"So why's he with you?" Mamoru asked, eyeing Kabuto.
"Met him on the way." Sasuke murmured.
"Kabuto-san helped tons. We'd never have made it without him." Naruto chimed.
Sasuke clicked his tongue, whether at Naruto's interruption or his own weakness wasn't clear.
Rustle!
Two masked Konoha ninjas stepped from the woods.
"Oh, it's you." The black-goggled Kuroari flatly.
"Took you long enough, Kabuto." Mujina complained, pushing up black-rimmed glasses.
"Ran into a slight snag, sorry to keep you waiting." Kabuto apologized, moving to join them.
"But thanks to Kabuto-san, we got every scroll." Naruto beamed.
"No, that was your own effort." Kabuto replied gently. "That final blow just now—well done, Naruto."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning ear to ear.
Kabuto suggested, nodding toward a side door. "Let's use this entrance. Good luck to you all."
Naruto answered, "Yeah."
Watching Kabuto and the masked pair disappear inside, Mamoru turned to Sasuke. "You look banged up, want me to patch you?"
Sasuke frowned. "Patch?"
Without elaborating, Mamoru raised his hand. A soft, bright green glow of Chakra blossomed over his palm—verdant as new spring leaves, alive with healing force.
"What is this?" Sakura exclaimed, staring at the ball of light and instinctively stepping forward.
"That's the Mystical Palm Technique, a very advanced Medical Ninjutsu." Tenten explained, sounding as if it were routine, as though Mamoru pulling off something extraordinary was nothing to fuss over.
"Mystical Palm Technique?" Naruto's eyes went wide.
He leaned in, curiosity all over his face, almost pressing his nose to Mamoru's hand.
"You've even learned Medical Ninjutsu?" Sasuke was even more surprised, studying Mamoru with a probing look. "How come you never mentioned it before?"
"He and I learned it together." Tenten cut in, half-helpless, half-impressed. "He learned it after hearing the lecture just once, utterly ridiculous."
"Amazing..." Sakura admired sincerely, gazing at the green light with yearning.
"Nothing to get excited about." Mamoru said flatly, as if it were trivial. "If you need healing, line up, one at a time."
"Me first! Me first!" Naruto shot his hand up at once, shouting to secure his spot.
"Naruto! Shouldn't the most badly hurt go first?" Sakura objected, hands on her hips.
"But..." Naruto scratched his head.
Logically, he'd taken the most hits, yet for some reason his recovery was freakish. He now looked the liveliest of them all, a mystery even to himself.
"Let Sasuke go first, you wait." Sakura insisted, brooking no argument.
"All right." Naruto lowered his hand, deflated.
Sasuke exhaled softly and sat on the step as instructed. Mamoru settled beside him, indicating he should bare the wound. Then Mamoru laid his glowing green palm over it. As a cool, soothing sensation rushed in, the burning pain miraculously eased and vanished.
As he healed, Mamoru quietly activated the Six Eyes and swept his gaze over Sasuke's body. To his surprise, he found no trace of any cursed seal.
No cursed seal? The discovery puzzled him.
If Orochimaru couldn't claim him, he should have settled for the next best Uchiha vessel, Sasuke.
With no change in expression, Mamoru casually asked, "By the way, on your way here did you run into anyone... cold and snakelike?"
"Snake... a snaky person?" Naruto frowned, racking his brain. "Nope, no one like that."
He glanced at Sakura and Sasuke, both shook their heads.
"What is it, Mamoru? Is something wrong with that person?" Sakura asked, picking up the subtle shift in his tone.
"Nothing much. I just bumped into the guy on the road," Mamoru said lightly, withdrawing his hand. "Seemed especially interested in the Uchiha. Took some effort to shake him off."
"What did he want?" Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
"Don't worry about it." Mamoru replied, gaze lowered, as if it were of no importance. "Since you didn't meet him, forget it."
His face was calm, but his mind raced. Orochimaru had never approached Sasuke at all. Events were already veering off the track he'd expected.
By the time he'd finished treating Team 7's injuries, little of the second exam remained.
"Hurry, hurry! We're almost out of time!" Naruto yelled, frantic, as if his rear were on fire.
The three hurriedly chose a door, shoved it open, and vanished into the tower's shadows.
"What's up?" Tenten finished rolling the scroll on her lap and tying it, noticing Mamoru staring absently at the spot where Team 7 had disappeared.
"Nothing." Mamoru tilted his head toward the patchwork of blue sky above the tower, a few birds skimmed past.
"Still... you don't look happy." Tenten observed, scooting closer and following his gaze.
"How could I not be?" Mamoru looked back, a faint, unreadable smile tugging at his lips—half-amused, half-cold.
"I just realized the Chunin Exams have gotten a bit more interesting."
"Because of that 'snaky guy' you mentioned?" Tenten lowered her voice.
"More or less." Mamoru stretched lazily, tone joking yet eyes sharp as blades. "Tch, being too popular is such a pain."
"Conceited." Tenten laughed, the tension easing.
Mamoru shrugged, stood, and dusted off his pants. "Time to head back. Soon all the passing teams will assemble."
"Okaaay—" Tenten answered in a drawn-out singsong, rising to follow him into the tower.
Far off, the forest breeze still drifted, carrying the scent of grass and leaves and a faint, restless premonition that lingered in the twilight air.
—
In the Central Tower's vast hall, the air was heavy.
Brilliant light poured from the high ceiling, bathing the chamber in noon-day brightness. Every groove in the distant stone carving of the hand seal stood out in crisp relief.
Hiruzen stood on the platform before the carving, curls of smoke from his pipe drifting across his lined face like a faint veil.
Behind him, a row of Jonin from every village stood in perfect order, silent guardians whose hawk-like eyes swept the young Genin below.
Those who had passed the second test gathered in the center, arrayed in teams of three, seven squads in all.
Mamoru stood at the front, gaze idly sweeping the room. Five of the seven squads were from Konoha, and he silently marveled at the brats' luck and grit.
Anko's voice rang out, uncharacteristically grave. "First, congratulations on clearing the second exam."
A ripple of whispers ran through the crowd and several glances flicked toward Mamoru, wary, appraising, a few downright smitten.
He noticed none of it, mind adrift, even missing the hungry stare the disguised Orochimaru on the platform sent his way.
Right now every thought was fixed on one problem: how to seal a Shadow Clone into a scroll without dispelling it.
"Next, Hokage-sama will explain the third exam." Anko said, turning to the Hiruzen and lowering her voice. "Hokage-sama, if you please."
Hiruzen stepped forward, pipe clenched between his teeth, each footfall echoing with unquestionable authority.
"The third exam will begin shortly. Before I explain, there is something you must understand."
Mamoru snapped back to attention and, hearing the preamble, rolled his eyes mentally. What followed was a lecture on the true purpose of the Chunin Exams, punctuated by student questions until the hall felt like a classroom and Mamoru had to stifle a yawn.
A cold voice cut in.
"Enough, get to the part where we risk our lives." Gaara stood with folded arms, impatience glittering in his icy eyes.
Before Hiruzen could answer, a figure flickered to the foot of the platform. Hayate dropped to one knee, his cough arriving before he did. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama. As proctor, I shall explain."
With a nod, Hayate turned to the Genin, racked by another fit. "Before the third exam… ahem… there is a matter to complete."
His complexion didn't look good, eyes sunken and dark and he looked ready to collapse.
Mamoru's focus returned, along with every Genin, all staring at the frail referee.
He's this sick and still a ninja? Talk about dedication.