An unconscious Sakura is being hurriedly carried away on a stretcher. I run up to them and touch her hands and forehead.
Her temperature is good, and she is holding my hand reflexively.
Good.
I hear her groan as she is taken past the double door.
The examinees can't go past this door. The medics are in quite a rush. Do they think her ribs punctured her lungs?
She will be up in no time since that is not the case.
Naruto was right by me.
"Sakura-chan.....she...." Naruto hesitates to finish the sentence.
"She is strong...." I finish.
"Yeah.....yeah..! She is ", Naruto admits.
I slap him on the back.
"Cheer up, dude! She won", I point out.
"She looked sad, though," Naruto caves in.
Kakashi comes forward. Pats our head.
"Not every victory is tested sweet, kids," he says.
"Sometimes it.....hurts more than losing", he sighs.
"Something is going on between them," Naruto says.
"And it's not for us to know," I say promptly.
"Wha....why!?We are her teammates! Maybe we can help", Naruto asks.
Kakashi sighs. But I shrug.
If it's Naruto, anything is possible. Gotta find some documents on Sakura. Maybe a birth certificate?
Her adoption? Dates? In the meantime, I give Kakashi the side eye.
He is pretending.
Feigning ignorance about the seal that was on our girl's tongue. Unlike last time, he is hiding his chakra pretty well. I can't sense a thing.
Maybe he noticed? I neither mentioned my being a sensor type to him nor did I include it in my Bio.
Can the sensor even detect emotions like I do? Or is it a me thing?
Is it like one of those op perks that those Japanese heroes get!?
It would be cool if I had something like that.
I scratch my chin while my mind jumbles like an Adhd patient.
Naruto looks at me expectantly.
"Give me some time to cook, man. I ain't Shikamaru", I say with a chuckle. Naruto's face gets closer. He knows I already have something in mind.
I don't mind sneaking through some government document with Naruto on my toe.
I would prefer to go with him. I just don't want to spoil it in front of Kakashi.
The next match is being announced.
Naruto jumps up in excitement. But he immediately clenches his groin.
"Gotta go number 1 ", then he runs for the washroom.
I sigh.
It's Hinata's match from the looks of it.
Going back to the platform, Hinata passes by me.
"Best of luck, Princess Hinata," I say with an exaggerated bow.
Hinata turns around. Like a well-oiled machine, she bows, unlike my crudeness.
A noble to the core. She continues, her nervousness palpable since Neji is her opponent.
"Hinata san!", I call .
"For Naruto, "I give her a thumbs up.
Hinata goes red.
But suddenly, she nods firmly with a "hump!'.
She gets down the arena with a blush across her face and determination in her heart.
#####
Hinata and Neji face each other.
"Look who's here," Neji hisses.
"The spoiled child of Hyuga, the failure, "he goes on.
Hinata stays silent as she folds in on herself.
Neji's words cut deeper into Hinata than any other blade.
Some might think this is, but a ninja's tactic, and it's Hinata's fault for falling for it.
Alas, everybody knows.
It's personal.
Naruto is back.
"What's happening?" he asks.
"Trash talking?" I say with a shrug and turn away to look around. Orochimaru might be prowling around still. Kabuto didn't tap out in the beginning like before, so gotta watch out for him, too.
Maybe it's Kabuto I should be prioritizing?
Naruto pretty much adds 1 with 1 and starts shouting at the tip of his lungs.
Whatever came out of his mouth drew the attention of the whole stadium. Heck, dude, the show isn't called "Naruto" for nothing.
Whatever it did, Hinata was back on her feet and ready to roll.
Way to go, girl. But I would rather not watch a girl beat half to death for no reason.
["Bhuum! Bhumm! Fuss!"] Hinata and Neji's palm strikes create shock waves as they collide with equal strength.
On second thought, maybe I will watch her.
Orochimaru isn't going anywhere, and I doubt he will do anything stupid after I scared him half to death.
The problem is Kabuto, though.....hmm....what do I do with him... I can't even see the bastard.
Should I just tell Kakashi about him?
[Sensei! Sensei! There is a special jounin rank anbu rouge spy among the examinees who can put hundreds of chins to sleep with a single jutsu]
Doesn't sound convincing ....does it?
How did he do it? Maybe he used a sealing technique? Or maybe some extracted blood limit from one of Orochimaru's experiments.
There is the thing with the Ak47s, too. I hope Orochimaru isn't making guns now...
Aaaaaaaa! My head fucking hearts.
[Bhuaaam!!! Pochat!]
I can't help but pay attention to the fight in front of me. To be honest, it's a rare sight to behold. You rarely see a Hyuga vs Hyuga fight.
It must be an eye candy for the audience.
Hinata .....this girl has perfect posture, and her hands flow like water, unlike Neji, who.....feels like ....pus? His movement feels as if he is pushing in on his strikes to make them hurt more.
Is that good? I have no idea; I never used Gentle Fist..... was it palm? Palm...yeah... it's palm.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
If Kakashi doesn't find anything from Karin, then I will have to take things into my own hands.
So, here is the rough sketch. Subdue Gara kill him if push comes to shove.
2. find out what Jutsu will Kabuto will use and counter it. Or, take care of Kabuto somehow while he is doing the jutsu. That would mean I have to find Kabuto in the large stadium, which is impossible. So, countering is the best option.
3. Determine if Mist is in on this. If Mist and Sand join forces, things will become dire. At that time, we will execute" plan minus."
4. Kill Orochimaru. No matter what, I believe Hairuzen is still strong enough to hold off Orochimaru until I can take care of Gara and execute protocol 69.
"Bhuum!" another series of shock waves fly across the room.
Hinata is on her knees, coughing up blood with a punctured lung.
I sigh. It's a pity.
Looks like Kuranai sensei's eggs won't hatch this year.
My eyes follow a fuming Neji, along with the guards on standby.
Ready to jump at a moment's notice to save the princess if the line is crossed.
So, you are telling me unless you are sure she will die, it ain't worth intervention?
"Why do you get up, you know it's futile! You know you can't win! Why!? Why do you have to be the pathetic one!?" Neji asks with rage, unlike anyone who has ever seen him wear.
"Because it's me..... MY Ninja way. To never give up!" Hinata says as she says and gets back into stance.
Neji's feet burst with chakra as he blurs along the arena with a compressed blast strike ready.
Hinata can't dodge it, nor can she block it.
I don't see the guards moving.
Come on! If you wanna save your princess, now is the time!
Hmm..... She will die! Guy sense!? Kakashi!? Kuranai !? Anyone? No, they are reacting..... it's just Neji! He is .....fast.....fucking fast!
Hinata will fucking die!
I knew it! Something is fucking wrong here.
Neji, his eyes are red...is he .....is he high?!
What the fuck is happening here!?
No....I have to save Hinata first!?
How!?... oh....oh my god! Nooo.....!. Please no...!
Not Hinata...
Please!....
Hinata .... slipped on her blood and vomit, thus missing Neji's strike by the Hair.
She falls to the side as Neji's strike hits the air with a gust of wind.
Hinata rolls to the side and stands up again.
She was in a daze, but Neji's face, which looked like an angry bulldog, woke her up.
I see Kakashi on edge and Asuama sensei stopping Kuranai sensei by the Hand.
Hinata is a lucky girl to be able to dodge a strike that even the Jounins couldn't react to.
Guy Sensi is asking something to Rock Senpai.
Probably asking what he ate before going in.
Neji is more vicious than ever, Hinata is somehow there, parrying every move he throws.
But she won't last long.
Neji is unstable, and it's showing.
Hinata was able to lock arms with Neji and pull him in for a palm strike to the stomach, making him take a step back.
The strike was too weak to cause any actual damage, but it did give her some distance.
Which Neji used to charge up another fast strike.
Hinata puts her hands together in a single sign.
A shadow clone comes into existence with a [poff]
It takes the strike instead. But doesn't die out.
It not only parried the incoming strike but also followed up with one of its own, which was parried by Neji by his forearm.
The real Hinata comes from below with a chakra point that strikes right at his inguinal ligament, essentially paralyzing his left lower half.
It did connect, but Neji's knee also met Hinata's face right before the paralysis took place.
I'm pretty sure that broke a few bones on her face thankfully, it missed her chin.
Neji limply falls to his side, hitting his head hard on the concrete floor and losing consciousness.
So, it doesn't matter if the Shadow clone's master is wounded, it can fight regardless, given enough chakra. Whenever I fight Naruto, the guy never loosens his posture, no matter how badly he is hurt, perks of being a Jinjuriki, i guess? So did his clones, they never flinch.
So, this is what you call "OP"?
Seeing how Hinata lost consciousness right after she saw Neji stop moving, I assume she expanded her whole reserve in that single clone.
I look at Naruto. The smug blond is rubbing the bridge of his lips.
"You taught her the Shadow clone," I conclude.
He looks away like he did something wrong. Then he pumps his chest as if to hide his previous choice of expression.
"Yeah.... I did! I'm a pretty good teacher", he says proudly.
"Well, good job. If she doesn't die from the beating, she will die from chakra exhaustion. You asshole!" I can't help but feel angry.
"No, she won't.....die....." Naruto dims down as if he is unsure of Hinata's survival. Kakashi sighs as he joins in.
"Sasuke kun is right, Naruto. That shadow clone of yours is called a forbidden jutsu for a reason. Not everyone can wield them", he says while omitting a shit ton of details as usual.
Hinata won't die, not after this.
I see Naruto squirming in regret.
"Then again, sensei. He decides to whom he teaches his shit", I say as Naruto shrinks down further in the ground.
Kakashi just shrugs. I'm pretty sure he doesn't care, either.
"You guys dating or something?!" I ask Naruto while poking him.
"What!?! No, it's not like that, dude", he says as he springs back up.
"Then what is it?".
"We are just friends; I see her following me in the weirdest places."
"Usually, people that follow you don't become your friend."
"Your ass used to follow me all day, sacred of your own dad's ghost," Naruto retorts.
Can't argue that. I was quite messed up at that time.
" So, the other day, I kinda caught her? She fainted for some reason? I took her to my house?".
"You took an unconscious girl back home?" My eyebrows are on my head.
"It happened inside my building!?" he says.
"Still, that's a terrible idea. But go on...".
"She woke up after I made her smell your socks. After that, she kinda didn't wanna go back home. Maybe she did something wrong and ran away. I don't know... I didn't pry. She started coming often after that", he says with a shrug.
"How come I never saw her?" I ask.
"Hinata Chan kinda knows when you would come around so she could bail," Naruto again just shrugs.
So, she is like those village aunties that you only see smiling and working all day.
You never see them poop or eat. They are natural-born ninjas without any training. Itachi Nee-san was like that, I've never seen her poop.
"Have you ever seen Hinata poop?" I ask.
"What?" Naruto asks in return.
The next match was announced.
Tenten Senpai is up.
"So, you guys got chummy and taught her the Shadowclone ?" I ask.
Naruto stays silent for a second as if weighing his answers.
"Yeah....that's right. She seemed tensed about the exam, so I showed it to her", he says with a sigh.
"Well, good. But you gotta keep in mind who you teach your shit" I take my attention back to the arena.
"I thought it to Konohamaru. He was fine after making a clone", Naruto says.
"Because his dad was a Uzumaki. Konohamaru has bigger chakra than most other kids these days", I explain. Not to mention, Konohamaru has 100 times better chakra control than Naruto.
Naruto "hmm"s in agreement.
He taught the jutsu to an 8-year-old? Konohamaru probably used the standard clone to keep face.
Otherwise, it would mean he is one of those unparalleled geniuses.
Tenten Senpai is ready to roll.
"Imma go number 2 for a bit. Watch the match for me, will ya?" I ask Naruto.
"Yeah, sure".
I get to the washroom, and I see myself in the mirror.
I'm sweating like crazy. My face is flashed, and my hands and knees are trembling.
A side effect of the chakra peels? Maybe?
No....I'm scared .....so fucking scared.
....there is someone like me.
Neji was drugged or somehow manipulated to go overdrive when Hinata was stunned.
In the canon, it was exactly the moment the jounins stepped in, and they knew it.
They know the future. But why kill Hinata?
To destabilize the Hyuga?
If they know the future, why not go after me? Having a sharingan is the easiest way to be overpowered, not to mention I will be an easier target.
First, I gotta ask questions to myself. Calm me down.
[ are you an enemy?]
You tried to kill Hinata, my boy's wife. Imma rips you to shreds.
So, yeah. It's an enemy.
[Who are you associated with?]
The only reason Sasuke lives in this world is because of Itachi's love. Or pity. Maybe they have some kind of connection to Itachi or Danzo?
Orochimaru?
He feels like a distraction at this point.
Sakura? She oddly feels like a prime suspect here.
Maybe they want me to think that way?
I breathe deeply as I feel a familiar chakra behind me.
It's...slippery, smooth, almost fishy to my nose.
"Hello, Sasuke Uchiha," Orochimaru greets me as he slides out of an awfully narrow crack in the wall.
Should've known he would find a way to at least greet me once.
I dare not turn around. Pushing chakra to unseal a smoke bomb that I always keep in my stomach
seems like a good way to try and escape. Vomiting that god-awful gas is always unpleasant. A fair trade-off for split-second activation.
Like a snake preying on a rat, he almost slides towards me. I can only confirm his presence through the mirror.
As for where he really is...I have no idea; his chakra is all over the place, like the whole room is him, as if I'm inside his belly.
A normal person would probably think he has been swallowed whole by a snake.
Is this how you tip off sensor types?
"No need to fret, child," he says with a soothing voice. But the snake's tongue slapping on his lips makes it rather scary.
"I'm only here for a chat," Orochimaru smacks his lips.
The only thing I can do is do as he says until Kakashi catches on.