Chapter 25: A destined fight
Azure eyes narrowed slightly at the names shown on the screen. Usually, Kagome didn't really care much about others around her; her world, small as it was, left her with little left to care about the rest. It didn't help that most people in the village had harrassed Naruto or Sasuke in one way or another. Neutrality was her most common response to her classmates.
It so happened that Hyuuga Hinata was one of the few the girl actually felt some genuine fondness for.
And she was more than well aware of both the reputation of Hyuuga Neji and the rocky relationship he had with his cousin. Information could be worth more than anything in their world; as the main body of the military police, the Uchihas had an impressive collection of information on most of the clans in the village. Information Kagome had been memorizing since she'd learned to talk thanks to the insistence of the Uchiha matriarch. And even isolated as they were, the Higurashi heiress had always made sure to keep her ears open whenever she was outside. Kind words and gentle conversations with vendors could also give way more information than one would think possible. Precisely the reason she was somewhat concerned about the coming match. Sure, Hinata's skill was a far cry from Haruno, but the girl's lack of confidence greatly affected her abilities.
Things could get ugly.
"Kick his ass, Hinata-chan!" For once, Naruto-kun's words failed to reach her.
Kagome held back a sigh; sweet, naive Naruto-kun could be both, extremely astute and extremely dense at the same time. Still, a single glance at the suddenly pale and trembling girl, the azure-eyed kunoichi couldn't help the sympathy and worry from pooling in her stomach. Shy as she was, the Hyuuga still managed to arm herself with the courage to approach her in a place where her interaction with the Uchiha's ward (for whatever that title was worth now) would definitely reach her father's ears.
"Hinata-chan." Making a decision, the Higurashi heiress took the other girl's hands in her own. Regardless of the decision, they'd made, not offering even some words left a bitter taste in her mouth. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, so go on, show it to them all."
It was slight, but she could see how her former classmate had finally registered her and Naruto's words. Some color was going back to her cheeks. With or without her father's approval, Hinata-chan was clearly taught how to read others' body language well enough to catch Kagome's subtle glance at the blond. If a bit of teasing could help her a bit...well, it didn't really cost her a thing.
Giving her as slight of a push as she dared to, Kagome sent the still panicked girl towards the rest of her team before she allowed her smile to fall.
"Would you look at that, one bad match after another." Kakashi-sensei's lazy drawl confirmed her own suspicions.
"Wait, do you think Hinata-chan will lose?" Naruto's question was laced in disbelief.
"Kakashi-sensei has a point; as far as I've heard, Neji-san is considered a prodigy." It wasn't hard to hear the praise being heaped upon him back in the academy. "Hinata-chan is not bad, but..."
"She's probably not good enough," the copy ninja finished for her.
"Tch, you never know until you try."
Truly, a response she expected from the prankster. Kagome held back a slight smile; Naruto-kun was probably projecting himself a bit. Though, if she was being honest, as long as this situation brought him away from the crush he had on their pin-haired ex-classmate, she wouldn't complain...the fact that she and Sasuke would leave sooner or later meant the blond would need someone he could trust to have his back. Compared to Haruno, Hinata was the better choice by far.
"I'm sure if you told her, she'd feel motivated."
And motivation was something the young Hyuuga heiress needed in spades right now. It was painfully easy to see as she trembling descended the stairs.
Shaking her head, Kagome placed her attention on the other girl's opponent. Despite what she'd said, Neji's win was all but set in stone, and she had to pay as much attention to his attacks and preferences considering there was a chance either Sasuke or herself would have to face him eventually. Getting a chance to get a closer look at a Hyuuga's skillset when she had no doubt they'd be deployed to track them down was just another reason for her to pay more attention.
"Besides, that guy may be a genius or whatever, but they're still family, right?" the blond asked. "It's not like he'll hurt her anyway."
"No, that may make it worse, actually." How or why, Kagome wasn't sure, but at some point, Lee had made his way to their little group.
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"Well, it's true that they're probably cousins, but Hinata's family belongs to the main branch, while Neji-san is a member of one of the branch families." She didn't want to warn others about how much intelligence she'd gathered, but this time didn't want to warn others about how much intelligence she'd gathered; this 'secret,' however, was one that would be strange not to know about.
"Right, the problem here is...well, many things have happened between the houses over the years, and right now they don't get along very well."
Lee's statement had to be the understatement of the century. She may have been young at the time, still too young to be allowed outside the compound, but Kagome could clearly remember the former Uchiha head scoffing at the way the branch families were forced to pay for the stupid mistakes of the main. Now that she thought about it, it was probably around the time Hinata suffered her own kidnapping attempt.
"Hmm, why?"
"I don't know everything, but..." Lee glanced her way before continuing. "This seems to be pretty common with old families. In order to protect the blood and house of the original Hyuugas, many rules have been established to put the main in advantageous situations. Because of this, it's no surprise that the branch houses feel slighted."
"No way, for real?" The blond turned o ask her.
"Ah, I'm no good with this one, Naruto-kun," she shook her head. "The Uchihas certainly favored the main house, but as far as I know, it wasn't even close to the extremes of the Hyuugas. And I have no idea how the Higurashi clan used to handle all his, to be honest, I don't even know if I was part of the main family or not."
"Wait, won't you become the head?" Genuine surprise was easy to see in her friend's face.
"I'm the only one from my clan who's still alive and within the village. Regardless of where I was born, there's no one else to take that role. I could be the daughter of a pair of the lowest branch members for all I know."
Though, if the things the oldest clans believed in regarding the strength of kekkei genkais, that was extremely unlikely. Not like there was any way to confirm either theory.
"Before we begin the fight, I'd like to say something, Hinata-sama." Neji's words echoed through the room before the proctor had a chance to speak. "You are too kind...you wish for harmony, you agree with others, never resisting. And you have no confidence in yourself."
It was irritating, but Kagome couldn't really deny anything the older boy was saying. In fact, it was her exact same reasonings. It had less to do with potential and more to do with Hinata's personality; the other girl was truthfully kind, maybe too kind to become a shinobi. And yet, the form the Hyuuga prodigy kept up the fake gentle comments did nothing but irritate her, way more than she thought it would be.
She had suspected the other heiress only entered the exam to allow her team to participate, but hearing Neji throw those remarks to the timid girl was far more annoying than it would have been for him to go straight for the kill.
"No...I..." Hinata's stammers were sadly expected. "I just wanted...to change myself...do it...myself."
That was...surprising.
Years ago, Kagome tried to help the other girl get out of her shell, to help her gain some more confidence; in the end, that little endeavor had been all but abandoned. Even recently, when she'd taken the girl to the Uchiha compound for dinner had been an action made as an attempt to make Naruto feel better after the disaster that had been the Wave mission. It seemed like the shy Huyyga had finally found some motivation to change on her own.
"Hinata-sama, as I thought, you are a spoiled brat of the main house. People cannot change themselves!" The facade of kindness fell from Neji's behavior. "Losers are losers. Their personality and strength will not change."
And there they were, slowly unraveling, the complaints of being chained to the main family. The boy was still managing to keep himself under control, but Kagome wasn't sure how much longer that would last. She may not have any kind of special technique, but picking up other people's emotions was something she excelled at. Had practiced and taught what to look for. Whatever deep-seated anger Neji had buried, it was way too close to the surface.
"That's..."
"That's the byakugan," Kakashi explained as the veins near the older genin's eyes were now visibly bulging. "It's similar to the sharingan, in terms of insight though, it can surpass it."
The girl kept quiet, azure eyes fixed on the unmoving pair in the make-shift battlefield. What the boy was doing wasn't really all that impressive. It had more to do with cold reading than any actual jutsu, Kagome herself could do this much just by paying a little attention to the people around her. That said, denying the words being flung at the Hyuuga heiress was impossible, and yet, it still rubbed her the wrong way. Yes, she'd made the prediction that Hinata was going to lose, but it was based on her character and habits; that didn't mean the shy girl didn't have the potential for more.
"Based on unchangeable factors, people discriminate and are discriminated against, and they suffer within their own means." The words carried throughout the room, cutting through the heavy silence that had settled down. "Just like the fact that I am from a branch house, and you are from the main house cannot be changed. It is simply destiny, and that's something you cannot..."
"You can!" The scream at her side almost made her jump; she didn't expect Naruto to become so invested. "Stop deciding things about people! Idiot! Kick that bastard's ass!"
Taking in a deep breath, Kagome tried her best to loosen her sore muscle. Maybe it was a good thing she was so injured because the girl wasn't sure she could've kept her usual calm facade had she had enough strength to do anything other than lightly gripping the railing.
Destiny.
The word hit something inside her.
Destiny was unchangeable.
Did that mean what happened to her, to them, had been unavoidable?
The massacre of her clan, the betrayal of the Uchihas, and their treason...
Were they all determined from the start?...and were they supposed to just do what? Accept it?
No...
Like hell they would grin and bear it, chalk it all to destiny, and follow what they wanted them to do. It wasn't destiny that decided everyone would abuse and harass Naruto-kun, nor was it destiny who placed the demonic fox inside him...just like it wasn't destiny that forced Itachi's hand.
"Hinata! Stand up for yourself!" Naruto was still yelling beside her, anger lacing his words. "This is hard to watch!"
Forcing her thoughts back to the present, Kagome couldn't deny the slight feeling of satisfaction that coursed through her as she watched the Hyuuga heiress' stance become more confident. She still didn't think she could win, not right now, but the simple act of finally standing up for herself was something she'd never believe could have happened before.
Naruto was smiling beside her, and the azure-eyed kunoichi wanted to shake her head. The boy wasn't aware of the power his words had over Hinata. Had Kagome been to one cheering right now, she sincerely doubted they'd have had the same effect.
It would be sweet; if not for the sinking feeling she had that Neji's control over his anger didn't seem to be as firm as it may look like.
"I thought so." Lee's voice broke her train of thought. "So, she uses the same style; her stance is t the same as Neji."
"So, they're from the same family, right?"
"That's Konoha's strongest taijutsu style." Unsurprisingly, the older genin had properly analyzed his teammate's skills. "I said it before...that the strongest genin is most likely on my team...that is Hyuuga Neji."
Azure eyes narrowed as she followed the fight. She'd spared against Hinata once or twice in the academy. Even though, during their classes, the girl hadn't used a drop of chakra, Kagome was pretty sure she had a decent idea of the basic moves of the gentle fist. For someone so alike in physique to herself, like the Hyuuga girl, this was the best possible fighting style to have.
A frown marred her face.
Lee hadn't outright said Neji was stronger than himself, but the implication was very much there, and yet she could still follow the fight without having to strain her vision.
"Argh, not deep enough!"
Naruto had known the shy kunoichi wasn't weak. She'd sparred against Kagome before the incident; she had to be strong. To be entirely honest, he'd never paid much attention to the Hyuuga girl outside of those few times his childhood friend managed to drag her with them. He hadn't known she could be so strong.
If only that last hit was stronger.
"No, a slight touch is enough." At his side, Lee shook his head.
The blond wasn't entirely sure when the bushy brow's sensei had made his way behind them, but he still listened to the explanation on the fighting style all the same.
"Oh, so similar to your style, Kagome-chan."
"Huh...well," The girl glanced at them for a second before looking back at the fight going on below them. "I guess you can say that they're a bit similar in a couple of ways."
"Huh?"
"contrary to what her fight may have looked like," Kakashi-sense added to the other two. "Kagome-chan's specialty lies in long-distance projectiles, her aim is unparalleled, and when she uses taijutsu it's usually based around short contact hits."
"Yes, well, I'm short and have a small built." the girl continued, almost scoffing. "No matter how hard I train, there's a limit on what I can do. That's why Mikoto-sama decided to change the approach; my taijutsu style was made to let me cause the most amount of damage with the aid of my senbons while using the least amount of energy and as little risk as possible. The gentle fist can give Hinata-chan a level playing field, even though her stature would usually play against her with hand to hand combat. As far as I understand, it can immobilize a full limb with just a touch. But where you can use a jutsu to speed up the process of almost all injuries caused by needles, the gentle fist disrupts chakra flow.
"Also..." his childhood friend trailed off, a somber tone in her voice. "Even if I were to run out of chakra, senbons will still pierce through skin and muscles...without it, the gentle fist is almost useless."
"Pretty much." Kakashi-sensei drawled. "Since it relies on releasing chakra from your palms and flow it into the opponent's body."
That sounded...creepy. Though Naruto supposed they did have a point. That Gai weirdo had been right when he said it didn't look all that exciting, and yet the blond could feel the adrenaline flowing through his veins as he watched the small girl counter blow with blow.
"Go! Hinata!'
It was a bit unusual, but he really felt like jumping every time he caught one of her hits land. It was going slowly, but he was sure the Hyuuga girl was starting to gain some ground.
"Say...sensei..." his friend started to say.
"Yes!"
His cheer died in his throat as bright crimson blood spilled from the girl's lips, and his brain rushed to think back on the previous minutes of the fight.
"So, this is it..." The smugness in Neji's voice was grinding on his nerves. "The extent of the main house's strength."
"Wha...what's going on?!" She hadn't get hit; he never saw her get hit. "Hinata's attacks have been landing perfectly."
"Say, sensei..." Kagome started again, her gaze still pinned to the fight; her voice had a weird tone that failed to completely hide her worry. "If things were to get out of control...would you intervene?"
"Wha..." Gai seemed as confused as the prankster was.
"I mean no disrespect..." A shiver went down her spine at her words. "It's simple curiosity."
It didn't take long for the fight to stop once more despite Hinata's best attempts. Her arm was quickly caught by her jerk of a cousin, as he lifted the girl's long sleeves show a series of red bruises along her arm.
He felt his body go tense with every word of the new explanation Kakashi-sensei gave them. Something even the sharingan couldn't see. The ability to not just see but hit those precise points during the fight. He knew that wasn't something just anyone could achieve; hell, even with the Sharingan, their lazy teacher had admitted not being capable of doing the same.
He winced when Neji landed one more hit, sending the battered girl to the floor.
"Hinata-sama, this is the difference in talent that can never change. The difference that divides an elite from a loser." The jerk continued; his voice was grating on his ears. "This is the destiny that cannot be changed.
"You should be overcome with desperation right now, forfeit."
"I..." the girl started, struggling back onto her feet. "I...won't back down...I won't...let words stop me..."
"I never knew Hinata was this incredible." The words came out as a whisper.
"She's very similar to you," Lee smiled slightly.
"Huh?"
Before he could get enough time to react, a pained scream forced his eyes back to the lower floor. Even though she wasn't moving, the Hyuuga heiress had coughed up blood. This..this couldn't be good. Glancing back at his childhood friend his worry only grew.
Right, Kagome-chan had agreed when Kakashi-sensei said this was a bad match, hadn't she...
"Neji's attacks have completely shut down her chakra flow, so basically, she can no longer make her gentle fist attacks." There was no inflection to his tone; his teacher was just speaking, like stating a fact. "This fight is over."
"Sensei," Kagome began.
"I know; we will."
It was frustrating.
So fucking frustrating.
His fist tightened, newly made half-moon cuts letting drops of matching crimson fall to the ground. They had given up on her; everyone had.
It wasn't fair.
"You can do it, Hinata!"
He almost jumped at the sudden grip on his wrist; Kagome's eyes were angry as she looked at him, using what little strength she hat to try and get him away from the railing.
"Stop it, Naruto," she hissed at him. "You're going to make things worse."
"So you're saying that..."
"I couldn't win against him right now." He had heard her speak like that before, tense and cold and lacing a warning within her words, just never to him. "As I am, tired and without chakra, I'd have no hope of winning. Even with my senbons and poisons, all it would take to bring me down is a single hit. Hinata doesn't have my needles; she has no way to attack. I don't mean to say she'll never be able to beat him, she has the potential, but she's lost this fight.
"If you keep encouraging her, the only thing you'll do is endanger her."
"Wha..."
"I only have a small sample, but..." She glanced at the two green-clad shinobis standing next to them before continuing. "Neji-san is probably losing his grip on his emotions."
Whatever he was going to reply died on his throat as he watched the Hyuuga heiress get sent to the ground once more. All of her efforts only gave her opponent an opening to get a clean hit on her chin that had her coughing and staggering back.
And yet...she still stood back up.
Only for her fucking cousin to chase her; merciless in his stance as he hit her chest.
"You don't understand anything." the jerk was speaking again. Cocky and conceited. "From the beginning, your attacks haven't done a thing."
The girl's small body fell to the ground, face down as she didn't have the strength to even raise her arms anymore.
A deciding blow to the heart." Gai's voice sounded behind him. "I feel bad for her, but she will not get up again."
"Continuing is impossible, and thus..."
"Don't stop it!" he cut the proctor before the man could finish the fight.
"Naruto!"
For the second time in their long friendship, Kagome yelled at him, genuine anger lacing her voice, and yet, he couldn't apologize. His fingernails were digging into his skin again. A part of him knew his friend was right. Hinata had no way to fight; she probably needed immediate medical attention, but still... he couldn't keep quiet as someone else ended the fight for her...at the very least...on her own terms...
Below them, Hyuuga Hinata staggered to her feet, he could hear her panting all the way up to where they were, but still, she stood up again.
"Why do you stand up?" There was something else in Neji's voice now, something the blond wasn't skilled enough to recognize. "If you keep pushing yourself, you'll die."
"It's not over..." she was panting, gasping.
"Acting tough is useless." The older genin was beginning to get impatient. "You can barely stand; I can see that. From the time of your birth, the responsibility of the Hyuuga house has been forced upon you...you have always hated your own weakness...but people cannot change. That is destiny.
"There's no need to suffer anymore...let it go."
"That's not true, Neji-niisan," Sof as her words were, they seemed to echo throughout the room. "Because...I can see it...It's not me at all. The person lost and suffering within the destiny of the main and branch houses...is you."
Naruto may not have been as good as others when it came to detecting the subtle changes in others, but even he could pinpoint the instant it all went to hell. The older genin launched himself against the barely standing girl, his movements way more erratic when compared to the start of the fight.
If things were to get out of control...would you intervene?
That's what Kagome had asked before, back when it looked like Hinata-chan had a chance...he should have known then...
At least, he wasn't the only one to notice. The proctor was sprinting madly to place himself between the two Hyuugas, and only a gust of wind betrayed the fact that his teacher and the other jounins had also jumped, reappearing around the older teen to make sure the boy couldn't move a muscle.
"Neji, give it a rest." For the first time since they met the man, Gai was serious. "You gave me a youthful promise not to lose your head over this main family stuff."
"Why do even the other jounin jump in...oh, more special treatment for the main family."
How about because he'd looked ready to kill his own cousin when the girl was very clearly not in the right conditions to block such an attack. Before he could think of anything else, Hinata let out a pained moan, falling to her knees. Again, he could see blood spilling onto the ground, and his legs were moving by the time he realized what he was doing. He was kneeling beside her by the time he blinked once more, asking desperate questions only to receive no answer. She suddenly looked so much more fragile compared to the girl who helped make dinner a couple of weeks ago.
"Hey, the loser over there." Hyuuga Neji's word broke through his momentary panic. "I'd like to tell you two things. If you're a shinobi, then cut out the pathetic cheering, and one more... in the end, a loser is a loser, they cannot change."
"You wanna test me.?" It was more a growl than a sentence.
"Heh."
It was him who was sprinting this time, anger fueling his movements, to the point he was sure he'd push Lee aside had it not been for the surprisingly firm grip on his shoulders, pushing him back.
He turned around, intent on screaming at whoever was stopping him, only for the words to wither on his throat.
Kagome was panting, her hair even more of a mess, and bright new crimson liquid painted the bandages around her legs. She must've jumped after him, even as tired as she was.
Guilt began gnawing at his entrails.
He'd just gotten angry at Sasuke for letting her tire herself, and here he was, making her reopen her wounds...and yet, he couldn't say he was sorry for acting out. Neji's words had rubbed him the wrong way from the second the older teen opened his mouth...they hurt to hear.
He had to do something.
Anything.
"Please, don't make me pass out..." his childhood friend panted, fingers still closed around his shoulder. "I promised Sasuke I'd watch the round, but if you think I'll let you jump into a fight..."
"Naruto-kun, listen to her. There will be no hard feelings if you end up fighting him..." Lee was still standing in front of him, determined to stop him. "But whether a loser can defeat an elite through the power of hard work...that's something to look forward in the next test...though his opponent might be me."
Whatever calm he might've regained from the others' intervention was lost when the painful sound of coughing forced his gaze back to the place where Hinata was now violently hurting, blood spilling from her lips. And it had to be especially bad if Kagome pushed through her pain to kneel in front of the Hyuuga heiress, her hands going for her needles as Hinata's teacher froze when checking her wounds.
A glare that all but screamed sent towards Neji was all the blond needed to know how serious were the injuries covering the other Hyuuga's body.
This had not been a mistake.
"If you have time to glare at me," Neji said, unbothered by the hatred in the woman's crimson eyes. "Then take care of her."
"Kurenai-sensei," Kagome spoke before anything else could be said, bringing the jounins attention back to her. "The needles will help a bit with the blood flow, but I can't do anything else."
"Medical team! What are you doing?! Hurry!" The female teacher screamed at the doctors that had been frozen in place.
Numbness spread through him as he listened to the nurses' panicked orders as they aced to take the small girl to the medical room. Hinata could die...she really could've been killed by her own cousin. The shy girl who constantly blushed and never insulted anyone had been minutes away from being killed right in front of him.
Rage barely contained by the light touch of his best friend's hand, the blond knelt by the small pool of blood left behind. Oh, he was still angry, furious even...but he wouldn't do anything stupid like actually attempting to fight him. He wouldn't just keep quiet, though.
He just couldn't.
"You...are going down!"
"You're so delud..."
"Neji-san." The older genin's insult was cut short by Kagome's cold polite words. "I'd recommend stopping there; hubris is not usually a good trait to show others. Especially our international allies...besides...actions do speak louder than words."
Golden eyes narrowed as they followed the form of the battered heiress as she relented and allowed her teammate to wrap an arm around her waist to help her climb the stairs back to the second floor. She was saying something to the Hyuuga heiress's teacher, something that seemed to shock those around her. This time, he didn't bother to hide his gaze following them; considering the scene that had just happened, keeping an eye on her team seemed to be what every other supervisors were doing. His following suit wouldn't raise any flags.
When he heard about the incident in the forest, Sesshoumaru had been...conflicted. A part of him had doubted whether their intervention had really been necessary, despite the fake monk's assertions. Doubts that had vanished as soon as the girl entered the room. If the overly cautious way she'd been moving and the bandages wrapped around her limbs wasn't enough, the first few minutes of her match would've sufficed.
Orochimaru.
The name was familiar enough.
It was problematic enough.
As a rule, the clan tried not to intrude in other villages' missions. It was part of the agreements that made it easy for them to travel wherever they liked; it was also unlikely since the prices the Taishos managed made it almost impossible for them to have overlapping targets. Rouge ninjas that ran rampant with no control from their villages were common names to find in their mission scrolls. When nobles got tired of waiting for them to handle their mistakes, the Taishos were called in. Keeping tabs on as many nuke nins as possible was only common sense by this point. Which was why not knowing that Orochimaru was related to Oto was irritating.
Their intelligence had been lacking.
It almost cost them their current assignment as well.
At least, he didn't really have to guess about the legendary Sannin's motives. That was well-known by anyone who bothered to flip through the Bingo book, and him trying to obtain not just one but two almost extinct bloodlines was just the kind of greedy behavior he'd expect from men like him.
There was a small fuss as people rushed down, trying to do some rushed cleaning while the last of the people who'd jumped down made their way back up.
Of course, the direction as to where their mission was supposed to go was as problematic as when he first received it. The first thing he'd been told was to make sure to keep his distance; no interactions were to be made.
Not that he thought for a second his father wouldn't have been ordered to intervene regardless. The man liked to pretend he was some sort of hero. Sesshoumaru always had to keep himself from snorting, Taisho Toga was as merciless as the killing perfection himself on the battlefield. They were shinobi, nothing more, nothing less; blood would always color their path. And while they certainly kept to standards, not all of their targets were particularly as dirty as rogue ninjas (he often wondered if that childish desire was what pushed the man towards the delicate, fragile princess he all but kidnapped, the chance to act like a hero).
No, the head of the Taisho clan wouldn't have let children die unless he had a good reason to the contrary.
Idly, he wondered if his mother had somehow predicted some of these particular developments or something close enough but decided o send him without any warning anyway. Sesshoumaru wouldn't be surprised if the answer was the latter; it was the kind of things the Taisho matriarch found joy in. Messing with him and political machinations were her favorite way to pass the time. The woman really was born to lead a clan.
The heir closed his eyes, willing the incoming headache away, doing his best to try and ignore the sinking feeling that, thanks to his mother's political games and twisted sense of humor, whatever came out of this mess, the clan was now involved. Getting themselves out of this without harming the treaties they had was going to be a nightmare.
And frankly, knowing his father, the man would probably jump for joy at finally finding another potential battlefield. He could feel the echoes of a headache once again. The situation had changed, too much not to report it...
At first, he'd wished for someone else to have been sent to Konoha; the little village hardly deserved his attention, now though...now he was starting to regret ever thinking about it since it seemed like life was about to twist it and grant it in the most annoying possible way.
Trying not to think about what consequences his first and not scheduled report was going to have, his gaze locked back on the electronic screen. The names on it miraculously managing to catch his attention as the last member of his team was pitted against the last of the Suna three. The question of whether the boy would try to con his opponent into conceding the fight without going for even a single hit passed fleetingly through his mind before he discarded it. Doing that would bring too much attention to himself, and Miroku knew too well the consequences of being well-known as a liar could do. No, the fake monk would definitely fight, and unlike his half-brother, the con-artist was used to fighting without having to rely on his kekkei genkai. Which meant he wouldn't even be able to amuse himself by glaring at the boy.
Well, he supposed if what he dreaded was true, then at least he'd get some enjoyment out of watching Inuyasha's reaction...actually, it may be a good idea to make sure to send the report without notifying his team. It would give him a chance to see how they reacted to unplanned, unforeseen meetings.
A/N: Only one fight this chapter, considering the effect it has on some of the characters and the story though, I needed to go into some more detail. Even then, the preliminaries are almost over. I will probably not show every fight of the finals, have the Gaara fight cut the less important ones not to tire either myself or you guys with the repetitive format, especially since there are now more fights. Well, there's going to be some chapters in between, but anyway...
I hope you guys managed to enjoy your holidays and remained safe. Things are weird but we're slowly starting to reach the end of this whole mess, still no reason to get careless in New Years. So let's try to enjoy New Years safely everyone!
As always, thank you guys so much for reading, and any review/criticism/comment is greatly appreciated