Chapter VIII [Solitude || Naruto Fanfiction]

❝The weaker you are, the louder you bark.❞ ㅡ Tenten

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CHAPTER EIGHT:

SHUKAKU

     "This is where your part of the contract begins."

      He, whose face was contorted into an expression of determination, nodded vehemently.

      "Just remember," the intimidating person continued lowly, yet firmly, "your life is a mere instrument to reach our goal. You answer to me, and to no one else. If I say die—"

      "Then I shall die," he finished as he looked up into those familiar—yet so different from the ones he had grown so fond of—orange eyes. "Unless..."

      They pursed their lips into a snarl, but nodded shortly afterwards. No more words were exchanged.

      It was time.

-#-

      The day had finally come; the day every genin had been waiting for. And to welcome that anticipated morning, the sun was shining bright in the bluest sky; the breeze blew softly, and the birds chirped animatedly—Konoha was ready for the Chūnin Exams.

      Her insides churned in excitement as Rei waved goodbye to Nozomi Hashiri and walked out, accompanied by the not-so-enthusiastic daughter of the medic nin. Upon catching a glimpse of her furrowed features, Rei sighed exasperatedly. Ever since their encounter with the Suna siblings, Maki had been in a gloomy mood; as though she were mourning the loss of a friend. Realization had taken its toll on her—as it had on Rei—, leaving her in an annoying state of devastation and sorrow.

      As they made their way to the building where the Chūnin Exams were being held, neither of them spoke. Thus why, by the time they reached their destination, Rei was on the verge of clawing away at her own face out of aggravation.

      Fortunately, Kazuo was already there, and so, she soon forgot about the mental state in which her good friend was and quickly jogged up to join him, leaving Maki behind. What took her by surprise was that he wasn't alone, and she had to double-check to make sure her eyes were betraying her.

      Team 7 was with him.

      They haven't changed at all, was the first thought that crossed her mind the minute she saw the three genin.

      Just like she—and her comrades—had grown used to, Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be in the middle of yet another argument; but as expected, it was the blonde's voice what could be heard over everything else. His features were furrowed into a furious scowl, and he kept shouting nonsenses while pointing accusatively—because it wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't do that—at the Uchiha boy, whose lips were turned into a smug smirk. Lastly but never forgotten—much to Rei's dismay—was the pinkette. Sakura was standing between the boys, vainly attempting to make Naruto stop and gain Sasuke's attention at the same time.

      Without more than an unimpressed glance, Rei approached Kazuo and rolled her eyes as Maki walked over to the other team instead.

      "What is she doing?" the boy asked, curious as to why the girl would be interested in getting in the middle of such pointless argument.

      Rei merely crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head apprehensively.

      "Making a fool out of herself," she replied as she observed the situation unfold with bored eyes before muttering under her breath, "Although I'd bet this is what she calls hanging out with Sasuke."

      If asked, Rei wouldn't know which version of Maki irritated her most; the depressed girl with mental issues, or the obsessive fanatic with difficulties to think straight. A short laugh escaped her though, when Sasuke gave some kind of short reply to Maki and the face of Sakura turned red in utter rage.

      I think I'd be able to smell the jealousy even from Suna.

      "Haruno is fuming," Kazuo suddenly narrated as his eyes watched them like they were performing a great play. "And Uchiha has said something to Uzumaki, and now he's yelling even louder. Uh, someone should separate those two before someone gets hurt."

      As if on cue, the doors of the building they'd been standing in front of slid open, and an irked-looking woman stepped out. Kazuo's reaction was immediate, and it didn't take a genius to know their sensei scared the timid boy out of his twits.

      "H-hi, Tora-sensei!" he squeaked and bowed.

      Unable to contain herself, Rei shot him an annoyed glance, but other than that, she remained quiet and waited for the woman to put some order.

      "Hashiri, stop flirting and come over here!" she shouted from beside Rei. "The rest of you kids… just don't make me waste my time any more than you already have. I am certain your loud voices have given enough headaches today." 

      While her words were sufficient to make the two stop bickering, they weren't as threatening as Kazuo found them to be.

      "Who is the bossy woman?"

      Upon hearing Naruto's not-so-whispered question, Rei couldn't help but give out a groan in utter exasperation. He was too heedless for his own good; that was for sure. Nevertheless, before Tora could tear the oblivious boy to pieces, a silver-haired man appeared in a puff of white smoke.

      Taken aback by his sudden appearance, Rei startled. There was no need for him to introduce himself, for she already knew who he was—how could she not? Naruto had been verbally trashing him for weeks.

      "Tora," Kakashi acknowledged while ignoring the blonde's muffled demands to pull his hand away from his mouth. "How convenient to find you here. I was just wondering where you could be hiding."

      Whether his words had a second meaning or not, Rei couldn't tell. However, by the way Tora's features hardened and her mouth formed a thin line; she ventured to think they did.

      "You see, we were having a tea and I suddenly became aware of your absence," he commented casually, albeit his only visible eye was firmly fixed on the woman, scrutinizing her. "But then I remembered the Hokage was waiting on you for an arrangement. Such a shame you couldn't join us." The mask that covered the lower half of his face scrunched slightly, giving away the impression he was smiling. "I hope the both of you had a nice evening."

      Neither of the genin dared to speak a word as the two adults surveyed one another with inexpressive eyes; they feared the consequences of breaking such tense silence.

      "We certainly did," Tora finally forced out. "Make sure to let me know when you and your... friends are meeting again. I would not want to miss it."

      For the first time since the jõnin had arrived, Rei caught a quick glimpse of exacerbation on his face. But she could have imagined it, as it was gone the following second and a close-eyed smile replaced it.

      "That would be a misfortune, indeed. Well, I'm taking my loud team inside," he announced after a brief moment of hesitation, and his hand left Naruto's mouth to give his blonde head an affectionate pat.

      Rei had been so concentrated watching the two jõnin interact, she almost jumped out of her skin when his eye fell upon her. Yet, she held her ground and didn't let his nerve-racking stare intimidate her. After some seconds, he smiled.

      "I wish you all good luck."

-#-

      The inside of the building was drowned in an expectant silence, and they didn't run into anyone as Team 6 followed Tora down a large corridor. She hadn't mentioned anything about the strange encounter with Kakashi, and neither of the genin thought it to be appropiated—or wise—to ask about it. Her face was expressionless, yet her brown eyes gave away the impression she was lost in thought. From time to time, she would click her tongue in annoyance.

      To be honest, Rei didn't care about what could be going on inside her head. It was the least of her worries at that moment, as every step she took led her closer to fulfilling her dream; to becoming the greatest Kunoichi alive. And fortunately for her, Maki hadn't gone back to her insufferably gloomy mood.

      A satisfied smile tugged on her lips upon seeing the calm, yet determined expression on the face of her friend.  

      It's about time.

      "This is where I leave you." Tora suddenly halted in front of a closed door, turned towards them and placed her hands on her hips. For some seconds, she eyed the three genin with scrutinizing eyes, and then sighed—almost in distress. "If you're expecting some kind of motivating speech, you're going to be disappointed. Behind these doors," —she tilted her head towards them— "a room full of strong adversaries awaits you. They might not look like it, but don't judge them by their appearance. Remember what you've learned throughout the past few weeks, and you'll be fine." She paused, pursed her lips in thought and repentantly grinned evilly. "Also, if you can avoid it, don't die."

      As the unnerving woman disappeared down the same corridor, Rei rolled her eyes.

      "Well, that was inspiring," she muttered sarcastically, to which Maki merely gave a casual shrug.

      "I shouldn't be surprised by now..."

      "…and yet, I am," finished Kazuo with a shake of his head.

      "Whatever," Rei spoke after some seconds, and she turned away from the long passage to face the oddly-intimidating doors.
"Let's get this over with."

-#-

      Sand grazed the floor as he soundlessly walked down a large corridor. His older siblings followed him without muttering a word, purposely keeping a cautious distance from the dangerous boy. Never did he ask for instructions—which had been explained as detailed as possible by their sensei some minutes ago—as Gaara made his way through the seemingly-empty building. There was no need for that; his sand was the best tracker when it came to looking for powerful chakra... and for blood.

        Inside his stony heart, a demonical beast growled in hunger and anticipation. As soon as he had entered the place, it had smelled the delicious scent of fresh flesh. Some would think it was a metaphor when he was described as a monster; but truth be told, there was literally a demon residing inside his body, waiting for the right moment to be brought back to the real world.

      His feet stopped suddenly, and he turned his head to the left to see a blond woman approaching them. She was calmly walking towards where he—and his siblings—stood, a troubled expression painted on her face. However, upon seeing him, her brown eyes widened considerably. But that shock faded from her features as fast as it had appeared, and a wicked grin stretched on her lips instead.

      His eyes narrowed slightly as the mysterious woman walked past them, her face neutral once again; as if nothing had happened. But he could feel it: the enormous amount of chakra—a disturbingly immense power—dwelling in her, pumping through her veins intensely.

      "Gaara?" Temari dared to break the silence in which they had grown used to live ever since they had teamed up with the redhead.

      But said boy didn't acknowledge her and merely resumed his walk. A pair of doors stood at the end of the long corridor, and the beast inside him seethed in impatience. Not bothering to move a single finger, Gaara commanded his sand to push the doors open and calmly stepped into the room.

      The whispering taking place inside came to a stop at once, and every pair of eyes turned towards the newcomers. Unfazed by the attention, Gaara let his gaze roam the faces of those who were sitting on the several tables scattered around. Soon, he was met with every kind of possible reaction. But only one managed to stir his hungry soul: fright.

      The demon—Shukaku was his name—laughed in delight in his mind.

      But then, his aquamarine gaze clashed with a familiar pair of orange eyes. Within those, he saw no fear; not even intrigue.
There, shock greeted him. And his first instinct was to tear their owner apart, to make her body break into a million pieces and paint the ground red with her blood. 

      However, keeping his cool façade intact as if nothing ever bothered him, Gaara turned towards the opposite side of the room and casually took a seat without sparing her another glance. His features remained stoical as everyone went back to their previous conversations, eventually forgetting about him—and his siblings, who still followed him without uttering a word.

      A simple thought roamed his mind as he waited patiently, arms crossed over his chest.

      This one we must kill.