Chapter 108: Respect or love?

Looking at the sandstorm through the small window, Ajisai sighed and closed her eyes as she clenched her fists tightly. She felt something strange in her chest, like a strange knot that wouldn't go away.

Fuyo and Suiren looked at this and understood Ajisai's feelings, but could do nothing about it.

'Those girls with ridiculous chakra, they are Toru-sama's former teammates, aren't they?' Hugging herself and hiding her face between her knees, this situation was confusing to Ajisai. Because she had never felt like this before, it was hard to concentrate on her mission. If those girls are the reason why Toru was looking at the sky with that painfully nostalgic and sad smile, Ajisai couldn't do anything to compete with them. 'What am I thinking about' Ajisai shook her head and lay down on the bed.

'Tomorrow we have to complete sample mission. We must not fail. Let's make Toru-sama proud of us..." Ajisai said. This made Suiren come closer. Sitting down beside him, she stroked Ajisai's hair.

"Ajisai, stop hiding it" Ajisai didn't understand this and looked at Suiren in confusion. In response, she just smiled and spoke right away. "What you're feeling right now... is jealousy. Am I wrong?"

Hearing this, Fuyo smiled. Although she didn't love Toru as much as Ajisai did, she more or less understood this feeling in her heart. She thought she was just an ordinary kunoichi, a woman who couldn't stand by the side of a man as powerful and intelligent as Toru. Basically, she had the same thought as Ajisai. 'I'm not worthy to stand next to Toru-sama' After all, she didn't know what pain Toru has gone through. That man, somehow managed to understand the pain they have gone through.

Toru didn't reveal much of his past to these three girls. The most they could know was that Toru is an orphan boy, with no family and no one to adopt him. He told on one occasion that, as with her, he also had a team of ninjas. Ino, Hinata and, of course, Toru.

This he did with that strangely expressionless face, but which somehow managed to convey feelings.

"I... No... you're wrong. Let's go to sleep at once. Tomorrow we have to continue our mission" Ajisai began to deny her feelings. 'This is not jealousy. I don't feel this way... this is just the respect I feel towards Toru-sama. There's no way I would feel something like this. I'm a kunoichi, I was trained not to get carried away by emotions. I can't let this ruin my mission. Otherwise, Toru-sama would be disappointed in me. He would never look at me again... I...' She realized that she was thinking too much about Toru's opinion of her.

This is love, not respect, and certainly not a passing feeling. Ajisai's chest hurt every time she thought about it. Those girls had such a large amount of chakra that it seemed like it wasn't real. They are worthy of being teammates for Toru. They are strong just like Toru. Only Ajisai doesn't know that Hinata and Ino decided to get stronger to find that boy, defeat him and thus bring him back to Konoha.

They had their own goals just like Ajisai and her team. It was Ajisai's words that gave Fuyo an idea, which led her to blurt out one of those typical strange phrases she usually says. "This is not the time to get carried away by our feelings. Let's think about our mission just for now. Once this is all over, I'll take it upon myself to seduce Toru-sama and thus win him for myself alone. If you two want to compete against me, then may the best and most beautiful girl win" Fuyo said with a smile. She just wanted to raise Ajisai's spirits, which she achieved thanks to Suiren also joining this competition.

'Then me too... I'm sure I'll make it' Although Ajisai is the one who has the best chance to conquer Toru due to her being the closest to him, Suiren decided that she will also do the same. She would compete against Ajisai and Fuyo to see who is the first to conquer Shi no Tenshi-sama's cold heart.

Knock, knock...

The door echoed in the room and a shadow was seen at the entrance. The shadow seemed to have short shoulder-length hair.

Seeing this, Ajisai took a kunai in her hand and hid it behind her back. Thereupon, she approached the door and opened it a little to see the face of the person standing there.

"Hello, chiga wolf, may I come in? A while ago you left without saying anything. You seemed angry, so I came to cheer you up. Also, I was wondering if you want to be my friend."

Welcoming Ajisai with a smile, Fuu appeared. She had already finished bathing, so she decided to pay the wolf girl a little visit before her teammates found her and dragged her back to the room.

"Hm... I didn't come to this place to make friends. You don't have to worry about a stranger, better go with your team. Don't ever come near me or my teammates again."

Fuu sighed. She understood the situation right away. 'Yep, she's angry. I have to do something about it, otherwise we can't be friends' Fuu thought carefully while looking at Ajisai's eyes. She tried to think of something that can make Ajisai stop being angry. The previous conversation had to do with those girls' platonic loves, so something about that talk must have upset Ajisai.

"If you're done, leave. I can't stand it when someone is too pushy. The only person who can treat me like that is-"

"That Shi no Tenshi-san, right?" Fuu interrupted Ajisai. She quickly recalled the previous conversation in the baths and finished the sentence this Amegakure girl was going to say. She also decided to add something else to the conversation to find out why this girl is angry. "You always talk about him. You seem to love him a lot. That boy must be someone great."

Hearing this, Ajisai's face turned a pale pink color. "I... I don't love him. I have a deep respect for Sensei. He has given me so many things that I don't know how to repay him. That's why, I belong to him, at least I will be able to repay him with my own body, with my soul and my feelings."

Fuyo and Suiren tried to hold back their smiles. It was nice to see Ajisai slowly accepting her feelings for Toru. Fuu also felt the same, only she couldn't help but hide her smile. She quickly put her arm on Ajisai's shoulder and spoke into his ear: "You know, I don't know much about boys and love. But I can say this: 'If you love someone, don't let them slip through your fingers. Don't let anyone else take away that angel who gives you so much happiness, that person who makes you feel that way' Hehe, I'm quite an expert, and that's because I've never had a boyfriend or girlfriend."

Observing the situation, Fuyo felt that she could somehow understand Fuu. It seems to be... she has also felt the real pain.

Approaching the two girls at the door, Suiren smiled under her mask and looked at Fuu.

"We will be your friends. I'm very interested in you, not as much as Shi no Tenshi-sama, but I do like you. Fuyo and Ajisai will also be your friends. So it's okay, you don't have to worry about us. You can go to sleep peacefully."

"Wait, what, I don't agree with this" Ajisai complained, but Fuyo appeared and covered her mouth.

"Yes, yes. You can sleep peacefully, we will take care of this girl in love" Fuyo said.

"I understand, I understand. Now I can be sure that the wolf girl, I mean, Ajisai-chan will stop being angry. That was the only thing I was worried about, after all I always care about my friends. I will always be there for my friends, whenever they need me, I won't abandon them. So... good night, I'll run away before my teammates find me. chao, chao!"

As quickly, like a storm, Fuu disappeared. Fuyo and Suiren stood quietly staring at the door, while Ajisai was about to faint due to Fuyo covering her nose and mouth, preventing her from breathing. This surprised her and she quickly removed her hands from Ajisai's mouth.

"Hah... hah... I was about to stick the kunai in your face..."

-Konoha team 11's room-

Looking out the window, the sandstorm didn't seem to want to stop. Tomorrow would be a long day, for, as usual, the survival test of the chūnin exams would be held. That test will always be difficult. With or without Toru, Hinata thinks that she must pass this test, she must surpass herself. She wishes to be strong, she wishes to have Toru back.

Ino, on the other hand, was lying on the bed, staring at the sandy ceiling. She sighed heavily and remembered the past. Toru, at that time, was extremely powerful. He was able to fight hand to hand with the one-tailed Bijū, sure, Naruto was there too, but that didn't take away from the merit of using his Shakuton for the first time in front of everyone. He was even able to make Gaara scream because of the wound this same guy gave him.

'Right now, Toru... Where is he?' Ino thought to herself, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

At the same time, seeing that Ino had fallen asleep, Hinata also lay down on the joint bed and looked at this girl.

'We both want the same thing. We both have tried so hard to get what we want. It's already been two years since that day... two years away from Toru... Yamato-sensei has also been absent during these two years...'

Hinata thought that Yamato was investigating Toru's case. It's been two years now, Yamato usually visits Ino and Hinata and gives them a simple mission to keep them active as genin-ranked shinobi of Konoha. He always makes excuses when asked why he can't supervise the team, after all his mission is secret.

When Toru defected from the village, Yamato was emotionally beaten.

A ninja does not show emotions, emotions are a symbol of weakness. They hinder a ninja's work, they lead him away from the will of fire... no... that's not true. Yamato was simply disappointed with himself. He thought that, if he had been more dedicated to his job as a team leader and mentor to his students, maybe Toru wouldn't have made that decision. Even if it had all been a trap, but no one had any way of knowing this.

"Hinata... Ino... they sure miss Toru, huh..."

Looking up from the comfort of her bed, Sakura smiled. She thought they had something in common, they love the same boy.

'You guys have gotten so strong that you've already left me behind. I feel a little envious, because you have a better chance of bringing Toru back. Me... I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch up with Sasuke...'

-Amegakure-

The moonlight hit softly on her face. Konan watches Toru silently, her arms are crossed and she seems interested in what this boy is doing.

Toru is sitting on the statue of Pain. He is in meditation position and his breathing is regular.

Konan thinks that Toru is training his mind. She is not wrong, but there is something else, something that only Toru knows.

'It's about time. Tomorrow the next test of the chūnin exams should start. Ajisai, Fuyo, Suiren... there they can find out who is the Jinchūriki.'

With that maniacal smile, Toru's eyes glowed in a strange crimson red color, eyes with a pupil whose shape is so strange. His gaze... is akin to that of a predator about to lay its claws on its prey, a predator that sleeps until the right moment arrives, a moment where Chaos and blood will reign.

-The next day. Country of the wind, second test of the chūnin exams-

Showing himself before all, the host of these exams looked out over the great battlefield stretching across the desert. With great walls delimiting the area of this deadly game. His crimson hair waves to the rhythm of the wind and his lifeless eyes judge anyone who enters his field of vision.

"Let the next test begin."

Gaara stretched out his arms and saw that, at the top the walls, all the participants were rushing forward.

"Oraoraora. The game begins. I'm going to make more friends."

Fuu jumped into the void without any hint of fear. Her teammates followed her. At the same time, in another place, Hinata took a big leap.

She looked up at the sky and stretched out her hand trying to reach the sun. Sakura and Ino saw this and thought of only one thing. "What a show-off you are, Hinata" However, they knew that this is nothing more than a symbolic act, so Ino and Sakura imitated her.

Throwing themselves backwards into the void, they both reached out their hand and tried to reach the sun. They let the wind caress their backs for a second and then turned around.

Boom!

A great cloud of smoke appeared elsewhere on the walls. A gigantic wolf jumped out, being ridden by three strangely dressed girls. They looked at the horizon with determination.

'We will achieve victory, we will reach our goals. This is the way of pain, the way Tenshi-sama taught us.'

With that, the second test of the chūnin examinations begins.

_________

Ha~ I came back. I'm still a little tired of life, but continued to stand up. I'll be back to post more chapters. I think the next ones will be a bit boring because I wrote them without any motivation, but I'll try my best.