Chapter 7
Devon woke up in Gaara's home. He tried to sit up, but the medical ninjas lightly pushed him back down. "We're almost done sir. Just wait a couple of minutes." He reached over and felt very little pain coming from his ribs. "How long have I been out?" he asked one of the medics. The medic was still concentrating chakra into Devon's ribs. "Not long. Just about 5 hours. It's almost midnight. Once we finish, Lord Kazekage has asked that you just rest for tomorrow." The medic moved his hands away and pressed Devon's ribs. "Do you feel any pain?" Devon smiled. "No I don't. Thank you very much." The medics got up and left. Devon turned over and started to go to sleep when He felt a very eerie presence enter his room. He turned to see a shinobi with a sand village headband sitting by his bed. "Sorry to frighten you Devon. My name is Manako Fuusha. Lord Kazekage has instructed me to be your trainer until the tournament. Are you ready to begin?"
"I thought Lord Kazekage was supposed to train me. Did he give up on me or something?" Manako smiled. "Actually, it's the complete opposite. Lord Kazekage would not have sent me if he did not believe you were capable of being my student. Now, we've got about 3 days left to train you before you have to make your way back. We need to leave the village for this. So are you ready to leave?" Something about him didn't seem right. But something in Devon felt that he could trust this man. He sat up in the bed. "Yes. I can leave now." Manako smiled. "Excellent! Let's go." Manako and Devon left the mansion and headed through the forest, covered in darkness and shaded in the moonlight.
In the morning, Gaara went to Devon's room to find it empty. "Guards!" The guards appeared and bowed before Gaara. "Where is Devon?! I told you to make sure he was okay! Why is he not here?!" The guards looked at each other with puzzled stares. One of the guards looked up at Gaara. "Lord Kazekage, I thought you knew Devon left for his training last night around midnight. He left with the man you sent for him to train with." Gaara closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "You know I despise incompetence! You idiots! You fell for a genjutsu! I sent no one to train him!" Gaara rested his head in his hand. "Did you at least get his name?" The other guard looked down in shame. "His name was Manako Fuusha sir." Gaara used his sand to knock them down the hallway. "Go find Devon now! Search everywhere! There's no telling where he could be by now!" The two guards got up and disappeared. Gaara stood at the door, looking at the bed. He thought about the man's name and instantly scowled. He began to realize who it was that took Devon. "Uchiha."
Two Days Later…
Devon woke up in Manako's home, exhausted from yesterday's training. He sat up and saw Manako staring out of the window. Manako stood up and looked at Devon. "Today's the day, Devon. Today's the day you tame your beast." Devon cringed at the thought of using that jutsu. Manako sat at the foot of the bed and smiled reassuringly. "With all of the knowledge you've been given by the Lord Kazekage and me, why are you worried? You'll do just fine." Devon closed his eyes. "Because Kaikaron also knows everything that's been taught to me. And he has the malicious will to use it to its most destructive potential." Manako stopped smiling and got in Devon's face. "But you have one important thing that he lacks. You have the will to live. You have the power to live. Never forget that. Because that is what sets you apart from everyone else. Now, get ready and we'll go back to the training ground." Manako stood up and walked outside. Devon got up and looked in the mirror. Kaikaron's face flashed over his. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, today is the day that I rise and you fall! Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Kaikaron teased. Devon smirked and stretched his neck from side to side. He looked into Kaikaron's "eyes" and said "Sensei Manako is right. I have the will to live. But both you and he missed something about me." Kaikaron stopped laughing and looked at Devon. "I'll do whatever it takes to make certain that you feel the pain you've caused me throughout my life. As long as you feel that pain, I don't care if I win or lose." Devon stepped back and kicked the mirror. He stared at the shattered pieces for a moment, then finished getting dressed and headed outside.
Manako looked inside and saw the mirror broken on the floor. He sighed and shook his head. "You know you owe me a new mirror right?" Devon nodded and they started walking towards the training ground. Manako stopped for a second. "Better yet, let's go somewhere else. You'll probably need the room." Devon followed Manako to an empty field. Manako found a stump and sat on it. "Just like I taught you. And remember, you have the will to live." Devon bowed his head and stepped into the middle of the sand-covered field. He concentrated his chakra into the sand and began to make it rise above his head. The sand formed and hardened into a large dome that covered almost the entire field. Devon then began to concentrate on Kaikaron's energy like his father had taught him. He made the appropriate hand signs and shouted "Secret Art: Spirit Release Jutsu!" Red chakra began to pulsate around Devon. The chakra left Devon's body and went into the ground. The ground began to shake and crack around him. Red chakra began to glow from the cracks. Then the shaking and glowing stopped. Devon looked around and saw no trace of Kaikaron. He started to question whether he had performed it right or not when he suddenly had to back flip twice to avoid Kaikaron's fist coming out of the ground for his head. Devon stood back up to see Kaikaron standing in front of him. It was no surprise that Kaikaron looked exactly like him, except for the fang-shaped teeth. Devon's father told him that when he performed the technique, the spirit would appear as he would.
Kaikaron smiled and tilted his head, looking Devon up and down with a sadistic grin. "So that's what you look like from out here! I always wondered that!" Kaikaron looked like he was eyeing new clothes! "You ready to die Devon?" Kaikaron moved into his fighting stance. Devon moved into a different stance and smiled. "I've been ready to die since you came into my life. Today is no different."