Noon. The sun beat down; the village buzzed with life. Stalls and shouts filled the streets — today's Chūnin Exams had reached the second stage, and everyone was eager to see their village's young shinobi in the third round.
In the old-style inn, warm sunlight slipped through the curtains and fell across Mei Terumi's composed, still-pretty face. She blinked awake, sat up, and felt the aftereffects of last night: the blanket slipping off, her disordered yukata, the faint soreness in her limbs. Across the floor lay the torn remnants of yesterday evening.
She frowned and remembered. Her cheeks flamed. "Dammit," she muttered, half embarrassed, half angry. "You're impossible."
Despite the irritation, a small trace of pleasure lingered in the memory. Still—she was annoyed. Ayato had promised to "take responsibility," and yet the way he'd handled it made her want to spit. He'd said he'd "have it all," and then… behaved like a reckless rogue. Completely infuriating. "What a bastard," she hissed, glaring at Ayato's handsome, unbothered face where he lay asleep beside her.
When Ayato stirred, stretched and opened his eyes, he smirked. "If anything came of it, you should be grateful—really, the whole village should be thanking me." He spoke as though the idea were obvious.
Mei's brow shot up. "The whole village?" she snapped. Her tone was half indignation, half wounded pride. If she were to bear a child, the bloodline would be extraordinary—double kekkei genkai, a generation of powerful heirs. The thought made her chest tighten with both pride and anger.
"You and your people should be grateful too," Mei shot back. "I'm the only one the whole lands knows with two kekkei genkai. Don't forget that."
Ayato shrugged and sauntered toward the washroom. "We'll see how the exam goes," he said lightly. "Today should be fun. Orochimaru might show up, and so might Akatsuki — and there's the bet." He sounded amused.
Mei bit back another retort, refolding the yukata around herself. She wasn't about to lose her temper publicly. She'd been proud and stubborn her whole life — last night's events hadn't changed that.
The Forest of Death. Naruto staggered on one knee, clothes torn and filthy, glaring up at Orochimaru. Sakura pressed a bleeding arm to her chest and kept an eye on the enemy. Sasuke, dirty and bruised, kept his Sharingan on high alert, every muscle coiled.
"Are you all right, Sakura?" Naruto asked between breaths, clutching his own wounds.
"For now," Sakura said, pale but steady. Poison crawled through her arm; with the toxins in her veins, she felt cold and weak. Their medical skills weren't enough to purge it on the spot.
Sasuke's gaze didn't leave Orochimaru. "If you don't have the skill, don't embarrass Ayato's name here," he snapped.
Naruto bristled, standing on trembling legs. "I haven't used my whole strength yet!" he shouted. "You think I'd let you beat us now?"
Orochimaru watched them with serpentine stillness from atop his massive summon, the giant white snake coiling and uncoiling beneath him. His pale, almost gold eyes settled on Sasuke, and a hungry look passed over his thin face. "You're still a fledgling of the Uchiha," he said softly. "You're not the same as Itachi."
Sasuke's jaw clenched. He was a revenge-driven child; how dare Orochimaru compare him to Itachi. He moved, lightning crackling, palm open: "Chidori!"
Ayato's lesson had shown. Orochimaru blinked in genuine surprise at the speed and reach of Sasuke's Chidori — a flash of blue lightning arcing over the snake's hide. He'd underestimated how far Ayato's influence reached: teaching these kids techniques and pushing them beyond the expected.
Orochimaru vanished in a blur and then reappeared, his foot snapping out. Sasuke flew back, crashed into a tree, blood at his mouth. "Too fast," Sasuke breathed. "He's faster than Sanbi's Ken… he's—"
Orochimaru's voice was as smooth as silk. "Ayato is… interesting. You learned to use lightning. That's useful." He coiled, eyes slitting. "I want Ayato's power. That blue eye of his—so rare, so promising. If I can't take him directly…" He paused, licking his lips. "…then I'll take what I can from the Uchiha."
Sasuke writhed on the ground, hands pressed to his burning neck where Orochimaru's mark had burned black. Pain cut through him. "You'll—" he tried to form the words, hand making signs despite the agony.
Naruto charged, forming the familiar swirling mass of chakra and launching it full-force. "Rasengan!" The blast slammed into Orochimaru, who was, for the moment, unprepared. Sakura rushed forward and struck with the blunt force she'd taught herself — pure, raw power — and together their attacks sent Orochimaru tumbling.
He hit trees, snapping trunks like twigs, and rolled across roots before settling back to a crouch. He laughed, voice low and amused. "Brave, inefficient, useful. You've learned a lot. That will make extracting power more interesting."
As Orochimaru sank into the earth — his form disappearing into the soil like a living shadow — Sasuke crawled to his feet, trembling, clutching his neck. "You think you can steal from me?" he spat at the retreating shape. "You'll regret underestimating who I am."
Orochimaru's voice rose from the earth like a promise and a threat. "When Ayato tires of you… you will come to me."
The serpent shimmered out of the earth and dissolved into smoke. A flash of blue seized the three and Ayato caught them before they fell, setting them on the ground like something precious and fragile.
Naruto grinned as relief flooded him. "Ayato!"
Ayato popped a lollipop into his mouth and looked down at them with mild disdain. "Pathetic."
They were battered, yes — but they lived. Orochimaru was an E-rank threat turned S-class nightmare; any of them could have been taken in a single, clever strike. Still… Ayato had been there when it counted. He'd been watching from the margins, allowing his students to make mistakes and learn.
Sakura, panting, stared up at Ayato. "Ayato… my arm—"
"Yeah, I know." Ayato's hand settled over her chest, where his chakra pulsed pale and cool. The toxin had crept in deep, but he was calm; that calmness wrapped around them like a shield. Sakura's breathing steadied; the black creeping poison receded under his touch.
Sakura blinked, confused and a little embarrassed. "Y-Why are your hands—on my chest?"
Ayato's eyes flicked up, a roguish half-grin on his face. "Practical reasons," he said. "And because you have the cutest reaction when you're helpless."
Sakura flared red, half-ashamed, half-relieved. Naruto muttered a joke and was promptly socked by Sakura — which only served to make him laugh through the pain.
Ayato's expression softened for the briefest beat as he scanned the horizon. Orochimaru wanted him; Orochimaru coveted the blue eyes and the strange power that sat behind them. That much was clear. But Ayato would not be so easily taken. Not now, and not ever.
He helped his students to their feet and, for once, let the faintest hint of pride touch his features. They were far from perfect — messy, impulsive, sometimes infuriating — but they were his. And he'd always prefer they learn by living through their mistakes rather than never learning at all.
"Get up," he said. "Finish the exam."
They dusted themselves off. The village hummed beyond the trees, oblivious to the little war that had just brushed its edges. The Chūnin Exam would go on. The stakes had just become higher.
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