Disclaimer: It's time for the…General Grievous doesn't own Naruto or World of Warcraft show! Yay! Let's sing the theme song, and obsess about every little thing over the Interweb! WEEE!
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto
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"Nouha Sayuu!"
But seconds after uttering the words, Sakura's posture changed.
Her eyes widened, and a sudden, violent seizure ran through her body for but a second. She stood perfectly straight for a moment, then hunched over, her upper torso appearing to become completely limp and lifeless. Then, she slowly rose back up, releasing a shuddering breath, and looked at her opponent again.
Kazara frowned. So far, aside from the few strange movements, nothing had changed about the girl. But her better judgment told her that whatever technique the girl had used had not failed. Something was different, that much she knew.
Sakura stood up straight again, and let out another shuddering breath. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly moved into a fighting stance. Her arms seemed to shake with each movement, as if cold or disturbed by something around her. Kazara frowned again. Something was definitely up.
Deciding it better to end the battle while she still held the advantage, Kazara shot towards the other girl with her godly speed. It took but a second or two to reach Sakura, and yet another to realize that she had not hit her target, and yet a final second to find Sakura's fist planted firmly in her stomach.
Kazara opened her mouth, gasping out a cloud of blood as Sakura's super-strong punch smashed into her abdominal wall, and thrust her back with enough force to eject her across half the monstrous arena. The Stone-nin struck the ground with equal force, skidding for a few yards in the hard sand before coming to a swift stop, limp and stunned, from Sakura's incredibly powerful attack. Her eyes remained wide, and in the moments that she couldn't move her body from pain and breathlessness, Kazara reveled in the power and suddenness of Sakura's punch.
'How?' she wondered, in her clouded mind. 'How the hell did she counter it? How did she move that fast?' It didn't make sense. Before, Sakura hadn't been able to lift a finger. Had the jutsu made her faster?
Sakura let out a slow breath, and then another, before running towards Kazara. Unlike the Stone-nin, she had no reason to gloat or stop. She would end this fight as swiftly as possible.
Kazara struggled to her feet. Though the punch had been strong, she wouldn't let herself get beaten yet! She would show this Leaf who was stronger yet!
The two girls met midway through the arena. Kazara had regained her speed. She would not be caught off guard again! She struck at Sakura's head, aiming for a clear, swift finishing blow.
But Sakura dodged, almost before she had begun to move her arm. In the same instant, the girl's hand shot up and clobbered Kazara in the side. It had the same explosive effect as before, and launched Kazara back again, feeling one of her ribs shattering from the hit. When the Stone-nin struck the ground again, she rolled a few times, letting out a cry of pain each time her wounded side struck the ground.
'HOW?' she raged. 'HOW IS SHE SO FAST?'
"Hmph."
Up in the Kage's box, the old woman beside Tsunade let out a snort of derision, though her face was tinged with interest. She was staring down at Sakura with shrewd, calculating eyes, though there were still traces of wonder within.
"Did that jutsu do what I think it did, Slug Woman?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes, a smirk crossing her face. "I doubt it. It's something that Sakura came up with on her own. There's no other jutsu like it on earth." Every word was laced with pride. Not even at Sakura's age had Tsunade been that good. It was a clear sign that she had chosen well in making Sakura her apprentice.
"What did it do, then?"
"Why should I tell you?" asked Tsunade, rolling her eyes at the old woman. "I was under the impression that you didn't like me."
The old woman was silent, and simply glared at Tsunade, who smirked.
"I'll tell you one thing. The human brain is a reservoir of untapped potential. You're a medical-nin, so you know that though every part is always working, we have control over very little. Well, that jutsu changes that."
The old woman was silent for a moment, before her eyes widened, and she gazed in astonishment back at the young girl with pink hair and a fiery countenance.
'Is she really that powerful?' The old woman wondered, stunned.
Behind her, Shikamaru heard the words said by the Hokage, and gazed back at Sakura with renewed interest. Though no medical-nin himself, he knew exactly what Tsunade had just said.
"I don't understand," said Temari, frowning, to Shikamaru. "What does she mean?"
"The brain," said Shikamaru, "despite what earlier people believed, is used in its entirety. However, we have control over almost none of the actions it undertakes. They are involuntary and happen even as we talk and fight and sleep. I think what that jutsu does is make it so Sakura has complete control over her brain's functions. That means she has completely control over her body's functions, too."
Temari nodded, though she still persisted in frowning. "So?"
"So…" Shikamaru said, almost exasperatedly. "It means that Sakura can take control, and manipulate, those processes that happen every day. She can change the flow of her blood; manipulate her endocrine system; and probably even the flow of her internal chakra. She probably has control over her own mind, too, to a much greater degree than we do. The human brain is the most powerful organ in the body. Control over it gives one the utmost control over the body." Shikamaru shook his head in amazement. "It's unbelievable."
"It's true." Both Temari and Shikamaru jumped at the voice, and looked up to see Tsunade watching them, a sly smirk on her face. Shikamaru immediately started to apologize, but Tsunade waved him off.
"It's an ingenious ability, and one that has loads of untapped potential. By using her immense control over chakra, Sakura can stimulate and assume control over parts of her brain that generally have involuntary functions. She doesn't assume complete control, or she risks a vital function not being completed, but allows herself to manipulate them gradually as she needs to. This gives her virtually complete control over her bodily functions and nervous system, and even her chakra highway."
Tsunade turned back to the fight. "It's incomplete, because so far she's just experimented with the physical aspect of things. But just that grants her incredible power, as you'll soon find out."
Up in the contestant's box, Sakura's friends and teammates were similarly impressed.
"That's amazing…" whispered Ino, her eyes bulging. "She just clobbered that girl twice! How did Sakura do that?"
"Dunno," said Chouji, "but it's working, so does it matter?"
"A-amazing…Sakura-san," whispered Hinata. Though she could not tell exactly what was happening, her Byakugan was showing an increase in the activity of the chakra highway around Sakura's brain. She didn't know what it was doing, but it was making Sakura fast enough to easily hit that Stone-nin.
Sakura was winning!
Kazara got up again, spitting blood, furious at her sudden weakness. She hadn't trained for months in using that stupid weight jutsu to lose so easily! She stood up and faced Sakura, who was walking towards her.
Her first impulse was to run at the girl again. She was furious, and could easily abandon reason and attack as before. But she remembered how Sakura had waited for her attack to come. Even now, the girl wasn't rushing to fight her. Perhaps she could only counterattack, and was counting on Kazara getting angry in order to provoke her into striking the girl.
She wouldn't play Sakura's game. Smirking coldly, Kazara began to make a string of hand seals as Sakura walked towards her. Ending on Ox, she slammed her hands into the soft sand floor of the arena and roared, "Daichi no Yoroi!"
The sand suddenly exploded up as a column of solid rock rose from the ground. But it was not ordinary earth, for just as it finished rising, it became as a liquid, and surrounded Kazara, forming a protective armor around her arms, legs, chest and head. The armor was reminiscent of pictures of ancient samurai in history books Sakura had read.
But Kazara didn't stop there. Raising her hands up, she made another seal, and plastered them to the armor.
"Katame no jutsu!"
The earthen armor suddenly began to compress and become darker, and adopted a polished, almost metallic sheen. Kazara was grinning madly.
"Try and hit me now, Leaf!"
She rushed at Sakura again, her confidence renewed. She hardly lost any of her speed, as she had trained in the use of this technique as long as she had trained with the Tsuchi no Senkin. She attacked the Leaf-nin again, striking out with all her might.
Sakura dodged again, ducking beneath the barrage of punches and striking upwards. Her fist caught Kazara on the chin, and though her armor protected her, it still blasted the girl upwards, depriving her of movement for a second.
Kazara landed on both feet with a boom, her excess weight dragging her back to the ground quickly. She glared coldly at Sakura, who was standing perfectly calm and composed, her eyes narrowed into daggers.
"Is that all you can do? Counterattack?"
Sakura smiled smugly. "Yes," she said simply.
And it was true. In order to counteract Kazara's extreme speed, Sakura had increased the sensitivity and speed of the synapses in her skin and muscles. The result was that not only could she react faster than Kazara could punch, but she could literally feel the punch coming, long before it could connect with any of her flesh. It allowed Sakura to fight without being hit, and it rendered Kazara's advantage useless. She had every right to be smug.
Kazara sneered. She lunged forwards suddenly, thrusting out her fists in a dozen of expertly timed and powerful taijutsu strikes. But Sakura avoided them all, moving swiftly away from each, waiting for the opportune moment to attack. She found it a moment later.
Her fist crashed into Kazara's armored stomach; but in the brief seconds before she went airborne, the Stone-nin hauled off and punched Sakura in the ribs, hard enough to crack one or two. Sakura winced, but to Kazara's surprise, did not cry out in pain.
When Kazara struck the ground, she immediately bounded to her feet, hardly winded by the attack. Her armor had protected her from every bit of the damage intended to do. She was invincible.
But as she watched Sakura ready herself for another round of battle, it was clear that despite her lucky hit, Sakura was unharmed.
Or rather, as Shikamaru had guessed, simply suppressing the pain. If she had complete control over her body, then Sakura could easily numb the nerve endings in her chest, or if that was too much, simply release extra endorphins to dull the pain that would have accompanied such a break. It was such an amazing and powerful technique that Shikamaru couldn't help but be awed by his pink-haired friend's intelligence and skill.
Sakura herself was smiling softly. She felt little pain, and the battle would end in a few minutes, that she promised. Kazara wouldn't get in another shot; the next attack Sakura would deal would be the last.
With a wild grin, Kazara mashed her hands together in a seal, and roared, "Tsuchi Kaiken no jutsu!"
The earth that clung to her arm suddenly shot out, forming a gleaming onyx blade. Leaping forwards, Kazara struck at Sakura again, but again Sakura dodged. But before Sakura could counterattack, Kazara slashed again, and again. She came at Sakura with the force of a deranged animal, swinging wildly at the girl, who was forced to back away quickly to avoid injury.
Finally, she struck! Her blade grazed across Sakura's arm, just as she was moving out of the way. The pink-haired girl looked rather fatigued, making Kazara smile viciously. She was barely breaking a sweat! Her blade struck again, also a graze, but with each strike, her confidence grew.
She would win!
Suddenly, Sakura slipped. Her leg stuck a particularly soft spot of sand, causing her to stumble backwards. With a triumphant cry, Kazara brought her weapon down on Sakura's head, grinning maniacally. It was done! She had beaten that stupid Leaf.
But a second later, she realized that she had been wrong. Sakura had grabbed her blade, clenching it so tightly that despite her strength, Kazara couldn't move it away. She struggled, more and more as Sakura pulled back a fist, smiling coldly. Within the pink-haired girl's fist, her chakra was building to a monstrous head. Her chakra veins expanded slightly to hold the extra chakra as it surged and gathered into a fine point in her fist, as Tsunade had taught her.
But Sakura didn't stop there.
She further increased its power by pouring chakra into the muscles of her arm and shoulder. They noticeably tensed, and even swelled a bit.
Finally, she struck out, smashing her fist solidly into Kazara's armored chest.
Kazara uttered a single, shortened gasp before feeling nothing at all.
The punch tore straight through the hardened stone, striking Kazara with enough force to shatter her sternum on impact. The action did not kill Kazara, but sent her whirling into unconsciousness before she even flew off the ground, sailing across the arena. The rest of her armor broke apart as she struck the far wall, creating large cracks up the side and nearly demolishing it.
Sakura's fist was numb from the effort, but she was smiling. As she lowered her fist, she released the jutsu that she had been holding. The Nouha Sayuu vanished, leaving Sakura almost bereft of chakra. She slumped visibly, gasping and panting, obviously fatigued.
But this was largely unnoticed by the crowd and her friends, who were far too busy cheering and roaring with delight at the spectacular win. She smiled tiredly up at the crowd, scanning for familiar faces, and as she moved towards the Kage's box, she spotted, to her surprise and delight, Gaara.
The red-haired Sand-nin was watching her from behind a column, almost completely hidden. Their eyes met, and Gaara gave her a slight smile and a slow nod. Sakura smiled back, and returned the gesture, before moving onto Tsunade.
Though it was hard to see her teacher's face, high in her box, Sakura could guess what was on it. She would have a mixture of delight and worry on her face. That was to be expected.
And indeed, she was right. Tsunade was smiling, but her eyes were filled with worry as they gazed down on her weakened apprentice.
"Hmph, you seem worried, Slug Woman."
Tsunade turned to the old woman beside her. "Oh?"
"Yes. You have right to be, I suppose. A technique like that ought to be extremely dangerous, especially for such a young girl to have learned. One slip up could ruin her entire body's chemistry."
"I trust her," said Tsunade. "She won't use that technique unless it really is necessary. She won't misuse it."
"Perhaps not, but the dangers are there whether it is used or misused. Not only would it be difficult to maintain a technique for so long, given that it must require immense amounts of chakra in order to keep the brain active and under control, but she must have perfect control over her emotions and responses. I imagine that should she overuse the technique, or gets too excited or even tries to control too many things at once, she would risk death. She must have to control herself so that the neurons in her brain do not all fire at once, and kill or cripple her. You must have a lot of faith in that girl to let her practice such a dangerous technique."
Tsunade was silent for a moment. She gazed down on Sakura, who was trudging slowly back up the steps to the contestant's box, exhausted. But the girl's head was held high, and she was smiling in triumph.
"Yeah, I do, you old prune. She's my apprentice, after all."
"Hmph," said the old woman, scowling.
A smile lit Sakura's face as she ascended the steps, and for a moment she stopped, and peered back, over the walls of the arena, into the bright blue sky.
'I'm not so far behind you guys now…' she thought.
"Great job, Sakura!" said Chouji, when she reached the top of the stairs.
"Not bad, Forehead-girl. Though you do look a bit winded, I have to say," smirked Ino.
"G-good job, Sakura-san," said Hinata, smiling and giving a slight bow to the girl.
"What the heck did you do, anyways? What type of technique was that?" asked Kiba, leaning forwards.
"None of your business, I'd imagine," said Shino, softly. "Good job, Sakura-san."
"Thanks everyone," said Sakura, smiling wearily. Brushing back a forelock of hair that had slipped down in front of her face, Sakura walked over to the wall, and sunk down, closing her eyes. The group turned back to the arena, allowing their friend to rest. She had done a lot more than any of them, and it was clear that whatever technique she had used had taken its toll on her greatly.
"Will Hyuuga Hinata and Kyoshu Katanako come to the arena, please," the announcer's voice droned again.
Hinata gulped, and shot a look back at the Grass-nin whom she was fighting. The girl looked not unlike Kazara in that she had a nasty scowl on her face; almost as if she was disgusted they were even requiring her to fight. She wore a large dark, buttoned jacket that trailed down to her knees.
She pushed past her large teammate and headed down the steps, while Hinata was bade good luck by her teammates and friends.
"You'll do great, Hinata!" said Kiba. "We've been training for months to be here. I know you'll do well." He had a kind, completely un-Kiba-like smile on his face as he said this.
"I agree," said Shino. Though his words were short, they too spoke of confidence in the small, nervous girl.
A smile lit Hinata's face at her teammates words. She gave them both a bow, and a kind, pretty smile that had both blushing slightly.
"Thank you. I will do my best."
Chouji and Ino gave Hinata similar gestures of luck, and as Hinata passed, Sakura looked up and said to the girl: "I want to have a fight with you, Hinata, okay?"
Hinata froze, blinking, and turned to Sakura, and saw the tired grin on the medic-nin apprentice's face. A second later, the quiet girl's face had blossomed into a mighty smile, and she bowed lower.
"Me too, Sakura-san. I will make sure that we fight."
"Good," said Sakura, nodding and lying back.
On the arena floor, Katanako watched her opponent keenly with her sharp, lime-green eyes, attempting to analyze the girl. She could already see that she was a pushover in personality terms, but she still had little knowledge of her fighting abilities. She had heard tales of the Hyuuga clan from her family and friends in the Grass, but when she thought about it, there had been nothing definitive other than their powerful eyes: the Byakugan.
Well, it didn't matter either way. She had long since learned not to underestimate her opponents, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake as Sajino or that Stone-nin.
Hinata took her place across from Katanako a moment later, giving her a slight bow of respect. Surprisingly, Katanako returned it, though her eyes never left Hinata's. When the announcer called for them to begin, Katanako fell straight into a fighting stance, and made a few hand seals.
Hinata, meanwhile, gathered chakra into her eyes; veins bulged around them, and the pale lavender drained away to become completely and severely white, while her face hardened into a fierce glare. With the Byakugan activated, Hinata could suddenly see all around her, no matter what object blocked her view. But more importantly, she could see deep into her opponent, and was able to gaze as she molded her chakra and wove it around herself.
Hinata struck first. She leapt forwards, her hands shooting out, and smacked the girl lightly in the stomach with her palm. The action, though slight and apparently soft, caused Katanako to double up. She stumbled back, gasping in pain. Hinata moved in again, her hands up and open, ready to deliver another choice few slaps or touches. But Katanako leapt as far away as she could, landing with a grunt of pain out of Hinata's reach. A kunai appeared in the Grass-nin's hand. She slung it at Hinata, but the dark-haired girl nimbly dodged it, and shot forwards again.
Gritting her teeth, Katanako made a seal, and whispered something under her breath. She began moving as soon as Hinata reached her, but it was too late. Hinata's palm smacked her straightly in the chest, sending hidden bolts of chakra through the girl's skin deep into her body. Her organs, specifically her lungs, suffered the brunt of the damaging chakra, and deprived Katanako of breath for a moment. She stumbled back and fell onto her back; each breath sending her into a fit of pained coughs.
Hinata hung back. She didn't want to kill the girl, and was indeed surprised it had been so effective. She had not been able to practice much on live humans, in her training, and thus it was shocking to see her attacks have such a great effect. Though she felt bad for causing her opponent such pain, especially one who had shown her respect, she could not help but feel a slight rise in confidence.
"It isn't over," rasped Katanako, breaking Hinata from her thoughts. "We're even."
Hinata frowned. Even? She couldn't see how. Katanako lay on the ground, nearly defeated, while Hinata hadn't been hit once.
"Even with those eyes, you aren't very observant, are you? Granted, I'll say that I pride myself on being able to keep my abilities hidden until my opponent is already affected, I would have thought someone with those eyes would have been able to see it right away." Katanako said this with a mocking smile. Her green eyes glinted, and for some reason, Hinata knew she wasn't bluffing.
She peered closer, her Byakugan focusing on every aspect of the girl's body. She could see every coil and tenketsu on Katanako's body. Nothing but clear blue chakra flowed through them.
But, she suddenly blinked.
No, that wasn't true.
Peering closer, she spotted something wrong with the girl's tenketsu. They were larger, just slightly. It was only Hinata's diligent pouring over scrolls dealing with the chakra system that allowed her to notice that.
Then, she noticed yet another thing. Again, it was quite faint, but the chakra around her torso, upper thighs, and all along her arms appeared a little fainter. Only someone with a trained Byakugan could notice. But Hinata hadn't noticed it before, mainly because she had been so focused on attacking. And even now, unless one really looked, it would be difficult to see the difference. Because Katanako's coat covered so much of her body, and Hinata hadn't really been looking towards the head or shins, she hadn't noticed the miniscule difference in tone.
But as she noticed this, along with Katanako's ever-growing smile, she noticed a troubling thing.
Her left arm wasn't moving.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move her arm. Looking down, she gasped as she saw why. Surrounding the hand was a faint, greenish substance. It only covered her palm from where she had struck Katanako last. But she saw that it was visibly spreading, and already she couldn't feel the entirety of her arm.
"My special moss," she said. "Numbs the place it affects. Only a small portion needs to be affected, because it sends the numbing effects directly into the chakra system, not unlike your attack. I keep it hidden in and on my coat, which makes it invisible on every level until it touches flesh." The girl smiled grimly. "Time for round two."
Pressing her hands together, Katanako whispered something beneath her breath again so only Hinata could hear it.
"Oorinsei no jutsu," she spoke the words calmly, and stood straight up. She remained like this for but a moment, and then attacked.
Her hand shot out, reaching for Hinata's face. Already, the Hyuuga could see dark moss massing in her palm, and began to backpedal to avoid being struck by the incapacitating fungus. Her left arm slapped against her side as she moved, completely limp. Her other arm was up and ready.
Her eyes were noting the changes in Katanako's body. This time, it was impossible not to. Hinata could see chakra beginning to flow into the girl's body, from an unknown source. The girl was gradually replenishing her supply, and from how she moved, was healing the injuries that Hinata had previously given her.
It took her a moment longer to realize where the chakra was coming from. The moss! Somehow, the moss that incapacitated her arm was somehow healing Katanako. She had an inkling how, but even knowing that, it would not help her in defeating the technique.
Katanako drew a few shuriken, and hurtled them at Hinata. The pale-eyed girl dodged and ducked, avoiding the flying weapons as best she could. One struck her, though she did not immediately feel it. It was only until she caught sight of the blood blossoming on her left arm that she knew she had been injured.
She bit her lip. Unless she did something, Katanako would win. She could already feel the numbness beginning to spread. Any longer, and she would be unable to fight. But if she got close, she would just be infected with more moss, even if she tried to attack. She knew, however, what she had to do. It had to be quick, and had to end the battle, or else Hinata felt for sure that she would lose.
Pushing chakra into her legs, she distanced herself as much as possible from the green-haired girl. She then fell into a stance, and took a deep breath, holding up her good hand palm-out.
Katanako rushed the girl. She didn't intend for the girl to finish. This had to end before Hinata could use any—
"Kyoushuuhakke Sanjuni Sho!"
Katanako's body suddenly exploded in agonizing pain. She was flung backwards, as dozens of glittering slivers; constructed of nothing but Hinata's chakra, slammed into her body, piercing straight through to her tenketsu. They struck her in such rapid succession that they seemed to strike all at once. Though mere needles of chakra, they threw her off her feet, and into swirling darkness. When she landed, it was quite clear that she would not be getting up again.
Hinata lowered her hand, slowly, as her breathing quickened and eventually leveled. She released her Byakugan, and looked at her arm.
The moss was receding. Apparently, only when she was awake, could Katanako keep it in a constant numbing effect. It made sense, since Hinata was sure that the moss couldn't have soaked up enough chakra to completely numb a person's body like Katanako claimed it could.
While it remained numb, she removed the shuriken as quickly as possible. She nearly stumbled in doing this, because as soon as she took hold of it, the crowd exploded into cheering, and she jumped in fright. The shuriken came out, jerked free by her frightened response to the tumult. She was quite glad for the absence of feeling, right then. She then retrieved a roll of bandages from her weapons pouch, and slowly began to bind the arm to stop the bleeding. It was difficult, especially with only one arm; but with the aid of her teeth, she was able to do it.
All around her, the crowd cheered. Her friends did most of all, and even with the other cheers all around her, she could hear them.
"Way to go Hinata!" Kiba cried, laughing.
"Nice one, girl!" shouted Ino, pumping the air with her fist.
"Great job!" boomed Chouji, smiling widely.
Neither Sakura nor Shino joined the loud cheering, for the former was nearly asleep, and the latter didn't have the emotional capacity to. But both congratulated Hinata in their hearts, and smiled as the girl took her praise with severe blushing and a few stuttering "thank yous" that no one could hear.
As she made her way back up, Hinata felt a fluttering in her heart. She had won! If only Neji-niisan or her father had been there. She wasn't weak, not anymore.
Her face turned as red as a rose when her mind moved onto what Naruto would have said after she had won. How he would have praised her! She could almost hear his laughing cheers amongst her other friends. She didn't let her mind wander down the darker path, towards the inevitable depression that would come when she thought of how Naruto wasn't here, and might not be back for some time. She would simply revel in her victory for now; and when he got back, she would show him just how much she had changed.
It brought a blush to her face, for some reason.
"You must have trained her quite a bit, that was a pretty impressive attack," said Asuma, exhaling some smoke and casting a curious eye at the woman beside him.
"I didn't help with a thing on that technique. It's a variation of one of the techniques that I helped her develop, but it's still her own attack. I'm proud of her; she's changed a lot since the last Chuunin Exams."
"They all have," chuckled Asuma, smiling fondly towards the contestant's box. The same smiled was reflected on Kurenai's face, as she watched her most improved student walk proudly up towards her friends.
When Hinata reached the top, her friends swarmed her with awed exclamations and due praises, making the girl's already red face become all the more redder. But such a smile lit her face that even Naruto would have been impressed. It was clear that it had been a long time since Hinata had received such praise, if ever. Awakened by their babblings, Sakura got to her feet and joined the others. She congratulated Hinata on her fight, and without so much as asking, began to repair the shuriken wound on her arm, to Hinata's surprise.
"I want it to be fair," said Sakura, smiling. Hinata was a little surprised, but nodded resolutely, and gave Sakura a quiet word of thanks.
When the crowd died down, the announcer, Himeda, called the penultimate fight.
"With Aburame Shino and Toshiki Koteinousha come down to the arena."
Kazara's teammate, a husky young man who towered over everyone else, even Chouji, looked over at Shino with a slightly troubled look. It was hard to say whether he was wary or simply afraid. Shino, despite his smaller stature, looked slightly frightening, covered in so much, especially in the heat. By contrast, the Leaf-nin didn't even glance in the taller boy's direction, and after nodding to his friends' wishes of luck, descended slowly to the arena. Koteinousha followed with a slow, lumbering gait. He would continually glance back at his other teammate, who would just glare at him; and then towards Sakura, whom he seemed most afraid of. He would never stare long enough at Sakura to meet her eyes, as if as afraid that they might hurt him in some way.
By the time he reached his place on the arena, Shino was already waiting. The large boy was sweating profusely, and when he stopped, he brushed his sweat-drenched brown hair out of his eyes and met his opponent's covered stare. He seemed to quail from it.
Himeda suddenly announced, "Begin!"
But neither did.
In fact, Koteinousha looked as if he would flee at any second. His whole body was rigid with fright, and he was leaning far away from Shino.
Any emotion or surprise the Leaf-nin showed was lost beneath the many layers of cloth and dark glass that obscured his face. He took a step forwards, only to have Koteinousha pull back another two.
"Are you afraid of me?" asked Shino, pushing his glasses up, and tilting his head to the side.
Koteinousha gulped. "Leaf-n-nin, s-scary!" he blurted, and then looked almost ashamed for saying the words.
Shino cocked his head to the other side, like a curious animal might. "Is it because my friend defeated your teammate?"
The Stone-nin nodded furiously. "Hurt Kazara…scary-strong bubblegum girl hurt her a lot! That's never happened before!"
"I see," said Shino. "That's disappointing. Do you wish to fight me, or do you intend to give up?"
The moronic boy thought a moment, opening his mouth to answer, then closing it and glancing around. He opened it again, and seemed about to reply when a voice split the silence.
"Koteinousha you dumb bastard! Don't you dare give up, or I'll kill you!"
Kazara, her body covered in many bandages, was glaring down at Koteinousha from where the audience sat directly in front of him. Her face, though bruised and battered, was seething in fury; her teeth open and bared like a wild animal's.
Koteinousha stared at the girl a second, before his face blossomed into a relieved smile. The smile quickly morphed when his attention returned to Shino; it became cold and he scowled in a way that was reminiscent of an angry child who had been upset in some way and refused to speak to anyone. With a brutish, snorting roar, he rushed at Shino, who flung a kunai at the charging shinobi as he leapt back.
The kunai, however, bounced off Koteinousha's shoulder, and he continued his blundering path forwards, raising his arms to grab Shino. For someone so big, he moved remarkably fast. As soon as he was in range again, he took a swipe at Shino's head with a big, rock-like hand. Shino did not dodge, and let the fist strike him in the side of the head, exploding in a suddenly black cloud.
Koteinousha blinked stupidly, a moment later realizing two things. His opponent was gone, and the black cloud that he had disappeared had covered his body and was not a cloud at all, but a large swarm of tiny black insects. He stood up straight, attempting to shake them off. When they didn't come off, he simply turned and began to search for his quarry.
"That guy…" mumbled Ino, with a twitching eye, "doesn't even care that he's covered in bugs…"
"It looks like he has some sort of protection," observed Sakura. "His skin deflected a kunai; he probably doesn't even feel them."
Sakura's judgment was indeed true. Koteinousha was in the possession of a family trait, a Bloodline Limitation called "Hifu Ganseki." Exactly as it was named, the ability granted all those of his family near impervious skin; they had few nerves on the first few layers, and with training could remove feeling entirely using their chakra. On a lesser note, and more interesting note, the members of the Toshiki clan were all in the possession of IQ's around 86 or 87. Koteinousha was one of the proud few to have the latter.
The moronic Stone-nin finally spotted his opponent, rather belatedly, behind him. He grinned widely, pleased with himself, and prepared to attack again, and finish this for his teammate. Shino had the same feeling, as he sucked in a deep breath. He ripped down his collar and exhaled just as Koteinousha began to attack.
A tiny black blur zipped from his open, exposed mouth, so quickly that most did not see it. It slammed into Koteinousha, right between his eyes, and toppled him. He let out a cry of pain, and another as he fell flat on his back. The miniscule black bullet turned out to be a vicious insect, which upon striking Koteinousha's forehead, had begun to burn its way through his tough skin towards his skull. The pain was unbearable, and Koteinousha shrieked and flailed as it closed in on its goal.
"Do you give up?" asked Shino, walking forwards, and looming over the idiot.
"Yes!" the giant cried, whimpering. "I give up! Give up!"
Shino nodded, and uttered a soft sound beneath his breath. The insect stopped its journey, and flew out of the small hole it had burrowed into Koteinousha's head, and returned to its master. The other insects, which had remained attached to Koteinousha's body, draining his chakra and weakening his flesh, also returned to Shino; a moving shadow across the ground, into Shino's bulky jacket.
While Himeda announced Shino as the winner, and leaving Koteinousha a feeble mess on the ground, Shino made his way back towards the contestant's box, appearing neither triumphant nor pleased, or really anything at all. But when his friends crowded around him, congratulating and expressing their general amazement (or in Ino's case disgust) at his techniques, there was a noticeable change in his features. Though his mouth was still hidden, as were his eyes, he smiled, and everyone knew it.
"He's a good kid," said Asuma. "A bit weird, but good."
"True enough," said Kurenai, beaming at the contestant's box and her victorious student.
Tsunade smiled. This was going to be a very easy decision.
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The last fight of the first round of the Chuunin Exams Tournament ended faster than anyone could realize. It had been between the last two remaining people, the teammate of Kazara and Koteinousha against the teammate of Sajino and Katanako. It was a quick and decisive battle, with the Grass-nin, the tall boy who wore similar garb to Sajino, had struck down the Stone-nin, a shorter, skinnier boy, using little more than conventional ninja techniques and a keen mind. When it had ended, Himeda had announced a short recess for about half an hour, to allow the contestants to recover sufficiently.
Sakura and the others spent it finding something to eat, and then finding and quiet place to rest. While they ate, they took the time to inquire of each other as much as they could about the new techniques they had learned and developed. Nobody was entirely forthcoming, though Sakura did explain a little about her technique, much to the amazement of every one else. Hinata blushed when everyone praised her for the invention of such an obviously powerful attack; while Kiba joked with Chouji if he could enlarge any body part he wanted.
The conversation inevitably, however, turned to Naruto.
"He's gonna be pissed," said Ino, "if we all become Chuunin before he even gets back."
"Heh," smirked Kiba, "I can't wait to rub it in."
"It won't matter," said Shino. "It is doubtless that he will be stronger than you when he gets back." Kiba glared in irritation at his friend, who matched it with an impossible-to- see stare that eventually had Kiba backing down, annoyed.
"Probably," agreed Sakura, smiling. "He's probably training right now, Kiba. By the time he gets back, he might still be a Genin, but he might be able to trounce you in a heartbeat."
"I'll show him!" roared Kiba. "As soon as we get back, Akamaru, we gotta continue work on that special technique!"
Akamaru barked, and Kiba pumped his fist into the air, nodding and cheering in response.
"W-when do you think Naruto-kun will come back?" asked Hinata, in her soft and pretty voice.
"Whenever he gets around to it, I suppose," said Chouji, smiling. "But he's probably thinking of ways every day. He definitely won't stay there for too much longer."
"Hopefully." Though Sakura said this, everyone else echoed it. They shared a moment of silence like this, before it broke down and Kiba began to boast that he'd be able to defeat Ino with one hand tied behind his back.
"I won't be affected those girly tricks!" said Kiba, smirking at Ino. "Me and Akamaru don't fall for those things!"
Ino rolled her eyes, and was about to send a scathing and suggestive retort, before a sudden gleam entered her eyes, and she changed her words.
"Hey, Kiba."
"What?" the boy answered, staring at her.
"I bet you three week's mission pay that I'll be able to beat you without you even touching me, and without using a single jutsu."
Kiba grinned widely, and ignoring Chouji and Sakura's shaking heads, responded arrogantly, "You're on!"
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"How much you want to bet Kiba loses?" asked Sakura, leaning on the railing of the contestant's box and staring down at the arena, where both Ino and Kiba now stood.
"Five hundred yen?" said Chouji, smiling.
"Why not?"
Cracking his hands together, and grinning at the prospect of a win and three weeks worth of mission pay, Kiba settled into a fighting stance, Akamaru growling at his side. Both looked the same, despite the species difference: two grinning dogs, or perhaps wolves, with eyes as sharp and cunning as their claws and teeth.
Ino, by contrast, looked the picture of a beauty queen. She stood, almost posed, each posture accentuating her growing and filling curves in the greatest of ways. One hand rested on her hip, which was thrust out to the side, and the other simply hung a little behind her. Her chest was thrust out, showing off her growing assets, and a cocky, confident smile—though sexy was no doubt a better word—rested on her lips. Neither of her hands looked to be in a position to grab a weapon, or even throw a punch. But she intended to use neither, for she had a much deadlier weapon in store for Kiba; one that did not require large amounts of chakra, or perfect control, or large muscles, or even a keen mind. It required nothing more than what she had been given at birth.
Himeda looked at the two sharply contrasted individuals, and as he raised his hand to begin the match, had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before he would announce the winner.
"Begin!"
Kiba snapped, and rushed forwards, Akamaru in tow. He bared his teeth in a great grin, and lifted a clawed hand.
Ino didn't move.
Kiba closed the distance rapidly, opening his mouth to let loose a triumphant cry, his hand coming up in preparation for its inevitable fall onto Ino's person, while Akamaru prepared to pounce upon the still blonde girl.
And it was only when Kiba was mere seconds from connecting that Ino moved, slightly and swiftly, to unleash her attack, an attack more devastating than the most powerful fire technique or summoning jutsu.
The hand on Ino's hip came up, and in the span of nearly a second, lifted her purple top to expose what nearly a year and a half of drinking vast quantities of milk and prayer had done.
The effect was predictably devastating: Kiba, upon seeing what he thought he had seen, was blasted backwards with more force than a falling meteor. He flew up, two constant streams of blood streaking forth from his nose like a pair of twin waterfalls separated by a large rock. He landed roughly, skidding for a few feet, the comical amount of blood staining the sand around him. His eyes were open and wide for a second, and then as he passed out from lack of blood, they closed. A perverted smile blossomed over his face as he went to a place where he could see what he had just seen all the time, whenever he wanted.
Akamaru, who had born witness (though was considerably less impressed) was staring back at his master with, should one have been as skilled at reading dogs as Kiba, would have been disbelief and disappointment. He shot a glare at Ino, who looked as she had done before the match had even started. Not a hair appeared out of place, and she had returned her weapon(s) back to their scabbard with such amazing speed that she might have been a samurai had they been swords.
The audience was still and silent. The same stunned, wide-mouthed face was stuck on each, as if someone who feared change had painted them there. The same went for her friends, who, despite knowing that Ino would probably have won, couldn't believe that she had just done that.
The silence shattered, however, when the Hokage, unable to bear it any longer, burst into a fit of laughter that resembled a seizure. She collapsed from her chair, laughing and clutching her stomach in pain. The action that the girl had taken had been so ingenious that she was tempted, as soon as she was able to stop laughing, to award the girl the Chuunin position right there. It just too funny!
The old woman beside her was impressed, but that was perhaps tempered by a needle of jealously, as she stared down at her own chest, which was thankfully hidden beneath her bulky robe.
Shikamaru clutched his forehead, wondering exactly how he had gotten such a crazy person as a teammate. He was both glad and disappointed (though he could not say why) that he had not seen her fearsome attack. Nobody had, in fact.
"D-doesn't that girl have any decency?" hissed Temari, though she too could not keep a little jealously from slipping into her voice. She might have been beaten by a fourteen year old!
"I swear to God," said Asuma, looking at Kurenai, "that I didn't teach her."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Right."
"Did she really just do that?" mumbled Chouji. The large boy, without knowing it, was leaning dangerously over the railing, as if he might be able to get a better look at something that was no longer there.
Sakura, rolling her eyes at Chouji's obvious interest, said, "Yes…" She looked down at her own chest, a vein popping on her forehead. "She did."
"O-oh my…" mumbled Hinata, blushing furiously. "K-Kiba-kun…"
"Was both very unlucky," said Shino, pushing his glasses up, and snuggling a little more into his color to hide the blush that was creeping over his face, "and very lucky."
Ino swaggered past Akamaru, who was lying on the ground, refusing to go to his moronic partner, and up to Kiba's prone form. The boy's face was fixed in a smile of eternal bliss.
Rolling her eyes, Ino made a seal, and reached down, pressing the index and middle finger of one hand against Kiba's forehead. The smile vanished a second later, his memories of the beautiful sight leaking from his mind like water from a cracked glass.
Her mission accomplished, Ino walked in almost complete silence back across the field, past Himeda who was turned away from her in an effort to hide his burning red face, and back up the steps to the contestant's box.
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"You're absolutely shameless, don't you know that, Ino-pig?"
"I like to think of myself as a paramount for women everywhere," said Ino.
"Some people would call that a slu—"
"Sakura," said Chouji, interrupting her. "You and Hinata are up next."
Sakura nodded, and cast a glance at the dark-haired girl that she would be fighting. The girl returned the look, shyly, and nodded to Sakura. The two of them proceeded down the steps together.
"S-Sakura-san," Hinata said, as they walked down. The other girl glanced at her again, questioning.
"Yes?"
"Do you," the girl hesitated in saying the next, long enough so that it seemed she had decided against saying her original words. She quickly said, "That is, um, who do you think, N-Naruto-kun would root for?"
Sakura blinked. The question was seemingly innocent, and despite her feelings that it might be anything but, Sakura answered promptly, and truthfully.
"Both of us, probably. He's that type of guy to do something like that, huh?"
"O-oh!" said Hinata, seeming a little relieved, and just as much disappointed. "Y-you're right. That does s-seem like Naruto-kun."
"Why do you ask?" Sakura said, smiling a little at the girl.
Hinata blushed. "No reason!"
They took their places on the arena a little while later, after walking in complete silence. When Himeda had thoroughly composed himself, and sent warning glares to the two girls, as if they might try something similar to Ino. Finally, he raised his hand, and roared.
"Begin!"
Sakura and Hinata shot at each other, drawing weapons, ready to fight. Neither intended to lose, and they would do their best; both knew that this fight was nothing but a chance to test their skills against each other. No matter who won or who lost, they would remain friends.
And yet, as they clashed, both could hear a soft whisper, emulating a raucous cheer, in their ears.
'Go Sakura-chan! Go Hinata-chan!'
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Sakura awoke to the howling of winds outside her window. Sand pelted the windows, obscuring her view of the world outside. The room was light and stank of the cleanliness of a hospital, a smell she was not unfamiliar with. She lay in a small bed with crisp white sheets and a thin woolen duvet, which had a small table next to it, on which an alarm clock, and various doctoral tools (none of them, Sakura noticed with relief, were sharp or pointy) rested, as well as a vase with some pretty white flowers. There were two other beds in the room, on her right; she was the farthest bed from the door, and the closest to the window. Both of the other beds were empty.
Sakura blinked, suddenly, trying to collect herself. What seemed like moments ago, she had been in a heated battle with Hinata and—oh. She suddenly remembered.
The battle had been almost an even match. Both girls had fought with the utmost determination in everything: their movements, their looks, and their very souls. Both had shown each other their best; though Sakura had not used her Nouha Sayuu technique, deciding it better that she didn't risk its deadly effects in a battle with a good friend. Sakura's strength could double as a defense as well as an offense, as could Hinata's hakke techniques.
Sakura presumed it had ended when both girls had launched their final attacks: Hinata with her Kyoushuuhakke Rokujyon Sho technique; and Sakura simply with her Tsunadean strength and medical techniques. Sakura couldn't remember anything after that.
She glanced around the room again. 'I must have lost,' she realized, sighing. If Hinata had been defeated, then wouldn't she be here too? Then again, Hinata had been as injured as she, so maybe she was just in a different room. Maybe they had tied.
A sudden rattling of the windows drew Sakura's attention to the outside world, where a sandstorm raged. She had never seen such a massive storm; the window might as well not have been there at all, for aside from swirling dust and sand, she could see nothing. It was an impenetrable veil of earth meeting air. She could nearly make out some buildings, mere shadows in the distance.
Her attention was once again attracted to a sound, and that was of the door opening. Her swiveled her head, and saw her master, Tsunade, standing there.
"You're up," she said, smiling.
"How long was I…?" asked Sakura.
"Only a few hours. I did most of the healing, so you should be good to go in a while. Either Hinata went easy on the Juuken thing, or you're simply made of stronger stuff, it didn't take long to repair the damage. You tied by the way," she added, seeing the next question beginning to form on Sakura's lips. The girl immediately shut her mouth.
"Oh," she said, feeling slightly better.
"Unfortunately, yours was the last fight of the tournament. A sandstorm, a really bad one, kicked up just after it, and we had to call it quits. The Chuunin Exams are officially over; we decided that it would be simply foolish to continue them any longer, especially when all of the decisions had been made."
"They had?" Sakura asked, in wonder. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," said Tsunade, leaning forwards, and smirking at the girl, "that you are now a Chuunin. Congratulations."
It took Sakura a few moments to process her master's words, and in those moments there was a shocked silence that seemed to amuse Tsunade even more. Finally:
"What?"
"You're a Chuunin; congratulations," the woman repeated, slowly, smiling even wider this time.
Sakura shook her head slight amazement. "But why? How did you already decide?"
"It wasn't hard; to tell you the truth, this Chuunin Exams was merely a technicality that had to be done in order for me to make your positions legitimate. In reality, you were all being considered, long before this even occurred." At Sakura's confused look, the woman elaborated.
"Kiba and Chouji were both responsible for eliminating, nearly, a very powerful member of Orochimaru's Sound Village. They showed outstanding skills and determination in those fights, according to Shikamaru's report. Shino demonstrated remarkable skill during the Sound attack the last Chuunin Exams, and during this one, he showed his combat skills as well as his ability to use judgment over emotion, both of which are easily Chuunin level or above.
"Ino, on the other hand, while having little prior notice, gave one of the most impressive displays of a kunoichi's spirit during this Chuunin Exam. Though technically in a real fight, there would be little effect in showing off one's body, she has demonstrated that she already has the mentality, and the potential to be an extremely powerful kunoichi in the future. She's impressed me in a lot of ways.
"Hinata too, has shown that she has more than the required skills and power to be a Chuunin. She has shown a remarkable improvement, according to her guardian, in every area possible. She too has amazing potential, one that will only grow with each rank she moves up.
"And finally, you. You're easy; that's because you're my student, and I know exactly how much you have changed. I saw exactly what I wanted to see down there in that arena. You've far surpassed my expectations, Sakura. You and your friends earned this rank, there is little doubt in that."
Sakura looked up at her master a while, seeing the pride reflected in the older woman's eyes. Tsunade was usually not one to praise overly, and indeed those words were possibly the most praising she had uttered to Sakura in the past year. It made Sakura realize just how much she had grown and changed since she had become Tsunade's apprentice; since she had endured hours of stern lectures and sharp rebukes at the hands of the eternally young Hokage.
Since resolving that the next time she met Naruto, she would be ready to go alongside him, to fulfill the promise that they had made to each other.
"T-thank you, Tsunade-shishou," she stuttered, bowing her head to the woman.
"Your friends will probably be by later; I've told most of them the news, but Kiba's still out cold, so make sure someone tells him."
"Okay," said Sakura, nodding to her master. The woman returned the gesture along with a proud smile, before leaving the room.
When Sakura was alone, she laid back, her head hitting the soft down pillow with a muffled thump. She stared up at the ceiling, and smiled contentedly at the stark, clean, white tile. She could feel elation slowly building up in her. But it did not make her want to scream and dance for joy. She simply felt content, and perhaps even a bit freer, knowing that she was now stronger. It served, she thought, as a marking point. She had reached a new plateau, and from it, she could only go up. With hard work and diligence, she could gain the strength and skill that her teachers had achieved.
And when he got back, he'd have to be impressed. They would finally be equals, and she wouldn't have to look at his, or anyone else's, back again.
'I'll be right there with you, Naruto. We'll definitely get Sasuke-kun back. I swear it.'
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Worlds away, among the cold stonewalls of Stormwind Castle, huddled over an aged book was an equally aged man, whose mind was on far different, and more troubling things. Archbishop Benedictus sat upon a soft, cushioned leather chair in front of the podium in a small chapel; the very same place where he had trained Kira Wrynn for many years.
The old man was hunched over a book, but he was not reading it. Beside him, a cold cup of tea rested, still completely full, along with a candle, which was nearly spent. Aside from the candle, the room was not lit. It was dark and cold, and would continually grow colder as winter began to arrive. But if you had asked Benedictus, he would have said that this place had long since grown dark and cold since Kira had left.
Benedictus had once though of the chapel as his most favorite room in the whole castle. Back then it had been warm and inviting. Whenever he had gone there, it would be to meet the young daughter of his king—a girl whom he thought of as his own. Kira had made the chapel as it had been. She had filled it with life and warmth and that mischievous air that had gotten her into trouble with everyone at one point or another. Back then Benedictus had not recognized this. He had believed that it would always be like that.
But with her departure, the room had changed. The life had been slowly bled from it, the warmth had been snuffed out, and what replaced it was darkness and ice. It brought now not feelings of joy or warmth, but feelings of depression and memories long gone. It had become his least favorite place in the entire castle; aside from the council room, that is.
But it was quiet, and Benedictus felt drawn to it anyways. He wished to remember, everything that had happened back then, because they had been happy and innocent. Now, the world around him seemed bleak and oppressive; the fighting was continuing, and there didn't seem an end to it.
There had been little good news in the past few weeks. The biggest one had been the courier of the Argent Dawn, who had informed him that a large number of refugees had fled from the Scarlet Monastery, which now lay in ruins, and had apparently been freed by a boy and two girls. It was the first news he had ever had of Kira since she had left, and for nearly a week, he had slept peacefully and dreamed good dreams. A bit of the light and warmth had returned for a while, before the fighting and hate had sucked it away.
And what was worse was that he felt something was going to happen. Something big. But he did not need any sort of precognition to know that, for he had been suspecting it for some time before the feelings hit. And unlike other times, he knew the outcome of this event would not be good. It would bring pain and death; that was what he felt. He knew too, who would be responsible for this event occurring. And again, he had not needed any sort of confirmation from his power to know that it would be the fault of that damnable woman, Lady Katrana Prestor.
The woman was as mysterious as ever. Benedictus had been suspecting her of something for quite a while. Though once it had been his mere distrust of the female species, it had blossomed and developed: flowering into a certainty that she was a traitor to the crown. That he knew, without a doubt.
There were many reasons for it, but none conclusive, or even enough to call her out on it. Only his intuition, and his sharp eyes and good memory had let him to this conclusion. Though intuition was merely a feeling, a gut instinct in which there was nothing to say whether it was true or not, he trusted it. Lady Prestor was a traitor; but he could discern the reason why.
His first true inkling had come the very moment he had mentioned Theramore, many weeks ago, when he had first told the Council of his regency. The flicker of emotion in her eyes; that lightening flash of pain, fury, sadness, and many other terrible emotions, illuminating in the span of a few fractions of a second the woman's face and eyes. He had not imagined that.
What was her reason? Many had lost people in Theramore—maybe she had lost a family member, or even a lover.
But the problem was that the Prestor family was a clan of nobles. They did not fight in wars, and were mainly of those who experimented with jutsu and power—mages. And more to the point, Benedictus had not remembered anyone bearing the name Prestor who had been sent over. There was a monument, bearing the names of all who had perished in that battle, on the way to the Cathedral of Stormwind; Benedictus passed it every day, and knew all of the names on it by heart. Prestor was not one of them.
And another thing: it was not uncommon for those in nobility to have lovers and not marry. In fact, it was so commonplace that one hardly went a day without hearing of a scandal involving a noble with another man or woman. Nobody, nowadays, did much about it. In fact, it was almost tolerable for the wealthy to have one or two mistresses or suitors. Word got around so quickly, too, that one had but to listen to the local gossip on the streets of the city to find out exactly who had taken who to bed and other things of that nature. Benedictus had always been a horrible gossip; even back before Anduin had been king. And since then, only a handful of people had not made the gossip meters: the late King, Benedictus himself, Captain Reinhardt Schaun, and Lady Katrana Prestor.
Now, this was not to say that she did not have any suitors or had taken any lovers; she could simply be very good at hiding it. So if that was true, and her lover had gone off and perished in the fight, then her betrayal might have been simply revenge against the man who had sent her lover off to die.
But Lady Prestor did not seem like that type of person. When you looked at her, you saw one of two things: a beautiful, enchanting young woman who could charm almost any man with but a look and a smile; or a powerful, silent, and guarded woman who placed her emotions behind a mask of diamond, beautiful and durable. She had an air around her of class, of nobility, but most of all, of ambition. She felt more like the type to abandon those she loved and cared for to achieve that ambition, whatever it was. He did not believe her at all the loving type.
The next suspicion had come from her long absence during the first few weeks of the sudden uprising and separation of the population. She had given no ideas as to where she had gone, and though Benedictus had not pried, there was something behind that absence. Her only reason had been "family business." The words had been said in such a way that was almost mocking, as if she were part of an inside joke that nobody else was, and she was delighting in it. What sort of "family business" had she been attending to?
To think of it, Lady Katrana was the only Prestor to have ever set foot in Stormwind, to Benedictus' knowledge. The only other Prestor Benedictus had ever heard of had lived in Alterac, before vanishing under extremely mysterious circumstances. He had no idea what relation Lord Daval Prestor had to Lady Katrana, but he believed it might have been father and daughter.
Finally, the last suspicion, which was as slight as the other, had been Reinhardt Schaun's response to his petty insult of the woman. It hadn't been much; a simple flash of rage within the eyes, and a tensing of the body, which suggested that had Benedictus been anyone else, the man would have struck him.
The reaction suggested two possibilities: that he was in love with Lady Katrana, as so many thought they were, or he was bound in some way to her will. If the latter was true, then Benedictus knew there were more. In fact, he had produced similar reactions in three more guards around the castle, simply by starting a conversation, and twisting it so they eventually ended up speaking of his distaste for her. There was no telling how many more there were, especially if the Captain of the Stormwind Guard was under her thrall. That was a troubling notion, and Benedictus hoped that it was the former of the two choices. Love could come and go, but as long as they were bound, they would be terribly dangerous enemies.
All of these things were enough, in Benedictus eyes, to suggest that she was not loyal; that in some way she was plotting to do something terrible and tremendous very soon.
He sighed, and to distract himself from his thoughts, picked up and sipped the cold tea by his arm. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the cold beverage, but swallowed it anyways, and set the cup down. He wiped some sweat from his wrinkled forehead, and brushed some long hair from his sharp eyes. He stood with a creak, slowly, hearing his joints pop and crack like dry twigs being trodden on in the forest.
Perhaps he was thinking too much.
Perhaps he was over-thinking everything, and Lady Katrana was not the opponent that he was seeking. He did not even know a motive, or even what she was behind. Was she behind the death of the King? Was she responsible for igniting the hatred in every person in the city, and setting them against each other?
Benedictus was still of the opinion that the fighting now taking place among the people of the city was unnatural. What were the fighting for, now, that could not be achieved through peace and diplomacy? Everyday there were new attacks or stories of increasingly bloody brawls happening all over the city. Was it the product of simple circumstances, and the people were fighting because they could do nothing else and had no true leader to guide them; or was it because this woman was somehow twisting their thoughts, and spreading rumors and breeding distrust between them. If things kept going the way they were, then there would come a time when no dark seeds needed to be planted, and the fighting would be sustained simply because they had become used to it, and they no longer knew what they fought for.
It seemed foolish, even now because he didn't know why she would do such a thing. Revenge? For what? How had she been wronged that would lead her to turn a nation against itself?
For power? If she destroyed the entire nation, then what power could she hold? What was the good of ruling a country of bones and dust?
No matter how he thought of it, he couldn't tell why. But he knew. He knew it was she. That was clear, and would always remain clear.
There was one last thing, which he realized he continued to gloss over in his thoughts. It was the woman herself, the one thing that one noticed about her immediately.
Her body; beautiful, curved and full, with long black hair and scintillating purple eyes; full red lips and incredible assets that no man could resist; but most of all, young, pretty, and fit.
And yet, contrasting to this appearance, she had served as King Anduin's advisor since even before his coronation, and yet she had never changed. Never once had her face wrinkled, had her hair lost its silken sheen, or had she lost any of her most endearing aesthetic qualities. She had remained, if one could call it, perfect in body, the entire time Benedictus had known her.
It was not unheard of for those of power to hide their true form with a powerful illusion to make them seem young. But such a thing only the vain would consider, only those who cared more about their appearance than anyone else.
Yet, Lady Prestor was not vain. If anything, she wore her beauty as one might a brightly colored, exquisitely woven dress, inlaid with diamonds and rubies and shining as brightly as the sun.
But a dress was still a dress, and it could be removed.
Benedictus grit his teeth, and sat once more.
'Yes,' he thought, 'it's about time that dress was removed, you old snake. I want to see what you hide beneath. I want to see what you truly are.'
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Done.
Again, apologize for lateness and if this chapter sucked, general suckiness. I'm still getting used to classes, and try to write when I have the time.
For those who were disappointed in the Hinata/Sakura fight, then please tell me. In reality, I thought that the fight was superfluous, and would only serve to lengthen the chapter unnecessarily. The Kiba/Ino fight was before it, so I needed a slight transition from the first rounds to Sakura and Hinata's fight, and it would look weird if I cut it out. I thought what Ino did was funny, as well as effective.
I hope the chapter was up to par. Tell me if it isn't.
Next chapter: Naruto's departure from Teldrassil, and Lady Prestor's secret is revealed!
Again, thank you Frankto for the marvelous help with jutsu names.
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Kek.
-Nozdormi
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Spellbook
Daichi no Yoroi (Armor of Earth): Creates a protective layer of rock and earth around the person, grafted to them by chakra.
Katame no jutsu (Hardening Technique): Hardens and compresses the rock of the Daichi no Yoroi.
Tsuchi Kaiken no jutsu (Rock Dagger Technique): Creates a rock dagger from the arm of the Daichi no Yoroi.
Oorinsei no jutsu (Soul of the Ancient Woods Technique): Using her moss, Katanako can generate, using photosynthesis, a near infinite amount of chakra, which can gradually replenish her own and fuel her numbing moss effect. Very powerful and effective, lasts as long as sunlight does.
Kyoushuuhakke Sanjuni Sho (Assault of the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two palms): Uses only one hand, a version and spin-off of Hinata's Shugohakke Rokujyon Sho which she created in the anime version of Naruto. Instead of being used as a protective jutsu, this is an offensive attack, which can pierce through solid iron if need by, or can simply stun and incapacitate people.