So I was like, when the fuck was the chuunin exams? I googled that shit, said it was around July. Because I didn't bother to think of it beforehand, it seems Kuroki's birthday has already past since it was on the second of May. That makes her fifteen already and Sasuke and the others are going to be thirteen, with Sasuke's birthday on the 23rd. That's going to be interesting. But anyways, I'm sad I couldn't get in a birthday chapter for Kuroki, but well.
Now, let me tell you; OH, MY GOD IT'S FUCKING LONG! That's what she said. .-. Anyways. I didn't mean for it to be so long. And I honestly didn't know how I was going to go about it. Then you know, this happened. Either I refined it or I was lazy and left it as it is. There might be some confusing parts, so you know, let me know.
Thank you all for the reviews and the support! Means a lot to me. I always want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SELIIIA~~. I shall dedicate this chapter for you, as a birthday present. It's even long too! I hope you all enjoy it!
Kuroi swiftly dodged a punch engulfed by blue lightning, the sound of lightning crackling making his ear twitch at the proximity. Kuroki stopped her punch after realising her punch wouldn't connect, and instead turned, attempting to use her other arm to elbow him in the chest, despite the fact that her back would be facing him. Unfortunately for her, her father was much faster and wasn't held back by heavy weights that she was slowly adjusting to, and moved away even further, effectively dodging her attack. He quickly leaned forward, running towards his daughter with the intent to punch her in the stomach. To his advantage, Kuroki was unable to successfully dodge or block the blow, causing her to grunt and become winded as his fist connected with her stomach, sending her backwards. Kuroki smashed her back against the ground, dirt kicking up as she flipped, landing on her feet and skidding back, more dirt flying up.
Luckily for her, her weights took most of the blow, but was strong enough to at least wind her. If she wasn't wearing it, she'd most likely have internal bleeding. Her eyes shifted to the small crater a few metres in front of her, indicating where she hit her back. Her eyes immediately shifted towards Kuroi, who was sprinting towards her. A growl escaped her when she thought about how slow her moves were. Her father unsheathed his katana, sending chakra into the weapon and causing lightning to visually appear around it. He jumped up silently, raising the blade over his head as his eyes stayed on his daughter's form. She sneered as her hand quickly grabbed the hilt of her own katana, unsheathing it from behind her and just barely raising it to block the sharp metal aiming for her shoulder. Kuroki clicked her tongue as she struggled to keep up the katana, Kuroi's strength forcing down on her and small bolts of lightning zapping her hands. She dropped her hands, swiftly moving to the side as Kuroi's blade swung down at the air and swung her own towards Kuroi's face. Kuroi leaned back, her sword only just scratching his cheek.
Two minutes later, Kuroki was panting as she wiped the blood leaking from her mouth with the back of her glove, her other hand still holding the hilt of her lightning-infused katana. She was bloody, bruised and dirty, her clothes soaked with blood and cuts in various areas whilst Kuroi stood a few metres in front of her, showing no signs of fatigue on his form and the only injury he bared was the light scratch on his cheek, his lightning-infused katana at his hand.
'She's improved.' He noted. Her movements were slower than him, but he could see that her body was gradually adjusting to the burdens on her limbs and stomach. He glanced around the training grounds, various craters of all sizes decorated the ground, a few still emitting smoke and dust from explosive tags and lightning attacks. 'Her chakra pools have increased...' He then noted, realizing that by now she should've been unconscious by now from exhaustion, the amount of lightning jutsus she used would've exhausted anyone. 'Perhaps it's from Jin, then...?' Kuroi wondered. It was certainly a possibility. His eyes roamed over her appearance again, noticing that she was close to collapsing.
"That's enough for today." He stated, looking up to see the fiery colours in the sky. He heard a thump, and looked back, seeing that his daughter had collapsed, dirt flying up around her. A sighed escaped him as he sheathed his sword, and trudged over to her.
He dropped down to pick her up, her breathing steady indicating that she was already asleep. A small smile graced his lips as he grabbed her sword, sheathed it, then picked her up bridal style. "I'm proud of you, little Kuro." He praised her, glancing at her sleeping face to see a small smile.
'Only a two or so weeks left.' Kuroi thought solemnly as he made his way home.
'Luckily, she's improving quickly, but her genjutsu is still lacking compared to her other skills.' Kuroi analysed.
"Protect her from genjutsu, Jin." He spoke aloud, hoping that the bonded being didn't need Kuroki to be awake to hear him. "I may not be able to."
A slight shiver ran down his spine as he heard the lightest of wispy chuckles, revealing to Kuroi that the being could very well hear him. A sigh escaped the jounin. Only fifteen and she's bonded with a spirit, who seems to have some deadly blood lusts. He didn't want to have to rely on the being named Jin to protect his daughter, but he might be the only one who can when she really needs it.
'Relying on a spirit I've never even met to protect my daughter...' He looked down as his beautiful daughter as he landed silently in front of his house. She was sleeping peacefully, and despite all the blood and dirt on her, he still thought she was beautiful. Pride swelled within him, she resembled both him and his wife, and excelled at being a ninja. Ever since she was small, he knew there was something special about her. Wise beyond her years, but still able to have a childhood.
He opened the door with little difficulty, instantly being greeted by the giant furry dog named Shiruba. He smiled at the intelligent dog who remained silent, knowing his master was sound asleep. He greeted his wife who just exited her giant library, then walked up the stairs to Kuroki's room. A sly smirk formed on his lips when he felt Sasuke's chakra signature from her room.
Kuroi knew of the romance between the Uchiha and her daughter, but never got involved with it. They were both incredibly loyal to one another, and even though he noticed the distance they recently gained, they basically stared at each other all the time.
Sasuke's head snapped up when he heard the door creak open, revealing Kuroi and a dirty Kuroki who was sound asleep. His onyx eyes glued themselves to her tattered form from the bed they used to share, before realising that Kuroi was smirking at him. His eyes narrowed in slight embarrassment, trying not to blush at the awkwardness.
"Going to keep her company, are you?" He asked slyly, gently placing Kuroki on the bed after Sasuke stood up to let him do so. He removed her sword and placed it against the desk.
"I..." Sasuke didn't finish his sentence as he stared, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting Kuroki's hair behind her pierced ear. Kuroi smiled softly before walking out of the room, closing the door behind him softly.
The Uchiha ran a hand through her hair, causing Kuroki to made a sound of contentment unconsciously. He smirked when she instinctively leaned towards him.
It seemed Kuroi was finally getting serious with his training. Kakashi had told Sasuke that Kuroi was an incredible ninja who held many powerful secrets.
Sasuke wiped away the dried blood on her lips with his thumb, caressing them absently before leaning down. He gently placed his lips over hers, savoring the much missed sensation that he loved. Pulling back only because of his lack of breath, he stared down at her before standing up and beginning to walk to the door.
He paused when he was right in front of the door to her room, staring intently at it before looking over his shoulder and back at Kuroki, whose form was illuminated by the moon that seeped in through the window. His heart clenched at leaving her, but he needed to. He needed to, but he couldn't move.
'Just leave, dammit.' Sasuke chided himself. 'It'll only makes things harder if I stay.'
Sasuke shook his head, trying to convince himself. 'I need to focus on getting stronger for now. I need to...' Despite the mental battle going on in his head, his feet brought him back to the edge of the bed, and before he realised what he was doing, he was laying down next to her.
"Dammit..." He curled his lip after realising where he was. His head said to get up now and leave, but he knew he couldn't, not when she was laying there, next to him, soundly asleep.
He groaned, before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close, not caring about her dirty form. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. A lot of it was blood, but under it all, he could smell the subtle scents of sweets. He hated sweets, but he loved her scent of sweets.
'She's my weakness...' He groaned inwardly. 'My temptation. Sometimes I hate her for it...'
For the first time in about three weeks, Sasuke was finally able to get a proper nights' sleep.
A yawn escaped me as I reluctantly attempted to open my eyes. They felt like they were glued shut before I could actually open them. I glanced to my window, the sun wasn't up, but apparently it was dawn. I glanced to my desk, bright numbers telling me it was around five. I stretched, before I froze. Sasuke's familiar scent was stronger than it usually was, causing me to sit up straight and look to my right, seeing as how I was on Sasuke's side. I placed my hand on the sheets, and my heart tightened at the warmth still there.
Did he sleep with me last night?
Ugh! Now I miss him even more! I threw my pillow at the door when I realised that he was behind it. It thud and dropped to the floor.
"Sasuke~." I whined, now wanting to suffocate him with my hugs. I stood up, walked to the door, grabbed the pillow, opened the door and slapped Sasuke in the face with the pillow. I heard him grunt as he grabbed the pillow, then removed it from his face slowly. His eyes looked down, trying to avoid my eyes.
"Why'd you go and do that?" I questioned him. We both knew that if we were to distance ourselves from each other to focus on getting stronger then suddenly go and do something intimate we're going to go insane. His eyes shifted to mine and we remained eye contact before he stepped forward, throwing the pillow back into my room without looking and cupped my face, his eyes pleading, begging for something.
"I couldn't help it." He all but whispered, the sound of desperation in his tone. "I had to."
"This is going to drive us insane." I stated, grabbing his wrists and gently pulling his hands away from my face.
"It already is." He muttered, before pressing his lips against mine before I could reply. Against the logical thoughts my head bombarded me with, I kissed back.
"Good morning."
Sasuke and I separated like the other had a fast spreading, highly contagious disease, our eyes darting towards Kuroi who leaned against the railing of the staircase down the hall from us. He was smirking at us.
"Ah, that's awkward." I cringed, looking anywhere but Kuroi and Sasuke. We both shifted awkwardly until I realised I needed a goddamn shower.
"I'm a go and take a shower." I stated, glancing at Sasuke when he suddenly lit up like a cherry. I smiled slyly when I realised he remembered when I walked out of the shower in nothing but a towel. "You dirty."
"Ugh..." Sasuke covered his face before marching to his room and shutting the door. I looked to Kuroi, who was currently placing his hands in his pockets.
"You were there for a while, weren't you?" I narrowed my eyes at my father, who shrugged innocently.
"Since you smacked him in the face with the pillow." Kuroi clarified, causing me to sigh. It was obvious that Aonami and Kuroi knew of the relationship between Sasuke and I. They'd have to be Naruto dense if not.
"I'm taking a shower." I stated, walking into my room.
"Be ready by eight." I heard Kuroi, and muttered an 'okay' before closing my door and getting my stuff ready for a shower.
I stood in front of the full body mirror in the bathroom, seeing the dirt, dried blood and quickly healing bruises all over my body. My weights were spotless since I always wrapped them with bandages to make it seem like I wasn't wearing any at all. I sighed in content when I walked into the shower, turned on the cold water and leaned my head against the tiled wall.
Luckily for me, my body was slowly adjusting to the new weights, but damn, they limited my speed and movements. I hoped to hell that I was at least rivaling Lee in speed. We'd have to have a spar one time.
I kneeled down beside the tree with the red cloth wrapped around it, waiting for the moment to push off and run around the goddamn village again.
"Go." I pushed off, seeing the dirt kick up behind me as I began my sprint about the village. Kuroi was watching me from somewhere above, timing me. I was thankful he didn't throw explosive tags anymore because of various complaints, but he still threw kunai if I was lagging.
I slid, jumped, spun, dodged, weaved and so many other movements around the village. My movements were faster than before, allowing me to dodge kunai thrown my way without getting injured too much.
She passed the tree once, making her way around the village a second time. Kuroi looked down at his stop watch, impressed that she beat her previous record by a good six and a half seconds. He threw another kunai, watching as she dodged it without looking, jumping over buildings and spinning.
He smiled slightly when she ran along the water, her chakra control a lot more precise. Not perfect, but definitely better.
In a few hours, Kuroki was panting, sprawled out on the ground and staring up at the clouds that passed her by. Kuroi had been training her mind to detect disrupt jutsu, doing it at random moments during their sparring. Only once out of around eleven times had she noticed it, but he was glad she wasn't fully relying on Jin to detect it. He'd have to make her tame him so she doesn't go killing everything like he knew she did during the second test of the chuunin exams.
It was so unlike her, her eyes glowed out against the night and stood out whenever she was on the screen they used to monitor the forest. He frowned as he leaned against a tree, his arms folded as he contemplated the mysterious being named Satsujin. His name was already an indicator of his seemingly bad nature. Kuroi knew that Jin was an intelligent being, despite being bloodthirsty.
He watched as he tricked two teams of genin and made them injure each other before slaughtering them all in a slow and grotesque fashion. The girls were the last to go, watching their male teammates be tortured in front of their eyes, and they were unable to do anything to help, screaming for him to stop. It was agonising to watch, but Kuroi was used to it, he'd seen ninjas who weren't under the influence of a demonic being do basically the same thing. He could also see the dark chakra surrounding Kuroki's form.
What made him wonder was why the mark under her eye were jagged and crooked when he took over Kuroki's body. Was there something with the mark that was connected with Jin? A sigh escaped the elder Taidana as he felt uncomfortable with the whole thing. Why had they even bonded in the first place?
Kuroki was peculiar. Kakashi and Kuroi would have conversations about his daughter, seeing as his old friend was now the mentor of her. They agreed that he train Kuroki whilst Kakashi trained Sasuke. Kuroki always seemed to have some affinity with taijutsu, apparently already knowing various stances he'd never seen before. They deemed her as a prodigy when she was younger, but she wanted to start late at the academy, and graduate at the same time as her classmates. She was no longer known as a prodigy, but many still believed she had talent.
The whole thing with her being able to see one possible future worried him, though he never showed it. It wasn't a kekkai genkai, he knew. The Taidana clan's only supposed trait was their ability to communicate with spirits, but even that was a rarity amongst the clan. It was almost like she was someone much older born into the body of a newborn. A smirk formed on Kuroi's lips.
It wouldn't be surprising, reincarnation was something many people believed in. Perhaps Kuroki was one of the special few who pertained their memories instead of having a clean slate.
The thought of Guy teaching Kuroki in the art of taijutsu made him snort, she'd probably try to kill him if he ever 'punished' her the he way he does with his student, Rock Lee. Kuroki was particularly destructive, and seemed to have her own blood lust, probably a bad combination with Jin's most likely never ending one. He'd have to try harder to build up her tolerance from genjutsu, otherwise someone might make her kill an ally.
What a hassle.
She ran faster. She fought better. She had better stamina. She improved in genjutsu, but Kuroi was still unsatisfied as she was still lacking greatly. He taught her how to dispel it though, and at least notice ones that weren't as strong. He did remember her talking about the sleeping jutsu they'd use at the arena, though. That worried him.
Kuroki was a better ninja, now though.
Training vigorously for the remaining time, she was now able to move without restraint, her body fully adjusting to the weights that held her back for a while. He was proud as she was able to channel her chakra better and be more precise in control, allowing her not to expend so much energy on the jutsu she does. Her kenjutsu improved, so he gave her a new sword called a tachi.
It was just about a metre long, curved and had no guard. It colour design was of blacks and dark greys, the blade was spotless and shiny, its material a dark silver colour. Kuroki was ecstatic with the new sword, immediately acquainting herself with the new style. Kuroi was glad that she was able to quickly grasp the new sword's ways, not having trouble maneuvering the weapon and still capable of making swift and deadly blows like she was able to beforehand. Kuroki was pleased that it was longer, and its curved form allowed her to place it horizontally along her lower back much easier than when she had the less curved katana. Kuroi knew how expensive it was, as it was a master piece of swords and was crafted by a highly renowned and talented master swordsmith, but he felt it was worth it after the hellish training he'd put her through.
He definitely believed that Kuroki could become a chuunin easily now. Actually, the Hokage had informed him of his recommendation of Kuroki's promotion the day she came to inform him of the invasion. Kuroi was obviously a little surprised by the news. Despite her sadistic tendencies, the Hokage had believed she had deserved to have a recommendation at the very least, her talk of strategy with the invasion and her level-headed composure impressed the old man.
Sasuke and Kuroki were becoming increasingly colder to one another, the distance between them expanding. Sasuke seemed to be avoiding her altogether, trying to not even look at her. The cold shoulder Kuroki was given caused her to accept the new way they treated each other, and focus on the invasion.
Now, all they had to do was go to the chuunin exam and prepare for the impact the invasion will put on people...which was tomorrow...Whilst Kuroki and Kuroi were having a day off, Gaara was paying a visit to a sleeping Lee in the hospital.
He stood at Lee's bedside as he slept, his blood lust rising.
'Why?'
The word actually brought a certain female to mind, and his eyes widened at how she instantly popped up in his mind. He wanted to kill Lee, yet at a time like this she pops up. He growled at how much she'd been on his mind all these weeks.
She was an enigma, and he hated that. She seemed to have him all figured out and he couldn't understand her at all. He wanted to kill her, and she continued to want to befriend him.
She frustrated him to no end, and it frustrated him even more to know that she was on his mind for the past few weeks, trying to figure her out, wondering how she'd feel if she knew he was here to destroy her home village? Would she want to kill him, then?
Would she get rid of her intentions if she killed Rock Lee? He raised his hand over the thick-browed ninja, his sand leaking out of the gourd and hovering over Lee with the intent to kill him. His eyes were wide with insanity. Rock Lee, Guy, Kuroki.
He wanted to kill them all.
So why hadn't he killed Kuroki? His sand froze, as did he. Why?
Why didn't he kill her that night? It would've been so much easier if he did, yet he didn't.
WHY!?
'I want you to see that it's not all about the killing and all that. Your purpose in life is so much bigger than that. So much so.' Her voice rung inside his head, his hands quickly grabbing his head as his sand fell back into his gourd. He couldn't see Rock Lee in front of him. He couldn't see anything but her.
She infuriated him. Was it because she said that he didn't need to prove his existence to her? Or was it because of the fact that she understood him, in one of the worst ways?
'I used to wonder what my purpose in life was...and when I joined these people, they showed me how...amazing it was to hurt people who tried to hurt me, to see the fear in their eyes.'
He knew she was telling the truth. That day, when he saw her at the beginning of the preliminaries, he could smell the blood on her. She basically bathed in it, and it brought up such blood lust that he wanted to tear her apart. But yet, she seemed to be able to smile and laugh without being a maniac.
Gaara followed her home multiple times, despite the fact that ANBU seemed to be protecting her for whatever reason. He watched from afar through the window, seeing her with her family and Uchiha Sasuke. In his head, he used Sasuke as an excuse to follow her home. He wanted them both dead. Both.
She had a family, she had so many things he did not, so why is it that she could relate and understand him?! It was illogical! He should just kill her when he sees her next!
Taidana Kuroki has done nothing but plague him, and for some reason, he's allowed it. He can't allow that anymore.
He can't. She'll betray him if he accepts her, she will. He doesn't need her love.
He doesn't need anyone!
But he wants someone.
Deep down within him. Even he himself didn't know it, but he wanted to be loved again.
"Hey! What are you doing here, you bastard?!"
Gaara was snapped out of his thoughts when a certain blonde boy and Shikamaru barged into the room. He looked to the door with a dark look, staring at them with such intensity it unnerved the two.
"You..." Naruto growled at the red head. "What are you up to?"
"What were you trying to do to thick-brows!?" Naruto demanded. Gaara looked to his right, seeing Lee still asleep despite Naruto's loud voice. He'd forgotten all about him.
"I was trying to kill him." Gaara responded stoically. It was true, until he became lost in his thoughts. Shikamaru tensed at the way the sand nin's eyes narrowed darkly, but it seemed he wasn't actually glaring at them.
"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Why is there a need to do that? You won the fight!" Shikamaru questioned the deranged red head, intent on finding out why he was trying to kill Rock Lee.
"Do you have some personal grudge against him?"
"I do not." Gaara responded in a monotone. "I'm going to kill him just because I want to kill him." He explained, but he clicked his tongue when her words echoed in his head again.
'It's not all about the killing.'
She's haunting him!
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Naruto yelled as he pointed a dramatic finger at Gaara. "BASTARD!"
It was a wonder Lee was still asleep.
"You must have had a messed up childhood. How self-centered can you be?" Shikamaru commented, frowning.
Gaara's mind reeled back to the moment Kuroki talked about Uzumaki Naruto, the blonde idiot standing in front of him now.
They both had a similar childhood, according to her. Envy soon filled him when he realised that despite their similar childhoods, Naruto had people who cared about him, who didn't betray him or let him be lonely.
"If you get in my way...I'll kill you too." Gaara threatened them, his fist clenching.
"WHAT?!" Naruto punched the air. "GO AHEAD AND TRY!"
"Hey Naruto!" Shikamaru grabbed the loud blonde's shoulder. "Stop!"
"Dammit..." Gaara muttered. Damn that Taidana for making him rethink everything he does. He began to walk forward, Shikamaru and Naruto tensing at the movement, but he wasn't looking at them. He needed leave now.
"Hey..." Naruto was about to question him on what he was doing before he and Shikamaru were shoved out of the way roughly by the red head. Gaara stopped, looking down at the blonde who fell from the sudden push. His eyes were cold, but Shikamaru could see that he seemed to be having a mental war inside.
"I'll definitely kill you guys..." He threatened lowly, cringing as he grabbed his face for some reason. "Just wait...I'll kill her too..."
And then he left.
Shikamaru and Naruto blinked in the direction the deranged Gaara had left. "Her...?"
The lazy but genius ninja grabbed his chin in thought as he frowned. "He...couldn't possibly mean..."
I stared up at the ceiling, motionless for a while. I hadn't slept that long, and the sun soon rose, the rays leaking in through my window. Sitting up, I sighed. Today's the day.
"This shit be cray cray." I muttered, now standing in a row with the winners of the preliminaries. I scratched the back of my head when I felt an intense and blood lusting gaze from my left side. I glanced to the side, seeing Gaara give me such a pissed off look I stepped closer to Neji, who looked at me questionably.
What did I do to piss him off so much? He wasn't like this the last time I saw him.
Sighing, I faced the crowd, which was huge, mind you, and I was nervous as fuck. It's today.
Today.
TOODAAAY.
Shut up, Kuroki. God.
I glanced around momentarily, and was mildly surprised when Sasuke wasn't here yet. I would've expected him to show up early this time, but I guess not.
I didn't see him this morning either. I had to pry myself off of Aonami, who was apparently much earlier than I, which meant Sasuke left way before I even woke up.
Placing my hands in my pockets when the Hokage stood up, I tilted my head up to look at him as he spoke.
"Thanks everyone for coming to the hidden leaf chuunin exam!" He announced and thanked everyone. I frowned when I saw the split second eye contact he made with me. I glanced to his left, seeing the 'Kazekage'. I clenched my fists when I felt the familiar murderous intent I usually had when the snake was around.
"We will now start the main tournament matches between ten participants who made it through the preliminaries!" The Hokage announced. "Please stay and watch until the end!" They'll be sleeping, so...
"Sasuke isn't here yet, what are you going to do?" Naruto asked the proctor.
"If he doesn't appear by the time of his match, he will receive a default loss." What's his name responded.
I glanced to my left to find Gaara making a rather messed up expression, causing me to nearly laugh for some unknown reason. I coughed, smothering the strange urge to laugh.
"The arena is different, but the rules are the same as the prelims; there are none." I looked to the proctor. "You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. But if I determine that the fight is over, I'll step in and stop it, you got that?"
I yawned.
"Now, the first fight, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji. Those two stay here while the rest of you go to the waiting room."
Neji and I glanced at each other, before I raised my fist. He bumped it with his own lightly, smirking arrogantly at me. I looked over to Naruto.
"You show him whose the real winner, monkey!" I cheered with a mischievous grin, poking my tongue at the Hyuuga who was not amused.
Naruto grinned at me and gave me the thumbs up. "You just watch, Kuroki-chan! I will!" I noticed that in each of the trees, was a shadow clone, hiding. I couldn't really tell which was which though. Maybe the one standing in front of was the real one. When did he even do that anyways?
I waved to him before walking with the others to the waiting room, which was just a place across from the audience for us to wait at.
When I sat down and crossed my legs, I looked around to find Gaara not too far from me, his eyes glaring daggers at me.
What the shit did I do!?
Ino sat somewhere near me and Shikamaru, sighing. Her hair was still long, since she didn't fight with Sakura. She seemed a bit banged up.
"Did you practice that hard in taijutsu?" I questioned her, tilting my head at her. Her eyes darted to mine, before she quickly looked away in a huff.
"I know how well you are in it, and it'd just be stupid not to work on it!" She replied, crossing her arms. "But I'm not going to lose to you!" She soon pointed at me dramatically. "I have quite a few things up my sleeve!"
She froze when I suddenly grinned with dark thoughts invading my mind. "So do I." I responded deviously.
The blonde gulped, before looking away. I closed my eyes as I waited for my turn to fight.
"Kuroki-chan..."
...What?
"Kuroki-chan! Wake up!"
I instinctively swung my arms, hitting something. I cringed as the sun suddenly burned my eyes.
"The fuck?!" I swore in confusion, my eyes adjusting as I rapidly looked around to no longer be confused. I saw Naruto one the ground, holding his nose which seemed to be bleeding, and the other participants for the...
"DID I FALL ASLEEP?!" I exclaimed in horror, various people within the audience looking at me. How could I fall asleep and miss Naruto's match!?
"Ooow!" Naruto whined. "You did, Kuroki-chan! I was trying to wake you when you suddenly punched me in the nose!" He explained. I gasped.
Before bursting out in laughter.
"My bad!" I snickered, not actually sorry at all.
"You're not sorry at all!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me. It was true, though.
Shikamaru sighed. "We just wanted to tell you Sasuke's match with Gaara has been postponed."
"Oh, yeah?" I asked after calming down, unsurprised.
"The next match, Kankuro and Aburame Shino! Come down!"
I looked over to Kankuro, who looked over to his sister, both wearing worried looks. "I forfeit!" He called.
Shit. I sighed.
After a moment of hesitation, the examiner sighed. "Fine...the next match! Yamanaka Ino and Taidana Kuroki!"
My turn, huh?
"Go, Kuroki-chan!" Naruto cheered, fist pumping in the air.
Standing up, I jumped over the railing, letting gravity pull me down. I landed easily on my feet, sighing as I scratched the back of my head. I walked over to the examiner lazily, not keen on fighting in front of so many people.
"Hey! Who's going to fight her?! Hurry up and come down!" Some random from the crowd yelled, his voice annoyed. I glanced back to see Ino just come down from the waiting area. I smirked when I saw her muttering in annoyance to the crowd.
I turned to face her, yawning.
"Are you both ready?"
"Mm."
Ino nodded with a determined face.
"Go, Kuroki-chaaan!"
I grinned at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Begin!"
Ino's hand immediately went to her kunai pouch, I positioned myself to dodge as she threw two kunai at me, aiming for my chest. I side-stepped, my eyes instantly going to her hands which were making handsigns.
Ram...Snake...Tiger.
Bunshin?
I was correct, as suddenly three Ino's were facing me. I glanced to the ground below them and blinked when I saw that the only one with a shadow was the one on the right. They all ran at me, the one with the shadow being the only one who kicked up dust.
I kept my eyes on the one with the shadow, ignoring the kunai that came from the other two and dodging the actual kunai with ease. They all raised their fists once they were closing in one me. I sighed, before leaning forward.
Intending to catch her off-guard, I pushed off the ground and sprinted towards the real one. She faltered when she realised I was coming towards her, but was unable to react as I had superior speed. I lifted my right knee, just in time to hit her in the chest, she exhaled sharply as the wind was knocked out of her. I heard a crack before she was forced back by the force of my hit. I made sure not to cause her serious damage but it was enough to make the impact she has with the ground knock her out. I glanced to the left to see her clones pop out of existence.
As expected, her back smashed roughly against the ground as she slid. I saw her head smack into the dirt as she landed, which would make me believe that she was unconscious before her body even stopped skidding along the ground. The dust kicked up, not allowing us to see her state until it finally settled to reveal her knocked out.
I yawned as the examiner went to check on her and placed my hands in the pockets of my pants, my eyelids lowering halfway as I sighed.
"Winner! Taidana Kuroki!" The examiner announced quickly, the crowd clapping at my win.
"That was the quickest knock out I've ever seen!" Someone yelled from the audience.
"She didn't stand a chance against that girl!"
"I can't believe it was a one-hit KO! Whoa, man!"
I sighed again when I imagined how pissed she'd be when she wakes up and finds out that I one-hit KO'd her in front of basically the entire village. As well as break a few of her ribs. Placing my hands in my pockets as I involuntarily yawned, I glanced up at the Hokage, whose eyes caught mine as he gave me a serious but somehow encouraging nod. I avoided looking at the 'Kazekage' as looking at him would probably annoy me. Leisurely making my way to the wall where the waiting room was, Ino was being carried out by medic nin as Temari glided down to the arena on her giant fan.
Naruto was leaning over the railing excitedly, his fist pumping in the air as he cheered for me. "YEAH! KUROKI-CHAN IS AWESOME!"
My eyes shifted over to Gaara, who still looked pissed at me. I sighed again, before deciding to grin at him to see if he would lighten up or at least have a different expression. I was happy when his eyes widened as per usual when I was involved, but they narrowed again as he looked around in a huff.
I bent my knees, before pushing off the ground and jumping up onto the railing Naruto was leaning on. I grabbed it, before turning to face the arena and sat down, my legs securing themselves so I wouldn't fall. Temari stood proudly in the arena as Shikamaru sighed.
"Go, Shikamaru!" Naruto cheered, roughly patting the Nara on the back and forcing him over the railing. He fell with a loud thud. There was a moment of silence as the two of us shared lazy eye contact. I smirked at him.
The crowd yelled for him to hurry up.
I glanced at Gaara, who I caught looking at me angrily. I sighed, then scooted over to him on the railing. Temari and Kankuro both looked bewildered whilst Gaara simply narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
I leaned over, then turned to face him as he turned to face me head on as well. My eyelids lowered halfway as if I was unimpressed. "You got something to say to me?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
"Die." Was his response. I clicked my tongue.
"One day. Today is not the day." I replied, poking my tongue out childishly. He stared at my tongue before looking back at my eyes.
"I'll rip it out." He threatened.
"Ew, then you're going to cook it, salt it then eat it? Eww, Gaara." I made a small expression of disgust, making his eye twitch. "I'll pinch your cheeks, you baby panda."
"Today is the day you die if you do."
"...Are they..." I saw Kankuro and Temari out of the corners of my eyes having the most disbelieving expressions.
"Are they...bickering?" Temari finished, entirely unsure. Gaara heard them, glancing over to them and causing them to straighten up even though Temari wasn't that close to him and unable to actually hear him properly when he would speak. His cold eyes were enough to strike fear within her.
"No, we are not bickering." Gaara stated firmly, if not threateningly.
"So uptight." I sighed. "What kind of long and firm stick is up your ass?"
I instantly raised my hands in surrender when his sand began to seep out of his gourd, a still very amused smile on my face.
His sand hovered around as he stared me down, and I didn't shy away, simply staring at him. Seeing his lip twitch slightly in annoyance, he frowned, turning away and returning the sand to his gourd.
The looks on his siblings' faces were priceless.
"Kuroki-chan~! Shikamaru's fight has already started! Stop hanging out with that bastard and sit with meeeee!" Naruto voice called out to me. I grinned at the death stare Gaara threw at Naruto, but I listened, waving at the Sand Siblings before returning to my place next to Naruto.
"Why do you always seem to talk to that funny-looking bastard, Kuroki-chan?" Naruto frowned, sending a scrutinizing eye at the red head.
"He's not that different from you in childhood pasts and monsters." I replied enigmatically, a secretive smile forming on my lips.
Naruto looked at my, puzzled, and my eyes widened slightly. "Didn't he tell you of his past?"
"Shikamaru and I saw him in Lee's room yesterday, but all he was doing was standing there and then he said he was trying to kill Lee! Then he said he was going to kill us all, and 'her', whoever she is." The blonde squinted his eyes as he rubbed the back of his head.
"He didn't tell you of his past?" I repeated, surprised by the news.
"No, why would he?" Naruto asked. I waved a dismissive hand and told him to just watch the fight.
That's...that's not what happened in canon. Did I change that? Shit, did I actually change that?! Oh, my god, but he's going to go on a rampage and Naruto's meant to be the one to stop him!
Sighing, I watched Shikamaru's fight. It was definitely something else to watch it in real than when watching it as an animation. Predictable since I'd seen it before, but still awesome.
Shikamaru, Naruto, the examiner whose name I forgot and myself were waiting in the middle of the arena for Sasuke to arrive. I had this feeling he'd arrive dramatically.
"ARGH! Where is that idiot! He's not here yet?!" Naruto angrily stomped the ground as I placed my hands in my pockets, wondering if they'd found the Kazekage's corpse yet.
Suddenly, leaves began to appear as a whirl of wind appeared in front of us. I looked at it with half-open eyelids, honestly not impressed at all.
The leaves and wind died down to reveal a flashy looking Sasuke and Kakashi with their backs together. I looked at Sasuke's appearance. It was like how it was in canon, but they didn't show his knees anymore.
"Sorry, we're late." Kakashi apologised. I blinked, just realising that this was the first time I've heard his voice in a month, or even see him for that matter. He already knew about the incoming invasion, didn't he? I stared at up at the copy ninja, who seemed to catch my eye. I gave him a serious look, and he soon returned it, nodding once. I closed my eyes, so he knew after all. No surprise there.
Naruto had an excited grin as the examiner asked for Sasuke's name.
I tilted my head as Sasuke purposefully didn't look at me as he turned to look at the examiner. Hm.
"Uchiha Sasuke." He introduced himself broodingly.
"Yay, the amazing Sasuke has arrived." I muttered sarcastically.
"From your excitement..." Sasuke faced Naruto, placing a hand on his hip. All he needs is to sway them and he'll get all the boys. "you won the first round?"
When I looked at him, he once again didn't look at me at all. "Of course!" Naruto grinned. "Should've seen the look on Neji's face when he realised Kuroki-chan was right about me all along!" He laughed. "Kuroki-chan believed in me from the very beginning!"
I smiled at him. "Of course, monkey. You're a lot stronger than people give you credit for." I commented, inwardly cursing at not being awake during their fight. How could I fall asleep?
"Hehehe, like when he realised that the one he was talking to the entire time was a clone, and every time he thought he was fighting the real one, it was a clone! I uppercut him from below the ground, then my clone kicked him in the back, and we did a combo! Oh, man, you should've seen him! And he was talking all about destiny and losers, and blah blah blah, too!" Naruto boasted, but at least I got some insight to his battle. It wasn't how I remembered it to be according to his description.
"And you should've seen the one hit knock out Kuroki-chan gave Ino!" I sighed as the monkey went on. "Ino tried to confuse her by making crappy bunshin clones, it didn't work because Kuroki went straight up to the real one and smacked her in the chest with her knee! Ino went flying! Then she got knocked out, hahaha!"
"Her specialty isn't taijutsu." I drawled, defending the female blonde.
"Anyways..." Kakashi spoke up, rubbing the back of his head. "We showed up all flashy and all, but could Sasuke have been...disqualified?"
"I'm glad I'm not the only one to think so." I commented, then shook my head. "Everyone wanted to see your fight, so you know, they pushed it to the end."
"Just as she says," Examiner agreed. "No need to worry."
Kakashi laughed. "That's good, that's good."
I glanced up to see Gaara glaring down at the Uchiha, who did the same. The image of Gaara and Sasuke kissing suddenly popped up.
"SNRK!" My hand slapped over my mouth as I bent over. "PFFT! Hahahaha!"
"Uh...Kuroki-chan?"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Is she alright?"
"Taidana Kuroki, if you're having some sick fantasy of me and some other guy-I swear I'll-"
"Wait, what? Sick fantasy? Teme, what the hell are you talking about?"
"How the hell do you not know that she get deranged fantasies about me and other guys for no goddamn reason! I'm not gay, Kuroki! You of all people should know that!"
"Pscht." I waved a dismissive hand as I almost instantaneously went from dying of laughter to standing up straight and looking bored. "Not really, no. I shouldn't know that, but anyways. Gaara."
"YEAH, about Gaara! Don't lose to a guy like that, teme!" Naruto glared at said red head. "I want to fight you, Sasuke!"
I was about to walk out of the arena and to the waiting area when I suddenly felt a wave of some sort wash over me. I coughed as I felt the weird sensation in my chakra. "The fuck...?" I looked at my finger tips, the only bare skin on my body apart from my neck up, and saw small purple-ish veins protruding out before suddenly disappearing as quick as it appeared. Breathing deeply, I ran a hair through my head before quickly making my way back to the waiting room.
I leaned against the back wall, sliding down as I controlled my breathing. My senses were going wild.
I could hear the hushed voices in the audience, could smell their scents...I could see a bird up in the sky up close. Jin...what the fuck?!
'Just preparing you...' He responded enigmatically, his wispy chuckle echoing in my ears.
Couldn't do this earlier? I sighed, closing my eyes and relaxing. My eyes suddenly reopened the moment I smelled blood. My eyes snapped over to where Gaara should've been, but found only his siblings.
I stood up, trudging slowly to the railing. I leaned on it heavily, my eyes zooming in on the two male faces of Sasuke and Gaara. I didn't realise I was gripping the railing until I felt the material be crushed under my hands. I looked down and released the crushed material, before breathing and trying to calm down.
He really could've done this much earlier.
"Hey Temari..." Kankuro?
"What?"
"What about the plan?"
My eyes darted over to the siblings who were further away from me, so I shouldn't have been able to hear them as clearly as I did, but alas. I did. When they felt eyes on them, they looked over to me. I was surprised by the way their eyes widened with something I could only call fear, but then they quickly looked away.
I closed my eyes. Gaara was losing it. I felt like I was losing it. Fuck sake.
'Nearly done...'
Better be, I can't fight if I'm trying to adjust my senses.
For about five minutes, I was able to block everything out as Jin did whatever to my body and readjusted my senses. When I opened my eyes, I realised it hadn't been five minutes. Sasuke and Gaara only just began to fight, Sasuke already cracking Gaara's sand armour.
He's gotten faster.
I clenched and unclenched my hands to test to see if I was still in control of my senses. Sasuke didn't copy Lee's taijutsu, but he'd copied Kuroi's. It wasn't as refined as my father's, but it was more refined than it used to be. Even so, Sasuke was a lot better than I remember, and he still got those hits on Gaara.
But he erected that shield of his. Instead of watching the fight, I shifted from my spot, immediately sitting on the railing in between Temari and Kankuro. They both seemed startled at my sudden appearance, but I simply smiled at them.
"W-What the hell do you want?!" Kankuro demanded of me. I sighed at him.
"Can I tell you something?" I asked, tilting my head.
They both frowned at me.
"Your father's dead, guys." I dropped the bomb. "That dude up there isn't your father."
"W-What!? What the hell are you on about?!" Temari yelled, outraged.
I kept my calm, closing my eyes before opening them, a sly grin forming on my face. "Hm."
"What the hell do you mean our father's dead?! He's clearly up there right now!" Kankuro growled, stepping forward. The sound of birds entered my ears.
"You're being deceived, and you don't even know it..." I commented, before I heard a particularly startling scream.
"BLOOD...MY...MY BLOOD!"
Kankuro and Temari both snapped their head back to the fight, where I looked too.
"No...no way! Gaara's absolute defence!" Kankuro exclaimed, disbelieving.
"It's impossible! It can't be!"
I growled when Sasuke was struggling to pull his arm out of the shield. But I was surprised to see...Shukaku's arm when he finally did.
"Did he transform in to his 'complete' form?!"
"I don't know!" Temari yelled. "It looks like he's been wounded."
I clicked my tongue, getting off the railing and turning around to full face the fight just as Gaara's shield dissipated. He held his shoulder, where it was bleeding.
"I knew it! A wound!" Temari exclaimed. "The cocoon was broken while he's still incomplete!"
I looked up, and cursed. Feathers!
Jin!
'Don't worry...'
I put my hands together in a sign. "Kai!" I glanced around unsurely. Did it work? I looked at my hands. Shit, it actually worked.
My eyes looked over to the Hokage, who glanced at me before shifting his eyes to the 'kazekage'.
My heart quickened its beat. It's beginning. Shit. Shit.
An explosion went off, and we all looked up. What is the Hokage going to do?
The snakes. They were in the east. Did the others evacuate the citizens?
"Fuck!" I swore as heartbeats invaded my ears. I jumped just as the ANBU did. Kankuro and Temari went to Gaara's side, as I went to Sasuke's. He looked to me as he held his arm.
"Kuroki!"
"Get up!" I ordered, pulling him up.
"What's going on!?" He demanded.
"Invasion." My eyes went to the fleeing siblings. "Examiner!"
Said dude glanced at me over his shoulder, but making sure not to lower his guard against the sand nin in front of him. "We'll go after them."
He nodded, turning back. My eyes went to Kakashi up in the crowd. We looked to each other, nodded and I then looked to Sasuke. Though confused, we both moved.
"What the hell, Kuroki?!" Sasuke growled as we pursued Gaara and the others. I kept looking forward, keeping my pace.
"I told you it was an invasion." I restated.
"You knew about it?!"
"Yes. I was the one who informed the Hokage about it." I admitted, dodging a tree branch.
"What?!"
I looked at Sasuke sternly. "Enough questions, Sasuke. Focus! Gaara's strong, and if you're not careful, you'll get killed."
His eyes widened at me, before he could see my eyes softening, I looked ahead again. "I don't know what'll happen if that happens..."
I sped up. In no time, we caught up to the siblings, Sasuke and I splitting up, then reuniting on the same branch in front of the siblings.
"Damn it..." Temari cursed, all three of them stopping at the sight of us.
"You can't escape!" Sasuke smirked.
"Temari! Take Gaara and go ahead!" Kankuro ordered his sister, getting out his puppet. I felt Sasuke tense. I heard another heartbeat.
"Guess there's no helping it. I'll be your opponent."
My eyes shifted over to a certain ninja. "No! I'll be your opponent." Shino.
"Shino..." Sasuke muttered. "Why are you here?"
The bug ninja simply pointed. I glanced to see the female bugs on Sasuke's shoulder, but found there was none on me.
"Alright, nice." I spoke up, gaining their attention. I turned, in the direction Temari and Gaara went off. "Let's go, already."
Sasuke gave me a firm nod, looking at Shino. "We'll leave it to you."
"Don't worry...I'll keep him off your backs for ten minutes." He replied.
We jumped.
"You think he can handle him?" Sasuke asked as we resumed our chase.
"He'll be fine." I reassured without a smile, instead opting for a more serious demeanour.
"Please don't underestimate Gaara, Sasuke." I warned the Uchiha, who looked at me in confusion.
I ignored him, moving on ahead. I stopped once I found Gaara and Temari, arriving just in time to see Gaara smack his sibling away.
He glared at me, before shifting his eyes to the Uchiha who appeared next to me. I kneeled down, controlling my breathing as the other two panted.
Gaara abruptly clutched his head.
"We'll stop you." Sasuke stated with a determined tone. "I also want to see your true face."
"You...that is strong..." I blinked as Gaara's face began to crack. "You...that has companions...you, that has ambitions...you, that is like me..." His eyes shifted to me, then back repeatedly. "Once I kill you both..." His eyes widened in derangement. "I'll be the one to have destroyed all of that...only then I can survive..."
"Only then I can feel ALIVE!"
"Agh!" I suddenly felt my chakra morphing, and I clenched the bark enough to break it as my body was engulfed with the overwhelming feeling of blood lust. What the hell?! I grabbed my head as the multiple hearts beat in different rhythms, invading my mind. I snarled as I felt Jin's influence.
"Kuroki!"
I'm not afraid...what the fuck are you doing Jin?!
'Can't you feel it...? That immense power...the immense urge for blood shed...Kuroki...can't you feel it...?' Jin's wispy chuckle slowly changed into something insane. 'We must kill...we must...fight...'
"Jin, shut up!" I yelled, using all of my willpower not to give in to the demon within me. I heard a sneer in my head.
'You don't want to...?' He nearly growled, which caught me by surprise. I shook my head.
I'll fight him. I will. Just let me stay in control!
The outside world was gone to me. I can't have that. I need to stay in control. JIN!
I heard a soft, low growl...before a sigh came after and I suddenly felt like everything was calming down.
'I apologise...'
I sighed, as the colours of the world gradually came back. I stared at my hand, clenching it as the aura surrounded it dissipated.
We can fight, Jin. But it'd be better if we didn't let our urges take over.
Another sigh, before a familiar chuckle.
'I see...very well, then...'
I resumed controlling my breathing as Jin molded our chakra together, instead of taking over, I exhaled slowly, standing up. I felt complete...
"Kuroki!" My eyes shifted over to the Uchiha beside me, his face full of worry, then shock.
"Y-Your eyes..."
I stared at him. "What about them?" I asked dully. "I can't exactly see my own eyes, you know."
Confusion set in on his face. "You're not..."
"Jin?" I asked, shaking my head once. "Took me some effort, but I'm in control." I frowned and looked up. "I better stay in fucking control."
"Your eyes are glowing." Sasuke pointed out, before turning back to Gaara. I looked to him also, and narrowed my eyes at the sight.
He was partially transformed, and I struggled internally to beat down the mixed blood lust Jin and I both possessed.
'Such a creature...'
My eyes glanced to Sasuke, and I noticed he was shaking slightly. I punched his shoulder, startling him as he instinctively grabbed his shoulder and looked at me with wide eyes.
I glared at him. "Focus!" I yelled before turning to see Gaara just in front of us. I gasped, before jumping out of the way of his transformed arm.
"UWAAA!"
My eyes widened as Gaara tore through multiple trees with ease, landing not too far away. My heat was erratic as I searched frantically for Sasuke. My eyes found him two or so trees in front of me. I sneered when the urges were becoming harder to contain.
"Jin!" I yelled, frustrated.
"ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME?!" Gaara's demonic voiced yelled.
"UCHIHA SASUKE! TAIDANA KUROKI! DO YOU FEAR ME NOW!?"
I kneeled down, bracing myself on the branch as I attempted to contain our lust for blood. I lost control of my breathing, my breaths becoming pants again as I grabbed my head.
"Dammit!"
"ARE YOU AFRAID OF MY EXISTENCE?!"
Against my will, I began to laugh maniacally. It wasn't mine, even if it was my voice. It wasn't mine.
Jin...
"Afraid, you say..?" I was speaking, but it wasn't me. I was losing control of this situation.
I began to stand up, against my wishes.
"The only one afraid here is our dear little Sasuke..." My eyes darted towards Sasuke, who looked at me disbelievingly. I grinned maniacally.
I growled, forcing myself to move away. I was able to, temporarily regaining control of my body. His grin disappeared from my mouth, replaced by a horrible sneer. "Dammit, Jin! Stop working against me!" I heard the chidori, but it was all I could do to just stand with my own will.
'They're fighting now...' Jin spoke softly in my head. 'Why aren't we fighting...'
I fucking told you...we were meant to do this together. We're fighting against each other...
Gaara's insane laugh caused me to tense. "Jin...I'm begging you..."
Jin was silent as Gaara and Sasuke seemed to be fighting. I felt useless at the moment. Nothing was working out how I wanted it to.
"HAHAHAHA! I want more!" My heart dropped. No. I turned, seeing Gaara begin to grow his tail. No.
Fear.
I felt it. It engulfed me.
Then it faded. And the blood lust made me scream at the top of my lungs.
It was stronger, and so much harder to resist. But I did what I knew I would always do if it meant protecting him.
I gave in to the monster within me.
And I heard a chuckle. 'You want control...? Fine...everything you do from this moment on...will be all you...'
'You kill Gaara...it's all on you...'
Aaaaand I became lazy and didn't bother to reread it. My bad. I've made mistakes I know, I'll probably reread it then touch things up a bit and all of that fine ass stuff. I put effort in the chapter, and then I didn't. So, you know. I still hope you enjoyed it! I'd like to know what you thought, and constructive criticism is welcomed, praise is welcomed, all that.
There's so much drama! So much! This is where things get annoyingly serious. Ew. EWWW. But well. Anyways. Things got to be that way for now.
EDIT 18/05/14: Sorry guys, but I may not be able to update for a bit, since I'm busy with life and school and stuff. Sorry about that, but the moment I can, I'll be able to work on the story for you all. Thanks for all your support. 3