Destiny of the Cursed
Chapter 4: Caught in between
After Sasuke won the first fight, many others followed. Most of the Konoha genins passed. The referee cleared his throat. "Next up is Chouji Akimichi VS Dosu Kinuta." The sound-nin smirked. "I'll get back for what you Konoha brats did to Zaku." Smirked he. Chouji shuddered, seeing his opponent. His team cheered for him as he went down, but it didn't change the fact that he was likely to lose. He faced his opponent. Dosu was grinning like a lunatic at him. Chouji raised his arm hastily. The referee regarded him. "Yes?" Chouji gulped hard. "I forfeit." He choked out, scarred for life. Dosu began to laugh evilly, watching him run back to his team. "Winner, Dosu Kinu—"
"Wait!" said Hokage-sama. The referee turned. "He will not win yet. We have decided to let him fight against someone: Hatake Katana." Kakashi became alarmed and serious. "Ho-hokage-sama?" he asked incredulously. But the hokage held out a firm hand. Kakashi can only sigh, watch and hope that his Katana would win… or at least, come back unharmed. Katana, on the other hand, couldn't hold back her excitement. Finally! She thought. Not wanting to waste a minute longer, she hopped up on the rail and jumped down. Landing gracefully on her feet, she walked towards her opponent in long confident strides. "Begin!" said the referee. Dosu immediately threw kunais and shuriken in her direction. She dodged each one and drew her katana.
She charged, slashing him with it. It caught a bit of his shoulder, and a gash was formed. They jumped off in opposite directions and stared at each other. "You're good." Praised Dosu. Katana nodded a thank you. Then he smirked," But I'm better, of course." Katana felt her cheek sting. She touched it and looked at her hand: blood. He was better than she took him for. Kakashi immediately saw the wound. "Katana!" he shouted from above, catching her attention. She smiled at him and waved. "I'm fine, Tou-san!" she replied. Going back on the fight, she positioned herself on a battle stance. He did the same. "That your dad?" asked Dosu slyly as he charged. Katana welcomed his attack gladly. "Yeah. Why?" she asked. "'Cuz I know who your real father is…" he stated, and then tried to punch her in the face.
She dodged once again, her face nearing to his. She balled her fist and got ready to attack when, "…Katana Yotsuki." Whispered Dosu. Her eyes widened at the mention of the name, and her muscles froze in place. "Wha—" Dosu hit her straight and sent her crashing on the ground. She felt her head spin as she tried to stand up. Her hands sweated terribly and she was shivering. She breathed heavily and tried to focus. However, Dosu continued to mock her. "That's right. I know who you really are." She ignored his little irritating comments. She charged once again, this time doing a jutsu. "Dendou Tsume!" she shouted and aimed. "You're the cursed child of Kumogakure." Snickered the sound-nin. Katana missed her target, "Damn!"
"Vibrating Sound Drill!" yelled Dosu. Sound waves bounced off and some were dangerously near to Katana's ears. She covered her ears with her hands but she was too late. Blood oozed from her ear canal and she dropped on her knees, shaking visibly. "Guuh!" Her head was throbbing painfully now. Meanwhile, above Kakashi was getting worried. When Dosu hit her for the first time, he wanted to jump right in but Gai stopped him. Lee had his hands together, silently praying for Katana's safety and victory. Gaara had his eyes glued on her, sometimes glaring at her opponent. He didn't know why he felt so concerned for her. Katana wheezed, trying to regain her sense of balance. She wanted to cry for help but knew that she couldn't. Kakashi can't help her right now. This was her fight. Dosu encircled her, walking slowly around like a predator studying its prey. "Who knew that you got all the way here to Konoha and even survived?" he mocked, "Tsk, tsk. Your father must've hated you a lot." As soon as she heard those words, hatred entered her pure heart. A black aura started forming around her body, but Dosu ignored it and continued on making fun of her.
Her team and the jounins however paid a lot of attention to it. They began to murmur amongst themselves on what could possibly happen. "That…." Mumbled Kakashi. "What is that?" asked Gai, his eyes widening. "Her curse is activated." Answered Kakashi softly and regretfully. He looked away not bearing to watch another minute. "Lucky brats like you don't deserve to live!" yelled Dosu and prepared to strike her, but something prevented him. Looking down, he saw his foot was blocking by Katana's arm. More black chakra surrounded her. "You have no right to tell me what I deserve…." She spat out venomously, grey eyes turning into black and gold. She stood up. Dosu was frozen with fear. What was this enormous chakra that held him in place? "Kuroi Kago!" said Katana. With a flick of her wrist, Dosu was trapped inside a black cage. "Junsei Kurayami (Pure Darkness)!" Black fumes were released inside the cage. He began to cough, not being able to breath. Katana decided to end it. "Kuroi Kujo (Black Extermination)." The cage began to compress tighter and tighter until it only fit Dosu. "Gahhh!" he screamed in agony. Any more would kill him. Hearing him scream for help, Katana felt pity. She released the jutsu and her eyes changed back to normal. Dosu fell on the ground with a thud as his body racked. Eyes wide with fear, he pointed a shaky finger accusingly at her. "She… She's a freak!" he shouted. "A monster!" Katana was taken aback. The medics began to drag him out of the ring. "A monster!" yelled Dosu louder. "Winner, Hatake Katana." Said the referee. She went up. She knew she was supposed to be happy, but why is it that she felt sick, guilty and depressed? As she walked slowly towards her team, they cheered. "That was great, Katana-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I didn't know you were that strong, Katana-chan!" added Sakura. Katana paid no attention to her teammates. Instead, she kept walking towards Kakashi. He looked like he was about to pass out. "Katana-chan…" he mumbled. Her half-lidded eyes closed and she fainted, face forward. A sudden deja `vu hit Kakashi and he caught her just like 7 years before. He smiled softly and carried her out of the stadium. Katana's eyes fluttered open. "Tou-san…" Kakashi glanced at her. "You're awake." He said gladly. Tears brimmed her eyes. "T-tou-san… I'm so sorry." She said, and buried her face on his chest. She cried silently, letting tears flow down. "You did nothing wrong." Said Kakashi, comforting her. "B-but, I almost killed that guy!" she exclaimed, but he hushed her. "Like I said, it's not your fault." He repeated and winked. Her expression softened. "I'm okay now… Let's go back inside." She stated. He nodded and followed behind. Going back in, Katana immediately saw Lee and Gaara glaring daggers at each other. "Oh no…" she muttered. "Hm? Something bothering you?" asked Kakashi.
She panicked, looking away from the two. "Eh, n-nothing!" she denied, but he caught that blush on her face. He sighed inwardly. She's growing up so fast… he thought. "Next match: Uzumaki Naruto VS Inuzuka Kiba!"
The team looked at the shouting hyper blonde. "Yay! Yay! I'm next! Woo Hoo!" They sweat dropped. "Naruto!" shouted Katana and got his attention. He swiftly faced her and saluted. He knew when she used that strict tone, you better listen. Kakashi and Sakura looked back and forth quizzically. "1. Focus! Don't allow yourself to be distracted. 2. Don't be hasty and plan your actions! And last…. " she smiled softly. "Don't get killed." And hugged him. Naruto seemed to be dazed, but he hugged her back happily. "Thanks Katana-chan." Now he went down. She turned to Kakashi and Sakura who were very speechless. She smirked. "I have my ways." She answered to their unsaid questions. Lee looked envious. If I don't go next… he thought, Katana-chan and Sakura-san will sure ignore me! Both Kiba and Naruto fought bravely and harshly. Naruto seemed to lose at first, but in the end (with some accidents, of course) Naruto won. Also, he had some unexpected tricks up on his sleeve. Even Katana was impressed. Except for the part where he – never mind.
The following match was interesting as well. It was Hinata VS Neji. Everyone knew how much Neji hated the main house. And he seems to be blaming it on Hinata. "Losers will stay as losers. You cannot change yourself." He pressed it on further on her. The poor girl looked like she wanted to cry. Katana was pissed, and so was Naruto. Then, Neji began to shower the girl with plenty of harsh comments, scaring and intimidating her. "You cannot change your—" Naruto shouted from above. "YOU CAN! Kick his annoying ass Hinata!" Naruto huffed angrily. Hinata's pale eyes widened in sudden realization. Her expression changed from scared into a confident demeanor. Thank you, Naruto-kun….she silently said. They started to fight but to Katana and the others, it looked like they were pushing each other. "What's that?" asked Naruto. "That", Gai-sensei answered, "is what we call Gentle fist. It may not look hurtful, but sooner or later, you'll see its effects." Not a moment later, Hinata spat out blood. Those who were watching from above were alarmed. "Looks like Neji hit a vital spot." Muttered Lee.
"So… using the Byakugan to see those chakra nerves and combined with the gentle fist style…The Hyuuga Clan is dangerous." Said Katana. Hinata continued to cough out more blood. But she ignored it and kept fighting, even though she knew that she'd lose. She heeded no attention to the pain. Katana realized what she was trying to do. "Hinata!" she began to shout. "Hinata, stop it!" Naruto gawked at her. "Katana-chan, are you crazy?" he asked angrily. Katana stubbornly continued her shouting. "Hinata, you're gonna die! Stop!" Damn! She's already at her limit! She panicked. Naruto's screaming drowned hers. "You can do it, Hinata! Don't give up!" he yelled. Katana shook with rage as she glared at Naruto. "Why do you keep pushing her? Can't you see? She's already done for!" roared Katana. "Why can't you believe in her more?" he growled back. She received a direct blow from Neji and collapsed forward. "Hinata!" both Naruto and Katana yelled. It was a direct hit on the heart. The referee spoke, "It is impossible to continue, so –" Hinata tried hard to regain her balance and stood up. Everyone couldn't believe their eyes. With an attack like that, there was no way she could've stood up! She forced herself to walk toward Neji, even though there's not much to do.
Neji's eyes narrowed in frustration and he planned to attack again when he was suddenly surrounded by the jounin teachers, even Gai-sensei. "Neji, this is enough." He told the boy. Hinata felt another wave of agony washing over her and once more, she spat out blood. Kurenai-sensei, her teacher, rushed to her side. Naruto and the others jumped in too. They put her in a stretcher and hurriedly sent her to the hospital. Neji called over our attention. "You", he told Naruto, "stop cheering others like a pathetic academy student. You cannot change you destiny." Naruto dipped his hand on Hinata's blood on the floor and faced Neji. "I will get back for what you did to Hinata!" he exclaimed as a reply. Neji kept his calm face and walked away, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, only to be met by Katana's death glare. He seemed unfazed by this. She leaned forward. "Just because you're stronger…. Doesn't mean you can tell everyone what their destiny is. You're lucky, this was a test. If we were outside and you pulled a stunt like that… consider yourself dead." She hissed. She felt him shudder under her grip. She smirked and pulled back with a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Congratulations on winning, Neji!" she cheered for everyone to hear. They all went up to watch the next fight. As Katana and Naruto climbed, Kankuro called him. "Hey you! You're a funny guy, I like you." He said with a smile. Katana raised an eyebrow. "You're not funny. I don't like you." He answered back. Katana sweat dropped. He can be seriously annoying at times…A vein popped out of Kankuro's forehead, but he controlled his anger. "About that Neji guy…" he started but Naruto piped in. "I'm going to kick his ass!" he decided. "Nobody was asking that." Said Kankuro. Katana sighed and whispered something to him. "If you're planning to ask, then you won't get an answer." She said. Kankuro sighed in defeat. They reached the others. Suddenly, Gaara was on the ring. "You… come down here." He looked at them. Who is he talking to? thought Katana. Chouji screamed from the other side. Wait… Gaara VS Chouji? Shikamaru and Ino looked panicked. "Safe!" said Chouji with a relieved sigh. Shikamaru and Ino bumped him on the head. "Baka!" Katana looked at the scoreboard. Gaara VS Rock Lee. "Crap…" she mumbled, turning pale. Kakashi noticed her change. "What's wrong?" She bit her lower lip. "It's nothing, Tou-san." She hesitatingly said.
She approached the now hyper Lee. "Lee…" she said in a soft tone. "Ah, Katana-chan! I'm next, isn't it great?" he asked. She stopped and thought. She didn't want to ruin his fun but if Gaara would use that technique…Before she could say anything, Lee went down. Shouts and cheers of "Go Lee!" were heard. But no one was cheering for Gaara. Katana decided that she would cheer for him. "Go!.." both boys looked at her, waiting for the name she'd say. She froze, getting nervous. Great move… she scolded herself mentally. Now what? "Go both of you!" she screamed like an idiot and made all others stare at her. Kakashi's eyes widened. "Katana…could it be that..." he trailed of, making Katana even more nervous that she was discovered. "Are the two of them freaking you out?" asked Kakashi. Katana blinked twice. "That's a stupid conclusion." She blurted out. Kakashi faked crying. "So mean, Katana-chan… So mean."
Lee charged forward, not expecting anything to harm him. How wrong he was. Sand encircled them as soon as he entered Gaara's lair. It stopped his kick and threw him to the other side. He charged once again, but all attacks were blocked by the sand. Gaara didn't even need to move a finger. Lee began to dodge the Gaara's attacks. "LEE!" Gai bellowed "Take it off!" Lee argued. "But Gai-sensei!" Gai smiled at him. "It's okay, Lee. I allow it." He did the "nice guy" pose. Lee nodded obediently. He took off his legwarmers. Underneath them were weights. Katana took a deep breath. Taking off a bit weight won't help…she thought miserably. Lee dropped the weights on to the floor. As soon as it came in contact, the floor had two huge craters left. Katana's eye twitched. Everybody was shocked. It's that heavy? They all thought. He jumped off. Katana scanned the area. Where is he? Where is he? A sudden kick, only inches away from Gaara's face answered her question. Fast! She thought. Gaara looked quite shaken. Nobody has ever been that close before. Lee kept punching and kicking hard.
The sand couldn't keep up with his fast pace. He whirled up above and sent his foot landing down on Gaara's head. Temari and Kankuro were shocked. Katana gripped hard on the railing. She wanted them to stop. It was hard for her to watch them fight like this, knowing that they could end up killing each other. A long gash was formed in Gaara's cheek. He glared at Lee. Lee glared back. "We're just getting started." He warned Gaara with a confident look on his eyes. Lee suddenly shouted, "YOSH!" and disappeared. Katana's eyes were trying hard to watch Lee. "Over here!" he shouted to Gaara. When Gaara turned, he was gone. "Here I am!" yelled Lee again. Every time Gaara whirls around, he vanishes.
"Hiyaaa!" Lee shouted as he punched Gaara straight in the face. Gaara went stumbling to the other side. Bruises started to turn purple on Gaara's face. Katana's grip on the railing became tighter. Sand poured down from Gaara's face. A crazy maniac smile appeared. Katana asked Kankuro. "What's happening to him?" Kankuro's eyes were still on Gaara. "That's the armor of Sand. Gaara's absolute defense." Katana pressed the matter further. "Then, he's undefeatable!" exclaimed Katana. "Not really…" mumbled Kankuro quietly. Based from his expression, Katana saw that he really meant it. Lee went on high speed and began to encircle Gaara on the middle. "Hurry up and come at me." Dared Gaara. "As you wish!" replied Lee, sending an upward kick. The Lotus! Yelled Katana's brain. Continuous kicks were given to Gaara. At some point, Lee's leg stopped and he clenched his teeth. "The excessive kicks are bad for Lee's muscles." She heard Gai-sensei say. Gaara was soon wrapped in bandage cloth with Lee. Lee held on him tight and said, "Take this!" They went down fast and crashed unto the ground. Katana flinched. Gaara was left unmoving in a pile of broken rocks and stuff.
Katana felt tears coming to her again. "Lee-san won!" cheered Sakura, not noticing Katana's reaction. Looking closely at the still body, Katana discovered something. "It's only the sand shell!" she said, making the others look closely as well. "I'm over here…" whispered someone behind Lee. "He's awakened!" yelled Kankuro to Katana. "What do you mean?" she asked. "It's the demon inside him!" he answered. Katana's eyes widened and she snapped back to Gaara. He's…He's a jinchuuriki! Sand attacked Lee and threw him to the wall. "Waaah!" he screamed. More sand came to attack. All he could do was to close his eyes and bring his arms in front of him. The grainy particles crashed into him and damaged him further. Lee couldn't dodge. His muscles ached too much and his legs were sore from the high speed. He seemed to remember something. Suddenly his fast pace was back. "Yes!" exclaimed Gai-sensei. "Now he's back again!" Katana looked at him. "What..?" Gai smirked. "The Lotus… blooms twice."
Gai hugged Lee. "Lee… you— I don't understand. Why do you keep pushing yourself? For me, you already are a good ninja." Lee's eyes closed. Gai laid him gently on the ground. Katana was the first to jump off the rail and ran to his side. "Lee…" she whispered. Seeing him in this situation, she couldn't help but cry again. She sobbed quietly, while Naruto ranted how unfair it was for Gaara to win. Then it hit her…. Gaara…She forgot. Shit! She yelled silently to herself. Turning back, she noticed him walk away. However, he looked more tensed. "Gaara!" she called. He glanced back, eyes narrowing. "What do you want?" he asked coldly. "Gaara…" she mumbled, biting her lip. He didn't used to this cold towards her. "I just wanted to know if you're okay… You've had a lot of bruises." She said sadly. Gaara turned his back against her. "I'm fine. And if you can only give me sympathy… then why don't you go and just worry for that idiot?" He walked away from her. Is he… jealous?
End Chapter
Hey! Sorry if I took long to update this. It's a little longer than usual. I hope you enjoy!
KatanaSabaku