Chapter 28: Waiting for a storm
The sun really was bright in the sky, and there were birds singing on top of the never-ending sea of trees surrounding the village...
That it could really become something as pathetic as this, Orochimaru figured he couldn't have chosen a more perfect time to leave this place, just like he couldn't have picked a better one to come back once again. Before the sorry excuse for a hidden village Konoha had become in this years could spoil the only worthwhile fruits on its branches, he'd take them away as he burned everything around him.
"The prelims have ended." The voice of his most qualified spy broke his train of thought. "And in a month, the finals will begin."
"By the way..." the Sannin said, ignoring the boy's comment. "It's become so serene...no, it's really become accustomed to peace...in a time when it's said that the other countries are busy strengthening their forces."
"Could we take it now?"
"Well, yeah." With how weak their forces had become, the man wasn't sure he would encounter much resistance, even with a relatively small number of people on his side. "Though I'm not so sure there will be much fun in taking the head of the geezer."
"Is that so?" Kabuto's words were tinged with wariness; still, the teen continued. "It seems to me that you're still...hesitant to act.
"From now on, the hidden villages will fight against each other in long and intense battles. Oto is also one of them; you intend to become the trigger to all of this. "
"You're so intuitive that it's scary." It was also the reason he'd left the spy live for so long. The medic was terribly useful, after all.
"Not really, I didn't know about Dosu, Kin, and Zaku after all." It was said calmly, without a single hint of reproach. "As part of my assignment to gather information on Sasuke-kun, I wanted to know the powers of the three Oto nins...I acted foolishly and purposefully took on their attacks; you speak too highly of me."
And there it was, the slightest bit of hesitation to his words, smart young man, really. Unlike the rest of his little experiments, Kabuto's mind was a genuine gem to see when it worked so sharply. He had to admit it had been a while since he met someone who could follow his orders but still manage to think for himself. Honestly, there was hardly anyone with more worth than the white-haired shinobi on his ranks. Which was precisely why he'd made sure not to give up all of his plans to the guy. After all, the thing about feigning loyalty to a country for years on end was how easy it was for some of it to begin to feel real. Emotions were pesky things like that.
"I haven't gained your absolute trust yet, it seems..." This was definitely a reproach, even if said with a calm tone.
"Was there any necessity to even tell you, my right-hand mand, about something so insignificant those three?" They had failed spectacularly even in just get past the prelims against the other genins. "That is proof of my trust, and that is why...I may ask you to take care of Sasuke-kun for me...
"It seems that the curse mark that I implanted on him was sealed off by Kakashi. Well, not that it will have any effect, of course." No matter what kind of seal the copy ninja used, it would all depend on the Uchiha's will. "As long as the darkness in his heart does not disappear...I want you to kidnap him; right now."
"It's so unlike you...you seem anxious."
"There was something that bothered me a little."
"Is it...Uzumaki Naruto." As expected, his spy had noticed it as well.
"Sasuke-kun who lives for the sole purpose of killing his brother in revenge, he's a child who will never allow himself to die until he achieves that goal. Just like Higurashi Kagome has been shown to try and avoid confrontations whenever possible, they make sure to keep each other alive; they'd never get into a lost battle..." It was just against everything they were to sacrifice their lives in vain. "But when he fought me, he came to me without fear of death. Even though he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat me.
"I didn't think he was a child who rushed to die like that."
"Just him?" Kabuto asked, brow raised.
"Ah, her," Yes, she'd certainly been keen on remaining active. "She managed to keep her head mostly clear once the shock of the first illusion passed; she was only waiting for a chance to run." From the very beginning of their fight, the girl had only tried to kill his summon, the one thing that would've made their escape completely impossible. Sasuke, on the other hand, had really been going for the kill. "Darling Kagome-chan never once thought about trying to do anything but escape, of that, I have no doubts.
"Even then...I'd hoped she'd try to pull Sasuke with her and leave the fox behind..."
At first, he thought getting his hands on the girl would be a more complicated issue due to her reported pacifistic nature. Between her preferred weapons and what he'd seen himself during the match, he was certain. It wasn't just the boy who had darkness lurking within. Oh, it wasn't an overly obvious thing, but it was still there. Hiding under the surface there were the eyes of a predator playing with her prey. Over and over, the Higurashi heiress had kept hitting the pinkette despite having the option of just dodge until the poison kicked in. And if he was right, she'd also gone for the most painful organs she could target. It wouldn't take much for her to follow Sasuke-kun and land into his hands. Which was precisely why it was so important to have the boy go to him of his own will.
Isolated as they were, it should be normal for them to be willing to abandon all else, as long as it meant the two of them would be saved, and yet... when there was a clear option in front of them as his attention had purposefully shifted to the blond...they stayed.
"According to your data, it looks as if their contact with the Kyuubi boy is way stronger than it should have been, strong enough to change their actions." The idea of leaving was never even suggested. "He's a child who has that much of an influence on those two...so the faster we tear them apart, the better, I must dye them in my colors soon."
Again, he could see the slight narrowing of his eyes before the teen turned around to make his way to the Konoha hospital, where more useless ANbus would be stationed around his room.
"Well then..."
"Kabuto, you..." The spy froze; his subordinate was valuable, but he had not made it this long by not questioning others. "If you want to stop me...you'll have to kill Sasuke-kun, you're strong, but only about the same level as Kakashi.." Tension had settled upon the medic's body at his words. "Of course, if you claim to have a link to me, then Kagome-chan will become impossible to obtain; all of her will be focused on killing me...hehe, just kidding. All right then, go on now. I have faith in you."
Was it anxiety, he wondered, that made the teen leave without uttering a word?
He couldn't help the smirk that made its way to his lips, Kabuto had been an instrumental piece in his plans, but even then, trust wasn't something he dealt with. And really, unlikely as it was, even if the boy betrayed him, the Sannin would still be able to get his wish, things would begin to move. Change. As for his new acquisitions, it would be considerably more difficult, and losing the sharingan would be a pity, but there would still be ways to get his hands on the Higurashi blood.
Was Kabuto seeing himself in young Sasuke? Maybe it was the girl he was showing an interest in?
It would be highly unlikely, yes...but perhaps...perhaps he would really kill Sasuke-kun.
What exactly had prompted him to leave the room and rush towards the hospital, Kakashi wasn't entirely sure. It could simply be the instinct of having survived in a world filled with death and gore for so long that he just knew something was wrong.
Judging from the scattered corpses of the ANBU he'd selected to guard Sasuke, he'd been right.
The two in front of the room were easy to see as he approached, his hands already forming the seals that would allow him to keep a better handle on whatever situation could be waiting for him. Just earlier, Orochimaru had left without making a fuss, so what had made him change his mind? Was there even a reason to the madness and greed that took hold of the once-respected Sannin in the first place?
Leaving his clone behind, he sprinted to the room.
There would be enough time to go in circles about the reasonings of the madman after his student when he was sure they were all safe.
The Taishos had to have informants within the hidden villages one way or another; he'd thought of that earlier, hadn't he?... Why, he wondered, did the idea that Orochimaru might be doing the exact same thing not occurred to him. Not until he saw the back of who he'd been sure was just an average Konoha genin leaning over Sasuke, the corpses of his chosen guards were littered across the floor.
The scalpel thrown his way, however, was not as unexpected as he wished it would be.
"Just what I's expect from you, Kakashi-san." There was little left in the genin's voice from the cowardly genin who abandoned the prelims. "To stop my attack on you from your blind spot."
"You...you're not ordinary genin, are you?" The only question now was how much information he could get out of this kid. "Noticing my presence and immediately attacking with your weapon, you're quite the guy."
"No, not really."
"What did you want with Sasuke?"Not even a sliver of tension could be seen on the teen's body, confident boy. "Depending on what you want and intend, I'll have to capture you and have you interrogated."
"Can that be done..." Kabuto trailed off, a glint the copy nin had long learned meant danger. "by the likes of you?"
"You want to try me?"
Silence followed his words, the confidence he'd seen before not wavering for a second. It took a lot to be allowed into the ranks of ANBU. It took even more to be named captain and survive. And yet, this boy stood unrelenting in front of him, a well known former ANBU captain, one that (incomplete as it was) possessed the sharingan. Then again, he didn't look even a bit frazzled after killing all of his selected guards.
"Who the hell are you?" Kakashi was pretty sure he already knew the answer for that; he needed him to keep him talking, though. "You...weren't you the son of a Konoha ninja doctor? Wasn't your name Kabuto, a bottom-feeding, below average genin?"
"Next time, you better prepare at least ten."
"Just shut up and answer the questions."
"What if I say no?" Cocky little bastard.
"I'm the one doing the interrogation," he hissed as he continued trying to control the pace of this confrontation. "So, just answer the question...you...are connected to Orochimaru?"
"If you capture me here, you might not be able to prove my connections with Orochimaru. I won't talk no matter what sort of torture or illusions you try on me, and I really don't like to fight." The traitor was even smiling as he spoke. "If you let me swim away, it's something you'll eventually find out. So, won't you let me go?"
"You're a very spoiled brat, aren't you?" The real issue here was to figure out just how much of this was a bluff. "Don't mess with an adult."
"I guess you're not going to just let me go then."
"You know the laws of the village, don't you?" Would things have ended as troublesome had he not entered the kids to the exam? "What happens to spies."
"Please, stop acting so superior; I'm the one with the advantage right now."
He could've sworn out loud as he saw the traitor's hand move, blade in hand stopping right on top of Sasuke's unconscious body. He was in possibly the worst position for this confrontation, and the bastard knew it.
Kakashi did not make ANBU captain for nothing, though.
He raced forward, right hand hitting Kabuto's weapon at the same time his heel was kicking the spy away from the hospital bed. Not wasting a second, the copy ninja followed the teen to the floor, his grip painful around the body underneath him...only to see one of the corpses on the floor and start sprinting towards the door. The corpse beneath him went limp, completely still while cold began to creep back into it.
There was no rush as Kakashi stood, his movements calm while the door opened to reveal the clone he'd left behind; there was nowhere to run from here. The space between them was not nearly large enough to allow him to try and slither by him.
The sound of the window breaking, though, was unexpected. Just as unexpected as a second corpse standing up and jumping out of the broken window, less than a second before the crash sound reached him. Rushing to lean out the window only revealed what he'd already dreaded to find. The smug face of Yakushi Kabuto as he took off the ANBU mask he'd stolen from the ANBU to smirk at him.
Behind him, the sound of a corpse hitting the ground could be heard.
A frown made its way to his face as he kneeled by the body., close to it as he was now, it didn't take much to see the small delicate stitching on the outline of the body's face. His fingers followed the trim as he grimly acknowledged the fact that he was, in fact, looking at the body of one of the ANBU that was supposed to be guarding the room ...despite the fact that even this close, the features on the corpse's face were still indistinguishable from the teen that refused to take part in the prelims.
Not only capable of using a jutsu as dark as the dead soul, one that allowed the user to control the dead by making the heartbeat for a short period of time but going as far as erasing the body odor and not risking a henge be felt because of the chakra needed for it...all for the sake of procuring an escape route...
How fast had the teen been when making the changes to the corpse?
Did he prepare all this from the beginning?
Or was this perhaps an improvised escape route made as he noticed Kakashi's presence making his way here?
Definitely worthy of being raised as the adopted son of the medical unit's squad leader, controlling the dead bodies like that. And for Orochimaru to be able to command someone this talented...he would need to push himself to the limit once again, as he was...there was no doubt in his mind he wouldn't be able to keep his brats safe... No, the village itself was too lax; that threats of this level were easily infiltrating them was proof of that.
In the still silent room, he allowed a sigh to escape him.
If his calculations were, then the Hokage should be finishing the explanations for the next round. The jounin would need to have someone clean this place as quickly as possible, Naruto and Kagome would be making their way in no time, and he was under no delusion that he'd be able to get either of them to leave before seeing their missing teammate. Also, it would probably be wise to arrange for a doctor to treat the girl inside here because he'd have to knock her unconscious for her to agree to leave the boy on his own after she saw the state the Uchiha was in. Having corpses littered across the floor would do little in helping her relax enough for her healing to go well.
It wasn't like they didn't know there was a great threat after them in the near future; they wouldn't lower their guard. He knew that well enough. None of them would become lax, but there was no need for the kids to become increasingly paranoid with the grim and dark implications of what had just happened. The only things they should focus on should be their training for the next round of the exam.
This time, it was a groan that threatened to leave him.
For all three of his students to have passed the prelims should be a good thing (he may have quite a good deal of money after entering the betting pool because while many had been willing to give the two notorious clan heirs some good odds, no one had any faith on the loud prankster to make it out of even the first phase), it also meant he now had to figure out how to train all three of them. Even outsourcing Naruto's training to someone who could help him cover his bases, there was still the problem of the other two. No one else could handle the sharingan, and he already knew he'd have to go ahead and teach a technique that most would consider too advanced for a chuunin...reiki was just as problematic to train. He supposed he still had at least 4 or 5 days before either of them were in the proper condition to actually do something other than rehab and warm-ups.
It was likely intentional, the way he pretended not to notice the alarmed look on the faces of the hospital nurses when he asked for the room to be cleaned as soon as the body recovery unit was done with the corpses inside Sasuke's room. Purposefully pushing his thoughts in the direction of how he would handle the teens. There was little chance he could convince them to train in a different section of the forest. Whatever argument he could make would be ignored, no doubt...
And if he was just too tired, too worried about his kids...if this was all a way to try and give himself some respite from the anxiousness that was slowly beginning to gnaw at his entrails...well, it wasn't like he was planning to ignore his duty anyway.
A weight he hadn't been aware had been there lifted from his shoulders when Sandaime announced the next phase of the exam would not happen for a month. Oh, Naruto himself was in a good enough condition to be able to take on another test...but his childhood friends were in no shape...no shape at all...
Honestly, Kagome should've accepted the medical help, and surely sleeping and recovering both her chakra and reiki be placed as the top in their priority list. Instead, she'd insisted she could make her way downstairs and remain standing on her own. But while the girl had accepted his help back after she'd jumped to stop him fighting the jerk that shared blood ties with Hinata-chan, this time, the Higurashi heiress had refused it. He could understand to a degree, they would go against some of the people in this room later on; having someone half-carrying her could make her look weak. But she was weakened right now, damn it, she needed to rest...and then, there was Sasuke, who at the end, had not returned after Kakashi-sensei took him away to deal with the curse or seal or whatever.
A month should be enough for both of them to recover.
It had to.
Plus, he had to get to training (they all should). From what he'd seen here, it was clear they were not nearly as close to the top as he'd thought when this whole exam started.
Gaara.
Neji.
Against those two, Naruto knew he had no hope as he was right now; likely none of them had. If they wanted to pass the last phase of the exam and get the title of chuunins, then some severe training sessions were in order. Maybe straight up learning a whole new technique, now that he was thinking about it.
"Well, I'd like to dismiss you now, but..." the old Hokage paused dramatically. "There's something that has to be done for the finals before I can let you leave."
"What the hell is it?"
It was rude, and he could hear Kagome-chan's scolding him for interrupting Sandaime; there were more important things to be done, though. Going to the hospital to make sure the Uchiha was doing alright and have some of Kagome's worst injuries looked at, for example. The blond had been friends with her for years; he knew the Higurashi heiress would refuse any offer to treat her wounds until she saw Sasuke.
"Well now, don't get so excited." The old man looked like he was holding back a laugh. "There are pieces of paper inside the box that Anko's holding, so each of you, take one piece."
"I'll come around, so wait your turn." She sounded as bored as he felt. "Only one per person."
Cerulean eyes watched as his teammate managed to get her piece of folded paper without having her fingers shaking, and the prankster barely held back a sigh of relief. Not really paying much attention, he took a piece of his own; honestly, Naruto really wished they could come out of these unexpected confrontations without him being the only one out of the three without any need for immediate medical attention. This was annoyingly similar to what happened in Wave.
"All right, you all took a piece. Now then, I'd like you to tell us the number on that paper in order starting from the left."
The blond mostly ignored the numbers being loudly called out, only remembering to voice his own after Kagome spoke. The next phase of the exam wasn't the only thing they had to worry about, there was also the issue about the snake weirdo.
"All right, now I will..."Really, the sooner they could get this done over, the better. "...reveal to you the final tournament."
"Huh?" Wait, what?
"That's what we drew numbers for?!" Shikamaru managed to get the words out before him.
"Now, Ibiki," the old man continued like they hadn't interrupted him. "Show them the match arrangements."
Worry pooled in his gut as cerulean eyes looked at the plain, white clipboard. It wasn't his name they were fixed on, though (oh, he was a little disappointed he wouldn't be able to beat Neji's face into a pulp, but he trusted Kagome could wipe the floor with the guy once she recovered). Fighting with one of the guys who'd helped them out back in the forest wasn't something he was all that thrilled about, however, the blond would have to beat all of them eventually if he wanted to win this...no...it wasn't his name that was making him feel and anxiety he could only imagine was doubled on his childhood friend's mind. It was the fact that next to Uchiha Sasuke's name, clearly written, were the kanjis for Gaara of the desert...
"Well then, you're free to start strategizing or resting as you like." Sandaime's words barely registered inside the prankster's head. "With this, I'll dismiss you all, but are there any final questions?"
He zoned out as Shikamaru continued making questions. The more delicate details about the whole thing were not all that important to him when Kagome was paying attention anyway...the important thing here was...
His gaze wandered to the redhead at the end of the line.
That guy was dangerous, way more than the Hyuuga jerk. It made him think back to the snake weirdo in a way; there was something different in the way he attacked when compared to the rest of the other genins. And while he didn't quite get all the implications of Kakashi-sensei saying he had sealed the curse mark, the blond was not stupid enough not to realize that meant the damn thing was actually gone. Could the Uchiha really fight to win if it started acting up again?
Not once had Kagome looked as worried as she had back when explaining what she could understand about the curse mark.
His gaze landed on the girl at his side. It was really slight, but there was a slight trembling to her fingers that he knew from experience had nothing to do with how tired she was. Right, some of the fights had taken quite longer than he'd expected, and the bastard's match had been the very first one.
They should probably make their way back to the hospital as fast as they could.
The blond blinked once, then twice as he realized their lazy teacher had disappeared from the second floor at some point during the explanations...without telling them the room their teammate was in...
"Finally," he mumbled, shaking his head, they could just go to the hospital and find out there. "So, let's get going."
Silence lingered for a second, his hand lightly brushing against the girl's arm. Truthfully, if it was up to him, he would have carried the stubborn Higurashi down the stairs in the first place. She'd refused, though, caring more about appearances and not wanting to look weak. Naruto thought that was nothing more than bullshit. Of course she looked weak; Kagome had been pushed to her limits. Anyone would look like that after what she went true. But Kakashi-sensei hadn't insisted, and his best friend knew her limits.
So he wouldn't ask out loud. It was alright, he didn't need to.
Giving him a sigh and a wan smile, the girl raised her arm, letting him wrap his own around her waist so the blond could carry some of his weight until they got to the hospital.
How come it always ended the same way whenever they stumbled into dangerous situations?
Naruto with barely a scratch while his two friends were covered in bandages...
"You do realize if we're going to be training, you have to try and eat something other than Ichiraku's after our celebration?"
If the one she was trying to distract was him or herself, the blond wasn't sure. But he definitely grateful as it allowed him to place an outraged look on his face and pretend that was the most important thing to worry about as they made their way to the village at a painfully slow pace.
"No way, ramen has everything I need to get stronger!"
"It's not balanced, Naruto-kun." The prankster didn't pay attention to the tiredness in her voice. "At the very least, you have to reduce how many times a week you eat it."
"No fair! It has veggies and everything!"
"Do you not like my cooking?" If she was still breathing heavily as she spoke, he made an effort not to bring it up as he slowed down a bit more.
"Ah...Ah, n-not at all..."
The smell of the hospital hit him first; in all of his life, he'd been in this place a total of two times. One as a patient (though that one didn't last long), and one as a visitor. Both were memories he would rather forget happened at all. It looked like there was another one being added to that small collection of his.
Of course, he could also feel the tension on the girl as they crossed the doors.
Unwilling to let his steps falter, he pushed them both to the counter. Even from here, the blond could already see some of the nurses eyeing the blood-soaked bandages on his friend's arms.
"Where's Sasuke's room?" he asked the lady on the front desk, not waiting for Kagome to speak.
"Sasuke-sama is not being allowed any visitors." She was looking at him through narrowed eyes, a familiar look in them.
"Naruto-kun..." the girl's fingers tightened on the back of his jacket. Her voice was softer and more obviously tired than it had been when they were walking. "I understand the circumstances are delicate, but me being a ward of the Uchiha family should still count as being part of the family, shouldn't it? What little we have left...is there no way for me to at least have a quick look at him?"
"A-ah...we-well..."
"It's alright, those two are authorized." The familiar drawl of their teacher sounded from a corner of the reception. "Besides, even if you deny them entrance now, they'll find a way into the room in an hour tops."
"I see; I apologize for the misunderstanding then."
"Please, don't worry about it, and thank you," Kagome added before nodding for him to turn.
"This way."
Making sure not to justle the girl too much, the blond made to follow the lazy man only to freeze when the jounin stopped as soon as they turned the corner, a knee touching the floor and his face twisting to give them a dispassionate stare.
"His room is on the upper floor," he said as an explanation. "If you tell me you think you can make your way there without passing out from exertion halfway through, then I'll be sorely disappointed. You should know better than to say a lie that's gonna be immediately found out."
"Thanks..."
It was a bit difficult, trying to guide her so she could hold on to Kakashi-sensei's shoulder before the man rose up. Words got stuck on his throat as whatever their silly banter in their way to the hospital had done to calm his nerves vanished. The proof of how much he'd failed them both staring him in the eyes.
For an eternity that lasted all of a second, Kagome felt like she couldn't breathe.
Azure eyes unable to look away from the pale form connected to the various machines around him, at the same time, the desire to look away (at the wall, the ceiling, anything but him), choked her. The white sheets of the hospital did little to make him look in any way, shape, or form healthier...and she was grateful not to have fought their teacher when he offered to carry her. Because there was no doubt in her mind that her legs would've failed her miserably the moment her gaze fell on the unconscious form of Uchiha Sasuke.
As it was, she couldn't really breathe right now.
"He's stable right now." Carefully, the white-haired man set her down directly on the small chair near the Uchiha's bed. Instinctively, her hand went to grab his. "The seal took, but it wasn't an easy process. He was also already weakened because of his fight, and then, he went and pushed back the mark with his will alone. It took too much power out of him. I'm surprised you made it to the Tower at all." There was an awkward pat on her head that would've made her laugh at any other moment. "You did good back there."
"R-right, he'll be fine for the finals.." Naruto's shaky voice was finally enough for her eyes to move from the bed.
"Exactly." If even one part of Kakashi felt as optimistic as he sounded, Kagome would drink the poisons hidden in her pouch. "He'll probably wake up sometime today, you know, get a clear pass by tomorrow night."
"Say, Naruto-kun, could you get some change of clothes for me?" At last, her voice was almost back to normal as she did her best to smile for the blond. "The smell of blood is starting to give me a bit of a headache."
"Y-yeah, you can count on me. I'll be back in a second!"
"He knows where your stuff is?" Kakashi-sensei asked once the prankster was out of sight.
"He stays over often enough, helps out with some of our chores from time to time too." Lately, more than before now that she thought about it. "That said, he'll probably take a while panicking on what to bring before taking half of the closet with him."
"I see..." the man drawled, clearly understanding the meaning behind her words. "So, wanna tell me what happened in the forest?"
There was no surprise on her face as the question was asked. She'd known they would try to get as much information as they could get about the encounter; pretending nothing had happened was impossible since they already knew some parts. The Higurashi heiress would have to be careful about hiding any kind of info...
"How did you know Orochimaru was involved in this?"
"...he told one of the proctors, with a warning not to cancel the exam." There had been the slightest hesitation on his answer as he spoke, but had apparently decided to go ahead anyway. "Also, give me your arm. I'll call the doctor to have you looked at once Naruto comes back; we should at least clean the wound to speed up the process, though."
The girl took a deep breath in an effort to try and regain her composure. Truth to be told, Kagome hadn't really expected him to give her an answer, and there was no way he'd lied to her just now. The rogue Sannin looked arrogant enough to actually notify them about his presence. More than anything, she'd just wanted to buy some time to figure out how much to disclose.
"He sounds quite confident, huh?" Likely was able to back it up, unfortunately. She did her best not to flinch as rough fingers unwrapped the bandages and began working on cleaning the blood-soaked skin. "But well, you probably already have a good idea of what happened. It was the first day of the exam, he'd been looking for us and managed to get Naruto-kun away from us. We couldn't win, that much was obvious...he was...extremely fond of genjutsus...anyway, Naruto-kun made his way back to us, but it didn't take long before he began to lose control; the pressure and stress were probably too much... He charged against Orochimaru on his own...I'm not sure what he did, but after hitting him on the stomach, he fell unconscious..."
"I'm guessing you didn't try to do anything about that."
"Yeah, no wat...it was too much risk with the situation as it was." She should probably try to look more into sealing. "Regardless, after that, we tried to wait for an opening, a way to get away, but..." The shrill scream laced with pain echoed in her ears for a second before she managed to push the memory back. This was not the place to have a mental breakdown; she could do that later, back at home where she was sure no one would betray her. "He said he was after us both; I'm certain he didn't care too much about who got it...
"He left after that," Kagome forced herself to continue. "I managed to get us to a bit of a secluded space, used almost all of our combined wires and explosive tags trapping the terrain for the Oto team attack..."
This time she wavered slightly. It was one thing to confide in Kakashi-sensei when it came to the Kyuubi (he'd treated the blond the same even after watching the monster move his body and leave a trail of corpses behind him); or even about the curse seal (there wasn't even a choice there, the man already knew and was the only one who could do anything to help). The situation with the Taishos, however, was something entirely different. And Kagome wasn't sure she wanted anyone else to know. There was too much she didn't know about; whether they could become an asset for their plans or an obstacle, the girl didn't plan to show her hand. Not to anyone whose loyalty to the village may be strong enough to turn on them.
"I managed to hold them off for a while, not that it was easy..." With any luck, her hesitation would be blamed on the fear of recalling the traumatic event instead of trust issues. "That was when Sasuke woke up, the curse was in effect...he dealt with them...and then went back to normal, almost passed out. We just kept going with the exam after that, nothing out of the ordinary."
"I see...we've upped the security around the village, of course, but I doubt I have to tell you guys to keep your eyes open." The Higurashi would commend the man, he managed to get rid of most of the dry blood without reopening her wounds. "So, how did your new matches bound out?"
"About that." She flinched as the man gave one last wipe just to make sure there was nothing left. "I can probably handle Neji-san with some more training, but...Naruto-kun is going against Taisho Inuyasha, and Sasuke against Gaara."
Idly, she wondered if she imagined the tick on her sensei's brow as the weight of her teammate's opponent's names fully fell.
None of the people left over were what Kagome would call weak opponents; the three of them, however, had easily gotten the strongest of the crop.
The familiar voice of her childhood friend as he mocked the ANBU at the door of the room broke her train of thoughts. A weak smile on her face as the blond entered carrying a bag that was too big and filled to the brim with clothing she'd had to wash all over again to get rid of the wrinkles.
"Ah, good, you're back." The jounin stood up. "Just let me call a doctor to treat you," he said, pointing at her before turning to her friend. "And then we'll talk about your training since I already have a bit of a plan for you."
The boy faltered for a second after their teacher left before walking up to the bed. A shadow over his face she hadn't seen for years now...
"I..is he..."
"He'll be fine...We'll all be fine."
They wouldn't be used as pawns anymore, none of them would...and if the people who decided to treat them as disposable tools happened to be in high positions of the government...well, she'd always been a stubborn child.
A/N:And here we go, things are slowly but surely getting out of hand. Seriously though, I do think the village was too lax with their surveillance, even after Kabuto kills those ANBU there doesn't seem to be much of a change of how the other shinobi in the village act, there's no mention of increased patrols or anything...they have an S-rank criminal after the last survivor of an important bloodline but Orochimaru and his people keep getting through with little to no effort. I get it that they're afraid to cancel the exam, but surely doing something other than weaken themselves by sending ANBU to other countries to find out who may betray them doesn't really sound like the smartest idea here...
Anyway, as always thank you guys so much for reading, and any review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.
Ps: I don't like to bring real life into this, but this coming week has the potential to become...dangerous for some of you guys if you live in certain areas of the US, I have family in the states that have decided to just not go out at all on Wednesday, just to err on the side of caution. I'm not talking politics here, I'm just saying things like protests in general have the possibility to become violent, so please try and stay safe everyone.