"How is it, Naruto-kun?" Kiku asked, smiling across the table at him.
"Very good, as always," Kuushou replied, returning her smile.
"That's great to hear. I'm still trying to perfect my ramen recipe and I was a little worried it hadn't come out right," she demurred before taking another taste from her own bowl.
"Not at all," Kuushou assured her. "This is every bit as good as Ichiraku's."
Inoichi added his own praise at that point, and Kuushou returned his attention to the ramen sitting in front of him, giving the appearance that he was eating it quickly and with great enjoyment.
Internally, though, Kuushou's mind was racing. He had yet to figure out just what it was that Inoichi had found earlier in his mindscape, and he was still wavering between leaving the village immediately and biding his time to see just what Inoichi would do with the information. The man had given no sign that he was worried or anxious, even going out of his way to make sure that Kuushou stayed behind for lunch. He was as engaged in the conversation around the table as he ever was, and was certainly in no hurry to send Kuushou on his way.
Kuushou knew he had already let the optimal timing for his departure slip. If he had struck during their meeting, he could have disposed of Inoichi and sealed away the body before leaving the house. With no evidence of foul play, it would have been some time before his absence was noted, especially if he had told Kiku that Inoichi had gotten called away on urgent business. The ensuing delays and confusion could have bought him ample time to clear out his apartment and depart the village. He could still leave, of course, but his lead would be reduced drastically.
On the other hand, such a course of action would commit Konoha as his enemy, and they could prove a strong hindrance in his search rather than the potential boon he hoped they could become. The situation with the Hokage and Danzo was still shifting rapidly, but Kuushou was certain that he could wring the right sort of concessions out of one or both of them. Access to Konoha's latest information on jinchuuriki could save him months or even years of fruitless searching, and surely either a member of ANBU or an Elder like Danzo would have access to that kind of knowledge.
He would have to watch Inoichi carefully and make sure to monitor the movements of the stronger ninja in the village to make sure they didn't change in unexpected ways, but for now he would wait and see.
"It's a shame that Ino didn't make it to the finals," Kiku commented as she set aside her empty bowl. "She's been working so hard lately that I was sure she would be able to do it."
Inoichi glanced over at Kuushou for a moment, watching for a reaction, then nodded in agreement. "I think she could have pulled out a win against Tsume's boy, but her opponent was quite skilled in her own right and has several years of experience in addition to that. It's no surprise that she lost in that situation."
"What about the other kids?" Kiku asked next. "How do you think they'll do, Naruto-kun?"
"It's hard to say for sure," Kuushou replied, refilling his bowl for his fourth helping of ramen. "All of the competitors that made it to the finals are skilled. Personally, I'm most looking forward to the match between Sasuke and Hinata."
Inoichi perked up at that and leaned forward slightly. "Oh? Based on what I've seen, I would have expected the Uchiha to come out on top. Hinata has improved over the last few months, but not that much."
Kuushou grinned slightly. "Sasuke has a powerful advantage with his Sharingan, but Hinata has had time to prepare for that. I wouldn't commit to a winner between the two, though." His grin widened. "Which is precisely why I'm looking forward to it."
~ Scene Break ~
A sharp crack echoed through the clearing, followed by a quick yelp.
"Faster!" Kuushou barked.
Kuushou stood in the middle of the field, his arms still crossed over his chest and ribbons hovering in the air all around him. Sakura stood across from him, panting harshly. Her arms and legs were covered with small welts, and a few were still leaking blood from where his attacks had managed to break her skin.
"At this rate you'll never be ready to face Gaara in time," he told her, shaking his head in disappointment.
Sakura glared back at him, her hands shaking. "I'm going as fast as I can! You keep catching me before I can make the next jump!"
Kuushou frowned at her for a moment before the ribbons collapsed at his feet. He fished out a small pill from one of his pockets and tossed it to her. "Alright, take a break."
Sakura caught the pill and quickly swallowed it, slowly relaxing as her chakra reserves were restored to a more comfortable level. She settled down onto the grass then glanced upwards, taking note of the sun's position in the sky before looking back at him.
"What now?" she asked.
Kuushou studied her thoughtfully for a moment.
"Any word on Sasuke yet?" he asked.
She frowned, shaking her head. "No, and I haven't heard anything from Kakashi-sensei either. All I know is that Sasuke is undergoing specialized training for his Sharingan with Kakashi-sensei, but not when they'll be back or anything."
Kuushou shrugged, having expected that answer. He had initially been surprised when he had received a note informing him that Sasuke would not be attending his sessions for the next month, though the explanation for it made sense to him; no one else could train Sasuke on the intricacies of the Sharingan but Kakashi now, after all. He had actually been looking forward to training Sasuke for the finals, to take a hand in preparing both him and Hinata for their match and seeing which would emerge victorious.
"You know," Sakura said slowly, "I don't think you ever said just what this technique was called did you? I wasn't really thinking about it before, but it's kinda weird to be learning a technique when I don't even know the name."
"I never got around to learning the name myself, come to think of it," he replied easily. "It's not something I care about either, really. If it bothers you, feel free to name it yourself."
Rather than being offended by his dismissive tone, she seemed surprised and a little awed at his response before she grew thoughtful, her eyes flickering back and forth as she began muttering under her breath. After nearly a minute her face lit up and she grinned at him triumphantly.
"Shukuchi," she announced proudly.
"And what led you to pick that name?" he asked, not mentioning the fact that the term meant nothing to him.
"It's an ability in old myths and legends that allowed someone to cross great distances in a single step," she explained. "It's not exactly the same, but that's pretty much what the technique does, after all, so I thought it was a perfect fit."
Kuushou nodded in agreement. "Shukuchi it is, then," he replied, causing Sakura to beam at him. They lapsed into silence, Sakura once more getting lost in thought, occasionally humming thoughtfully or nodding to herself. She finally spoke up again a few minutes later.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked hesitantly as she leaned back on her hands. Kuushou looked over at her again, and she continued, "Why did you agree to teach me?"
"Why do you ask?"
She sighed and leaned forward, staring down at her hands. "I... I heard a bit about what happened, with Orochimaru when he attacked during the second phase. I knew you were there, of course, but a lot of people say you played a big part in taking him down. Then there's all these meetings you keep having with the Hokage and some of the clan heads, like Ino's dad."
"And?" Kuushou pressed.
"I know you get paid for our normal training sessions and all, but you haven't said a word about money for this, and I know it's not official. You've showed up at six in the morning, every day, just to help me out, and haven't asked for a thing in return."
Kuushou chuckled to himself, and Sakura finally looked up at him, a curious expression on her face.
"Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to help a fellow Konoha-nin? That I wanted to take part in shaping someone who will be one of Konoha's strongest ninja in the future?"
Sakura looked surprised and pleased for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "Not... not entirely. I mean, I'm very grateful," she added emphatically, waving her hands in the air, "but it just seems like there's more to it."
"Good. There is something more to it." He leaned forward slightly, and Sakura shifted a little closer to better hear his reply.
"I want Gaara to lose."
She seemed surprised by that. "Why? I mean, he's not from Konoha or anything, but why him specifically?"
Kuushou's voice grew heated as he explained. "He disgusts me. He's nothing but a pathetic shadow of what he could have been, twisted and foul, and I have to restrain myself from killing him whenever I see him."
Whatever Sakura had been expecting, that wasn't it. She was staring at him with wide, shocked eyes, her mouth partially opened and working silently as she tried to find a reply. After a few seconds, she shook herself and finally muttered a quiet, "Oh."
His expression softened and his tone returned to normal. "That I can prepare you to not only defeat him, but to do so in a overwhelming fashion, is more than worth any time I spend doing so. And the other reasons I mentioned don't hurt either," he added with a smirk.
"Now then," he continued, "I think you've had enough of a break. Since you are having so much trouble using the technique multiple times in a row, I think we'll drop the dodging practice for now and focus on that."
~ Scene Break ~
Four days.
Four days since his last meeting with Inoichi. Four days since the man had found - or not found - something in his mindscape. Four days of carefully watching his movements and analyzing the people he met with.
In that time, Inoichi had spent nearly twenty hours in the Hokage's office. Not only that, but Jiraiya and the woman acting as the ANBU Commander had spent a large portion of that time with him as well. He'd been ready to make his move when she showed up during the meeting, had even gone so far as pulling out his stash of supplies and the Forbidden Scroll, but had waited for confirmation. Confirmation which never came. There were no strange movements among Konoha's forces, no groups of powerful ninja linking together and surrounding his position. They hadn't even changed the patrol schedule.
What did happen were meetings. And more meetings. And yet more meetings. Even more interesting than the people present in those meetings were the people who were entirely excluded; neither Danzo nor the Elders who made up the Council were involved at all. The one occasion where the Council attempted to enter the Hokage's office during such a meeting, they were surrounded by ANBU and escorted away. Danzo had been sniffing around well before that, always showing up shortly before the meetings began and shortly after they ended, but even he gave that section of the Hokage's Tower wide berth after that incident.
On the third day Jiraiya had finally tracked him down to finish examining his seal. The man had been focused on his work, though he still made several comments about the holes in Kuushou's analysis of the cursed seal and at one point launched into a fifteen minute lecture on the variety of traps Orochimaru had included in the seal and their effects on the bearer of the seal when they were tripped. Kuushou had waited out the lecture and then simply asked if Jiraiya had seen Anko lately.
The man had smirked and admitted that he had, and that he definitely approved of her decision to wear nothing but strapless tops as she celebrated her new-found freedom from the seal.
And now Inoichi had requested another mind-walking session. It was taking place in his house, like always, and he had even mentioned that Kiku was particularly proud of her most recent improvements to her ramen recipe.
"Thank you for coming, Naruto-kun," Inoichi said as he led Kuushou into the office. They quickly moved to their respective seats, Inoichi wasting no time in getting started. "We've got a lot to cover today, but we'll start with the Kumo incident. We have reviewed the details of what happened in this world and want to examine the incident more thoroughly in the other."
Kuushou nodded, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat as he put on a mask of concentration.
Inoichi appeared in his mindscape a moment later, his expression pained as he glanced around, taking in the floating orbs that signified memories within the generally featureless terrain. He stood there for nearly a minute, apparently having some sort of internal debate before his shoulders slumped and he let out a low sigh.
After that, he moved quickly, darting from memory to memory. The mindscape seemed to… ripple in his wake. The changes were subtle and difficult to notice at first, but comparing the places where Inoichi had been to areas that he had yet to visit made them stand out clearly. The mindscape in his wake was sharper, better defined, and the groups of memories shifted slightly as they began to line up at exact angles. A clean pattern was forming, and Kuushou could observe the effects of whatever Inoichi was doing starting to spread outward in the beginnings of a chain reaction.
Inoichi was purely professional now, observing the reaction with a well-practiced eye and nodding in satisfaction. He continued to move around the mindscape, but his stops were fewer now. He made small adjustments to a group of memories in one area, then changed the alignment of different group in another. After a few minutes he paused and used some sort of jutsu, causing a pulse to spread out from his form and wash across the mindscape. Where the pulse touched, certain memories became brighter and even appeared to grow slightly larger as they stood out more prominently from those around them.
He used the technique again, only this time the memories affected dimmed and grew smaller until they were almost unnoticeable among those around them. He scanned the mindscape again, making more minor adjustments before he finally stopped completely and vanished.
Kuushou opened his eyes, studying Inoichi curiously as the man straightened in his seat.
"Did you find anything useful?" he asked.
Inoichi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Naruto-kun, I did. Miyazaki's motivations are rather interesting, though I wish you had heard more about the role that incident played in future diplomatic relations between the villages. We've had our share of kidnapping attempts that we have, unofficially, traced back to Kumo, but we have never captured that specific ninja. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for him moving forward."
"Glad I could be of help," Kuushou told him, smiling slightly.
"Now then," Inoichi said, nodding sharply as he glanced down at a notepad on his desk. "Next I'd like you to focus on the Academy, specifically the teachers there."
As Inoichi entered his mindscape again, this time spending more time exploring memories than changing things, Kuushou finally allowed himself to relax.
If Inoichi was bothering to do… whatever it was he was trying to do with his mindscape, then clearly he - or the Hokage - thought it would have some effect. If that was the case, then they had no idea what was really going on at all.
All the same, he wished Ino - the real Ino, his Ino - was around to talk with. She might have some idea of just what Inoichi was trying to do with all of that. The only thing that made even a small bit of sense was the changes Inoichi had made to the memories - judging by that, Konoha wanted him to remember certain things more strongly and forget others almost completely. He would make sure to review those carefully to see if the types of memories involved would give him any clues as to what they were attempting.
Still, it was probably the first time anyone had attempted to literally change his mind, he thought with amusement.
~ Scene Break ~
"Ladies and gentleman," the ninja standing in the middle of the arena called out, his voice carrying clearly throughout the packed stadium. "Welcome to Konoha's Chuunin Exams!"
The crowd cheered and clapped, eager for the main event to finally get started after the month of anticipation they had endured.
"Some of the strongest genin from across the Elemental Nations will be competing today, testing their skills against one another right before your very eyes! The first match features two of Konoha's best, Kiba Inuzuka and Neji Hyuuga."
Kuushou watched as the two genin made their way to the center of the arena, stopping roughly twenty feet apart. Neji was moving with a calm bordering on arrogance while Kiba was almost bouncing in place, Akamaru keeping pace beside him.
The proctor spoke to the two genin, confirming that each was ready before jumping back and ordering them to begin. Kiba tossed a pill to Akamaru and they split up, circling around Neji as they tried to put their opponent between them.
"How long do you think this'll take?" Anko mused as she crouched at the edge of the roof. They were both part of the security guarding the stadium, but other than keeping an eye out for ninja attempting to move across the roof or launch an attack from outside the stadium they were free to use their excellent vantage point to watch the matches.
Kuushou pondered the question for a moment, watching as Kiba threw a few kunai towards Neji that were easily deflected. Neji responded by darting towards Kiba, prompting Akamaru to begin closing in towards the Hyuuga's back. "Not long," he decided finally.
Kiba started in on a series of hand-signs - probably for the Binding Stone technique he had been slowly learning over the past few months. If he had gotten it off successfully it would have given him a strong advantage in mobility and made it much easier for him and Akamaru to engage in hit and run tactics against Neji. He abandoned the technique just as quickly when Neji put on another burst of speed to close in to melee range, Akamaru hot on his heels.
"Fifty ryo says Neji wins in under three minutes," Anko offered, turning her head slightly to smirk at him. "Surely you have enough faith in your student to take that bet?"
"I might," Kuushou replied, shaking his head, "if this wasn't almost over already."
Anko turned back to the battle unfolding below and cursed.
Neji had already disabled Akamaru with a rapid series of strikes when the dog leapt at his back and was currently picking apart Kiba's attacks with methodical precision. Even as they watched, Neji batted Kiba's swiping attack aside almost casually and landed a series of blows that dropped Kiba to the ground. The announcer called the match shortly after that.
"Should've made that bet before the match started," she muttered in annoyance.
The battle between Temari and Shino passed almost as quickly, though it was much more even. Shino kept up a solid pressure on Temari using his bugs to constantly threaten her position until she finally countered by taking to the sky, using her fan to glide slowly through the air. When Shino tried to send his bugs in for another attack without the concealing advantage the grass gave them, she managed to pinpoint his real location and used her wind attacks to disable him.
Kuushou leaned forward in anticipation as he waited for the next match to begin. Hinata was quickly making her way into the arena, once again wearing her beige coat and loose blue pants. She had a kunai holster on either leg but bore no other visible weapons. Sasuke, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.
"Will Sasuke Uchiha please report to the arena?" the proctor called out, the slightest tinge of annoyance in his voice after a couple of minutes had passed. The crowd was growing increasingly restless, their mutters and catcalls growing in volume as the delay dragged on. Finally, before the proctor could repeat the request again, Sasuke made his entrance.
Sasuke appeared across from Hinata in a swirl of leaves, Kakashi standing behind him with his book open looking for all the world as if he out for a stroll.
"We're not late, are we?" Kakashi asked, reaching up to turn to the next page.
"Almost," the proctor commented. "I assume you're ready to begin the fight?" he asked next, turning to look at Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded silently, his eyes already focused on his opponent. His appearance ragged; his hair was grown out and untrimmed and he was wearing a black bodysuit with bandages covering almost his entire left arm. All the same, he was clearly eager to begin and seemed none the worse for wear.
Kakashi disappeared from the arena in another swirl of leaves, and the proctor called for the match to begin.
"Byakugan!" Hinata cried as she activated her eyes. Sasuke echoed her a moment later as he activated his own doujutsu, calling out, "Sharingan!"
The next instant Hinata pulled out two kunai, whipping them both forward and dipping her hands into the pouches on her legs for another pair.
Sasuke dodged them almost contemptuously as he brought up his hands, preparing to use a jutsu, only to suddenly leap to the side as the kunai swerved in midair to pass through where his torso would have been. He leapt backwards again as the kunai continued to pursue him, his head turning back and forth to track their positions as the second pair of kunai joined the battle.
"Well now," Anko murmured appreciatively. "That's not a skill you see everyday; especially not out of a Hyuuga. Is that what you guys have been working on?"
"Among other things," Kuushou answered, still focused on the fight.
Sasuke abruptly changed directions, closing in towards Hinata while swiping his hands through the air in a seemingly meaningless gesture. Two of the kunai dropped to the ground, and another one joined them a moment later as his hands continued to move through the air. Hinata started to backpedal, pulling out two more kunai and launching them directly at Sasuke, only for the Uchiha's hands to flash out and grab them, immediately flinging them straight back at Hinata.
Hinata twisted and ducked, avoiding the projectiles but letting the fourth kunai she had been controlling drop as well. She didn't have time to restart her attacks as Sasuke closed in and began firing off a rapid series of punches and kicks.
"Still didn't amount to much," Anko sighed, "though it was better than I was expecting, honestly," she added.
Kuushou didn't answer, barely hearing her question as he absorbed every detail of the battle below. Sasuke's speed had noticeably improved in the month since he had last trained the Uchiha, as had his confidence with the Sharingan. No longer was the genin's gaze firmly fixed on his target, but instead swinging slightly from side to side as he moved about, ensuring that his field of vision encompassed more of the battlefield. Watching as he engaged in a taijutsu battle with Hinata, he could pick out certain motions that were strikingly similar to moves he had seen Hinata and Neji use. Taken together with how well his body was positioned to take advantage of Hinata's hurried responses to his attacks, it seemed clear that Kakashi had spent at least some time preparing Sasuke to counter the Gentle Fist style.
Sasuke had also refrained from using any techniques aside from his Sharingan up to this point, and Kuushou wondered if that was a conscious decision on his part. Did Sasuke feel that he could take Hinata on with pure taijutsu - certainly not outside the realm of possibility, especially with the skill he was showing now - or was he attempting to conserve his chakra, mindful of future matches? Perhaps he was attempting to prevent her from utilizing the chakra threads so that she couldn't strike from a blind spot?
Hinata recovered some of her equilibrium, actually launching some attacks of her own as she continued to avoid or block Sasuke's attacks as much as she was able. Sasuke's own stance shifted as he fell back slightly, beginning to utilize his superior speed to counterattack instead of trying to maintain his continuous assault. He was paying close attention to her hands, twisting his body and using his own hands to deflect with precision as he made sure she never got the chance to lay a finger on him directly. At the same time, whenever Hinata overextended, every time she failed to correctly predict his response, every time he managed to dodge a strike that should have landed, he took advantage. A spinning backhand that collided painfully with her hastily raised forearm, a low kick that cracked into her shin, a feinted punch that turned into a sidekick to her ribs.
Kuushou found himself frowning as the fight went on and Sasuke's advantage grew steadily. Hinata was taking far more damage than Sasuke, especially since the Uchiha's efforts at avoiding her hands were paying off as he managed to prevent her from closing any of his tenketsu. She hadn't even attempted to utilize her chakra threads after the initial series of attacks. Had she lost herself in the pressure of the match? Had she forgotten all of their training? She had shown much more than this during their training sessions, had displayed a ferocity and tenacity that was completely absent from the kunoichi currently in the arena. She was almost entirely defensive now, her arms warding off constant attacks from Sasuke and her legs retreating ever backwards, drawing her nearer and nearer to the wall of the arena. Once she had nowhere left to retreat, the battle would be over.
It seemed like it wouldn't take even that long when a poorly executed counter on Hinata's part left Sasuke with a firm grip on her arm and his fist snapping forward with blinding speed as the genin took the shot at his opponent's unprotected head.
"So much for that," Anko sighed. "Looks like the Uchiha's got this one in the- what the fuck?"
Sasuke's entire body jerked backwards and he let out a hoarse scream of pain, abandoning his attack along with any semblance of a stance as both hands coming up to cover his face. Hinata's other arm moved from its defensive position as her stance shifted; she now stood with her arms spread wide, one held out in front of her and the other mirroring it behind. Her legs, which had been constantly carrying her backwards as she retreated from Sasuke's assault, were now in the perfect position for her next attack.
"Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms," Hinata bit out, her voice echoing through the stunned silence that was currently filling the stadium.
She flowed forward, both hands slamming into Sasuke's unprotected torso. The Uchiha was knocked back by the strike and yet barely seemed to react to the blows, his hands still held over his face. Hinata didn't let up in the least as she picked up momentum, her hands flashing and her body spinning and she slammed blow after blow into her opponent. By the time Sasuke finally managed to react, bringing his hands down to try to interrupt her technique, it was far too late.
"Sixty-four palms!" she screamed out at the end, her hands blurring as she completed one of the ultimate techniques of her clan's style.
Sasuke was tossed backward as the technique ended, flying several feet through the air to land on his back. The crowd remained silent as it slowly became clear that the Uchiha wasn't going to get up again. The proctor appeared a moment later, kneeling beside the Uchiha and checking on his condition. His hand hovered over the Uchiha's face for a moment, tugging at something before he held it up and studied it for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and stood up, raising one hand in the air.
"Winner: Hinata Hyuuga!" he called out.
The crowd started cheering wildly, shouts of encouragement and the sound of stamping feet filling the air.
Anko turned to look at Kuushou, a baffled expression on her face. "… the fuck just happened, Blondie?"
Kuushou let out a low chuckle as he allowed a vicious grin to cross his face. "I do believe Sasuke got something in his eyes."
"In his eyes?" she repeated, turning to look back at the arena where Sasuke was being carried off of the field on a stretcher.
Kuushou watched the two assistants carting Sasuke off before his attention turned to Hinata. She had paused at the top of the stairs and was looking in his direction. He suspected she still had her Byakugan activated, so nodded towards her approvingly, grin still wide. He wasn't sure just what she'd done to Sasuke at the end, but whatever it was had worked beautifully and she had managed to capitalize on that opening to great effect. He would have to ask her later just how she had managed to distract him so thoroughly from the fight.
"She can't have blinded him - the medics would be throwing a shitfit in that case," Anko commented. "Whatever it was, it worked like a charm. I think I actually get why you were looking forward to this match so much now."
Kuushou shrugged as Hinata turned and walked towards the area reserved for the finalists. He turned his attention back to the arena as the next contestants were announced. Gaara appeared in the middle of the open area in a swirl of sand, his arms crossed and his posture almost bored. Despite that, Kuushou could feel the disgusting thing he contained surging in anticipation.
Sakura was making her way down on foot, walking from the contestant's balcony to the long stairs that led down to the arena. She'd just reached the top when Kakashi appeared next to her, an orange book in one hand. They spoke briefly before Kakashi suddenly stiffened, the book lowering as he turned to look at her fully.
"Oh, somebody's not happy," Anko chuckled, leaning forward eagerly.
They continued speaking, though whatever they were saying wasn't getting picked up by the sound amplification in the arena. Sakura's shoulders were hunching defensively and she had one arm wrapped around her stomach as she looked away from her teacher. Suddenly she straightened and whipped her hand through the air, taking a step forward as she snapped at something he had said. Kakashi responded, his hand making a sharp, decisive motion.
Sakura froze for several seconds before her shoulders slumped. Kakashi visibly relaxed, one hand reaching out for Sakura's shoulder before she brushed past him, continuing down the stairs. She turned to say something over her shoulder that had Kakashi frozen in turn, the jounin's head tracking Sakura's progress until she had reached her place across from Gaara and pulled out two kunai. Then he abruptly disappeared in a shunshin, his signature coming to a stop next to Asuma and Kurenai.
Kuushou glanced over at Anko, expecting some sort of comment regarding that confrontation, only to see her face set in an unreadable mask.
"Gaara of the Sand versus Haruno Sakura, begin!" the proctor called out.
Kuushou set aside his thoughts on that confrontation and the potential reasons for Anko's lack of reaction as he gave his full attention to the pivotal opening moments of this match. Gaara wasted no time in pulling sand out of the gourd on his back, the substance floating around his body like thin clouds. Sakura wasted no time either, whipping both kunai forward in a lightning fast motion.
Gaara didn't even twitch as the kunai approached and were effortlessly plucked out of the air by the sand floating around him.
Kuushou's body practically thrummed with anticipation as Sakura smoothly turned on her heel and began running directly away from Gaara as fast as her legs could move, several bunshin spreading in her wake. The kunai she had thrown exploded as she took her second step, filling the air around Gaara with a thick cloud of dark green smoke.
"And done," Kuushou growled out in satisfaction. The only question left was whether Gaara would come into contact with enough of the gas to outright kill him rather than just incapacitate him.
"Is that…" Anko said slowly, her eyes narrowing as her attention turned to the battle. "What is that?"
Gaara left the rapidly dissipating cloud in another swirl of sand, crossing to the far side of the arena and lashing out at the nearest clone. The claw-like sand appendage left three jagged slashes through the clone's form before it dispersed in a puff of smoke. The other clones in the area scattered, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Gaara as they could. Sakura's delighted, triumphant laughter floated into the stands, the sound an odd counterpoint to the destruction the Suna-nin was wreaking as he lashed out.
"Just a gas used in more complicated surgeries to numb the patient and render them unconscious," Kuushou replied calmly.
"And how much are you supposed to use normally?"
"Oh… about a hundred times less than that. It's also generally released directly into the opponent's airway, so I'm sure he didn't get that much of it," Kuushou countered, smirking.
Gaara continued lashing out, now whipping around three claws of sand and shredding clones with abandon. He staggered for a moment, his hands rising towards his head before the claws abruptly altered course, snapping around with more speed than they had ever displayed before to surround the real Sakura from both sides and above. The claws smashed together with a bone-shaking impact that was felt in the stands, and Anko let out a low curse. The explosion of sand and dirt settled to the ground for a moment even as the clones vanished, winking out of existence in small puffs of smoke.
Kuushou smirked as he tracked Sakura's progress, her trajectory carrying her halfway up the wall of the arena to land sideways in a crouch, visibly panting as one hand clutched at her chest.
"-the fuck was that!" Sakura gasped out, the sound carrying throughout the hushed stadium.
"How did she-" Anko began to ask, but her voice was drowned out as Gaara let out an angry shout. It sounded far more bestial than he would have expected, though, and he was surprised to find that the foul presence contained within Gaara was growing stronger rapidly even as Gaara's chakra dwindled in comparison.
The large pile of sand shot up from the ground, now resembling a massive, clawed foot. It slammed into the wall where Sakura had been a moment before, gouging deep furrows into the stone and sending chunks of it tumbling into the arena. Sakura finished her shukuchi-induced flight straight down and hit the ground running, throwing out nearly a dozen clones that all took a step and launched themselves into the air with another shukuchi - or at least the appearance of one - landing roughly halfway up the wall before running further on foot.
A low burst of killing intent washed over the stadium, sending the people closest to the pit scrambling out of their seats as they moved away from the source. Kuushou could feel the ninja around the stadium becoming more active, their attention focusing on the events unfolding inside the arena.
Despite the clones Sakura had thrown out, the sand honed in on the real one with unerring precision. The claws were spread wide as they tried to trap her, only narrowly missing as Sakura shot straight down once more, slamming into the ground with a low grunt and taking two staggering steps before using another shukuchi to cross to the far side of the arena.
The killing intent spiked higher, prompting frightened screams from the crowd as it pierced the adrenaline-filled haze that had gripped most of them. Kuushou frowned as he took in the situation; Gaara should have been down well before now, either unconscious or dead, and yet he seemed to instead be growing faster. At the same time, his chakra was completely overwhelmed by the demon sealed inside of him, suggesting that Gaara wasn't the one in control at all.
That… was not a possibility he had considered.
"Annoying… little… ant!" a dark voice screamed out as another mass of sand formed around Gaara, rapidly joining up with the arm already present and taking a disturbingly familiar shape.
"Fucking fuck," Anko growled as she jumped to her feet. "The little shit let the Ichibi out."
"This time, please focus on the history of the Tailed Beasts and how they have been used by the various villages," Inoichi requested. "I realize that it may be a sensitive subject for you, but I've already noticed some small differences in the histories of our worlds that could prove significant."
The little shit let the Ichibi out.
"I've heard some interesting things about this Gaara."
"Ah," Kakashi said. "Yes, I suppose you would have."
Let the Ichibi out.
The battle had taken place nearly seventy years ago, which did not match up at all with the timing for his banishment and return.
Something was wrong with all of this.
The Ichibi.
What did it matter if Outlings weren't really Outlings?
It had nothing to do with him.
~ Scene Break ~
Anko watched in concern as Sakura continued to desperately evade the jinchuuriki's sand. Whatever technique she'd pulled out of her ass - likely the one Naruto had been so infuriatingly coy about keeping secret - was giving her one hell of a speed boost, true. The girl - no, the kunoichi, Anko corrected herself. She was clearly terrified as fuck yet still had the presence of mind to keep dodging rather than freezing up and dying, so she'd earned at least that much.
It was unfortunate that she couldn't find the time or breath to choke out the word forfeit, though it wouldn't have done her any good at this point anyway. The little shit from Suna had clearly snapped and was working himself up into a nice rampage. Sakura's best hope at this point was that the proctor called the match or the Hokage decided to step in before the crowd was threatened. If she was lucky she would use that weird movement technique of hers to dodge out of the arena entirely, forfeiting by default and giving the ninja an excuse to step in.
"Annoying… little… ant!" a dark voice screamed out as another mass of sand formed around Gaara, rapidly joining up with the arm already present. She could make out the beginnings of an actual body in all of that, and paled as she realized what was actually going on.
"Fucking fuck," she growled as she jumped to her feet. "The little shit let the Ichibi out."
She looked to the Kage box for orders, noting that both Hokage-sama and the Kazekage were standing at the railing and peering down into the arena.
Another explosion of stone, sand, and dust rocked the stadium, and Anko spared a glance, oddly relieved to see the flash of pink darting through the air that signified the girl was still-
Anko staggered and dropped to her knees, almost pitching over the edge of the roof as a crushing, malevolent aura slammed into her. The slowly building killing intent of the Ichibi vanished entirely as her senses were completely overwhelmed by this new presence. She quickly flared her chakra throughout her body to ward off the effects and pulled herself back to her feet, ready to ward off whatever new attacker had appeared and turning to Naruto to see if he had already identified the source.
Only to find that Naruto was the source.
He was lying face down on the roof, his face hidden from her view but his body completely still and motionless. Thick, blood red chakra was boiling out of him, eating away at his clothing and the tiles around him. She jumped backwards reflexively as nine tails shot up into the air, weaving and coiling around each other. Naruto's body finally started to move then, his arms and legs twitching spasmodically as his dissolving clothing revealed rapidly darkening flesh. One arm shot out and the chakra solidified around it, becoming so thick it was nearly opaque as it took on a clearly animalistic form. His other limbs followed swiftly until his entire body was hidden from sight, encased inside a shell of that chakra.
It was a fox, her mind noted. She wasn't sure why she focused on that detail, or how it penetrated the horrified haze that filled her as she took in what was happening to her… to her… to Naruto. She'd seen the Kyuubi on its rampage through Konoha, one of the few memories seared into her mind that she knew would never fade. The Kyuubi had been an enormous beast that strongly resembled a fox, but at the same time it was clearly something else. Its form had been twisted, gaunt, its limbs just a little too long, not bending quite the way they should.
This was a fox. She could almost see the sleek fur of its coat rippling as it took a step forward, its powerful muscles flexing. Its jaw gaped open revealing wickedly sharp teeth and its claws dug into the roof, slicing through tile and wood without the slightest sign of resistance. Its nine tails straightened, bristling as it tensed and crouched low.
Then it was gone, leaving behind a spray of shattered wood and tiles and a swirl of red chakra that streamed towards the arena in its wake.
~ End Chapter ~
As always, thanks for reading and thanks for all the reviews!
Many thanks to the folks on the SB forums for providing beta feedback for this chapter.