and with unblinking eyes. Today was sure to rain, Sachi muses at the back of her mind, or perhaps it was just the tension between them thundering.

Just when Sachi had vowed to let the dead be dead, Kakashi had to come around and remind her of her failures and sins. He looked just like them, the damn bastard, and Sachi can almost see Brother in the hatred of his eyes.

("I should have killed you that day," Brother hisses, his golden eyes burning with disgust. "You were born wrong, Sister.")

Oh well.

"Begin!"

The clash is instantaneous. Kakashi has his tantō aimed right at her chest, which Sachi deflected with the blade of a kunai. They struggle, glaring at each other as they battle for dominance. Matched in strength, they separate at the same time.

Fuckin' prick.

Sachi feels powerless against him, because it looks as if she's trying to fight her own clan. Making a quick seal, Sachi sends Kakashi flying before he can hope to make an earth jutsu. It's not fair, Sachi thinks, as she tries to summon her most powerful seals and ends up using the harmless ones. She can't fight Kakashi without feeling as if she's beating the corpses of her late family.

Kakashi is relentless, however, and one second of hesitation gains her a punch straight in the face. It burns too, and Sachi can feel the tingle of a lightning jutsu on her cheeks. Her blood, the same that Kakashi had drawn, reacts to his chakra, and Sachi feels her temporal seals flicker agitatedly.

"You're holding back!" Kakashi accuses, so quiet and yet so loud to her ears as she blocks a leg swipe directed at her head. "I'm not a child to be coddled!"

"I know that!" Sachi shouts, not really sure why, and twists her body backwards to push him away.

She also knew that Kakashi wasn't a Kanbayashi. The memories of the Archive had been clear and neat, and Kakashi was a Hatake through and through—

Kakashi connects another punch, and it's enough to drive a hiss out of her. Sachi was faltering, again and again, and she wondered if those five years mourning the Kanbayashi had been for nothing.

The Kanbayashi wouldn't have mourned her death. Sachi knows Brother wouldn't, nor would Mother who believed her to be a failure, even in death. Perhaps Sumi would have hunted her wolf, but she knows her cousin had betrayed her in the end. Michiko, and the memory of her is still an open wound, but Sachi is aware that she was the only one who had ever loved her in that gods-forsaken land.

That's right. The Kanbayashi wouldn't have done anything for Sachi. Why should Sachi do something about them? They were dead, so they wouldn't be able to punish her, belittle her, judge her, punish her—

They were dead.

Sachi is free.

"Agh!" Kakashi groans, Sachi slapping her palms on the ground. The earth splits, and Sachi pushes her chakra until she can feel the cement crack.

"Don't hold back, you bastard!" Sachi yells after him, watching Kakashi stagger to his feet. His eyes were so sharp it gave Sachi shivers, and she smiled despite herself. "Let's see what Hatake Kakashi is made of!"

Kakashi matches her temper, and soon he is at her throat.

The Kanbayashi had never passed an opportunity to remind Sachi of how different she was, how wrong she was. But guess what? Sachi sends a kunai flying, and Kakashi dodges it but gets caught in an explosion. She was the one that survived, not them.

Fuck the Kanbayashi. They were better off dead anyway.

"You're insane," Kakashi comments once the dust settles, the crater menacing enough for him to stop for a brief second.

Sachi grins at him. "Tell me more, Kashi-chan."

It gets Sachi the reaction she was looking for, and she accepts the hit to her ribs with pained grace. Kakashi wasn't holding out, and Sachi wondered what made him hit so hard, and so earnestly.

Nevertheless, Sachi wasn't going to lose. She slips her hand just as Kakashi tried to punch her, slithering her body so she could plant a seal on his back. He disappears in a blink, but even in the distance a cloud of smoke erupts.

Kakashi coughs, nursing his blistered back and downright glaring at her. "Fuck you," he grits, and Sachi wants to howl with laughter.

They blur.

.

Minato had found Orochimaru in the same spot as yesterday, and this time he was more confident to approach him. The Sannin had greeted him politely, and that was that. He harbored the hope that he could get close to Orochimaru before he requested his help, but the moment the proctor announced that their students were to go against each other, Minato knew it was impossible.

Orochimaru appeared as composed as always, but as they continued watching the fight, Minato could feel his chakra unravel.

"I've never seen Kakashi so… riled up, I guess," Minato comments, a little concerned.

Kakashi and Sachi were fighting at such high speed that one had to strain their sight to follow their movements. For every punch Kakashi threw, Sachi delivered a leg kick; for every swipe of Kakashi's tantō, Sachi formed a seal. If Minato didn't know better, he would say that their fight was rehearsed.

"How…?" Minato wonders out loud, watching as Sachi intercepts Kakashi's blow midway through and kneed him in the stomach.

"Prediction," Orochimaru offers, not overly excited. "She makes up for the lack of strength with her keen eyes and strategic mind."

"Do you mean that… Sachi-kun is able to read Kakashi's movements?" Minato asks, sparing a glance at Orochimaru who was frowning at the fight.

That seemed ridiculous, since even he, as Kakashi's sensei, had trouble predicting Kakashi's movements. The boy was a genius, and a vicious one at that. He rarely used the same tricks twice. But as Minato continues to watch, he notices how Sachi waits for Kakashi, rather than attacking him on her own. And when she moves, she does so by half a second before Kakashi.

"Yes," Orochimaru admits, and it's the closest Minato has been from sensing exhaustion coming from that man. "Sachi's mind is able to recognize patterns. She collects information and then analyzes it, which in turns gives her the advantage of predicting the outcome to some degree. But..."

Sachi receives a nasty hit in her temple from Kakashi's heel, sending her flying with what could be a crippling injury. She gets up right before Kakashi tries to stomp on her head, but barely.

"It's time consuming," Orochimaru finishes, clicking his tongue as he sees Sachi trying to put some distance again, not engaging. "A great tool, but not one fit for active combat unless she speeds up the process."

Minato listens, entranced by Orochimaru's explanation as well as watching it happen in real time. Sachi and Kakashi begin to engage in taijutsu, but Sachi was keeping up with Kakashi, and even managed to strike him repeatedly in his belly and once in his throat. He's amazed that someone would learn during combat, and Minato could admit one thing.

Sachi was an incredibly fast learner.

"Patterns, you say?" Minato hums. "It's not something a regular shinobi would try to use for their advantage."

Orochimaru shakes his head. "The goal of a shinobi should be to finish your opponent in the shortest time possible. What Sachi is doing… She's desperately lengthening the fight to gather as much information from your student's fighting style."

"Impressive," Minato mutters, amazed that someone like that existed. There were many acclaimed geniuses in Leaf, but it referred to how easily they could become shinobi. Kakashi was the perfect example, born and bred to be a ninja, but Sachi…

Sachi was a strategic genius.

"Unusual, but yes," Orochimaru agrees, reluctant to admit it. "Regardless, the Hatake… He's quite gifted himself."

Kakashi was still going strong against Sachi, switching between jutsus as he pushed Sachi until she succumbed. It was a battle of wills, of minds, and they were both stubborn.

They are equals.

Kakashi dodges Sachi's punch, as well as the hidden seal that had been meant to trap him into either a paralysis seal or an explosive one. As much as Sachi was reading Kakashi, he was doing the same to her.

"What happens if Sachi-kun has enough time to read someone?" Minato is curious, in a morbid sort of way.

Humans were creatures of habit, and they unconsciously relied on what they knew worked from their hard earned experience; in ninjas, it translated into jutsus and techniques they tended to use in every fight. No one was able to continuously change their behaviour, since it was incredibly uncomfortable to fight without knowing your strength and be able to hide your weaknesses. The existence of tokubetsu jōnin, soldiers who decided to hone one skill to the point that it would cover the lack of expertise in the other basic ninja arts, was proof of it.

Someone like Sachi, whose mind was able to give her the chance to fight despite her obvious handicaps, was an oddity.

"I'm not aware of how long it takes for her to gather sufficient information to profile someone," Orochimaru offers, thoughtful. The Sannin understood Sachi's situation, but even he was at a loss at how it truly functioned. "However, once she does, she's unstoppable."

(A mind like no other. Unique. Unmatched. Unstoppable.)

The fight changes.

Kakashi uses an earth wall to stop Sachi's tagged kunais, but it's not nearly enough to shield him from the vicious one, two, three explosions that follow one after the other. They are loud and destructive, and the wall is obliterated in a million pieces, prompting people from the stands to cover themselves as debris rains on them.

Kakashi is unperturbed, and soon enough he is on Sachi yet again, swinging his blade at her, while another clone ambushes her. Sachi has no qualms in dispelling the clone with a very mean kunai to the throat, and immediately follows after with a roundabout kick that hits Kakashi in the side.

"It looks as if…" Minato hesitates to say it, unsettled by the display of such ruthlessness.

Kakashi wasn't one to show his emotions freely, much less lose composure as he believed it was unbecoming of a shinobi. And yet, he was all but leaking killer intent that threatened to reach the Hokage's booth. Minato didn't know Sachi enough to decide, but Orochimaru wasn't pleased at all with her behaviour; he supposes Sachi must be acting oddly too.

"Sachi…" Orochimaru begins. "That fool."

Minato gasps, just in time to see an eight trigram seal.

Fortunately, Kakashi realizes too, and uses a kawarimi to get out of the way before the whole ground collapses under Sachi's seal. The whole stadium shakes and the hinges groan, people yelling, genuinely afraid. Minato was aware that the stadium was built with the idea of heavily destructive jutsus, but it yields to Sachi's strength.

Kakashi and Sachi seized each other, the former stuck to one of the walls while Sachi was standing in the middle of the destroyed arena. "They should stop the fight," Minato judges, trying to lock eyes with the Hokage or a proctor.

As soon as Minato says that, Kakashi appears by Sachi's side in a blink. Blood splattering, Kakashi has just slashed Sachi with his tantō. Minato wonders what in the Sage's name would make Kakashi this unhinged, and why Sachi would meet him halfway. Has something happened between them?

"If Sachi kills Hatake…" Orochimaru mutters darkly. "I'll kill her myself."

Minato shivers and turns sharply to look at Orochimaru. He had his arms crossed, and a breeze had picked up where he stood, sharp enough that Minato could feel its bite through his clothes. Orochimaru was getting angry.

As for Minato, he sure wasn't happy with Kakashi. This wasn't an ordinary fight, and Minato was considering intervening before they got too out of hand. Kakashi and Sachi clash, and electricity bursts as Kakashi uses a lightning jutsu that Sachi matches with a curling seal that Minato can't read the matrix of, but knows it's no good.

Light engulfs the arena, and for a moment Minato believes he has gone deaf as a shockwave bursts his eardrum. Afterwards, more people rush to the rails to look at the arena more closely, where Sachi and Kakashi are now heaving for breath, bleeding, but unwilling to give up.

"That stubborn menace," Orochimaru hisses, squinting his eyes with disapproval.

"Orochimaru-sama, this…"

Minato doesn't have time to continue as Sachi is lunging at Kakashi, so quick that he had missed her moving, and she's already swiping a kunai. He recognizes the move, an executioner's technique meant to slash a throat from behind, and Minato is about to use a shunshin before Kakashi manages to block it with his tantō.

It was a mess. A very calculated mess, but one nonetheless.

Kakashi and Sachi were trying to kill each other.

.

"Why?!" Kakashi shouts, but it comes out as a hoarse whisper. Sachi is still standing, barely, but on her own two feet. She's tired, but she's still fucking alive. "Why?"

"Could… say the same... thing, Kashi-chan," she gasps.

Kashi-chan; she was mocking him now. It wasn't enough for her to just barge into his life and turn it upside down with a few words, but also making a joke out of him. He hates her, he hates her so much that he can't smother the anger that sends lightning through his pathways.

"Who are you?!" he demands, trying to summon more strength. Sachi had stopped all his attacks, but at the cost of her own body. Kakashi heard she was a chakra cripple, and she had yet to make a jutsu. His nose told him that her blood was wrong, but he didn't trust anything that involved her.

("Who are you?" The girl whispers, and it's full of desperation and hope, her eyes reflecting the sun directly into his. "Who are you?"

Something breaks in her tone, so fragile and delicate, too soft for the hard edges of his broken soul. She has no right to look at him like that, to slither her way through his walls— There's much more in her words, Kakashi not coming near to deciphering them. They hurt, a special kind of pain that comes from longing and recognition.

Kakashi looks back at the girl with golden eyes, charcoal hair and red fangs, whose voice carries a story that resembles his own. Hate. Fear. Aversion pops up in his mind, just as a thought crosses through it. 'Who is she?')

"Why do you care?!" Sachi shouts back, and Kakashi is forced to use a kawarimi before her seals get to him. Moving seals. Blood seals. Deadly seals. Kakashi had never been so disturbed by runes and connectors, but there was something ancient and greedy in Sachi's seals. Almost alive, and angry.

"Why did you ask me that?!" Kakashi howls. It was so fucking unfair that Sachi had asked him that, and refused to tell him why.

Because just who couldn't recognize him? Hatake Kakashi. The last white wolf of the Leaf. The White Fang's son. Sakumo's son. The traitor's son. That Hatake Kakashi.

There was no one who didn't know him, and not because of his achievements, not because he was a prodigy, a human in his own right. Oh no. It was all because of his father, and what he did.

Hatake Sakumo had been Leaf's pride, until he messed up a mission so badly that they would rather have him dead than look at him a second longer. Hatake Sakumo, who had given his life for this village, had fought countless battles and sacrificed the rest of his family just to end a bloody war… He had become a disgusting failure, one that had caused their sister village to sink and be forgotten.

That's right. Hatake Sakumo, oh so legendary, had fucked up so gloriously that the entire Uzushio island was sent to the bottom of the fucking Kaizoku sea. Thousands of people, dead. Their biggest asset, gone.

"Stop running!" Kakashi yells after Sachi, who sent him a dozen tagged kunais that made his entire body rattle because of the explosions. Even if she answered, which she doesn't, he can't hear over the ringing in his ears and the rush of his blood.

Sachi had asked him who he was.

Kakashi was a traitor's son, once a legend, and now a martyr.

Because not a week after Kakashi had to bury his father, by himself, the village announced that it hadn't been his father's fault. Water Country, the one and only Mist, had used the volcanoes of Uzushio to break the island apart while they prevented any pleas of help to reach Leaf.

Hatake Sakumo killed himself believing it was his fault that they had lost their sister village, when in reality, he had been the scapegoat of Leaf's shame in failing to protect Uzushio.

In the end, Hatake Sakumo killed himself for nothing.

"Fight me!"

How dare she. How fucking dare she. Sachi knew who he was, everyone did, so why did she have to ask him? Wasn't it enough that the whole village looked at him with pity, coddled him, smothered him?

("I'm sorry, Kakashi-kun…" they wept before his father's grave. "If we had known…" they cry, tears filled with guilt and shame. "Your father was truly a good man," they pat him on the back. "One of our best," they praise his father's corpse, whose belly he had to stitch together.

Sakumo was the one that died, that killed himself, but it seemed as if Kakashi had buried himself in his stead.

Because who was Kakashi, but Sakumo's shadow?)

Kakashi grips the tantō tighter, holding onto the hilt with white knuckles. Sachi was in front of him, with her golden eyes and her stupid smirk. Kakashi hates her. Hates her so fucking much.

("Who are you?" she asks, and Kakashi doesn't know the answer.)

He reaches for her, his blade already swinging, but she blocks it with a hidden kunai. She gets closer to him, towering over him because she was taller, and Kakashi can feel her chakra bite at his skin. Kakashi stares into her eyes, bright like the sun, equally painful.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" she says to him, and Kakashi wonders if she's able to read his mind. Kakashi is laid bare before her eyes, and he hates it, hates it, hates it— "To be left behind, alone."

He snaps, trying to drive the sword into her stomach, but she kicks his ankles and he's falling to his knees. Quickly, he tries to jump forward, but Sachi uses his momentum to grab his arm and twist it painfully. Lightning comes to him instantly, reacting savagely to drive her away, but the blood on his palms makes him lose his grip on the tantō.

Sachi takes his sword as he uses the last of his chakra for a kawarimi.

Kakashi is hurt, but he's rendered helpless as Sachi's words resonate in his mind. Sakumo had abandoned him. Left him behind. With his sins and accomplishments and shoes so big that Kakashi will have to struggle his entire life to step into them. And for what? To be Sakumo's son. Not Kakashi. But Sakumo, Sakumo, Sakumo.

Sachi twirls his father's blade in her hands, and Kakashi's entrails lurch at the sight. She was playing with him, as if his father's legacy didn't matter to her. As if she didn't know who Hatake Sakumo was, and was fighting Kakashi instead.

"C'mon, Kashi-chan," she sings, awfully cheerful for someone who was hanging by a mere thread. "Let's finish this, hm?"

Sachi imitates his father's kata with uncanny accuracy, so much that it gives Kakashi pause. She moves through the first form all the way to the fifth, and Kakashi doesn't breathe as he watches her perform the rhythmic movements as if that blade belonged to her.

Sachi is spitting on Sakumo's corpse.

(Good.)

Kakashi starts to breathe again, and everything is quiet. The rumble of the stadium falling apart, the spectator's cries, the ringing of a perforated eardrum… Quiet. Even his mind, brimming with the words of pity, of consolement and empty praise of those that had driven his father to suicide, falls silent.

It's bliss. It's peaceful. It's perfect.

And in the silence, a quiet chirping can be heard. Kakashi moves on instinct, his actions slowed down as he flies through the air. The song of a thousand birds becomes louder and louder, and his hand is burning as pure chakra slips out of his pathways and gathers in his palm, lightning blooming and charring his skin. Sachi is in front of him, and Kakashi lifts his arm to drive it through her heart.

Sachi tries to cut him with his father's blade, a direct cut to his underbelly, but he's faster than her. She realizes the moment she lost when he was about to touch her, unable to do anything to protect herself.

He wins.

The lightning catches her clothes first, the currents spreading as they rush to the ground. Sachi's face contorts in pain, losing her footing and then going with the punch's momentum. Kakashi pushes harder, trying to drive her fist through her chest. Against all odds, Sachi clamps a hand over his wrist, uncaring about the lightning that would ravage her flesh. She also switches her stance, already unbalanced, and angles the tantō downward...

She smiles.

"No—!" he tries to say, but it's too late.

Sachi cuts the ninja wire that she had spun across the entire arena, the very same wire that Kakashi missed until then and now he's tangled in. The force is wicked, and the wire snaps and knots over his body, driving him backwards. He pours more of his chakra, desperately trying to finish Sachi off, but his chakra is seemingly absorbed.

Kakashi and Sachi are sent flying in opposite directions, Sachi because of Kakashi's hit and Kakashi due to the wire trap. They both collide with the stadium's walls, driving themselves so far into the concrete that it cracks and caves.

Kakashi is blinded, and a sickening crack echoes through the arena. He's struggling to breathe, and there's a painful pang in his chest. He had broken a rib, maybe two. Or all of them. The ninja wire had cut his skin, and he was bleeding more now, but…

He was awake.

"Ah… Agh—" Kakashi groans, trying to get up, continue the fight… But his body gives out, falling back in the crater while his entire body complains.

Sachi tricked him. She fucking tricked him.

He has only one eye open. Trying to focus ahead, he sees the dust settle. Embedded in the wall, a bloodied mess, is Sachi.

She isn't moving.

Did I kill her? Kakashi thinks, breaking through the haze of his mind while he gasps for breath. It is getting harder now, and Kakashi chokes. There's blood in his mouth.

A shadow blocked his vision, and had Kakashi been less injured, he would have recognized the man as the proctor. Or the medics, coming second after the proctor who began to peel him off the wall.

"Did… did…?" he tries to say, but the medics push him onto a stretcher.

"Don't talk," they advise him, but their voices are grim.

Kakashi doesn't have the strength to argue. He tilts his head, however, to search for Sachi. She was hanging lifeless from the arms of the medics, blood dripping from her mouth, with half her face turning worrying shades of purple.

'I killed her,' Kakashi thinks, and the satisfaction of winning died down suddenly after he realized what he had done.

Somehow, thinking, 'I killed Sachi, I killed her,' made it even worse.

.

"Huh," Sachi hums, looking at the familiar ceiling of the hospital. "That bad?"

"What do you think?" comes the dry answer.

She doesn't even have to turn her head to look at them, since both Kasui and Anko were perched at the end of her bed, playing some sort of card game. "Who's winning?" she asks, trying to sit up and finding her whole body unresponsive.

"Hm, not us," Anko mutters, changing a card from her hand for another. "The tournament is over for us."

"Yeah?"

"Try to sound more surprised," Kasui comments, frowning at his cards. "You've been out for a day. Congrats."

A whole day. Sachi clicks her tongue. "I might have… exaggerated, a little bit."

"A little bit," they nod, not really interested, Anko asking "What was your deal with Hatake anyway? They had to call the cleaners to at least even out the arena so the tournament could continue."

"I… don't know," Sachi says honestly. She had been so focused on the fight, on keeping up with Kakashi, that she hadn't cared what kind of collateral she caused. Going over through her memories, she cringes. The Hokage wasn't going to be happy, she knew. "The bastard is tiny, but knows how to fight."

"If he gave you that much trouble…" Kasui shrugs, and Sachi gets a chill by his tone. Kasui was bothered. "You were both sent to the hospital directly, but they ruled him as the winner of your match."

"Yeah?" Sachi asks, slightly surprised. "I didn't knock him out?"

"The bastard is sturdy as well," Anko explains. "He was still awake when the proctor got to him, but passed out just after they announced the result. Lucky bastard."

Sachi believes she should have felt more annoyed by the outcome of their fight, but she is quite content. Kakashi was a formidable opponent, and Sachi hadn't met someone who could push her so much. That disheartened her a bit, however, since she had planned to win the tournament and obtain the bragging rights.

"Let him have it," Sachi sighs, then blinks. "Wait. If I was out for a day, then what about you, Anko?" Sachi tries to sit up, but Kasui pushes her back instantly.

Anko is looking morose, huffing and throwing her cards. "Fuckin' lost," she hisses. "Against Kurenai, if you believe it."

"... how?"

Anko leans on the rail at the end of the bed, crossing her arms. "Got cocky, that's what happened. Tried gettin' too flashy with genjutsu, put too many layers and lost focus."

Sachi grimaces. Genjutsu needed a great deal of concentration, since you needed to hijack the chakra waves of the brain to then imitate bodily sensations with enough accuracy to make the brain believe the fake stimuli.

Using many layers, such as touch, scent or hearing, had the advantage of crafting a more realistic illusion, but it had the danger of collapsing the delicate chakra output and shattering the genjutsu. Sometimes, if the chakra used for the genjutsu was too great, it could rebound to the user, which was enough to overwhelm the brain.

Anko, despite her lack of control, was very good at replicating said stimuli, but chakra control still had a great part in genjutsu. One could get over the wedge between natural talent and hard earned skill, but it was still too early for Anko.

"Losing to a Yūhi in genjutsu doesn't sound so bad," Sachi offers as consolement, which tempts Anko to pinch one of her legs. "Hey! The Yūhi clan is said to be able to trick even Uchiha with genjutsu!"

"Yeah, well, I'm no fuckin' Uchiha," Anko grits, but isn't quite as annoyed as before. She was the one closest to Kurenai, so she must be aware of their differences in skill. The fact that Anko was able to even battle a Yūhi in genjutsu spoke more about Anko's skill than that of Kurenai, even though she had lost her match. "Anyway, we're all out of the tournament. Kinda sucks."

They all fall silent, pondering their own actions and how they had failed. They had been so excited to take the Exams, willing to prove to all of Leaf that they were good shinobis, and that they were worthy of being promoted to a higher rank. But, they had all been beaten, and they are disappointed.

"You could've done better." The three of them perk up at hearing their sensei's voice, the man himself entering the hospital room with his usual grace. "Stand down."

They stay on the bed, Sachi doubting she could've stood at attention in her current state. Orochimaru approaches them, and they feel small under his gaze. Words weren't needed to make them understand that they had failed because of their foolishness, and they bow their heads. They have disappointed their sensei.

"Sachi," he calls, and she looks up. "How is your body?"

"Thoroughly pained."

"Good," Orochimaru answers, icely. "I do not need to remind you about your poor performance, and why you are now supine on that bed, do I?"

"... no, sensei."

He hums once, shifting his stance and breaking some of the tension. Team Two had learned to recognize their teacher's subtle tells, and although they could guess they had messed up big time, their teacher wasn't as mad as he should have been.

"Anko, Kasui?"

"I healed us both," Kasui offers, minding his tone. "Anko had a bruise because of Yūhi's chokehold, but that's it."

"Very well," Orochimaru agrees, but it's not a praise. They were expected to look after themselves, and Orochimaru was lenient with Kasui healing his teammates as long as he was able to take care of himself first. "I witnessed your fights," he begins slowly.

Team Two nods. They had seen their sensei in the stands, but had otherwise ignored him. Orochimaru was there to make sure they followed their orders and nothing else, just like in any regular mission.

"Kasui, your taijutsu still needs much work to be considered acceptable," Orochimaru tells him, although it sounds more like a scolding. "Might Guy is a unique case among shinobi, since he focuses exclusively on taijutsu, but you must have realized that his strength surpassed yours on every other level."

Kasui knows this, and accepts it without arguing. Guy had beaten him up thoroughly. "Yes, sensei."

"However, you've resisted much more than before, so that's some progress you've made so far," Orochimaru praises, but it's not nearly enough. "The genjutsu was a good strategy, and I suppose you've healed yourself while fighting." Kasui agrees quietly. "Good. But splitting your chakra into so many places got you the result of your match. You'll need to train your chakra control."

It's an order, and Kasui can do nothing else but say yessir.

"As for Anko… You've used the immunity to poison well, and in interesting ways," Orochimaru observes, slightly pleased. "But you rush during battle, and in spite of you trying to follow a strategy, you need to be flexible. Trying to defeat a Yūhi in genjutsu would have been a great accomplishment, but just because you have improved in that field, doesn't mean you can underestimate others. You would've been dead had this not been a match between comrades, so keep that in mind next time you decide to play."

Harsh, but justified. Anko nods respectfully, understanding her sensei's words. Orochimaru criticized them in hopes of bringing out their weaknesses. It was up to them to do something about it, because Orochimaru wouldn't point out the obvious twice. The consequences were clear, and it was their choice to risk their lives or improve.

Orochimaru then looks at Sachi, his eyes dark. "What did I tell all of you at the beginning of the Exams?"

Sachi swallows, a sense of dread creeping in. Orochimaru was their sensei, but he remained imposing and intimidating still. "You… you told us that we weren't allowed to kill anyone."

After the first stage of the Exams, Orochimaru had warned them about going too far. They had gotten accustomed to finishing their targets, and their sensei was in the right to remind them that this wasn't enemy territory. If they threatened to fight their comrades with the intent to kill, Orochimaru would have killed them in a blink.

"Why?"

Sachi continues, feeling ashamed. "Once we kill a comrade, we will become a threat."

"The dog that bites its master is to be put down," Orochimaru says, and all three of them flinch when his corrosive chakra brushes their senses. "Leaf depends on the trust among comrades, and if you are to threaten that trust, you will need to be eliminated. I won't train traitorous students."

And they know it won't be a quick death. They respected their sensei, but Orochimaru was in another league than them; they depended on his mercy to survive.

"Yessir," they answer at the same time.

Orochimaru gathers his chakra, allowing them to breathe normally. "You deserve to be in that bed, Sachi," he admonished. "Fighting Hatake like that… What were you thinking?" Sachi doesn't answer. "I see. Let that be the last time."

Sachi nods, cold sweat at the back of her neck.

"Your battles were focused on strategy, but you cannot run forever, Sachi. There will be a time when you won't be able to rely on your tricks, and then you're going to die," Orochimaru says bluntly, and Sachi grits her teeth. "With a mind like yours, Sachi, you can't afford being blinded by your emotions."

They remain silent, waiting for their teacher to finish, but then they just hear a sigh. "Stop being so dull," he says, a little exasperated. "You are chūnin level already, I wouldn't have trained you an entire year just for you to remain genin."

Team Two brightens, turning their heads towards their teacher in uncanny synchrony. Orochimaru quirks a brow, but refrains to comment on it. "Yeah?" Anko asks, trying to control her excitement. "But we lost! All three of us."

Their teacher doesn't seem surprised by that. "Of course. What did you expect, after being split apart and forbidden to kill? Your Chūnin Exams had the purpose of humbling all three of you, nothing less," he smirks, satisfied as Team Two's jaws drop at the same time. "And looking at you, you've accomplished it."

"Sensei!" they exclaim, rightfully pissed. "You sabotaged us!"

Orochimaru isn't ashamed in the least, tilting his head, smug. "Learn this lesson well, Team Two. You might be slightly better than average, but you still have a long way ahead."

Team Two is scowling as a whole, baring their little fangs at Orochimaru who wanted to laugh a bit more at their misfortune. It was true that they had trained thoroughly for the past year, but it was only a year. If they ever wanted to become like their sensei, they had to keep going.

"Not fuckin' fair," Sachi hisses, bedridden as she was. "Now it makes sense why we were paired with the worst possible opponents. Kasui got taijutsu, Anko had poison and genjutsu specialists and I…"

"Emotional triggers," Orochimaru finishes. "You're quite sensitive, Sachi, which is at odds with your mind."

"Past trauma, sensei, really?" Sachi questions, feeling too tired to argue but wanting to. "That's just mean. You know I have a restraining order against Uchiha Arisu, don't you?"

"I have read all your files, it was too easy not to take advantage of." Team Two groans. A normal sensei would have taken in consideration mental scarring or the disadvantages of shock therapy, but Orochimaru has always been a pragmatic man. "Now that you three have done some self-reflecting, I don't want to see any of you until the results are announced."

Team Two looks at him dangerously close to rioting, but they nod; undoubtedly planning their revenge. "Yes, sensei."

.

Here we go! The CHŪNIN EXAMS ARC was quite short, but necessary to show the growth of those three menaces hehehe. See you in the next arc, the AN APPROACHING STORM ARC, which is as ominous as it sounds, but oh well ;)

Love ya 3