The most insignificant people are the most apt to sneer at others. They are safe from reprisals. And have no hope of rising in their own self esteem but by lowering their neighbors.
-William Hazlitt
Chapter 34: Apt to Sneer
"You don't look good at all, Kei-chan. Is something wrong?" Naruto asked. It was true; Kei looked awful. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were dark bags around her eyes. Her hair was messily pulled back into a ponytail, but it seemed as if she hadn't cared for herself in days.
"I'm fine, Naruto-san," Kei said tiredly. Naruto was unconvinced. Kei's yawn a few seconds later didn't reassure him a bit. "I was just working on something for you." Kei looked over towards Shikamaru and threw her notebook at him. "Can you just tell him for me? I need to sit down somewhere. I feel sick." Shikamaru caught the bright orange notebook and opened it. It was different from her normal notebook. It was filled with notes on fuuinjutsu and Naruto. It had Naruto's current body mass, chakra levels, and jutsu repertoire. Shikamaru skeptically looked up at Kei as she went to drop herself down onto one of Naruto's chairs. He hoped she didn't have a notebook like this on him, but somehow, he bet she did.
"It looks like I've been saddled with this. How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed and flipped through the notebook until he reached a page filled with instructions. Half the page was written in a cipher and the other half was written in legible script with the note "Shikamaru, read this:" above it. The fact that she had planned on forcing him to read this ahead of time annoyed him slightly.
"What were you working on? Shikamaru-kun, do you know what she is talking about?" Naruto looked from Kei to Shikamaru curiously. Ever since the two had arrived at his house, Kei and Shikamaru had been looking conspicuously at each other. Naruto wondered if they had prepared some sort of death weapon to use on him or something. He couldn't really think of much else to make them feel guilty like that.
"Remember at our last meeting when Kei said she was working on fuuinjutsu?" Naruto nodded. "She was really working on a seal to help you, Naruto-san. The reason why we haven't seen her for a while is because she has been in the library working on a seal non-stop." Shikamaru flipped the book out so Naruto could see the seal diagram.
Naruto stopped himself from paling. Could they be trying to seal away his connection to the Kyuubi? It wasn't that he liked the Kyuubi or anything, but he sort of appreciated the guy when things got rough. Naruto wasn't sure that he wanted a seal that would completely sever his connection. "What does it do?" Naruto kept his voice level, feigning calmness.
Shikamaru looked at the notebook before raising an eyebrow. "Kei-san, can you explain how it functions?" The words on the page got rapidly more confusing as he read them. He knew that Naruto wouldn't understand a word if he read what was on the page.
Kei grumbled from the table and grumbled out, "It prevents your medial temporal lobe from being tampered with. The lobe is vital for your long term memory. If the Kyuubi is in your mindscape, he should have the ability to edit your memories. This is just to prevent that from happening."
Naruto concealed a frown. He didn't like the thought of the Kyuubi editing his memories, but he also didn't know whether or not the seal would damage his connection with the Kyuubi. "It should only take a few minutes to put the seal on since it's just an addition to your existing seal. Are you okay with that, Naruto-san?"
Naruto stalled. He knew it would look suspicious if he rejected the seal, but he also didn't want it. "That's fine. It sounds great, Kei-chan! Thanks for working so hard on it!" He groaned internally. Why couldn't he be a better liar?
-TSUME-
"So? What do you want anyways?" Sasuke bit out, crossing his arms in annoyance. He didn't know why Kakashi had invited him out the day before the exams. He had stuff to do that didn't involve wasting time with Kakashi. Kakashi had taught him only one good jutsu. The rest of the things Kakashi taught were unimportant and below Sasuke. Walking up trees? How stupid. There were more important things to learn. He had seen Kakashi give the maroon haired girl-the name wasn't of consequence, she would never go anywhere- a scroll containing a new jutsu.
Why was he wasting time on such pathetic genin when Sasuke was around? Kakashi hadn't spent enough time on his own genin, in Sasuke's opinion. Kakashi had been specially assigned to teach Sasuke because of the Sharingan, but Kakashi proved to be of little use. Sasuke found it was better to train on his own or, even better, aggravate Kiba and then activate the Sharingan for practice. At least it gave the dog boy some use.
"Don't do anything reckless in the exams, Uchiha-san. If anything feels weird or if something happens, you should pull out." Kakashi had his dogs following Sasuke around ever since he had received the cursed seal. After receiving a hawk from the Hokage detailing him about Sakura's case, he had to be even more careful around Sasuke. If Sakura was hearing voices in her head, Sasuke could be hearing the same thing. Kakashi didn't think Sasuke would have the control necessary to prevent himself from following what the voices told him.
"Is that all? You don't have to worry about me, Kakashi-sensei. It's not something that I have to worry about." Sasuke sniggered. "You should just go find someone that you actually have to teach. So far, you've just been useless to me." Sasuke turned away from Kakashi, about to walk down the hall. Kakashi growled lowly and tugged on Sasuke's arm, yanking him back over. Kakashi used his right arm and grabbed Sasuke by the throat and slammed him into the wall.
"Listen here, Uchiha-san. You are under my authority while you are my student. You will listen to what I say. Forget about your little delusions of grandeur and face the real world. Not everyone will allow you to trample on them like ants. Unless you realize that, you will die and no one will mourn for you." Kakashi's eyes pierced into Sasuke's, making the younger boy tremble. "You will tell me if anything strange happens in the exams. Am I understood?"
Sasuke nodded hurriedly, his hands trying to pry away Kakashi's tight grip. Kakashi released his grip suddenly, causing Sasuke to drop to the ground. Sasuke gagged as air rushed back into his lungs. He felt around his neck where the bright red lines from Kakashi's hand still remained. Sasuke grunted and looked away from Kakashi as the older man ran a hand through his hair.
"Don't get me wrong, Uchiha-san. I don't like to do this anymore than you do, but I am a ninja first and your babysitter second. If I need to threaten you to get you to obey orders, I will. You are the one that has done this to yourself. Unless you shape up, this will happen again. Keep that in mind, Uchiha-san." Sasuke snarled at Kakashi and picked himself up from the floor. He brushed himself off, trying to regain the scraps of pride that he had left.
"I don't take orders from anyone. I take recommendations and decide whether or not I follow them," Sasuke said snidely. "If that is all you wanted to talk about, I should go. I have exams to prepare for." Sasuke turned on his heels and stalked away, his hands balled tightly in his pockets. He would make Kakashi pay for that. No one made fun of the Uchiha heir and got away with it. Just a little bit longer and Sasuke would get his revenge.
-TSUME-
Naruto took in a deep breath before exhaling. He rolled his shoulders backwards and leaned his head from side to side. It was finally the big day. The exams had finally resumed, and if everything went as suspected, the rebels would make their move. Naruto had to be on top of his game if he was going to survive the day. He hoped that today wouldn't be the last time he saw the sun rise.
He looked down the hallway towards the opening to the arena. Hayate had told him that he had five more minutes before the first match was announced. Naruto cracked his knuckles. Lee would be his first opponent. Naruto felt a bit bad about the match. He didn't want to defeat Lee, especially since he had vowed to win for Neji, but he had to stay in the exams until the rebellion happened. If he lost before the rebellion happened, he would probably be confined to the hospital ward, and it would be difficult to respond quickly.
"For the first battle we have Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure against Rock Lee, also from Konohagakure!" Naruto shook his head. He had to concentrate. It would be disastrous if his attention wandered for even a moment. He strode confidently out into the arena, climbing up the steps into the elevated battlefield.
Trees surrounded him as he exited the hallway. A gate slammed shut behind him. The die had been cast. Lee stood across him on the other side of the arena. Lee was hopping from one foot to another. "Naruto-san! I am sorry, but you must lose today! I am filled with youthful spirit and purpose. I must win for Tenten-chan!"
Naruto smiled sadly and shook his head. "I only wish that I could allow you to win, Lee-san, but unfortunately..." Naruto's voice dropped. "I absolutely cannot lose." Hayate looked down at the two genin beneath him and raised his hand.
"The match will begin in three, two, one, begin!" Both genin were off like a shot. Lee flew at Naruto, punching at the blonde. Naruto swerved off to the side and drop kicked Lee. Lee rolled with the kick before shoving himself off the ground, running at Naruto again. Naruto frowned. Lee was just as good at taijutsu as Naruto had expected. Naruto had naturally been strong at taijutsu because of his inability to tire, but he just wasn't as fast as the green beast.
Naruto shunshined back into the treetops, deciding it was smarter to try a new strategy. I can't believe you let the idiots put that seal on! Naruto grunted. It was a bad time for the Kyuubi to start talking to him. I can't talk to you most of the time, so you bet I'm going to use the chance, Naruto-brat. Couldn't the Kyuubi talk to him after the match while he was still running off of adrenaline? Lee shot through the trees, causing Naruto to drop down onto the ground. Step back!
Naruto leaped backwards just as Lee came spiraling down from the treetops, smashing into the place where Naruto had just been. Use the jutsu that the scar man taught you. You should be strong enough to deal some damage, and it will also help the fools believe that you aren't talking to me. Naruto silently agreed and began to flip his way through the seal. Naruto heard a branch snap and he turned around and yelled, "Fuuton: Daitoppa!"
A cold chill ran its way up Naruto's throat as he breathed in and blew out. The wind shot out of his mouth, crashing into the trees where Lee was. Branches snapped as the air slammed into them, sending them careening through the undergrowth. Naruto faintly heard Lee yelp as the limbs came flying towards him. Naruto landed on the ground and pushed himself into the trees, searching for the sound of the voice.
That was when he spotted Lee lying on the ground. Lee noticed Naruto coming nearer and tried to move, but Naruto caught him against the ground. He twisted Lee's arms back and pinned him tightly to the ground. "Surrender, Lee-san. It's over."
Lee grunted and yelled back, "I won't surrender!" Tears pricked at the corners of Lee's eyes. Had he really lost?
Naruto's face clenched together before his eyes looked down to the ground. "Then I'm sorry, Lee-san." Naruto's hand snapped down towards Lee's neck, knocking the older boy unconscious. Lee slumped to the ground, and Hayate yelled out, "The winner of the match is Uzumaki Naruto!"
From up in the stands, Tenten's mouth opened slightly before closing again. She wanted to apologize to Lee, but she knew he couldn't hear her right now. She felt bad that Lee had fought so hard for her. Tenten just knew that Lee would be crushed when he woke up. He hated breaking promises. That was something Tenten liked about him. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned to see Gai standing on the step above her. "We should go, Tenten-chan. We're already late as it is."
Tenten nodded as the crowd cheered around them. They hurried up the staircase to the Hokage booth. Gai nodded at the ANBU standing outside the entrance to the box and headed into the spacious sitting area. They slipped past the Tsuchikage's chair and headed over to where the Hokage was. The seating arrangement had changed after the Hokage had heard about the tape call. Now the Hokage sat by the Kazekage and Oto's leader instead of Ame's soveriegn and ruler from Kusa.
"I still don't understand why you needed to change things around," hissed Oto' leader. "It's a nuisance for the rest of us, you know. I wasn't able to get all of my guards into the stands now that my booth allotment has changed. Why did my space have to shrink anyways? It's disgraceful." The man sniffed behind his veil. Killer intent seeped from him, causing the Hokage to smile meaningfully back.
"It wasn't for any real purpose, Leader-dono. We just thought it would be better to change the arrangement of the booth for security reasons. We have our own reasons for why we think the change is appropriate. Do not fret about it. I'm sure you of all people know how important secrecy is," Hiruzen said complacently, sending killer intent back towards Oto's sovereign. Hiruzen didn't like the man. Oto was too suspicious as a new country. Hiruzen doubted such a small country would attempt to back a rebellion, but Oto was definitely not a country Konoha would ally with in the future.
The man grunted and turned away from Hiruzen and back to the battle. "Do not disrespect my country just because we are new, Hokage-san," was all he said before falling silent. Hiruzen turned around to look at the arena again. His eyes were dark as he stared down at the field. His hand drifted down to his side. He snapped his fingers quietly. One of the masked ANBU beside him inclined his head, signaling that he had received the message.
Hiruzen pointed two fingers backwards towards the man behind him before rotating his hand in a small circle. He would have to make sure that Oto's was protected very carefully.
-TSUME-
Sakura rubbed the curse seal on her neck. She rocked back and forth on her heels, trying to calm herself down. It was only a week ago that Anko and Yamato had told her that she would definitely be participating in the exams. She didn't think she was prepared or that she was safe in the exams, but they assured her that she would be fine. They would be watching in the grandstands in case anything happened anyways.
Sakura heard the howling cheers from the arena and shivered. Soon, they would be cheering for her, or against her actually. She didn't quite know what they would be doing. She did hope that they would be loud though. It would make it easier on her that way. Sakura hummed loudly as she paced around the dirt hallway. She silently sang a song inside her mind just as Anko had told her to do. Yamato and Anko had deliberated on what to do with her for a while and had eventually settled on a few techniques. The first was singing.
If she sung loudly enough, she could block out some of the voices in her head. Another positive side effect was the fact that she had to consciously think about the song lyrics as she sung them. It helped divert her attention away from the voices and to another, happier, option. Sakura needed to distract herself right now. Whenever her attention wandered back towards her battle, she felt a chill run down her back.
Sakura was fighting Ino after all. She had seen the way that Ino had brutally beaten her first opponent. Ino hadn't wasted a second as she caught her opponent in a mind control jutsu and brought a kunai to his throat. It didn't even stop there. Sakura gulped and for a moment she was distracted from her song. There was no way she couldn't be distracted when she thought about what Ino did. Ino had sliced at the genin's throat and had jettisoned from the body just before the kunai sliced into his external carotid artery.
It had just been so awful. Sakura shuddered just remembering it. She was terrified that Ino would try the same thing with her. She hoped that Ino would go a bit softer on her since they had been childhood friends, but some part of her doubted it. "ARGH!" Sakura mussed up her hair and banged her head against the wall. She was scared, plain and simple. Why did she have to compete in these exams anyways? Could she just withdraw?
"Now for the next battle! We have Yamanaka Ino of Konohagakure against Haruno Sakura of Konohagakure!" Sakura twitched. That was her. She took in a deep breath before walking down the hallway. The light blinded her as she stepped upward into the field. As she stepped into the arena, a gate slammed behind her, sealing her inside of the arena. Sakura squeaked in surprise before wildly looking around the field.
A circle of trees surrounded the contestants. Branches filled the treetops, something Sakura was thankful for. At least she would be able to hide if things turned out badly. Sakura scuffed her foot on the ground. It was dry and dusty. "Hey Sakura-chan!" Sakura looked up from the ground to see Ino waving at her from across the field. "I'm glad to see that you made it so far! I'm really proud of you!" Ino clasped her hands behind her back and smiled warmly. A part of Sakura felt relieved. Maybe Ino would be a bit easier on her.
"But you know..." There was the infamous but. Sakura swallowed nervously. "You're my enemy now." Ino's face darkened and her smile stretched just a little bit too wide. "I wouldn't hesitate to kill you if the opportunity arises, Sakura-chan. This is supposed to be a realistic simulation after all. As long as I progress, that is all that matters for me." Ino's laugh rang out, cold and cruel. The cheers died down in the stands as Ino shook from laughter.
"This is really just a gimme battle for me, you know. You don't stand even the slightest chance against me, so why even try? You should just withdraw while you still can. You can do it, you know. A real ninja would surrender if the battle is already lost. But you... You're just being stupid and worthless." Ino shrugged her shoulder before saying casually, "But it's no skin off my back if you decide to get yourself killed. It would just be a waste of life."
Sakura shook in unadulterated terror. What was she doing in the arena? Ino was right, she'd definitely get herself killed! "Don't give up, Sakura-chan! She's just playing mind games with you! Haven't I tortured you enough to teach you not to worry about that!" Sakura was snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar voice. Sakura looked up into the stands to see Anko waving at her wildly. The purple-haired jounin grinned cockily as she realized that she had caught the pinkette's attention. "Go get 'em, girlie! I'm rooting for ya! Even Stoneface is cheering you on, so go do it!"
Sakura looked over to see Yamato wave listlessly at her. Sakura giggled. Poor Yamato had been bullied by Anko for the past month. Sakura almost felt sorry for him. "I'm not going to surrender, Ino-chan, but I wish you best of luck in the battle!" Sakura said as she bowed.
Ino scoffed. "I don't need luck. You're the one who needs a miracle here." From up in the stands, Hayate stood with his hand beside a timer.
"The match between Yamanka Ino and Haruno Sakura will begin in three, two, one, begin!" As the very last word left his mouth, both girls sprinted into the trees. Sakura crawled up into one of the trees and sat quietly in the bows, listening for any signs of Ino. A tree rustled to her right, and Sakura threw a kunai.
"Gotcha!" Ino's voice came from behind, causing Sakura to leap out of her tree and shunshin up into another one. "You can't hide from me, Sakura-chan! I know you too well! Your habits, your thoughts. They're all mine!" Sakura felt a pang of terror strike her. Did Ino really know what she was going to do? No, she couldn't. There was no way Ino could tell what jutsu she was going to use. This was just a mind game.
Sakura stretched out her hands. When she heard the sound of footsteps, Sakura called out, "Doton: Doryuu Taiga!" Ino yelped as the once dry ground turned to sludge and she slipped into the murk. Ino spat mud out of her mouth as she rose again to the surface. Sakura was already on the move. She threw two kunai at Ino, one with a paper bomb attached. Ino took a deep breath before diving under the mud. The paper bomb exploded in the air, sending mud flying out of the pit.
Ino leaped out of the hole and snagged Sakura by the arm. Ino twisted the arm and flung Sakura into a nearby tree, causing the girl to cry out in pain. Sakura dived out of the way as Ino flicked through the handsigns she needed for her mind switch jutsu. You don't need to do this, you know. If you just let me help you, this would be so much easier. "No!" Sakura yelled at the voice, not even bothering to lower her voice. Oh come on, you brat. They have left you in here to die. And you heard what the blonde wench said. She'll kill you unless you surrender, but you won't surrender. I like that about you. But you need to be stronger, and strength is something I can give you. Just let me help you a little bit. Just a little. It will be all that you need.
Sakura grunted as she broke through the branches. The voice was the last thing she needed right now. She couldn't concentrate. She couldn't even conjure up song lyrics in her mind to drive her attention away from the voice. It had clouded her mind already. Wouldn't it be nice to see red? I know red is your favorite color. I'm sure Ino has a very nice shade of red in her. If you just let me help, you'll be able to see it. "I told you, no!"
JUST GIVE IN! The voice echoed inside of Sakura's head, driving her down to her knees. From the tree canopy, Ino quirked an eyebrow. She didn't expect Sakura to be quite so... easy to find? Normally stealth involved being quiet. But Ino wasn't about to complain. Ino dived down from the trees, dropping onto Sakura's back. Sakura screamed as the sudden weight crushed her, flattening her onto the ground. Ino smirked and put her foot on Sakura's neck, effectively silencing her. "This game is over." Ino looked upwards and yelled, "Call it!"
Hayate started before nodding. "The match goes to Yamanaka Ino of Konoha!" Ino clicked her tongue and got off Sakura.
"That was absolutely pathetic." Ino glared down at Sakura and snarled, "Don't be so useless next time. At least allow me some good practice." She crossed her arms and walked away. No matter how many times she won, it didn't feel right. She felt empty. There was a hunger inside of her that wasn't sated by that pathetic battle. Even the fight against the boy in the last round didn't make her feel any better. Why?
Ino stalked down the hallway, pushing past the medics that were hurrying towards Sakura. Once the hallway had emptied, Ino slammed her fist against the wall. What was wrong with her? Nothing felt right anymore. Ino gritted her teeth and hung her head. She hated being like this. She just felt... worthless. Nothing would ever be enough.
Author's Note: I'm sorry I'm late! Forgive me! D: -insert excuses about holiday season in here- But really. I was busy. I baked over four hundred cookies, celebrated three birthdays, and went madly dashing for late Christmas gifts. I don't know why I can't plan ahead. It's not a gift of mine. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though... And Merry Christmas!
Phew. The chapter was finally cleaned up a bit! Thanks pokepikachu1!