cw: sexism, sexual harassment, graphic violence, blood stuff, wow that's a lot of sadism, FUCKING MURDER
so yeah someone is gonna get straight up MURDERED in this chapter instead of just the killing that happens with child soldiers and junk. Also lots of murderlust. Warning of 'ow the edge' etc but I think I kept it reasonable while displaying how kind of not very nice this sort of thing is? Basically if you read ch. 20 you know what to expect, but why not be courteous and warn people, because some of us have different triggers. For example some are alright with shooting but melee range violence is oof.
Lots of things happen in this chapter also please read the content warnings just in case. Thanks and enjoy.
Scarlet Justice - ep. 32
"Retribution"
[Chuunin Exams: Second Round]
This is the set of the second stage. Training Area 44, called the Forest of Death.
Anko as stated before is our proctor, and she very quickly gets into the mood. She scares the life out of Naruto after he tries to get cute, lapping up blood from a cut on his cheek. She doesn't seem to have too many inhibitions...a very interesting character, to be sure. The other character participating in her play was some shinobi from the Grass, who has their own sort of strange aura. I can't tell if they have a contract or not, for some reason...though it feels like it. Perhaps I will find out later.
Waiver forms are handed out that clear the village of any responsibility for injury or death. They have to be signed before we can enter the next stage of the exams. This is a survival test...44 gates that surround the area. From the gates to the tower in the middle is about 10 kilometres. The river meanders through the middle of the training ground, and underneath the tower as shown on the map.
Of course, there's more to it. We're fighting for possession of scrolls. No rules. No regulations.
That means nobody is safe. I can feel my hunger growing as the details filter in. This is perfect. Just what I wanted.
"78 people here, that means 26 teams. Half of you get Heaven scrolls and the other half gets Earth scrolls. "Hehehe...you see where this is going, right?"
That's right. Anko did quip that she would cut down the number of remaining participants earlier. The objective is to get to a tower with one of each...meaning at least 13 teams will be eliminated. The total time limits is 120 hours, or 5 days. Close to a week. We have to find our own food and water, survive traps and ambushes, and generally fight for our lives. We fail if we lose track of a teammate. We fail if a teammate dies. We fail if we don't make it to the tower within the 120 hour limit...and we most definitely fail if we open the scrolls before the promised time. Anko was vague about it, but it's honestly so clear that only an idiot would...
"..."
Well, hopefully she was clear enough.
"One more word of advice," she says with a sadistic smile. "Don't die~"
A useful tip. Thank you, Anko-sensei.
We're supposed to exchange our three forms for a scroll at the booth. Shino goes to fetch it for us.
"We have a Heaven scroll," he says as he returns. "We will be reporting to Gate 16."
At this point there's still over half an hour before we need to begin. Anko seems interesting, but she's wandered off to take care of something else. And the Grass shinobi...I should leave that alone, I think. Compromising myself during a death match isn't the best idea, and his creepy looking friends might not take kindly to questioning.
He also smells of blood, which is suspect...but then, so does that red-headed boy with the gourd. It's unmistakable at this point. What could be behind something like that...has he killed that much? I don't immediately get anything from him, but he seems to be calm at the moment. Which is normal for spree killers, honestly.
Curious. I suppose we'll find out the extent of his abilities soon. For now, it's a better idea to stay with my team and raise morale a bit. We haven't talked properly since the start of the first round...
"Um, Lili...I have one more bottle of milk. We can share." I nod and take a sip from the bottle before passing it back to Hina. There are still a few minutes of spare time before we need to head out. Equipment is ready...nothing else to it. I explain what happened earlier during the paper test, as both Shino and Hina were worried about me.
"So that was what happened, then. You were amazing to get out of it," Shino says to me. He saw that I was in some kind of trouble, but as I figured on my own, he couldn't send enough insects my way to help without drawing suspicion. It's possible that it also could have triggered a reaction from the coward. Hina could see that I was stuck, too...but she was too far away to do anything.
She finishes the last bit of milk and sets the bottle down before snuggling into me. I wrap my arms around her and gently stroke her head.
"I'm sorry for scaring you," I say to my friends.
"It's not your fault, Kobayashi. Although...it seems that your sadistic habits really did come in handy that time."
"Well, of course they did. I think I should be able to make use of all my character traits in real life."
"Hm."
"Shino...don't hold back in this round," I tell him.
"Are you saying that for my sake? We'll need you to take the green light as our leader, Kobayashi."
"Lili...he's right. You need to let go. We trust you," Hina says gently. "This is life or death...and you're strong enough to carry us through."
I really am blessed to have these two. "So you're giving me the okay. Then as your leader, I'll do it. I'll show everyone my darkness."
"And that person?" Shino asks.
"Him. I know exactly where he is at this moment. When the time comes, I will ask you to step away. Something like that...what I'm about to do will scar even the strongest wills. I don't want you to look," I say. I close my eyes and let Hina's warmth soak into me.
Soon enough, we come upon fifteen minutes to the second test. We go to our assigned gate and wait with an official for the locks to be opened. Intimidation and murderous intent is being tossed around casually, but ineffectively as usual. Shino is quiet as usual. Hina checks her supplies one last time, then stands close to me as time winds down.
"Are you nervous?" I ask her.
"Yes...very nervous."
"I know I can count on you, Hina."
"You can. I won't ever let you down, Lili. Even...even if I..."
"I know. But it won't come to that, Hina. I promised."
She gives me a smile. "Thank you..."
Five minutes.
"Hm. Perhaps I can filet the fish for tonight?" I muse out loud.
"That's a little much, I think," Shino says.
"We can't all live as pragmatists, you know. I think we're allowed to enjoy a bit of luxury on this survival trip. And if we decide to set a record pace, we won't have too many chances to eat." I flip through my memories. "Yes. The record is four hours."
"You're sure we can beat that record?"
"Hm?" I give him a look. "If we move properly, we can reach the tower in two hours easily. The problem of course is finding an Earth scroll."
"Sounds reckless. But just like you, I suppose." I can see he's smiling.
"Don't give me a weird image, Shino."
He adjusts his glasses, amused. "Sorry. You're a few months too late for that."
Sixty seconds. The official unlocks the gate.
Here we go.
"The second test of the Chuunin Selection Exams...begin!" Anko yells.
The gate opens.
"Formation!" I yell.
"Acknowledged!" my teammates call back.
Alright, Team Eight...time to fly!
I don't know how fast Shino can move, exactly. He never did come out on our runs, but in every mission he's been able to keep up.
Hina...no question.
Unobstructed, at casual speed...ten kilometres is easily cleared. I can do it in under fifteen minutes, like Kurenai can. Hina can clear the same distance in under twenty minutes. But this isn't a simple rush to the middle, or else the test would be structured differently.
"Alright. Here's the plan..."
We move through the forest at an easy pace. It's only five minutes in, but the gears in my head are moving at full tilt. I can feel the bloodlust crawling into my head, and my body getting hot. This is a feeling I've missed. I really want to have my way with that trash...getting hungry. Starving, almost.
"I'm going to see what my prey is up to...hopefully we can get the right scroll at the same time."
I land on a branch, and my comrades stop on either side of me.
"I'll leave an insect with you. That way we can find each other," Shino says.
"Good. Hina, look to our left, two kilometres.
"Yes." She activates her Byakugan and scans the area without moving her head. "A group of three in that direction...they're currently stopped."
"Then it's time. Head for the tower, and don't stop unless it's an absolute emergency. I'll be able to find you when I'm done," I say.
"A moment. How far does that technique of yours reach?"
"Currently it starts to fail at a threshold of five kilometres when used actively." I shrug. "There's more to do...I can still improve it."
"I see...you really are a genius."
"I wouldn't go that far. I'm going, so...follow my instructions. Please don't follow me. Not on this path...or any other like it."
"We understand. Hinata, we're going."
"Yes. Lili."
"Hina."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
She smiles and nods, then takes off quickly with Shino. I watch them go before turning my back in their direction. I let the darkness take over and shift into 'that' state. I can still feel his stench on my tongue. It will disappear soon. I know that for sure.
From what I can sense, he's gone out alone. Should I wait until he's gathered up with the others? No. That's a waste of time. I want to get to the tower as soon as possible, and get this over with. My friends are strong, but I don't want to put them in unnecessary danger, especially with all of these psychopaths running around.
I curse a bit as I note them meeting up again. It's fine...I'm just being impatient. So hungry...I want to devour him like I promised. I hide high above them and watch their movements from a tree, making sure to sense for hostile fauna and flora. Those were quite a shock to encounter...
"Yo! What's up, you find anything?" There's one of the teammates. A skinny child with long black hair...from the Leaf, same as my prey. What an unfortunate thing. Countrymen...but they will get no quarter for that.
"Nothing. Area's clear for now," the other one says. A larger child, overweight and with flat black hair that rests on top of his head.
"Same here." There. My prey. A frail child with a rounded face and brown hair that goes down to his chin. There's the same sadness and misery in his brown eyes that I remember from the written test. I want that sadness to change into something else entirely. Once I get my hands on him...I really can't wait. But I need to do this properly.
"Dude, are you really okay?" the fat one asks. "I mean, I'm not going to ask you to drop out or anything, but you're not looking good."
"The medicine's just kicking in," my prey says with a pained expression. "I'll be good. We just have to get ourselves a scroll and go to the tower, then I can get some actual treatment."
"Alright. Listen, we're here for you. We want this as much as you need it," the skinny one says. "How's your sis doing?"
They start to walk on and I make my way down the tree quietly. I sink slowly to the ground, flicking my tongue out to make sure things are truly safe, and then move on my belly after them. Slow and steady.
"She's okay," the prey says. "Surgery is tomorrow. Once we clear this thing, I should be able to go see her, hopefully. The best I can do is call her once we get to the tower. They've gotta have phones there."
"Chuunin level missions should be good, yeah?" the fat one asks.
"Enough to keep us above water," the prey responds. "My mom and dad are barely making it, and if this doesn't work...I dunno what we're going to do. We can hold out a few months, maybe. I just want to save them..."
"That girl was the one that messed up your wrist, right? Heh, it's always the hot ones who hurt you the worst. Red hair, too. That's double bad," the fat one chuckles.
"She really is a looker," the skinny one says. He checks over a kunai, while trying to keep an eye out. I keep my pace, crawling along the ground. "Maybe you could ask her out," he jokes as he elbows the prey.
"She crushed my wrist."
"Yeah, I know. That's the start of romance, apparently. "Plenty of guys who got beat up on the first date and ended having kids with the same women."
"I-I guess. I...didn't mean to piss her off that much. Thought she would give in," the prey says as he looks around. His head turns in my direction and I stop, waiting for him to turn away. He does so shortly and I continue, speeding up a little bit.
"What'd she say? That she'd kill you?" the fat one says with a laugh. "It's possible, I guess. But in a wide open space like this, we could dominate her with one hand. Or dominate her, know what I mean?"
"Dude. Gross."
"What. You're thinking it too," he says to the skinny one.
"I wasn't. My cousin told me that they had kunoichi classes on escaping from sick stuff. Wouldn't be surprised if she had something like that just to get away from random creepers."
"Nothing to worry about. We're here protecting our guy, and a three on one is a mismatch for anyone. What was her name, anyways...Riri?"
"It was...I overheard it somewhere..."
The prey freezes. I see him tense up...realizing who he crossed.
Realizing that he's done for.
"Lilith...Kobayashi..."
"The top rookie?" the skinny one says. "Oh, god...her?"
"What? Being a top rookie-"
"She's never been touched in battle. And...my old man heard a rumour that she slaughtered one hundred robbers on a mission. By herself."
"Bullshit," the fat one says. "And so what? She's not going to be able to find us in this forest. She has a team, and she'll be too busy protecting them. There's the Hyuuga girl, the princess. You think she'd let anything happen to that kid? Imagine the whole weight of that clan coming down on you because of that kind of screw-up. Listen, I'm gonna scout ahead. You guys can cry for mommy over a little red-head."
"Shit, man...hey, you gonna be okay alone for a bit? I'll double back if I find anything," the skinny one says to the prey.
"I'll be good. Got both hands working, at least. Trust me."
"Alright. Stay safe, man. We're almost home." The skinny child leaves. The prey is alone.
Finally...finally. I'm so...hungry. I want to eat...I want to swallow him up, so badly.
I make sure they're away from him. I make sure they continue to move, and I slip into the nearby bushes without a sound. My prey moves, turning his head from side to side. Backing himself closer to me. Yes. Come. Closer. It's taking all I have to control my breathing. I want it. I want it so badly.
I slowly rise, and open my arms. He backs up, closer. I can smell his hair. I let out a breath, and he flinches.
"Wh-"
One hand over his mouth, the other around his torso. I drag him, kicking and screaming through the bushes. His yelling is muffled. His struggle, useless. I'm getting excited from this, feeling his fear as it ripples through me. His warm tears spill onto my hand as it clamps down over his mouth. I drag him, keeping his arms pinned. He's nothing to me. Just prey. Nothing but prey.
His sister. His mother. His father. All nothing to me.
I will do what he could not.
I will take everything from him.
"Hello again," I whisper into his ear. I'm giddy. Ecstatic. This is everything a girl could want. "I know you missed me. I was on your mind this entire time."
He shakes his head and screams out. My hand traps the sound.
"Oh, darling...it's okay. Do you remember what I promised you? Do you? I said that I was going to devour you. That I was going to make you pay for sinning against me. For trying to take from me. I am going to swallow you up...and enjoy every single moment."
He whimpers.
"I'm actually sad...for you, I mean. I was listening..."
I can feel the prey settle down. Oh, how precious. He thinks that I must care about him and his family. Let's play with that a little. I lift my hand from his mouth, and he gasps for air.
"What's your sister's name?" I ask with a gentle tone.
"Tamayo," he says quietly.
"Tamayo...a lovely name. And you did all of this...you sinned against me like you did just to save her. Just for that one chance."
"Yes...I didn't...mean to..."
"It's okay. I understand why you did it. I understand why you were so desperate."
I let him go briefly and push him against a tree. He's still scared and flustered. Still filled with anguish. But I know what I want.
"I understand," I say.
He nods. I slip my hand into his weapon holster and take out a kunai.
"But understanding...is not forgiveness."
I ram the blade into his stomach. He looks down before staring at me. The absolute despair. The horror. He breaks apart, he starts to crumble, unable to call out or even scream. I am filled with delight as I watch him spiral into nothingness.
"I told you. I told you that I was going to devour you. I will swallow you up," I say as I stab again. "I will drink the light from your very soul," I say as I stab again. And again. And again. And again.
And again. And again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again.
Over and over without end. I stab. I tear into him and I hold him by the neck so I can stare into his broken visage, so that I can make him watch me climb higher and higher as he fucking dies. I want him to see me loving every moment of this vengeance, this well deserved punishment. I am taking from him, over and over with each stab, with each blood-soaked thrust.
The light drains from his eyes. And it is then that my hunger is sated. I am filled. I am at peace once more. I let the carcass drop to the ground, thoroughly stripped of its deliciousness. I bring my blood covered hand to my lips, and I slowly lick at the blood.
It's deliciously sweet. All because I let this prey roast in its own juices before I devoured it. The spice of utter helplessness and despair...so good. I would love to do this more often. I should...perhaps I can take on more hunting missions in the future.
"No!"
I hadn't forgotten about the two from earlier. I turn to address them. "So...which one of you has the scroll?"
"H-here," the skinny one says. He rolls the scroll towards my feet.
"..."
It's a Heaven scroll, same as ours. Not what I needed. Unfortunate.
"You really should have just run away. The exam was lost to you the moment I took your friend's life."
I lift my head to watch them charge at me, tears in their eyes.
"But if you want to join him...I'll grant your wish. I'll make this place your grave." I pulse my chakra mode once and accelerate, slashing through the skinny one's throat and then throwing the same kunai into the back of the fat one's head. They fall over, twitching for a few moments before going still.
I pick up the scroll with my cleaner hand and put it into one of my pockets.
"As it was said...it has been done." I let out a breath.
Good. It's truly over and done with.
I give one last look to the prey as he lies against the tree. And then I turn towards the place where I am supposed to be. Back with my beloved comrades.
Shino and Hina are waiting for me. It's time to go.
"She's back."
Hina announces my arrival, and I drop from the trees to land in front of her and Shino.
We're at twenty minutes since the test began.
"No luck. Another Heaven scroll," I say. I toss it to Shino for safekeeping, since Hina is already holding the other. "I made sure not to get blood on it."
"Appreciated," he says flatly. "There are all kinds of animals in this forest. They could be attracted to the smell of blood...but then, the same can be said for the plants."
"All the more reason for us to keep moving. We can clean at the river near the goal if need be. Any ideas for our next play?"
Shino nods. "Yes. Let's move ahead." I nod and we take off together. "Hinata and I scouted ahead while you were gone. Team Ten and Team Seven are within our range. So are the Sound shinobi that were being troublesome last round. There are also teams that we can advance towards...a team from the Grass, a team from the Leaf that I recognize, and another team from the Sand...it's not the boy with the gourd this time."
"Hm. It's a shame," I say absentmindedly. "Those people would have been comrades in another time and place."
"There's no code about killing or not killing shinobi if they're your countrymen, especially in this kind of scenario," Shino says. "They wouldn't show us a shred of mercy."
"I know. I'm not sad or anything, just...disappointed, I think. But perhaps I shouldn't be, seeing how I was treated before...oh well. I enjoyed myself."
"I see."
"You've both done well, by the way. We have a lot of options at our fingertips...so let's pick a direction to head in, and hope we get something good out of it."
"Your call," Shino says. I think for a moment before coming to a decision.
"The Sand children aren't the ones we're worried about, you said?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Good. We'll aim for them."
"We should be between five and ten minutes out. Based on what we could figure out about them, we've formulated a game plan."
"Have you? Very good. I'll let you and Hina be the stars this time. Put me wherever you need me," I say. "I'll run the routines as always."
We reach our targets in five minutes as estimated...there's probably a trap of some sort coming upon our approach. I can see three boys below us as we pass through the trees. Two with giant war fans, and another with no visible weapons.
"Let's get this over with," I say. We descend to lower branches and I signal Shino to start. He sends down a swarm of insects to cover the targets, but they disperse into bursts of wind.
Clones, then.
"Behind us," Hina says.
"Drop down," I order. They do so, landing on the ground while I use chakra to stay on my branch, a strong gust of wind threatening to blow me away. There's a loud click and I immediately fall forward, keeping my feet stuck to the branch as a barrage of shuriken comes from both sides. My momentum and timely chakra adhesion helps me get upright again, but then there's something wrapped around my leg.
"Cloth," I mutter.
"You smell of blood, Leaf brat!" The boy with no weapons from earlier pulls downwards, and I let myself go with the momentum, twisting in midair while drawing a kunai. I pulse lightning chakra through my hand and use my vibrating weapon to slice the cloth away, then land near Hina and Shino. The boys with the war fans stand behind the one with the cloth. They don't want to give us any time to recover and charge forward, the cloth boy jumping into the trees while the others stay grounded.
"Shino."
"Right." Insects start to gather around the two of us at my word.
"Hina, move in."
"Yes!"
"Dumb move!" one of the fan users yells. He pulls his weapon back before swinging, sending a torrent of wind right at Hina. She weaves behind a tree and waits for the attack to pass, the sharp winds cutting into the trunk.
From my earlier observations...I researched the blonde girl's figure earlier, and she also made use of a war fan. Apparently, you need permits for those if you're from a different village. Her arms are toned, and she has fantastic legs that also look to be strong. I can understand from further research that she's been using that fan for a long time, and so she's built up the necessary strength to use it properly. At long range as a deadly wind-style weapon, and as a melee weapon in close quarters. Very versatile.
These boys have soft and scrawny arms in comparison. They use momentum to launch their attacks, and the best they can do in close quarters seems to be blocking or wild swings with the hope of connecting with their foes. Given all of that...Hina will have an easy time taking them out.
I move behind a tree while whipping out two smoke bombs at the fan users. They predictably swing and hit the paper balls directly, spiking them into the ground and throwing up smoke. It's all that she needs.
Hina advances, her body wrapped in ribbons of flowing white air. Her first step is fast and graceful, landing against the ground with barely a sound. She reaches her opponent and drives her palm into his stomach.
I feel something coming behind me as I look on from high in the trees. Cloth wraps around my arms and legs, binding me in place.
"Got you!" the cloth boy yells. "You're done!"
"No...not quite. You're not too good at thinking."
"What?"
I close my eyes and explode into a swarm of insects. He pulls his cloth back to him, but it's too late. The insects are attached and start to drain away his chakra. Shino lands behind him and touches his back. It's over. I catch the cloth boy as he falls from the branch, drained to exhaustion.
A yelp sounds as Hina swiftly takes out the other boy with the fan as he's distracted. I lay the cloth boy beside his teammates and crouch beside them, arms on my knees.
"What kind of scroll do you have?" I ask casually.
"Earth," the cloth user says quietly.
"You understand, yes? I didn't have to ask. It's as easy as slitting your throats," I tell him. "I've done as much already, as you noted in your initial attack."
"Take it...I have it on me..."
Shino reaches into his pouch and grabs the scroll.
It's Earth.
Fantastic. We're just about done.
"Heh...but it doesn't matter...he's on his way there, too..."
"Who?" Shino asks.
"S-someone...who's an even bigger murderer. He does nothing but kill...everyone in the village...is terrified of that kid..."
"..." I tilt my head to one side.
"Nobody has...even scratched him in his life...he'll...find you...and..." The boy passes out before he can finish.
"W-who is he talking about?" Hina asks nervously. I stand up and look to the sky.
"They're Sand, so...it must be the child with the gourd. The one with red hair, and overflowing murderous intent."
"Yes. He's called Gaara of the Desert," Shino says.
"Oho. So you've established an information network. Very nice...I'm quite proud of you, Shino," I say to him.
"I had a few of my insects scout that man with the cards earlier. Kabuto Yakushi. Not of all of the information was immediately relevant, and some of the insects have taken time to return."
"Hm. A dangerous character?" I ask.
"That's the thing...I didn't feel anything coming from him."
I frown. "Then that's even worse. We'll keep an eye out for him. In the meantime...we've completed our objective, and have a bargaining chip just in case. The number of teams we've directly taken out is two. Depriving someone of a Heaven scroll might up the count a bit..."
"Do you think we should invest in taking out more teams?" Shino asks.
"Um...maybe we should leave them to do that on their own," Hina suggests. "The forest is really dangerous by itself..."
"Hinata also makes a good point," he admits. "What should we do, Boss?"
I smirk. "Boss, eh. Trying to sweeten me up, Shino?"
"Nothing like that."
"Interesting. It's working pretty well, just so you know."
He pushes up his glasses, trying to hide the fact that he's happy. "We're currently at thirty minutes since the start of the test, and we've already gathered the necessary materials."
I yawn and tap a finger on my cheek. "Well, we can take it easy. Let's head for the tower and bring this to a close. I really want to wash up when we're done."
"Fine with me," Shino says.
"I feel the same. I'd rather not chase after others...especially if...that kind of person..."
"Unfortunately, I think we'll be seeing him soon," I say to Hina. She whimpers a bit and I pet her head. "It's okay. I'll protect you as best as I can, Hina."
"Lili..." She looks at me, eyes shimmering. So cute.
"I think we should go. You can have your girls' moment later," Shino interrupts. He jumps ahead and I pout after him.
"Oi. Read the mood, you difficult child..."
Hina giggles as we take off and follow.
We enter through the assigned door, breaking the seal on it as we open it wide. The expectation was that there would be people present to try and take our scrolls near the end, but we've moved so quickly that it looks like they haven't been able to set up. Lucky us.
"Here we are," Shino says. "The message on the wall...seems like it has to do with the scrolls."
"We've delivered them to their proper place, at least. Let's open them," I say.
"Okay." He hands me one of the Heaven scrolls, and I shake my head.
"No, it's fine. You and Hina go ahead. You've earned this just as I have."
"Understood, Boss."
Hina and Shino open the scrolls, and now I can see what's inside. A summoning circle on each, split in half. They quickly set the scrolls down together, unroll them, and back away. With a loud boom and a cloud of smoke, a figure appears.
"Hey! Long time no see!"
Wonderful. A chance to see his proud face once more, and on this shining stage.
Iruka's eyes meet mine, and he smiles.
"I'm here to inform you that you've successfully passed the second test. And in..." He checks his watch and blinks with surprise. "Fifty-three minutes total! Wow! That's a new record...I seriously didn't expect to be out here this early. I was on my way to grab a snack, you know?"
"If we opened the scrolls...you would have come out?" Shino asks.
Iruka shrugs. "Who knows? All I can tell you is that you would be unable to continue the rest of the exam. Well...in general, I suppose. You've got Lili here, so that changes the calculus just a little." He chuckles. "But this was about performing missions correctly. So opening the scrolls would be a violation of your mission. Anko explained everything you needed to know at the start. Unfortunately...I've had to take care of some idiots once already."
"..."
"Not our idiot, fortunately," he assures me.
I nod and breathe a sigh of relief.
"The message on the wall...um...if you lack heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared...if you lack earth, run in the fields, seek advantages. These rules will guide...a person's extremes."
"That's right, Hinata."
"To seek heaven is to seek wisdom. To strengthen our minds," I say. "To seek earth is to strengthen our bodies. Having both will make us prepared for anything that comes our way. These are the qualities needed to make a chuunin...a shinobi that understands the world around them. Isn't that right, sensei?" I ask.
"That's right, Lili."
"Mm. Well, it seems like I'm truly blossoming. Can you see, sensei? Your precious flowers are blossoming in front of you."
"They really are. I'm proud of you two. Oh, and you too, Shino."
"Thank you, sensei. At least you remembered me."
Iruka looks confused. "Eh? I don't see how I could forget someone as...someone like you, Shino."
"Perhaps Iruka-sensei is truly one of a kind. And so, we will treasure him to the end of days."
"Yes. Sensei, thank you for your kindness," Hina says with a bow.
"Yep. Prepare yourselves for the final stage. Remember, you're proud shinobi. No matter what happens, hold your heads high."
"Yes, sensei," we all say in unison.
"Iruka-sensei? Do you have a moment?"
"Yes, of course."
"Good!" I smile and rush over to hug him. I feel him hug back, and it makes me very happy. "Through a path stained with blood...as I promised you. Do you accept this too, Iruka?"
"I do, Lili."
"Then I will continue to make you happy."
I step away from him and salute.
"Remember our legend from this day forward. The Magnificent Team Eight, and their ruthless, peerless leader, the flower of heaven herself. Lili Kobayashi, the Scarlet Viper!"
Iruka smiles and gives us two thumbs up.
We have written our names into the sacred books of history. But it's not over yet.
Ever onward...to the third and final round.