Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction ❯ Seeking Peace ❯ I Also Wish I Was An All Powerful Mary-Sue... ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A Look Through Sasuke's Eyes

The first thing that bombarded my senses when we congregated in the anti-theater was Aneka. She jumped on both me and Naruto crushing us in a back breaking hug."You're alive!! I can't believe it!" She exclaimed, "I was so worried about all of you!""Of course we're alive, idiot." I rolled my eyes at her stupidity in thinking otherwise, "You should've been more worried about yourself...""Yeah, dattebayo! Sakura-chan said you got sucked into a tree!" Naruto's blue eyes widened exaggeratedly."Huh?" She looked confused for a matter of seconds, then frowned darkly, "Oh, right...Yeah...I blacked out after that and woke up here with that foul tempered examiner, Matarashi Anko, and Hokage ojii-chan, and the mark on my--Suddenly, Sakura reached forward and covered her mouth with both hands, silencing whatever she was about to say. Predictably, she spazzed out."Mark?" Naruto questioned, "What mark?""Oh, nothing!" Sakura smiled exaggeratedly at him, "Just a bruise.Right, Aneka?"On rare occasions, I was thankful for the existence of the pink haired kunoichi. We had agreed not to share anything about the "bruise" with Naruto...He'd just make a big deal about it and make things even worse...But I realized, as I took in her heavily bandaged left hand and wrist, that things weren't going to be quite as simple with Aneka...And, as the future would tell it, they never would be.I sent her a we-need-to-talk look that probably ended up looking like some kind of scowl knowing my face, however, she seemed to get the point to tip toe around the subject."Um yeah, right, just a bruise..." She glanced at me suspiciously, and then subtly, to my surprise, she returned the we-need-to-talk look knowingly, sending a sidelong glance at a sound sensei in the upper level balcony who for some reason was staring at us with a strange, hungry look. I arched an eyebrow questioningly and she jabbed two fingers into her neck in response. It wasn't that hard to figure out...or forget...My eyes widened for a fraction of a second and they darted between her and the disguised Orochimaru once or twice before I jerked my chin in the Hokage's direction. (Does he know?)She looked at the old man nervously, nodding slowly, then her eyes flicked back from him to Orochimaru and she gave me a distressed look. (He does...But he's not doing anything about it...)She swirled her index finger next to her head. (Is he nuts?!?)She seemed to lose interest in our silent conversation quickly, however, because she looked at Sakura and exclaimed, as if noticing for the first time, "What the hell happened to your hair?!?"Sakura looked affronted, "MyYou're one to talk!"I wasn't one to really pay attention to female orientated drabble, but Sakura really did have a point. I hadn't noticed before, additionally not being one to pay attention to girls' hair or their endless chatter, but Aneka's already boisterous, cherry red hair was interlaced with several long black feathers. I tugged on the end of one of them curiously, finding it hopelessly tangled up in her frilly halo of crimson.She rounded on me angrily, her feathery hair floating airily around her at precarious angles, "Would youpleaseit out!"She then deflated with a sigh and tugged on them herself dejectedly, "...I was bored, ok? I've been stuck here on my ass for four days straight with a crazy/homicidal woman as a baby sitter; tell me you wouldn't do something stupid too!"She directed her question at Naruto, however I couldn't help thinking that she was playing on his bias as a stupid moron..."But...Why?" was all Sakura could ask."Well," Aneka described, "there was this annoying crow that kept following me...really creepy actually, so I tackled it and took its feathers as my prize."Aneka looked extremely proud of herself, while Sakura and Naruto just looked horrified, "You pulled out all its feathers?? So what, there's like, a bald crow flying around somewhere now??""Um...I don't really know what happened afterwards...I kind of just left it there..." Aneka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.Sakura face palmed and shook her head at the other, more flamboyant girl while Naruto looked slightly blue, "...That's just cruel Aneka-chan..."(Miles away, at that moment, Uchiha Itachi was staring down at an embarrassed, naked bird in his hand with no emotion what-so-ever.)"First off!" The examiner Matarashi Anko's voice rang out in the stadium, magnified by a microphone headset, "Congratulations on passing! I'd also like to introduce an unexpected addition to the exams, would that person please step forward!"Aneka nervously stepped up to stand next to Anko, briefly sending her a sidelong glare that suggested this had not been planned beforehand."This is Heiwa Aneka, who appeared in the middle of the exams. I'm sure you've all been hearing strange rumors, so this is simply to put them all at rest with the facts of the matter. Heiwa Aneka has been deemed fit to participate in the Chunin Exams alongside team Kakashi of the leaf. Her skills have been tested, and although she has not received formal training, she has chosen to continue with the others with Hokage-sama's consent.""That's not fair!" One of the sand nin shouted, "She didn't even have to go through the first two tests!""Actually," Anko replied, "her stealth and reconnaissance skills have been tested, just as yours were, and she did survive the second stage, against insurmountable odds I might add, and ended up here before any of the rest of you. Think about that before you go throwing around accusations, maggot."Aneka was trying desperately to hide a smirk. It seemed she got off when Anko yelled at someone that wasn't her. She looked at Anko pleadingly then, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet, "Can I go now??"Anko gave a brief nod of dismissal and a couple of the genin sniggered at the girl's immaturity as she scurried back across the plain of empty space between the examiners and us. It was almost as if she was trying to blend into Naruto's shadow. She had a distasteful look on her face at the unwanted attention, and I had to roll my eyes at her absurdity."Looks like everyone's assembled, dattebayo." Naruto murmured to her over his shoulder, "All the leaf rookies, the sensei, even super brows is here."She snorted as she caught sight of Rock Lee's sensei and shook her head at Naruto's nickname. She stopped though and gripped her wrist in sudden pain. It was significant, because shortly after, the mark that marred my neck pulsed, as if mimicking it. I rubbed it painfully and murmured to her cryptically, "I can't say I'm getting a good feeling.""Hokage-sama will now explain the third part of the exam, so listen carefully!" Anko ordered."Yes." The Hokage started, "For the coming third test-before I explain that, there's something I'd like you to know."Some of the genin looked around nervously at each other, apprehensive. So far, none of the tests had been exactly what anyone expected."It concerns the true reason for this exam." He continued, and Aneka stepped back beside me, giving me a look."That guy.with the pale hair in a ponytail.do you know him?" She whispered tensely."Yeah.why.?" I asked suspiciously, glancing at Kabuto."He's planning something with that snake.I've been watching them giving each other odd looks and signals for over fifteen minutes now.They're up to something..." She murmured to me conspiratorially.As I took a closer look, I realized she spoke the truth. It was obvious that the two were in one of the same silent conversations Aneka and I had been in earlier.Just what were they going to do...?"Think about why we have all the countries taking the test together..." The Hokage continued, "'To raise the level of the shinobi' 'To promote friendship among the countries' are the reasons given, however, the true purpose goes deeper...The exam is an alternative to an all out war within the nations..."Shock circulated throughout the genin, and Aneka narrowed her eyes in contempt from beside me, "In other words, we're the sacrifice for peace...how ironic...""Correct..." The old man nodded gravely."What the hell?" Naruto exclaimed loudly, "I thought this thing was for deciding who becomes a Chunin!""That's also correct," The Hokage repeated, "however, there is another side to the exam in which each shinobi risks their lives to protect their village's prestige and reputation...""There will be many influential individuals who make up shinobi' clients watching the third exam..." He continued."In other words," Aneka mirrored her previous comment, "If you screw up, you screw up your village too...no pressure...""Good, you catch on quickly..." The Hokage nodded approvingly, puffing on his pipe that seemed to never leave his side, "Your performance sends a political message to other countries about the strength of your village, furthermore--""But Why?!" That dog boy Kiba shouted out, "Why do we have torisk our lives??"Aneka stiffened and glared around at him, taking in his appearance briefly before asking him angrily, "Didn't you chooseshinobiyour profession? It's an occupational hazard...Get over it already, because you're risking your life by just standing here wasting space. Don't ask such stupid questions..."The one called Gaara laughed at her statement, causing his team mates to take a step away from him in apprehension. That guy made me nervous...There wasn't a scratch on him...he was one of the strong ones...Kiba glared fiercely at Aneka, who turned her head in contempt, and was about to shout something back, but the Hokage cut him off by saying, "The strength of the country is the strength of the village, the strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi. And a shinobi's true strength is born from life risking battle...""This exam is a life risking battle with your dreams, and your country on the line...""I could honestly care less about what it is..." Gaara scoffed impatiently, "Just tell us what these life risking battles entail..."Aneka smirked at him, "So egger to start the slaughter, are we, little carrot top?"I gave her a warning look when Gaara fixed his cold gaze on her."...Yes" He told her tonelessly, to which she didn't reply because she wasn't even paying attention anymore...I honestly wondered if her attention span was even shorter than Naruto's."I'd like to explain the third test, but--"There was a cough, and a man landed lithely and intercepted him, "Actually...I apologize Hokage-sama, but as referee, would you please allow me...?""By all means..." The old man nodded."Hello everyone, I'm Hayate..." He turned around to face us and another shock went through out the crowd as they took in his death like appearance. He honestly looked like he was about to keel over right then and there..."Umm," he coughed again, "...Before the third test there's something I'd like you to do...""It's a preliminary..." He continued, "...to decide who gets to participate in the main event..."Aneka threw her hands up exasperatedly, "Oh great... Sounds fun. Count me in.""Preliminary...?" Sakura faltered unconfidently.Shikamaru, that lazy guy, actually took the energy to look outraged, "Preliminary?? What the hell do you mean, preliminary??""Why can't all the people here participate...?" Sakura asked vacantly, "Sensei..I don't understand..""Umm..." Hayate answered, "Because the first and second tests may have been a bit too easy this year...We're a little over the quota and the rule states that a preliminary take place...And we obviously can't have too many matches take place in the actual exam because our important guests will get bored...""Oh noo," Aneka mentioned to Sakura sarcastically, "boooooredom...Can't have that, eh, Sakura-chan?""No way..." She breathed despairingly, not at Aneka's statement obviously, but for the hopelessness of the situation for her...she had barely made it out of the last test..."So...Anyway," Hayate continued, "those who feel like quitting while you're ahead, please step forward, because we plan to start immediately...""What!?" Kiba blurted, "Right now??""That's what the man said, Smarty Pants..." Aneka snapped at him in annoyance. Funny. There was actually someone who annoyedher.Orochimaru shot a signal at Kabuto then, causing him to look slightly shocked, and I observed them carefully out of the corner of my eye. Aneka was less subtle though and glared at them both outright.She then doubled over in pain from her wrist. I had just enough time to brace myself before the onslaught myself...As I thought...the waves were coming more frequently..."Umm.." Hayate looked around, "No one? All of you are determined to see this through, huh?"Sakura looked distressed. I could see how she might want to give it up."Sasuke-kun! Aneka!" She suddenly blurted, "Both of you should quit!""Huh?" Even Naruto looked surprised. I should have known she wasn't worrying about herself...Sakura was too nosy for her own good sometimes..."You've been strange since that Orochimaru guy attacked you...that mark still hurts right?!" She whispered desperately.I actually stared at her in shock when she started to cry, "Please...Quit..I'm afraid..."That was when Aneka stepped up to her, and wiped away her tears roughly, "Don't let him see. It's what he wants. That snake wants you to be afraid. Are you going to just stand here like that and give him that kind of satisfaction??"She took a step back and looked at all three of us, "Listen...When I woke up here, I had a long chat with Hokage-ojii-chan, and you know what I found out? That Orochimaru was one of hisstudents. He became one of three legendary ninjas from this village...But he defected after the fourth was put in power, because he was jealous it wasn't him instead! He immersed himself in dark arts, forbidden jutsu, insane sciences, and even went so far as to experiment on human beings...Probably himself as well...He's a psycho, and all he wants now is to bring down the village and make people suffer...Now I don't know about you guys, but I'm majorly pissed off, and I'm appointing it my personal job to make his life as much of a living hell as possible. In order to do that, Sasuke and I have to be in these exams...Sorry, but...I won't let you stop me Sakura."Sakura glared at the other girl, "Whatever, I'm going to tell the sensei about that mark, and then--"That was where I had to stop her. When she began to raise her hand to acknowledge Hayate's offer I grabbed her wrist tightly and forced it down, "Just shut up about the mark.""Why are you so stubborn?" She pleaded with me, tears in her eyes again--instead of moving me, though, they sort of just aggravated me--, "I can't watch you suffer like this--""This has nothing to do with you..." I told her seriously, "So stay out of it...""I've told you about it before..." I continued, hoping she'd finally get the point, "This isn't just a test to me. I don't even care about becoming Chunin... 'Am I strong?'... That's all I want to find out. I want to fight the people here, and now's the only time I can do it. I can't forgive even you if you take that away from me...""Sasuke, you bastard! Stop acting so cool! Sakura's this worried, and you--" Naruto started to say."Naruto." I cut him off, "You're one of the guys I want to fight the most..."Aneka smirked, as Naruto's face sort of went slack at that. Mostly just said it to shut him up anyway..."Hey," Aneka looked at me thoughtfully, offering out a hand, "...Let's make a deal."I eyed it warily and arched my eyebrow, "What kind of deal...?"She grinned maliciously, "The kind where we both agree to get through this thing and you help me kick that demented freak's ass afterwards... You in?""...I was going to do that anyway." I smirked, shaking on it."Ne, ne, me too!" Naruto clamored to put his hand in on the huddle, "I'm with you a hundred and ten percent, dattebayo!""Come on Sakura." Aneka smiled at her, "You know you want revenge after that miserable defeat!"After encouragement from both Naruto and Aneka, Sakura reluctantly agreed, wiping the last of her tears away, "Yeah...""Then..." Hayate continued after a while, "Let's begin the preliminary...""It consists of 11 one on one matches..." He told us ominously, "...So, umm...Basically fight as if in a real life confrontation...""There are basically no rules." He went on."Oh, that's fantastic..." Aneka deadpanned from beside me."The fight continues until either you die, pass out, or admit defeat..." Hayate elaborated, "Umm...If you don't want to die, then I highly suggest you do that..."I noticed Aneka's eye begin to twitch irritably at the man's round-a-bout manner."But when I decide that the winner has clearly been established--Since we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses--that's when I'll call it..." he added."And the object that controls your destiny is..."The girl beside me bounced on the balls of her feet impatiently."This electric score board," a wall opened up to reveal just that, "It will reveal the names of the competing... The victor will move on to the actual round...Let's see who's up first."Everyone watched it carefully as it scrolled through the dozens of names and stopped on one for each.It read:Heiwa Anekavs.Yakushi KabutoAneka jumped up into the air with a fist pump, "Yeah! Finally!"I had to hold her down by her shoulder to get her to stop bouncing and, "look..."I pointed out her opponent, who had already walked to the center of the arena, looking at her expectantly."Oh." She was surprised at first, not having known his name beforehand, then grinned that strange smile of hers that seemed to promise something cataclysmic was about to happen, "This just got ten times better...Little white rat...""We'll be starting the first match now...Would everyone except the two participants move to the upper level?" Hayate instructed."Oi," Something made me grab her wrist before Aneka began to go confront Kabuto, "...Don't forget the deal...You better not lose."She looked back at me and rolled her eyes, "You don't need to tellmeUchiha. Good luck to you too.""Kakashi-sensei!!" Naruto shouted out at the tall, spiky haired jounin who walked toward us.He waved lazily at him but stopped briefly when he came to where Aneka and I stood."I don't believe we've met." He said to her, "I'm your new teacher."She surprised both of us then by walking up to him and giving him a gargantuan hug, "Thank god! Anko-sensei scares the crap out of me...""I heard that!!" The proctor called over at us, "You better be grateful you little punk!!"Aneka's eyes went wide and she scrambled desperately to try and hide herself in plain sight. Unfortunately, due to limited choice, her hiding spot happened to be behind me...Flash Back to Four Days Ago..."Heh, finally found you...looks like you've got stealth perfected down to an art..." Came a sultry voice from behind me.I jumped so violently, I almost fell off the balcony. It was a sky walk off the top of the tower, and I had found the place while wandering. It had been my hiding place for that moment, but obviously no more. There was a giant Chinese lantern called a d?ng hanging from beneath the balcony, like a beacon for the other contestants of the exams, luring them in. The building itself was covered in pipes and planks/sheets of reinforcement material, almost steampunk looking. Foundations jutted out at odd angles, and more than once I had seen ninja using them to propel themselves up the side of the tower. Anko was one of them, and somehow, she had used her ability to sneak up on me once again."Would you cut that out!?" I flustered, "I could've died!"The sharp eyed woman snorted unladylike and rolled her eyes sarcastically, "That would be an improvement on my level. You're nothing but a walking liability, thatIto take care of. Truthfully, I've no idea how you made it out of those woods alive in the first place.""Yeah?! Well that makes two of us!" I grated at her angrily, "You know, instead of complaining about how weak I am all the time, you could make yourself productive and actuallyteachsomething!"Her eyes flashed and I knew I had made a mistake. Anko was volatile, and she was more likely to laugh at destruction in her midst than try to do something about it. I braced myself for the onslaught of whatever she was about to do, but it didn't come."Fine."I opened my eyes and stared at her suspiciously, unsure if I had heard her right. An evil smirk played around her lips."What.?" I gawked."I said I'll teach you." She narrowed her eyes at me, making me nervous, "On one condition."I winced. There was always a condition."You have to Train hard. All day every day, for the next four days." She grinned, "And then I'll put you in the exams.""What??" I shouted again, "Are you crazy??""Do you really want to know the answer to that? You started this conversation, not me." She countered, "You want to learn, or not?"I glared grudgingly down at my feet, then peered back up at her, "...Fine. I'll do it."She lifted the corner of her lips in an approving smirk, "You've got guts kid. I'll give you that much. Let's get to work. And from now on, if you start your little game of hide and seek again, you'll be running for your life, because I'm not your baby sitter anymore. I'm your sensei."I couldn't help but gulp back fear, because I knew she wasn't just saying that to be scary. she meant it."Can I come down now???!" I shouted down at her from the top of my lungs. I hung upside-down fifty stories up in a tall pine tree from my feet."Keep concentrating!!" She roared back at me from the ground, "Unless you want to end up as a pile of slush by my feet, maggot!"I grated my eyes shut and did as she said, concentrating on the flow of chakra to the soles of my feet, my heart beating a mile a minute. There was a double meaning to her words. If I stopped concentrating, I'd fall, ending up as said pile of slush. If I got down anyway, she'd beat me to the pile of slush herself. There was really no solution to this problem. So I concentrated...And concentrated...And concentrated...This was the way of things with Anko. With every day of training came another day of traumatizing events. Of course, it kind of helped me understand why she was doing this to me when the fact that her last teacher was Orochimaru came to light...It surprised me, yet at the same time, I found myself very muchnotAfter my face had turned beet red from all the blood rushing to my head, I fainted, and Anko-sensei finally concluded that this phase of my training was over. It would certainly stick with me for years to come, that much was certain."Now it's time to teach you jutsu." She then dumped several armfuls worth of scrolls on me after speed drills that afternoon as I was just about to collapse. At her actions, I did just that. Needless to say, Anko had a good hearty laugh after that."Go learn it, punk. Don't talk to me again until you've learned nineteen of them." She told me, then walked away and I stared at her back skeptically as she did so."How the hell is thisteaching??" I yelled at her retreating form."It's called self study!! Get used to it!" she called back over her shoulder.I sighed, knowing I wasn't going to get anything else out of her, and rolled open the first scroll miserably, my chin resting on my palm. My eyes widened, though, when I saw the depiction of a body that seemed to be generating snakes from out of their sleeves. It seemed Anko had illustrated and scripted these scrolls herself...I recognized the handwriting of the characters ö‰eŽÖŽè ...Sen'eijashu no jutsu...Technique of the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands...It was strange though...I had learned to control my chakra, finally, through Anko's spartan methods, but whenever I tried theSen'eijashu no jutsuflat outwould not work...I tried some of the others, and had more luck, however.Kage Bunshin no jutsua little complex, but I was amazed with the results when I tried hard enough. Soon I was looking at an exact replica of myself.KawarimiHenge no jutsua whole lot easier. They were relatively uncomplicated in theory.Kawarimi no jutsuyou to switch your body with someone else's, or simply substitute an object to avoid danger, whileHenge no jutsu, much more interesting in my opinion, allowed the user to assume any shape or form they desired...I read and re-read the scrolls into the early hours of the next morning, and then went down to the anti-theater as soon as I heard someone walk past the door to my quarters, signaling that it was decent time to be walking around without looking too suspicious.I had been training the better part of the morning when I felt a horrible pain emanate from my wrapped wrist, and I dropped to my knees, convulsing. I thought I could hear someone screaming in my head, but I realized it was actually me making that guttural wailing sound. I heard shouts around me and felt someone shaking me, but I didn't see anything. It felt like flames were crawling across my skin and I had my eyes clenched tight against the pain.I only felt relief as a sharp blow to the back of my head sunk me into soothing darkness.In my dreams, I saw fire. It licked over everything, and destroyed whatever it touched. Eventually, after the screaming was over, and the buildings desecrated, finally put out by the wind, it faded away...leaving me in the center of a burnt out wasteland...Gore crows circled around in the red sky, cawing their ravenous hunger out to the world...or what was left of it. What skeletal structures of buildings that still remained were crumbling to ashes and specks of floating ember that billowed away in the contradictory soft breeze...The images of starving children, and burning monks, smoking towers, and blood flashed through my mind like a horrible slide show...and the cause of all these things...was me...When I finally came to later that afternoon, I awoke with a jolt to see a glum faced Anko sitting by my bed. She gave me a dubious look where she sat with her chin on her fist, "Honestly, I'm amazed you're not dead, kiddo...""I thought that fact was already established..." I grumbled, rubbing my aching head.The older woman then crossed her legs and arms and sat back in a nonchalant posture with a scowl on her face, "I've decided to withdrawal my offer to teach you...It's too dangerous with that thing on your arm.""What do you know about it?!? Whatisthing??" I grated, clawing violently at the bandages covering it, "I want itoff!!"Anko sighed, uncharacteristically, "It's like a parasite...It feeds off your chakra usage and gets stronger...""How do you know??" I looked at her, transfixed.She pulled down the shoulder of her chain link shirt, showing me a mark on her collarbone identical to the one on my wrist. My eyes widened exponentially and I gasped, "He got to you too...""Yeah..." She replied gruffly, "I guess he did...""What..." I started, "...What does it do...?""It's a means of control..." She told me, a scowl on her face, "Although you may receive Orochimaru's power in return, he will be able to tap into and influence your actions...It's too risky to have you in the exams, Aneka...I'm sorry. I can't teach you."The way she looked at me was strange...almost like pity. And if there was one thing I knew about Anko, she didn't pity people lightly..."What else." I demanded to know, "There's something else, isn't there?"She scowled again and clenched her fist, "...The chance of surviving the cursed seal is a one in ten probability...and you...you're not reacting well..."I narrowed my eyes, "What do you mean, 'not reacting well'...?""I mean, there's something wrong with your chakra system," She barked, "it's not normal! Not built for something like the Juin (cursed seal)!"I stared down at the three tomoe marks on my wrist, having finally worked it out of the bandages, and said in a sort of detatched voice, "...Can you elaborate on that?""Elaborate??" She screetched, temper out of control, "Are you that stupid? I'm telling you you're going to die! Is that what you wanted me to say? Huh?"I just continued to stare at the mark and the two puncture holes in my hand and then scowled and grated out, "No.""'No' what?" Anko questioned angrily, "What are you saying?"I stood up just as angrily and faced her proudly if not hesitantly due to the fact that she would probably hit me after I said it, "I'm sayingI refuse. I absolutely refuse to believe that, and I refuse to die! I may be weak, and hardly know any jutsu, butinsidewhere my true strength lies. I will not give up, or submit toanythinganyonematter what the circumstances!! And I'm definately not giving in to this...Thisthing..."There was silence between us for a long time after that until Anko said quietly, "You're a brave kid...I like that. It's one of the reasons I agreed to teach you. But you're also as stubborn as a wild ass. Lucky for you, I admire that."I blinked, "Thanks...I think?"She sighed, resting her chin on her fist again, "Here's the deal. If you continue with that attitude...You'll become a truly great shinobi...You see hope where there is none, and that's another thing I like about you. So I'm going to give you a choice...""What kind of choice?" I questioned quriously."It might bring on a quicker death, but I'm going to give you the option of participating--""I'll take it." I said immediately, interrupting whatever she was about to say.She gave me a look, "Don't you even want to hear the rest?"I shook my head egarly, and she rolled her eyes."Keep in mind, if the mark starts to progress, Iwillyou myself--" She continued sternly, but I cut her off with a flying hug."Thank you, Anko-sensei, thank you, thank you, thank you--OW! That hurt!""No it didn't, you wimp. You brought it on yourself, as usual..." She admonished as I rubbed the current eruption on my head painfully.Present timeI peered around Sasuke's shoulder and made a face at Anko, whose own face turned red with her high blood pressure and she bellowed, "Get out on that foor before I drag you there myself, maggot!!""You better do what she says..." My new sensei told me, "She's pretty testy when she's mad..."I grinned at him, "You don't need to tell me twice, Sensei. Wish me luck!"I then proceeded to jog out to the middle of the tiny arena with confidence, but when I looked back over my shoulder I saw Kakashi talking to Sasuke seriously. The boy scowled and sent me a warning look with the sign I had used earlier, jabbing the first two fingers into his neck. Kakashi sent me the same look, and nodded. I nodded back in understanding, rubbing my wrist. He'd jump in and stop the match just like Anko would...If the mark advanced...The guy in the stupid glasses, Kabuto, was smiling at me...It brought me out of my own conflicting thoughts, one, because it looked goodhearted but was actually fake, and two, it made me inexplicably furious..."Better wipe that simpering look off your face, rat. Holding back your true nature can only work for so long before it goes and reveals itself...Besides, it makes me sick..." I glowered at him."What do you mean by that?" The guy laughed cheerfully, making me scowl again, "Sorry if I offended you somehow. Lat's make it a good fight, ok?""Oh, don't worry. You're going to be in for the fight of your life..." I assured him darkly."Sounds good to me." He told me in that same, stupid, cheerful manner of his."Then," Hayate raised his hand in a go-ahead gesture, "let the first match commence..."I instinctually remembered the same cat like circling Orochimaru had done when we met and mimicked it to the best of my abilities. Kabuto followed suit, seeming familiar with the game we played...of course it was familiar...I flipped a kunai out next from the pack I had been provided with and watched him do the same with a smirk. I was really betting on those speed drills I had been slaving over for the last four days, because what I was about to do weighed heavily on their results...I channeled chakra to the muscles in my legs, much more efficiently than I had in the forest due to Anko's questionable training methods, and jab-slashed at the spy's flank to be met with a block, which I was expecting since the beginning. Jumping back to my original distance, I resumed my circling, repeating my strikes at regular intervals. It was almost like a dance between the two of us, probing for weak spots. There were none...and the thing that frustrated me the most was the same stupid smile on his face. Constantly staring...silently...So far he had only defended, with no offense of his own..."What are you doing?" I sent a nasty look at him, "Trying to tire me out? It won't work, you know...""Oh, no, nothing that calculating." He smiled again, "I'm a simple kind of guy...""Why do I find that highly doubtful...?" I grumbled sarcastically, then rounded on him, "Well, if you won't fight back, I guess I'll just have to pump out enough fire power for the both of us, won't I?!"I quickly pulled out a shuriken attached to a wire that I had readied beforehand, and threw it at an angle. Kabuto dodged to the left, but only noticed the wire too late. It was what I'd been counting on.He tripped up on the shiny metal wire, causing the shuriken it was anchored to to loop around his legs and embed itself firmly into the floor of the arena. I threw an extra kunai to secure it through it's center for good measure. I had to laugh, because he did that wavy thing people do with their arms to try and keep balance before they inevitably fall on their faces anyway and let out a girly yell as well. Somehow though, I think he did it on purpose to put on a show...What was he planning...? Oh well. I supposed it didn't really matter either way anymore.Quickly afterwards, I formed the four signs I needed with my hands 'Mi-tatsu-u-tora' (Snake-Dragon-Rabbit-Tiger) I had practiced them in my room in front of a mirror for four nights, and was sure they were correct, now able to rely on feeling instead of sight. If you performed even one sign incorrectly, or out of order, the jutsu wouldn't work, or worse...It could back fire. I definitely couldn't allow that to happen,especiallynow...'Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!' (Fire release: Dragon Fire Technique)I felt the flames originate from my belly, where the fire chakra was located and breathed them along the thin metal wire. I heard several people gasp from up in the stands as the flames went straight for Kabuto in the shape of a dragon. I found it funny that Anko, despite our earlier spat and the fact that the last time she witnessed my attempt at this jutsu she ended up flat out laughing her ass off, was now cheering me on enthusiastically like an overzealous football fan. In her defense, on my first attempt atRyuuka no Jutsusneezed...causing the flames to shoot out my nose like bullets at a hundred miles per hour. I was flung thirty feet away, successfully missing every target, and slammed straight into a tree. Good thing I didn't sleep much anymore, otherwise I'd have never gotten that jutsu right...It seemed I had a natural affinity to fiery techniques, however, once I caught on. Anko said it was lucky I ended up in a country dubbed 'Hi no Kuni' (land of fire). I, on the other hand, wondered why I was even here to begin with. If I ever crossed paths with that crazy, ghetto taxi cab driver again I'd beat him to a pulp, and hang him with his own dreadlocks. I needed to get back to Yureha and kick some sense into her as well. I needed my life back, but in order to do that, I needed to survive this one...I started violently when the jutsu ended and at the end of the wire was a smoldering log of wood.Kawarimi!! I felt a sharp blow to my ribs and felt them crack. I was propelled through the air a wayse away and landed roughly on the floor. I clenched my teeth and jumped up as quickly as I dared with my searing ribs. I glared at kabuto who stood about three yards away, a true smirk of arrogance and intent upon his face. I then had to smile back, "Finally. Looks like you showed your true colors at last, rat.""Hmm," he laughed darkly, "I think that I'd be worrying more about your own true nature if I were you, Aneka-chan..."I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you prattling on about now? Shut up and fight!""As you wish..." He grinned maliciously.A jolt of pain went up my arm, however, just as he pulled out a long sharp kunai to impale me with. I grabbed my wrist frantically, "No...no, not now.Pleasenow...!!"Despite my urging the searing flame-like marks began to spread across my skin like wild fire, and Kabuto only took advantage of that. He began to rush at me with the kunai, but at that same moment, a strange ferral impulse overtook me. With the handsignsMi-Tora, I reached my arm out like a claw.'Sen'eijashu!'It was the only Jutsu I couldn't master. Every attempt ended up in a failure...except for now. Several scaled serpents thrust themselved from my sleeve and latched onto the trecherous spy securely, applying many poisonous bites as well...but it seemed...as if he was off somehow...He still grined malevolently at me through the maze of snakes enclosing him and constricting his movement. I gritted my teeth and jerked my arm back, slamming him into the wall hard enough to create a large dent. As the snakes retracted, Kabuto fell to the ground, uncouncious, and I fell to my knees, banging my wrist frantically against the ground...as if that would help."Go away, go away, go away, go away..." I chanted it like a mantra, squeezing my eyes shut with pain of the mark. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see my new sensei Kakashi, and Anko with an unusually concearned look on her face."You won." Kakashi seemed to be smiling through his mask."I..." I looked back and forth between the both of them, "...I'm not disqualified?""Look," Anko pointed out my wrist, "It's receeding...You surprised me again, kid..."She lifted me up roughly by my upper arm and slapped me on the back, "I totally thought you were gunna die!""Gee," I muttered weekly, "Thanks for the vote of confidence..."I watched as a midical team carried kabuto off on a stretcher and he turned his bloody face to look at me and grinned that same horrible grin. His gaze followed me until they ferried him out of the room."He let me win." I realized, that's what was off. He could've dodged those snakes easily...but he let himself be caught, "He was just waiting on some signal not to kill me..."I looked up at the sound nin 'sensei' who was leering down at me from the stands with a face similar to how Kabuto's had been, and I shivered as I felt my skin crawl.Kakashi stared after the medical team, then back at me, "Are you sure? As a potential Chunin, your position could be put in jeopardy in the coming matches...You shouldn't admit such a thing if you're not one hundred percent certain..."I shook my head musingly, still staring at Orochimaru, "He's working for the enemy...and the enemy wants me in...I think he really hates it when he doesn't get what he wants..."Kakashi's only visible eye widened in shock, "Aneka...That's a serious accusation--""I'm sure." I said firmly, turning my shocked gaze upon his own far more experienced one, "And the enemy is here among us...he hides...like a snake in the grass..."He and Anko looked at me seriously and gave each other a look. Anko nodded and was instantly at the Hokage's side. Kakashi helped me up again, "We'll look into it as soon as possible..."I heard a crash and yelling coming from the hall way where they took Kabuto and looked at my Sensei dolefully, "Soongood enough..."The Hokage gave a signal to two of his ANBU guards and they took off across the room faster than I could see. I let out a sigh of relief and allowed the old man a grateful smile as Kakashi led me towards the stands."Winner:" Hayate announced, "Heiwa Aneka...Next is..."The electronic score board lit up and the names spun once again...Uchiha SasukevsAkad? YoroiMy eyes shot to the owner of the first name, who was staring straight at me. We were both thinking the same thing. This couldn't be coincidence...

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