Third-Person POV

------------------------------- Flashback ------------------------------------

The Konoha Cemetery looked almost picturesque in autumn.

In the morning hours of October 10th, Iroko and Kiboi had gone to visit their parent's graves. They stood at the entrance to the cemetery, taking in the scenery. Iroko had a bundle of incense in one hand and a pile of rags in the other while Kiboi held a bouquet of Chrysanthemum flowers.

"You ready?" she asked him.

Without answering, he trudged forward through the field. Kiboi heaved a despondent sigh and followed after him.

It's only once a year that he's ever like this. And when it comes around, it's like he becomes an entirely different person, as if he's shouldering the weight of all the world's problems in that moment.

But... there's something different about this year.

The grave of the Nakata's had amassed a considerable amount of dead leaves, twigs and dust since the last time the siblings had visited. But the stone from which the monument was hewn was still in good condition, given it had only been constructed some three years ago by Kiboi herself.

While Iroko had gone to fetch water, Kiboi had taken to dusting off the grave and pulling out weeds. As she did so, she couldn't help herself but look at the names that had been carved onto the stone.

中

田

異

類

中

田

青

野

IRUI NAKATA | AONO NAKATA

"Dad..." She felt a sting in her eye and realized she was on the verge of crying. "No," she quickly wiped them away. "I've gotta be strong for just a little bit longer. If not for you, then for him."

When Iroko had returned with a pail full of water, using the ladle, they began to clean the grave by carefully pouring water onto the stone and using the rags to dry it. At the end of the process, they lit the incense and placed the Chrysanthemum flowers at the front of the grave.

Now they sat in the seiza style, solemnly staring at the stone monument.

"If you want," Kiboi began, "we can say something to them before we pray."

"Yeah, I'd like that," he said.

"Alright. You go first."

At first, he struggled to find the right words to begin with, but eventually, he decided to just speak and go with the flow.

"Uh... hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. Wow, hard to believe it's really been a year already. There's a lot to talk to you guys about. For starters, I- I did it. I finally got into the Ninja Course. I know it wouldn't have been possible if wasn't for you and Sis, always pushing me on even when no one else did. You always used to say that no one but you can make your dreams a reality and you were right.

"My new teammates are pretty ultimate as well. Hisao-sensei's an android with a huge backlog of ninjutsu under his belt! Even though he's kinda weird and awkward in social situations, he's a really good teacher who knows what his student needs even when they can't see it. Yuura is someone who had been in the same class as me since we were 8 and I wish I had become friends with him then because he's an awesome guy. I told you guys last year how things haven't been working out so great between me and Kaz but Yuura ... he's been super supportive, has always had my back and even managed to talk some sense into me when I felt myself slipping. I know he probably sees himself as someone weak but I'd say he's leagues stronger than he gives himself credit for. And then there's Asami..."

He let a light chuckle escape his mouth as he thought back to when they first met, to when they teamed up against Ryuun, and to the latest events revolving around the Chunin Exams.

"Yeah, I still don't know what her deal is. She's a girl from ANBU who's blunt, emotionless, and is just straight-up unfriendly-- but she's saved my butt like three times now, so I'm pretty sure she must like me at least a little bit which I can live with. Honestly, I'm grateful to have gotten the three of them as my teammates. We've already had so many adventures, and every day I feel like I'm inching closer and closer towards my goal thanks to them, thanks to everyone who's supported me along the way. So yeah, I'm in good hands these days, so you don't have to worry. But, man... I really do miss you guys... like a lot..." He held his head up to the sky. "Okay, I'm done."

Kiboi saw that he was trying to hold back tears of his own (which fell anyway) but she chose to ignore it.

"Dad, Aono," she said, "I don't have much to say this year, but just know that I'll continue to do my best; I'll become a ninja capable of looking after myself and Iroko, and I'll be sure to return there again soon. So please have peace of mind."

Then they placed their hands together, closed their eyes, and began their prayers in earnest. While Kiboi prayed more extensively for the repose of their parent's souls, Iroko had something else in mind that he wished to pray about.

Mom, Dad, I could really use your help with something.

Right now, I'm in the Final Rounds of my Chunin Exams and my opponent is someone that's been hurt by a family member in their past and convinced himself not to use the Kekkei Genkai that's associated with them. It's self-destructive and could put him in danger in the future but he won't listen to anyone because no one has ever experienced anything close to what he's been through. No one except me.

His friend really believes that I'm the only one that can get that message across to him, but at the same time, I'm afraid of losing my chance at winning the tournament. I won't get another chance to become a chunin this early.

Aw man, I thought I had already made up my mind but I guess I'm still unsure. Mom, Dad, what should I do?

┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

"Our son, you already know what it is

you have to do."

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛

Iroko opened his eyes in revelation.

When both had finished saying their prayers, they returned the pail and ladle, and packed up the incense and rags, only leaving the Chrysanthemums flowers behind.

"You know, it's okay to cry in these kinds of situations," said Kiboi. "I don't want you to feel like you can't be vulnerable around me."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Next time, I promise to cry a whole river for ya." He said with a wry smile to which Kiboi had playfully shoved him.

"...And maybe you could take a page out of your own book."

The comment surprised Kiboi. She was sure he hadn't noticed she was holding back tears as of her own, but she supposed there would've been no need for him to when they both knew each other that well.

"I'm surprised you didn't talk to them about the Chunin Exams," she said, changing the topic.

"It's for the same reason I didn't talk about the Ninja Course until this year. I didn't wanna have to come back and tell them that I didn't make the cut. I'll tell them all about it when I am a chunin and with any luck, that'll be no sooner than next year!"

Kiboi was about to object to that, to tell him that it's okay to simply talk about his experiences whether they ended well or not, but she lost the chance when a dark figure approached them just as they were nearing the entrance to the Cemetery: Sasuke.

"Huh?! What are you doing here?" Iroko exclaimed.

"Probably the same reason as you," he said, "to pay my respects."

Kiboi froze where she stood. Seeing Sasuke in person for the first time sent a chill down her spine. He had the kind of daunting presence that would make even S-Class jonin weak in the knees, what with the way he carried himself and his massive chakra reserves that still carried a sinister aura. Sasuke in turn was caught off-guard by seeing an unfamiliar face and was unsure of how to proceed. Luckily Iroko was there to abate the tension.

"Oh, right, you two haven't met before. Sasuke, this is my sister, Kiboi. Kiboi, Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you," they said at the same time.

Glancing back at where they were coming from, his one visible eye somehow became darker. "If you're here, on this day ... then that means I owe both of you an apology."

The siblings were momentarily taken aback by the sudden remorsefulness.

"Hey, it's okay, sensei, don't worry about it! It was like five years ago - forgive and forget, right? Besides, everyone knows how hard you've been working to redeem yourself so it's not like there's no reason to forgive you."

"That being said," Kiboi cut in, "for some it will still take some time to truly forgive or forget."

"Uh... Nee-chan?" Iroko looked over at his sister.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I know you shouldn't be held accountable for all of the Akatsuki's actions but not everyone is gonna think that way."

"I'm entirely aware," said Sasuke. "That's why I refuse to neglect my responsibility. Even if the death of your loved ones may not have been at my hands, I am still to blame as a result of my affiliations. I'm partly to blame for anyone else's loss as well. So I apologize for all the misdeeds on my part that would have lead up to that terrible day." At that, the Uchiha had arched his back and proceeded to bow low before the siblings.

The conversation had made Iroko remember the fact that the true culprit behind their parent's death had still not been brought to justice after all these years. Whether it was Zetsu's army of clones, Madara Uchiha, Obito Uchiha or anyone else he didn't know. It felt as though he never would.

"Thank you for your apology, it means a lot because I know it's sincere. And I do acknowledge that you're trying to change. I mean, that's why I was okay with you training my knuckleheaded brother here for the Exams--"

"Hey...!"

"--and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. You took time out of your own day to help him prepare when you weren't obligated to, so thank you for that." She bowed her head, and Iroko did the same. "Right now I'm not too sure about forgiving and forgetting and maybe not everybody will be able to no matter what you do, but I for one do believe in second chances so please, keep on doing as you've done, for your family, your friends, and Iroko's sake."

"I will. Thank you." As they all stood upright, Sasuke turned to Iroko and said, "We have a few hours left until the Final Rounds start. Are you ready to go now?"

Iroko nodded. "Nee-chan, can I--"

"Let me guess, some last-minute training?"

"Haha, yeah..." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead," she said, taking the rags off his hands. "I imagine that you needing to do this must mean it's really important so I've got no plans on stopping you. I'll just see you in the stadium, then."

"Thanks, Nee-chan, you're the best!"

From there, Iroko went with Sasuke to their usual training spot while Kiboi headed back to their home to drop off their incense and rags before departing for the stadium.

1 HOUR ~ LATER

Training would not take long. Iroko, for the most part, had already refined the new jutsu to a point where Sasuke deemed it usable for battle. All the training demanded of them was to determine how much chakra he could store to use it.

Later that morning, Iroko had found himself slumping to the ground in exhaustion after having pushed himself to his absolute limit. He lay there panting exuberantly as he stared longingly at the blue sky.

"You've done well so far," said Sasuke.

"Thanks, but I've still got an even longer way to go," he replied.

He's not wrong, though. I have made a lot of progress. In fact, I've made more progress than I even thought was natural. This is something that's always been bothering me, but up till now, I never gave it a lot of thought. For a kid that could barely perform a basic jutsu, I've suddenly gotten much larger chakra reserves. I went from not being able to create a single clone to being able to create more than 10 Shadow Clones at a time.

Although, that was more than six years ago, and people can push past their limits if they train hard enough.

He stretched out a hand towards the sky and clenched it into a tight fist as if he wanted to grab ahold of something beyond his reach.

And it's that very same training that's brought me here today. Mom, Dad, I promise I'll make you two proud.

"Yosh!!" When he was done resting he performed a kip-up, feeling more than ready to take on whatever the next challenge was.

"Your sister," Sasuke spoke, "she seems like a very responsible and caring person. You're lucky to have a sibling like her."

Iroko shot a smile as he took pride in that remark. "Yeah, when she's not trying to bite my head off, I guess I am."

"Hm." Sasuke let a smirk form around the edge of his lips before it disappeared as his expression hardened once more. "Are you ready to go or do you still need more time?"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"You know, I remember something Kaz had said during the Preliminaries. That there won't ever be a perfect opportunity to do something; I can wait as long as I want for that moment but the situation will always be the same, so why not create that opportunity instead?" He looked back at his teacher. "Besides, I think we've kept everyone waiting long enough."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Sasuke, "because the Final Rounds have already begun."

"Woah, wait WHAT?!! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Because I didn't want to rush you. You needed this last hour to refine the jutsu as best as you could. You wouldn't have made much progress if you knew you were on a time constraint."

"We've been on a time constraint all week, sensei..."

"It doesn't matter. Now, you're more ready than you were yesterday."

Iroko couldn't argue against that. He was right, he knew.

"Come," Sasuke continued, "your match won't have started first so we still have time."

"Oh, right, Jin ought to be fighting by now. I hope she's doing okay. Kaz definitely won't be holding back against her."

Without wasting any more time, the two promptly left their training ground and went back into the village so as to reach the stadium which, Sasuke told Iroko, was on the other side of their location.

In order to avoid large masses of people, Sasuke decided to lead them through streets that were less crowdy. He was also intent on avoiding 14th Street so Iroko could remain focused. But they hadn't even made it halfway through the village when they caught sight of Kiboi racing down the street opposite of them using a strange Lightning Styled jutsu in her feet.

"Wait, was that my sister? Nee-chan!!" Iroko called her over.

Upon hearing him, she broke away from the street she was on and slid in their direction. Sasuke furrowed his brows when he saw the look of alarm on her face.

"Iroko, thank goodness I found you!" she exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Iroko asked. "Shouldn't you be at the stadium by now?"

"That's what I came back to tell you about. There was a problem, all the entrances to the stadium were sealed off! I couldn't get in!"

"What?"

"Did you try contacting Shizune or any jonin who was inside?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, but for some reason, I couldn't get across to them," she tapped the comm device in her left ear. "It's like all channels outside of the stadium have been disconnected. But that's not all, I looked through the glass dome, and I saw that the first match had already concluded!"

Now Sasuke appeared visibly concerned. Instead of saying anything else, he proceeded to jump unto the roof of the nearest building. "Iroko, follow me."

"Uh, okay, right behind you! Gotta go, Sis - thanks for the warning!"

"You better make it in time!!" she shouted after them.

For the first time in a long time, Iroko had to actively exert himself in order to keep up with Sasuke in parkour, but his upgraded Flash Jutsu made the endeavour easier.

"So the whole stadium's on lockdown? Man, what do you think could've caused this?"

I'm hoping it isn't who I think it is, Sasuke thought. "We'll have no way of knowing until we get there. But that isn't your concern. Stay focused on your match, and leave these sorts of things for the chunin and jonin to handle."

From the way he spoke, a seed of suspicion had been sowed in Iroko's mind. "Yeah, okay..."

They continued to scale over the buildings of Konoha until they had finally reached the border where what lay before them now was a vast expanse of woodland and beyond that a pastoral field.

"There it is," Sasuke pointed.

Iroko followed the direction of his hand and saw the man-made building sticking out in the field like a sore thumb.

"Oh, great!! How are we supposed to get there on time now? It'll take us more than 20 minutes to get there even if we were running at our top speed and I'm already late enough as is! I'm sure they've already skipped me and Itsuki's match so it'll be really awkward to enter the stadium now - oh, wait a second, that's right: WE CAN'T EVEN GET INTO THE STADIUM RIGHT NOW--"

"Iroko."

The blue-streaked ninja paused in his state of panic to look at Sasuke.

"Do you trust me?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure I do."

"Then take a few steps back."

Iroko did as he said, distancing himself from him. When he was far enough, he pulled out a scroll from his seemingly bottomless cloak and unrolled it in front of himself.

"Hey, what are you about to do?" Iroko asked.

Without answering, he held his hand to his mouth and bit on his fingertip hard enough to draw blood. Then he slammed his hand on the scroll and called out: "Summoning Jutsu!"

The rooftop blew up in smoke and wind pressure and in the midst of that blinding force, Iroko heard a-

"KEEEEAAAAAR!!!"

From the smoke emerged a pair of great brown wings and fierce-looking talons. Iroko could see a strikingly yellow eye surrounded by black markings and a beak that was streaked in red. Seriously, the ninja world never failed to surprise him; just when he thought he had seen it all, here was a giant hawk hovering before him with Sasuke on its back.

"Garuda, grab him," he said, "then head for that glass dome in the distance."

"Wait, what? W-WOAH!!"

Iroko could not follow what was happening to him at that moment. Garuda had flown right by him and proceeded to grab his body whole with his talons then flapped his majestic wings and took off in the direction of the dome.

Garuda flew with the wind in his back, soaring over the fields of grass and trees almost within the blink of an eye. With the feeling of the wind whipping against his face and the sheer madness of the situation, Iroko felt nothing short of exhilaration.

"This... is... ULTIMATE!!!" He cried. "I'm actually flying!!" < He knew it was technically Garuda, though. >

"Garuda, Iroko, listen, this next part is going to be very tricky," Sasuke spoke. "On my mark, Garuda, you're going to drop Iroko from this height right above the dome. Make sure you do it on my mark or the plan will fail."

Then the panic came back to Iroko. "Wha- drop me?! Hold on, sensei, I'm gonna need you to expand on that part!!"

"There's no time to explain," he retorted, "do you trust me or not?"

The stadium was already right in front of them, but Iroko was so concerned with what Sasuke had said that he hadn't noticed. At the same time, Sasuke had equipped a kunai.

"I- I do trust you," Iroko continued, "but, sensei, this is my life we're dealing with here--"

"Now, Garuda!"

The second that they were passing over the stadium, Sasuke flung the kunai at the glass dome. Half a second later, Garuda had released Iroko. Everything was happening so fast that he didn't even have time to scream.

The kunai that Sasuke had flung first had broken through the glass dome. Using his Sharingan, he monitored its descent through the stadium. When it was less than ten feet from the arena ground, he swept aside his bangs to reveal his Rinnegan and activated Amenotejikara.

Before Iroko could make contact with the glass, his body was swapped with the kunai and he had landed in its place at the centre of the arena. Meanwhile, the kunai had fallen unto the surface of the dome.

"It worked," Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief.

"That was both a hasty and reckless endeavour," Garuda spoke. "Those two things are hardly in your nature."

"You're right. That wasn't like me..."

It was incredibly risky. Until that moment, I had never used Amenotejikara on two objects that were separate from me. It was still just a theory that I had yet to test out. If that had failed, he could have died (What would I have said to his sister then?). It's a good thing the theory was correct, then. I can only hope that he'd made it in time.

"Tell me, what is to become of us now?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Since I have no way inside the stadium without being seen, we'll remain out here. A rogue ninja has been loose in the village for the past couple of weeks and he seems to be obsessed with the Chunin Exams. Whether or not he's already infiltrated the stadium or he's about to, we'll be prepared to intercept him from out here should he make his presence known to us."

Iroko, good luck. I sense you'll need it.

------------------------------- Flashback ends ------------------------------------

"Woah, that was trippy."

From his perspective, as soon as Garuda had dropped him, all Iroko saw was the swiftly approaching glass dome as his face was whiplashed by the air currents while he fell but then his environment changed instantly and next he knew he was met with solid ground as he had landed himself in a stadium full of shocked faces.

Sasuke-sensei must have used that Switcheroo jutsu of his, he realized. Well, he'd cut it pretty close there! What was his plan if I had ended up breaking through the glass? Sometimes, he can be so exasperating!

In the midst of his contemplation, he suddenly realized he was in the arena and standing before him were Temari and Itsuki.

"Hey, looks like I made it just in time," he grinned.

Just as he took a single step in their direction, he was stopped dead in his tracks when a team of jonin suddenly materialized all around him. Two held a kunai each to his throat, one gripped his left arm with debilitating strength from behind and another held his right arm and had her index and middle finger just over his forehead protector.

"Stop," they said, "we cannot allow you to proceed without confirming that you are not an imposter currently using the Transformation Jutsu."

"What ... the ... hell...?" Iroko was flabbergasted. There were a million things running through his head but the biggest question was what they meant by 'imposter'.

Itsuki looked back at Temari with annoyance. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Sorry, kid, but they have to do this," she said. "This village has had its Exams interrupted by an impersonator before. It'd be wise for them to start taking precautions sooner rather than later."

"Hey, that is Iroko, right?" said Daito. "Despite the weird entrance, what reason would they have to believe that he's an impersonator?"

"Oh, you don't know, do you?" Genzo chimed in.

"Don't know what?"

"Well, who could blame ya? No one in our age group would be old enough to remember it. It was about ten or so years ago: Orochimaru, the Rogue Ninja, had infiltrated a Chunin Exam just like this one by having killed and replaced our Fourth Kazekage. No one had even realized it until he'd cause chaos during the Final Rounds (just like this one) and then went on to kill your--"

"The Third Hokage, right? I remember, from History class," said Yuura.

"Oh, come on, that's just paranoia!" Daito objected. "I mean, it was ten years ago! Who's to say the same thing will happen again?"

"It's justified, though," said Yuura. "Because the village wasn't prepared, the Third Hokage was killed for it. They'd want to avoid a tragedy like that from ever happening again. But at the same time you have a point; when has lightning ever struck the same place twice? We're going to have to do something if this gets out of hand."

Besides them, both Asami and Yohei were watching the situation unfold with rising apprehension. After all, they both knew how erroneous Yuura's idiom was.

"Can you prove to us, here and now, that you are in fact Iroko Nakata?" The jonin questioned him.

"What, you want me to say something that only I would know?" he retorted. "Come on, I don't even understand what all this is for! I am Iroko Nakata!!"

"We cannot take your word for it, and by extension, we cannot risk the lives of everyone in this stadium."

"Huh?? What does that even mean?!"

"If you cannot verify your legitimacy as Iroko Nakata then we'll have no choice but to take action and incarcerate you."

"Now, hold on a minute!" Itsuki started, but was stopped by Temari.

Tsunade looked on with dubiety. "Are we really going to go through with this?" she asked Kakashi. "What if it actually is the contestant?"

The Hokage remained silent.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade had raised her voice. "We might very well destroy that boy's future if we're not certain!"

"I know," his voice came dryly. I'm almost certain that was one of Sasuke's Rinnegan techniques. But if I'm wrong, and it turns out to be the target, then everyone here will pay the price for it, for my misjudgment.

I can't risk that.

"Inanimation Jutsu: Locked Paralysis!" The jonin tapped Iroko on his forehead and suddenly his body felt frozen. He couldn't move any part of himself in any capacity, his arms, legs, or even his eyes. It felt as though he was frozen in time while everyone else was outside the range of effect.

"Hngggghhhhmmmmm!!" All his words could only come out as a series of slurs and mumbles.

Seriously? Is this how it ends? We overcame all those obstacles just for me to be met with a hurdle that I don't even understand? How is that even fair?

Will it always be like this? One problem after another, keeping me further and further away from my dream, while everyone else gets to climb up the ladder, scot-free. Why? Why me? Why was I cursed with this kind of life? How long am I gonna have to struggle before I can even see the horizon?

"Take him away."

Sorry, Itsuki. I wish things hadn't turned out this way. But I swear, one way or another I will reach out to you!

"Wait."

The voice of Asami had disrupted the procession as she jumped down from the bleachers into the arena.

"Could we always have done that?" asked Daito.

"How do you think the jonin got in?" Genzo deadpanned.

"Please return to the bleachers," the jonin said to Asami. "The severity of the situation is now beyond friends and teammates."

"I can prove to you that that is Iroko Nakata."

The statement had earned her looks from all across the stadium.

"Asami," Yuura pondered, "what are you talking about?"

The jonin remained obstinate. "I'm sorry but, again, you're in no position to protect your friend--"

"Hold on a minute," Kakashi interjected via the comms. "Let her speak."

The jonin looked up at Kakashi, clearly in opposition. "But, Lord Sixt--"

"Do it."

She let out a sigh of defeat as she turned her attention back to Asami. "What do you propose?"

"Unfreeze him, and I'll ask him a question. A question that only the three of us in our cell would know the answer to. If he answers it correctly, it means it's really him. If he doesn't, feel free to take him away."

She looked expectantly at the Hokage, waiting for his decision.

"It sounds like it could work," he said. "Release him, but be prepared to restrain him again as fast as you possibly can should he try something or fail to answer the question correctly."

"Yes, sir." The jonin lady nodded at her comrades and complied. She tapped Iroko on the forehead again, and the boy was brought back to life while the other three loosened their hold on him but did not let go.

"Lady," he said, "that jutsu of yours sucks!"

"Answer the question, please."

A vein mark appeared on his face. He was prepared to talk back to her had Asami not grabbed ahold of his attention.

"Iroko..."

His eyes drifted across the arena until they were looking directly at hers. Whenever he gazed directly at her, it always seemed to feel like it was just the two of them in that place, like the whole world, its denizens, and its problems fell away into white nothingness.

"...what were the exact words Hisao-sensei had said to us before the Written Test, the same words that Yuura had reminded you about?"

His lips came open slightly in surprise, then they contorted into a smile once again.

"Hmph, as if I could forget after Yuura burned it into my memory... His exact words were to never forget to rely on, to trust, and to have faith in each other!"

Up in the bleachers, Yuura felt himself on the brink of tears. He actually remembered...!

"That .... is correct," said Asami. "He's not an imposter."

The jonin opened her mouth to retort but was shut up by Kakashi.

"That's enough," he said. "It sounded legit enough to me. I think she's proven her point. Now, let the boy have his match." Truly, Sasuke, that was incredibly reckless of you.

"Yes, Lord Sixth.... Clear the arena," she said to her comrades. The jonin let go of Iroko and dispersed at her command, returning to the very back of the bleachers.

"I apologize, Iroko," she said before taking her leave.

"Yeah, whatever. It's okay, I guess." He didn't bother fighting them on it, nor did he even bother to thank Asami, as he saw that she had already made her way back to the bleachers as well (he still smiled thoughtfully at her).

This had been a strange sequence of events, and he still had no idea what the reason for it was, but it didn't matter anymore.

Now all of his attention was back on Itsuki.

"Hey, do I have some amazing teammates or what?"

Temari had once again backed up all the way to the entrance tunnel, readying herself to begin the match.

"Yeah, I suppose you do," he replied. "I'm grateful to her for having saved this match."

"Really makes you think about your own teammates, doesn't it? How they're willing to go through so much heartache for you. Ena especially..."

"........ What are you talking about?"

Iroko rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his forearm that was wrapped entirely in a white cloth. "It's time to put an end to this, Itsuki. It's time to stop denying that part of yourself."

The green-haired boy's eyes widened. Ena saw the expression on his face. He would not look directly at her but she already knew what he was thinking. He was trying to mask the feeling of rage, trauma, and betrayal but instead, it was all channeled into his eyes which were now shining fiercely.

Iroko had rolled up the sleeve on his left arm as well, revealing more of the white cloth. "You know what I'm talking about... Your Kekkei Genkai."

This was it. The moment Itsuki had been waiting for and dreaded for years. The confrontation that he knew was inevitable; he had been avoiding it, he knew Ena had fretted over it time and time again, but he had foolishly believed there would never come a day when she would take drastic actions. Yet here he was. The time had come to him, and to think it would've been in the form of Iroko.

"I see now... You think you can make me use it, don't you? Well, I think you'll find that to be a big mistake."

"I'm not going to make you use it. I'm gonna make you realize that you need it. I told you, didn't I? That I'd be back with enough strength to blow you outta the water. Well, here I am, so get ready!!"

My teammates, Nee-chan, Hisao-sensei, Sasuke-sensei, and even you, Naruto-sensei. You've all helped me grow from the person that I used to be. And the same goes for you too, doesn't it? Your friends, the Kazekage, they've brought you this far, haven't they?

We both had found ourselves at the bottom, as rejects, so from one loser to another, I'm going to make sure that neither of us goes back to those days, that we don't lose these bonds, or OURSELVES!!!

At that time when Asami returned to the bleachers, she found Yuura had been looking strangely at her.

"What?"

He wiped away a teardrop in his eye. "N-nothing! Except ... thank you."

She looked away apathetically. Just then, Fumino had returned from the infirmary.

"Hey, how's Jin?" Yuura asked.

Fumino's eyes dropped to the ground. "Not in the best shape, but the nurse said she's going to pull through. Tensho decided to stay back, though."

"I know you thought about healing her yourself, but the nurse told you to conserve your strength for your fight," said Daito. "Am I right?"

"Yeah...," she looked apologetically guilty.

"I knew it," he sighed. "I'm glad she told you so, you need to be at your best before you face that Cloud-guy. Don't worry about Jin, the nurse'll take care of her for sure, it's her job after all. Oh, wait, I'm guessing Kazue's back there, too? Oof, that is gonna be one awkward interaction between him and Tensho."

Fumino walked past him to look into the arena. "Has the next match begun?"

"It's about to," said Yuura. "Iroko's about to fight Itsuki."

"Iroko, huh?" She gazed fondly at the blue-streaked boy.

"Come on over, folks," Genzo said, imitating the voice of a circus ringmaster. "This fight's one you're gonna wanna see."

Asami watched as Temari raised her hand.

I've decided...

The boys took their stance. Iroko had his right hand grip his left arm firmly and lowered his centre of gravity by bending his knees forward.

This world is truly a cruel and unjust place.

Itsuki formed the hand seals Earth then Wind.

Maybe it does deserve damnation.

But you said you wouldn't let that deter you. In fact, you're determined to challenge it head-on.

"Ready?"

So I'll reserve my judgment, and clear all the obstacles in your way. So I can watch and see what you'll do.

"FIGHT!!!"

Then I'll decide whether or not this world is worth saving.