I believe in you
Team 7 looked at the closed door, mildly perplexed by their sensei's reaction.
"Do you think 'Do not leave this room' included the bath?"
"I'm pretty sure she was way too pissed off to be anything but literal there."
"About what though?"
Sasuke shrugged
"I guess we'll learn that momentarily."
"So… we just wait then?"
Relaxing on the beds for a bit was still a pleasant change from the forest, so none of them really complained - not that there was anyone to hear it anyway. However, their sensei didn't leave them alone in their confusion for long.
Upon hearing the door open the trio sat up. This time, Tanya wasn't alone. Next to her stood a strange, tall man with long, spiky white hair, red lines painted under his eyes, a piercing in his nose, and an oddly shaped forehead protector that bore the kanji for 'Oil' for some reason. But the biggest surprise was the man standing in front of the two.
"Lord Third!" Sakura called out in surprise and quickly stood up from her bed. The air around the Hokage was very different compared to the other times they had met him. His face was stern, and a quiet anger burned in his eyes. He no longer felt like the kind old man who occasionally had visited them at the academy and who would give them their missions with a gentle smile. Right now, Sakura truly realized that she stood in front of the village's strongest ninja.
"I heard you met Orochimaru in the forest." The tone made clear that it wasn't a question, but the trio nodded regardless.
"Tell me about the encounter. Do not leave out a single detail."
And so, they did. Most of the talking was done by Naruto, with Sasuke and Sakura adding details or how things were from their point of view. When they reached the point where Orochimaru had left them, the tall man with the white hair spoke.
"You kiddos have no idea who you faced there, huh?"
"Of course we do!" Naruto refuted. "Didn't you listen?"
Tanya-sensei seemed like she wanted to say something, but the man was faster.
"That's not what I meant," he chuckled. "Have you ever heard of the Hidden Leaf's Legendary Sannin?"
"Of course!" Sakura immediately answered, recalling their history lessons from the academy. "The Sannin were the Leaf's strongest ninja of their generation and great heroes during the Second Great Shinobi World War, their greatest feat being their fight against Hanzo the Salamander."
"Hm, guess the names aren't part of the curriculum anymore. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Well, let me enlighten you then. The Sannin are called Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru."
Sakura froze. She had heard the name Tsunade before, albeit in a different context. But more importantly, was this strange man speaking the truth? Had they really fought against a Sannin? But why would a hero of their village attack them?
While Sakura was still processing the situation, the Hokage had ordered Sasuke to show them the curse mark.
"Who put the Five Element Seal there?"
"Sakura did."
Hearing her name pulled the pinkette out of her stupor. With all eyes now on her, she hastily shook her head.
"N-no, it wasn't just me, we did it together!"
"You were the only one with the presence of mind to attempt it though," Sasuke countered.
"B-but… I only… a-and in the first place, I only could do it because of Tanya-sensei's training."
To prevent any further misunderstanding, she quickly explained how they copied the seal. When she was done, the Hokage threw a glance at Naruto.
"It's fine, I told them."
He raised an eyebrow, causing the blonde boy to scoff.
"What? Half the village knows anyway."
"You mean the fox?" Sasuke chimed in.
"Yes, though I wouldn't talk so loudly about it," the white-haired man said. "Despite everything, it's still supposed to be a secret, you know? Well, anyway, since you already know: Naruto, please show me your seal."
Naruto hesitated for a moment before he obliged. He pulled up his shirt and mesh armor and, just like in the forest, molded some chakra to make the seal appear.
"Ah, so the Forth used a Hakke Sealing Method, that's just like him. But the rough work of the Five Element Seal, yeah, that's definitely Orochimaru's handwriting. Let me guess, you're having trouble using your chakra since he put that on you?"
Naruto blinked.
"Huh? Uh, yes. I can still do it, but it's a bit like breathing through a straw, you know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I get it. See, the Forth Hokage intentionally made this seal in a way so that tiny bits of the Ninetails' chakra can seep into yours. The second seal stops that, that's why your chakra flow is now messed up."
"Seeping into... wait, is that the reason why Naruto has so much chakra, even if he isn't using the fox's power?"
"It's one of two reasons," the man affirmed before turning back to Naruto. "You know, with some training, you could learn to use the Ninetails in a controlled way. Would you like to learn that? Most Jinchuriki can do it in one way or the other."
"Chichu… what? A-and what do you mean, use it in a controlled way?" Naruto asked with his voice full of doubt. His teammates could only agree. The fox was a natural disaster that not only caused many deaths but was also the very reason why the village shunned Naruto all his life. And this guy wanted him to use it?
"Well, according to your report, you basically already did. Right before Orochimaru sealed it away. You'd just need to learn how to do it consciously and without losing yourself."
"Jiraiya, we're going off-topic!" the Hokage reprimanded him
"Ah, right. Sorry, sensei, So, yeah, about the seal…"
Before any of the three could react, Jiraiya ran through some hand signs and pressed his fingers on Naruto's belly.
'Gogyō Kaiin!' [Five Elements Unseal]
Naruto yelped in surprise, but the man just gave him a satisfied grin.
"There, that should do it. You shouldn't have any problems with your chakra now."
Sakura and Sasuke tensed up as the five symbols around the original seal vanished. They hadn't dared to touch the seal in the forest out of fear that the Demon Fox might break out if they messed up. And yet, this guy just handled it so nonchalantly. Also, why wasn't Tanya-sensei saying anything? Being respectful in the presence of the Hokage was one thing, but treating this weirdly dressed person without any doubts and- wait!
"Lord Third just called you Jiraiya," Sakura realized. "Jiraiya as in…"
"Oh, good job paying attention, girl," he said with a grin. "Yup, I'm also one of the Sannin. Except that unlike a certain snake, I didn't desert."
From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Sasuke flinch at the word desert. Sakura wasn't sure why, but if Orochimaru was a traitor, things made a lot more sense.
Jiraiya meanwhile struck a strange pose.
"Straight from Mount Myboku, I am the Great Toad Sage, Jiraiya! Remember my name!" He went back to standing normally and crossed his arms with a smug smile.
"And also a famous novelist, on a side note."
"Yes, before this goes out of hand," the Hokage took the word again, "Jiraiya is, as stated, Orochimaru's former comrade. I called him back once we learned about Orochimaru's plans."
The last sentence made Sakura's eyes widen, something that the old man noticed and immediately understood.
"As you probably guessed, yes, we knew beforehand that he was trying something, but not what exactly. No one thought he would pretend to be an examinee to get close to one of the Genin. An oversight on our part for which I can only apologize. Had we known, we would've done things differently. But we can't change the past, the important thing for now is how to proceed."
Jiraiya nodded and got serious again.
"When did you guys put that seal on Sasuke?" he asked.
"Right after he bit me."
"That's good. The Juin is like a parasite, infesting the chakra network of those who have it. That you sealed it away before it could take root is a huge deal. We might even be able to remove it."
"You sound like there is a 'but'," Sasuke pointed out with narrow eyes.
"Well, your case is kinda unprecedented. We were only able to examine one Juin, and unlike yours, that one wasn't stopped. We'd first need to study it extensively, which will take time. Also, we likely can't do anything while the Five Element Seal is still there, and we have no idea how the Juin will react if we open it. We need to handle this with care."
"Would you take me out of the exam for this?"
"Well, yeah, obviously."
"Then we'll leave it as it is," the Uchiha stated firmly.
"While your resolve is admirable," the Hokage commented, "are you sure about this? You could always try again next time."
"Yes," he said again without hesitating.
"Master Jiraiya," Tanya-sensei finally spoke, "if we left the Curse Mark sealed away as it is now, do you believe that would be an issue?"
"Nah," the Toad Sage said after giving it a quick thought. "The Five Element Seal is crude but effective. If the Ninetails' chakra get's held back by it, so will the Juin. The kids' copy is decent enough. The only thing that might happen is that the seal itself might give you some trouble."
Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Yes, the chakra flow in my left arm is a bit impeded now, but not to the point where I couldn't handle it. I'll be fine."
The Hokage was quiet for a while, but then he gave an affirming nod.
"I shall respect your wishes then. You may continue with the exam. But there are other things to do. We need to investigate how deep Orochimaru's involvement with the Hidden Sound Village goes, and if the Hidden Grass Village also has something to do with it or if they were just a victim of opportunity. Tanya, stay in the tower with your team for now but see if you can find the Jōnin-sensei from Grass and Sound."
"Going by the registrations, the two Grass teams arrived without their sensei, Lord Third," Tanya recalled. "And the sensei of the sole Sound team, I was actually able to speak with him already. He raised my suspicions back then and I haven't been able to find him since. I have an idea why."
"I see, then I'd like a quick report on your find. You three, rest for now. You earned it. But keep this matter to yourself for now."
"Wait!" Sakura called after them as they were about to leave. "What about Naruto's seal? Will there be any risks?"
"Don't worry, girl," Jiraiya assured her. "The Forth Hokage was one of the greatest sealing masters the village has ever seen. A seal crafted by him would never get damaged by something like that. Speaking of, Naruto: I also know my way around. I could teach you some things if you want, once the exam is over. See ya!"
They left and Team 7 was once again alone. A few seconds passed until Sakura had fully processed the last interaction.
"Did… DID A SANNIN JUST OFFER TO TUTOR YOU?!"
"You think I should take that weirdo up on his offer?"
"Weirdo… didn't you listen just now?! He is one of the Legendary Sannin! Do you even realize how amazing he is?"
"You think? Well, he's still weird."
"Tanya-sensei seems to trust his skills though," Sasuke rightfully pointed out but with his eyes narrow for some reason.
"I guess. Eh, whatever. I'll think about it," Naruto shrugged and threw himself on his bed.
"Hey, do you think Karin and her team are gonna make it?"
"Her healing abilities are great, but I didn't get the impression that her teammates are anything special," Sasuke shared his thoughts. "We didn't see much of them though. Plus, Kabuto is helping them. I'd say it's at least possible."
They continued to chatter, the tension slowly leaving them, although the vigilance Tanya-sensei had instilled in them obviously remained.
"Should we go and see who else passed already?" Naruto asked after a while, but Sakura wasn't sure if they were still supposed to stay in their room as ordered. Plus, night had already fallen by now. But it soon became a moot point anyway as the door burst open and Anko, the proctor of the second task, stomped into the room.
"You! Uchiha-boy! Come with me, we need to talk!"
"Why?" Sasuke asked. "What's going on?"
"I'm not in the mood for discussions right now! If you want to stay in this exam, you'll follow me! Now!"
Naruto awoke in the early morning. After a good night's sleep, the exhaustion was completely gone. Now, he was simply pumped. They had successfully passed the second task! Only one more trial remaining, then he would be a Chūnin, and one step closer to his dream of becoming Hokage.
As he got up from his bed, his gaze fell on Sasuke, who was currently in the process of putting on his sandals. After the proctor had pulled him away last night, he had returned with a scowl that was very reminiscent of the way he had been back at the academy. Apparently, the proctor knew a lot about the curse mark and had told him some more stuff about it, but when pressed for details, he simply said that it didn't matter since they wouldn't unseal the mark in the near future anyway. Naruto tried a few times to dig deeper, but Sasuke blew him off each time. This reaction was strange considering what he himself had said in the forest.
Well, anyway! They had some free time until the rest of the five-day test period ended, and Naruto wasn't planning to spend it all in their room. They likely weren't the only teams who had already passed, maybe he could talk a bit. Also, he was hungry.
His exploration of the tower quickly led him into a larger room with a kitchenette on one side. Nice, perfect timing! Surely it was fine if he helped himself with the storage, right? Who else was the stuff here meant for if not for the examinees?
Why do they have so many different teas? he wondered while rummaging through the cupboards. And of course, it's the blandest cereal brand in the village. Who even eats this stuff? The bonito-flakes could do for OHHECKYEAHTHEYHAVEINSTANTRAMEN!
With that, his breakfast issue was solved. He quickly made hot water, poured it into the cup, and sat on one of the tables with a grin while waiting for the three minutes to pass.
"Color me surprised, I thought you'd be feeding the beasts by now!"
Hearing more or less the last voice he wanted to hear right now made Naruto clench his fist so hard he almost broke his chopsticks. Of course, the asshole from Sand had also passed.
"You are so DAMN lucky you didn't meet us in the forest!" Naruto grumbled as he looked up. Did that guy always run around with that hood and makeup?
"Lucky, huh?" he mocked. "For the record - literally, by the way - we've been here since the first day. Didn't even take us two hours. Guess that's just the difference between us and you Leaf-losers."
Stay calm, don't get yourself disqualified!
Suppressing the urge to knock the wannabe-kabuki's teeth out, Naruto readied a purely verbal response instead. Before he could do so though, a third voice cut through the room.
"Kankuro, stop it."
The voice was calm, but the menacing undertone was unmissable. The asshole - Kakuro, apparently - flinched upon hearing it. Two more people had stepped close to them, a blonde girl who looked a few years older than Naruto, and a red-haired boy with a huge gourd in his back, about the same age as him.
"Just leave it be, Kankuro," the girl sighed. "You already got us in trouble the day we arrived."
"Hey, how was I supposed to know that brat was the grandson of the Hokage? Besides, he still deserved it!"
Hearing that, Naruto clenched his fist so hard his fingernails drew blood. If the third task wasn't something combat-related so he could finally beat the shit out of this guy, he was gonna lose it. He was about to start yelling when the red-haired boy spoke again.
"You're embarrassing our village," he said and narrowed his eyes. "Stop it before I kill you."
Kankuro paled. Wait, was the redhead being literal? Still, it was satisfying to see Kankuro scared like that.
"W-whatever," Kakuro mumbled and walked off. The girl meanwhile walked over to the kitchenette, and the boy with the gourd gave Naruto a quick glance. Then, he left as well. A part of Naruto wanted to call after him, but his mind was stuck on a single thought.
Man, that guy has some awful eyes. But they seemed familiar somehow.
Well, at least his noodles were done now. A bit past the point, but still good. Slowly, more people showed up to get breakfast, primarily adults. Those had to be the Jōnin-sensei of all the other teams.
He then saw Kiba, Hinata, and Shino come in. So they had passed, too. They quickly spotted him in return, and Kiba joined him at his table while the other two went over to the kitchenette first.
"Ramen for breakfast, seriously?" he asked with a grin.
"Why not? Ramen is great, the clock doesn't change that!"
"Heh, if that's all you ever eat, I guess it's no wonder you're out of shape! Took you a while to get here, we've already been here since the first night."
Naruto looked up from his cup.
"You're kidding!"
Seriously?! They were also here that quickly?!
"Nope! Guess we're just that much more amazing than you guys!"
"Like hell you are!"
"Cry all you want, fact is that we beat you."
"I don't think saying that we 'beat them' is an apt description of the result," Shino commented as he sat down next to his teammate. "Why, you ask? Because, unlike the first task, there were no points this time. There are only those who passed and those who didn't, passing 'better' or 'worse' is not a concept applicable to the second task, and thus no metric by which we could be said to have 'beaten' Team 7. The only way to do that would have been to fight them in the forest."
While he spoke, Hinata sat down as well, placing a steaming bowl of rice in front of her over which she cracked an egg.
"Okay, fine," Kiba admitted. "But if we had an easier time than them, it still means we're stronger!"
"Oh, screw you!" Naruto retorted. "We had to fight against one of the Legendary Sannin, I want to see how you would do in that situation!"
"Yeah, right," Kiba snorted. "And what do you dream at night?"
"I'm serious! Ask Sasuke or Sakura!"
"A-aren't the Sannin heroes? Why would o-one of them do something like that?" Hinata asked in a concerned voice.
"Oh, come on, Hinata! Don't tell me you believe him!"
"W-well, I just…"
"Thanks, Hinata," Naruto grinned. At least someone was on his side. "But sorry, we're not… uh…"
As he looked over to her, he realized something. Until now, like during the written test, he always had to concentrate on something else and had only given her fleeting glances because of that. Now that he looked at her properly, he finally realized just how different she looked compared to when he last saw her two months ago. Her hair was longer and not combed to the side anymore. She also wore her big jacket open now, her posture had changed, and while it was subtle, there was something different about the air around her that Naruto couldn't quite put his finger on.
Danm, was Hinata always this pretty?
"Ahem, what I meant, we're not allowed to talk about that. It's a secret."
"Well, isn't that awfully convenient?" Kiba mocked. From his head, Akamaru yipped in a way that almost sounded like laughter.
"Oh, shut up! You'll see how great I am when I ace the third task!"
"Then you better hope it's not another written test, huh? Maybe a real one this time."
"I doubt that," Sasuke said, he and Sakura suddenly standing next to them. "We had intel gathering and survival, it only makes sense that the next task will be combat-focused. Tanya-sensei more or less confirmed it"
"Huh?" Naruto wondered. "Wait, when did she say that?"
"She obviously didn't. I asked her about my conclusion, and while she wouldn't comment on it, there were some hints between the lines that I was right. And I did that just now, she gave us a quick update on the situation shortly after you left. By the way, she didn't seem very pleased that you skipped your morning exercise."
"I-I was going to do it! I just wanted to explore the tower a bit!"
Sasuke merely shrugged.
"Tell her that. But you're lucky, right now won't be able to draw much ire from her since she's mainly occupied with…" He gave a side glance to Team 8. "... well, the other stuff."
The last line earned him some suspicious looks from Kiba. And maybe also from Shino, it was difficult to tell with his shades. Sakura and Sasuke sat down as well and Naruto quickly returned to his breakfast before the noodles got cold.
"By the way, Hinata?" Sakura asked after a while.
"Yes?"
"On the way here, I saw someone who looked a bit like you and had the same eyes, is he from your clan?"
"O-oh! Yes, that was probably my cousin, N-Neji."
"He's Lee's teammate," Sasuke added. "He showed up in the forest, shortly after you passed out."
"Ah. Then Lee is here as well, I should check up on him later. And I still have to thank Ino!"
She returned her attention back to Hinata.
"Anyway, what I wanted to ask: I recall you telling me that it's something like a family tradition that you don't cover your forehead, but he wore his headband normally. Did I misunderstand you?"
"N-no, you didn't. Neji belongs to the side clan, they… well, they have different rules. Sorry, I-I'm not allowed to say more than that."
"It's okay, I was just confused."
Hinata ate a mouthful from her rice bowl before speaking again.
"By the way, y-you never told me why you wear your headband like that. O-only if it's okay for you…"
"I don't mind. But it's more of a personal thing, so I don't know if it's interesting. It has to do with Ino, she and I…"
She glanced over to Sasuke.
"Well, it's complicated, let's just say we have a bit of a history together. Our headbands are part of a promise we made to each other when we parted ways. The day we would wear them the 'normal' way would be the day we face each other, the day we meet each other as equals."
Naruto was only listening with one ear, not particularly interested in all the girl talk. But as he slurped the remaining broth out of his cup, he noticed that Hinata's eyes had gotten big from the story. Had it been that interesting for her?
Once they were done with breakfast they parted ways with Team 8. Finally alone with his team, he addressed Sasuke with his arms crossed.
"So, you found your voice again then? Did you decide to not go back to being a brooder after all?"
"I had a lot to think about after my talk with the proctor," Sasuke retorted. "I know that seems hypocritical next to what I said in the forest, but I need to sort things out with myself first."
"Can't you let us help you with that? We're a team," Sakura pleaded.
"I know, but we should focus on the last task for now. I will tell you everything once the exams are over, and I promise it won't be important until then."
Karin had to hold her hands in order to stop them from shaking. She was much more nervous than she thought she would be. Thanks to Kabuto's tipps, they had managed to ambush another team close to the tower who happened to have the right scroll, allowing them to pass the test. Shortly after, they were told to gather in the tower's basement. Down here was what looked like an arena of sorts, with a stone monument of two hands forming a hand sign at one and. She stood here alongside Shigeri and Wara, next to the other teams who had passed. She saw Kabuto and his team, and also Naruto. The latter was right next to them. Would her teammates get mad if she talked to him?
She counted seven groups, so twenty-one people. Were those really all who had passed?
Across from them stood the exam proctors, some more shinobi she didn't recognize - only one of them not from Leaf, judging by the headband - and in front of them, the Hokage himself. The old man somehow had a crushing presence, but no one besides her seemed to notice. Were trained ninja used to this? What was also strange was the golden-haired girl who stood among the adults yet couldn't possibly be much older than Karin. And why was she staring so intensely at Karin with those scary eyes of hers?
Lastly, someone she also couldn't avoid noticing was the boy with the large gourd on his back. For some reason, she felt like he was similar to Naruto, but also… different. Like the distorted image coming from a broken mirror. Just what was this feeling?
All these impressions made it difficult for her to concentrate on the Hokage's speech. Something about a replacement for war? Her mind was too occupied to listen.
A sudden coughing sound distracted her enough to pull her back into reality. A new person was now standing in front of them, a man with heavy bags under his eyes who didn't look very healthy.
"Hello everyone, I'm Hayate Gekkō, the proctor for the third task. *cough* So, uh, we got a problem here: you're too many."
It took a moment before everyone had processed his bluntness, but then it got loud. Many felt cheated after all they had been through, and frankly, Karin could understand them. Just thinking about the forest… no, never again.
Hayate explained that the third task was also a big event, which was why it couldn't take too long, and they had to reduce their numbers through preliminaries which he planned to hold immediately.
"So, yeah, that's *cough* that's the gist of it. You can also quit voluntarily if you want."
"Yeah, I'll take you up on that offer," Kabuto said with his hand raised. Karin was surprised about that, and Naruto even tried to talk him out of it. But Kabuto stated that he still hadn't fully recovered from his injury, and he didn't want to risk it.
That's strange, he should be fully healed by now.
Her healing ability, no matter how much of a curse it was, had been the one thing about her that had always been reliable. Had she somehow managed to mess that up as well? Was she really that inadequate?
Kabuto walked away and left the arena. Strangely, his team didn't follow him.
"Ah, right I forgot to tell you something," Hayate spoke again. "From here on out, you're no longer being tested as a team, but as individuals. So you can *cough* you can quit without disqualifying your team with you."
"Well, that's your cue then," Shigeri quietly told her. Right, her job had to simply get them through the exam with her healing. If they were no longer tested as a team then she was no longer needed.
She flinched as a shiver went down her spine. Quickly raising her head, she realized that the golden-haired girl was suddenly standing next to Hayate. The proctor lowered his head and she whispered something in his ear, causing his eyes to narrow. Then, the girl disappeared.
"Okay, seems like *cough* seems like we have some technical difficulties. Shouldn't take long, my colleague is taking care of the matter. So, yeah, does anyone else want to quit?"
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Shigeri whispered. Slowly, Karin raised her hand.
"Huh? You, too, Karin? Really?" Naruto's voice called out before she could speak.
"W-well…um…" She didn't know what to say. What was she supposed to say?
"Stay out of this," Wara reprimanded him.
"I wasn't talking to you! Hey, Karin, you made it this far. Do you really want to quit now?"
"It's her decision, leave her alone!"
"Yeah, exactly! It's HER decision, why don't you let her speak for herself?!"
Karin could feel her cheeks getting hot. Why? Why was this boy supporting her so much? Especially after she had failed to properly heal his comrade, shouldn't he be angry?
"Well? Are you *cough* are you quitting or not?"
"She is!" Shigeri stated, but the proctor crossed his arms.
"That's not your call to make. She's only out if *cough* if I hear it from her."
"Come on, Karin," Naruto pleaded. "Do you really want to pass on this chance?"
"Shut up already!"
"YOU shut up! I've seen your performance, if it weren't for her you would've never made it out of the forest!"
"That's a completely different matter!"
"Be quiet!" the proctor called loudly, throwing himself into a coughing fit afterward.
"If you… say one more word… I'll disqualify all of you," he panted. "So, girl: do you want to quit or not?"
Karin hectically looked back and forth between Naruto and her team. If looks could kill, theirs - not all directed at the same target - definitely would. The adults also gave them strange glances. Karin began to panic. She had no idea what to say. Unable to get a word out, she ended up saying nothing.
After a few seconds of silence, Hayate nodded.
"Good, now that that's over, allow me to explain the preliminary matches. Since you're an even number now, we'll have ten matches. It's very simple, each of you will fight one versus one against a randomly selected opponent. *cough* Those who win make it to the third round. You win if your opponent surrenders, gets knocked out, dies, or if I call the match. No one is allowed to interfere with someone else's fight. Besides that, there are no rules, meaning once the fight starts you can do whatever you want. So, *cough* yeah, that's pretty much it, now we just need to wait for a moment until…"
The golden-haired girl returned. She said some hushed words to the Hokage, whose eyes widened. He raised his hands and masked figures appeared, received some quiet orders, and disappeared again. What was going on?
The girl once more whispered something in Hayate's ear before going back to the other adults.
"Alright, seems like our technical difficulties have been resolved. Let's not waste any more time and start with the first match."
He pointed to an electronic scoreboard that showed the names of the first combatants. Karin's heart stopped.
Misumi Tsurugi
vs.
Karin
"Alright, everyone else, go to the upper level please."
The others began moving to the stairs.
"This wasn't the plan," Shigeri whispered into her ear as he passed her. "Your life belongs to the Hidden Grass Village. Die here, and you'll die a traitor."
Karin said nothing.
She simply stared at her opponent who had to be years older than her. Like her, he was also wearing glasses, but the rest of his face was hidden behind a black cloth.
The older boy crossed his arms.
"Don't think I'll hold back because I'm fighting a little girl. But I'll give you some advice. If I catch you in my technique, it's over. If you don't surrender, you'll die."
Karin said nothing.
Not that she could. Ever since her name had appeared on the board, her body was frozen in place. By now the arena was empty, and Hayate raised his arm.
"Alright, the first match begins now!"
In an instant, Misumi moved. Before Karin knew what was happening, he already was in front of her. As her reflexes took over, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her face. Her opponent's punch connected right afterward. And yet, it wasn't painful. In fact, she barely even felt the impact. There was a strange feeling instead, one that moved along her arms and around her body.
Her eyes shot open, but it was too late. As if he had no bones, Misumi had wrapped himself around her. His snake-like appendages forced her arms and legs apart, while one of his arms was wrapped around her throat and pressed her chin upwards. She couldn't move anymore. She could barely stand with the older boy's weight sitting on her back, and even breathing had become difficult.
"I warned you," she heard his voice right next to her ear. "This jutsu is meant for espionage since it allows me to hide basically anywhere, but it's useful in combat as well. I could easily break all your bones."
"Damn it, surrender already!" Shiregi shouted from the stands. "Do you really have a death wish?!"
He was right. Why was she even down here in the first place? She was no shinobi, she couldn't fight! Heck, she didn't even want to fight! Why hadn't she just quit when she was given the chance? She could do nothing other than heal, and apparently not even that properly! What in the world had she thought how this would go?! She had to surrender now before anything worse happened!
"COME ON, KARIN! YOU GOT THIS!"
Karin blinked in confusion. Why was Naruto cheering for her? Wasn't Misumi a Leaf Ninja? Why would he want her to win?
"I wouldn't listen to that guy," Misumi said. "It's too late for you to escape. I can break your neck before you can do as much as move a finger, and I will do that if you don't surrender now."
Tears began to run down her cheeks as her memory of her mother's corpse flashed before her eyes. She didn't want to die! She just wanted this nightmare to end! And yet… and yet…
"KICK HIS ASS, KARIN! SHOW US WHAT YOU CAN DO!"
What she could do? But… she couldn't do anything! She was a useless nobody! Why had he so much faith in her? If she didn't surrender immediately, she would die!
The image in her mind was replaced. She now saw Naruto in the forest again giving her thumbs up.
She saw Naruto calling her a friend
Below her overwhelming fear, she felt a warmth, a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. She was scared, she didn't know what to do, and yet… all the faith Naruto put in her… for some reason, she didn't want to disappoint him.
I don't know how, but… if there is a way… just this once, I want to fight! I WANT TO WIN!
A duality of noises interrupted her thought. The sound of metal hitting flesh, followed by the sound of metal hitting stone. Suddenly, everything got quiet. Misumi clinging to her no longer felt heavy for some reason. A warm wetness spread over her back and the snake-like appendages loosened, now only hanging down her body limply. What was going on?
Her limbs were hers again, and yet, she couldn't move from her spot, as if something pulled on her shoulder blades. Slowly, she turned her head, staring right into Misumi's eyes, which were widened in shock. Then, she saw it.
Somehow, four shimmering, spiked chains had shot out of her back. They were now stuck in the wall behind them and suspended Misumi's impaled body in the air.