Phase 6: Change

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.

(Small Author Note here - This is a Canon Chapter. The Mahoraga AU will be finished at a different point in time, given the last part of it holds some hefty spoilers... Hope those 2 initial parts gave you enough for the meantime lmao XD)

I'm also occasionally chilling in JaxWolf4's (Author of Nah, I'd Adapt and Zenin Days) Discord Server. It's a chaotic lobotomy mess. Not for the faint of heart.

Here's the link:

Disc: HrPrTeam

(Credit to Thecentipide & quiltedbear & Castana for the Beta Reading Labor!)

-Story Start-

-Third Person POV-

"Took you a while..." Kiba's voice echoed lightly with a twinge of complaint from the opening of the tree trunk.

He looked down at the approaching visage of Shino carrying...

Kiba cringed, recoiling from the sight, "Are we really going to eat that?" He pointed at the Jaguar the Aburame was dragging.

Uncaring of Kiba's obvious discomfort, Shino calmly channeled Chakra to his feet, climbing the tree with practiced ease dragging the jaguar through the bark up the tree.

Arriving beside the grimacing Kiba, feeling the warmer air on his skin inside the interior in contrast to the cool breeze outside, he replied, "You are welcome to catch something else yourself." He stated as he headed further inside.

"ARF!"

Kiba frowned further at Akamaru's chastising, turning to Hinata, "I can't be the only one horrified at the idea of chowing down on this big ol cat, right?"

Hinata gave Kiba a soft, awkward smile, trying not to offend or single him out.

...Which only worsened the effect.

He deflated, "Right..."

Shino's eyes widened for a moment, "I'm surprised. Why? Because you constructed an isolated fireplace so we do not accidentally set our hiding spot on fire." He nodded approvingly as he set the dead Jaguar aside.

Kiba's eyes twitched, irritation rising, "Okay, now that's just hating me for the fun of it. It's Survival Training from the 3rd Year of the Academy, this is basic stuff." He grunted in annoyance as he began lighting the fireplace on fire.

Hinata inquired, "Umm, Shino-kun... Are you not going to skin and remove the organs outside?"

"The scent of fresh blood will lure wild predators but keep enemy shinobi at bay. Given the choice, I'll deal with animals over trained Shinobi." He replied mechanically, as he began to skin the animal and remove the organs.

At that, Hinata and Kiba exchanged worried looks.

"You know something... Doing something like this is assuming Shinobi will pass by." Kiba pointed out.

Shino nodded, multitasking skinning, and speaking, "My Kikaichu managed to locate many of the Leaf Genin teaming up and searching the surrounding forest."

The nugget of info sunk into Kiba and Hinata's minds as the former barked out a confused, "Huh?"

Shino nodded in affirmation, "They are covering a lot of ground, but they should be in our close vicinity within the hour."

...

"Then why the hell did I light a fire, you dumbass?!" Kiba snapped, his voice louder than intended, breaking the uneasy silence.

"...I never told you to light a fire."

...

"NO KIBA-KUN! DON'T!" Hinata held the mangy mutt with surprising strength, so he didn't choke the poor Aburame heir.

...

Having calmed down, Kiba folded his arms after having killed the fire he lit, "So... Any idea as to why they've crowded together?"

Hinata murmured a guess, "Umm... Maybe they were similarly afraid of those explosions... I think they might have learned that Orochimaru is here, so would teaming together be the correct move? Should we join them?" Uncertainty laced her every word.

Shino shook his head, "They are running around looking for something or someone. Why? Because if Orochimaru was their concern, they would not be running around in zigzags - It'd be easy to capture them."

The Aburame had made certain not to convey the additional reason they might be running around in a big group... Scroll Deficiency.

...

Kiba nodded with closed eyes, his expression twisted as he concentrated on their next moves.

"I say we stay put. If they find us, they find us. Running to greet them would be plain stupid."

""Agreed."" The two other members of Team 8 nodded their agreement.

Hinata suggested, "Should we set more traps?"

Kiba huffed, shaking his head, "More would be overkill... It'd be hard for us to run if we need to, what we've got done is good enough I'd say."

He frowned, "Though... I am hungry."

"ARF!"

Turning to the sleeping figures of Sasuke and Sakura, "Right. I just hope Sakura wakes up soon, 'cause carrying two of em and running away would be a bit problematic." He admitted to Akamaru's reminder.

Hinata's tone was firm as she observed Sakura, "She's just resting now. I'll wake her a few minutes before they get here. She'll be able to move by then… I'm certain of it."

She turned to Shino with a smile, "So please inform me when they are about to get here."

The Aburame nodded in affirmation.

"But what if we need to fight them?" Hinata called out, making her two teammates turn to her with a hint of dread.

The air turned a degree colder as Kiba nodded and inquired, turning to Shino "...How many are they?"

"Three teams' worth." Shino asserted.

"Anyone we're familiar with?" The grimace only grew on Kiba's face.

"That Kabuto person."

"He's a nice guy but... Three teams. Yeah, we're still running." Kiba confirmed with a gulp, his eyes darting through their, somehow even smaller hiding spot.

They had prepared an escape route... But would that be enough?

-------------------------------

It was an unpleasant awakening.

A torrent of cold water on her face jolted Sakura awake.

In that brief period of awakening, the sharp pain from having encountered and fought Orochimaru was most unpleasant, striking her in waves.

But, it was dull enough.

Lifting her upper body in a rush and bringing up her guard.

Pain shot through her limbs, forcing her to bite back a grimace.

Her eyes darted to analyze her surroundings, as memories of her collapse came flooding back - Mixed with a heavy sense of guilt for her helplessness.

...She was completely useless and helpless against Orochimaru.

Nay, even Sasuke proved to be but a plaything to that... Monster.

The figure of Hinata's relieved smile brought a sigh of relief to Sakura, as the pink-haired girl remembered the circumstance by which she allowed herself to fall asleep.

Yet... Narrowing her eyes at the guarded stance of the Hyuga and her teammates standing guard at what appeared to be the entrance to their hideout.

Her eyes twitching from dull pain, Sakura murmured, "Hinata... What's the situation?"

Blinking, she turned to look a little further, noting the agonized and feverish figure of the unconcious Sasuke, his breaths accelerated and struggled.

Eyes widening, Sakura was about to cry out in concern, but Hinata's tone stopped her short.

"Three Teams of Leaf Genin are approaching. We need you to be ready to run and follow our lead. Kiba-kun will carry Sasuke-san." Hinata's voice was laced with urgency and a trickle of sweat ran down her pale expression.

Digesting the information, Sakura slowly rose up from her makeshift bed... If it can even be called that.

Her muscles screamed, and her Chakra was nearly depleted - Her prior poisoned state and poor health had affected its rejuvenation.

"Not good..." She mumbled with a bitten lip and lowered gaze.

Lifting her head back, the putrid smell of blood enveloped the room.

A voice caught her attention.

Kiba's boisterous voice masked his unease, "Good to see you up and running, Sakura."

She nodded with a small smile of her own, "Good to see you as well. Thank you for saving the two of us." She genuinely expressed her gratitude.

"Hah! Don't mention it!" Kiba waved her off.

Shino, meanwhile, was silently blocking the entrance with an expertly cut piece of bark, to block the surface.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at that, "...If we need to run, there's a backdoor right?"

Hinata confirmed, "Yes. The back wall of the bark is fairly thin, should we need to run we can escape from there, we've set up traps in the path forward from there, so you'll need to follow our lead." She emphasized.

"Got it... A wait-and-see approach then?" Sakura nodded, inquiring.

"That's right," Kiba affirmed.

"...Any sign of Akira or Orochimaru?" Sakura pointed out the obvious, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Kiba shrugged, his face grim, "Not at all... We've been hearing and smelling some... Concerning things when you were asleep, but they've mellowed out to nothing when the sun had set."

"ARF!"

Nodding, Kiba asserted before Sakura grew even more anxious, "Though, I wouldn't be too worried about hi-"

A small collection of bugs flew past a crevice of the hideout's blockade, reaching Shino, he nodded.

Shino's voice interrupted Kiba, his eyes narrowed and his tone was grave, "Akira's here."

His words caught the attention of all occupants in the room, "Where?" Sakura demanded with narrowed eyes, her tone laced with clear anger and frustration.

...

"He's confronting the Three Teams."

-------------------------------

Not too far from Team 8's makeshift hideout, in a small clearing was the gathering of Three Teams.

The clearing was barely lit under the moonlight, unique flora bloomed under the light of the moon.

The darkness was a non-issue to even the most amateurish of Shinobi.

The Shinobi's states were nearly ideal.

Although some were covered in bruises and shallow cuts, most were nearly in perfect condition.

The bottom line was, that these Genin were relatively unharmed, a strange state of affairs given the precarious environment and chaotic nature of this exam.

In front of them, was Akira, standing shorter than most of them given his age, he stood a dozen feet away from the gathering of nine Genin.

A thin line on his face and a narrowed gaze, his entire visage painted crimson with mixtures of both dried and fresh blood.

Although he stood straight and gave the appearance of strength, the Genin weren't so foolish or lacking in observation skills as to miss the tiny tremors in his hands or the way his breath was ever so slightly labored.

The exhaustion, while subtle, was creeping in.

"Not looking so bright, now are ya? Arrogant little prick." One Leaf Genin spat to the ground, appearing around the age of 15.

The thin smirk on Akira's bloodstained face faltered, replaced by an amused, cold frown as he shook his head, "I had thought asking nicely for you guys to drop out would be enough…"

One team out of the three, looking the most bruised exclaimed loudly, "YOU KNOCKED US OUT! YOU BASTARD!"

Akira nodded, "That I did, since you resisted, after all. Be grateful I hadn't broken something... Yet~" He waved them off.

Leveling an even look at each Genin present, he couldn't help but sigh tiredly, a note of regret in his tone, "Though... I should have just thrown you out of bounds. I apologize for underestimating your... Stupidity."

One of the only kunoichi there scoffed, "Hah! And what do you think you can do-"

She was cut off by Akira's voice, ignoring her completely, "Though... I don't recall trying to remove your Team from my little game... Kabuto." He pointed at the silent and smiling figure of Kabuto surrounded by two individuals that were apparently his teammates.

All eyes turned to Kabuto and his team among the two other teams, as he stepped forward, lifting his arms in a placating gesture.

He flashed an apologetic smile, as he sweatdropped, "Apologies, Akira, but we've run out of scrolls. My team still holds our original one... Though, if I'm not mistaken, you've been hoarding quite the collection yourself, haven't you?" He diverted attention back to Akira expertly, as all eyes narrowed at Akira once more.

Kabuto had an intrigued smirk, glaring at Akira's neck for but an instant, attempting to find something that evidently wasn't there.

The collective Genin were stabbing knives into Akira's figure with the sharpness of their glares, yet he stood unperturbed.

He sighed, "And here I was kind enough to spare taking your scroll..." He shook his head.

"But I guess, the weak tend to unite in the face of the strong, don't they?" His voice dropped, almost daring them to move.

"Come at me." He smiled coldly, gesturing at them with his hand, the fresh blood from his knuckles and especially nails forced a nervous gulp from one of the Genin.

The temperature dropped significantly as he murmured lowly, yet it was audible for all.

"Don't expect to walk this off with mere unconsciousness." He frowned, spreading his chakra to convey his killing intent.

"Do not falter! It's fucking bravado! He's barely standing!" One of them roared, as all nine of them charged towards Akira.

Akira's eyes narrowed and his eyes narrowed at the paced figure of Kabuto who was among the "Slowest" of the group charging at him.

'He's what I'm worried about...' A sense of unease enveloped Akira's tired visage, as a shiver went down his spine.

For a moment, he resigned to his role here with a sigh, "You reap what you sow..." He mumbled under his breath.

Avoiding a right hook to his face with a step back, the Genin that had reached him first spat a senbon from his mouth at Akira's evasion.

Ignoring the glint of poison at the tip of it, Akira stepped forward, trying to minimize movements with great momentum.

He extended his right hand towards the Genin's face, allowing the senbon to pierce his hand with a splurt of blood, yet not ceasing its movement.

The Genin's eyes widened as he was still mid-momentum from his prior punch, he tried to block the hand by extending his left hand to block the speeding bullet.

To no avail.

Akira's right hand grabbed Genin's lower jaw, and as he was about to twist it, a Kunai was sent flying towards his hand, forcing him to release his grip and kick the Genin away with his right foot.

The Genin had managed to react this time, blocking it with his forearm, grunting in pain as he was pushed back a considerable distance... However, as Akira's foot impacted the forearm, out of the sleeves of his pants, a rabbit emerged.

Jumping and biting hard on the Genin's forearm to attach itself, a tag on its belly glowed.

Grabbing it, he managed to throw it a short distance away, but an explosion rang aloud nevertheless.

Covering a portion of the clearing in smoke and debris, whilst the flesh on his arms scorched with first and second-degree burns, the smell of burnt flesh permeated the area.

He wasn't down for the count, but this was considerable damage given the screech of pain that followed.

"One down," Akira muttered loudly, to announce their lowering numbers..

Just as he said so, a torrent of water shot towards him through the smoke, as two Genin ran from his left and right to flank him.

He dove into the shadows.

"HE'S GONE! CAREFUL FOR ANY RABBITS OR SHADOW CREATU-" His words were cut short as a small hand appeared below him.

The hand was followed by a small shadowgraphic handsign and a short murmur of, "Great Serpent."

The Genin immediately jumped in the air to avoid the assault from below, yet a large and long snake appeared, almost swallowing him whole as it extended into the sky.

Considerably smaller than the snake that appeared at the beginning of the Exam, its fangs sunk lightly into the Genin's chest, as they struggled to pierce, nevertheless the boy roared in agony.

Making sure not to end his life, the snake spat him out from a few dozen feet in the air, his body impacting the ground with a painful thud, his chest bleeding and his precious organs nearly pierced.

Immediately without wasting a moment, the large snake began melting into shadows, as Akira hopped below the Kunoichi that spat a torrent of water towards him, "Two down." He stated as he brought his knee to her face.

To his surprise, she managed to block it with her palm, sending the two of them a light distance in the air at the impact.

She drew a kunai with her free left hand, attempting to pierce Akira's head.

He grabbed her wrist with his own left hand, twisting her grip on it, dropping it to the ground.

They landed on the ground, as a flurry of shuriken flew toward them.

With a feat of strength, Akira overpowered the taller girl twisting her body to block the shuriken.

"GAH!" She gasped at the pain of the shallow piercing the shuriken had done.

"Y-YOU IDIOTS DON'T THROW WHEN I-" She attempted to headbutt Akira, who weaved his head aside and released his grip on her.

Using the momentum of her headbutt and adding his own strength, he grabbed her pretty little head and shoved her face into the ground, the loud and satisfying squelch of her broken nose and limping body was the cue that she was down for the count.

With a tired breath, he announced again, "Three dow-" He was interrupted by three Genin that hadn't allowed him even a moment to catch his breath engaging him in a flurry of Taijutsu... Kabuto with a sinister grin was among them.

The contrast between his menacing and jovial grin in comparison to the other unnerved Genin was palpable, and Akira grew even more uneasy himself.

Akira, expectedly, was put on the defensive, as cuts began to appear on his body as he rapidly blocked, dodged, and was hit by kunai and punches, making sure to avoid only the most critical of blows.

A grimace firm on his face, 'He shouldn't be using his full strength... It'd blow his cover... Then, I should try and not pose him any threat.'

Throwing a retaliatory kick in response to an opening Kabuto left Akira whether mistakenly or purposefully, Akira knocked him back and was about to block a punch to his face with his right hand...

Only for his right hand to poorly respond to his orders, the poison from the prior senbon spreading faster than expected.

The fist dug deep into Akira's face, disorienting him for an instant.

A kunai flew to his neck, to which he responded by dropping as if he were a puppet whose strings were cut.

The unexpected move allowed him to evade the killing blow, as his body sunk into the shadows once more.

This time, the Genin dropped his own Kunai to grab Akira by the hair, lifting his upper body from the shadows.

Akira bent his body to kick the man away, releasing the grip on Akira as he fell to the ground.

"Fire Style - Flame Bullets!" A Genin roared loudly.

Shuriken and fire bullets shot towards the airborne Akira, who rolled away to land gracefully, as he did so, with his functional left hand, he dropped a smoke bomb.

A cloud of smoke quickly enveloped the damaged and scorched small clearing, one of the Genin screaming, "DON'T LET HIM SLIP AWAY! ANYONE GOT WIND STY-" His inquiry was cut short by a sharp pain in his hand, prompting a screech.

...Another ensued nearly simultaneously.

"GAAAAH" A Genin flailed helplessly.

"Wind Style - Great Separation," Kabuto, having gathered his bearings shouted, and with a clap of his hands, a powerful wave of wind dispersed the smoke and revealed all Shinobi in the clearing.

Two of whom, were bleeding heavily from their arms, said arms limping helplessly on their sides, the blood trickling generously on the grass and dirt below.

The perpetrator is clear for all to see:

Akira stood with his kunai painted red, having cut the tendons of their arms, while two wolves limped on the ground, oddly missing their front limbs as their injuries bled on the ground.

"Thank you, I'll take care of you later." He quickly murmured and dismissed them to liquid shadow.

Akira raised his eyes, locking onto the final trio of Genin.

Kabuto, calm as the sea on a summer's day, stood with his team.

"That makes Four and Five." Akira tilted his head slightly, licking his poisoned wound with casual indifference.

Tasting it without diverting attention from his opponents, he shoved his left hand into the shadows, grabbing a vial.

Plopping the cork open audibly, he gulped it all down.

'Behind!' Whiskers roared at Akira.

He dropped the vial on the ground, shattering it like glass. And he quickly ducked under a rapidly approaching barrage of stone bullets, swiping a few away after redrawing his kunai.

These were also directly heading toward Kabuto and his team, as they moved out of their trajectory with relative ease.

Akira turned to lazily regard the perpetrator, "Not bad, Number One. It's impressive you can weave jutsu with those sad things." He pointed at the burnt limbs of the Genin.

"S-Screw you. You sick fuck." He grunted despite the pain of his scorched hands, managing to shakingly rise up, running on adrenaline.

Akira's body twitched, as he sighed in annoyance, "Are you that intent on dying? Haven't you noticed?" He asked, letting his annoyance take over.

"NOTICED WHAT?" He spat out venomously in response.

The atmosphere cooled significantly once more.

"That I hadn't killed any of you."

...

Akira sighed, nearing his limit even with the little rest he received, "I was honest about the whole Leaf brethren thing. So... Take the loss and scram, your teammates need medical attention... Do it before I make it worse for you." He asserted coldly, his acting faltering amid his frustration.

Silence reigned for but a moment.

Akira felt vibrations coming up through the ground from underneath him, and he immediately hopped in the air, as the actual last 4th Shinobi emerged from a hole in the ground sending rock and dirt in the air, reaching Akira's elevation thanks to the built-up momentum from his launch.

Grabbing Akira's right shoe from the kick he sent him with a grunt, the Shinobi tried to swing Akira into the ground...

Only for Akira to channel chakra to his nails in his right foot, sharpening them to steelike levels and extending them.

In their extension, they easily pierced through his shoe reaching the hand that grabbed it.

"FUCK!" The Genin ground his teeth as a splatter of blood decorated his Leaf headband thanks to the new holes in his left hand.

Akira commented in slight irritation, "Did you really think I can't count heads? This Jutsu has been getting old... Especially when you telegraph it that mu-" His words were cut short by the Genin's determination.

With his free right hand, he attempted to stab a kunai with a tag attached to it into Akira's foot, as they were attached thanks to Akira's extended nails attaching him to his opponent.

Releasing his control on the nails, they quickly retracted, releasing the grip and allowing Akira to propel himself further up by kicking the man's gripped kunai.

Nevertheless, the man fell as Akira rose further into the air.

Before landing on the ground, the man threw the kunai desperately towards the Nara, lighting the tag attached to it.

It reached Akira's face and time slowed to a trickle, as the Genin smirked victoriously.

Akira could not catch it, nor redirect it without taking any significant damage from the ensuing explosion.

Nor could the last Whiskers hidden in his baggy clothing reach it in time.

...

He had but a few instants left.

As it was about to ignite into a splendid explosion...

Akira's nails on his left hand extended at great speed, and he cut the tag apart accurately through the middle sealing matrix.

Ceasing the explosion.

Landing on the ground roughly with a thud, the Genin's eyes were wide with dismay and his expression troubled due to the manageable yet unpleasant pain coursing through his punctured hand.

Akira landed softly shortly after, exhaling a tired breath.

He titled his head at the Genin, "You look confused... Did you not think it possible to stop an explosive tag from activating?"

Met with trepid and silence, Akira continued lecturing, "If you know where to aim and understand the construction, most seals are easy to deal with. Especially ones lacking in a failsafe like standard issue Explosive Tags... I'd have been in trouble if it was custom-made, though. How sad." He shrugged.

The man clenched his fists, grunting his clear frustration and resignation through the pain.

Resignation crossed his features, and Akira nodded, veiling the twitching of his eyes, "I'll take it that we're over with this farce?" He turned to kick the very first Genin he had dealt with away.

His burnt arms were not allowing him to move them very efficiently or fast enough to soften the blow as he fell backward into the dirt.

Then... Akira's instincts screamed at him to dodge.

'Behind!' Whisker's warning came too late at the speed.

Akira turned around, to be met with Kabuto suddenly in his face with a creepy and excited grin on his face.

Whatever his game was... He was not holding back anymore.

No killing intent whatsoever... The man managed to sneak up on Akira despite the Nara keeping an eye on him through hidden Whiskers in the surrounding flora.

Time crawled to a standstill, as Akira's exhausted mind and his rapidly beating, thumping heart were in a panic.

He got into a stance preparing to engage in Taijutsu, his mind in disarray at Kabuto risking blowing his cover so blatantly.

Frustration and rage overtook Akira, as he tried to calm himself down.

...He refused the notion of detaching even now.

'...I'm in no state to even think of matching this guy.' His left arm stood in front of him in an unconventional stance, given the antidote from the poison had yet to fully kick in.

His mind went to a dark place, 'Do I bluff him?' 

'Help. Coming.' Whiskers reported immediately.

Hope.

Whisker's words proved true.

A rapidly approaching sea of insects intercepted Kabuto's trajectory, as the snake's right-hand man backed away leisurely, humming in amusement.

The sea of insects cleared to reveal the figure of Shino, and from the trees surrounding the clearing, Sakura and Kiba arrived charging to stand beside Akira.

As they did so, a relieved thankful smirk appeared on his face as he lowered his hand and relaxed his stance, exhaling a genuine sigh of relief at their arrival.

Nevertheless, his heart could not stop beating, the rush of adrenaline that had appeared with his encounter with Orochimaru reemerged at Kabuto's momentary aggression, Akira's left hand twitching in anticipation.

Kiba called out, "That was pretty close there... You're not half bad, Kabuto." donned a brave smile, yet the trickle of nervous sweat betrayed his true emotions,

Sakura frowned, "...Half bad? I could barely catch his movement."

Shino nodded, agreeing with the statement.

Kabuto flashed a friendly smile, lifting his arms in surrender, "I give up."

His teammates turned to look at him in pure confusion, "You told us to hold back, let them do the job... And now you back away? We can take the-"

Kabuto's gaze was sharp, and it silenced the protests in an instant.

He turned back to the four in front of him, shrugging, "I'll get our last scroll elsewhere. Seeing all this..." He gestured at both the unconcious and conscious but similarly brutalized Leaf Genin, "I think dealing with him on top of all of you would be... Stupid."

A cheeky grin appeared on Kiba's face, his teeth showing, "Heh. You did seem like an opportunistic bastard."

He shrugged, "It's what it takes to survive out there, you know. Nothing comes for free..." He nodded, "But this was good data on the Nara Prodigy. I appreciate your cooperation, Nara Akira~" He gestured to his teammates.

"C'mon, let's go."

...

Akira frowned, 'What game is he playing? Is he taking on a different role than before? He could just kill us right now or even attempt to capture me if he so wished... So is he sticking to his role then?' Uncertainty washed over Akira as he tried to process Kabuto's game plan.

Ignoring the glares on his back, Kabuto turned around and headed towards the forest ahead with his disgruntled and most perplexed team.

Kiba scoffed, "He's got some balls to walk away like that with his guard down, I'll tell ya that much."

"ARF!"

Yet, Sakura's shout made Kabuto cease his departure, "Oi! Kabuto!"

The snake's right-handed man turned around, regarding her with an easygoing smile.

The righteous fury on Sakura's face was transparent, "Why are you abandoning your team here? They need medical attention!" She gestured at the beaten, bruised, and unconcious Genin respectively.

He shrugged, chuckling at her naivety, "My team?" He repeated, shaking his head, "They are not my Team. Nor did I get them injured. If anything, you should be pointing fingers at the perpetrator you are standing oh so protectively beside... He doesn't appear to need protection given what he just did... You did watch, didn't you?"

All eyes turned to the grim-looking Akira.

His clothes were wrecked and washed with blood, his headband glistening under its crimson coloring; cuts and bruises covering his body.

Cracks in his facade were more apparent than ever, given he lowered his guard.

Tense, battered, and exhausted would be an apt description of his state of affairs.

Nevertheless... His blood-covered figure only reinforced Kabuto's argument.

Sakura had nothing to respond with except donning an even heavier frown.

Kabuto nodded, "Thought so." These were his last words before he disappeared into the forest's depths, the echo of his and his Team's steps muffled by the grunts of pain in the clearing.

...

A trepid, uncomfortable silence enveloped the duo members of Team 7 and 8 respectively.

Sakura quickly walked off to assist the wounded with a grave expression on her face, naught a word was uttered and she went to work.

Except sending Akira a piercing look over her shoulder, "We'll talk later."

Akira nodded and gave an expression of gratitude, "Thanks for the help."

He turned to Shino with a slightly narrowed gaze, "Though, I'd have expected you guys to arrive sooner, given you were the one to call me here... With your bugs, it wouldn't have been an issue."

Kiba blinked, "Huh? Did you call him here? How-"

He was thoroughly ignored as Shino nodded toward the bloodied and exhausted Akira, "I apologize. But I had to delay our arrival. Why? Because there was something I had to authenticate."

A wry, weary smile formed on Akira's face as he shook his head helplessly, "Authenticate, huh? Are you sure this isn't just you forcing me to clean up my own mess?" The hint of venom in his voice underscored his frustration.

Akira had expected help to arrive much sooner than it actually did - An expectation that proved to be wildly off the mark.

Kiba's brows twitched, growing increasingly frustrated at being overlooked, "Own mess?" he repeated, his voice edged with disbelief.

Shino shook his head, yet replied, "Partly."

Placing the palm of his left hand on his bloody head, Akira didn't care about how messy and disturbing he looked, he simply chuckled with a shake of his head, "I've been had. Hah... Hahaha."

He couldn't even be mad, after all, it truly was his mess.

And, more importantly...

It was clear, he had underestimated Aburame Shino.

"ALRIGHT CAN ANY ONE OF YOU MAKE ANY DAMN SENSE?!" Kiba stomped strongly on the ground.

"ARF!" Akamaru barked in agreement.

The wry smile on Akira's face lowered to a thin line, admitting with bottled emotion and a hint of dread, "This day hasn't been easy on me or anyone else, honestly... But I'll explain it all once we're all together and concio-"

Sakura screeched like a banshee, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU? ARE YOU ALL LACKING IN AWARENESS? YOU'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION WHEN YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY HEAVILY INJURED LEAF!"

Sighing at the awkward expression of the three boys, she sighed and turned to the conscious Genin with burnt hands, "You should drop out, I don't have any burn medicine on hand nor is there a plant in this forest to help with the severity of that." She pointed at the hands.

"You're focusing on the wrong guy, you forehead bimbo. One of ours was bitten in the chest by a damn gigantic snake."

Flashing a chilling smile, Sakura gripped his burnt hands a little roughly, prompting a pained gasp, "You're in no position to order, lecture, or insult me... Okay~?"

"Y-Yes ma'am." He flipped into passiveness at a mindboggling speed at Sakura's threat.

She rose up, keeping the smile on her face, "But you're right~!"

Walking up to the victim of Solid's wrath, she gently assessed the injury with her fingers and a narrowed gaze, noting the size of the fangs and lack of poison.

She quickly shot a look at Akira, "That snake was yours, right? Not Orochimaru's?"

A shiver went down the spines of all those present.

The conscious Genin muttered, "Wha-? Orochimaru?"

Ignoring him, Akira contemplated her words for a moment, nodding, "Yeah... Though I need alignment on how much you guys have seen here."

"As much as we could sprinting here," Sakura replied.

"A lil bit. From the part where you extended the nails on your foot... Except it being cool, I'm glad you hadn't killed anyone."

"ARF!"

Folding his arms, Akira frowned, "It was hard to pull my punches with these guys. One misstep and either I'd get badly hurt or I'd kill one of them..." He pointed at the unconcious Genin who was bitten deeply by Solid and getting checked by Sakura.

She sighed, rising up, "He'll live, the injury from the fangs wasn't deep, the issue is that the snake bit him too hard, crushing his body and breaking a rib... I can't tell if there's any microfracture in his spine or other bones, though." Sakura emphasized the uncertain nature of her surface examination.

She turned to the conscious Genin and pointed at the array of others who had challenged Akira, "I'll patch it up to stop the bleeding, but from there, it's up to all of you. Dropping out isn't allowed, but Anko-sensei won't throw you back in... Especially with Orochimaru being here."

"...Fine." He grunted in resignation.

"I saw everything," Shino confirmed Akira's suspicions.

...

"I'm surprised none of you asked about the blood covering all my body." Akira freely admitted; a knowing look leveled on Shino.

Kiba shrugged, "You reek of a lotta stuff, I can't pinpoint all of it. But going by the strongest smell, you're covered by... Snake blood and rabbit blood." He shivered.

They all turned to look at Akira with a clear question.

He gave them a dramatic nod, "Yeah. He was after me."

Sakura clenched her fists, pausing her treatment of the injured Genin, "Just like Sasuke-kun..."

Kiba blinked, wide-eyed, "Did he leave ya alone? Or did you... Beat hi-"

Akira scoffed, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's no way I could've beaten him. I ran away, simple as that."

Shino's eyes widened through his shades, as if he had reached an epiphany, "That means he's still after you..."

Humming for a moment, Akira noted, '...So not completely informed on the status quo of the forest, then?'

Akira shook his head and answered, "If you're worried about Orochimaru... Don't be."

Confused looks settled on Akira's visage once more.

"Lord Third is in the Forest as we speak. I trust he won't interfere, but he's here."

-------------------------------

Back in the tree hideout, the stench was foul and blood from both the Jaguar carcass and the newly arrived Akira enveloped the enclosed space.

Shortly greeting Hinata, he passed her by while Shino and Kiba briefed her on the debacle that had occurred.

With his palm on the feverish Sasuke's forehead, the Nara bit his lip in frustration.

Once again, he could only apologize in his mind, 'Sorry, Sasuke... I'll make sure it will be worth it. Forgive me.'

His fault or not.

His responsibility or not.

Maybe, this state of affairs could have been avoided.

Even now... Akira likely held the cure to the Curse that tortured the Uchiha.

It was... A pointless apology, Akira knew it.

He couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, the consequences of his actions glaring at him right in front.

Doubt at the great suffering of his friend filled his gut, 'Will holding this back... Be worth it at the end?'

...

To reject immediate relief for much greater future gain...

His eyes narrowed, 'It will... I hope he can trust me, even when I subject him to... This."

Orochimaru or not, Sasuke would be furious knowing Akira could have ceased his torture, all along.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere turned even more sober and incredibly heavy at Sakura's return, her gaze softening lightly at Akira's clear distress on his expression as he stood beside the bedridden Sasuke, yet her glare was still thoroughly piercing.

Her steps echoed at the wooden, coarse flooring, each step louder and heavier than the last.

Reaching arm's length, Sakura grabbed Akira by his maimed shirt, her emerald green eyes firmly on his similarly emerald yet much more jaded eyes.

"Care to explain where you've been all this time?" She casually remarked, her grip faltering at her own muscles being in pain and needing further recovery.

No change in expression, Akira replied evenly, "I've been having fun, then running from Orochimaru." He stated the truth, shrugging nonchalantly.

Eyes twitching, she pressed on, "I remember what you said at the start of the Exam... Elaborate." She demanded.

"Sakura-san..." Hinata approached with a calming smile and lifted her arms.

Akira shook his head, unbothered by Sakura's grip, "I will explain everything. Once Sasuke wakes up, that is. We should focus on recovery instead of gunning for explanations." He emphasized their state of affairs calmly.

She growled, tightening her grip on Akira's shirt, ignoring the blood that wet her hands as she glared deeply into his eyes.

'Why is he...' Sakura grew further annoyed, at the fact Akira relaxed all tension in his body, tensing the muscles in his face.

...Expecting her to unleash her fury and allowing her to do so with naught a complaint.

Hinata reminded, her tone a tad more forceful, "Sakura-san... He's injured and tired. I-I think it'd be better to be patient. He was running from Orochimaru, wasn't he?" She elaborated.

Sakura's eyes widened and a shiver went down her spine at the reminder of the Snake.

The helplessness and fear she felt were uncanny, and even now she was struggling with the aftermath of his... Mercy.

Looking at Akira, she couldn't help but wonder, 'He's probably been through it... Facing him alone. Can't imagine how terrifying that would have been...' She shivered once more.

Loosening her grip and lowering her hand, Sakura exhaled her tension away for the moment, closing her eyes.

Opening them, she regarded Akira with a look of acceptance, "Then... After Sasuke-kun's awake." She nodded, her tone demanding and gaze left no room for argument.

"I appreciate it." Akira nodded as well.

Sighing in frustration she turned to the bedridden Uchiha, she frowned, "But... Sasuke's fever... How are you so sure he'll be fine?" Worry laced her every word.

Akira smirked lightly, "Gut feeling. He's the second most tenacious person I know."

Sakura could only bite her lip and nod at his self-assured optimism.

Hinata simply sighed in relief at the tension loosening.

The Nara headed towards the unblocked entrance, plopping down roughly to try and sleep.

"Wake me if something happens or if Sasuke's fever grows too intense." He called out to the occupants of the room, he gestured to Shino to approach for a moment, the Aburame nodding at the gesture.

Lowering his head, Akira whispered in his ear, "You know... Why didn't you tell them yet?"

Shino sighed, stating bluntly, "Your low opinion of me is quite insulting... After authenticating, I deemed it no longer necessary. It will be better once you do it yourself."

Huffing, Akira replied, "Sorry. Just had to confirm... Thanks."

"No thanks needed. But letting your sadism run loose is not going to be a good look. I hadn't anticipated it to be that strong, however..." He nodded in assessment, the bugs in his clothing buzzing lightly in slight suspicion.

Given the chaotic status quo, Akira couldn't argue... Neither could he express his satisfaction at Shino's surface conclusion.

...

"I know." He expressed honestly.

He anticipated that this perception would result from his actions.

...

He could only hope they wouldn't draw any other conclusions.

-------------------------------

The burnt and destroyed section of the forest - A result of a thousand explosive tags radiated a vivid stench.

In its center, stood the brutal aftermath of a match between elite Shinobi.

Poodles of water from Water Jutsu.

Chopped trees from Wind Jutsu.

Dislocated and oddly elevated ground and eye-catching earth and mud structures from Earth Jutsu.

Four corpses of masked Shinobi lay lifelessly and bloodied on the scorched ground.

A single, bloodied, and furious masked Shinobi stood beside the corpses, his fists clenched in a storm of emotions.

A helpless, horrified, and similarly furious Mitarashi Anko, her leg dislocated as she limped, standing tall only thanks to adrenaline, resolve, and grit.

Relief hadn't crossed her face when she sensed movement rapidly approaching her and the ANBU Captain beside her.

The movements stopped beside them, as a powerful, familiar, and empathetic aged tone caught her attention.

"Where is Orochimaru?" The voice thrummed with Chakra and determination.

Anko turned to the voice, eyes widening at the sight before her:

This wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen - The warm Grandfather of all Konoha's Children.

A resolute expression, the wrinkles on his face were filled with callous acceptance and fury.

His gaze was sharp enough to draw blood.

Donning his battle gear and a seemingly conscious battle-staff...

This was...

The Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage had come to correct the mistakes of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It was a visage of his she hadn't seen since she was a brat during the Nine-Tails attack.

Her role was to guide civilians to safety at the time, due to this, she only bore witness to his figure from afar.

Not to mention Lord Fourth's...

Exhaling a calming breath to calm herself, Anko bowed as best she could, "Orochimaru... Escaped." She wanted to avert her gaze at the shame, at her failure.

Hiruzen nodded resolutely, no emotion crossing his cold exterior.

"I see... And the injured outside the gates?"

A look of perplexion crossed Anko as she realized what he was asking, "That wasn't his doing... To my best knowledge, it's Nara Akira's doing - He was the one who reported on Orochimaru's presence."

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed for a moment, nodding once again, "You did well, Anko." He grunted with a hint of warmth.

Turning to the twelve ANBU assembled beside him, a total of three groups of ANBU in total.

"Squadron 1. Take care of the injured and the casualties. See to it that it gets done with haste."

""Yes, Lord Hokage!"" They bowed and went straight to work, one of the ANBU grabbing the injured Anko.

"What about my role as proctor?" She asked.

"I'll be taking it from here, Anko. Rest well." Hiruzen replied immediately without meeting her eyes.

"Fox. Do not blame yourself. You did well surviving." Hiruzen turned to the only surviving ANBU, the captain.

"...It gets lonely, Lord Third." He admitted, emotionally drained and exhausted as he was being lifted by one of the ANBU.

"I know," Hiruzen grunted empathetically.

Sighing tiredly, the veteran Kage continued giving out orders:

Hiruzen turned to the other squad assembled beside him, "Squadron 2. You'll be patrolling the forest in search of Orochimaru. You are not to interfere with the participating Genin unless Orochimaru is involved. Furthermore, should you find any corpses, you are to investigate and perform an autopsy... Most importantly, stay out of sight."

"...Clean up duty huh?" A young ANBU from Squadron 2 complained under his breath.

The captain shut him up with a glare, "Sorry..."

"Am I clear?" Hiruzen repeated.

""Yes, Lord Hokage!"" They bowed as well, bursting into motion through the battle-scarred area, ignoring Squadron 1's work and disappearing into the deep foliage.

Left with a single squadron on standby, Hiruzen stepped forward.

With a deep breath, he sent out a profound wave of chakra, a shiver running down the spines of those present to witness the impressive feat of Chakra Control and Capacity.

Or maybe the usage of an unknown technique.

Regardless, the ANBU were impressed underneath their animal masks.

Nodding in satisfaction Hiruzen turned to the ANBU, a chilly wind blew in their faces, doing little to cool down the tension or fury.

"Mantis." He called out to the Captain of the Squadron who sat in a patient bow.

"Yes, Lord Hokage?" A cheery yet cold voice replied.

"Use your summon to inform the participants of the ANBU and myself being present in the Exam. Their goals and activities shall not and should not be hindered. The ANBU will stay out of sight and not bother the Genin... Imply the reason being a need to retrieve corpses."

Hiruzen then turned to all the present ANBU, "Inform the present Chunin... I am personally dealing with the operations of the Chunin Exams. After that, join Squadron Two in routine patrol until the Five Days for this Exam are over."

And thus...

The Chunin Exams were run under different leadership.

-------------------------------

Team 8 & Team 7's rest was short-lived.

Roughly twenty minutes following their decision to take a rest, everyone was asleep as Sakura kept an eye out alongside two Whiskers huddled beside Akira, keeping guard unblinkingly, and a single Whiskers outside.

She stood steadfastly beside Sasuke, monitoring his condition every few minutes.

Out of nowhere...

A wave of chakra filled with clear intent forcefully awakened everyone.

As if dowsed with cold water, except Sasuke, all of them shot up, even the weary and injured Akira.

Shaking off their drowsiness as their hairs stood on end, their heads turned towards the source of the wave of intent-filled Chakra.

Kiba barked out, "Did you guys feel that?! What the hell's going on?!"

With a thin line on everyone's faces, they nodded.

The intent transmitted was odd, unlike anything they'd ever felt.

It was strong, demanding attention.

It was roaring:

"I am here. Come at me."

'What in the... Whiskers, what was that?' Akira questioned.

'Hokage. Orochimaru ran off. Before he got. There.' The Whiskers from afar reported.

'No sight of him, I wager?' Akira frowned.

'That is. Correct.' Whiskers replied briskly.

...

'All Whiskers except the emergency ones are to converge around my location. Form a circle to scout for any intruders. Should Orochimaru head over here... Report immediately.' Akira ordered with suppressed agitation.

He ascertained once more, 'Original Whiskers, you still with Uncle?'

'Yes.'

'Good.' Satisfied with the relatively intact state of the Last contingency plan.

Akira turned to his similarly confused teammates with the information he got, "That was Lord Third's doing."

"W-Why would he do that?" Hinata presented the obvious question.

Trying to fold his arms, but struggling due to the still semi-paralyzed right arm, Akira guessed, "Orochimaru ran away... It's likely a warning or a challenge."

Shino added, "Or a reassurance to all those in the forest aware of him being here."

...

"It's both, I think." Sakura hummed.

...

Kiba grunted, scratching his head, "Good enough for me, this day has been a whole load of crazy... Back to sleep, it is" Vocalizing his acceptance as well as bewilderment of the whole situation.

He, clearly, has had enough of this Exam and Day.

"ARF!" Akamaru agreed.

Without further agonizing over the situation, Kiba lowered himself back to sleep, Akamaru nuzzling beside him.

Akira glanced at Shino, his unease lingering in the heavy air.

Akira deadpanned, "How carefree..."

'Is the. Snake. Bothering you?' Whiskers inquired.

'Certainly...' Akira replied to Whisker's concern.

Hinata sweatdropped, "Eh... He calls it being flexible?" She smiled lightly towards Akira who turned to her at the meager defense of Kiba's attitude.

Shino's eyes sharpened, "I take back the respect he had earned."

...

"I'm more curious on how Lord Third managed to even... Do that." Sakura cut through the banter, flailing her arms at the strange chakra that transmitted such clear intent.

"Quit yapping and go to sleep, what does it matter how he did it?" Kiba growled with closed eyes, trying to keep the racket down.

Humming and ignoring the sound advice from Kiba, the Nara answered Sakura's question, "It's eerily similar to the way Killing Intent is transmitted."

Heads turning to hear an explanation from Akira, he elaborated, "Killing intent is simply... Flexing your Chakra with a clear intent of killing in mind. The exact mechanics are lost on me, it's more of an instinctual thing that comes from both Shinobi... I felt it, then I tried it, and it works."

Hinata chuckled, "That kind of simplicity... How unexpected of you, Akira-san."

Nodding, she agreed, "But you're right. Shinobi are sensitive to Chakra and this goes both ways..." Feeling the gazes on her, slight embarrassment colored her features, "C-Changes and fluctuations and such can be felt depending on the magnitude and your own sensitivity. It's how Sensor Ninja are able to find other Shinobi."

"Lord Third's intent-filled chakra might have appeared like that, but it was way more controlled. Not only vague emotion like murderous intent but a literal intent, I could 'feel' a sentence. Not to mention, the distance he had covered with it." Shino gave his two cents, perplexed by the phenomenon himself.

Akira flashed an uneasy smile, "Right, don't even get me started on how... Wasteful in terms of Chakra and transgressive doing something like that is... A shinobi loudly proclaiming his location is normally a death wish... But, he is the Hokage." He shrugged.

...

Sakura nodded, recalling, "It sounds extremely similar to the Ancient Art And Religion of Ninshu we skimmed through back in the 4th Year of the Academy." She mentioned, a finger tapping rhythmically on her chin.

...

The room grew silent with no one having anything to say or add.

Akira sighed tiredly, cutting through the semi-awkward silence as he shrugged in resignation, "Guess we have no clue. But Kiba's right... We should rest up." 

"THANK YOU!" The Inuzuka perked up.

-------------------------------

Now, it was truly getting annoying for Team 8 & Team 7.

Not even thirty minutes after they had been spooked awake by Lord Third's Chakra, they had awoken to another interference.

A loud, annoying proclamation:

"HEARSAY! HEARSAY! GENIN BE AWARE! KONOHA'S ANBU BLACK OPS ARE OPERATING CORPSE RECOVERY IN THE FOREST! HEARSAY HEARSAY! CONTINUE WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION AS PER NORM, THEY ARE ORDERED TO NOT INTERFERE!"

Before Akira could ask, Whiskers provided, 'It is. A big. Bird.'

A contemplative silence passed in Akira's mind as he processed the information.

He shook his head, figuring it was good news, 'Any changes in the status quo?' Akira knowingly asked a frown of annoyance at being awakened once more, but still laser-focused on the task.

'None so far. The Teams. Heading to. Tower. Some arrived. Not all.' The Whiskers positioned with a clear view of the Center Tower entrance reported.

'One from each Village?' Akira pinpointed his inquiry.

'Waterfall. Not yet there. Other than. That. All villages. Have one team. Passed.'

Blinking, Akira noted the missing Whiskers, confusion marring his expression, 'You made them avoid each other by exploding in specific locations?' He hazarded a guess.

'Yes.'

Akira's eyes widened.

It was not an order he had given.

In actuality, Akira was supposed to oversee their travels to the tower with the exception of Uzumaki Karin's Team being guided by a single Whiskers, yet...

They improvised.

'Well done.' Akira praised.

Lifting his weary head, he observed his similarly annoyed and awoken teammates, their eyes closed trying to sleep but clearly awake.

With the exception of Sakura still awake to keep an eye on things; she waved her hand, gesturing for Akira to go back to sleep quietly with a small encouraging smile.

...

It was oddly reassuring.

Perhaps it was his exhaustion speaking, but he was incredibly easy to convince to let his guard down for proper rest... With defenses in place, of course.

Lowering back his head and closing his eyes, relaxing all tension in his body, Akira promptly fell back asleep.

However, what Akira failed to notice in his weakened clarity, was the slight glint of distrust and impatience in the pink-haired girl's eyes.

...

As the night progressed, and the sun of their second day of the Exam began to rise over the horizon, the Genin hadn't ceased their rest.

Injured, weary, and mentally fatigued.

A long day would follow upon all of their rejuvenated awakenings.

They must gather their energies now while they still can.

As for Uchiha Sasuke...

-------------------------------

"Who are you, Uchiha Sasuke?" The voice slithered in the empty void.

Like a subtle poison, it exuded its influence.

All it did was remind him.

Of... His weakness.

All it did was ask him.

Of... His role.

...

"I am an Avenger," Sasuke replied.

-------------------------------

"Damn it!" A five-year-old Uchiha Sasuke grumbled with a frustrated expression, his fists clenched.

Out of his mouth, a hint of smoke remained from the miniature Fire Ball he unleashed.

He turned to look at his Father, Uchiha Fugaku.

The man's perpetual grimace and stoic expression were as unreadable as ever, yet, even Sasuke at his young age managed to discern the apparent... Disappointment.

Closing his eyes, Fuguaku sighed as they stood at the deck of the Uchiha Lake, "Why did I expect you'd be like Itachi?"

Shaking his head, not even turning to look at Sasuke's deflated figure, Fugaku headed back.

His back to Sasuke, he stated, "It's too soon. You are not ready yet."

Sasuke fought back tears, his nails digging into his palms with a sharp sting, his fists clenching so hard he could almost draw blood.

The tightness in his chest made each breath a little harder to take, 'Again... I have disappointed Father...' He lowered his head, glaring daggers at the wooden floor of the dock he stood on.

Then, his father's voice called out to him.

Raising his head to see him regarding him with a patient look over his shoulder, Sasuke's gaze held an expectant glimmer in his coal eyes.

"Remember, Sasuke. There is no shortcut to power. Especially for the Uchiha."

With those parting words, Fugaku left Sasuke to his lonesome, to contemplate the meaning behind those words.

...

"So I must try harder then?" Sasuke wondered aloud, his resolve to improve rising with each word uttered.

Truth be told, Uchiha Sasuke did not realize the true meaning of what his Father told him that day until much later in his life.

-------------------------------

The serpentine voice forced upon him the unpleasant memory of...

That day.

The lifeless and bloodied bodies of his clansmen, their skin cold and pale beneath the moon's light, as well as his mother and father.

The metallic stench of blood lingered in the air, heavy and suffocating.

The visions of his parents and clansmen dying...

Over.

And over.

And over again.

He could not help but grow more...

Starved.

The poison dug deeper into his psyche.

It eroded his mind.

Yet...

-------------------------------

"You know, there's something I don't really get." Akira's voice reverberated through the dense forest surrounding the training ground, his words blending with the soft rustling of leaves.

He stood in front of the defeated and frustrated Uchiha, his glare was seething and the depths only perplexed Akira.

Having swallowed his pride, Sasuke recently approached Akira requesting spars.

These spars have been occurring on a monthly basis for the last six months.

This would be their sixth one.

...

Sasuke had not replied, so Akira pressed on.

"Why the rush? We've got a year till we're done with the Academy. Why are you so hungry for power?" The question only deepened Sasuke's frown and his glare intensified.

Lifting his arms in a placating gesture, Akira elaborated, "Calm down, I know the reason... It's just, that I am also pretty hungry for power and improvement... But you? You look like you're willing to do something exceedingly stupid or reckless for a quick power-up."

He pointed at himself, "I try to keep it relatively safe and not allow the hunger to consume my entire life... I mean... Do you even have a hobby?"

While Akira's words weren't meant to anger Sasuke, he couldn't help but grow furious.

He rose up from his defeated posture, straightening himself with a piercing glare at the Nara, "Hobby?" He repeated venomously.

Grinding his teeth, Sasuke nearly shouted, "Every moment... That bastard roams around free, after what he did to my clan and family..." He shivered.

Akira's eyes widened at the awakening of the Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes, a single tomoe in each eye as he charged to continue the spar, "IS A MOMENT SPENT IN HELL! I HAVE NO GUILT, OF THAT I AM CERTAIN!" He punched Akira with renewed vigor, the Nara reacting with clear surprise at the smoothness of the movement.

Sasuke saw through a kick, blocking it with his elbow, counter-attacking with a knee to Akira's face who promptly avoided it.

"BUT! I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO AVENGE MY CLAN! TO RESTORE THEIR HONOR!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, fury guiding his strikes.

Akira's eyes narrowed as he was on the defensive, he was impressed with the Uchiha's fury not tainting the accuracy of his strikes.

And then... In a feat of speed the newly awakened Sharingan managed to see, but not react to... Akira kicked Sasuke squarely in the chest with greater strength than before.

Knocking the breath out of him, and sending him flying to the ground, dropping with a thud.

Rising up quickly, Akira took out a kunai from his pocket and placed it on Sasuke's neck, stating with finality, "It's over."

Sasuke bit his lip in defeat once more, drawing blood as he chastised himself in his mind.

'I couldn't even force him to use his Kekkei Genkai...'

Backing off slightly and pocketing the kunai, Akira sighed a little distraught at the whole scenario, "Look."

Akira paused, his voice softening as he met Sasuke's intense gaze.

"I can't say I understand where you're coming from, but I can sympathize..." He glanced briefly at the ground before continuing, "And give you my honest thoughts on the matter."

Sasuke's eyes locked onto Akira's visage, the latter slightly unaccustomed to the glare of a Sharingan on him.

"I am pretty aware of the political landscape of the world. Not as well as my Clan Elders and Uncle, but I have been educated on the matter... Highly dangerous Rogue Shinobi included." He knowingly informed.

Sasuke's eyes turned hateful and interested in the insinuation.

"So far, these past few years... There's been no news of Uchiha Itachi except for joining some kind of Rogue Shinobi Mercenary Group."

"Their name?" Sasuke cut to the chase.

"No clue... But that doesn't matter right now. Point is; after his vile actions, he has been very elusive and inactive, relatively speaking."

...

Sasuke was understanding Akira's point but still had to hear it fully to confirm his presumptions.

"No new atrocities committed. No nothing. The S - Rank Rogue is pretty much as impactful as a B Rank Rogue, maybe less so with... How little we've heard from him. And trust me, Konoha as well as other Hidden Villages are meticulous in their monitoring of Rogues, especially ones as dangerous and powerful as Uchiha Itachi." Akira lectured.

He hummed, "Even though he is S - Rank. Growing stronger under his circumstances as a Rogue is... Incredibly difficult. While you, Sasuke, are in the perfect environment to nurture yourself to his level or beyond."

"Anxiety, sleepless nights at the prospect of ANBU Squads suddenly finding him to finish him off... While you, here, train to your heart's content as he grows older and more uneasy."

A small smile appeared on Akira's face as he extended his hand to Sasuke, "Besides... Mercenary groups are just that... I doubt anyone could trust him given his insane nature and history. He's effectively alone... You are not."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"So why the rush and needless anxiety? Grow stronger at your own pace, no forbidden jutsu nonsense or whatever might cross your mind, gain strength through your own merits..."

"Hell, when the day comes that you have to face Itachi, the Leaf Village and I, will be by your side to make sure all is okay... Itachi's death is in the Village's interests as well, you know? You might have competition for his head!" Akira chuckled lightly.

He smirked with a shake of his head, "If you lose... I'll take care of clean-up, okay~?"

Akira's words drew a vivid image in Sasuke's mind and... For a second.

He couldn't help but smile.

Smirking in return, Sasuke took up Akira's hand, grunting, "Hmph, as if that would ever happen. The only clean-up you'll be doing is of his filthy corpse."

Akira cringed, "Never mind, you're on your own..."

-------------------------------

Akira.

Shikamaru.

Choji.

Naruto.

Kakashi.

Sakura.

Their tough time in the Land Of Woods.

These images flashed in Sasuke's mind in between the torturous images the serpent brought to the forefront of his mind.

...

Then, the last question came.

"Would you like the power to fulfill your role, Uchiha Sasuke?"

...

"Screw you." Was his response to the serpentine voice slithering in his psyche.

To Be Continued!

-Author Note Start-

Well, well well.

It's been a mighty long time since a Canon Chapter.

Hope the chapter was to your satisfaction and up to snuff in quality n stuff.

On that note...

FUCK YOU GEGE! THAT ENDING RAAAAAAAAAAAAH

I mean sure, Sukuna got his happy ending.

BUT WHAT ABOUT MY GLORIOUS BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON GOJO SATORU?!

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT CONCLUSION FOR HIM?!

AT LEAST GIVE HIM A FUNERAL RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Just kidding though.

Gojo Returning In Jujutsu Kaisen Shippuden.

Also fun fact:

For the sake of TRUE IMMERSION, The preliminary and tournament matches will be decided by me spinning a wheel.

(I hope I get a good fight to write lmao).

I might use the AUTHOR POWAH to force 1 good fight, since random ain't really random but ya know :P

-Down here is the copy paste stuff-

If ya'll feeling frisky and rich you can donate to my P. A .T R 3 0 N to show some nice and kind support.

Here's the link:

patre0n.com/BurgerNoTomatoes

As always people! If you see any inconsistencies, wrong information, Illogical statements, etc... Notify me, please! I'll fix it ASAP! And or explain it later on in case I had planned to make it vague in the first place.

Also, all comments, reviews, constructive criticism and so on Are much appreciated! I especially love Constructive criticism because it allows me to improve the story in real time! I try my best to follow your advice!

I enjoy responding to you all! So do send them comments! Also, ideas are also welcome! I'm not that creative so assistance from you guys is always nice! Yup!

I hope you lovely people have a fantastic rest of the day/week. And I'll see you in a week's time or so :P

Obito (Set to appear in approximately 1 year) is a simp. Here's this week's random fun fact.

-Author's Note End-