Chapter Text
Meiken Inuzuka paced the hallway at the bottom of the stairs at the Salmon Cup, her companion Hishimaru pacing at her heels. Awake, sober, and eagerly waiting to shake some sense into Gindei now that she had a way to place her contempt from the night before.
When her silver-haired partner swaggered his way down the stairs the morning after the best lay of his life, she quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently.
“Are you a fucking idiot, Gindei?” She shouted at him.
“Hey!” He shouted, doing his best to regain control from Meiken’s wrath. “What did I do? Are you jealous?!”
“No, idiot, do you even know who that woman was?!” Meiken shouted at him.
“Uh, a goddess?” He swooned, “the most beautiful woman to walk the Earth?”
“What did you two talk about last night?” Meiken demanded.
Gindei shrugged. “Didn’t do much talking, but she was curious about ANBU work. I didn’t tell her much, but she did ask what patrols I was on and how many people were working on the exams and–” the realization finally hit him. “Oh.”
“You slept with Aiyoku Yoruno,” Meiken continued, “you slept with one of the Kazekage’s most underhanded informants. You potentially just compromised the entire ANBU to an enemy spy, and fell for her entire act. She seduces lonely, simple-minded men like you to get intel out of them!”
Gindei’s palm found his forehead. “Fuck. Fuck! I should have known that a woman that beautiful wasn’t actually into me for my body or my personality!”
Meiken groaned, “We’ll have to file a report on this. The Hokage’s going to be furious. We’ll have to change patrols and double down and it means we’re probably working overtime.”
“It’s not a huge deal, right?” Gindei tried to diffuse. “I mean, Suna’s our political ally, right? Maybe it’s harmless and she was looking for a night off, too.”
Meiken smacked Gindei on the back of the neck and pushed him out of the bar.
- -藤原一族- -
Thirty teams comprising a total of ninety people passed the first leg of the Chuunin exams and entered the Forest of Death.
The day the second exam concluded, the remaining Genin lined up in their three-man squads in front of Anko Mitarashi, their Jounin instructors all lined up next to her with the Third Hokage to her right-hand side.
“Congratulations on passing the second exam!” she announced proudly.
She took a moment to count in front of her. They were down from ninety Genin in thirty teams to thirty genin in ten teams. They were down to a third of their starting numbers–and it was still more than she was expecting. In all honesty, she was expecting single-digit numbers.
Tatsu, in front of both his teammates, surveyed the Jounin standing in front of them. He easily spotted Rei standing next to a tall man with the most hideous bowl cut and the thickest eyebrows he’d ever seen–unknown to him as Maito Gai, standing next to the masked, silver-haired Kakashi Hatake.
“Impressive show of your students making it this far, Kakashi,” said Gai, “but I wonder how much of it was dumb luck or skill? I’m sure we’ll see when they face off against my students in the next round. It’s important to keep them humble, right?”
Silence followed, before Kakashi finally turned his head and replied, “Sorry, did you say something?”
Gai was flustered, and Rei giggled at the exchange. “I’m sure both of your teams will do fine,” she said, “I’m just proud my students made it this far.”
The bowl-cut man turned his head to Rei and raised one of his thick eyebrows, Tatsu watching in confusion. “I’d always thought you’d make a fantastic teacher, Rei, I wouldn’t have a single doubt in your students or your teaching abilities.”
Rei flushed in response and didn’t seem to know how to respond and awkwardly thanked him. Something clicked in Tatsu’s head.
No, he thought, this guy? Really?
And then, while he watched his teacher reduced to a giggling fool next to the most ridiculous man he’d ever laid eyes on, he noticed another man out of the corner of his eye. Standing away from them, with messy hair pulled into a long rat tail, glaring the most intense daggers he’d ever seen in Rei’s direction.
Tatsu couldn’t have gotten his attention, but he decided to glare back. He had a bad feeling in his gut. He did not like this man.
“Hey, all the teams from Konoha passed!” Naruto Uzumaki yelled excitedly from the front row, right next to Tatsu. “Everyone’s here! It’s like a dream come true.”
Hyourin, standing behind Tatsu and next to Sasuke, glanced over to watch him reach for the mark that was placed on his neck, as if it was a bug bite that needed to be scratched or a knot in his shoulder that could be massaged. The feeling churned in her stomach again, but her face remained still.
“I see none of the Jounin’s faith in this crop of rookies was misplaced,” observed Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, “it’s very impressive we had all of them pass.”
“I’ll let the Hokage explain the rules for the third exam,” announced Anko, “please listen to everything he says carefully!”
The old man Hokage cleared his throat and began to address the Genin in front of him. “Before I go into the details of the third exam, there’s one thing I want to make abundantly clear. Why do you guess that an examination of this nature is being conducted by all of the nations in our alliances?”
He paused for a few moments of silence amongst the Genin. Hyourin’s gaze shifted back to the Jounin and the Hokage in front of her, though it was hard to see past Tatsu–he was taller than her by a non-insignificant amount. She, however, also noticed the man glaring daggers at Rei…and she also noticed the long-haired black man wearing the Sound village headband.
They both made her feel sick to her stomach.
“To promote friendship among allied nations and raise the standards in the art of the Shinobi,” the Hokage continued, “We wish to be transparent about what those phrases actually mean. So, this series of examinations is, in fact, a small war between all of our villages.”
“The fuck does that mean?” Hyourin heard two rows down from Kiba Inuzuka. She agreed with the sentiment, even if she was distracted.
“If you were to study the recent history of our world and check a current map,” the Hokage continued, “it would quickly become obvious that our Alliance is a temporary, mutually beneficial agreement between a group of nations. Our world used to be one of perpetual strife, looking for ways to show the others up, both openly and in the shadows, for power and control of resources that were depleted to exhaustion in the struggle–until a better way was devised: the Chuunin exams.”
“This is dumb!” Naruto shouted, “I thought the point was to see which of us were ready to be Chuunin!”
The Hokage nodded, “When this exam is done, it will have the side effect of weeding out any applicants who are unfit to move to the next rank. However, it does serve as an arena where young Shinobi will fight to the death for the honor of their homelands.”
“Fucked up,” Tatsu muttered under his breath.
Hyourin couldn’t help but think of a conversation she’d had with her father, once. She was small, only attending the academy for a year when she asked her father, “Why does the village make such a big deal out of the other villages? Uncle Yoinokuchi is from the Taki village and he’s by all the time, so are my other Aunties and Uncles…” She had, at the age of approximately six, been introduced to the concept of geopolitics.
“Well,” Jiro replied, “part of our family’s goal is to protect the peace. We’re allowed to travel between villages because we don’t fight in war–we protect the civilians of the village while the other Shinobi go off to war. It’s why it’s important for us to trust our allies. And when war breaks out, it’s our job to also negotiate for peace between villages–we must avoid casualties at all costs.”
“But if we protect the peace,” Hyourin thought, “and I’m still allowed to see Uncle Yoinokuchi when there’s a war, then why does war happen? Why do people want to fight and kill one another so much?” It was a thought that’d been on her mind since she’d decided to walk the Shinobi path, even at that age.
Jiro took off his glasses and sighed at his daughter. “Because we live in a world that values strength and military prowess as a type of industry, and while it continues to exist, there will always be a need for it. Our clan will continue to exist to preserve the balance…” he trailed off. Hyourin, in that moment of hindsight, wondered what he’d wanted to say there. She couldn’t remember what she’d said to him, then–but she thought there, in the tower in the center of the Forest of Death, that the system seemed flawed and contradictory.
“This Third Examination,” the Hokage continued, “will be conducted under the watchful eyes of many distinguished guests–including nobility and rulers of the nations you all aspire to serve. Among their number will be those who rule over each country’s own Shinobi villages. If any one nation’s applicants demonstrate outstanding skill and superiority, the noblemen from every land will be quick to commission work from those trained in that superior nation. Conversely, if a particular country’s applicants are shown to be incompetent or weak, commissions to agents of that country will dwindle.”
Nakamora looked around him. He saw a lot of his classmates, two teams from the Sand village, and one team from the Sound village–which he hadn’t even heard of until five days ago. He scratched his head. The balance didn’t seem very fair.
“When one land is strong in battle and the village coffers overflow with the fruits of the commissions they beget, then that village may say to its neighbors that they possess superior riches, influence, and political power.”
“So?” Kiba Inuzuka scoffed, “Why do we have to give our lives because of that?”
The Hokage took a long drag of the pipe he liked to smoke. “The strength of a nation is derived from the strength of its Shinobi village, and the village draws strength from the Shinobi who live there. The greatest strength of those Shinobi only emerges in the midst of a desperate battle for life and death! These exams provide a public arena for each nation to show off and boast the strength of its Shinobi–and thus, the strength of the country itself! This test has great meaning and great consequences. As you struggle for the sake of your lives and your people, you fulfill the dream that was envisioned by our ancestors.”
“Bullshit,” Tatsu mumbled, “Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit…”
“But you’ve always emphasized these ideals of peace and friendship!” Protested Tenten from Maito Gai’s team. “Why? Isn’t that contradictory?”
“I chose every word carefully to preserve the balance of power,” the Hokage continued, “and that is the essence of friendship in the Shinobi world. You are not here simply to risk your own futures, dreams, and lives–but the dignity, prestige, and reputation of your homeland as well.”
“Right,” Naruto Uzumaki nodded, “now I get it!”
“He doesn’t get it at all,” Sakura Haruno sighed.
The red-haired boy from the Sand village interrupted to demand, “Wrap up the philosophical bullshit and get to the death matches, then.”
The Hokage took a drag of his pipe. “So I’m to explain the third exam, then?”
One of the Konoha Jounin stepped in front of the Hokage and kneeled to the ground. He had his headband tied to a bandana around his head, and he had deep-set bags under his eyes. “Forgive the interruption, Hokage-sama,” he said, “but if you don’t mind, I’d like to take over the proceedings as the proctor of the third exam.”
Hiruzen nodded. “Permission granted.”
The man stood up and faced the Genin and coughed. “I’m Gekko Hayate, the Proctor of the Third Exam.”
Despite being a Jounin of Konoha, Gekko Hayate struck the Genin in front of him as sickly and pathetic. He was skinny, coughing, and looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He looked over the Genin in front of him and went, “Uhhh….before we start, I need you guys to do something for me. There’s some preliminaries to the exam proper, and whether or not you proceed to the main exam depends on how well these preliminaries go.”
Shikamaru Nara raised an eyebrow. “Preliminaries? What?”
“What do you mean by Preliminaries?” Sakura asked. “Why can’t all of us just proceed directly to the next exam?”
“I don’t want to diminish your accomplishments and say that the first two exams weren’t demanding enough,” Hayate coughed in the middle of his answer, “but we still have too many applicants. We have to hold a preliminary round to reduce the number of applicants who will proceed to the third exam. As the Lord Hokage mentioned, a number of honored guests will be observing you during the Third Exam, so we have to make it fast-paced and intense.”
Tatsu’s hands clenched into fists.
“So, anyone who doesn’t think they’re up to the challenge, now’s your time to drop.”
Hyourin turned her head back to Nakamora, who in return gave her a thumbs up.
“You’re not going to drop?” She asked.
“I won’t run,” he said with a smile, “even if I get my butt kicked!”
The silver-haired Kabuto Yakushi raised his hand, “my team will be going, then.”
Naruto’s head snapped in Kabuto’s direction. “Huh? Kabuto?”
Hayate looked down the clipboard of applicants and read aloud, “Kabuto Yakushi, Yoroi Akado, and Misumi Tsurugi from Konoha? Very well, you can go.” He took a moment to pause. “In case I forgot to mention, from here on out you fight as individuals, not as members of teams. So you can choose to quit now without worrying about the rest of your team…we’ll also have an odd number of combatants if no one else drops.”
Daiyu Kageyue raised her hand. “I’ll drop,” she said quietly.
Nakamora looked over at her. “Daiyu?” He muttered. I’m glad she’s okay, he thought to himself, but…I wonder why she’s dropping out.
“Hey, Kabuto!” Naruto shouted across the rows of rookie Genin, “What’s up with you quitting?!”
“Sorry,” Kabuto raised a hand in defense, “but some of these people scare the shit out of me. That, and ever since my scuffle with those sound ninja, I’ve been deaf in my left ear. I’d rather not have a fight to the death like this.”
Hyourin noticed that the man with the messy black hair snapped in the direction of the blue-haired girl who raised her hand to drop out and gave her a look of disgust.
“You see that guy?” She muttered to Tatsu.
“Yeah,” he said, “the one who’s been glaring daggers at Rei?”
“I have a bad feeling about him,” said Hyourin.
“Me too.”
Anko looked over at the Hokage with her own clipboard in hand. “If my memory’s right, that’s about the same time he dropped out last time. According to his dossier, he’s tried and failed six times now.”
“What’s his record?” the Hokage asked.
“Average,” Anko replied, “looks like it took him three attempts to pass and graduate the academy. He’s completed two C-rank and fourteen D-rank missions. Nothing noteworthy in the records about any significant battles…except…”
“Except?”
“Something that happened before he entered the academy. Do you remember hearing the story about the young boy who was brought back from that battle at Kikyo Pass?”
“I do, yes. If I remember correctly, the story was that a Jounin Ninja from the Medical Corps took in an enemy child who survived on the battlefield. Is that him?”
There was a weird tension in the air. Nakamora didn’t like it.
Kabuto Yakushi and his team walked away. He turned around and gave Naruto Uzumaki a smile.
Hyourin’s fixation on Raiju Hasu was broken when she heard Sasuke next to her say, “Shit, I keep getting these waves of pain and they’re starting to get more frequent.”
“So no one else is backing out?” Hayate asked.
“Sasuke,” Sakura Haruno said from behind him, “maybe you should drop out, too. You’ve been weird since Orochimaru attacked you, and your mark’s hurting again–and it keeps getting worse.”
Hyourin only got a glimpse at the mark that was on his neck, back when she saw it begin to consume him. His hand was covering it now, but she wanted to take a look at it. She turned to face him and his teammate.
“Shut up,” Sasuke hissed at her, “and don’t say anything about the mark.”
“Are you sure?” Sakura asked, “You don’t have to act strong about it.”
“It’s my decision, and my burden to bear alone,” he replied.
“How bad is it?” Hyourin asked. “You don’t have to suffer alone, I’m sure a medic can do something for the pain.”
Nakamora interjected, “yeah, I might be able to help!”
“Don’t,” Sasuke refused. “I’m an avenger, this isn’t just a test for me. I don’t care if I become a Chuunin or not. This is all about whether or not I’m strong enough. The people around us are some of the best I could test myself against. I won’t back down just because of a little pain, or because you asked me to.”
“Hey, don’t try to act cool about this!” Naruto turned around. “Sakura’s worried about you, Hyourin’s worried about you, that Nakamora guy can help with the pain–why don’t you care?!”
“You know,” Sasuke smirked, “you’re one of the ones I want to fight, Naruto.”
Naruto didn’t know how to respond.
Hyourin reached and touched his shoulder. “I know how much being strong enough to kill him means to you, and I won’t tell you no–but you don’t have to prove anything to us.”
“It’s not about proving it to you,” Sasuke replied, “and y’know, I’ve been itching to fight you for real, and not just another one of our sparring matches.”
“Then bring it,” Hyourin challenged, “if kicking your ass is what gets you into a doctor’s office, then so be it.”
Anything Sasuke could have responded with was cut short by another wave of pain coming from his shoulder. Sakura winced. Nakamora couldn’t stop himself from reaching out with an attempt to subdue the pain, but Sasuke swatted his hand away. Hyourin couldn’t give him anything but a look of quiet concern that wasn’t readable to anyone else.
Tatsu Fujiwara rolled his eyes. Imagine losing your shit for a guy who treats your concern like that.
Watching the confrontation, the Hokage sighed to Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi. “It looks exactly as we feared.”
“What should we do?” Ibiki asked.
“Pull him out of the exam,” Anko suggested, “quarantine him under an ANBU guard.”
“And you think he’d just go quietly like that?” Kakashi interjected. “He’s a member of the Uchiha clan, and a stubborn one at that.”
“Don’t be stupid, Kakashi!” Anko argued. “I’ll force him to stop if I have to. Any attempt he makes to manipulate his own chakra will provoke a reaction from the curse seal, forcibly draining him of all his strength. It’s a miracle that someone as young as he is is able to bear it at all. It should have killed him by now!”
“I’m still concerned about what you told us of Orochimaru,” the Hokage replied. “Let Sasuke proceed as is, and we’ll keep our eyes on him. If the curse-mark begins to spread and cause his power to get out of hand, then we’ll begin the steps to restrain him.”
“Yes, sir,” the proctors agreed.
“Well, then,” Hayate coughed, “we’ll begin the preliminaries, which will consist of individual combat matches, as though this were a tournament. There are a total of twenty-six combatants remaining, so we’ll hold a total of thirteen matches. The victors of those matches will advance to the third exam. This is no-holds-barred combat. Each pair of combatants will fight until one of them is dead or unconscious, or admits defeat. As soon as you sense that your opponent is overwhelming you, concede or if you value your life. Uhh…since we don’t really want a total bloodbath on our hands, there may be cases where we decide there’s an undisputed winner and step in to end the match–but this probably won’t happen.”
It was clear, then, that the Genin were standing in the middle of an arena. There was a raised balcony around them, and a panel on the wall raised to reveal an electronic scoreboard, prepped to announce who would be fighting who in the bouts to come.
“At the start of every round we’ll display the names of combatants competing in that match. Not to hurry you to the slaughter, but let’s start. We’ll announce the first two names.”
The Genin awaited in tense anticipation as the electronic scoreboard flared to life and showed the names of the first combatants:
うちはサスケ VS ささきマサゴ (Sasuke Uchiha VS Masago Sasaki)
“So I’m up first, huh?” Sasuke smirked.
Masago Sasaki was one of the six applicants in the room who wasn’t from Konoha–and instead was from Suna. He stepped forward, his hands in his pockets, his smile cocked big.
“Sasuke Uchiha and Masago Sasaki, you two have been selected for the first match. Any questions?”
“I’m good,” said Sasuke.
“Bring it,” said Masago.
“Good luck, Masago!” Cheered Natsui Hyuuzu from the sidelines.
The observers moved to the upper balconies of the room while Sasuke and Masago awaited the cue to start. The other Konoha rookies began to sense that something was off about their classmate as they watched him wince in pain.
Kakashi Hatake stopped by Sasuke and put his hand on his shoulder. Hyourin stopped while she was still within earshot of the two. “Don’t use the Sharingan,” Kakashi ordered.
“How did you know?” Sasuke asked.
“If that mark runs rampant in this fight, the consequences will be dire.”
“I figured,” Sasuke sighed.
“If they see any sign of it,” Kakashi warned, “the match will be suspended and I’ll be forced to stop you here. Keep it in mind.”
That was when Sasuke realized the mark responded to his chakra. If he used it, the mark would take over–both his body, his strength, and his psyche. Hyourin figured it out too, and gave Sasuke one last whisper before joining the rest of the Rookies at the balcony above the arena.
“Stay alive, and play it safe.”
She wasn’t expecting a response, and didn’t get one.
“I hear you’re popular with the ladies around here,” Masago grinned, “does that mean if I beat you here I get all your honeys?”
“Begin!” Hayate announced.
Sasuke immediately swung for Masago, who jumped back and hurled a volley of shuriken at Sasuke. The Uchiha boy deflected with a kunai, Masago dodged, and Sasuke was immediately met with another wave of throbbing pain from the curse mark. He toppled to the ground, and Masago immediately stepped in with a chakra-glowing hand to take advantage of him.
Sasuke used the kunai still in his hand to slide out of his way, and grabbed his arm to hold him in a lock–but a weird sensation began to overcome him. His strength felt like it was rapidly fading.
“Like that?” Masago grinned, “It’s a specialty of the Sasaki clan–though there are copycats. It is our ability that drains your chakra and gives it all to me instead!” It gave the blonde-haired boy an opening to deliver a series of blows to the Uchiha boy, all the while keeping a glowing chakra hand on him to drain his strength away.
“Kick his ass, Sasuke!” Hyourin shouted.
Sasuke mustered the strength to kick Masago off of him and across the arena, giving him the room to sit up and breathe for a few moments.
“Man, as beat up as you look,” Masago smirked, “I’m surprised you still have some fight left in you.”
Naruto leaned over the railing to the arena and shouted, “Is your name even Sasuke Uchiha? You’re disgracing yourself! Aren’t you embarrassed you’re about to show everyone what a big fucking loser you are?”
Sasuke looked up to where Naruto was standing–right next to Rock Lee, who’d challenged him before the exams even started.
Masago prepared for another attack and a charge, “Worst time to get distracted, bud! I hope all the honeys of the leaf village are gonna see this play out!”
Sasuke met Masago with the same vertical kick that’d sent him flying into the air, using his own momentum against him.
“Hey, that’s my attack!” Rock Lee protested.
Hyourin muttered something about the Sharingan being stupid.
Sasuke jumped behind Masago–and in a moment of panic the mark began to take hold. He thought of the concerns of Hyourin, Naruto, and Sakura–and Kakashi’s warning. Hyourin watched the black mark begin to spread like black flames across his cheek, and felt a moment of instinctual urge to try and use the Ayatsurihi to control it. It was futile, of course–she couldn’t even feel it with the senses that’d grown heightened to sense flame, but it didn’t stop the yearning of wanting to subdue it.
Instead, she decided to shout, “Remember where your heart is!”
Through pure willpower, Sasuke decided he wasn’t going to let the curse mark consume him. He forced it to recede on its own. He gave Masago one kick, on the right, another on the left, spun him around to deliver one punch to his abdomen–and then finally gave a swift kick to his stomach to send him plummeting back down to the ground.
Masago was on the ground unconscious, and Sasuke landed on his back–but with enough strength left to sit upright.
Hayate stepped into the ring and raised a hand to signal the match had stopped. “The winner is Sasuke Uchiha–who advances to the next round!”
“He did it!” Naruto cheered. “Hey, you might have won, but it looked so uncool! You look like you’re the one who got beat up.”
“Shut up,” Sasuke groaned.
Kakashi moved down to the ring to tap Sasuke on the back. “Well done,” he said.
Chatter filled the gallery, mumbles and murmurs and chatter. Tatsu groaned.
Nakamora looked at Hyourin and smiled, “Looks like he’s alright.”
Natsui Hyuuzu leaned over the railing to get a look at her teammate. He looked rough. The members of the Medical Corps in attendance had to carry him out on a stretcher.
“Idiot,” mumbled her teammate, Hiasto.
“That just means we’ve got to do better,” said Natsui.
“Now,” Kakashi told Sasuke, “you’ll also have to be escorted out of here, too, and put under the observation of the Medical corps. I’ll also seal away that curse mark of yours.”
“This can’t wait?” Sasuke asked, “I wanted to see everyone else fight.”
“No,” Kakashi demanded, “Don’t let your stubbornness cloud your judgement. This thing is spreading on you like a disease, and we need to stop it before it reaches the point of no return.”
“Fine,” Sasuke conceded, “but we wait until Hyourin’s match is over so she can come with me.”
“And why’s that?” Kakashi asked.
“How come she gets to go?” Sakura looked over at Hyourin.
“Members of the Hyuuzu clan and members of the Uchiha clan have always given one another blood if they need blood transfusions because their blood doesn’t dilute the other’s kekkei genkai,” Sasuke explained, “and Hyourin and I are the same blood type, so she’s the best option.”
Kakashi studied Sasuke’s face a bit, and looked up to Hyourin Hyuuzu. Hyourin nodded, to signal that Sasuke was correct, and then Kakashi watched as the two exchanged a knowing moment of eye contact.
There were words unsaid in that exchange, and Kakashi knew what they meant.
“Very well,” he conceded, “but as soon as Hyourin’s ready, we’re out of here. I’m not going to let you have your own way with this mark in the mix.”
The two returned to the balcony to await the next bout.
ひゅーず氷輪 VS ひゅーず夏い (Hyourin Hyuuzu VS Natsui Hyuuzu)
“Looks like we won’t have to wait long,” said Kakashi, “Good.”
Part of the reason members of the Hyuuzu clan abstained from war and held back to protect the village structure and civilians was so that they did not have to march to war and slaughter their own kin. For the most part, Hyuuzu clansmen were forbidden from fighting one another to the death.
The exception for the rule was in tribunals or for the Chuunin exams.
“So you’re Jiro’s second then?” Natsui asked when she and Hyourin entered the ring. “I’m excited to see how strong you are.”
“I hear Sabureko is a brutal teacher,” said Hyourin, “I’m sure you’ll actually give me a challenge.”
“Let’s go, Hyourin!” Nakamora cheered, “Let’s go!!!”
“Hey, if you lose this fight,” Tatsu taunted her with, “I’ll never let you live it down.”
“Wow, what torture,” Hyourin mumbled.
Hayate gave the clear to begin the match, and Hyourin wasted no time to flip backwards to give Natsui a kick to the jaw to put enough space between them to give Hyourin time and space to produce flames and draw her fans.
Natsui moved to recover fast, but intentionally began to make her own hand seals at a delay.
“Hyourin’s not the fastest fighter,” Sasuke observed, “but you’ll still have to be faster than that to out-pace her.”
Hyourin took a flaming edge and ran towards Natsui. Even if they both possessed the Ayatsurihi, it was unlikely that the Second of Suna would be able to hijack Hyourin’s fire–though Hyourin wondered if her ability to use Sasuke’s fireball back in the forest meant anything of her own abilities, and if Natsui was also on the same level.
The green-eyed Hyuuzu sidestepped the flaming edge, and dropped her hand seals to draw a tanto knife from one of the holsters on her hips. She managed to stab Hyourin in the shoulder, and the yellow-green-eyed Hyuuzu tumbled to the ground.
“I may not be the strongest member of our clan,” Natsui said, “but I have always been praised as one of the smartest.”
“Great,” Hyourin mumbled, “you’re one of those.” She recovered quickly and swung her legs to the side to knock Natsui off her feet before using her free hand to push herself back up on her feet.
Her moves are so fluid and she recovers so quickly, Sakura thought, no wonder she’s beaten Sasuke thirty-five times and he thinks so highly of her.
The stab wound was a problem, she was bleeding and it was going to limit mobility in her arm if she didn’t do something. Some of the flames Hyourin produced were still in the arena, so she decided to make an attempt to use the only “healing” technique the Hyuuzu clan could use: the Flame Scalpel. She seemingly picked the flames up with a flat hand and almost looked to be sharpening them along the edge of her pointer and middle fingers.
“Oh, Hyourin told me about this once,” Nakamora said, pointing out her ability in use to Tatsu. “Her clan naturally has terrible chakra control, so medical techniques are almost impossible for them to use–so they invented one that can cauterize wounds for immediate use until they can get to a real medic later.”
Tatsu raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t that hurt?”
Hyourin raked the pinpoint precision flame across the stab wound Natsui left in her shoulder and grit her teeth. The pain was terrible, but she’d felt worse. She rotated her fan arm to check her mobility, and her fan arm was back in action.
“There’s no way it doesn’t hurt,” Sasuke replied from a few feet away, “but one of the worst things about fighting Hyourin–even in just a sparring match–is that her pain tolerance is ridiculous.”
“Damn,” said Naruto, “your girlfriend’s pretty cool, Sasuke.”
Sasuke didn’t have the energy to correct him.
“So, smart girl,” Hyourin goaded Natsui, “what’s going through your head right now?”
“My first impression,” Natsui observed, “is you charge into things head-first and ignore your blind spots.”
“So you got one hit in on me,” Hyourin continued. She began to circle her cousin like a shark. “Anything else?”
“You’re currently waiting until I make the first move so you can try the same thing,” she said, “and I don’t want to give you that chance, so we’re in a stalemate.”
Hyourin nodded. “Right, right,” she decided to suppress the smile growing across her face. “Well, I hate waiting, so I guess I’ll just have to take the blow.” She put her fan away and decided to charge at Natsui, looking as though she was going to hit her with an arm flat across her chest. Natsui prepped her tanto knife, and when she went for the stab, Hyourin anticipated the action, and quickly ducked between Natsui’s legs, spun around, and hit her across the neck from behind.
Rather than give Natsui the time to recover, Hyourin spun again to face her. Natsui was on her way to the ground, and made an attempt to put down an arm to break her fall, but Hyourin used the momentum against her. With a backflip kick to Natsui’s chin, she sent the girl flying backwards.
She landed several feet away, unconscious from the impact.
Hayate raised his hand. “The winner of this round is Hyourin Hyuuzu, who advances to the next stage!”
Hisato Isagoji sighed, disappointed in both of his teammates.
“Well,” said Kakashi, “with that, we’ll be on our way.” He put a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder and ushered Hyourin to him as she returned to the balcony. The two Genin shared a moment of eye contact. “Watch my kids for me, Rei, and I’ll watch yours, alright?”
Rei gave Kakashi a little thumbs up. “Alright!”
She was doing her best to distract herself from her brother, still glaring daggers at her from the other side of the balcony.