"But nothing could ever stop us
From stealing our own place in the sun
We will face the odds against us
And run into the fear we run from
It has begun."
It has begun (original by Starset)
July 19, 1056
"Ariza Saito and Kabuto Yakushi," the examiner's raspy voice rang out. "Come forward."
In complete silence, we walked toward the examiner. It was rather unexpected. However, the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I'll be free.
"You have been chosen for the first duel. Any objections?" the examiner asked and stepped back several meters from us.
"I'll fight," we answered simultaneously. I watched my opponent closely, and he watched me. He'll be holding back... I'm sure of it. He's a spy, after all. And I... I will also fight at less than full strength. I need to win without resorting to serious techniques.
If I remember correctly from the anime, with a single touch of a palm infused with chakra, he can damage internal organs. If only I could understand when he's using that chakra and when he's not. After all, it's invisible.
"Ow... the sealing mark, damn it... the pain isn't going away. It's only getting stronger. This never happened before," I try to suppress a grimace of pain. I hope once I start fighting, it will pass.
"Cough... Everyone except the opponents, clear the floor," the examiner requested, and a minute later, no one remained at the battle site except the three of us. "If you are ready, begin."
"Well then, Ariza, will you show me what you're capable of?" Kabuto smirked and, throwing three shuriken at me, lunged forward.
I pull out my tekko-kagi and, parrying the shuriken, dodge Kabuto's strike. I had a split second to create a clone in the air, and I took it. The clone appears unexpectedly behind Kabuto and, swinging its sword, prepares to strike his back.
Only a moment later do I realize why Kabuto isn't planning to slow down or dodge. The target of his strike is my heart. If he damages my heart, my clone will dissipate on its own. I don't need to count seconds to know whose strike will reach its target faster. The only thing I have time to do is a substitution with my clone.
I swing the tekko-kagi and already smirk victoriously—swapping places was the best decision. But suddenly pain washes over my body, and I miss a kick from Kabuto.
I fly back several meters and immediately stand up. Damn, if it's going to hurt every time I use chakra, it's going to cause me a lot of trouble; at least the pain is bearable for now.
"I'm impressed... Using two techniques in the first second of the fight. It turns out your bravado isn't based on nothing," Kabuto says, smiling.
"What? What bravado? Damn it, Ari, don't get distracted, he's just trying to talk your ear off!"
"But how long will you last?" he pulls out a kunai and runs at me. Curse it, letting him get close is dangerous. If he damages my internal organs, it won't end well. But I'll have to engage him in close combat and land a powerful blow. I need to break his arms so he can't use them. That is the key to victory.
The first few strikes were unexpected and aggressive. I miraculously parried, nearly losing my balance. Doing several backflips, I went on the offensive. I moved faster than ever, trying to reach him.
In terms of speed, he clearly isn't inferior to Kakashi-sensei, and I, fighting without weights now, can barely keep up with him. We fought like this for several seconds, and eventually, we struck each other with such force that we both flew back and crashed into the wall.
The powerful impact made me choke on blood and hiss. Pressing my lips together, I stood up on trembling limbs. Damn... my back. My poor back.
"Not bad, not bad," Kabuto stood up as if nothing had happened and walked toward me. Oh, for... how could I forget that he regenerates at an enormous speed?! I hit him with colossal force, and he moves as if nothing happened! If I break his arms, will he restore them too?!
"And you're not one of the weak ones either, Kabuto," I smirked and, brushing my loose hair away from my face, reached into my pouch to see what I had left. "You should probably be a jounin by now."
"And you're not a stupid girl; you're wise even beyond your years," while he spoke, I rummaged through the pouch.
"Wire, explosive seals, a smoke bomb, shuriken, and kunai. Well, at least it's something. I'll use the smoke bomb if the sealing mark starts acting up. The wire won't be useful now, nor the shuriken. That leaves only the explosive seals and kunai. Hm... I think I know what to do with this..." a plan of action instantly matured in my head. Only I'll have to use clones a bit.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," I formed the sealing mark and, along with four doubles, surrounded Kabuto. We all simultaneously pulled out kunai with explosive seals.
"Clever..." Kabuto commented and adjusted his glasses, remaining in place.
Without a second thought, I and three clones throw the kunai. The fourth clone jumps up and, using the kunai cloning technique, attacks from above.
A second later, a large explosion occurred. I turned away, covering my eyes with my hand. After a while, to make sure he hadn't kicked the bucket, I and the clones went to the epicenter of the explosion. When we approached, all the smoke had already cleared and, most interestingly, he was nowhere to be found. Only the clones and I remained on the floor.
"And where is he?" a clone asked while wiping soot from its face. Yes, it seems Kabuto forgot (or perhaps didn't know) that I am a sensor, and I realized long ago that he had made a substitution with that very clone.
"Whatever. Move out," the clones and I didn't waste time and attacked Kabuto, who was in the guise of me. The clones themselves jumped back to the walls, and I began forming sealing marks. This fire technique will be a distraction.
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu," I exhale small balls of fire that head toward Kabuto. They contain shuriken with wire. Right now, my goal is to immobilize Kabuto. While the fireballs are flying, I try to predict Yakushi's next move, so I perform a substitution technique with my clone.
I and the doubles standing by the walls begin throwing shuriken and kunai.
When the fire disappears, Kabuto seems to notice the shuriken. He attempts to move out from under the attack, but unsuccessfully. The main clone, which had been using the fire technique, throws a kunai to cut the single wire that prevents the mechanism from activating. That's it. The clones and I pull the threads. And in the end, Orochimaru's pawn finds himself trapped.
"Got you!" the main clone smiles, standing opposite the opponent. Of course, the double, like me, knows perfectly well that it's not Yakushi Kabuto himself in the trap, but his clone, while the opponent himself is underground. But the clone is smart; it pretends it doesn't even suspect that Kabuto wants to attack from underground right now.
Not a second passes before Kabuto's hands grab the clone's ankles and pull it underground.
"You're predictable, Kabuto!" the clone doesn't stay in debt and provides its own portion of surprise: the double suddenly pulls an explosive seal from its pouch and sticks it on itself. I glance at the balcony where my team and others are standing. And I smirk. Naruto is shouting at the top of his lungs, Sasuke is standing with a poker face and smirking slightly (heh, the clever guy already figured out what's going on), and the other genin are watching with their mouths agape. "Katsu!" the clone forms the sealing mark, and a wave of explosion spreads across the Arena.
"Well, Kabuto, are you alive down there?" I dissipated the clones and approached the pit that had formed after the explosion. In the middle lay Kabuto with major burns all over his body. I looked closely at him and realized it was another clone, and he himself was underground again.
Kabuto quickly climbs to the surface and prepares to strike me from behind. If I weren't a sensor, I would have definitely missed the blow. I turn halfway and swing my sword. In an instant, I slash his stomach. He falls and begins to writhe in pain.
"Hm... strange that he didn't even try to dodge or parry the blow," a seed of doubt settled in my thoughts. I dig into my memory, trying to understand where I made a mistake. Suddenly I realize. I turn back to look at the clone in the pit again. But it's not there. I hear a pop behind my back—the clone dissipated. I tune into my sensory abilities, but I don't notice anyone anywhere. Curse it. Has Kabuto finally figured out that I'm a sensor and hidden his chakra? I can't sense him like this! After all, there are many sources here that don't hide their chakra! Where is he?!
"Ariza!" Naruto shouts and points his finger upward. I raise my head. Too late! Sharp pain pierces my body, and I fall, eyes squeezed shut. Next, I hear the swing of a kunai. I roll to the right and stand up. I focus my gaze on Kabuto and jump back. The spot where I was lying a moment ago was bristling with kunai like a porcupine.
"Maybe you're quite the dark horse, and in terms of strength you're clearly not a genin, but don't you dare underestimate me, Ariza Saito!" Yakushi grinned and pulled out another kunai. On his body were huge burns that were healing right before my eyes. Now that's regeneration!
"Better shut up, Kabuto."
The wound hurt mercilessly, and the blood wouldn't stop flowing. Damn. He left me a deep gash from my chest to the bottom of my stomach. I directed medical chakra to the wound to stop the bleeding; right now, it's the only thing I can do. But the worst part—the sealing mark started hurting again. Curse it. I need to finish the fight quickly. I won't last long like this!
I created clones, and we attacked him using Taijutsu and Kendo. At first, it even seemed to me that I could predict his strikes. Pure luck. But it didn't help. A second later, the first clone dissipated. Bearable pain washed over my body. My strikes became slower. Two seconds later, another one was destroyed. The pain doubled. I couldn't concentrate or think several steps ahead. Three seconds later, two more were gone. And in an instant, the pain became so unbearable that I could neither breathe nor move! There it is, the pain from using chakra!
Kabuto was presented with a perfect chance to strike me, which he did. Striking several times with a chakra-infused palm, he jumped away from me.
My legs gave way, and I fell to my knees, my shaking hands serving as some kind of support and a barrier against full contact with the stone slab. My whole body ached. Every cell. Even my eyes hurt, though he hadn't struck me in the face.
I don't know where the blows landed, but blood is filling my airways. Air... I don't have enough air!.. I wanted to wipe the blood that was starting to trickle down my chin, but I noticed that I couldn't move my left arm. It dangled as if it were just sewn on.
"I've severed all the muscles in your arm, and in addition, damaged your airways and other organs. Now you have two options: you either surrender, or you start fighting at full strength," I heard Kabuto's serious voice.
Bastard! If he wants to expose me, nothing will stop him.
"Sh-u-cough-cough-up..." I rasped out. Curse it... I can barely speak, but I can still continue to fight. Only... is it worth it?
"If you don't intend to fight seriously, you'd better surrender. I don't think you'll last long choking on your own blood. Besides, I don't think your friends will appreciate this, knowing what state you're in," I couldn't see Kabuto's face since I was looking at the floor, but I could assume he was smirking right now. Bastard...
"Sh-ut up..." an unprecedented anger began to appear in my soul. I wanted to smear him across the wall... I have to hold on, hold on...
"Or do they not know?" he continued.
"O-ne mo-re wor-d, Ka-bu-to... And I'll make you shut up myself!" I said the last phrase in one breath, and blood poured from my mouth on its own.
"Ah, yes, have you really not told them yet?"
"Bastard! I'll kill you! And Orochimaru too!" I tried to stand up, but unsuccessfully. The sealing mark seemed to bind me.
"Maybe I should help you do it?"
"Cough-cough."
"You were saying back there that you're afraid. Afraid to te—"
"Close. Your. Mouth," I hissed, unable to endure his provocations any longer. I sharply ran fire along my sword and then increased the beam as much as possible. After inhaling and exhaling several times, I calmed down and raised my head.
The first thought that came to my mind:
"Take that, you beast!" I canceled the technique, threw aside the sword, and stood up.
Kabuto stood in place for a little while longer, clutching his right shoulder where the technique's strike had landed, and then fell.
Only then did I realize what I had done.
"Oh, God, what have I done?" not a trace of my anger remained. A sense of guilt began to wash over me. But it too receded into the background, giving way to pain. I can barely hold back a scream. This technique is incredibly chakra-consuming. In one second, I spent five times more chakra than in the entire fight before that. Which means it will soon be five times more painful.
"Do you think you've won?" I turned at Yakushi's voice. He was smiling slyly through the pain and trying to stand up. Damn... He's not going to surrender. This technique couldn't defeat him. All that's left for me is...
"Examiner..." I quietly called out to Gekko Hayate, and he turned. I lowered my head, trying not to look toward the team, and continued in a whisper: "I... surrender."
A little longer, and I'll faint from the pain shock. The pain from torn muscles, broken bones, and huge burns is incomparable to the pain from the sealing mark. I will not continue this fight any longer, otherwise everyone will find out about my Heavenly Cursed Seal from Orochimaru. One must have moderation in things. I didn't come here to prove anything to anyone. If I remain a cripple here, I'll fail my primary mission.
"In that case, I also... surrender..." we heard Kabuto's quiet voice. "This technique is too strong; I can't heal my wounds," all of Kabuto's attempts to stand up failed and he fell on his backside.
"Tsk..." I felt ashamed and turned away.
Well, for... I feel like a loser. A failure who was just played into using a technique. I'll speak plainly! I've been swindled! This isn't a draw. This is my loss.
"Ahem... I see. Well then, both participants of the first preliminary bout are disqualified."
"What?! Ari, you can't just surrender like that! He's almost defeated!" Naruto shouted from the balcony, and I looked in their direction. I couldn't see clearly. For some reason, my vision was doubled and everything was blurred. But they all seemed puzzled.
"Ariza Saito, we will do everything to ensure you recover as quickly as possible," a person from the medical ninja brigade approached me.
"What?" I tried to process it, but my head wasn't working at all. "No, not now. My legs are fine; if I want to, I'll walk myself. Thanks," I refused medical assistance and, taking my sword, headed at a snail's pace toward the stairs to the balcony. Behind my back, the next participants of the fight were announced:
"Jiro Uchiha versus Ino Yamanaka."
When I was already near the stairs, Jiro was walking toward me.
"Wa-it," I stopped him, taking him by the elbow. "Do you... remember?" I whisper.
"Yes, July 22nd at 17:00," he said in a whisper as well, so no one would hear us. "Don't forget the scroll. And you'd better seek medical help."
I nod my head and go to the balcony. I need to get to a certain medical ninja in Konoha. This is the only person I can tell about the sealing mark at the moment.
On the way, I tried to stop the bleeding so there wouldn't be a bloody trail behind me that would be off-putting.
As soon as I approached my team, exactly what I suspected happened.
"Ariza! Why did you surrender? You almost won! What kind of cool technique was that?" Naruto ran up and started shouting.
"Moron, calm down," Sasuke started pulling him away. Then Kakashi intervened.
"Sorry..." I quietly ask for forgiveness.
"Ariza! You have nothing to apologize for!" Naruto protested.
"Sorry for not meeting expectations and for not passing to the third stage," I lowered my head guiltily.
Naruto started saying something, and Sasuke joined him. And suddenly, from the loud noise and commotion, my vision began to go dark. Damn, the main thing is not to lose consciousness now.
My legs give way, and I start to fall. At the last second, Sasuke catches me. While helping me up, he says seriously in my ear: "We'll definitely talk later." And I nod.
"Ariza, you need to see the medical ninja immediately," Kakashi-sensei approached me.
"I... kno-w," every breath in and out is accompanied by pain. Damn Kabuto. "Sensei... I need to leave."
"I can't let you go in this state," Kakashi said.
"Sen-sei, my fight, cough-cough, is o-ver... and I have the right... to go ho-me. Don't wor-ry... I'll stop by the med... ical ninja. Cough... On the way..." I say quietly. He sighs resignedly and shifts his gaze to the Arena. I turn around and head for the exit.
When I left the Great Hall, I heard someone running after me.
"Ariza!" Naruto shouted, and I turned around. His chakra was much lower than usual, so I immediately guessed it was a clone. "Whatever you want, but I can't let you go alone! So we're going together!" he said, catching his breath. I smiled and mentally rejoiced at what kind of friends I have. "By the way, where are you going?"
"To Konoha. To an acquaintance of mine."
"Great! And who is it?"
"Yoshi-san. The head medical ninja of the hospital."
On the way to the exit, Naruto persuaded me to stop by the medics for my own good. I didn't have the strength to resist, so I decided not to argue. I can't say I felt worse from their treatment, but I didn't feel better either. Yes, they stitched my wounds and pumped me with local anesthetics so much that my head spun. They administered them in all sorts of ways: topically and by inhalation. But they still couldn't remove the pain from the sealing mark, and they didn't even know I had it. Although for the most part their help turned out to be useless, there was still a result: the pain from the physical injuries was no longer felt.
On the way, I created one improved clone. Its goal is to watch the exam and prevent serious injuries to Lee and the other participants. Tsunade isn't in Konoha, and for now, the village doesn't need her. We have Minato, after all. So there's no one to treat Lee.
We went outside and headed toward the Forest of Death. Was it the right decision to go into the forest practically alone? Definitely not! And possibly, it will be my mistake. But I can't stay in a building where Orochimaru's mere presence makes me feel horribly painful.
Well, to get to the hospital in Konoha, we'll only need twenty minutes. The main thing is not to die on the way.
We didn't waste time and ran toward Konoha. It's good that my legs weren't broken or damaged, so I move relatively quickly. I need to get back to normal as soon as possible and visit my subconscious to solve the problem with the sealing mark.
While we ran, Naruto's clone questioned me about the fight and the techniques. But then he realized it was better for me not to talk right now and fell silent, saying that he and Sasuke would find out everything anyway. He also admitted that the idea to send a clone after me belonged to Sasuke, and that it was the Uchiha who asked Naruto to persuade me to go to the first-aid post. This was unexpected news for me. I thought he was angry with me... Regardless, I won't be able to avoid the conversation anyway. And I don't want to avoid it. I want to talk to him. To say everything to his face and apologize.
Thus we reached a huge clearing, across which we were already running in silence. We could have gone around it, but that would have taken another twenty minutes.
During this time, I was replaying the battle against Kabuto in my head. It helps a lot to improve tactics. I came up with new battle strategies and hypothesized how the fight would have developed if I had acted differently.
But one thing is clear: he did manage to bait me into using the technique. Although it's not such a strong Jutsu, one might even say not a primary one, I still shouldn't have shown it. Now they'll have questions for me. Many questions...
"I'm in trouble. Although... they would have found out my tech— anyway..."
"Ari, look out!" my friend shouted, and suddenly something crashed into me at great speed.
I flew into a nearby rock and upon impact felt as if every cell in my body was vibrating. My head ached mercilessly, and there was a noise in my ears. I forced my eyelids open and realized I couldn't focus properly. My vision is doubled. The only thing I see is some gray blur rushing straight at me. It seems to be some kind of beast.
I tried to stand up and jump away, but realized I had damaged my left femur. It seems I'll have to hop on one leg now.
"What a bastard! I shouldn't have gotten distracted," when my vision returns to normal, I see a huge wolf, about three meters high, which is already very close. I barely stand on my feet and jump back. In the air, I pull out kunai with explosive seals and launch them at the beast.
Minus one—not killed, but too wounded to continue attacking.
I hear a noise behind me; it seems Naruto is fighting.
I landed, my legs immediately gave way, and I fell. Curse it. I sense six more wolves nearby, which are starting to surround me. Now I see why so many teams didn't pass!
"Ari!" I hear Naruto's voice and turn around. Uzumaki is running toward me, but a moment later a beast jumps out from behind a rock and instantly bites off his head in mid-jump.
My comrade's clone dissipated, leaving me alone. I'm sure Naruto will call for help. So right now, only one thing matters.
Survive...
I barely stood on my feet and, pulling out my tekko-kagi, ran fire along it. Well, let's see what I'm capable of...
A few minutes later.
My speed had significantly decreased, but it was enough to seriously wound four more. Only two left. I take a deep breath and jump onto a large rock to survey the area. It's easier to fight them, because after all, they are animals. But my strength is already at its limit. The sealing mark is making itself known again.
If all my chakra runs out, the sealing mark will take over. I jump off the rock, and suddenly I'm paralyzed. The sealing mark... it won't let me move... I feel the sealing mark spreading through my entire body.
Suddenly I hear a growl somewhere near me. My attempts to suppress the sealing mark multiplied manifold. Come on, get out! I hear silent footsteps and look around. Two of the largest wolves emerge slowly from behind the rock. One of them is black as night, and the second is white as snow. The only thing that made them similar was their sparkling yellow eyes, which looked as if into my soul.
The Big Black Wolf, hackles raised, grinned predatorily, showing his intention to tear me to shreds. The white one, on the contrary, remained calm and didn't even growl.
During those few seconds they watched me, I didn't breathe once. And I only began to take action after they lunged from their spots.
"Cur-se it..." I tried to move even just a little bit! I tried, but my body would hardly obey!
Damn... I won't die here! No way! I still have a mission!
I was only able to move when the wolves were already a meter away from me. So all that was left for me to do was close my eyes and prepare...
***
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