I don't own Naruto
Chapter 14: Out of the Forest: The Next Challenge Is...?
"How was he able to do that?" Akira scowled, picking up his speed. Just moments ago, Konjou had led the trio close enough to a group of individuals so that Akira could detect them with his Byakugan. From their current position, it appeared as though Shikawa and Choya had been defeated and left for dead with no sign of their aggressors within at least a ten-meter radius of their fallen comrades. Still, Akira's Byakugan had failed them before, showing the duo what appeared to be and not what actually was, and, perhaps as a wise decision, the Genin kept up their guards as they neared the scene. It was possible whomever attacked Shikawa was still in the vicinity, just slightly out of Akira's field of vision.
"There's no way a Genin-level genjutsu should've been able to get passed my eyes," Katsu rebutted shaking her head. "Sorry... if I had been more-"
"No, not that. Did you see he manipulated the five elements? Wind, fire, earth, water, lightning... all in the palm of his hand like it was nothing. No way he's just some Genin from the Stone Village," Akira frowned, remembering how the boy had seamlessly merged all five of the elemental chakra into a single entity. He had to have possessed some type of Kekkei Genkai, just as Shikawa had warned. Even so, if he was an agent of Orochimaru he wasn't to be trusted. Still... he did promise Akira that everyone would know his name if he sought the teachings of Orochimaru. "Hey, we have to talk... about what happened before."
"We'll talk about it later," Katsu shouted, aware that they were closing in on Kiyoshi's opinion. "Kiyo needs our help first!"
"Right," her teammate nodded, continually scanning the area once more. "Dang, shinobi are closing in on our position. Three o'clock!"
"I can feel their chakra... come on we have to beat them to Kiyo and the others!" Katsu shouted, coming to the edge of the trees and reaching the clearing on the other side. They had a battle ahead of them, and they both knew to prepare for the worst.
Shikamaru watched on in silence, never even moving or calling attention to himself. There was far too much tension in the air for his liking and he wanted desperately to vacate the room, but something held him in the doorway, glancing solemnly into the chamber. He wanted to say something, anything to comfort his friend, but he knew that nothing could be said to quell the feelings boiling inside of Choji's heavy heart. Still, Shikamaru still felt like he had to say something... anything.
"She'll be fine," Shikamaru finally coughed out.
Choji's wife had taken a turn for the worse. Shortly after switching treatments, Shizuka's conditions had severely improved, enough so that she was capable to walk and talk with relative ease. Yet, the current regiment clearly functioned as a temporary fix and Shizuka had begun to regularly convulse while her organs systematically began to fail. With medical shinobi on standby, Sakura estimated Shizuka, if her condition were to remain unchanged, had only about one week to live. However, she didn't have the heart to tell her dear friend that one-week was entirely optimistic. Lasting a single day was far more likely.
"I need to get my son," the broken man said softly, never removing his gaze from his sleeping wife's face. "He should be here."
"You know you can't just pull him out of the exams... he'll never forgive you," Shikamaru frowned, wishing that he hadn't spoke. It was a terrible thing for the Jonin to say, but both he and Choji knew it in their hearts to be the truth. Choya had promised his mother that he would become Chunin before she passed. If they were to pull Choya and his team to say his last goodbyes... "Choji, she'll pull through!"
"Shikamaru..." Choji said, his voice shaky and barely audible. He took a deep breath, allowing himself the pleasure of feeling his chest expand and then once more retract. "Please, leave us be."
"Choji, I-"
"GO!" Choji shot back, transfixing his eyes on his comrade's. Shikamaru couldn't remember the last time he had seen that look. Choji was rarely angered in his old age; he was your typical jolly giant. For him to be so quick to anger was not only uncharacteristic, it was so unsettling that Shikamaru couldn't help but shiver. His friend was in so much pain; it was best if the Jonin followed his friend's wishes.
Shikamaru closed the door behind him.
"Oy, Sakura?" the Jonin called out, putting his hand to his head to showcase some sort of halfhearted solute. The pink haired shinobi had been on her way to check on Shizuka's condition; it had merely been coincidence that she had been in the same wing of the hospital. "Did you find anything?"
Saskura hung her head. Apart from contacting Tsunade, Sakura hadn't made any progress towards deciphering the cause of Shizuka's remission. As far as the doctor could tell, Choji's wife should've been on her way to a full recovery, yet something wasn't working- something just wasn't right. Sakura could do no more then wait for Tsunade to come. Hopefully she, of all people, could decipher what was wrong. Time was still of the essence.
"Shikamaru... as a friend, I want to tell you everything will be fine," she said solemnly, putting her hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.
"But..." Shikamaru shook his head, aware that Sakura had purposely let her sentence dangle so that she might continue.
"As a doctor... it's best to prepare for the worse and pray for the best. Once Lady Tsunade is here she'll do whatever she can. How is he?" she asked, motioning towards the heavyset man on the other side of the closed door.
"He's fairing about as well as we could hope," Shikamaru responded, shaking his head. In truth, it pained the Jonin to see Choji in such a way. Life was full of unfair circumstances, taking good people far before their time. Still... it didn't mean Shikamaru had to accept it. "I'll be back."
"W-where are you going?" Sakura stammered, confused by Shikamaru's sudden change in demeanor.
"For a walk. Listen, tell Tsunade whatever she needs, I'll get it for her," Shikamaru said, turning around to look Sakura in the eyes once more.
The kunoichi could see the tears beginning to well up in Shikamaru's eyes, and figured it best not to press him any further. She knew how much he hated to cry, how he promised he would never cry again after he failed to protect his sensei so many years ago. Even after his father's death... Shikamaru refused to shed a tear. Yet now, here he was, broken and torn, because he couldn't shield his friend from heartache.
Shikamaru turned once more, shaking his head to get a grip of his emotions. Sakura could do no more than watch as the sensei to her child walked down the hall before eventually fading to obscurity as he rounded the corner. She put her hand on the door to her right, giving it a slight push before drawing back her arm. She decided to give Choji just a few more minutes alone with his wife. She would come back later to check on Shizuka.
Things were moving too fast.
First the kunai pierced through the foliage, catching Katsu off guard. Akira wasn't capable of warning her of the projectiles trajectory, and Katsu was just barely able to dodge the attack. However, not before the blade careened across her check, causing a small cut across the side of her face. She landed on a tree branch and jumped towards the direction of the kunai, taking a complete leap of faith through a few tree branches. Just as she exited through the other side, Katsu came face-to-face with a boy with his arms outstretched. He threw his arms in a counter clockwise motion, using his momentum to spin faster than she thought humanly possible.
"Fang Over Fang!" the boy exclaimed, thrusting his weight towards Katsu at alarming speeds. Again, Katsu's reflexes proved enough to allow her to throw herself out of the way of the attack, landing safely on another branch just a few meters off. The Inuzuka boy stopped his rotation once he realized he had missed. "Hah, you're pretty fast. Still, not fast enough."
The boy pointed downwards, and Katsu, tempted by the boys gesture, looked to the ground below. This time, Katsu wasn't fast enough. Another entity rose from the ground, taking the branch out from underneath the kunoichi. With no ground to stand, the individual hit Katsu with the full brunt of the Fang Over Fang technique. Before she could steady herself, the boy followed up with a second attack, leaping through the air and using a full force overhead strike to send her plummeting to the ground below. However, unlike before, Katsu was able to get her bearings just in time, just barely managing to land on her feet. Katsu looked up once more, taking a deep breath before exhaling a massive fireball towards the boy and his ninken. Just as the attack was about to hit its mark, the duo threw themselves forth threw the flames, spinning once more and completely disarming the fire, shirking it off on either side of them. Once again, Katsu found herself completely defenseless against a powerful Fang Over Fang.
"Katsu!" Akira shouted, finally reaching his teammate's side. He threw himself into the kunoichi so that the two might dodge the oncoming onslaught.
"Will you slow down?" a voice called from the trees. Another boy with a Leaf Village headband, followed by a kunoichi from the same village, landed side-by-side with the already present foe and his ninken. Finally, Katsu was able to get a decent look at them.
The Inuzuka had short hair, frayed out in all directions in a similar fashion to Kiyoshi's. His outfit consisted of a tight, short sleeved, black shirt and tan pants, which were perfect for his animalistic style of combat as they wouldn't restrict movement. His cheeks had strange, red markings that were common of all Inuzuka. His dog, Chairomaru, was rather large, about the size of an adult male. His fur was a beautiful light brown.
The second male was presumably from the Aburame Clan, given his rather modest garb. The boy wore a deep gray cloak overtop a long sleeved shirt and pants. Both were black. The cloak had a hood that dangled down the backside, which the boy could use to hide his face if need be. Like his teammate, the boy had short, frayed hair.
Finally, the final foe was a young kunoichi, just a few years older than Akira or his team. She possessed long, blond hair that fell to her mid back, tied in a high ponytail. Her clothing, like her teammates', was not the flashiest. She wore a light purple shirt, underneath a darker purple jacket. Unlike other teams that made usage of mesh and various layers of clothing, this particular shinobi trio believed in keeping their attire simple so that it wouldn't be a burden.
"Whoever's fastest gets the pray Yochu. Isn't that right Chairomaru?" the Inuzuka howled, rubbing his massive pet in between his ears.
"Shiga... come on, teamwork is key," the girl frowned, waving a finger of disapproval. "Still, it seems you weren't in need of our help."
Akira positioned himself in between Katsu and their enemies, one hand firmly on the hilt of the sword on his backside. Just as he was about to lung forward and strike, Akira found himself frozen in place, as though something was holding him back.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Yoshu shrugged, outstretching his hand. Against his will, Akira extended his hand upwards, revealing his arm was coated in tiny black insects. Despite their placement only on the Hyuga's forearm, Akira found his right limb completely unresponsive. It was almost as effective as the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Katsu leapt forward, activating her Sharingan mid leap. She drew a katana, tossing it forward at her foes. Yochu used his free hand to command a wave of insects that acted as a shield, knocking the projectile to the ground. With complete fluidity in his movements, the Aburame executed a powerful hammer fist directly to Katsu's midsection. The blow completely knocked the wind out of Katsu, making her choke and grasp for air when she fell to all fours. Instead of allowing her the luxury of catching her breath, Yochu used his boot to knock Katsu over so that he could get a good look at her face. He would've continued the offensive, but he couldn't help but notice her Sharingan and the Leaf Village insignia on the headband tied around her thigh.
All at once Akira regained control of his right arm, and he rushed forward, drawing his katana and pulling it back to land a critical strike. However, before he could deliver the blow, Akira looked up just in time to see Yochu's outstretched hand helping Katsu to her feet. The momentary change in demeanor was enough to force Akira to stop his attack.
"So if you're Katsu," Yochu said, clearly wracking his brain for a memory of some sort. "That must make you Akira... or perhaps Kiyoshi? It's alright; they're Leaf Village."
Katsu didn't waste any time with formalities. She had already marked the location of Kiyoshi in her mind and she took off in her wounded teammate's direction. Akira, rather than giving chase, kept his katana gripped in his right hand, still wary of the shinobi who stood only a few meters out of his reach.
"What's up with her?" Shiga shrugged, taking a few steps towards Akira. Again, the Uzumaki child tensed up, pulling his sword in front of him, the blade pointed towards the advancing ninja. "Whoa, chill kid. We're not here to fight you. I'm Shiga Inuzuka. The bug boy to my right is Yochu Aburame. And this lovely lady to my right is Hikari Yamanaka."
"Charmed," Hikari bowed, extending her hand in friendship. Akira wanted desperately to act skeptical, but, like Katsu, the boy couldn't afford such a luxury. He wanted desperately to reach Kiyoshi's side and to get them to the center tower as quickly as possible. Still, if these three Leaf Ninja weren't his teammate's attackers... who had?
Akira shared his name as he had been expected, beckoning for the team of Leaf Ninja to follow close behind. Normally, Akira wouldn't have been so accepting towards the help of complete strangers, but, with Kiyoshi's heath in dire straights, Akira couldn't afford to be too picky. At this point, he was willing to accept anyone's help. Perhaps one of these ninja even knew the poison extraction technique that Inoki had spoken of.
The scene was better than Akira could've hoped. From a glance it appeared as though his comrades were merely unconscious. Katsu propped Kiyoshi's head up as she tried to search for a pulse. When she failed to find even the faintest of pulses on the underside of Katsu's wrist, she moved her hand to the Katsu's neck. Again there was nothing. She wanted to push harder and harder, desperately trying to find some sign of life, but Hikari stopped her.
"You're doing more harm then good," she warned, rushing to his aid. Shiga, Yochu, and Akira systematically checked the other three unconscious ninja and quickly found pulses through the undulations of their wrists. "You run the risk of damaging his heart if you push to hard. They must've done a real number on him; if his condition goes on like this... well let's just say he doesn't have much time."
"Crap," Akira shouted, punching the ground. "One of their scrolls is missing."
"Look's like whoever did this took what they wanted and ran with hit," Shiga frowned. "I'd never leave someone out to die like this, even if they were my foe."
Akira looked helplessly at the Heaven Scroll he had just taken from Shikawa's jacket pocket. He didn't have another scroll to give them to allow them access to the center tower. As it stood, Akira now had two scrolls of the same kind in his possession, but it was clear that an Earth Scroll needed to be found... and quickly. He knew just where to find one. Apparently, so did Katsu.
The young kunoichi pressed a kunai against the backside of Hikari's neck. The Yamanaka had been so distracted, checking Kiyoshi's vitals that she hadn't noticed Katsu drawing her blade until it was much too late. However, before she could make any demands, Katsu felt something pressed against her own neck. Out of pure reflex, the Genin threw a backwards kick to free herself from her captor, sending Shiga back quite a few feet. Perhaps out of sheer shock, the Inuzuka lost his grip on whatever he had previously pressed against Katsu. Before she could check to see whatever it was, Chairomaru leapt onto Katsu, knocking her down to the forest floor. The large dog pressed its paws against the bend in Katsu's arms, baring it's rather intimidating teeth and emitting a rather loud growl.
"Off boy," Shiga panicked, putting his hand on this ninken's backside. He had trained Chairomaru to jump to his aid in a moments notice. However, now wasn't the time for such intensity for there was just a minor misunderstanding. For the thing that had been pressed against Katsu's neck was none other then an extra Heaven Scroll that Shiga and company had in their possession.
At the mere touch of Shiga's hand, Chairomaru backed off, resuming his usual friendly demeanor. The rather large animal had frightened Katsu, so it took her a moment to completely regain her composure. With a rather fake laugh and a deep breath, Katsu managed to make her way to her feet and scoop the scroll of the ground. Still, she couldn't help but keep her gaze transfixed on the hound that stood just a few yards away. She had wanted to copy the Fang Over Fang jutsu, but she hadn't the foresight to activate her Sharingan at the onset of the altercation. She would have to remember that could be useful later, especially with her own young ninken in need of some use.
This time it was Shiga to take action. Perhaps he was just trying to defuse the situation, but the young Inuzuka made his way to Hikari's side, lifting Kiyoshi up in his arms. Yochu followed suit, draping Choya over Chairomaru and tossing Shikaaw over his backside. With the tower only a few minutes away, it didn't seem like too big of a deal for the older Leaf shinobi to lend a helping hand to their younger counterparts. Afterall, Shiga had just said only moments before that he would never leave someone in such dire straights to perish.
"I guess when we stick our necks out for someone we really go all out," Yochu shrugged, shaking his head in disbelief. "I hope you know what you're doing Shiga."
"Will you shut up?" Shiga shot back, rushing forward. Katsu wanted to reach out and thank the Inuzuka for his help, but she couldn't gather her thoughts. After speaking to the Stone Ninja Masaru, Katsu was far too scatterbrained for anything to make much sense. She was just going to go along with whatever Akira suggested. And, as it appeared, Akira was grateful for the help they provided. For once, the boy was willing to ignore whatever skepticism lingered within in his mind just on the off chance he could save his friend.
"W-what," Kiyoshi managed to stammer. His head felt rather heavy, as though he was incredibly tired and incapable of keeping his eyes open to their fullest extent. His arms seemed to follow suit, making it near impossible for the young Genin to raise either of his arms.
"He's awake," a voice rang through Kiyoshi's head. The abrupt noise shot an immense pain through the shinobi's cranium. Still, the child found the will to force his eyes open, pushing through the harsh light that accompanied his actions. After his eyes full adjusted, Kiyoshi found that he was face-to-face with a familiar individual.
She had long, blond colored hair that fell to about her waist. While not normally dressed as such, the young woman dawned the garb of a Leaf Medical Ninja, wearing a long, white cloak, embroidered with the kanji for "doctor" just about her left breast. Kiyoshi tried to sit up right, but another pain shot through his body, forcing the boy to grab his stomach to quell the outburst. Before he could try to sit up farther, the woman put her hand on Kiyoshi's shoulder, easing the boy back into a horizontal position.
"Relax for now," Ino warned. "You're lucky the poison was heavily concentrated in one area, otherwise I might've needed to make an antidote."
Kiyoshi took a deep breath, allowing for whatever pain he had been experiencing the time it needed to subside. When the tight knot underneath the boy's ribcage finally began to soften, Kiyoshi allowed himself the luxury of sitting up. Ino once again urged the boy to remain idle, but he wouldn't be stopped. With another deep breath, Kiyoshi threw his legs over the side of the bed so that his feet dangled just centimeters above the floor. With a quick wince, the Genin was standing on his feet, barely able to keep himself upright.
"Where am I?" Kiyoshi blinked, trying to completely regain his bearings. He had been resting within a rather bare room with just a wooden bed with white sheets. For the first time, since he had awoke, Kiyoshi had become aware of another entity relaxed against the back wall. She was rather calm, her hair tied neatly in two buns. With a slight huff, the woman made her way to Kiyoshi, placing a firm hand on the boy's head.
"Glad to see you awake," Tenten said, allowing a soft smile to peer across her usual stone cold glance. "You're father would've had my head."
Kiyoshi repeated his question, gazing back at the kunoichi's brown eyes. Tenten pulled her arm back, placing her then free hand on the back of her head. She was unsure of how much detail she should relinquish. Giving the boy too much information could force him to severely over exert himself. Still, she decided it was his right to know the truth.
"Well you've made it to the center tower of course. Normally this would be time for congratulations, but you're here under...special circumstances. See, you've been out for about three days now," the Special Jonin responded. "While you've been recovering, seven teams have made it here. Your friends aren't among them."
"What do you mean they aren't among them?" Kiyoshi questioned, taking a daring step toward his superior? "Where are they?"
"Well," she responded with a slight shrug. "As far as I was able to parse from one of the other squads, while they were on there way here they were ambushed. Your teammates decided to stay behind to allow another trio of Leaf Shinobi to safely transport you. As far as I know, they may still be fighting."
Kiyoshi's eyes opened wide with panic. Without waiting for so much as another word, the boy bolted towards the only opened door. Ino threw her arm out to try and catch his arm, but she was just a moment too late. She had resigned herself to give chase so that he might continue with his treatment, but Tenten motioned for her to stop. With look of fierce contempt, Ino could do nothing more but watch as Kiyoshi exited the room, a look of determination cemented into his brows.
"Why would you let him go?" Ino shouted, giving a cold look to her comrade.
"We have no right to keep him here as long as the exam is still taking place," the weapons specialist responded. Without even turning towards the doctor, Tenten calmly walked towards the exit as well, cracking her knuckles while allowing a small smirk to counter her stoic stare. "And besides... even thought Lee wouldn't want his son hurt... he'd be angrier if I impeded his ninja way. If Kiyo needs to rush off into combat to protect his comrades, who am I to tell him no?"
"Smile all you want," Ino frowned, putting her head into the palm of her hands. "While Lee might not be on your heels, Sakura is going to kill me."
"This isn't good," the girl's voice was just barely audible to be heard. She couldn't gather enough breath to make anything more than a mere squeak break through her lips; the wound from her chest made it so. While the injury itself was rather shallow, it was wide, caused by a distinct looking curved sword with a bronze colored blade and black hilt. It's wielder stood just a few paces away, a stark look of enjoyment and satisfaction engulfed his dark eyes. Katsu could only hope that he would continue to gaze in contentment, allowing her another few seconds to try and regain composure. Still, with his teammates standing on either side, she knew recovery time would be rather short.
"I warned you not to underestimate the Cloud," the first boy said, the look of enjoyment giving way to one of hate. Without any hesitation, he pointed his weapon's blade towards the kunoichi, pivoting his foot so that he might pounce at any given moment.
The team was very polished, wearing dark gray and white colors that were so typical of Cloud ninja. Each wore a gray shirt, with bright white pants stained with dirt and a few patches of blood from when Katsu had sustained her injury. The only variation in their outfits was the length of their sleeves. The girl, was sleeveless, the boy on the right wore a shirt with white short sleeves, and the leader, the one with the curved sword in the center of the trio, wore white sleeves that continued up his arms until they reached the black gloves he possessed on either hand.
"Hayai," the girl smiled, throwing herself over her captain with an emphatic hug. "Can't we just let them go now? We've already noted they have no scrolls."
"Amai," the captain returned, with a bit of force behind his voice. "She's called the Cloud Village second rate, referring to its shinobi and its people as inferior to her own. Someone with that much disrespect toward our heritage has no place in this world. G, let's finish this."
"Been waiting all day," the lighter skinned boy responded, pulling a kunai from the holster on his leg.
Katsu immediately tried to move, attempting to desperately bat away her attackers. However, before she could even draw a kunai in retaliation, the young kunoichi felt the flat side of a curved sword pressed up against her backside. Even with her Sharingan, Katsu didn't have the sheer speed required to keep up with Hayai. He was simply too fast, possessing a speed that was perhaps even superior to Kiyoshi's. With little time to think, and her back pressed against a weapon, Katsu felt trapped as G rushed forth, thrusting his kunai towards the Leaf Shinobi's midsection. Even with the sheer size of her chakra reserves, the almost day long battle had all but drained the child dry. With no fire and nowhere to go, Katsu took the only course of action available.
She fought back!
Katsu rushed forward, taking both Hayai at her backside and G off guard. The child used this moment of shock to side step the oncoming kunai, allowing Katsu to deliver a powerful close line to G's throught. The boy hit the ground air, and Katsu leapt into the air to unleash another powerful blow to the boy's midsection in an attempt to break a few ribs. However, before Katsu could land, Hayai had regained his composure, swinging his weapon so that the blade would catch Katsu before she could land, nullifying her as a threat and saving his teammate. Even still, Hayai's blade never connected with flesh, instead meeting steel. For, at the other end of the blade, was Akira's katana.
"And I warned you not to underestimate the Leaf!" Akira shouted back, using his free hand to draw his second sword. Before Akira could swing the blade, Hayai responded to Akira's appearance by landing a straight punch to the Uzumaki's jugular. His first response was to grab his throat in an attempt to regain his breath, but with his katana still in hand, Akira knew he had to hold his ground. By then, Katsu had thrust both of her knees into G's chest, hearing a satisfying crunch when she had finally landed. Katsu attempted to turn in an attempt to free up Akira, but, when she had finally raised her gaze from G's unconscious body, she found herself face-to-face with a fist completely coated in a blue aura.
"Lighting Style!" Amai shouted, delivering a devastating blow that hurled Katsu into her teammate, sending the two spiraling through the air into the base of a massive tree. "Tiger Fist!"
"Nice shot," her teammate nodded, giving her a small "thumbs up." Amai didn't revel in her short victory. Instead, the girl decided it best to join her unconscious comrade to check his wounds. "Take care of him; I'll finish these two off."
"We should just cut our losses and go," Amai responded, propping G's head up into her lab. "We have both scrolls, what's the point of taking there's?"
"To thin the competition," Hayai responded bluntly. He rushed forth, taking note of their trajectory. From where he was standing, he couldn't quite see the Leaf shinobi in his field of vision, a fact that worried him slightly. Still, he pressed on, hoping that Amai's punch had knocked the duo unconscious. Still, he was confident he could take the two down on his own.
It took only a few quick seconds for Hayai to descend on his pray. As he had initially assumed, Akira had been completely numb to the world around him. Katsu, despite taking the full brunt of the previous attack, was still standing, holding a single kunai with both arms. She hated to admit it, but she was absolutely terrified. Still, she wouldn't show her fear; she was far too prideful.
Katsu took a step forward, and Hayai disappeared from her field of vision. Even with her Sharingan, the kunoichi couldn't keep up with the Cloud shinobi. He was far too fast, and, even at her fastest, Hayai could run circles around her. Even then, he had maneuvered behind the kunoichi, pulling back his sword to deal a fatal blow. Katsu anticipated Hayai's movements and swing her kunai backwards. The clash of the weaponry, proved too much for the injured kunoichi to handle. She lost her grip, and the kunai flew a few meters away, landing in the forest floor. She jumped back, narrowly avowing the subsequent swing of the curved sword that followed.
"Too fast," Katsu coughed, falling to her knees. She was utterly exhausted. She wanted to surrender, to have Akira or Kiyoshi take care of the rest of this battle. Even so, she was aware she might've been completely on her own.
"Have you finally accepted your fate?" Hayai smiled, appearing over Katsu's fatigued body. He grabbed onto her collar, lifting her slightly in the air so that her feet hovered just a few inches above the air. "It was fun."
"It's not over yet," Katsu smirked, swinging her arm. Hayai used his free hand to block the kunoichi's attack, noting the concealed kunai kept in her sleeve. Even still, Katsu wasn't finished, and, with a flick of her wrist, Katsu tossed the kunai behind Hayai. He never even knew the paper bomb was attached to the underside of the kunai... that is, until it exploded. The Cloud ninja took the full brunt of the explosion, throwing him into the young girl. Katsu used his forward momentum to lift him above her head, and throw him down onto the ground. In a last ditch effort, Katsu leapt high into the air, unleashing a final Fireball Jutsu on her foes position. Before Hayai could respond, the flame enveloped him, scorching him until the flames completely dissipated. "I think you're the one... who underestimated the Leaf."
"Not quite," a voice rang through Katsu's ears. For, behind Katsu, was a completely unscathed Hayai, his sword down by his side. "You're simply too slow."
Katsu tried her best to counter the blow she knew was about to follow. Though, once again she found herself completely incapable. With nothing up her sleeve and with absolutely no chakra left, Katsu was aware that her time was coming to an end. That was when the curved sword met flesh. However, the sensation wasn't exactly as Katsu had expected.
"Sorry I'm late," Kiyoshi smiled, looking back at Katsu. He had somehow managed to punch the sword out of the air, knocking it to the ground. Kiyoshi used his two-kick combo to push Hayai back, clearing the distance between the two shinobi. Kiyoshi didn't want to fight near his unconscious teammates for fear they might get in the way. He didn't want either Katsu or Akira to be hurt any further. "How did you like my Leaf Hurricane?"
"And we have another combatant," Hiyai frowned, annoyed without how the previous altercation had played out. "And who are you?"
"Hmph," Kiyoshi smiled, realizing he had come just at the right moment. "The hero of course. Don't you know? We heroes always show up at the last minute."
"Hero huh?" he responded, lifting his sword from the ground. "Please, I have no quarrel with you. If you move, I might just let you live."
"Heh," Kiyoshi shrugged, taking the Iron-Fist stance. "Come make me."
"Be careful Kiyoshi; he's faster than he looks," Katsu winced, trying to stand to her full height. She attempted to step forward to join her companion in combat, but he leg gave out, forcing the kunoichi to one knee. She let out a sharp cry, but Kiyoshi couldn't turn to tend to her. He knew one false step could spell his instant demise, but he still couldn't help but wince as Katsu's yelp lingered. It pained him not to tend to his comrades. He put up his arm to signal that she shouldn't push herself any farther. "W-what? I'm still good to fight!"
"Katsu, stay down! Don't you know? When you're in danger, I'll come to your rescue," Kiyoshi smiled. "I'll protect the both of you... until my death."
Kiyoshi went to continue with his heroic speech, but he made one tactical error. He blinked. Within that mere tenth of a second, the Leaf Genin found himself face-to-face with the hilt of a sword. Before he could react, the boy took the full brunt of the blow, being tossed back quite a few meters. Kiyoshi jumped to his feet, prepared to counterattack, but Kiyoshi was smacked back by the hilt of Hiyai's sword. He was just toying with Kiyoshi, and it was really starting to aggravate the boy.
"Is that all you've got?" Kiyoshi growled, wiping the blood off of his nose.
"No," he replied honestly, causing Kiyoshi to take a step back. The question really didn't warrant an answer, as it was merely rhetorical. Knowing that he had something else up his sleeve besides his massive speed was truly disheartening. Still, Kiyoshi had a trick of his own. He just needed to get his hands on his opponent.
Kiyoshi drew a kunai from his holster, rushing forward with his weapon clutched tightly in his right hand. As he was about to deliver a right hook, Kiyoshi felt a strong fist thrust into his chest, sending him sprawling on his backside. Katsu called out to him, to be sure that he was okay, but he didn't respond. Instead, Kiyoshi jumped to his feet, realizing that his normal fighting style would be no use against such a speedy opponent.
The boy crossed both of his arms, taking a deep breath to steady his thoughts. Again though, Kiyoshi was stopped mid-technique, smacked to the ground by the flat side of Hayai's sword. Apparently the Cloud Genin was tired of toying around and the boy lifted the hilt of the curved blade, above his head. Just as he brought it down for the final blow, Kiyoshi clasped his hands on the blade, holding it just a few inches from his face. Thinking quickly, Kiyoshi turned his hands sideways, wresting the sword from his foes hands.
"Leaf Whirlwind!" Kiyoshi shouted, twisting his body in such a way that he swung his legs, sweeping his foe form the side whilst he simultaneously flipped to his feet. He attempted to continue his attack with a strong, downwards stomp on the boy's midsection, but was met with resistance in the form of jutsu.
"Lightning Release: Dynamic Discharge!" the boy shouted, forming the hand seal of the dragon. Just before Kiyoshi's foot made contact, a bright blue light emanated from Hayai's body, delivering a concentrated surge of electricity throughout the leaf shinobi's body, paralyzing him for just a mere moment. Hayai place both feet on Kiyoshi's chest, using his legs to propel the Genin from on top of him. With his incredible speed, Hayai had no trouble retrieving his sword, dashing forward to deliver a blow. Kiyoshi didn't have time to think; he merely reacted to the situation by crouching and lunging forward. With Hayai's tremendous speed, his found Kiyoshi's move to have been truly rash and reckless, but incredibly effective. He wasn't capable of correcting his movements, and Kiyoshi found himself with both arms severely wrapped around his foe's midsection. Now, he just needed to hold on tight.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" a voice rang from the treetops. Kiyoshi made sure to keep his head down for fear of accidentally being struck with the jutsu. He took a deep breath, hesitant to move as he wasn't familiar with the speed or accuracy of the technique, only having seen it a few times. Still, within the next few moments, Kiyoshi felt a hand on his backside; it was Hayai's.
"I've got him," he said, smiling gently. Kiyoshi took a deep sigh of relief, letting go of hold.
"Kiyo are you crazy?" Katsu managed to squeak, taking a step forward. "Don't let him go!"
"Don't worry Katsu-san," Kiyoshi smiled in response, giving his teammate his typical "nice guy" pose. "It's Inoki-san!"
Hayai reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the two scrolls in his jacket pocket. With a slight smile, he carelessly tossed them to Kiyoshi, and motioned for Kiyoshi to take a step back. Kiyoshi did what he was told, only to then rush forward in a full on sprint, leaping into the air for a high-speed, jump kick. Just before the attack was about to connect, Hayai performed a very specific hand seal, releasing the technique. Inoki's consciousness transferred back to her own body, and Hayai was able to take control, just in time for Kiyoshi's foot to make contact with his adversary's nose.
"Dynamic Entry!" he shouted, delivering a kick that Guy-sensei would've been proud of. The Cloud Genin was sent spiraling back, landing about twenty meters from where he had started. He was unconscious, just as Kiyoshi and Inoki had anticipated. "CHAAAA!"
Inoki didn't take the time to celebrate. Immediately after her the effects of her technique had worn away, she rushed to the forest floor, placing both hands on Akira's chest. With a deep breath to steady her nerve, she immediately tried to resuscitate her fallen Leaf comrade.
Katsu didn't say anything. She took a step forward, gracious that her friend had come to her rescue... and happier that he was safe. After not seeing him for almost four days, she had begun to imagine the worst had happened. She began crying, softly at first, but her sobs soon grew in intensity and the young kunoichi fell to her knees. Kiyoshi went to comfort her, but his kindness wasn't well received.
"You moron!" Katsu yelled, standing abruptly and delivering a punch to Kiyoshi's chin. The boy was thrown to the ground, and, while his immediate reaction was to yell back, he was honestly too stunned to react. "I-I thought you were dead and-and... I'm glad you're still with us Kiyo-chan."
Katsu rushed to her fallen friend's aid, wrapping both of her arms around him. Kiyoshi wasn't sure how to respond, but he chose, at least in the end, to return the hug that Katsu had administered. She started to cry again, but Kiyoshi had to pull away from Katsu's waterfall of emotions. He grabbed her hand, helping her to stand, and rushed to Akira's side. They had to move rather quickly. Hayai's teammates were likely in the vicinity and they couldn't afford to be found by any other team's desperate for a scroll. They had to move fast to the center tower.
The room was silent. Eight teams, separated into groups of three stood in silence, staring at a group of shinobi; among them were Kiyoshi's parents and each team's sensei. Of course there were a few other notable Leaf Shinobi; Kiba, Shino, Yamato, Guy, and, of course, the Hokage himself. Each brimmed with pride at the prospective Chunin who had worked tirelessly over the past five days, scrounging and fighting tirelessly for their survival in the Forest of Death. It was a proud moment for the elders.
It was finally Shikamaru who broke the silence.
"I'm... actually surprised," Shikamaru sighed, taking a breath of relief. He was sure to keep his voice low so that only Mika could hear his words. "I didn't think they'd make it this far, let alone pass the first round."
"Well they won't make it much further," another Jonin responded. "This next round is where we separate the strong from the weak. Your rookies have done well so far, but my team is dangerous."
"Hah," Mika laughed. "I can't wait for when Shikawa knocks your entire team around, Reikon."
"If you're done chatting," Kakashi shot back to the Jonin, taking a single step forward to distinguish himself from the group. Kiyoshi and Katsu couldn't help but to chuckle at Kakashi scolding their sensei, but the duo quickly quieted down when they realized their amusement was not well received. "I'm not much for making speeches, but I think this is rather important to say: I'm sure in the forest, you all faced hardships. Often times you were met with situations, scenarios in which you didn't find yourself capable of overcoming. Some of you may have taken actions or done things you didn't think you would've done under any circumstance... things were difficult. However, through it all, you managed to make it here as a team. A wise man once said to me, shinobi who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse. Don't forget those words moving forward... we are all friends here. We are all shinobi!"
Kiyoshi frowned, toying with those words in his head. He had heard them only once before, when Kiba had spoken them in the first portion of the exam, but he couldn't rationalize on how truthful they were. Whilst in the forest, Kiyoshi had almost met his death on two separate occasions, by people who were clearly out for blood, people who were in that very room. Still, Kakashi had the gall to refer to everyone as "friends"...
"If my rival is finished," Guy smirked, taking an even larger step so that he was just a few steps ahead of Kakashi. "The third round will begin in just a moment. Firstly, we want to extend a hand of youthful congratulations for all of the impressive young men and women who stand before me. Traversing the Forest of Death is no easy task."
"What do you mean... start it a moment?" said a Leaf Shinobi from Kiyoshi's right. He had never seen the boy before, but he took note of the rather large canine at his side. Kiyoshi rationalized that the boy must've been from Inuzuka Clan, a fact that worried him slightly.
"Normally the next round starts immediately after the five day period is finished," Guy responded, giving the student's a slight shrug. "However, we're giving you all a fifteen minute period to rest. Even top notch ninja such as yourselves can use a break."
Mika was the first to leave her post, rushing past Guy with wild enthusiasm. In one swift motion, the Jonin ruffled her fingertips through Shikawa's hair and gave Choya a high five. Kiyoshi wished that, just for a moment, that his team had such great cohesion, but he shirked the feelings off, turning back to his own sensei who had just begun to make his advance. Shikamaru had a look of displeasure on his face. However, his distain wasn't directed towards his wards; rather, Shikamaru couldn't stand the inappropriate attitude that his protégé often exuberated.
Shikamaru stopped just a few steps away from the Genin of Squad Twelve and motioned for the trio to follow. He had wanted to speak to his subordinates without any watchful eyes or wandering ears. There was a door underneath one of the audience areas that bordered the walls, hovering about fifteen feet from the ground. While most teams had merely chose to separate, taking up various sections of the arena to converse with their respective sensei, Shikamaru led his team to the closed off area, opening the door and shooing his team inside. He closed the door, attempting to be as silent as possible.
"What's with the change of venue?" Katsu asked, raising her eyebrows.
"We don't have much time," Shikamaru responded, raising his hand slightly to keep the others from speaking. He reached into his pocket, pulling out three small black pills. Without batting an eyelash, Shikamaru tossed one to each of his students. "Military Rations Pills. I'm sure you're all exhausted; think of these as energy boosters that should be used sparingly."
"Shikamaru-sensei..." Kiyoshi began, holding the round pill at arms length. "We're not allowed to have these."
"You're going to need them," he responded. "Especially you, Kiyoshi."
"Wha- me, why?" Kiyoshi said, jumping back slightly. He thought, out of the three, that he was in the best shape after he had spent the last day in the hospital. He couldn't imagine why he would be in need of an energy boost.
Shikamaru didn't want to put such a tremendous burden on the boy's shoulders, but it was a direct order from the Hokage himself. Even though Shikamaru would've preferred a more seasoned shinobi to fight Shin, the boy with the mysterious Sharingan, he couldn't argue that Kiyoshi was the one best prepared to take on such a foe. Having received special training from Guy to combat Katsu's Sharingan, Kiyoshi was not only their best hope; he was likely their only shot.
Omake:
Kiyoshi: So what are we gonna talk about today?
Katsu: Hey, we're glad you're back.
Akira: Come on, we can save this reunion for later. Today we are going to talk about Team Three, led by Reikon Hakanai, a kenjutsu user with three Genin under his wing.
Katsu: Right, the first is Shiga Inuzuka and his dog Chairomaru. The son of Kiba, Shiga is next in line to replace his father as the head of the Inuzuka Clan. He's a powerful fighter and a master of the Inuzkua Clan's secret techniques.
Akira: Then there is Yochu Aburame, He's a protégé among the Aburame Clan and the voice of reason on Squad Three. Like most of the Aburame, ninja, Yochu utilized the kikaichu bugs to overwhelm his opponent.
Katsu: And then, finally, we have Hikari Yamanaka. She boasts excellent chakra control and uses techniques that focus on the manipulation of her own chakra. While primarily a sensor shinobi, Hikari can get her hands dirty in a fight.
Kiyoshi: They seem pretty tough!
Akira: Oh, they are. We kind of owe them for getting you back here safely.
Katsu: Owe them?! They left us in the woods to fight that team from the Cloud while they ran off to the center tower! As far as I'm concerned, we acted as bait so they could get away.
Akira: We acted as bait so Kiyoshi could get help!
Kiyoshi: Guys, can't we just calm down?
Katsu: Speaking of which... Kiyo, I've got a secret of Akira's that I have to tell you.
Akira: You promised not to!
Kiyoshi: Promised not to tell me what?
Katsu: Welllllll... Akira likes y- hey, stop! Get off me.