Naruto : Venom

”It wasn’t meant to do damage.” Hiro says from behind me. ”It was just a distraction.” His warm hand grips the back of my neck and black threads wrap the rest of the way around it. ”Will you surrender?”

...

He made a mistake. He got in close. Since he’s behind me, he can’t see me grab my blue dagger. ”I will not.” I spear the dagger towards his gut.

It doesn’t make it into him, he grabbed my wrist before it connected. ”I’m not eager to find out what the other colors do.”

Unknown to everyone but me, a grin of victory forms on my face. ”Too bad.” I bring out my Jiongu enhanced strength and overpower his grip and plunge the dagger deep into his gut. He didn’t have a chance of besting me in strength.

Instantly the hold on my neck is released and Hiro once again puts distance between the two of us. ”Aw crap.” He grabs the blue handle sticking out of him and gives it a sharp yank. ”What does this one do?”

”Give it a moment.” I cheekily taunt. ”Any second now.”

THUD

Hiro falls face first onto the ground.

”There it is!” Ah that felt good. ”The blue handle,” I casually stroll over to the now incapacitated Hiro, ”is a paralytic. Have fun with that.”

Eito shunshins in a swirl of grass next to us both. ”So... he’s not getting up is he?”

”I would be surprised if he did. He should be down for an hour or two. Maybe less if the Jiongu helps flush the poison.”

”Well right now he’s at your mercy, so this is your victory.” Eito turns to the crowd. ”Winner by KO, Green of Otogakure!”

”You know, I thought this would be more of a challenge.” I idly say to myself as I poke Hiro in the arm with my foot. ”It isn’t every day you get to fight against a kinjutsu. You just don’t know how to work with it yet. That’s too bad.”

”You don’t happen to have an antidote do you?” Eito asks from over my shoulder. ”Kinda need him off the field now. We don’t want him to die either.”

”I can promise he won’t die, but I didn’t bring an antidote with me. I’m already resistant to all of my poisons so I never really see the need to.” I quit poking him with my foot. ”I can get him off the field for you though. I’ll bring him over to the contestant’s gazebo and everything.”

”Cool. Go do that.” Eito urges me to do his job for him.

”Yay.” I pick Hiro up by the back of his shirt collar. ”Let’s go.” I proceed to drag him back to the gazebo. ”Oh no, is that a rock up ahead?”

A pitiful whine escapes Hiro’s lips as a rather sensitive part of the male anatomy collides with the rock.

”It was, silly me.” I don’t stop dragging him, rather I angle his head so he can see in front of us. ”Don’t worry, only three more to go!”

After three more bumps and whines of a higher and higher pitch, we are finally back at the gazebo.

”Up we go!” I toss him into his chair. He flops over in it like a sack of potatoes. ”This isn’t going to work. Oh I know!”

I stomp the ground and a study earth pillar rises up. Then I fly through some hand seals and lightly touch the ground.

POOF

”Summoner?” A scratchy voice calls out. There are sharp inhales of breath and even a very unmanly squeak from Shino.

”Murasakino!” I happily answer. ”So glad you could make it! See this limp noodle here?” I gesture at the slack Hiro. ”I want to make sure that he has a nice view of the field where the fights happen, so we’re going to tie him up to this post!” With a grand flourish I gesture at the pillar I made.

”I’m not so sure we should...”

”He ruined one of my coats.”

”Hold him up.” Murasakino demands and I comply, holding up Hiro against the pillar. Murasakino tenderly runs a hairy leg down the left side of Hiro’s face. A terrified squeak manages to break through the effects of the poison. ”Let me know if this is too tight deary.”

In the next two minutes, Hiro is completely cocooned to the post with only is face free.

”Thank you Murasakino!” I send her back and then I lean in close to his ear. ”That was for trying to force me into a date. When someone says no, they mean no. Or was me literally screaming that I don’t like you not a big enough clue?”

I happily trot over to my chair and relax in it. Finally, I’ll not have to deal with Hiro for a while. At least until the poison wears off.

”Okay, so I’m never going to piss her off.” Sachihiro boldly breaks the silence.

...

”Okay, so I’m never going to piss her off.” Sachihiro boldly breaks the silence.

”Smart boy.” I chirp back with a hint of victory laced in my tone. I feel much better now. So what my friends are mere meters away? So what that both of my Kage are talking to each other? So what Kakashi is around here somewhere? So what that Danzo is probably planning his revenge as we speak? Just enjoy the little things, like petty meaningless revenge.

Okay so I’m totally fucked. I know that.

Right now the best situation is going back to Sound with Orochimaru. Isn’t that a depressing thought? Going back to the tyrannical mad scientist who has a father fetish is the best case scenario.

”Did you have to hit all three rocks?” Sasuke conversationally asks. ”Isn’t that just a little bit of overkill?”

”That was the idea.” I merrily chirp back to him. ”Some people need to have the lesson beaten into their heads to learn it. Sometimes repeatedly.”

”... That wasn’t his head.” Noboru hesitantly cuts in. He’s regarding me in a whole knew light, again. First I was a potential buddy, then someone to tease, now I’m someone to not mess with. Finally! Couldn’t he learn this earlier? It would have made things so much easier.

”Wasn’t it?” I offer up an innocent shrug.

Noboru turns to Sasuke with pity in his eyes. ”Dude I am so sorry she’s your teammate. That’s got to be hell.”

”Not really.” It’s Sasuke’s turn to shrug. ”I’m smart enough to not piss her off intentionally. Believe me when I say that was nothing. The things she does when she’s truly mad, now that’s when you need to run.”

Color drains form Noboru’s face as his wide eyes dart back to me for a fleeting moment.

”Today’s second match is between Kiba Inuzuka of Konohagakure!” Eito’s booming voice cuts through all other noise and abruptly halts our conversation. Talk about convenient timing, I was getting bored of that topic. ”His opponent is Red of Otogakure!”

”Hell yeah!” Kiba leaps to his feet with Akamaru perched on his head. ”Finally I get to show my stuff! You better not turn out like that other guy did Red!” Kiba, in good nature, points at Sasuke. ”Please say you’re better than him?”

”I did get here by my own skills, not someone else’s.” Sasuke blandly replies.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Leiko twitch. Interesting, before she gave off the idea that she’s fed up with her brother and tired of holding his hand through everything. It was almost like she’s given up on him. But she hasn’t stopped caring for him. He is still her brother, they’re family after all. It’s only natural to come to your family’s defense, but Leiko isn’t standing up for him. Perhaps she’s decided to wear a mask of indifference when it comes to her sibling so the other contestants don’t try to use him against her? Sure we couldn’t physically attack Yuri but we could certainly belittle him to her during a match. Psychological warfare can win battles, it could potentially knock her off of her game.

Hence, she’s tolerating the slander aimed at her own flesh and blood to remove a weapon that could be wielded against her. It’s smart, but it takes a great deal of focus and control. Once you show a pressure point you won’t be able to hide it again.

”Good luck Kiba!” Hinata encourages her team mate and the last Konoha shinobi in the tournament.

”Make sure to win this one!” Lee happily says with way too much enthusiasm. ”Display the power of your youth!”

”Bring Konoha honor.” Neji respectfully says, even when he’s around friends he can’t help being formal on occasion.

”Good luck.” Shino quietly, but firmly, says to his teammate.

”You better win this whole thing!” Tenten demands. ”Gotta make the rest of us look good! We’re counting on you!”

Kiba lets out a warm laugh. ”That is the idea everyone! Come on Akamaru, let’s go win this!”

He rushes out to the field and stands by Eito. He’s revving to go, eager to start a battle and show of his skills to the fixated crowd. He looks like he’s loving the attention.

Sasuke rises up in silence and walks out to the field while oozing confidence.

”Red.” I call after him, causing him to stop halfway there. ”Perhaps don’t use genjutsu this time? Sure some shinobi know it’s impressive, but to everyone else it’s boring. No one wants to watch a intense stare down between two adolescent guys.”

Sasuke scoffs and starts walking to his opponent again.

...

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