Chapter 38: Wait and Bleed
Bleurgh…*
That was my first thought as I finally awoke.
With difficulties, I managed to use my hands to stand somewhat on my feet and watched my surrounding.
I was still in the forest, probably where I fell if the feeling of dried… Well, vomit on my skin was any indication. Except the trees were even more broken than before, littered with kunai and other shinobi's weapons.
I painfully closed my eyes as I remembered the 'fight' between Orochimaru and Team 7.
Apparently, even with Shikako and me present, against someone like Orochimaru the story stood the same… I should have known, really…
"Inuzuka…San?"
A young girl voice came from above me as I looked up. And a spell of dizziness almost made me faint from the sudden movement. Concussion was my first thought, but I wasn't hit in the head…
Above me, in the branches of the trees casting their shadows over me, Shikako was busy keeping a careful balance as she had tied a completely unconscious Sasuke in a makeshift harness made of ropes.
"Can you…" The Nara tentatively said. "Can you make sure he lands safely?"
I immediately nodded, before immediately regretting it as the nausea from before hit me again.
Shikako used her own weight to carefully drop Sasuke on the ground. I caught his unconscious form and untied the makeshift harness the Nara had made.
Shit.
I carefully didn't voice my thoughts as I held the twelve years old in my arms and noticed the seal on his neck.
God damnit. Fuck. FUCK!
"Now… Naruto…" Shikako tried to gather herself, as we both looked toward the orange boy, who was currently unconscious while being stuck in the branches of another tree. A very, very far away tree.
"I…" Shikako began to speak again. "I think I have a concussion. Do you think you can fetch him?"
"Well, it shouldn't be a problem." I removed my vest and t-shirt that were stained with the remnants of my breakfast and started to gather wind chakra in my legs and at the bottom of my feet.
And I immediately fell on my knees again, as the suddenly burning bile in my stomach decided to declare secession from me.
…
After I finished unloading my stomach again, I could only look at the Nara with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry… But on second thoughts…"
"You've been poisoned too… Shit."
The girl took a few seconds to center herself, breathing in, breathing out, before using the leaping-monkey technique to reach her teammate. She almost missed her mark but thankfully managed to steady herself.
Then, she apparently took another set of ropes from a storage scroll and brought Naruto to the ground, where I caught him, before using the same rope to get back down.
"We can't stay here, Inuzuka-san…" Shikako immediately said as she took Sasuke in her arms. "We made too much noise. We need to find a place to hide and rest…"
"Fine by me." I answered tiredly as my insides began dancing again. "I'm in no condition to fight right now, but where should we go…"
"There's… A cavern close by. I saw it while we were… Escaping. Let's rest here."
….
Indeed, in a small clearing, stood a large tree with a small cave hidden between his roots. We placed Naruto and Sasuke on the ground before Shikako started first aid on them.
As for me, I simply sat on the back of the cavern to recover my strength.
"Here, Inuzuka-san." Shikako said, as she was holding a pill in my face. "It's a general antivenom pill. Take it and rest. I'll take first watch and set up traps around here, just in case."
"Alright, but I can smell that you are tired. I'll rest for only an hour. Wake me up as soon as it's over and I'll take your shift."
Shikako nodded, before leaving toward the exit of the cave as my eyes closed by themselves.
"NARA ARTS! THE SHADOW DEVOURS!"
The sudden scream woke me up and I washed my exhaustion with chakra and hastily got on my feet. Before nausea hit me again and I unloaded the bile of my empty stomach on the floor again.
Watching the half-digested antivenom pill laying on the floor in a puddle of yellow and white fluids, I sighted and wobbled toward the mouth of the cave.
And a battleground met me, so I immediately used my Focus on reflex. Thankfully no wave of nausea hit me again.
Half of the clearing was on fire. The rest was no better as the ground was littered with kunai and shuriken.
Shikako was standing in one of the only untouched ground, with her back turned against me and hands locked in the rat symbol.
I noticed that the body of… What was her name again… Kin from the village of sound was dead before her, senbon planted in her brain. Dosu and Zaku were running away from her. A tactical retreat to escape the fire spreading around by aiming toward the only place that seemed safe.
And I watched the heads of duo were cut by ninja wire placed in their path of retreat and their bodies fell on the ground.
Only after their bodies fell on the ground and did not move for ten second did the small girl allowed herself to calm down.
"Clever." I said as I started to walk toward her.
Immediately, Shikako jerked and turned toward me, before realisation hit her as she looked at me with a panicked expression that I was extremely familiar with. Since I wore that same face in front of my sensei and mother not that long ago.
Please! Don't judge me!
"Chin up, Nara. We're not out of the woods yet." I said as I passed the small daughter of our Jonin-commander and took a fighting stance against the smell that I felt approaching.
In a sudden burst of wind created by a Shunshin jutsu, Rock Lee appeared in front of us.
"Hi, Lee-kun, how's life been treating you?" I jokingly asked.
The green clad Genin fortunately didn't attack us on the spot and watched us with a guarded expression.
I took a small moment to remember if this scene happened in the manga. Before remembering that Lee fell in love with Sakura, not Shikako. And considering Lee's true strength at this moment in time, this situation could take a turn for the worst in a moment notice.
At thirteen, Rock Lee was far stronger than me. It took a mad Jinchuriki to best him in the preliminaries after all.
"Are you here for their scroll?" Shikako asked, as I smelled that Ten-Ten and Neji were close-by, observing us. Checkmate. "Then take it." Shikako continued, waving toward the three children's bodies that laid on the ground.
Lee found the scroll of the sound team on the body of the one with a metal arm, awkward like a twelve-year-old kid trying to be imperturbable while checking the pockets of another child that should be only two or three years older than himself.
Damn that exam. This is normal in this world…
"Heaven… We already have this one." Lee then tossed the scroll in front of him, before vanishing. I smelled him jumping into the trees to join his teammates.
At that moment, something changed in me. My tension immediately dropped. Leaving me completely drained and tired.
Then, Shikako's head suddenly jerked up as six different smells zeroed on us.
In less than a second, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Friend, Kasumi and Yama burst into the clearing.
Before stopping in shock as they took a good look at the devastation that Shikako released around us while I was sleeping.
"Holy hell!" Ino exclaimed. "What happened to you! To your face!"
"We got our asses kicked…" Shikako answered while grimacing.
"Thoroughly." I helpfully pointed out before unceremoniously falling on my ass.
I watched as Shikamaru immediately took point and ordered her sister to take some rest. Much to her surprise.
"So, what happened to 'gathering information'"? Kasumi asked me with an annoyed tone.
"Oh right… But what happened to 'let's meet in the central tower in a week?'" I asked back.
"Answer my question fist." Kasumi crossed her arms in her chest and looked at me with a judgemental stare.
"Alright, alright…" I looked at the rest of the Genins around us. Shikamaru and Choji were guiding the younger Nara all around to disarm every trap the now deceased sound team didn't trigger while Ino went inside the cavern.
And I noticed that Yama was warily looking at me.
"Do you remember that weird kunoichi with the weird tongue technique that stood out during the second exam presentation?" I asked my younger friend with the more casual tone I could muster. "Well, that was Orochi-freaking-maru of those Sanin, wearing a Grass genin's skin. Hit me really good." I massaged my stomach. "And for the ten second I spend close to him then I doubt that that poor woman was willing to give him her appearance…"
"WHAT?! That… That MONSTER IS HERE!?" Yama exclaimed.
"Orochimaru…" Kasumi began to say before the very air around us became filled with a dreadful atmosphere.
"SASUKE!" Shikako suddenly screamed, fright in her voice.
And here he was.
Standing in the mouth of the cavern where his teammate took him, Sasuke was standing. Corrupted marking burning red on his skin like melting lava.
FUCK! I know how it's going to end! I must stop this! I must…. BWEEEERK… That nausea again! Not now! Please not NOW!
My attempt to gather my Chakra for an Inuzuka dash and stop this madness was cut short as my body once again decided to purge itself without my consent. Moon-moon immediately appeared at my side and held me up, so I didn't fell on my own vomit again.
"Maybe you should sit down; you were hurt, right?" Ino was the one closer and tried to reach him.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY" He screamed as the markings of his seal spread on his body.
And he attacked her, with every intent to kill.
But Ino wasn't the one who took the hit.
With Moon-moon back at my side, helping me to stay on my feet, I only heard Shikako use a replacement jutsu to switch place with Ino.
I heard her ribs being broken by the attack of her teammate as I started vomiting my innards again.
Shikako let out a pained cry.
Sasuke stiffened, the anger on his face fading into a non-comprehending puzzlement.
"Shikako…? Who hurt…I… I hit you?" He stared at his hand in horror.
"Sass…uke…"Shikagirl managed to speak, pain colouring her words. "Your… Chakra…Poisoned… Stop using it…"
"But I've…" The Uchiha looked at his fists, clenching and un-clenching them as the markings continued to spread out. "I've never felt better… I feel so powerful…"
"Stop… It's poison…" she painfully whined, "…In your Chakra..."
The little Nara painfully moved her hands and reached onto the chin of her friend.
"… Please, stop…"
Sasuke looked genuinely disturbed, and the markings on his body started to fade away.
As for me? I lost consciousness immediately after I finished unloading my empty stomach once more.
I finally opened my eyes after… I don't know how long.
Yama's eyes welcomed me from above, as I was laying on the ground.
"We have the Heaven scroll of that Grass kunoichi." Yama clinically said as his voice suddenly reached my hears. …What… Who…
"She will be safe, since I tagged her for rescue after letting her hang from the closest Harashima tree I could find. But we should aim for the tower as soon as possible."
"Also, the road ahead should be safe, according to my Friend. Unless you want to cross path with another S-rank missing-nin while we're here? If so, I would appreciate if you could warn me in advance so I can kill you before them…"
Kasumi continued; her annoyed voice somehow comforting.
And as It… the pained Me… No… then Pain… Pein… And… The Past and… The Past of what? What was that? What the hell is wrong with me? My head already pounding in my head. And that last sentence made sense in my head… What's happening to me…?
"It's as I feared. Shinji-kun, don't use chakra from this point onward." Yama-chan said.
"Kami damnit-it" Bakazumi-kun spat.
This second exam had lasted long enough. With Sasuke getting the happy-happy seal on his neck we must move right now...
Also, I noticed that Naruto, somehow, had woken up and was helping everyone to move on, looking no worse for the wear.
Soon enough, our little improvised party moved. With Moon-moon back at my side again, I felt that the young Nara and her Uchiha teammate were having a silent conversation which I ignored. Their problem.
Also, Bakayama and Yamazumi… Wait, God damnit, what's wrong with me!? Anyway, my friends seemed to have another silent conversation, ending with Kazi…Something, the one with the boobs, sending me another death glare. Please… But since my stomach once again tried to rebel, I chose to ignore it and walked with the rest.
And, soon enough, after crossing a river, the central tower, our objective, was soon visible.
Very visible. As in 'everyone will see you get closer and attack' visible.
"Fuck…" I said in my headspace. "Friend. Is there anyone but us around here…?"
"No. The white-haired shinobi with the round glasses is close."
"Fuuuuck…"
"Hey, Naruto…" Shikamaru-girl suddenly asked. "Do you think you have enough Chakra for a hidden in the mist Jutsu? A really big one?"
"Sure! How big do you want it?" The blond kid eagerly answered, making my headache worse.
I… Don't remember. Did Ranuto even know that jutsu in the story during the Chuunin Exam?
That was the signature Jutsu of Zikame… No… Sabusa or… Maybe Karu or something… Damn, why is my head such a mess right now…
The following minutes were blurry as I let myself being dragged onward by someone holding my hand, and we finally arrived inside.
The tower was a breath of stale air.
Seriously. I took a moment to glimpse in my memories. In those, the hall that greeted the heroes was bigger, grander and… Well, less empty than this. There should have been Ikura-sensei or something welcoming or… or something… Right? Oh right… The scrolls… Must throw the scrolls first…
I heard the other talk with each other but I figured that Zakumi was the one holding my hand when she let go in disgust and the rest started to throw their scrolls ahead.
It didn't take long, soon three Chunin appeared among the mist. Ikurakatsura-sensei and Kotatsu… Kotutsa… The one from the patrol division with the bandage on his nose… Don't care… And lastly one I didn't recognize… I felt tired…
"We need immediate medical assistance, now." Yamaneko suddenly said"Shinji-kun should have gone to the hospital yesterday."
"That's impossible." Iku… mara… What was his name… Continued?
"For the Chunin exam to be impartial, no medical attention should be given to any team in case there is need for a preliminary exam for the third trial…"
"Then Konoha Team Four resign from the Chunin exam." Kazumata cut the conversation short.
"What the…?" I began, before I felt a rush of chakra on my back, where Tamamoto-kun hand was. Immediately I started to feel the nausea again and immediately puking on the ground.
"Do you feel like yourself, Shinji-kun? And do you see those white dots?"
Yama…kun was now facing me, my mind somehow clearer. He was crouching before me and pointing at something white in my… Well…
"Those are eggs of Brachycera flies. Maggots that usually feeds of corpses. Your stomach is not only filled with those but… Somehow Orochimaru made them able to feed from your Chakra. Right now, they are eating their way through your chakra veins and the imbalance have been messing with your thoughts. I've been keeping an eye on you since we regrouped, but they are literally eating you from the inside. My estimate is that they will reach your life gate in fourteen hours. I don't have the knowledge to save you but… Maybe someone in my clan can…"
I heard everyone around us gasping in shock. Well, almost everyone. The two Chunins that welcomed us were hastily giving orders to the hospital through their radio communicators.
Wait… Two Chunins…? Wasn't there another one with them before?
And, as I was looking at everyone looks of horror, my eyes finally fell on my female teammate.
Who looked extremely pissed.
"Oh? Why the scorned look?" I heard myself speak before my jumbled thoughts could catch up. "Isn't this your wish?"
…Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to say. Kaza… Kazumi started to slowly walk toward me, looking at me with eyes promising only murder.
Then, she grabbed me by my clothes and pulled me forward until my face was mere centimetres from hers. I could see, in all glorious details, that she was kiiiinda angry. From the eyes that were trying to pierce my skull and the redness of her cheeks as she spoke.
"Since apparently, I need to spell it out for you, then remember that I will kill you! Me! Not some random bandit, not some random Shinobi, not even my dearest sister, and surely not some random legend that decide to suddenly show up. ME!"
She then pushed me back as her face was still red from what I imagine was anger.
"So, live." She said, her eyes never leaving mine. "Live so that I can kill you."
"And I thought my female teammate was the crazy OUCH!"
I heard Shikamomai… No ... The genius from the deer clan... Fuck me, there's two of them now... Something, the genius lazy guy, yelped in pain as Ino punched him in his shoulder.
Kazumi left the room quickly, but I heard that her breath was short and pained. Anger, surely.
"She has changed." Moon-moon suddenly said, before turning toward Kuroko who somehow stayed behind. "But I don't know if she realised it…"
"She hasn't…" The black cat answered with a tired voice. "Or worse: my Friend refuse to realise it. I'm unsure about what I should do now…"
Hmmmm what?
But before I could ask for more information, medics rushed inside the room we were all in and… I was all but manhandled and put in a stretcher as a man wearing the same tattoos as Yamanamosomething…To… My friend… put a mask on my face.
"Breathe and count in your head from ten to one."
And so, I did, breathing the gas coming from the mask. Ten… Nine… Seven… Wait… It's something else… I think…
And I knew no more.
