— Negotiate? What do you mean?
After somehow reconciling such a pure emotion with the pink-haired boy's face, Natsuki finally spoke up.
— Well… although I like your idea, I have to say it's not enough.
— …I see. So, what do you want?
To the blonde, the greed hidden behind Yashin's gaze was as clear as his smile. However, to the other party, the question seemed downright vulgar.
With his smile once again twisting cynically, Yashin spoke in a whisper.
— It's not about me, Natsuki. I'm not that shallow. This is about you. It's you who interests me.
Whether it was because of the volume of his words or what he was actually saying, the Uzumaki couldn't make head or tail of what was coming out of the Haruno's mouth.
Inevitably, this time it was she who closed the distance, hoping that would help her understand him a little better.
— …Me? What do you mean by…?
— You don't need to look so confused. For starters, why don't you tell me how Sarada and you became so close in such a short time?
However, her effort was in vain.
Listening to his words brought no clarity.
Still, since she was the one who needed to convince him, she decided to play along, at least for the time being.
— It's not "such a short time," nor was it sudden—especially considering that we both had to watch you kill another academy student up close.
— Well, I didn't expect to shock them so much that it would create a traumatic bond between them. Although you're wrong about one thing—I didn't kill him; I had someone else kill him. That's very different.
— …It seems to me that his death is still on your hands.
— Yes, but the death of that scum is still too trifling of being attributed entirely to me; so I'd prefer to be considered little more than a humble instigator.
Exasperated, amused, disgusted… it was hard for Natsuki to figure out how she was supposed to feel.
While she couldn't care less about what happened to Shouen, her fist was still clenched, eager to shatter the pink-haired boy's frivolous mask of modesty; but at the same time, that very modesty struck her as so ridiculous that it made the corners of her mouth tremble, making her want to pull his ears to put a stop to his nonsense.
In the end, feeling conflicted, she could only take a deep breath and try to relax her clenched fist.
— Anyway, that's not what I wanted to hear. Although I have to admit it's a pretty logical excuse for a simple brat, I know that's not the reason you two are friends. After all, the traumatic bond I unintentionally helped you two form wasn't strong enough to justify you now standing in front of me and asking me to stay away from her.
— … It's annoying that you talk as if you know us. But you're right. That's not the whole story. But I don't want to tell you any more either.
— … Well, if that's your decision, I won't pressure you. Still, you don't need to be so wariness about it, as if it were such a big deal. Let me guess. An orphan who's always been treated like an outcast suddenly has the chance to make her first friend. No matter how distrustful she is, it's obvious that if the other person is sincere, she'll be moved. The only thing that doesn't add up to me is that you're clearly not naive enough to get so attached to someone who came into your life out of nowhere.
To Natsuki, the pounding of her heart could be heard from miles away, but even if that weren't the case, the pink-haired boy's smirk—telling her she could hear it—was bad enough.
— The only thing I can think of is that either you already had a connection from before, or you're trying to get something from her—or from someone close to her. I wonder which of the two it is.
— … You have quite a vivid imagination. Instead of insisting on being a Shinobi despite your illness, you should become a writer or something like that.
— Looks like I got one of the two right.
— Think whatever you want.
Taking advantage of Natsuki's nervousness, Yashin leaned in a little closer, until the blonde's small ear was within reach of his mouth.
Before she could even react to the chill caused by feeling someone's breath so close, the pink-haired boy sank his teeth into her earlobe.
It wasn't gentle at all. The pain flared and a few drops of blood began to flow immediately; nevertheless, Natsuki remained frozen in place. Despite her primal urge to pull away from the pain and preserve the last shred of her personal space, the tingling sensation in what seemed to be the inside of her ears and the voice she thought she heard for a second left her unable to move.
— Y-you… what are you—
— It's okay, little girl. You don't need to say anything else. Just listen to me while I talk, got it?
The faint stammer she'd managed as a sign of resistance got stuck in her throat as soon as she heard the pink-haired boy's hoarse voice again.
— Don't you think this way of communicating is great? I came up with it while trying to find a way to shut off my sense of hearing. I'm using a little chakra to stimulate your eardrums, just the way sound waves in the air stimulate them. Even though it seems simple, it could be quite useful in certain situations. Like now, for example, when we don't want any extra ears in on our conversation.
She couldn't say a word.
She didn't know how to respond.
The pink-haired's words and actions were so incomprehensible that all Natsuki could do at that moment was swallow hard and cross her fingers that it would make some sense, rather than just enduring it in vain.
— By the way, I also have the ability to make you hear whatever you want. Would you like to hear a song in the middle of our conversation, or have me use a specific person's voice? How about Naruto's voice?
However, the pink-haired guy's chatter was making it pretty difficult for her.
Before she could completely lose her patience and decide to hit him, Natsuki reached out and pinched Yashin's side.
— Guess not.
He didn't hold back in the slightest. Even so, the pink-haired just drew in a brief breath through his bloodstained teeth before continuing to talk.
— Whatever. I wonder if you're aware of how many pairs of eyes are watching us right now. I'd say not, since you thought walking for a couple of hours would be enough to keep anyone from interrupting us.
— …
— Well, being smart doesn't guarantee you're a good sensor. Let me explain. There are at least three pairs of eyes in this forest. One on you, the eldest sister of the demon foxes; another on me, because of my good behavior; and one last washout whose mission is to watch over each of the couples participating in this trial. Maybe there are four, if that pervert Sandaime is spying on us through his crystal ball. But I can't know that.
Although Yashin's chatter revealed a multitude of significant things, Natsuki couldn't have cared less at that moment.
Soon her grip on the pink-haired's waist began to tighten.
— You should behave yourself, Miss Uzumaki. Even though you don't realize it, you've already caused quite a bit of damage today. If you don't believe me, you should try asking the corpse of that unfortunate chunin who was in charge of watching over us. I assure you that, thanks to your words, that wretch won't make it through the night. Whether it's because of what you said about me or what you revealed about yourself in your rambling, he knows too much—and there are some elders behind us who won't stand for that.
Before the blood could spill any further from his mouth, Yashin closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue.
The metallic taste was stifling and searing, as if the blonde's blood didn't just carry nutrients and waste—as if the hatred of the beast she harbored were also flowing through her.
Finally, he swallowed.
— Well, I'm sure that wretch isn't nearly important enough to justify the effort of tracking him down, but the conversation you'll probably have with the Third Hokage after finishing this test is sure to be interesting. What do you think he'll say?
Although Natsuki opened her mouth, Yashin didn't give her time to say anything.
Just as he said, that was his moment to speak.
He didn't want to listen to her.
— Let me guess for you. Even though the old man will discreetly scold you for all the nonsense you spouted and try to feed you some nonsense about the will of fire, deep down he'll also be quite pleased. After all, that troublesome older sister finally formed a bond—though, unfortunately, that bond had to be with an evil Uchiha. You're a real headache, even when you do what others expect of you.
Although Yashin couldn't see Natsuki's eyes, he could feel the ferocity of her gaze trying to burn a hole through his skin.
He should talk less; however, provoking the blonde somehow seemed to heighten the taste of her blood.
Still, he'd already wasted enough time.
No matter how refined his trick with the Henge no Jutsu had been to alter the angle of the Uzumaki's face in the eyes of the voyeurs, prolonging the illusion for too long would still leave room for suspicion.
— Even so, I'm sure the Third Hokage is quite lenient with you and your brother. I mean, he even went so far as to leak some information to you about the Hyuga clan. Otherwise, how else would an antisocial orphan like you know about the problems that brat from the main branch had? I wonder, what lies behind the Hokage's kindness?
Little by little, Natsuki's grip on the pink-haired boy's waist began to loosen.
— Or, more importantly, what about all the hatred directed at you and your little brother? Though I suppose you already know, don't you? That peculiar thing they harbor inside their bodies. After all, you're a smart little brat.
Despite the compliment, Natsuki's red eyes began to tremble violently, unlike the slight tremor that had overtaken her entire body.
— But I wonder, how is it that everyone knows you're harboring that thing?
— …
— Or why do they blame you for that demon's actions?
— …
— Why did you lock it inside your bodies in the first place?
— …
— It must be hard to endure so much hatred, right?
— …
— From the outside and from the inside.
— …
— But at least there's a little kindness, and someone gives you enough money to survive, right?
— …
— But you can't even buy what you need, because most people see you as monsters.
— …
— But you aren't the monster. You're just keeping it sealed inside you, right? So why does everyone treat you as if they'd witnessed the monster shrink and take on your forms? Did something like that actually happen?
— …
— Or did someone orchestrate everything so you'd be treated that way?
— …
— I don't think so. Why would anyone do something so cruel to a couple of kids?
— …
— But if there were someone, who could it be?
— …
— Who has enough power to toy with the opinion of the most powerful village of all?
— …
— I don't think the answer matters, since, after all, that's impossible, right?
— …
— But living like this is too hard. If only there were someone close by with enough power to change this situation.
— …
— But obviously, there isn't. Otherwise, why would your life continue to be so miserable?
— …
— Although it would be rich if someone like that did exist and, instead of doing anything to help, just came over to talk about the will of fire. To ramble on about how those who hurt you are your family and that you should protect them to the point of sacrificing yourselves for them.
— …
— But you know what would be even more hilarious? If a shrimp believed those words and dreamed of one day being recognized by everyone and becoming Hokage to protect those who have always made his life miserable—leaving his only family behind, all for the sake of pursuing that dream.
— …
— What should be done with someone like that?
— …
— Set them straight?
— …
— But is it worth the effort for someone like that? Or would it be better…
Not wanting to hear any more, Natsuki pushed the pink-haired away from her.
Her red eyes, pale face, and heavy breathing already spoke volumes about how she felt.
On the other hand, Yashin's smile couldn't have been happier.
Taking advantage of their last moments together, he channeled what little of his own chakra remained to leave her one final message.
— Instead of worrying about other people's business, you should think a little more about your own situation, Natsuki-chan. Once you've sorted all this out, you can come find me again to talk about Sarada. Although by then it might already be too late. After all, I'm not the biggest threat to your little friend.
— You… What do you mean by…?
The words got stuck in her throat.
The glint deep within Yashin's dark green eyes somehow caused her vocal cords and tongue to freeze up, to the point where she couldn't even make a sound.
Once again, his smile turned ominous.
Once again, he had reverted to being that apathetic and ruthless academy classmate who looked down on everyone equally.
However, Natsuki's mind wasn't focused on that.
Instead, his last words… No, everything the pink-haired had said seemed to be gnawing away at her insides.
Before she could gather her thoughts, a series of footsteps echoed behind her.
Despite the turmoil inside her, she forced herself to take a deep breath.
She wasn't stupid.
If even someone as unruly as the pink-haired was treating their recent conversation with such caution, the least she could do was try to follow his example.
By the time she turned to face the two Hyuga princesses, her eyes had already regained their natural blue color, and her face had regained its impassive expression.
However, no matter how natural her mask might have been, Hanabi and Hinata were keen observers.
The traces of an agitated Jinchūriki didn't disappear that quickly.
Before either of them could say anything, Yashin stepped forward to speak up.
— Hey, Natsuki, I think I'm in the mood to reminisce about the old days. How about we split up the princesses?
Despite his casual manner of speaking, his gaze was anything but subtle.
Hinata didn't even dare to meet his eyes, but her body was already trembling like a cornered rodent.
Seeing the older Hyuga's attitude and her younger sister's lack of response, Natsuki merely let out a snort full of disdain before responding to the pink-haired boy's words.
— Do whatever you want.
She had no room in her mind to think about them.
There were so many things swirling in her head that she felt she was about to explode.
The Hyuga princesses—or her sinister companion's intentions—had no place there at all.
It was better not to think, not to worry about anything else.
In the end, Natsuki simply fixed her gaze on the impassive Hanabi before turning away and heading deeper into the forest.
Maybe fighting someone could help her let off some steam.
Even if that someone was a bitch who didn't even care about her sister.