Sasuke's eyes widened at Suguru's declaration, his chopsticks freezing halfway to his mouth.
It was quite comical, especially when coming from the boy in question.
"The Reibi?" he echoed, the unfamiliar term rough on his tongue.
Suguru nodded, a gleam surfacing in his eyes.
The Zero-Tails was a being born from the deepest human anguish, thriving on negativity.
Its existence validated theories Suguru had been formulating about chakra manifestation and the nature of tailed beasts beyond the established nine.
"It's not a true tailed beast," Suguru explained, lowering his voice. "More of… a manifestation. It's some kind of man-made recreation of darkness."
Suguru stirred his newly arrived ramen idly, gears grinding in his mind. If the Reibi manifested in this timeline, then other divergences were probable. His interference might instigate more ripples than he had predicted.
Or, perhaps that's how it always had been.
"How do you know about this?" Sasuke questioned, suspicion sharpening his gaze.
Suguru offered a practiced, deceptive smile. "Research. My travels led me to stumble on a few records and old scrolls."
Not precisely a falsehood. His knowledge stemmed from a different sort of repository altogether. The endless piles of narratives from another life, in a different world.
"So, more specifically, the Reibi thrives on negative emotion," Suguru went back to his descriptions. "Hatred, fear, despair… it harvests these feelings, transmuting them into a corrupted version of chakra. It's really fascinating."
Stress on 'really,' because Suguru wanted it as a test subject.
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Akuta-sensei seemed shaken by it. Claimed it wasn't natural."
"…Well, he's correct," Suguru nodded. "Unnatural in the conventional sense. Closer to something like an aberration. Humanity's inherent darkness manifesting into tangible form."
Although Hiruzen had the power to annihilate it, the identity of Akuta at that time did not.
Hokage-level wasn't so easy to reach, after all.
Finally,
"Did you engage it?" Suguru asked.
Sasuke shook his head. "Akuta-sensei ordered a retreat. Said we could not fight it."
"…I'm not surprised," Suguru mused.
Even Hiruzen, without the weight of another identity and three genin, would tread carefully around such an entity.
And with Suguru himself in the picture of a distant future… well, Hiruzen certainly harbored agendas of his own. Perhaps it warranted a mission for Suguru himself, sometime soon.
* * *
Suguru and Sasuke finished their ramen in companionable silence.
The mention of the Reibi had shifted the atmosphere, leaving both lost in their own thoughts.
Suguru occasionally glanced at Sasuke, noting the subtle changes in his demeanor since their last encounter. The young Uchiha had grown stronger, more focused.
Sasuke's chakra carried a sharper edge.
"The exams begin tomorrow," Sasuke said finally, placing his chopsticks across his empty bowl. "Like me, Mitsuko and Sakura have been training relentlessly."
Suguru nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. He couldn't resist revealing the surprise:
"And as a proctor, I should warn you… This year's challenges will test more than just your combat prowess."
"Huh? You're proctoring?" Sasuke's eyebrows rose slightly. "When was this decision made? Weren't you rogue for a while, as well?"
"Well… Hokage-sama works in mysterious ways," Suguru replied with a dismissive wave.
"Honestly, I was shocked too,"
Sasuke studied him for a moment. The amount of words that had sprouted from the silver-haired boy was more than every other time they'd met.
"You've changed, Suguru."
"We all have, Sasuke-nii." Suguru countered. "That's the nature of our world."
Chuckling, Suguru paid for their meal and stepped outside into the rising sun. The streets were now buzzing with activity, preparing for the day ahead.
Faintly, Suguru could sense the genin teams from various villages beginning to arrive. They filled Konoha with unfamiliar faces and foreign chakra signatures.
"I'm going," Sasuke said. "I still have some things I need to try."
Suguru nodded. "And I have a proctors' briefing with the Hokage."
He paused, then added, "Also, a word of advice before tomorrow comes. Don't underestimate any of your opponents, Sasuke-nii. Even those who seem weak may harbor unexpected talents."
"Hmph, let's see them try," Sasuke seemed to think of such thoughts as incredulous.
As long as his opponent wasn't a monster like Suguru, then he had nothing to worry about.
'Unfortunately for him, Konoha has two jinchuriki roaming the village at the moment.'
Suguru's eyes flashed, his gaze moving towards a certain area of Konoha where a red-haired boy had just woken up.
"Gaara, huh?" he chuckled as he and Sasuke parted ways.
It had been a while since Suguru had a chat with Shukaku.
* * *
Suguru flickered into the Hokage's Office, finding Hiruzen seated behind his desk with a stack of scrolls piled high before him.
The old man looked tired, but his eyes still carried that same sharp intelligence that had guided Konoha through decades of turmoil.
"Ah, Suguru-kun. Right on time," Hiruzen gestured to the chair across from him. "I trust your breakfast with young Sasuke was enlightening?"
Suguru's lips quirked upward. Of course, the Hokage knew about that.
"Quite. He's grown considerably since I last saw him."
Hiruzen nodded, setting aside his pipe.
"As have you, though in less conventional ways." He unrolled a scroll bearing the official seal of the Chuunin Exams. "Now, to business. Your role as proctor."
"I assume I'll be handling one of the three traditional stages?" Suguru asked.
"The second stage," Hiruzen confirmed. "Originally, Mitarashi Anko would have overseen it, but given recent... developments, I've reassigned her to intelligence gathering. You'll be taking her place in the Forest of Death."
Suguru's eyes gleamed with interest. "And the other proctors?"
"Morino Ibiki for the first stage, as planned. For the third, Gekko Hayate will oversee the preliminaries, and I'll personally handle the finals."
Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly. "There are complications this year. Orochimaru has established his own hidden village—Otogakure. We have intelligence suggesting several of his genin will be participating."
"The Sound Village," Suguru murmured. "How fitting for him."
"More concerning is that the Akatsuki appears to be using it as a recruitment ground. Some of the participating genin may have been trained directly by Akatsuki members."
Suguru's eyes gleamed. "That changes things…"
"Indeed. And we still have Hasu to contend with — Danzo's remnants haven't simply disappeared with his death. They're regrouping, possibly planning to disrupt the exams."
"I know. They're brewing quite the perfect storm," Suguru said with excitement, his mind already calculating possibilities.
"What parameters am I allowed for intervention?"
Hiruzen steepled his fingers. "You may eliminate threats as you see fit, but only if they endanger the exam's integrity or the participants' lives beyond the expected risks. I need you to be my eyes in the forest, Suguru. Watch for anything unusual, particularly regarding Orochimaru's genin or signs of Akatsuki influence."
Hearing these words, Suguru laughed.
Being someone's eyes?
That was what he was good at.
Thus, he smiled. Looking at Hiruzen with an unmistakable confidence he rarely showed, he said,
"Very well." Suguru's eyes shattered and reformed in an instant, turning into a deep shade of crimson. "Nothing will escape my gaze,"
Deciding to comfortably show Hiruzen his Sharingan, Suguru expressed his loyalty to the village…
No matter what flimsy amount it was.
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