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Arc 1 - The Party
Chapter 3 - The Birthday Trials
Arc Soundtrack:
Neoni - Giants
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Setting: The Uzukage Tower, East Whirlpools
Time: 4:08 pm
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"Alright, Makoto, now explain yourself." Makoto had just finished filling in the two women about the investigation. Riza had, of course, been angry at not being filled in sooner but eventually calmed down.
"Tesuma, you withheld some information?" Makoto half-asked, half-stated.
Tesuma sighed, "The fire jutsu performed on the body was extremely advanced. It was so hot that the wound remained nearly untouchable even hours after death and after being flooded in cold water. The effects are very similar to Akarui's BONFIRE DANCE JUTSU. However, I said nothing because it was simply impossible for my brother to have been available to kill these ninjas. The bodies died approximately seven hours before Yataro found them. At most, Murasaki and I departed from Konoha six hours ago, and Akarui and his family were at the village gates ready to send us off."
Makoto's eyes narrowed, "There is nobody else that can use that technique. Even you can't master such a dangerous fire technique. It had to ha…." Makoto trailed off as a thought entered the back of his mind, "Tesuma… Do you remember the battle in Wave country over eight years ago?"
"Of course, I remember Makoto, what does that have to do with…." Tesuma trailed off as realization appeared on his face, "That would be impossible without you knowing?"
"It's a possibility, Tesuma, the only other one," Makoto explained cryptically.
"Um… Boys? We're very fucking lost!" Riza yelled out.
"Riza, during a battle in the Land of Waves eight years ago, Akarui hit me point blank with BONFIRE DANCE, which almost killed me. The burns were so bad that I still feel the burning sensation in my chest. It was so bad I didn't even think to use my KINETTIKU," Makoto explained.
Riza began to put the pieces together and put a hand on her head, "That would be impossible, Makoto; you couldn't…."
"Um, HELLO? I'm still confused," Murasaki was the one who yelled this out.
"'Mura, the way my KINETTIKU works is that whenever I am hit with an attack, while I'll still feel the pain and be damaged, I can shoot an attack of equal force back at the enemy. Sometimes, however, I can choose not to and store the attack up for a later time. For example, when Akarui hit me with that move many years ago, I was in pain that I didn't even think to reflect his attack at him. So the energy of the jutsu went back into my body. For years I never used it, it's just been stored somewhere deep inside my chakra system. So this would mean that my body's been saving energy from that attack since then," Makoto explained.
"Are you saying that you could have possibly killed and mutilated those two ninjas? Without you even knowing?" Murasaki asked in disbelief.
"Well…" Makoto looked at Riza, who held her head down, looking at the floor, "She and I did get drunk last night. I barely remember anything from the night before. I also woke up four hours after the murders."
"It would check out… Around four this morning, you told me you were gonna check on the kids, and I fell asleep shortly after," Riza admitted. She was still trying to wrap her brain around the revelation.
"Wait, even though the timetables match up, we still don't have a motive. Why the hell would you kill two of your shinobi? Even when you're drunk, you aren't a violent man. So maybe it was self-defense?" Tesuma offered.
"No shinobi, especially from Uzushiogakure, would dare lay a hand on me. I'm one of the three strongest shinobi in the world; to do that would be suicidal," Makoto said solemnly. The proclamation emotionally wrecked him. How could he have killed one of his ninjas?
"No, this is impossible," Riza asserted, "Honey, you are overthinking about this, and you are losing yourself. We will think about all of this tomorrow, alright? You are not a cold-blooded murderer, no matter your mental state."
Makoto kept his head down as he thought about his situation, causing Tesuma to speak up, "She's right, Makoto. Even if the evidence points to you, I don't believe it. I think it's time to call it in for the day and try to enjoy the party."
As they said this, a large bird began pecking at the window. It was brown and had no defining qualities; the only thing that made it stand out was a piece of paper tied to its head by a ribbon.
Murasaki let the bird in, immediately landing on Tesuma's finger. The bird opened its mouth and dropped the paper into Tesuma's open hand.
Dear Lord Hokage,
Sorry to interrupt you while you are at your party Hokage-Sama; however, there is something urgent that you need to be made aware of.
We have reason to suspect that there is an attack being planned by the Hidden Cloud Village.
They have sent a small platoon of five chunin shinobi to attack the Tonika Village near Konoha.
I, Pink Spider, and White Toad, as well as Jonin Shikatora Nara, neutralized the enemy. However, before we could bring them in for questioning, they all swallowed cyanide pills, and we couldn't resuscitate them.
One of them mentioned that there were more shinobi on the way before we defeated them. I believe that we can handle it on our own, however, your presence would help ease the minds of residents in the Tonika Village.
Please arrive at your earliest convenience
Sincerely, Seventh Platoon Anbu Leader, Blue Lion.
Tesuma dropped the paper on the ground and burned it with a small-scale fireball, "I'm sorry, Makoto, Riza, but we must be leaving at once. I just received word that Akujin has sent ninjas to attack a city near us. This is very close to being an act of war."
"Damn it, Akujin… Alright, Uzushiogakure shinobi will be on standby if Konohagakure needs it."
"Of course, we will be in touch with you soon. Hope you can get to the bottom of this on your own, Makoto."
"Absolutely," Makoto brought Tesuma in for a hug, and the Uchiha returned the favor, "Love you 'Suma. Try not to die without me."
Tesuma laughed, "I should be saying that to you… I love you too, Makoto."
Murasaki leaned over to whisper to Riza, "How cute." She chuckled at her own joke before bringing Riza in for a hug. "See you later, Riza; I'll write to you when I get back."
"Same, Murasaki. I'll send over that recipe you asked for as well," Riza said before breaking up the hug.
The Uchiha couple disappeared in a flood of leaves, and the Uzumakis did the same with rose petals.
—
Setting: The Whirlpool Castle, Sea Section
Time: 4:28 pm
—
Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes was how long it took for Rama to finish reading off every single name. But, of course, it would have gone by much quicker had the elders not decided to clap after Rama read every name. By the time it was over, Rama's mouth was drier than a cactus in Sunagakure.
Rama took a sip of water, so Rana took over. "On behalf of all event planners, we thank you for the very… Appreciative response. Now, time for the fun part. Before she can open her gifts, the birthday girl must complete three fun trials given to her by our esteemed elders."
Mika groaned from behind the curtain. She, of course, knew what the three "fun" trials would be.
First would be the Uzumaki warrior's dance ritual. It had another name, but Mika didn't care enough to remember it. It was a relatively simple dance that every civilian woman in the village was asked to learn since the Royal Family could call on them to perform at any moment. She still had no idea why she had to learn it when she was also a part of the royal family but was told it was "for when she was older." Mika had no problem with doing it to perfection; however, it was a very tedious task that Mika didn't feel natural doing. When Mika danced for fun, they were wild dances with less elegance and more creativity; the warrior ritual was more for Eihei, in her opinion.
The subsequent trial would allow her to shed her attire for a moment which she was thankful for. After that, it would be a simple obstacle course. While Mika wasn't the most muscular little girl in the world, she was athletic in other ways and was naturally fast. So she would breeze through that without much of a sweat.
The last trial was one that she dreaded, however. It was a Shogi match. It was one of the only things Mika was better than Eihei at and, of course, would make the other girl play to boost her self-esteem. However, this match would be against the elders. The elders never took it easy on her, and it always angered her the things they would do after winning. They looked at her with judging eyes and harshly criticized and critiqued her play style. The last time they had spoken on her game, it was so brutal that even her normally cool-headed father was livid. Riza had been close to drawing a weapon on one of the elders but had refrained from doing so. Since that day, she mostly stuck to playing with Eihei to regain her confidence. Eihei didn't mind it, as simply playing games with her best friend was the only thing she needed to enjoy herself.
Mika looked down at her baby brothers in their stroller and stuck her tongue out, causing Nikkokido to giggle softly. While waiting for her parents to return, she had taken it upon herself to make funny faces in front of her little siblings. Nikkokido always laughed in her face while Amekido would smile but never giggle too hard. It was Mika's way of telling the two apart usually.
She felt a presence behind her and turned around to see her parents accompanied by a stream of rose petals. Their faces were slightly unhinged, but Mika didn't notice. Makoto smiled at his daughter, "Hey Princess, they didn't call you yet, right?"
Mika shook her head no and turned back to look at her brothers. She tickled their stomachs and watched them giggle. Makoto and Riza walked up behind her, each placing a hand on her shoulder. The family sat there in comfortable silence as they heard the twin girls talk about the trials from behind the curtain.
"After the Shogi match, we will then open up presents a-" Rana stopped speaking as an elder walked up on stage and whispered something in her ear discreetly. As the elder walked off, she quickly regained her composure. She said, "Alright, I've just gotten word that before we get to any of that, we are going to bring out the two youngest children of the royal family for public viewing as well as performing a public Senrei." The crowd gasped slightly.
Riza's head turned on a swivel as she heard that from behind the curtain. The twins walked behind the curtains to see an angry Riza, "What the hell is going on? I did not consent for my babies to get a damn Senrei!"
"My apologies, Queen Riza; we assumed that you two had gone along with the idea," Rana apologized.
"Goddamnit, those old bastards always try to take control of everything," Riza ranted loudly. Luckily, they played music during the brief intermission to mask the noise.
Makoto grimaced at the inevitable fallout. A Senrei was a form of baptism that ninjas of the Sageism religion had done to show their faith in the Sage of Six Paths. It was rarely ever given to civilians, never mind babies. His wife, Riza, was never one for religion; in fact, she disliked it very much. It was something that she'd been forced into at a young age, and as she reached adulthood, she grew to resent religion entirely. It was in great contrast to her husband, a proud Sageist.
"Love, it's truly not that big of a deal," Makoto said, trying to calm his wife, "They're just babies. A true Senrei can only be given to someone that chooses to have it of their own volition."
"Makoto, it's not about the fucking Senrei. The elders have been trying to raise our children for us, and I'm tired of it!" Riza exclaimed angrily.
Rana and Rama slipped past the couple and grabbed Mika and the babies, "We should get you ready for the ritual, Mika."
The children all disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, leaving the King and Queen to argue on their own.
"Riza, I understand. I'm also upset about it, but it's necessary," Makoto stated calmly.
"How is it necessary? Makoto, you are the KING. You can simply impose anything you want, and yet you allow the elders to do things drastically like this," Riza yelled at her husband.
"Are you suggesting that I become a dictator?" Makoto asked incredulously.
"No, I'm asking you to stop letting them push us around. The elders are advisors; they are supposed to advise you, not make life-altering decisions for our CHILDREN," Riza yelled.
Makoto averted eye contact, "Y'know what; you have every right to be angry; it wasn't right for the elders to have done that without their consent, and I will punish them. However, now we HAVE to do this. We cannot have people see this party as dysfunctional in front of the village. That's how rumors start. By tomorrow, the papers will say that our marriage is crumbling, all because we can't agree on this."
Riza put her head down and turned away, "I'm not participating or watching it, so you better do it yourself or get the twins to do it."
She performed a BODY FLICKER, leaving another trail of roses in her wake.
—
Setting: The Whirlpool Castle, Sea Section
Time: 4:35 pm
—
Everything was set. The ritual for a Senrei was a relatively simple yet tedious process. A pastor, or a nun, would use a form of medical ninjutsu bestowed to them in the name of the Sage. The chakra they used would heal any mental scars and bring good fortune to the ninja undergoing this process. It was a complete superstition, and there was no science or proof behind it, however, so was religion in general, and as long as it gave ninjas hope for a better future, no one batted an eye. The keyword, however, was ninjas. This was usually given to ninjas as civilians had their own versions of Senrei'.
However, today was a memorable holiday in the Sageism religion. On the first Sunday of every month, many sageists would come to church and pray from sunrise to sunset. It so happened that the first Sunday of September was September 1st, the same day as Mika's birthday. While priests were invited to the birthday party, they all apologized to the King and cited that their faith in The Sage was more important than a party hosted by a King. It was something that Makoto could respect and honestly agree with. Had it not been his daughter's birthday, he would have arrived at the church that day to pray.
With no pastors available, it fell on the highest-ranking official in the village to perform the Senrei, who happened to be the King, Makoto Uzumaki. It was something that Makoto felt uncomfortable doing; sending a mortal, no matter how strong, to do a God's work with no preparation didn't sit right with him. If the honors fell on him, then there would be no complaints.
As he stood on stage, in front of his two children, he felt nervous. It had been years since he had felt uneasy. Marrying his wife Riza, witnessing the birth of his daughter, and his Coronation as King was the only times he could remember this feeling of nervousness. In a battle, he was always excited and confident, never nervous. However, when it came to his family, that wave of nauseating fear would wash over him like a tsunami.
As he prepared to do this ritual in front of anyone that was anyone in his village, his fingers trembled slightly as green chakra flooded his hands, 'Alright 'Koto, you can do this. You've been on the battlefield with Hijoshiki Uchiha and lived to tell the tale. This is nothing.' The King took a deep breath before starting.
"Please remain quiet as I perform this procedure," Makoto ordered firmly. However, his voice held a slight quiver that went unnoticed by the many attendees.
He raised his right hand above Nikkokido and his left above Amekido. Taking another deep breath, he began tracing his hands around both simultaneously. Had they been the size of an average ninja, this part would have been incredibly long. Instead, he had to trace his hands around the two babies at a languid pace. If he messed up, it was his obligation to restart the entire process. Anything less than that and the ritual would have no effect.
As he finished, he quietly thanked his babies for not crying. It had been nearly fifteen minutes, and the crowd clapped profusely; some were happy to see such a royal event, while others were glad it was finally over.
"Now that we have Senrei'd my two children, I'd like to say a quick prayer. After that, we will FINALLY get to the trials and the present unboxing for Princess Mika Uzumaki," Makoto finished. The sweat running down his face had finally dried up, and he could now breathe easier. He took a deep breath as he readied a prayer, "Greetings, Lord Sage! We have all gathered here today to thank you once again for your love and-"
Riza began tuning out at that point. Despite her profound statement that she wouldn't participate in the act, she couldn't bring herself not to. No matter how she felt about it, not showing up for something as crucial to her husband as the Senrei of their two sons would be a terrible thing to do to someone she loved.
Midway through the ritual, she and her husband locked eyes, which the Queen believed gave her King the peace of mind needed to perform the act with no mistakes.
Riza began swerving around guests who had their eyes closed in prayer. As she got out of the crowd, she found one of the people she was looking for.
Mito Uzumaki was just outside the venue, quietly praying to herself. She sensed a presence approaching her and looked back to see her sister-in-law. She sighed quietly, already knowing the issue.
Instead of speaking up, however, Riza decided to stand next to her and look up at the sky. A large cloud was beginning to form from the corner of her eye.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Mito?" Riza asked politely.
Mito rolled her eyes and looked down at the much shorter woman, "Yes, I was enjoying myself before you decided to bother me."
It was now Riza's turn to roll her eyes, "Just trying to make conversation… The party is-"
"Look," Mito interrupted sharply. Her voice was annoyed, "Are you just gonna sit here and act like you like me or are you gonna tell me what you want."
"Listen, you bit-" Riza started before calming herself down. It wasn't a fight she wanted; she just wanted answers, "Did your dad tell you about the Senrei?"
"No, the old man doesn't tell me much these days. Was there a problem with it?" Mito asked sarcastically.
"As a matter of fact, yes, there was," Riza said with a fake smile, "My father-in-law, your daddy, and the rest of the elders decided that it was a great decision to do something to my children that was against my wishes. That is the problem."
"So what the hell are you coming to me about it for?" Mito asked blankly.
"You know what, you're right. I shouldn't have come to you," Riza said as she turned to walk back inside before stopping abruptly, "Actually, I have a question, what the hell is your problem with me?"
Mito smiled widely before chuckling softly, "Where should I start? Let's talk about how you treat your husband, my little brother. He's given you any and everything you could ever want. A castle the size of most villages, three beautiful children, for fucks sake, Riza, he saved you from your low-class side-branch of the clan and made you the QUEEN of one of the most powerful villages in the world. The least you can do is be a lady and try not to embarrass him in front of the elders! Hell, he can't even count on you to show up to church with him!" The older woman paused to let Riza take in what she was saying. It was something that she needed to get off her chest, "Hey, why do you hate the Sage so much? Did you pray for Daddy to rescue you, which never happened? Wait! I know the reason! It's because your mother made you repent with her because of her past life as a who-"
Riza lifted Mito and shoved her into the outer wall of the building; she heard bones crack and a gasp of pain from her sister-in-law. She looked Mito in her eyes, but before she could speak, the woman disappeared in a flurry of roses. The atmosphere around her had changed to a dream-like state. Petals flurried around her, and the ground started crumbling beneath her feet.
"Release!" Riza yelled out, making her chakra spike. The world changed instantly, and the two women were back to their previous spots.
"Are you gonna let me finish? I had many more reasons," Mito mocked. Riza was furious but simply walked back inside, leaving Mito to think about her small victory against Riza.
'Why did you marry her, Makoto,' Mito thought annoyedly. She ducked back inside as the sky started to get dark.
—
Setting: The Whirlpool Castle, Sea Section
Time: 4:58 pm
—
Mika stood on stage and got ready to dance. The young girl was a natural performer. While she was a gifted singer, she was also an incredible dancer for her age. She excelled at creating dances on the fly and making them look great. Choreographed dances, however, were not her thing. She felt that many pre-designed dances were too stiff and didn't quite match her.
The music started, and she took a deep breath. She looked down to see Eihei in the front row, giving her thumbs up. Rana and Rama were to her right and left, smiling at her before going behind the curtain. The floor was hers.
As she started the dance, it felt unnatural, almost like she was trying to move in someone else's body. However, towards the midway point of the dance, everything started coming together. She felt easy doing it and started incorporating her natural movements into the dance, gaining approval from the crowd. As she wrapped up, instead of finishing with a typical pose, she decided to spin in the air and land on her feet with grace, causing the crowd to applaud loudly. She made many grand gestures to the crowd (waving frantically and bowing twenty times) before she was escorted backstage by the twins to be changed.
"That was perfect, Mika," Rana said happily, "Now let's hurry up and get you ready for the obstacle course."
"Why am I doing this again?" Mika asked.
"Well… it's supposed to be fun," Rama lied. It was a very clever way that the elders used to test the young girl on how she dealt with pressure. Mika doing well in this could have a ripple effect that would make the elders ease up on how much they interfere with the Royal Family. It was a big step toward more freedom from the elder's "advice," as they'd call it.
"That doesn't sound that fun, though," Mika said solemnly.
"Well, we can't stop it now, so let's move on… Honorable Daughter," Rana said slyly.
"HEY!"
—
Setting: The Whirlpool Castle, Maelstrom Section,
Time: 5:47 pm
—
Getting every guest into the Maelstrom Section of the castle was pretty hard. Despite not being that far from the Sea Section, moving nearly a thousand people to one location is never easy.
Mika looked at the unusual "obstacle course" in front of her. It was supposed to be a three-stage course, which confused Mika because the "course" was just a twenty-five-yard pole laid down and floating twenty-five feet in the air.
"Sorry for the confusion, everyone; who knew that moving one thousand people would be this hard?" Rama laughed, gaining chuckles from the crowd, "Alright, now my sister will be explaining this obstacle course."
The twins were still in formal attire, so it surprised many when Rana jumped up and grabbed the pole effortlessly. Mika observed as Rana went through the first part of the course. Then, like climbing monkey bars, the Royal Guard began to go forward on the pole.
"That was part one of the course. As demonstrated, the birthday girl will climb forward on this pole until she reaches the end, then she will…." Rana then flipped up over the pole, landing on her feet on top of it. Next, she gracefully balanced on top of the bar and walked forward to the beginning of the rod, "That is the second part; Mika will balance on this pole until she reaches the end. Now, here is where things get tricky."
Rana pointed at an elder who waved awkwardly at the crowd, "This is Prestigious Elder, Itoh Uzumaki. When Mika finishes the second part of the course, he will perform the 'Dog' hand seal, causing the pole to flip vertically."
The elder performed the seal, and the pole flipped vertically. Rana jumped down and caught the bottom of the bar. She began to climb the pole without breaking a sweat. She then stood at the top of the pole and began to speak with chakra, "After this, Mika will have completed the course."
Upon finishing, Rana jumped down and landed gracefully on her feet. There was not so much as a wrinkle on her clothing. Mika, as well as the crowd, looked on in awe at the display.
Rama laughed to herself, 'Showoff.'
Riza looked on quietly next to her husband; the conversation from earlier still plagued her mind. 'Am I a bad wife?'
Riza closed her eyes and put her head down. While the things her Sister-In-Law said were insulting and horrible, she couldn't honestly say she was lying. She could suck up to the elders more to avoid conflict; she could try not to curse at him in public; hell, no matter how much she hated it, she could go to church now and again….
'But that's not ME! Why should she fake her personality for some old people? Why should I have to filter herself? Why should I have to do something I hate just for a public image? Makoto knows exactly the type of person I am; that's exactly why he married me!' Riza thought angrily. She knew that marriage came with sacrifices, and sacrifices are what made marriage gel, but she had already made sacrifices! She sacrificed the rest of her life as a ninja to become Queen. She surrendered the only thing she knew to become a glorified housewife with a prestigious title. None of the fame, money, or the giant castle mattered to her.
Riza put her head down, even with her inward declarations, she couldn't seem to forget Mito's words. Riza looked up at Makoto, who cheered for their daughter as she started the course. Riza stood up and hugged her King, getting a confused look in return, "You know I love you, right?"
Makoto smiled at her, "Of course, Love, why do you ask?"
"I don't know… I feel like I don't say it enough," Riza admitted.
Makoto put his arm around his wife and kissed her forehead, "You don't have to say it; when I'm with you, I feel loved. Even when you're yelling at me, I've known you long enough to know that you're passionate about the people you care about. So if you yell at me the most, I must be doing something right." Makoto laughed lightly, causing Riza to laugh as well. Makoto's infectious laugh always cheered her up, even when she was sad. The two looked to their daughter, who had begun the course.
"Alright, Mika, you have five minutes. Do your best!" Rama said as she started the timer. Mika took a deep breath before jumping up and holding onto the pole. She looked down and saw that she was twenty-five feet in the was a bit scared of heights, though she would climb large walls and mountains to try and get over it. She climbed along and was surprised at how easy it was. It was the halfway point, and she felt no struggle. While Rana had done it quickly, she had just assumed her ninja training allowed her to-
Mika's right hand slipped off the pole, causing her to hold herself up with just one hand. The crowd gasped at the near fall.
'There's the twist,' Rana and Rama thought to themselves.
Riza jumped up to save her daughter but was held by her husband, "Have faith, Love." Riza decided to trust her husband and watch with concerned eyes.
The young girl's hands were slippery from sweat, and they had also likely become slightly numb. In addition, the pole itself wasn't designed for hands that small, as ninjas usually used it for older Academy students. Soon she would have to rely on just her fingers instead of her entire palm.
Mika was coming to these conclusions herself as she started climbing forward again. Her grip on the pole had become much looser, and she could barely feel her hands. However, the girl pushed on, deciding that embarrassment in front of the clan would be much more painful than her hands falling off. Finally, around the four-fifths mark, she started using her fingers as the pain in her palm became too much to bear.
"C'mon, Mika, you can do this!" Eihei yelled from the back of the crowd. Some eyes landed on her, causing her to blush and duck away.
Mika stopped momentarily, listening to the twins call out the one-minute mark. Upon hearing Eihei's declaration, she forced her arms to move forward. As she reached the end, her arms felt like jelly, and it took her a long time to climb up to the top of the pole. Loud cheers echoed from the crowd as she got to the end of the pole.
Mika took a deep breath as she stared at the pole, which now rested under her feet. Mika, like most children, wasn't much of a ballerina. In fact, the Princess could barely walk in a straight line without drifting to the side. Many would learn that discipline was not a skill Mika Uzumaki possessed.
The first five yards weren't that bad as she started walking forward. Her foot had nearly slipped a couple of times, but that was the extent of her failure. She heard the twins call out the two-minute mark and wondered if she would even complete the course on time. It had taken her over a minute for the first course, and this part was even more tedious, not to mention the next part where she had to climb twenty-five yards in the air.
She expelled the thoughts from her mind and tried focusing on the task. 'Puppies, Puppies, Puppies,' Mika thought, trying to think happy thoughts with inevitable failure looming. But instead, her legs began shaking as the nerves racked her brain.
'Why am I doing this?' Mika thought to herself. It would be much easier if she could just pass out and be caught before death. She blinked and dispelled the intrusive thoughts. The future Queen couldn't doubt herself or slack off, especially not in front of the village.
She was three-fifths of the way there and heard the twins call out for the three-minute mark. The sweat from her hands began to fall on the pole, forcing Mika to nearly slip twice. Mika took a deep breath before getting an idea.
The idea was very reckless; most would say it was an act of idiocy. Mika didn't care; however, she needed to save time, and this wasn't against the rules.
The crowd gasped before looking on in awe as Mika began sprinting to the end of the pole. Her speed would make it so it would only be a couple of seconds of complete running; however, the sweat caused Mika to slip and fall. Before landing face-first on the pole, she did a front flip, landing on her feet at the finish line.
The crowd cheered and looked on at the incredible feat. It was truly astonishing that a five-year-old was moving with such grace. Then, as Mika regained her balance in a pretty comical fashion, she began bowing and waving at the crowd.
Not everyone was a supporter, however. Itoh Uzumaki sneered at the girl's antics. 'Stay focused, girl,' he thought before performing the "Dog" hand sign.
The pole immediately flipped upwards, causing Mika to fall off entirely. At the last second, however, she could grab the bottom with her left hand. Unfortunately, her feet dangled in the air, and her arm was now in severe pain. It was nothing that a medical ninja couldn't fix, but for the time being, the pain was tremendous.
Mika had forgotten about the final stage in her time of triumph. To climb this pole in just over a minute would already be a challenge, but with her arm injury it would be nearly impossible. Mika gasped in pain as her arm began to turn red. As she heard the twins call out for four minutes, she began trying to climb, but her arm was in too much pain.
Mika then got another crazy idea. The girl wrapped her body around the pole and began sliding her way up with just one hand. It was slow but steady, allowing her left arm time to recover. Around a quarter of the way, the twins gave Mika the thirty-second warning. Mika put her head down and began losing hope. It had been a tremendous effort, but she simply wasn't old enough to complete this course.
'This is an impossible task,' Makoto thought, 'The elders will try and use this as another reason to interfere. We can't let that happen; fight this, Mika.'
Eihei looked around as the guests began looking away. Many didn't want to see the child lose after such an outstanding performance; however, they knew the inevitable was to come. For the second time that day, Eihei spoke loudly, "MIKA! YOU CAN'T FAIL HERE. IF YOU CAN'T PASS THIS, YOU'LL NEVER BECOME THE QUEEN!"
The outburst gained many more looks than previously. The entire party seemed to be staring at her, causing her to shrink visibly. However, it wasn't long until another outburst came, "YOU CAN DO IT, MIKA. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!" This time it was Makoto who made the chakra-enhanced outburst. The King's declaration shifted all eyes to him.
After that, there was a flurry of encouraging words and even overpowering the twenty-second warning.
"YOU CAN DO THIS MIKA!" "YOU'LL MAKE IT HONORABLE DAUGHTER!" "PRINCESS MIKA YOU WILL PREVAIL!"
Mika brought her head up to the sky. She noticed how dark the sky was getting and how a big cloud had formed. She heard the words and closed her eyes before forcing herself up to the top. The many declarations of support from the watchers drowned out her screams of pain. As she finally reached the top, the crowd erupted in applause.
"The birthday girl passes the obstacle course!" Rana and Rama yelled.
Upon hearing that, Mika immediately passed out, falling off the top of the pole. The crowd gasped as the Princess fell from nearly forty yards in the air. However, before reaching the ground, a figure blurred towards her, catching her and landing on the ground safely.
Makoto Uzumaki had moved in a blink of an eye, saving his daughter. He checked her pulse to ensure she was still breathing and breathed a sigh of relief to feel that she was okay. Then, he stared at the twins who hadn't been able to react as quickly as the King.
"She didn't pass the course, did she?" Makoto asked knowingly.
The girls shook their heads simultaneously, "No, she finished at five minutes and seventeen seconds. Still very impressive for a regular civilian, a child no less."
Makoto laughed lightly, "Ahhh, it's fine. She now knows the feeling of being backed by an army. Now, she'll want to attain that feeling even more than before." The King looked down at his daughter, who was resting peacefully, "You showcased some amazing willpower today, Princess. Come, let's get her healed up before people notice anything wrong."
—
End Of Chapter 3
Next Time on Kitsune: Fallout -
After a great display of willpower, the birthday girl attempts her final trial against an unbeatable opponent. Meanwhile, a discovery by Ryota threatens to cause even more conflict between the King and Queen. Finally, Akira's concert kicks off while Makoto has to make a life-changing decision...
Chapter 4: The Performance of a Lifetime!