"Mm. Not bad. This 'Heavy Strike' suits me. I like to go hard!"
Finally, Chiba nodded with satisfaction. His effort hadn't been wasted.
Fixing up Zabuza had cost him half a day. He only had four and a half days left until the end of the exam.
"Mmm…"
Not long after, Zabuza Momochi stirred awake again.
The moment consciousness returned, he reflexively clamped a hand over his face. "Don't hit the face!"
"Oh? Not calling yourself 'this lord' anymore?"
The teasing voice made Zabuza blink. He looked over. Chiba was no longer next to him but sitting with Kogane by the fire, sharing a meal.
Zabuza's face flushed. He pushed himself up—and froze.
His wounds were gone.
This kid's medical skill…
He grabbed the giant blade lying beside him and swung it a few times. The wounds ached, sure, but they didn't hinder his movement at all.
After a moment of silence, Zabuza spoke, his voice low. "I… owe you a life. Find me when you need it. I'll repay it."
With that, he shouldered the blade and strode off into the trees without a backward glance. Right now, he had some blood to collect from the rats who'd ambushed him.
How about repaying it right now, and I'll heal you again? Chiba thought idly.
Of course, it was just a thought. He didn't know if the system would allow that kind of "cheating." He'd have to test it later on someone more deserving of death.
"I'll hold you to it. Since you're off to kill some Mist nin anyway, I'll take the scrolls off your hands," Chiba called to Zabuza's retreating back, not caring if the man heard him.
Saving a life was a great virtue, but taking a small fee was perfectly reasonable. Zabuza wasn't some damsel. Why would he treat the man for free?
Now, Chiba had secured two different scrolls. He just needed ones from Sand, Cloud, and Stone to clear the exam.
"Sigh. The Sand guys were so 'hospitable' today, I almost feel bad targeting them," Chiba lamented.
Kogane shot him a sidelong glance but said nothing. The kid was good-hearted, but he sure loved spouting nonsense. He fought harder than anyone, yet always claimed he was being forced.
Whoosh!
Right then, a flare burst in the dimming sky. Both Chiba and Kogane looked up.
"Hey, Kogane. That's a Konoha distress signal."
Chiba chuckled. What genius brought a distress flare to an exam like this? They were just creating trouble for their own comrades.
"Going? Likely a trap," Kogane said, casually smoothing over the traces of their campfire.
"It's not far. Let's take a look."
Chiba stood, rolling his shoulders. "If it is a trap… then congratulations to them. They've hooked a shark. I hope they have the scrolls I need. Haha."
Meanwhile, in a forest not far away.
Ryouhei knelt on the ground, his face ghostly pale. His right arm was severed clean at the shoulder. Blood gushed from the stump in a pulsing torrent, impossible to staunch.
"Stop, please stop!"
Beside him, Yūhi Yūgata fought back tears as she wrapped the wound with bandages. It was useless. No matter how many layers she applied, blood instantly soaked through.
"Why… why…"
Ryouhei's eyes were vacant. He seemed bewitched, numb to the pain, the same word tumbling from his lips.
He didn't understand. He was Chunin-level! Among the best of his rank! That's why he'd been so confident threatening Chiba before.
So why couldn't he beat this enemy?
No… he couldn't even resist. Not even a little.
He hadn't even cleared his sword from its sheath. Their blade had already been resheathed. His arm, still clutching his own weapon, had thudded to the dirt like garbage.
"WHY?!" Ryouhei roared, surging to his feet. He shoved Yūgata away as she tried to hold him back, turning his frenzied gaze on the two Mist ninja watching nearby. "Why is the gap so huge when we're both Chunin?!"
His pride had been ground to dust.
The woman he liked, the exam… none of it mattered now. He just wanted to know why.
"Chunin?" one of the Mist nin repeated.
The two glanced at each other, then burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.
"Harumizu! This fool is adorably stupid!" One of them laughed so hard a snot bubble popped from his nose.
"An absolute idiot… Mind your tone when speaking to us, trash."
Harumizu strode over. He snorted, then backhanded Ryouhei across the face with the hilt of his sword.
Thwack!
Ryouhei was on the ground before he knew what hit him. A fiery red welt bloomed on his cheek.
"Listen up, garbage."
Harumizu drew his blade. The cold steel patted Ryouhei's cheek—tap, tap, tap. His voice dripped with contempt.
"This Chunin exam? It's a slaughterhouse. For elites. Like us. Scum like you? You're just a mutt that wandered into a pack of wolves. And you dare yap at us?"
"D-don't kill me!"
The blow seemed to shock Ryouhei back to sanity. The madness cleared from his eyes, replaced by raw terror.
Faced with death, he scrambled onto his belly, kowtowing frantically.
"I… I lured Konoha nin here for you! You took my scroll! Let me go, please! I'm no threat! None!"
"Ryouhei! What are you doing?!" Yūgata, who had been about to rush to him, froze in place, her voice trembling with disbelief.
"Right! Right!"
Hearing her, Ryouhei's eyes lit up with a desperate idea. He pointed his remaining hand at her.
"Sirs! Take her! You can do whatever you want with her! Just let me go! Please!"
"Ryouhei, you bastard! What are you saying?!"
Tears streamed down Yūgata's face. She stared at him, choking on the words.
She could have run earlier. She'd stayed for him. For the man bleeding out on the ground.
And now he was selling her out. Using her as a bargaining chip.
"How interesting. Deliciously interesting!" The observing Mist ninja clapped, tears of mirth streaming from his eyes, his grin utterly deranged.
"Want to leave? Fine. But I'm not interested in women." Harumizu's smile mirrored his partner's sick delight. He tossed his sword onto the ground in front of Ryouhei and kicked him. "So here's the deal."
"Kill her. Her life for yours. She dies. You live."
He then turned his gaze to Yūgata. "Hey, woman. Same goes for you. Kill this useless waste, and you walk away."
Yūgata wiped her tears. Her voice was firm. "Never. We won't play your sick game… Ryouhei? RYOUHEI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
In her stunned eyes, Ryouhei didn't hesitate. He scooped up the fallen sword and staggered to his feet, lurching toward her.
"Sorry, Yūgata. It's… it's for the best. One of us has to live, right?" he muttered, eyes glazed. "I know you like me. Please… sacrifice yourself for me. Just this once. I want to live. I NEED to live…"
Swish!
Ryouhei lunged. The blade arced for her neck.
"Ryouhei! They're toying with you! Making us kill each other!" Yūgata screamed, dodging frantically. "Wake up! They'll never let either of us go!"
"No… no… they'll let me go." Ryouhei's face twisted. He hacked at her again. "To them… I'm just a dog. A DOG! They'll let a dog go! I, Ryouhei… am just a dog!"
"You're insane! Completely insane!" Pain flooded Yūgata's beautiful eyes. She'd rather die by the Mist ninjas' hands than be played with like a fighting cricket.
Konoha comrades… please don't come. The two of us… we're not worth saving.
She bit her lip, a hard resolve settling in her gaze.
Maybe dying by Ryouhei's hand was fitting. The price for her blindness. She wouldn't let other Konoha shinobi die for her. Especially…
For some reason, Chiba's face flashed in her mind. Her white moonlight, still buried deep in her heart.
I'm sorry, Chiba. I hurt you before I died…
Tears blurred her vision. Regret, bitter and all-consuming, washed over her. Why had she ever chosen this monster?
Her will to live faded. Her steps grew slower, clumsier. Cuts bloomed on her arms, her legs.
Sage of Six Paths above… I don't ask for protection for myself. Just… please, don't let Chiba come. With his strength… he can't fight these two. He'll die!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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