The Path A Ninja Walks...
Chapter Twenty
Beyond A Reasonable Doubt...
A/N: WARNING-The character known as Sage Amesawa uses a lot of profanity and colorful language as part of his "colorful" personality. Be prepared if you are sensitive to that. Please note it is not because I condone such manner of speech, and also the character does not mean to use it as a way to be harmful, it is just his personality.
Sasuke dashed and leapt through the trees at high speed. One that Sage and Hana had a hard time keeping up with.
"I can't believe she's serving under a contract with them!" Hana huffed, " I KNEW she couldn't be trusted-"
"SHUT UP!" Sasuke snapped. That accusation of his sister being traitorous only made him even more frustrated and he leapt ahead even faster.
"I'm just saying-"
"Well DON'T say ANYTHING!" Sage interrupted, startling Hana before he released a held in sigh.
"Look...we don't know if she's actually a traitor."
"My sister is NO TRAITOR!" Sasuke shouted back.
"Calm down Sasuke!" said Sage, "I'm not saying she is!"
"SHE ISN'T!"
"As things stand right now, we don't know anything yet!" Sage argued back. He understood the boy's frustrations, but he needed to try to keep the peace among the trio.
"Don't we!?" Hana responded,"You saw how she was on our last mission with them!" she stated,"They all seemed to be a bit too chummy to me, and NOW we know why-"
"But we really don't!" said Sage.
"How can you say that!?"
"BECAUSE!" Sage huffed and stopped in place, which led Hana to stop just behind him, and caused Sasuke to hold his stance ahead and glance back to hear what Sage had to argue against her.
"...Didn't you...see her face?" he asked.
Hana blinked.
"She looked...scared." said Sage,"Saseme is a bad bitch." he stated, "Fear isn't exactly something she shows well..."
"I...guess that's true." Hana muttered," I mean...she's certainly not all that~" she shrugged, "But, I suppose fearless is one way of putting it." she blinked, "...More like reckless if nothing else..."
"That guy basically said she was nothing more than his toy that he could dispose of any time he wished." said Sage.
Hana narrowed her eyes and averted her gaze. She knew he was right. After all...she heard the conversation too.
"He threatened her life, Hana." said Sage, "She's scared of him, and for all we know, that could be what that supposed contract is all about." he stated,"Maybe she had no say in being bound to it, and she's under it against her will..." he sighed,"We don't know anything and all of this is specualation but, so long as there is reasonable doubt...we've no right to automatically deem her a traitor."
"...That may be true..." said Sasuke, finally deciding to speak up,"But one thing we do know about any form of contract is that they are forged and signed under some sort of agreement." he blinked,"So the question here is...just what kind of contract is it? And how did she get herself bound to it in the first place...?" he thought for a while and sighed,"One thing's certain." he said firmly,"My sister is no traitor...in fact I'm certain she had no say." he stated,"She was forced into it somehow I just know it..." he gritted his teeth,"I know it with every fiber of my being..."
Sage sighed as he watched the male twin's struggle with his inner turmoil. It was so clear to him that the boy may as well should have been screaming it out in the open.
"...I don't know how my sister got into this mess she's in..." he blinked.
But you can bet that I'm gonna get you out of it, Saseme...
He thought to himself.
Just hang on,...please...
Wait for me, just a little bit longer...
Without a further word to his two partners in crime Sasuke took off into the shadows of the night, leaving the duo behind in the darkness to struggle with their own plan of action.
"So..." Hana blinked,"What are we gonna do, Sage?" she asked him.
"...I don't know." he sighed, "But for now...until we figure out more about the situation...we know nothing about it...Got it?"
"Yeah..." she sighed, "I got it."
"We proceed as normal then." he stated, locking a glance with her as she nodded, both of them leaping off in opposite directions.
XXXXX
It had been 5 days since Kokoua presented their application forms for the Chunin Exam. 5 Days full of rigorous solo training. Each Genin determined to prove their own merit. And...
5 Days worth of questions.
What kind of contract was Saseme bound to?
Why was she serving under it?
And how did she wind in that compromising position in the first place?
I hope I get the chance to fight that guy...
Sasuke thought to himself as a dark image of Gaara formed in his memory while he headed on his way with his own Team 7 under their own Sensei's recommendation. He thought so on the day the applications were given...and he thought this again now. A smile curling on his lips with excitement,and determination.
Just you wait, Saseme...whatever mess you're in...
...I'll get you out of it.
I promise.
xxx
Many spread of Genin gathered around the door to room 301. Sage, Hana and Saseme walked in on a scene of what looked to be a couple of bullies blocking the door.
"Hey...Lee!" Saseme called out as she watched her Taijutsu trained rival take a fall from a blunt contact.
"Stay back, Saseme!" he called to her,"These guys are not playing around!"
"Hmph...you taking the Chunin exams but you can't even get past us!?" One of them said with a smirk,"Give it up. Why don't you just go back home?"
"Yeah...I think I hear your mommy calling you!" the second one snorted.
"Please let us through! We're supposed to go in there!" said a brunette with twin buns as she tried to help Lee. By the way she handled his condition, Saseme guessed she was probably the third member of their team. The one Neji called TenTen. She tried to power through and wound up with a nice thwack on the face, falling down right next to her injured team mate.
"HEY!" Saseme snapped as she blocked a second punch toward the girl in a tight grip of her own,"That's a bit harsh...don't ya think?" She blinked and shifted her unwavering gaze to the girl on the floor.
"...Are you all right?" Saseme asked,"You know...you're never gonna get through that way."
"I'm sorry...did you say harsh?" said the guy who'se fist was held locked into Saseme's hand,"Please! We're being nice by comparison!" he stated,"The actual exams will make this look like a picnic!"
"Not everyone will survive these exams." said the other, "Some of you may be wrecked for life and others may go crazy." he explained,"With Chunin, it's always life or death and you think it's a joke!"
"Of course not." said Saseme,"Chunin are qualified to lead missions."
"That's right!" said the bully in her hands,"The lives of your squad members are in your hands!" he stated,"So you better be tough enough to take the heat!".
"Heat?" A flare lit up in Saseme's pitch dark eyes as she lifted her free hand and blew a quick puff against her gloved hand that came out as what looked like a flaming loogie and took form into a ball of fire that burned around her fist. The fellow Genin gasped.
"No way!"
"How did she do that!?"
"No hand signs!?"
Yet she didn't waver. Even the man in her hands was surprised.
"You dare pop off to me about heat?" she asked and gave a stubborn scoff.
The guy smirked.
"Look...all I'm saying is that delicate little girls...don't belong here!"
Saseme twitched and her eyes narrowed into a sharp leer.
"Uh-oh..." Sage shrugged," You shouldn't have gone and said something like that man...way uncool!" he sighed.
"Great, this guy had to pop off his mouth now we gotta waste MORE time waiting on Saseme..." Hana huffed with her arms folded.
"Hmph..." Saseme smirked," Big words..." She snickered" But, I grew up with older brothers!" she stated, "That said, I'm sure you'll come to find that this little girl is hardly delicate!" her fist clenched so tightly, the flame retardent leather could be heard cracking into itself, "It takes a lot more than some intimadting word line up and few bad punches to scare me." she stated, " I think I can handle heat just fine~" she hummed as she tightened her balled fist and the flame combusted a little bigger,"The real question is...can you take the heat~" with that her fist came forward at rapid speed when suddenly-
"THAT'S ENOUGH, SASEME!"
It stopped dead on barely a centimeter away from its intended target, when Sasuke walked up behind her and she shifted her gaze at him as he approached her victim with an amused smirk.
"Stop playing with him already...you made your point."
"Fiiiiine~" Saseme sighed as she put out her flame,"Ruin my fun as usual...stupid brother of mine." she huffed,"By the way~" she said as she raised her hands,"About that no hand sign comment...whoever made it...I feel I should clarify something." she stated,"I did weave signs." she blinked," I just saw this scene from a distance...so I did it before I entered the scene...so I'm not amazing~" she said waving her hands sarcastically,"...I'm just clever."
Lee chuckled.
"You know Saseme-chan...strategies tend to work better when you don't exploit them like that..." Lee said with a gentle laugh.
"...But to fight dishonestly has no honor, Lee." Saseme said,"...You taught me that yourself."
"Huh?" the boy blinked and blushed slightly giving a small smile of thanks for the compliment and TenTen giggled.
"By the way..." Saseme said, directing her gaze to the brunette,"...You never answered me...are you okay?" she asked.
"Ah...yeah..." TenTen responded softly,"Thanks...um...?"
"Saseme." blinked the Uchiha,"Saseme Uchiha."
"Don't you remember, TenTen?" asked Neji,"She was in our class after all..."
"W-Well sure I remember, yeah!" she stated,"But she was a shrimp then...and now-"
"She's a show off?" The Hyuuga smirked with his arms crossed.
"Says the pot, calling the kettle black." Saseme muttered back, and Neji, hearing her quite clearly, twitched in light irritation.
"OoooH!" Lee snickered,"Take that burn!"
An awkward silence fell amongst the group over such a poorly executed Dad Joke by the Bug Eyed Bowl Cut. Saseme however was kinda a sucker for that type of humor and let out a few chuckles of a laugh that she tried to hold in.
"That was a good one, Lee~!" she giggled.
"Thank you, I worked very hard on it!" He boasted proudly before chuckling,"You should return to your team mates now." he said, "We are all good over here~!" He stated with a grinning wink and a thumbs up. Which was an honest sign that Saseme could take to heart as she graciously made her way to return to her own unit.
"Huh...weird for her to act so nice when she's working for the enemy..." Hana whispered to Sage.
"Don't talk like that, Hana...she's coming!" Sage whispered back.
"I'm just saying...she's only acting like she's a friend of the village because she doesn't know that we know what we know!"
"In all fairness, Hana..." said Sage,"We don't even know what we know!" he stated,"That's why we have to keep things on the down low and watch her!"
"...I guess..." She huffed a sigh.
She's not acting like an enemy...
Sage blinked as he thought to himself.
Things seem pretty normal so far...so maybe we are the ones who are being fools?
He sighed.
Please Saseme...let me be right...
Otherwise...I won't know what to do...
"Hmph..." Sasuke snorted as his sister took her place with her waiting team mates and shifted his attention to the goons guarding the door.
"That's a real nice speech." he said,"Now both of you step aside and let me through." he scoffed,"And while you're at it, reverse the Genjutsu." he said firmly,"We can see through your illusion anyway."
"What?" Sage blinked,"Illusion?"
"Uhh- yeah. " Hana said to Sage,"Room 3-01?" she blinked,"We're supposed to be going to the third floor,"That's why I didn't understand why Saseme wanted to hang around and waste time on the second one." Hana huffed.
"Hold on...you mean Saseme knew it was an illusion too!?"
"Of course I did Sage..." Saseme sighed," But I couldn't just stand around and watch a fellow woman take the fall while our good name as Kunoichi got demoralized..." she stated,"I'm always more than happy to put a punk in their place."
"Hmph...well aren't we all the smart ones." said the Genin guard, after Sakura had so clearly called the same verification to the rest of the gathered Genin that Hana had stated to Sage, "Now, let's see you deal with this!" the guard charged and Sasuke sensed it immediately preparing to kick him back when suddenly with lightning speed a green blur threw himself between them and blocked both sides.
"Hey!" said Neji,"What happened to the plan?" he asked,"Weren't you the one who said to keep a low profile and don't let anyone see our skill level?"
"I know, but-"
"Nevermind..." TenTen sighed and shook her head,"It's over...forget it."
Lee however held a determined focus toward a pink haired individual.
"My name is Rock Lee." he stated to her,"You are Sakura, correct?" The girl blinked awkwardly as she watched the man stand confidently before her,"Please be my girlfriend! I vow to protect you with my life!"
And just like that...I'm water under the bridge...
Saseme sighed.
"Definitely...not." Sakura said awkwardly bringing the green Genin down.
"But...Why not?"
"Because you're a weirdo!"
Sage burst into laughter at the rejection and Naruto joined with a snicker of his own.
"Maaaaan Shut DOWN!" Sage laughed,"I felt that in my SOUL!" he gasped, laughing more,"Sucks to be you dude!"
Saseme sighed.
"Come on, Lee..." she huffed,"After I vouched for you!?"
"Too bad for that guy." Sage snickered,"Stuck in a sausage fest with another dude and one chick~" he beamed,"I however am the lucky man who got hit with two boss babes on MY team!" he grinned,"So my chances are doubled~!"
"No they're not." Saseme and Hana both stated point blank which was a critical hit on the Lavender wearing Genin.
"Ouch, ladies...comes on..."
"Hmph...as if I'd even let you date my sister." said Sasuke.
Saseme twitched.
"Yeah...as if you could even STOP me from dating!" she argued back.
"Who'd even WANT to date her anyway!?" Hana belted but everything was soon interrupted when the Hyuuga boy stepped forward.
"Hey, you!" Neji huffed, directing his call toward the male twin, Sasuke.
"I can tell just by looking you're related to Saseme..." he stated.
"Yeah...we're twins." Sasuke stated,"What's it to you?"
"What's your name?"
"Hmph."Sasuke scoffed,"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking someone else's."
"You're a rookie, aren't you?" he asked.
"I'm not obliged, to answer to you." said Sasuke.
"What's that?"
"Come on, Puke-A." said Saseme stepping between them,"This is my brother you're dealing with...you really think he's gonna be any easier to handle than I am?" she scoffed,"If anything he's ten times worse~!"
"Puke-A?" Sasuke snickered,"That's cute." he huffed and crossed his arms as his sister turned away from him,"You're quite confident...aren't you, Saseme?"
"Of course." she said,"It's quite obvious whose team is the best here~" she boasted,"Hana is our best Sensory, forager, medicine maker and plant identifier~" she stated,"She could serve you medicine or poison in your tea and you wouldn't know the difference." she smirked,"And Sage here is our most colorful tactition~"
"Hey!" Naruto snipped,"We're great too! Believe it!"
"That's right!" said Sakura,"You're not better than us!"
Sasuke smirked.
"I see...so then where does that leave you on the Totem pole...Saseme?"
"I figured that would be obvious." She stated as she snapped her fingers and a few sparks flared up,"...I'm the fire power."
"Hmph...clever." Neji scoffed as he folded his arms.
"Sage...Hana..." Saseme called her team mates as she turned away, flashing the Uchiha crest she wore on her back,"...Let's go!"
"Hmph! What a spoiled brat!" said Sakura.
"Watch it, Sakura!" Sasuke snapped, startling her.
"B-But...Sasuke..." she said softly.
"Yeah." said Naruto,"Not to mention she didn't even thank you for saving her butt."
"As usual, Naruto, you failed to annalyze the situation..." said Sasuke.
"SAY WHAT!?" Naruto huffed.
"...My sister didn't need any saving..." said the Uchiha, "Not from me, or anyone else." he said as he folded his arms,"She's perfectly capable of handling herself..."
"Still!" said Sakura," She could be a little more grateful!" she huffed,","She's your sister yet she goes and treats you like that..."
"Exactly." Sasuke snapped back,"She's my sister!" he stated,"Whatever issues we have between us, we will handle it ourselves." he blinked,"It has nothing to do with you!"
Sakura gasped softly and Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh.
"Listen..." he said,"Every action has a reaction..."he stated," And a reaction can't exist unless a previous action was made."
"So..." Sakura blinked,"You're saying your sister is reacting the way she is because of a previous action you committed?" she asked.
"...I'm not this great guy you keep fantasizing me to be, Sakura." Sasuke blinked,"You shouldn't just automatically defend my side when you've only seen half of the story." he stated," My sister's half has not been told...and no one even takes the time of day to consider that..."
Sasuke...
Sakura blinked and sighed sadly.
He's right...but still...
"Hmm...so your sister has another half of the story, huh?" Naruto mumbled.
"Saseme is validated to her responses to me." Sasuke said firmly,"...I deserve them...and that's all I am going to say on the matter."
"Hmmm..."Sakura hummed as she took in and processed the new information Sasuke chose to share, and thought it best to move on from the topic,"Hey, Naruto! Sasuke!" she smiled,"Come on, let's go."
Hmm...so this is the big bad Chunin exam, huh?
Sasuke thought to himself.
Heh...what a freak show!
XXXXX
"Saseme, slow down, will ya!?" Hana huffed as she struggled to keep step with the Uchiha girl who walked ahead of them with clenched fists and her head held high.
Damn...she's all sorts of all over the place today!
Hana huffed.
"Yeah, we're all axious to start babe." Sage laughed,"But we still don't know what's in store for us so we shouldn't rush in half assedly!"
She's off...
Sage thought to himself.
I wonder if she's feeling the pressure?
Saseme paid no mind to her team mates calls and pleas and just kept treading forward.
This is it...
She thought to herself.
The next phase of the plan is about to take effect...
as well as the next step toward my path...
To be Continued