"Sooner or later, all secrets
will inevitably be revealed.
There is nothing hidden
that will not be made manifest."
— Mikhail Mikhailovich Prishvin
"Of course, but first I want to know something from you..." he adjusted his glasses and smiled slyly. "Why are you hiding from your friends that you have the same sealing mark as Sasuke?"
"How did you..."
I take a step back and look at my hands. Some strange pattern covers them, either half-moons or circles—it's unclear, everything is mixed together. When did this manage to appear? And why?
"How do you know I'm hiding it from my friends?"
Indeed. How could he know? Maybe I told him last night while he was on watch. Besides, my sealing mark hadn't manifested even once until this moment! Had it?..
"When you were standing on the tree, you had that pattern on you. And as soon as you ran up to the Uchiha, it disappeared. And you looked at it as if you already knew what it was. But when Sasuke started asking, you replied that you had no idea what it was. So why didn't you just admit it to everyone?"
While he spoke, I tried to take control of the sealing mark. It didn't want to submit at all. Only after a few seconds did I win out, and the sealing mark began to fade. One thing was strange: I didn't feel this sealing mark; it activated on its own, and I didn't even notice. In the future, this could cause me a lot of problems. I'd have to go down into my subconscious and find out about this.
"I... tsss..." I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched the sealing mark. There were the consequences!
"Hey! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I waved him off. So that's how it was. All the consequences of using the sealing mark manifested after some time. "Just don't tell them about the sealing mark."
"Fine, but why aren't you telling them the truth?" Kabuto continued to dig.
"I don't want them to worry about me. It's better if they don't know."
"I see... But sooner or later, they'll find out."
"They won't! I'll do everything to make sure they don't find out," I said quickly and, holding the sealing mark, walked toward the cave where we were staying. Let Kabuto keep thinking I won't tell my friends anything. However, that wasn't the case. When the time came, I would tell them. Teamwork is always based on trust, and no one wants to trust their life to someone who is constantly hiding things. So, when the time comes, my friends will know everything about me. Everything!
"Are you afraid of their opinion?" Yakushi continued.
"I don't want to be a burden, Kabuto. I'm used to solving all my problems on my own," I continued to feed him lines. And the final touch: "And yes, you're right, I'm afraid of what they'll think of me."
After that, we mostly walked in silence, only exchanging a few insignificant phrases. I still couldn't make a decision—should I tell Kakashi about the sealing mark now, or was it better to withhold this information just as I had from Naruto and Sasuke? After all, if I thought about it, using chakra didn't cause me pain anymore. The only thing that worried me was its unnoticeable manifestation and the pain afterward. Then it was decided—I wouldn't use the sealing mark, but if it manifested unnoticeably again, I would immediately inform Sensei. For now, I wouldn't bother him; it was better if he focused on Sasuke's sealing mark.
"We're here," Kabuto's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and we headed into the cave where Sasuke and a just-awakened Naruto were waiting.
"Hi, guys," I greeted my friends. "Naruto, how are you? Everything okay?"
"Everything's great, Ariza-chan!" despite having just woken up, our cheerful blonde was in high spirits, which couldn't be said for Sasuke: he didn't look so good, looking a bit disheveled. Maybe he was worried about something?
"I'll light the fire," Sasuke took the fish from Kabuto somewhat roughly and went out of the cave.
"What's with him?" I asked Naruto. The Uchiha was acting strangely, as if he were dissatisfied with something. And I think I knew what. Hm... I should talk to him about it. I understood perfectly: it irritated him that I was constantly hiding things from him. And if it continued, sooner or later I'd get it from him—there would be a big fight—so it was best not to put this discussion off.
"I don't know, Ariza-chan," Naruto shrugged, looking after Sasuke.
"Let me take a look at you," I approached my friend. I had given him medical aid earlier this morning while he was unconscious. Now I was just examining the wounds and asking how he felt. Fortunately, as always, his wounds had healed quickly, and he had already fully recovered his strength.
When we finished, Naruto and I left the cave and went to our comrades, who had already prepared lunch.
"Thanks, guys!" we thanked Sasuke and Kabuto and started eating.
"Let's eat and head for the tower. If we walk instead of going through the trees, we'll be there closer to evening," Kabuto said.
"We'll probably run into enemy teams on the way," noted Sasuke, who had finished his lunch long ago. "We'll take the scroll from them."
"Great!" the blonde shouted happily and started taking bites from one fish then another. What an appetite!
"I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but we don't need a second scroll," I pulled the Scroll of Heaven and Scroll of Earth from my pocket. Naruto stopped eating in surprise, and Sasuke's mouth dropped open. Kabuto frowned unnoticeably at first, then pretended to be surprised. I tried to understand why he acted that way, but then it hit me. If we didn't fight, he'd learn less information about us. And for him, as a spy, that was a failure.
"Where from?!" Uzumaki shouted.
"That's the same question I have," Kabuto said, while Sasuke remained silent, gritting his teeth.
"When we went for water and food, we ran into a team. And we just exchanged scrolls with them. That's all," I told them the truth.
"Good job, Ariza-chan!" Naruto jumped up in excitement. Sasuke reacted differently:
"Ts... I'm going to pack my things," he said coldly and walked past me. What happened to him? Everything was fine yesterday... Was he really offended?
"Wait, Sasuke!" I called out to him, and he turned around. "Where is your tekko-kagi?"
"I lost it during the fight," he tossed back nonchalantly and left.
Hm... I think I know what to get him for his birthday, which is in five days.
As Kabuto said, we arrived by evening. A couple of times we almost ran into genin from other teams, but I reported them in time, and we simply bypassed them by a kilometer, as funny as that sounds. And here we were.
Before us was an old red multi-story building, where each subsequent floor was smaller in area than the previous one. I assumed it dated back to the time of Hashirama. I wondered, if it was so old, why hadn't it collapsed yet?
"Well, we're here," Kabuto smiled.
"Oh, there you are, Kabuto," two shinobi in black clothes and gray masks stepped out from the foliage. "You're late."
"Sorry, I was helping our comrades from the village," he smiled sweetly at his "teammates."
"Yeah! He helped us a lot!" Naruto smiled and, putting his hands behind his head, took two steps forward.
"You would have managed on your own. You did well, but now our paths diverge. Good luck to you," Kabuto gave a thumbs-up and, smiling a final goodbye, left.
"Bye, Kabuto!" Naruto waved him off. "Well?! Let's go!"
Naruto opened the red door, and we entered a spacious hall with two huge balconies above us and a massive inscription on a stone wall ahead.
"There's no one here!" Naruto complained.
"Look..." Sasuke said, his eyes fixed on the inscription.
"'If you desire the power of heaven—let your mind soar; if you lack the earth—train your body, prepare for the struggle. When heaven and earth unite, they will lead you forever. This is our secret. Our eternal motto,'" I read the inscription quietly.
"What nonsense?!" Naruto grumbled.
"I assume that in this inscription, heaven is the mind, the head. And earth is implied as physical strength. When both are well-developed, then you will become a Chunin."
"I agree," Sasuke said, "so that's what the scrolls meant. Only those who are strong and smart should pass the second stage."
"Uh-huh," I nodded. "We should..."
"E-e-eh! What are you talking about?!" Naruto interrupted me, wrinkling his forehead.
"Naruto, look: if you're strong in body but not smart, you need to start using your head. If you're smart but weak, you need to train," I said, and Naruto nodded. "When you become both smart and strong, then you'll become Hokage."
"What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Literally, Dobe!" I put my hand on his shoulder. "Go read some books and textbooks!"
Naruto made such a terrified face, as if he were ready to run and hide, and I laughed.
"'When heaven and earth unite,'" Sasuke muttered under his breath. "Ari, I think we need to open the scrolls."
"You're right," I agreed, suppressing my laughter, "we have no other choice." I pulled out the Scroll of Heaven, and Naruto pulled out the Scroll of Earth. Simultaneously pulling at the edges of the parchment, we began to unroll them. When they were open, we saw the word "Human" framed by numerous symbols. Was this a human summoning scroll? "Naruto, throw the scrolls!"
We threw the scrolls as soon as smoke began to billow out. I didn't recall this from the anime. Then again, I didn't remember anything at all. When the smoke cleared, to our surprise, Iruka-sensei stood before us. He delighted us with the news that we had passed; Naruto was so ecstatic he practically tackled him with a hug. Afterward, we talked about various topics, and he sent us to the rest rooms. Yes, we wouldn't be allowed to go home until everyone arrived. Those were the rules of the exam. So we had to sit here for two more days and wait for the other participants. As I learned, only five teams had passed so far. By tomorrow, another three or four would probably arrive, and that would be it. It was unlikely more would pass.
We had time to heal our wounds and gather our strength. Now we had a better chance of passing the preliminary fights before the third stage.
July 19, 1056
14:30
Two teams arrived during the night and another one this morning. Now there were eight teams—twenty-four people.
These were all who had passed. The other recruits were either lying unconscious in the forest or were dead. I assumed that some Chunin squads were currently roaming the forest looking for bodies. Horrible. To die at an exam—not in battle, not in war, but at a perfectly ordinary exam...
Damn, I'd be ashamed to die like that. Even if it was a mini-war!
We were gathered in the central hall and lined up in eight columns, just like in the anime. Opposite the arena was a huge stone sealing mark; it probably signified that this was where shinobi fought. Before us stood the Fourth Hokage, with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the chief examiner, and several other important figures positioned beside him. Behind them, the team mentors stood in a row.
Let me list them:
Kakashi-sensei, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Baki—Sensei of Gaara's team, Itachi, Orochimaru, and someone from our village, likely the Sensei of Kabuto's team. And now the question arises: why the hell do Minato and Hiruzen not notice a world-class S-rank criminal standing right behind them?! Why don't Kakashi, Gai, and Asuma notice?! His pupils are vertical. Fine, maybe the other Jounin, but Itachi and Minato, Jubi take them! They're the geniuses of all times and peoples! Fine, I'll admit—his camouflage is top-notch; he even hides his chakra well. But they're sensors, just like me.
Minato began explaining the true meaning of the exam: to enlighten the genin on how important this exam was and that the number of contracts the country received depended on it. While he spoke, I looked at who had passed and who hadn't. Mostly everyone was the same as in the anime, with the exception of one team. That was Itachi's team. Hm... they were probably strong. Being the student of a genius wasn't easy. Even Sakura looked more confident here. And older, somehow...
When I finished looking at the genin, I involuntarily glanced at Orochimaru and simply couldn't take my eyes off him. Back then in the forest, before he placed the sealing mark on me... I had sworn I would kill him. God, what had I said? What possessed me to say that?!
"Lord Hokage, may I say something to the participants?" a shinobi in a black jumpsuit suddenly distracted me, landing in front of Minato. The Hokage nodded, and the examiner turned to us. "I want to say, cough-cough," he began to cough, "that before the third stage, there will be preliminary bouts. You see, we didn't expect so many people to pass, so we are forced to conduct one-on-one battles to reduce the number of participants."
Many genin began to protest and shout: they were unlucky, having just come from a battle only to be thrown into another.
"That is why right now, all those who feel unwell, cough-cough-cough," he started coughing again, "may withdraw from participation."
"Man... the one who's unwell here is you. I don't think anyone will back down. We've already come too fa—" suddenly, a searing pain washed over my body. It radiated in waves from the sealing mark. Stronger and stronger each time. My hand began to rise on its own with the urge to clutch the sealing mark and double over. Tsk... it hurts so much!
I struggle to stop my hand and clench it into a fist. I'm standing in front of Sasuke and Naruto—if I touch the sealing mark, I'll simply expose myself!
"Damn it," I hear Sasuke's whisper behind my back. It seems the sealing mark is causing him great pain right now too. Is this some kind of technique? Can Orochimaru control the sealing mark from a distance? I look at the Sannin's smirk, but then shift my gaze to the Hokage and those standing nearby. Anko is saying something to Minato, and Kakashi and Hiruzen are standing next to her. Are they really discussing whether to let Sasuke stay in the exams or not?
"Good, since no one wants to leave the Arena, we shall begin the preliminary bouts. One-on-one battles of the fourth difficulty level await you. There are twenty-four of you left, twelve pairs. The surviving candidates will move on to the third stage. There are no rules; fight until one dies, surrenders, or is physically unable to continue the fight. As the judge, cough-cough, I have the right to stop the fight in the event of an obvious outcome. The names of the opposing pairs will be shown on this display," he pointed with his hand to a huge screen that had previously been hidden behind stone. "That is all. Let us begin. The names of the first opponents will appear now; I ask everyone else to take their places on the balcony."
While all the participants watched the huge electronic display with bated breath, I searched for Kabuto with my eyes. In my diary with the plot, it's written in black and white that this spy would leave before the preliminary bouts. So why the hell did he stay? Maybe because he hasn't fully gathered information on us, he decided not to leave and watch the preliminary bouts? Ugh... the situation is heating up.
"Ow..." I feel someone shove my shoulder.
"Look at the display," I hear Sasuke's irritated voice behind me and shift my gaze to the screen.
"Well, for..." I choked on air from the surprise.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan