?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Nineteen — Past of the Cursed ~ ?￢ﾜ ?ￂﾠ
Ryujin kicked back in a lobby, Miya, Kakashi, and Asuma in the same room. For a tower placed in the middle of a place named 'The Forest of Death,' it was quite nice. They were informed that all of their teams passed, so all they needed to do was wait until they came in.
"So… what do you think your teams are doing right now?" asked Asuma, puffing out smoke from his cigarette.
Ryujin shrugged. "Dunno? Passing? I'm sure they're going to be here before the third day ends."
"Really?" questioned Kakashi, with an open and unsealed book. "I would be confident as well… until I heard that three foreign Jinchuriki are also participating in the exams."
"I'm sorry?!" Miya spattered. "You can't be serious…"
"I wish I was," admitted Kakashi. "The Nanabi I've heard nothing about. The Ichibi worries me, however."
Ryujin's eyes narrowed. "Gaara of The Sand. He's been on multiple A-Rank missions… and came back unharmed from all of them."
"That's true, but oh just wait until you hear about the Nibi," said Kakashi next… he allowed the silence to settle. Ryujin's eyes narrowed further, and anxiety hardened Miya's face into stone. Asuma simply took a smoke from his cig.
"His identity has only been revealed recently… Ka'rai Uzumaki. He has been on two S-Rank missions since becoming a Genin, only mere months ago," informed Kakashi. "It's his ability that I'm worried most about."
Miya went silent and folded her hands—her expression hardened even further. Asuma let out a sigh of smoke. "Well… shit."
"This year's exams are intense," mumbled Ryujin.
Kakashi rolled his visible eye toward him—accusingly. Ryujin matched it with a questioning glare. "And you…" began Kakashi. "Have barely begun to teach Naruto how to use the Kyuubi's chakra."
"It's too dangerous," he countered. "He's not ready, not at all. He used it during Wave, didn't he? You should know—"
"—I do know… because he nearly rag dolled a Jonin level opponent under its influence. Granted… the first time he nearly killed his brother and Kusari. But, according to him, he had the control to stop himself from killing his opponent. Someone, who he thought killed Sasuke."
Ryujin's glare turned sharp. "What he had were mere scraps of the Kyuubi's power. Anything more and he's going to lose control again. Naruto is not ready. End of discussion."
"Be honest with me, Ryujin. Do you truly think Naruto isn't ready… or are you projecting your own fears onto him? Because of what happened so long ago…"
"Choose your next words very carefully, Kakashi," warned Ryujin. "You weren't there."
His stern gaze remained even. "I'm simply asking you a question, Ryujin."
Tense silence weighed down the room. With a heavy sigh, Miya threw it off. "Okay, that's enough—both of you. I don't need that at the forefront of my head again. You guys can discuss it when we know that everyone is safe and when I'm not here."
"Apologies," said Kakashi as leaned back, digging his nose in his book.
Ryujin simply sighed. "Alright."
The smoke from Asuma's cigarette filled the room along the following silence.
—⊱✿⊰—
The first test was quite easy, she had to admit. Using her Byakugan to take the answers from the obvious Chunin in the room was trivial. With the supposed tenth question, she'd just use her Byakugan to find the correct answer… again. She had no reason to simply forfeit. Shino used his insects; he was just as well off as her. Kiba, however, had some difficulty—by his own admission as well. Even with Akamaru's help, it was harder for him to be inconspicuous.
But, they all passed, and they were now in the second of presumably three parts of the Chunin Exams.
"Hey! Hinata! You see anything?! Akamaru and I aren't smelling anything…" asked Kiba as they leapt through the trees.
She shook her head. "I do not… Shino?"
"Nothing," he answered tersely.
Kiba groaned. "Ugh! Why are we in the most empty part of this damned forest?! We need some action, ain't that right Akamaru?!" The pup barked in agreement.
Hinata allowed herself a light-hearted chuckle. "We'll fight soon enough."
"Well, soon needs to be right now." Kiba huffed.
"Patience, Kiba," said Shino.
"Be careful of what you wish for, Inuzuka."
Before any of the three Genin could react, Kiba was launched across the forest. His back snapped against the trunk of a thick tree. His screams rang in Hinata's ears as she scanned the area with her Byakugan. She saw nothing—"Shino!"
She called to her teammate and received no answer. With her eyes, she saw him slumped over a tree branch, bleeding out from countless lacerations. Her heart pounded in her chest and its sound overtook all.
"There are ways to circumvent the Byakugan. As a member of the Main Branch… you should know this."
Hinata focused her eyes all over—they pulsed with blood and chakra yet she saw nothing. Ice and fear overtook her as she stepped back. She hit something—someone. With her eyes, they didn't appear. Quickly turning around, she deactivated her Byakugan.
Color returned to the world and a woman appeared before her. A Kusa Genin with a straw hat. Her face was hidden by the shadows of her hat—all Hinata could see were two serpentine golden eyes.
"Who are you?!" she demanded, in a battle stance. "How do you know the secrets of my clan?!" As she faced her—she trembled. She fought against the flashes of her own death repeating through her mind, the sights of her injured—dying—teammates next to her. All she focused on was the monster in front of her.
"You'll be acquainted with me soon enough, Hinata Hyuuga." As the woman uttered that sentence, Hinata's neck was clasped by her hand. She gasped for air and attempted to pry the woman's grip away—it was futile. Hinata kicked and thrashed at her as she was raised into the air.
The woman simply laughed with twisted excitement. Her golden eyes shone under the darkness of her hat. Chakra burst from Hinata's body as a final attempt—a final desperate claw for freedom—but the claw of the snake in front of her was infinitely stronger.
Hinata's heart was plunged into the ice of her stomach as the woman opened her mouth wide to reveal the fangs of a serpent. In the blink of an eye, she bit down on Hinata's neck. The girl screamed as foreign, malicious, powerful chakra was injected into her own like venom.
Her trashing of desperation turned into writhes of agony. The woman's fangs slid out of Hinata's skin. Then she dropped the girl on the branch they stood on. Hinata continued to scream in terror and excruciating misery. She forced herself to look up at the woman, but as quick as a snake's strike she was gone.
Trembling and quaking, Hinata forced herself to stand. Shino was closer, so she limped over to him. Her weak and quivering arm barely managed to sling him over her shoulder. Kiba was much farther. She forced chakra into her legs, but her vision blurred and she fell to her knees. Using her chakra was making the venom in her system move faster.
She didn't care. As long as she could save her teammates.
Hinata used her chakra again and she leapt three branches to where Kiba was. He fell unconscious, with Akamaru whining next to him. "We… need… to get to safety…" strained Hinata to the ninken.
The pup attempted to pull up Kiba, but Hinata used her free hand to sling the boy over her other shoulder. She groaned and nearly collapsed, but forced herself to stay strong. Akamaru pouted next to her, pointing to a tree with a decently large opening.
It was a place to hide.
Hinata nodded and forced herself to move just that little bit more. One leap—one body flicker and she was in the tree, with Akamaru close behind. It was then when Hinata collapsed to the floor, the two boys over her shoulder falling down with her.
Team 8 was left alone and beaten in the desolate Forest of Death… with an unknown spectator in the trees above. The woman never left, she only watched. She chuckled to herself. "She's more resilient than I anticipated…"
A sick, serpentine grin crossed the woman's face. "Yes, Hinata Hyuuga. You will do, you will do indeed…" The woman then stood.
"Now… where are you, Sasuke?"
—⊱✿⊰—
Leaves passed over Team 5 with the breeze, and a chill went down Shinrai's spine. His shudder brought Kusari's attention to him. She didn't look toward him, but she had her Byakugan active; she didn't need to. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah I'm good," he answered in a breathy whisper.
Gosei narrowed his eyes. "Quiet down," he commanded in a tense yet nigh silent whisper. Shinrai redirected his attention to the team of Iwa Genin camping out below them. "Are you ready?" asked Gosei in that same whisper.
Shinrai smirked, and Kusari nodded. Gosei's hands formed into a single seal and the earth below the Iwa squad erupted. In a blink of an eye, both Shinrai and Kusari were down below them.
One of them attempted to crush Shinrai's skull with a hammer. He caught the hammer and shattered the metal with his grip. A single kick to the chest made the Genin fly into an uprooting rock. Shinrai unsheathed the blade of his namesake and pointed it at his neck. "Stay put," he ordered. The Genin gulped.
Meanwhile, Kusari struck both of the other two Genin in their chakra core. They both buckled over but Kusari charged the one closer to her. Another Juken strike to the chest made her collapse to the floor, entirely disabled.
As Kusari took care of her opponent, Gosei leapt down on the Genin who Kusari attacked previously. A single punch to the face knocked him unconscious and left him drooling on the floor.
"Kusari, scroll?" asked Gosei.
"Shinrai, yours has it," she informed.
With a grin, Shinrai pushed his blade closer to the Genin's neck. "Give."
Frantically, the Iwa nin handed over his team's scroll. Shinrai cursed as he took it. "Earth… just like ours."
"Dammit," muttered Gosei.
Shinrai, however, tossed it into the air and made a half seal. A small fireball burned the scroll to ash. "At least they're not passing."
"Good call," Gosei said. Shinrai rolled his eyes in response, sheathing his blade.
Kusari sighed. "Let's go."
WIth that, all of Team 5 flickered into the trees once again, leaving the Iwa Genin scroll-less and injured. Gosei grumbled as he moved. "That was a waste of time."
"Eh, not really, we basically took out two teams of competition. They don't have a scroll, and they're too weak to take two scrolls. And since there was an even number of heaven and earth scrolls, one heaven scroll team is not passing because they can't get a scroll!" reasoned Shinrai.
Gosei sighed. "I guess…" He looked to the sky, barely seeing anything through the thick canopy above. "What time did we arrive in here?"
"Two P.M," Kusari answered.
He looked down and narrowed his eyes. "So… it should be around four—"
"Guys!" Shinrai exclaimed, stopping suddenly.
"What?!" questioned Gosei.
Shinrai pulled the seal he made during the first section from his pocket. It glowed orange, the same color as Naruto's chakra. The chakra inside of him jumped sporadically like a cry for help—like a terrified shout. Utter terror swept Shinrai… it wasn't his terror. It was his brother's.
"Naruto's in trouble!" he shouted, sweat dripping down his face—it took immense control for his Sharingan to not whirl to life. "I'm going!" In a flicker, he was out of sight. Immediately, Kusari followed with her own flicker. Gosei sucked his teeth and followed as well.
"How do you know his location?" asked Kusari, keeping pace with his body flicker.
"During the written exam, I made a seal to give Naruto the answers I had… it connected our chakra networks together. He's calling me to help—he's scared," stressed Shinrai, preemptively reaching for his blades.
Gosei's fists clenched. "This better not be another waste of time…"
"Helping Naruto is not a waste of time!" yelled Shinrai, fear cracked his expression as sweat continued to drip down his face.
Gosei went silent… then nodded in understanding.
"I see him!" said Kusari, her Byakugan pulsing. "There's a… snake—a giant snake. A summon. Naruto's using the Kyuubi's chakra, Sasuke is unconscious—"
Shinrai didn't bother to listen to what else she had to say. His world bled to scarlet, and he flickered far ahead of his two teammates. I'm coming, Naruto.
The tunnel vision of the Body Flicker was null and void in the face of the Sharingan. He didn't need to stop and go, stop and go—no he just kept going. Around the trees in a scarlet flicker and he found himself in front of Naruto in no time.
The sight was seared into his memory, just as Yora's corpse was.
Naruto was held by the hair, battered, bruised, bleeding, and cut open. He could see his brother's bare ribs, with blood soaking the branch below. His brother was alive, and he managed to fucking smile.
"Shinrai…" he managed through haggard and bloody breaths.
The man holding Naruto's hair let go.
The moment Shinrai's eyes focused on the man he froze.
Golden eyes of a snake flashed alongside a sadistic smirk—a comforting smile, golden eyes of a mother. Serpentine laughter slithered from his mouth—bombastic laughter echoed from his mouth, the joy of a father.
"Shinrai…" slithered the man.
"Shinrai!" called a brother… older than him. He took care of him…
Shinrai stumbled backward. The man approached, stepping on Naruto's body as he did so. Blood dripped from his mouth, as if he just took a bite out of someone.
Shinrai never felt so cold before. His numb fingers clasped both Shinrai and Yora. The snake walked forward—Shinrai stepped back—he nearly slipped off the edge of the branch he stood on.
"It's been so long," stressed the man, almost joyously. "Baiko's been so lonely without you."
Baiko…
That was his brother.
He had a brother.
In and out in and out in and out—his lungs squeezed together as if they were being crushed. Each breath was excruciating yet his whole body was numb with the cold. A hand gripped Shinrai's shoulder—he would've screamed had his throat not clasped shut.
"How about you return to me?"
"How about you come with me?"
He couldn't see the man who bathed him in his parents' blood. Baiko stood ahead as a shield while all he could do was cry. Agonizing sobs rocked the child's body.
Shinrai couldn't speak—he could barely breathe or make a sound. Phantom pains of memories suppressed overtook him. Lacerations and incisions inside and out of surgical accuracy. With that, he managed a whimper as he fell to his knees—
—on his knees he was gripped by the throat. A frustrated scream followed by a command to "Cooperate!" accompanied his impact against the chair. Before Shinrai could move he was strapped down—all he could do was trash against the restraints. He screamed once the man reached for one of his many scalpels. All the boy could scream was "Not again!"
It not only happened again, but countless times afterward—
—Notagain notagain notagain chanted Shinrai when he was face to face with the man.
"I asked you a question, Shinrai. It would be rude not to answer."
"FUCK OFF!" he screamed as he attempted to leap away. His legs gave way and he collapsed into the canopy below. Shinrai's back hit a branch, breaking his fall. Physical torment radiated through his body. Another scream followed and his chakra jolted from the impact.
He barely dodged the man when he followed him down. Frigid terror melted—heated into infernal fury. His heart raced and he soon didn't feel an ounce of cold. His Sharingan whirled as he stared down the man who killed his family and left Naruto dying.
Where everything was once cold, everything now burned. Shinrai looked him in the eyes. Gold shifted to scarlet then to azure. Yora's final pain and Naruto's pained smile melded into one over the bastard's face. Another tomoe was added to each of his Sharingan eyes—two to three.
From there… all he saw was red.
"OROCHIMARU!"
In a flash crimson chakra enveloped the strike of Yora inches from Orochimaru's neck. The Snake blocked it and laughed. Shinrai's next strike came from below—he aimed to cut Orochimaru's face in half. That was dodged with ease.
Orochimaru slammed Shinrai into the branch. Crimson chakra spewed from Shinrai's hand as he grabbed Orochimaru by the hair, pulling his face into the wood and dragging splinters into his pale skin. The blade that was in the same hand glowed bright red with Chakra and Orochimaru's head was sliced from his body.
That body exploded into snakes which all bit into Shinrai. Venom spewed into his veins but with a burst of chakra they were all blown off. Bubbling and boiling chakra seeped from his skin as he heard Orochimaru's laughter.
"I don't know why those snakes bit you… it's not like any poison or venom would work on you…"
A flicker and Shinrai stabbed Orochimaru through the throat. The boy roared as he clobbered and sliced the snake's body with utter fury. From behind, Orochimaru grabbed his neck and slammed him through the bloody corpse and into the bark of the tree.
The damage jolted Shinrai's chakra once again it bursted with burning chakra. Shinrai blitzed toward Orochimaru and slashed but his blade was caught. Orochimaru kicked the boy back into the tree trunk.
However, sizzling hit Orochimaru's ears—the explosive seal placed on him detonated. With a crimson slash from his blade, Shinrai cut the branch where Orochimaru stood. Shinrai panted on the remainder of the stub, his eyes whirling as he dodged a strike.
His face further contorted with rage at the sight of Orochimaru's face. He kneed the Sannin's gut and weaved hand seals. "Fire Style: Utter Annihilation!" From his mouth spewed an output of unhinged flame that burnt Orochimaru's body to a crisp.
Shinrai struck the burning corpse and choked Orochimaru as they both fell through the canopy. He impaled Orochimaru on a branch, and finally the cathartic melody of the sickening bastard's screams hit his ears.
"Is this your limit, Shinrai?" asked Orochimaru who was now behind him. With his hair raised he sliced behind him only to be kicked in the head from the other side. Shinrai growled as his chakra jolted once again. His crimson covered blades cut air before he was kicked and pinned under Orochimaru's foot.
The snake slithered out another disgusting laugh. "Did you seriously think you had any chance of beating me?"
Shinrai screamed in a futile attempt to move Orochimaru's foot. The Snake simply shook his head. "You're strong… I'll give you that. Way more than Sasuke, Hinata, or even your brother." He leaned down, to where his face was inches away from Shinrai's. "That is, of course, because I made you."
"GO TO HELL!" roared Shinrai as he headbutt Orochimaru. All the snake did was chuckle. entirely unphased.
"Ingoken!"
With a single strike, Orochimaru's head was blown into mush, and Shinrai was bathed in his blood. He kicked the corpse off of him and stood frantically. Kusari looked at him and gasped. "Shinrai—"
"HE'S NOT DEAD!"
Kusari's face was slammed into the wood by Orochimaru. Shinrai leapt forward to attack, but this time all it took was a glare to knock him back down. "So, you didn't come here entirely alone…"
A sick grin crossed Orochimaru's face. "That means my final target is here." In a blink of an eye Orochimaru was off of Kusari. Shinrai pulled her up and flickered above the trees with her in his grip.
"Your eyes!" she managed to say.
He grimaced. "I'll explain later."
Shinrai dropped her on a branch then continued his flicker toward Orochimaru, who was now in sight. Kusari didn't waste a second following him. Gosei had Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in order but not for long. His neck was grasped by Orochimaru's hand but it was cut off by a crimson slash.
Another Ingoken strike blew a hole in his torso. Gosei wasted no time once he was free. A Lakeland Rush spewed from his mouth with no seals weaved. It was followed up by bullets of stone. Kusari weaved seals next and shouted, "Lightning Style: Electric Strike!"
The voltage supercharged the water and shattered the stone into microscopic debris. All three jutsu merged to once again make Orochimaru scream. However, it wasn't long before a limp and unconscious Shinrai was thrown directly into Kusari. Gosei's eyes widened with horror as he felt twin fangs pierce his skin.
He screamed as the foreign chakra invaded his system like venom. It was violent, violet, and malicious. Agony overtook him as he writhed on the floor, right next to Team 7. Kusari held Shinrai's body before it was pried from her grip and slung over the shoulder of Orochimaru.
"I'll be taking your teammate with me," informed the Sannin.
With splinters embedded in her face she screamed for Orochimaru to, "GIVE HIM BACK!"
Orochimaru turned his back and grinned. "You might see him again. For now, all of my targets have been secured."
Before Kusari could go after him Orochimaru was gone. So was Shinrai.
Kusari cursed—she had no time to dwell on it; she needed to keep going. Gosei had already put down the injured Naruto and Sasuke in a resting position, next to Sakura… who was on her knees, staring into the void.
She kneeled down in front of her, shaking her to attention. Sakura jumped at the sight of Kusari's intense expression. "We need to regroup somewhere."
Quickly and half-heartedly, Sakura nodded and picked up Sasuke. Kusari did the same to both Naruto and Gosei. With her Byakugan, she spied the base of a tree with an opening. Shelter. "Follow me."
Sakura nodded again and trailed behind Kusari who led her to the tree. The two girls carefully placed the unconscious boys on the ground. "Okay—" Kusari began, but she was interrupted by the sound of hyperventilating.
She raised her brow at Sakura, who grasped her heart and fell to her knees. "I'm sorry—I barely did anything!" Tears welled in her eyes and she choked on her breath. "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry!"
Kusari froze at the sight of Sakura's emotions. She sobbed on her knees, trembling to herself with uncontrollable breathing. Kusari could do nothing but watch. Her fists clenched and she knocked Sakura unconscious with a Juken strike to the neck. Kusari was almost shaking herself.
Hopefully, she'd be better when she woke up.
For now… Kusari could only watch on as the three boys trashed in their agonizing sleep.
She could only watch.
Kusari shut her eyes.
"I'm sorry…"
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?