Crossover Fan Fiction / Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ K a z o k u ❯ Chuunin Exams ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 9: Chuunin Exams

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They were both going to die.

 

It was laughable how she didn't feel the slightest hint of fear around Ryuk and the others yet her body was literally frozen in terror because of a single look from Mr. Pasty Faced Scary Man. She would've checked to see how Sasuke was faring beside her but that was impossible to do while her life flashed before her eyes and she tasted death in her mouth.

 

She'd always hoped she'd die gloriously, perhaps in a heroic act of sacrifice to save the village or her loved ones, or if she were lucky enough ― peacefully, from old age after seeing her children have children of their own. She wasn't picky really, death was a natural part of life and although she knew everyone around her would have to die at a certain point, despite whatever she did to prevent it, that didn't mean it prepared her to face her own demise right now.

 

Even if she wanted to blame Kakashi-sensei for signing them up for this exam, she knew she was just making excuses for herself. This was nobody's fault but hers ― because she was too weak and couldn't do anything to protect herself or her teammates. Now Naru was gone, eaten by a giant snake according to Mr. Pasty faced Scary Man, and she was about to die in the most unglamorous death ever.

 

After figuring out the hidden meaning behind head exam proctor's complicated rules, all you had to do to pass was to not get caught while cheating.

 

It was easier said than done considering all the experienced chuunin watching your every move with eagle-eyes. With the help of his sharingan, Sasuke breezed through the written part of the chuunin exams. All he had to do was pick the person who looked like he knew what he was writing about and the Uchiha family's bloodline limit took over from there. Neji also had no difficulty with the exam with the help of his byakugan.

 

Hinata, while having the same bloodline limit her older cousin had, refrained from using it to her advantage because of her conscience. Kagome and Sakura answered their test questions to the best of their knowledge, never realizing they should've used shinobi techniques to cheat. Naruto was a nervous wreck, basically having a minor heartattack while sitting next to Hinata, staring at the blank paper with his name on it. Words blended into one another as he stared at them, confusing him more than he already was.

 

The rest of the Konoha genins managed just fine, eluding expulsion from the examination room. The same thing couldn't be said for a lot of chuunin hopefuls; one examinee after another were called and thrown out of the room after failing to hide the fact that they were stealing information from others. In the end, what they wrote on their papers didn't even matter. Mr. Sadistic Exam Head Proctor Morino Ibiki weeded out more chuunin hopefuls by threatening to ban them from advancing up the ninja ranks forever if they failed to answer the tenth question correctly. In the end, they were all scare tactics, psychological warfare to root out the genins who had the emotional maturity to become potential chuunins.

 

Their second exam proctor was even more eccentric than their first one, a skilled jounin named Anko who was as loud as Naruto and as flashy as Jiraiya. She took them to the forest of death and gave them instructions: Each team was responsible for one set of scrolls, either an earth scroll or a heaven scroll, and their objective by the end of the second task was to reach the tower inside the forest with one earth and one heaven scroll.

 

This meant they would have to fight another team at some point, and survive, while fighting off other genins who went after their team scroll. They were assigned a gate entrance and Naruto took them aside for a quick pep talk before the signal went off.

 

The blond breathed deep before addressing his teammates, looking his sister in the eye bravely. “I know you two still haven't resolved your differences, but I think you should put that aside and cooperate on this mission. We need to show some of that `teamwork' Kakashi-sensei has always been telling us is important because frankly, that forest of death looks really dangerous.” The tone he used was one reserved for children pitching a tantrum.

 

Sasuke should've known something bad was going to happen when the dobe started spouting stuff like that. The reason why he'd let his guard down and didn't search for signs of the apocalypse was because Kagome finally relented and forgave him.

 

“I'm still mad at what you did, but Naru's right. If we are to survive this test, I'm willing to look past what happened for now and cooperate on this task.”

 

Okay, so he wasn't getting off scot-free with a clean slate but it was good enough. He can live with that.

 

If only he wasn't staring death in the face right now.

 

His body was numb, his brain frozen in terror and Naruto's current whereabouts or well-being was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment. A few minutes after they entered the forest, someone swooped down from the sky and carried Kagome off.

 

It was an ambush.

 

Sasuke and Naruto quickly pursued the abductor, but his two teammates blocked their path.

 

“Go on and get her back, Sasuke!” Naruto instructed, his aura deceptively calm with an underlying repressed fury. “I'll take care of these bozos and catch up. If you let even a single hair on her head get harmed, I'm going to beat you so hard, your great grandchildren are going to feel it.”

 

He snorted in response to Naruto's empty threats of course. Did the dobe really think he could beat him? But he didn't argue; he just gave Naruto a curt nod and took off. The last thing that Sasuke saw before he continued his pursuit was Naruto doing his Kage Bunshin jutsu.

 

Surprisingly, he didn't have to give chase after his abducted teammate that far. He found her and the grass nin a short time later with the latter's shoulder smoking from what he assumed a blast Kagome had given him.

 

“Don't you ever touch me again or I'll fry you into kingdom come!”

 

“Are you all right Kagome?” Sasuke asked as he landed beside her, checking for visible signs of injuries.

 

“I'm fine,” she replied, not taking her eyes off their opponent.

 

Her would-be captor chuckled creepily, as if he knew something they didn't. “I wouldn't hurt Kagome-chan, Sasuke-kun. Don't worry your pretty little head about that.”

 

Sasuke stepped closer to his teammate, in front of her and effectively blocking a direct attack from the pasty-faced creep. “Who are you and what do you want?”

 

“How do you know our names?” Kagome asked, a little annoyed at Sasuke's actions but also a little thankful he blocked the creepy man's view of her. Slowly but surely she unsheathed a kunai, gripping it tightly. She'd be damned if she was going to let Creepy McScary touch her again without losing any limbs.

 

“Tsk-tsk. I'm hurt, Kagome-chan. Really, I am. You don't remember me? Ah, but I can't say I could blame you. You were too young when we first met, just a baby really, but we got along just fine. I was your favorite, in fact,” Orochimaru cooed, lying through his teeth. Amused at the blank looks he received, he chuckled. “The name's Orochimaru, my little pretties. Ring any bells?”

 

“The traitor among the Legendary Three,” Kagome didn't bother to hide the disgust in her voice. “You're a disgrace to your teammates.”

 

For someone who was just insulted, he just smiled pleasantly. A long minute passed in tense silence as they regarded each other thoughtfully. Orochimaru looked pleased at what he was seeing.

 

“What do you want?” Sasuke finally broke the staring contest.

 

The snake sannin leered at them, licking his lips appreciatively as he looked from the Uchiha to the girl behind him. “I've come for you, my pretties,” he replied easily and proceeded to lay down his plans for the both of them.

 

Things went downhill from there. Predictably, he and Kagome refused any offer the creepy sannin had for them, practically spitting on his face even as he tried tempting them using phrases like `ultimate power', `learn all the techniques invented' and `rule the world'. In Kagome's eyes, he was an enemy of the village, a traitor to Konoha and several of the people she held dear. She would die before she would choose to associate with him in any way. In Sasuke's opinion, he was just plain creepy and he didn't like the way the freak looked at them like they were specimens in a lab; proof and point when Orochimaru started talking about making `a perfect host by combining their DNAs'.

 

“With the Uchiha's bloodline limit and your power, I will have the ultimate vessel to achieve my goal,” the sannin cackled.

 

“You're a sick freak. What makes you think we're going to agree to anything you say?” Sasuke looked disgusted at the mere thought of allying himself with the creep, signing their own death warrants.

 

Orochimaru didn't take their refusals lightly. Deciding to take them by force, shuriken were thrown and a fight started. It ended several seconds later when the sannin paralyzed the two genins with a mere glance. The bloodlust released in that single action overwhelmed Kagome and Sasuke, literally pinning them to the spot, life flashing before their eyes as the sannin lunged.

 

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Itachi pinned Haku with his coldest glare but the boy wasn't the least bit intimidated. He stared back at the older and taller ANBU impassively, a friendly look on his face. The Uchiha turned to include the Hokage in his glare radius. “Is this really necessary, Yondaime-sama?” The tone was respectful with an underlying withheld fury.

 

“Just a precaution, Itachi-kun,” Arashi replied cheerily, ignoring the Uchiha's evil eye. “If the Sandaime didn't trust me enough to `stay put' and had to assign you to guard me, then it's only fair that I assign someone to keep an eye on you too. It's only fair,” he repeated, nodding solemnly. “If I'm stuck here, so are you. If I'm forced to wait until they make it to the tower, then so are you. I know you're just as concerned about them as I am,” he ignored the brow raise his statement caused, “but you'll have to put up with Haku if I have to put up with you.”

 

“I don't see the need to place a guard on your own guard,” Itachi commented dryly. “And why did I have to take off my mask? Yondaime-sama could tell which ANBU I am even with my mask on for as long as I remember.”

 

“Haku doesn't yet, and he has to keep a close eye on you. I wouldn't want him to lose track of his assignment.”

 

Obsidian eyes narrowed even further at the blond.

 

“Don't worry Itachi-san,” Haku spoke, “I'm sure Kagome and Naruto will make it to the tower with your brother safe and sound. Just have a little faith in them.”

 

Itachi wished he could whole-heartedly agree with Haku, silently cursing the Yondaime for anticipating his moves. The man was good. When he was called in to be on guard duty for the Yondaime during the Chuunin Exams, he knew it was because the Sandaime didn't trust the Yondaime not to sneak into the Forest of Death himself and spy on his children.

 

Why he was requested specifically he could only guess ― maybe it was because of his close relationship to the Yondaime and his family, or it could be because of his superior shinobi skills. Either way, he was surprised when Arashi-sama told him to take off his mask and ordered Haku to keep an eye on him.

 

There he was, supposed to keep an eye on the Yondaime to prevent him from crashing the second round of the Chuunin tests, with Haku keeping an eye on him from preventing doing the same thing he was keeping an eye on the Yondaime for.

 

It was a weird cycle of who's guarding who.

 

“I do have faith in them,” Itachi tried to sound convincing. His frown deepened when the two looked at him dubiously. If he wasn't an Uchiha, he would've huffed at their expressions. Even if their skills weren't that of high level ninjas yet he had faith in them. It still didn't make the uneasy feeling in his stomach go away though. It gnawed at him, and he hated it. Hated feeling this way, feeling weak.

 

One glance at the Yondaime told him the man felt the same thing, but they also both knew they were prohibited from interfering. Not that they would and could actually do that now that there were people watching them to make sure they didn't, but it still didn't help make the uneasiness go away.

 

He could only hope Sasuke and Naruto were competent enough to make sure Kagome made it in one piece. If she didn't, those two would pay dearly.

 

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Bam!

 

The surrounding insects and birds nesting nearby flew away as Orochimaru hit an invisible barrier face first with the force enough to shake the trees around them in their roots. He propelled backwards, twisted and turned, tried to gain his balance as best he could while he skidded face-first into the dirt.

 

Sasuke would've wet his pants in relief if he were capable, as Kagome collapsed on her knees, breaking eye contact with the snake sannin. When he hit the barrier, she felt like someone punched her in the gut, cutting whatever spell she was under. Thinking fast, she didn't waste time to catch a second wind.

 

Orochimaru let out an amused chuckle. Picked his body off the forest floor and dusted his clothes. “How careless of me,” clucked his tongue and shook his head. “I should've known you'd pull that stunt. Aw, where are you going, Kagome-chan? Where are you taking Sasuke-kun? I'll give you a head start but escaping me is impossible!” He yelled at the retreating back of the female genin who dragged her teammate to the safety of the trees.

 

“One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand...” she heard the demented sannin count tauntingly as she attempted to distance her and Sasuke from him. Kagome ignored everything else, didn't even spare him a backward glance. She supported Sasuke's weight with her own until she felt there was enough space between them and the creep. She stopped on a tree branch high above the ground.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Sasuke nodded, not trusting his voice.

 

“We lost him... I think... did we lose him? I don't sense―” the sudden appearance of a squirrel caused her to throw a kunai at its direction. Thankfully, it missed the little critter and it scampered off after glaring at the rude human who dared threaten its life.

 

“What...” She was horrified at what almost just happened. Quickly snapping out of it, she dragged Sasuke to lean on the tree trunk. “It was just a squirrel―”

 

“Oh my Kagome-chan, you still have a lot to learn.” Orochimaru's voice interrupted, his head popping out of the tree trunk Sasuke was leaning on, startling the two genins. Before either of them could blink, he sunk his teeth into the young Uchiha's neck.

 

Sasuke screamed in pain and Orochimaru retracted his teeth the next instant. The sannin looked pleased to see three comma-shaped tattoo-like marks materializing on his victim's neck.

 

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“Oh for the love of― do you really think it's necessary for you to follow me to the bathroom, Itachi-kun?” Exasperation would be too weak a word to describe what Arashi felt for the Uchiha prodigy right now.

 

“You could ask the same thing to Haku,” was all Itachi said.

 

Haku shrugged in reply behind him, as if to say he was only doing his job.

 

The chuunin quietly doing his business in the corner had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stifle a laugh. Death by Itachi's hands, and possibly the Yondaime's since he looked pissed (pardon the pun) enough at the moment, with his pants down was not how he envisioned his demise to be. He'd heard the other shinobi in the tower laughing about the odd `babysitting' arrangement all day today, but seeing the trio for himself was something else.

 

“I'm not going to sneak out of the toilet for crying out loud. I'm just here to relieve myself. Can't you at least give me some privacy?!”

 

“This is a public facility, Yondaime-sama. I too have the right to use it.”

 

Haku shrugged again when they looked at him, as if to say `hey, me too.' A peeved Yondaime glared once more at Itachi before he stepped in front of the cubicle one space away from the chuunin doing his business. Itachi took the place one empty spot next to the Yondaime and Haku took the farthest one, putting up with the Yondaime's complaints about invaded privacies and needing some alone time.

 

Itachi continued to give him clipped answers while Haku remained with his `just smile and nod or shrug' approach. Arashi glowered. Itachi stared back impassively. Haku proceeded to smile and nod.

 

The chuunin didn't even bother to wash his hands or excuse himself from his Hokage. He zipped up, quickly exited the public bathroom as fast as his legs could carry him as soon as he finished. The three remaining shinobi keeping a close eye on one another could hear his laughter even as the doors closed.

 

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They may have survived the attack from the creepy sannin, but they were now left with two unconscious members and one exhausted teammate in their team.

 

A battered Naruto came to their aid as the poison from Orochimaru's bite slowly spread through Sasuke's system, and Kagome watched as he too took a beating from the former leaf nin. Her brother put up a three-minute fight against the sannin before he finally got knocked out, and all she could do was huddle over both her teammates' bodies in an effort to shield them from Orochimaru's attack.

 

Eyes closed, not daring to breathe while praying to every god who's listening to save them, a soft breeze on her hair was all she felt just as he whispered “I'll come back for you next time, Kagome-chan,” in her ear.

 

When she opened them, she was all alone with her fallen comrades in the middle of the forest, the snake sannin nowhere to be seen. She would've collapsed in relief if she wasn't already crouching, puzzling over the bizarre turn of events.

 

The man could've killed her and her teammates in a heartbeat yet he didn't... why? A closer examination at Sasuke's neck proved she might have thanked her lucky stars a little too early.

 

Orochimaru had injected poison into his system, she could tell from looking at the odd looking marks. Already, his chakra was showing signs of poisoning and his body trembled as the toxin spread into his system.

 

What should she do? Leave her teammates and go look for help? No, leaving them wasn't going to be an option. The physically tired and chakra-spent kunoichi could think of only two things to do in this situation.

 

The million oden question was should she put up an absolute defense barrier around her team and wait until one of them woke up or should she attempt to cure Sasuke? It wasn't much of a dilemma, she was already leaning towards... Her head shot up, almost hitting the low tree branch above. Why didn't she think of it sooner?

 

Putting at least one fourth of her remaining chakra, familiar runes glowed around her as she performed her jutsu. A while later, a huge, hulking figure of a summon appeared, more than twice her height although he was hunched over and probably more than five times her weight. When the lights disappeared, it looked around, then down at her and blinked.

 

Kagome swallowed, stepping a little closer to her fallen teammates. “H―hi, I'm Kagome. A―are you my summon?” He was huuuge! His face looked like almost like a horse and he was almost bald save for the patch of hair he tied to a ponytail at the back. And those eyes! Huge, saucer-like shaped with the bluest blue she'd ever seen. People often remarked on how pretty the cerulean color of her, Papa's and Naruto's eyes were, but the hue of this guy's― creature's, whatever he was ― eyes put theirs to shame.

 

“Kagome-san!” The huge creature's eyes lit up in glee, happiness reflected in his voice. He moved as if to hug her but suddenly stopped as if remembering something. “Jaken said you don't remember...” he mumbled to himself, opting to carefully extend a hand towards her instead.

 

She took it and they carefully shook hands, a friendly gesture from the summoner to the summon. His hand dwarfed hers but she noted how gentle he was, as if he was afraid she might break if he applied too much pressure.

 

“I'm Jinenji,” he introduced himself with a short bow, “What can I help you with today?” Long arms dragged on the ground as he hunched over.

 

“Jineji-san, can you please help me carry my teammates to safety?” She indicated to the two bodies lying on the forest floor. “I have to find a small body of water, a pond or stream... just anything with water, preferably where we're relatively safe from ambush.”

 

Jinenji cocked his head to one side, listening for sounds of the nearest body of water. After a few seconds, he nodded his head and walked towards the sleeping Naruto. She didn't think it was possible, but his eyes widened even more when he stood over her brother. “The Kyuubi...”

 

“He's my brother,” Kagome said a little defensively.

 

Jinenji would've quirked a brow if he had one at this, but said nothing instead, carefully picking up Naruto and then Sasuke, hoisting them on his shoulders. “It's this way,” he nodded his head towards the sound, waiting until Kagome started walking towards the right direction.

 

“Do you need help carrying them, Jinenji-san?” She asked after a few moments of silence.

 

“Don't worry about it, Kagome-san. They don't weigh a thing.” He assured. They walked in companionable silence until they reached a small clearing a few minutes later. Trees so high Kagome couldn't see the top neatly gave way to a small stream of water.

 

“Thank you, Jinenji-san!” With much relief, she hurriedly knelt by the brook and took out their water canteens to refill them while Jinenji scouted the bases of various large trees that could provide shelter for his smaller charges. “Can you place them here for a second, please?”

The giant watched quietly as Kagome carefully gave the blond a check-up. He stood close to them, mindful of the three sets of eyes that were watching their every move, but made sure not to appear as if he had noticed their spying. He overheard some of his neighbors talk about Jaken's so-called adventures in the human world not so recently, but he dismissed them to be unfounded rumors and tried not to get his hopes up.

 

Jaken and their group might have been close to the miko whom everybody respected and a lot of them feared, but that didn't mean he could believe everything that they said. That loyal fire cat and that loud dog met the same fate the kit did on their ventures to the human world, chasing after rumors of her return. Jinenji knew that if she were to appear, she'd find her own way of contacting them, letting them know where she was, and making her presence known.

 

The toad merely brushed him off, and the loud dog scoffed at his opinion and stated that he didn't know what he was talking about.

 

Jinenji scoffed right back and told them to do what they want. Even the older dog seemed to agree with his opinion, although he didn't voice it, but because of his unusual looks, even for a demon, they ignored him and thought his ideas to be irrelevant.

 

He retreated to his home then, and patiently waited for the day of her return. He knew she'd find her way to him, like before. Rumors of her or about her resurfaced from time to time then... and slowly but surely lured one of them after another. He never thought he'd ever see the others again, after hearing reports of what happened to them, but glancing at the blond, the kit surely knew what he was doing.

 

Come to think of it, among their group, he was always the one who was most connected to the miko. The reports of his capture had been grossly exaggerated but true nonetheless. His capture was unimportant now though, since he was with Kagome. He got what he wanted and Jinenji didn't think he minded the circumstances... maybe. Jinenji couldn't speak in behalf of him.

 

He watched the miko heal even the slightest of cuts on the blond, her brother she had said, and stayed alert as she used the fresh stream water to sponge away the dirt on him. Ten minutes later, she placed a cool towel on his forehead and worked on the dark-haired boy.

 

“This is Sasuke,” Kagome replied to his silent curiosity. “He was bitten by a man who looks like a snake while we were in the forest, and I'm afraid the poison is spreading in his body. Do you see this mark here?” He leaned closer to see the three commas on the side of his neck. “I think it's a curse of some sort.” Worry was evident in her voice. “I've had little experience dealing with curses, all of them when I was little and I admit I don't know what I was really doing. Do you know a way of how I could remove it?”

 

He was moved by her obvious concern for her friend. She hasn't changed one bit. Always so caring of others and willing to accept them, no matter what they were. “I have some herbs with me,” he peered at the odd curse seal, “but they would only work against the poison, not the curse. The curse needs to be contained or purified. I don't have the skills or power to do either.”

 

Kagome groaned in defeat, head hanging in defeat. “I knew you were gonna say that. A friend of mine told me a story of purification by water, but he didn't really go into detail, nor do I have any experience with it.”

 

“You can do it, Kagome-san.” Jinenji encouraged.

 

She smiled at his belief in her. “I guess I could try... do you see that black aura surrounding him?”

 

Jineji shook his head.

 

Kagome wasn't deterred. “If I could remove that nasty noxious aura, even just a little, maybe...”

 

The giant shot a pointed look at the trees. He squared his shoulders, “Don't worry Kagome-san, I'll try my best to protect you. Just concentrate on healing your teammate and leave the rest to me.”

 

In the next few hours, the three spies observing from the trees watched as Kagome tried to purge Orochimaru's poison from Sasuke's body... and relatively failed. They observed as the girl used an unknown jutsu to extract visible black tendrils from the Uchiha and deposit them in the water. She did it painstakingly, refusing to take any breaks. The giant standing guard over them hovered protectively, asked in concern once every two hours for her to rest even for a little bit, but she insisted she was fine and continued with her work.

 

They weren't close enough to see the black marks threaten to envelop Sasuke's body from their positions, but they were treated to the sight of power flaring from the two bodies in the water once in a while. A black aura from Sasuke and pink from Kagome would clash, the resulting battle giving every living thing within close range goosebumps. It would continue to peak until the pink could finally overcome the black and the girl would appear to be more fatigued each time, the fights taking an obvious toll on her.

 

Still they waited, as per instructions, for the time to strike. There was a barrier of some sort surrounding their targets, but they couldn't start their assault until dawn. Orochimaru-sama had been very specific with that. When Zaku shifted impatiently, mumbling about how they should strike now since the girl looked like she was going to pass out from the fatigue already instead of waiting for the sun to come up, Kin pointedly reminded him of what their master told them to do and what he did with those who failed to follow orders. Kinuta agreed with Kin.

 

So they waited. And waited some more. Zaku tried to occupy his time by toying with the air nozzles on the palm of his hands, but Kin told him to pay attention to their targets. When he argued that their marks weren't going anywhere and that the only obstacle in their path to killing the Uchiha was the misshapen protector, Kin threatened to fill his air-release nozzles with her senbon... among other things.

 

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Jinenji grabbed Kagome before she hit the water face down. Shaking his head with a sigh, he carried the two bodies and laid them next to the kit, heightened senses staying on full alert. The girl passed out from exhaustion, but her barrier thankfully held. He didn't know why the people spying on them waited this long, and he the knowledge that they were there but he couldn't do anything about them because going after them would mean abandoning his unconscious charges, but they could wait until forever for all he cared.

 

Still, he should've reserved judgment until much later because his luck finally ran out with the rising of the sun. He barely had the time to admire the look of the forest in daybreak when the barrier shuddered. He turned his head just in time to see a spiky-haired, cruel-looking shinobi forcefully thrown with an invisible force. He landed in an ungraceful heap at the foot of a kunoichi who sneered at him and called him an idiot.

 

“Shut up, Kin! I'd like to see you try to get past the invisible wall,” he huffed as he stood up, giving Jinenji a perfect view of his shirt with three characters reading “death” printed on it.

 

Jinenji assumed a defensive position in front of the little cave his young charges were in just as the third person completed the enemy group. The half-demon assumed he was their leader, despite his hunchback, non-visible hands through his too-long sleeves and bandage wrapped face. Not that he was one to judge others by their appearance, but he found the leader's straw raincoat odd. His left eye peeking out of the bandages on his face as the only visible feature also gave him an eerie look.

 

All three wore their forehead protectors on their foreheads and Jinenji knew enough about human hidden villages to conclude that they were from the newly formed Sound Village.

 

The guy with “death” printed three times on his shirt and the girl with an arsenal of senbon got into a loud fight about what to do next, a very heated discussion about how the macho-looking kunoichi (Kin, if Jinenji heard right) was going to open the barrier by slamming the spiky-haired shinobi's head into it. Zaku, if the half-demon's hearing didn't fail him, then detailed what he was going to do with the kunoichi's senbon if she did that, causing another round of loud arguments.

 

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“... and if you are in need you must find us. Summon us to come to your aid and we will be there.”

 

“What if I don't remember any of this? What if you no longer exist in my future?”

 

“Don't worry, miko, even if we are all separated from each other, our fates are connected with bonds that can never be broken.”

 

“Yeah, what he said. Haven't you already learned that from our old man? You're the one with all the corny beliefs, woman! Where are those cheesy proverbs of yours now?”

 

An orange blur kicked the hanyou on the side of the head before settling into her arms. “Baka!” He huffed, making himself comfortable. “Don't worry, mama. No matter where I go and where I am, I'll always be there to protect you.”

 

She hugged the kit close before turning to the demon lord. “I want to believe in what you're saying. I really do. I want to believe that we'll all meet again someday, but you said so yourself. Even if demons have longer life spans than humans, it's not guaranteed that you'll survive five hundred years into the future.”

 

“Keh!” The hanyou scoffed. “Don't doubt Fluffy's word. Haven't you already learned something? Baaaka! We found each other once. I'm sure we'll do it again.”

 

“The ignorant hanyou has a point.” Things shifted a little, “Now wake up. You're in grave danger.”

 

“What?” Kagome's eyes opened, surprised at realizing that the voice from her dream caused it. She couldn't see the faces of the people in her dream, but the voice warning her of danger had been right. Her eyes widened. “Jinenji-san!” How long had she been out? Sunlight streamed through all the gaps in the trees now.

 

The giant's body was bathed with needles courtesy of Kin when he used his body to shield the three genins from her attack, one ear had a trail of blood flowing from it because of Kinuta's supersonic attacks, and his arms were littered with cuts due to Zaku's deadly air nozzles. His will to protect the genins remained strong despite the injuries he received. His loyalty was admirable, but Kagome didn't want him to lose his life in exchange for theirs.

 

I have to do something! Even as she screamed the thought in her mind, she barely had the strength to stand up. Her barrier must've failed some time ago, so Jinenji was forced to fight the three attackers by himself while she and her teammates were out cold.

 

“Oh goodie, the girl's awake. Now we don't have to pick who to torture next,” Zaku cackled.

 

“I will not allow you to hurt Kagome-san!” Jinenji roared, aiming a punch towards him. Zaku easily dodged the physically beat half-demon, grinning sadistically. Before the giant could lunge at him again, he blasted the fool so hard, the impact caused the tree trunk to crack with the force.

 

“Jinenji-san!” Kagome gasped helplessly, willing her legs to move.

 

“I love the sound of terrified genins in the morning,” Zaku laughed, advancing towards her. Jinenji remained unresponsive to her voice, lying in an unconscious and bleeding heap on the forest floor. “We're done with that one,” Zaku explained. “He put up a good fight but he was no match for our combined forces. We had to attack together to bring him down. He was one tough horse.”

 

Kagome felt sick to her stomach. Was he dead? No, his ki fluctuations told her he was only unconscious, despite looking severely beaten. This was all her fault. If she didn't summon him... if she wasn't so weak... no. What did Mushin-sama say? What was written in that scroll?

 

When summons are injured, exhausted, chakra-depleted, unconscious or appear to be dead, a dismissal is the best course of action. This will allow the summon to be revived for the next session.

 

Hoping with every fiber of her being that what the scroll contained was true, she waved her hand and dismissed Jinenji.

 

The three Sound-nins startled at the action, even earning a surprised “Cool!” from the cruel Zaku as he watched the giant disappear in a flurry of lights, before he threw a kunai at her.

 

Clang!

 

Kunai clashed against kunai, barely deflecting it.

 

“Aw, there's still some fight left in her, but I don't think she'll be as much fun as her friend.”

 

“You wanna take this one, Zaku?”

 

“I'd be delighted to, Kinuta. Kin?”

 

The female shrugged, “Knock yourself out.” None of them thought the genin was much of a threat anyway.

 

She wasn't. Kagome tried her best but Zaku had her facedown on the ground, a knee holding her down with one hand behind her back within several seconds. The Sound-nin laughed at the pain he was causing the Leaf genin. Her cries of pain were music to his ears. Each time he tightened his grip on her arm, just enough to get a reaction from her but not enough to break it, she'd whimper pathetically and he'd do it again because it was fun.

 

Kin yawned, bored at her teammate's cruel antics. “Don't forget our orders, Zaku.” Kinuta reminded as the Leaf genin cried out in pain from the heel digging into her back.

 

“Yeah, yeah!” Zaku muttered exasperatedly. Their orders were to kill the Uchiha, and Orochimaru had been very explicit about sparing the girl from death. Why, none of them knew and dared to question, because orders were orders. He rubbed the girl's face into the dirt some more and beat her up to squeeze out some of those delightful pathetic sounds she made before he removed his foot. Giving the girl several more parting kicks to the ribs, he looked at his teammates innocently. “What? He said not to kill the girl, nothing about not beating her up.”

 

“Idiot,” Kin shot Zaku a disgusted look, twirling deadly senbon between her fingers. “Let's get this over with already!”

 

Kinuta sighed and stepped towards Sasuke. Might as well get it done before Kin and Zaku go at it again.

 

Kagome's face scraped up more dirt as she turned her head. “Naru...” she cried out softly, tears streaming down her dirty face, “wake up. Sasuke, wake up!” The Sound-nin his teammates referred to as Zaku walked back to her side again and kicked her in the head.

 

“No talking!” He added for emphasis then suddenly screamed in pain when two kunai were imbedded deep into his thigh. The recipient of his kicks disappeared with a blur. “Son of a―”

 

“How dare you lay a hand on Kagome,” a very angry looking Neji cradling Kagome stated, his own teammates Lee and TenTen standing on each side. He handed the girl to his female teammate, brushing the hair away from Kagome's face as gently as he could, hands shaking with fury.

 

ღ

 

Haku jumped, startled at the sound of china breaking as it hit the floor. He looked questioningly at the Yondaime who was ashen-faced. Arashi looked at Itachi, bewilderment and panic in his eyes. “You felt it too, didn't you?” The sudden jolt he felt caused him to drop his cup. Never had he felt such a strong call for help before.

 

Upon closer inspection, Haku could see the same emotions the Yondaime was feeling in the Uchiha's face, controlled and just barely concealed. His interest was further piqued when Itachi remained tight-lipped and unresponsive.

 

“That's it!” Arashi sidestepped the broken teacup on the floor, “I'm going no matter what you say. I know you felt that, you can't tell me to stay put,” he spat the words, “any longer when you know they're in danger!”

 

Haku stood up, confused. Should he block the Yondaime? But his orders only concerned Itachi, who had a death grip on his chair. What was going on?

 

“Step aside, Kakashi-kun,” Arashi demanded as he opened the door to discover his former student and a few of his ANBU guards blocking it.

 

“The Sandaime ordered me to keep you here as well, Arashi-sensei. Please stay calm and go back to your paperwork.” Kakashi told him.

 

“But you don't understand! I felt a...” he snaked a hand through his hair, “a... I can't really explain it but you have to believe me. It was like a distress call, Kakashi-kun. I have to go and help them.”

 

Kakashi nodded to the ANBU in the dog mask.

 

ღ

 

TenTen winced, looking at Kagome's injuries. Judging from her moan of pain, she guessed the girl probably had a broken rib or two. Confident that her teammates had a grip on the situation, she kept one eye on the ongoing battle while breaking out the first aid kit.

 

In the year or so that she worked closely with Neji on the same team, she'd never ever seen him lose his poker face or cold attitude before. Imagine her surprise when he suddenly bolted, saying “Kagome!” in a panicked voice just as Lee was suggesting they do a search of the parameter. They got their earth scroll and heaven scroll easily after beating another genin team for it, and the plan was to look around for a little bit before resting.

 

Plans to rest were soon abandoned as she and Lee chased after Neji, shocked at his odd behavior. She exchanged glances with Lee, bewildered at what might have triggered such a reaction from their emotionally constipated team member.

 

They broke into a clearing just in time to see a Sound-nin kick a huddled, battered form on the ground. In the next instant, Neji flew, kunai drawn, eyes blazing. Lee was there to even out the fight two to three while TenTen assessed Kagome's condition, but the young Hyuuga was like an unstoppable bull on a rampage. The opponents fell to the forest floor with their chakra holes closed or badly damaged before long. Not even the female was spared.

 

Lee stood slack-jawed, watching the fight before his eyes. Neji was his rival, but he was happy that his normally stoic teammate was using his fires of youth in a passionate battle. He could see the fire in those milky whites. A little too much, when Neji dug his heel on the face of the guy whom they saw abusing the girl earlier.

 

“I should kill you right here, right now,” Neji said in a dangerous low voice, enjoying the look of pain on the man's face, giving him the same treatment he gave Kagome earlier.

 

“Neji-kun, that's enough,” Lee stepped in.

 

“Stay out of this, Lee.” Neji retorted, ignoring his advice.

 

“You've won,” Lee placed a hand, unafraid, on Neji's shoulder. “Let it go. None of them could move their bodies anymore. You should tend to Kagome-san. See if she's okay.”

 

ღ

 

A couple of days passed after Team 7's ordeal before their team got well enough to continue on their journey towards the tower. Days before, Neji insisted that he and his team should stay, just in case any more incidents happened, but Kagome argued for them to move on and finish the second task on their own, reminding Neji that they had to pass this trial with their teammates, and as much as they willed it to be otherwise, Neji wasn't part of their team.

 

This didn't sit well with the Hyuuga as he fought with her on the issue, while none of his teammates dared to oppose him. Lee was genuinely happy for the youthful vigor his rival was showing, and TenTen knew better than to argue with her stubborn teammate when he had his mind set on something. Never had Neji asked anything of them before, too. It was nice to know he was human like them.

 

Kagome and Neji argued tirelessly for several hours, her shouts of frustration the sounds that Naruto and Sasuke woke up to. They immediately took her side, Naruto claiming that he could protect his teammates and Sasuke stating that Neji shouldn't interfere with other team's businesses.

 

The meager rest she had coupled with a soldier pill TenTen fed her allowed Kagome a chakra boost, so she took the time to heal her major wounds while her brother and friends disagreed with each other. Neji seriously doubted Naruto and Sasuke's abilities to protect their team, as evident with the situation that Team Gai had walked into, while the two Team 7 genin males defended their capabilities.

 

The matter was finally settled when Kagome suggested that Team Gai get going and Neji could report whatever he wanted to the Yondaime, and they could figure out how pathetic Team 7 was after that.

 

“Yeah, you tattletale,” Sasuke muttered under his breath, producing a small scuffle involving skin getting pinched, heads receiving noogies and legs trying to trip each other.

 

In the end, Kagome pleaded with Lee and TenTen, and they were forced to overrule Neji as they chose to respect Team 7's decision to make it on their own. Neji wasn't happy, but he did go straight to the Hokage after they reached the tower. He didn't care if the Uchiha was going to tease him about tattling on them. In his mind, he was just doing his job as someone who was indebted to the Yondaime and his family.

 

It took Team 7 a few more days to recuperate, but they did make it just in time to pass the deadline. They were allowed a very short breather before they were told an elimination round was going to begin, and they shuffled to the arena to duke it out with the other preliminary exam contenders.

 

ღ

 

Hayate hacked and wheezed, drawing the concerned stares of the young genins who weren't used to seeing him. Behind him were several high ranking representatives from each participating hidden village, including the Sandaime and the Yondaime.

 

“Will he be all right?” Kagome asked.

 

“He looks like he's going to kick the bucket soon,” Naruto observed sympathetically.

 

Sasuke had been one of the first among the genins to fight with his opponent a fellow Leaf-nin who was older and more experienced. He encountered a little difficulty getting his curse seal in check, but in the end he won the fight and was carted off by Kakashi to help him control his new curse. The seal threatened to take over his entire body every time he attempted to mold chakra. Using his sharingan had been out of the question, so he had to rely solely on his taijutsu skills. Thankfully, they were enough to defeat the opponent, but not without paying a price. He was terribly exhausted and even passed out right after he was declared the winner.

 

If Team 7 and Team Gai were surprised to see the three Sound-nins they encountered in the forest make it to the prelims, none of them showed it. Choji had the unfortunate luck to be pitted against Kinuta and he lost, while Shikamaru luckily triumphed over Kinuta's female teammate, Kin. TenTen ran into some difficulties against Temari from the Sand village, while Neji scored a spot on the finals after winning against a very tough match with a Sound-nin named Hakudoshi. Kakashi came back from his errand with Sasuke sometime after that, just in time to witness Sakura's fight with Ino that ended in a draw, while Hojo lost to his own teammate Sai. Naruto won against Kiba using sheer luck, and now it was Hinata's turn.

 

Her opponent was a white-haired chibi similar in looks to Neji's earlier opponent. Kagome was excited for her friend, but also couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. She attributed it to nervousness from her own match, which was yet to come.

 

When his hacking cough subsided, Hayate raised a hand in the air. “Begin!”

 

“Go for it, Hinata!” Kagome cheered from the sidelines, all thoughts about the impending sermon she and Naruto were sure to receive from their father forgotten. Papa stared pointedly at her and her brother while the Sandaime made a speech about the importance of the Chuunin exams to different shinobi nations, and she had to hide behind her hair to avoid the scrutiny. Perhaps when the prelims were finished, papa would be too busy to talk to them. Or at least she hoped so.

 

Hinata smiled at her friend and breathed in. She had a height advantage over her opponent although she couldn't tell how old she was. She looked like a child of about six or ten but appearances could be deceiving. Not allowing her guard to drop, she performed several hand seals. “Byakugan!” The veins around her eyes became more prominent, indicating her activated bloodline limit.

 

“What is that?” Sakura could be heard questioning her sensei in the sidelines. She's never seen the Hyuuga kekkei genkai in action before. Those who weren't familiar with the special eye condition of the Hyuuga clan leaned forward to catch the explanation about the strongest clan in Konoha's special bloodline limit.

 

Hinata's friends paid it no attention. They were already familiar with it. Instead, all their eyes were focused on the small Hyuuga girl, especially Kagome who was feeling a growing sense of dread despite her faith in her best friend's abilities.

 

Her senses were screaming that something wasn't right and she felt frustrated that she didn't know what it was.

 

“She'll be all right Gome,” Naruto assured his sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hinata can look meek and gentle at first glance but we all know she can hold her own in a fight. I'm sure she'll win this, don't worry too much about it.”

 

“Something's off, Naru. I don't know what it is but I can feel it,” Kagome sighed impatiently. “Don't you see anything weird about that girl's aura?”

 

Naruto shrugged helplessly. “I can't read auras like you,” he reminded with a frown on his face. “Although I have to say that I do feel a weird vibe from the chibi.”

 

The fight was going on smoothly. Kanna dodged all of Hinata's attacks as she held up her mirror. Her face never showed any of her emotions and she waited for the right time for her attack. Hinata, surprisingly, was on the offensive, giving the white-haired girl all she's got. Her Byakugan wasn't strong enough to see chakra holes yet but if she was confident in her Gentle Fist abilities. Juken blows were deadly since they attacked your internal organs and did major damage to your chakra system. If she could land even one good hit, it could spell disaster for the receiver.

 

Too bad her opponent was faster than her.

 

Hinata may have had a near-360 degree field vision but Kanna easily dodged her attacks like they were nothing. It was frustrating but the young Hyuuga persevered. Her special people were watching and she wanted to prove that she was fit to be called a Hyuuga.

 

“That chibi is fast,” Rock Lee observed with an eagle eye. He hated to admit it but the chibi's speed was on par or probably faster than his. That alone was impressive, but coupled with the fact that the girl didn't even look winded while doing it was noteworthy. Was she toying with Neji's younger cousin?

 

“Why isn't she attacking?” Naruto asked. Did all girls fight like this? There were a lot of dodging but no counter moves from the chibi.

 

Kagome gripped the metal rails of the balcony in agitation. “She's gearing for an attack. She's waiting for Hinata to get exhausted before she delivers her blow.” The others shot her differing looks, not sure if her hypothesis was correct or not. When did Kagome become an expert on deciphering fight tactics? She didn't know how she knew it but it was her gut feeling. “Finish it quick, Hinata!” She shouted from the balcony, hands flailing and feet stomping, not caring that she was making a spectacle of herself. “Don't give her a chance to attack you!!!”

 

“Kagome...” Iruka had his face buried in his palm, embarrassed in behalf of his former student. He expected this kind of behavior from Naruto but not from Kagome.

 

Itachi allowed his mouth to curve slightly upward behind his ANBU mask. No one could see it so he felt it was safe. Getting assigned to guard the Yondaime during the prelims had its ups with its downs, and one of those privileges was watching the Chuunin prelims from a corner, undetected by and invisible from anyone. He had no more reason to detain the Yondaime to one room or keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't rush to spy on his children, so Haku was also no longer keeping an eye on him.

 

Arashi didn't say anything but he did openly grin in response. He too was silently cheering cute little Hinata-chan on but as a Hokage he must `keep calm at all times and conduct himself with honor and decorum'. `Act your age', as Sarutobi-sama simplified for him.

 

...

 

Keh.

 

His inner self is still six years old and he is still sixteen inside his head. Do those count for anything?

 

Hinata finally tired out after countless minutes of relentless attacks, pausing to gather her bearings.

 

“Go for it, Hinata!” Naruto also shouted from the bleachers, making her blush. Naruto-kun was watching her! Her! Cheering for her. She had to give it her all and win it. Time to show everyone her genin missions weren't all for nothing.

 

Kanna's expression never changed. She patiently waited, paced herself and avoided getting hit, making the girl exhaust herself until an opening presented itself. It wouldn't be long now, and indeed it wasn't. Signs of frustration and beads of sweat gathered on the dark blue haired girl's forehead, her speed noticeably dropping bit by bit as the battle dragged on. The blue-haired girl was breathing through her mouth in deep gasps when the she made her move.

 

There were no hand seals, no chakra gathered, and no chants needed. The girl merely held up her mirror towards Hinata and waited.

 

Kagome's eyes widened when she saw what was going on.

 

“Stop it!” she screamed from the balcony. She's taking Hinata's soul! “Somebody stop her now!!!” She pointed at Kanna, frantically thinking of how to save her best friend. Her hysteria was freaking out her family and friends but she only had eyes on Hinata's soul getting sucked into Kanna's mirror.

 

“Kagome, calm down. You can't stop a fight without valid reason,” Kakashi sided next to his hysterical charge, totally perplexed by her odd behavior. He placed a gloved hand on her shoulder in an effort to get her to calm down and was taken aback by the panicked look in her eyes.

 

“Kakashi-sensei,” he knew something was up when she used his full name to address him, “make her stop right now!”

 

At his lack of response, she hopped over the railing and attempted to jump down to the arena. Kakashi's fast reflexes made him dart out to catch her by the back of her shirt, and suddenly he was bracing himself against the rails while Kagome dangled from his grasp.

 

“Kagome!” Arashi's Hokage face was replaced by his shocked father's one when he saw what happened.

 

“Let me go, sensei!” Kagome flailed, trying to wrench free from Kakashi's hands. Neji snapped out of his surprise enough to gather his wits, and he stepped forward to help Kakashi haul Kagome back to their side of the balcony but a black blur beat him to it.

 

“Kagome, what are you doing?” the unmistaken voice of Itachi hissed from beneath the ANBU mask as he dragged her back to the right side of the platform.

 

“Let me go, let me go!” she pleaded, attempting to dive down again if Itachi didn't hug her to him.

 

Back at the arena, Kanna was slowly but surely sucking Hinata's soul into her mirror. Hinata put up a fight for a little bit more before her spirit lost the battle, untrained and unprepared for this kind of attack. She started falling forward...

 

Up on the balcony, Kagome's struggles intensified as she saw the life leeching away from her beloved friend. “Nooo!!! Hinata!!!”

 

Hayate wasn't the only one confused with the events unfolding, but as much as he would like to grant the screaming requests of the hysterical girl, he had no proof to justify interrupting a match where none of the opponents landed even a single hit to the other. Why was the Yondaime's daughter getting so worked up about it? Could she see something the rest of them couldn't? All he could currently see from the fight was the freaky white-haired chibi holding a glowing mirror and the Hyuuga girl falling to her knees.

 

What was going on? If that ANBU wasn't forcibly holding the girl back with his arms looped under hers while she was kicking and screaming - oh, that's gotta hurt! Hayate suddenly winced, seeing the solid kick Kagome landed on Kakashi's crotch. The jounin fell to the floor in a whimpering heap and all the males in the auditorium cringed in sympathy as they watched him curl into a fetal position.

 

Kagome's outstretched hands started glowing. She didn't need Itachi to release her. She could blast the chibi from here. Anyone who hurt Hinata would answer to her.

 

“Kanna,” a voice from the opposite side of the commotion spoke. Only the girl addressed paid her any mind. The rest of the people in the auditorium were too busy gawking at the Konoha genin's hysterics. “You could stop for now,” Kagura instructed. Her eyes narrowed when her order wasn't immediately obeyed, but the white haired chibi soon cancelled her spell on the Hyuuga.

 

Hayate, confused by the sudden turn in events, didn't hesitate to pronounce Kanna the winner against a passed out Hinata. As soon as Itachi released her, Kagome jumped from the balcony, quickly followed by Naruto, to check on their friend. Medics rushed in to inspect the fallen genin while the winner calmly went back to her sister's side. Kagura observed the scene with deceptively impassive eyes.

 

Kagome had instantly held glowing pink hands towards Hinata when she reached her. The med-nins repeatedly asked her to step aside until Naruto and Neji held her back to allow them to do their work. Hinata was unresponsive when they loaded her on the stretcher, but she was still alive and breathing as far as they could tell. Kagome wanted to go with her best friend when they carried her out of the auditorium but couldn't because she still had her match to look forward to. Nobody could really explain what exactly happened, but the genins and their instructors speculated amongst themselves.

 

“Did you see that?”

 

“What just happened?”

 

“This is the most boring fight I've ever witnessed. They didn't even land a single blow on each other! I can't believe this!”

 

“I never figured they'd raise weaker genins in Konoha. Who knew?”

 

Kagome only had eyes for Hinata, oblivious to the insulting comments circulating around them.

 

“She'll be fine,” Naruto tried to reassure her, but she only had eyes for the white haired girl standing across them. Itachi was no longer incognito, but he still had his mask on. He, along with Neji, stayed within grabbing vicinity of Kagome in case she planned on pulling another stunt like earlier. Kakashi was still in pain, so he kept a safe kicking distance away from his student.

 

It's okay, Itachi is there. He'll keep her in line until I can feel the lower half of my body again. His student was a good kicker.

 

Several chuunins were clearing away the debris from the previous battles in the arena while the representatives from the various villages chatted amongst themselves. Chuunin exams weren't only tests for genins who wanted to advance to the next ninja rank, these exams were also important in establishing relationships with the daimyos who employed shinobi. The hidden village with the most impressive genins in the chuunin finals would attract more clients. From what they witnessed in the earlier fight, the Sound genin didn't even touch the Konoha genin to defeat her. Was this newly formed hidden village more than a threat than they credited it for?

 

Kagura couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the glare her sister received.

 

“Give it back,” Kagome addressed Kanna in a low voice full of venom. “Give it back right now.”

 

Kanna didn't respond. She continued to hold her mirror up with an empty look on her face. Her job was done for now, she didn't care about anything else.

 

“Give what back, miko?” Kagura enjoyed the surprised look on the girl's face.

 

She recognizes me as a miko? “So you know,” Kagome's eyes narrowed. “Then you realize there's no need for you to pretend you don't have any idea of what I'm talking about.”

 

Kagura grinned coldly. “We can't just `give it back' to you. You have to earn it back. We're not running a charity here. You'll have to fight Kanna for it, but you have to go through me first.” She toyed with the fan she carried tauntingly.

 

Before Kagome could respond to the challenge, Hayate gathered everyone's attention by clearing his throat. “Well,” he coughed some more, “that was certainly interesting, wasn't it?”

 

He frowned at the scattered boos from his audience.

 

“Now that the arena's cleaned,” he continued, “let's find out who our next combatants are.” The two girls didn't break eye contact even when Hayate announced the next battle participants. “The next battle is between... Kagome of Leaf and Kagura of Sound!”

 

“Well isn't that convenient?” Kagura asked to no one in particular. Now she was finally going to prove her worth and measure this girl's potential whom her master was interested in. She could already taste her victory; the girl looked weak and pathetic compared to her.

 

“You can do it Gome,” Naruto squeezed his sister's shoulder reassuringly. “I know you can.”

 

“Don't let your guard down,” Itachi advised from behind his mask.

 

“Be careful,” Neji added before they went back to the overhead observatory.

 

Kakashi, propped up with his back to the wall merely gave her a thumbs-up sign and a smile. He had the utmost confidence in the student that gave him more injuries, aches and pains than any enemy had ever accomplished.

 

Kagome nodded, feeling the adrenaline rush. Blue eyes were trained on Kagura. I have to defeat her to get Hinata's soul back. Her fury doubled when the opponent didn't bother to hide her smirk. It tripled and boiled over when the opponent continued to taunt her.

 

Kagura looked positively evil. “Come and get it, kitten.”

 

â— â— â—

I love Kagome, I really do. I'm sorry if my Kagome looks or feels weak right now, but she'll get better... I promise! I just don't want her to be an instant ass-kicker, no matter how bad I want her to be... I'd like her to evolve slowly because heroes are always like that, ne? When I started to write the fic, it seemed longer to reach the parts I wanted to reach. Nine chapters and my favorite summon isn't here yet. I've written him already, too. Maybe in the next chapter his scenes will fit... maybe. I always think that and end up with something else, lol. I do feel bad for getting Zaku to beat her up badly... and poor Hinata! I love Hinata.

 

I honestly didn't think I cut it off in a cliffhanger until later on, because I had to end it there because it reached my favorite 10,000 word mark. I love that number. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to tease you with a cliffhanger. It just coincided with the 10,000 words.

 

Okay lang kung wala, pero astig ang nagbibigay ng puna. ♥ Translation: Reviews are good but no reviews are okay, too. They keep me from updating sooner. :grin: More reviews equal faster updates, and no reviews equal slower updates because of my lazy muses. Either way is fine with me.

 

Thanks for reading! ♥