Chapter 82: Powder Keg
"Oh thank goodness, you finally showed up!"
"I skipped the whole start of the Chūnin Exams just waiting for you."
Tenten was crouching at the entrance to her shop, cracking sunflower seeds, and waved cheerfully at the pink figure approaching down the road.
Though her expression flickered for just a moment.
Isn't that vest... the kind only chūnin and jōnin are allowed to wear?
But Tenten adhered firmly to the principle of don't ask what you don't need to know, and simply pulled Sakura inside, then disappeared into the back of the shop and came out cradling an enormous scroll.
"Here you go. This is the weapon you ordered."
"The scroll's on the house."
Tenten set it down in front of Sakura with a smile.
Sakura took it, looked it over once, and secured it across her back using the binding straps.
"Hey, don't you want to check it first?"
Tenten couldn't help herself.
"It's fine. I trust you not to sell me junk."
Sakura waved a hand, smiled, and walked out of the shop.
Tenten stared after her.
Who in the world is she planning to use that thing on...
As long as it's not Lee, I don't care~~~
Chūnin Exam Arena
The crowd roared, a wave of applause rolling through the stands for the match that had just concluded.
Neji Hyūga lay flat on the arena floor, staring up at the birds wheeling freely through the open blue sky.
No one knew what he was thinking in that moment.
Maybe he'd found some peace with it. Maybe he'd accepted it. Or maybe he'd actually believed the blond kid — that things really could change, just like he'd said...
But—
"Ha. What an idiot."
A dark-haired girl stood with her arms folded, watching the medics load the Byakugan boy onto a stretcher while the blond kid hovered nearby. Her expression was pure contempt with a thin edge of provocation.
"If fate is fixed — that's exactly why you shouldn't lie down and take it."
"Better to shatter than to bend. Better to be jade in pieces than clay kept whole."
"If it were me, I'd tear a chunk out of those people on my way out, even if it killed me."
Kurotsuchi's declaration was bold enough that the other competitors nearby turned to stare.
"K-Kurotsuchi — please, stop—"
"She doesn't mean it like that, everyone, really, please don't—"
Akatsuchi stepped between Kurotsuchi and the rest of the room, his face a portrait of barely-contained panic.
They were in Konoha's backyard. And this was about the Hyūga clan — the village's most powerful family — and their private affairs. If those words got back to the wrong people, there was no telling what might happen.
"What?"
Kurotsuchi glanced at Akatsuchi, deeply unimpressed.
"Akatsuchi. I meant every word."
My dear girl, this is not Iwagakure, I am begging you—~~~
Leaning against the rail nearby, a dark-haired boy glanced over at Kurotsuchi but said nothing.
Better to shatter than to bend.
Itachi Uchiha...
I will kill you.
On the other side of the room, a red-haired boy with his arms crossed also glanced once at Kurotsuchi, then closed his eyes in silence. No one knew what he was thinking either.
Temari looked over at Gaara with quiet worry.
"Gaara, my match is next. I'll be back as soon as it's done."
She waited. Gaara didn't respond. She was about to turn away, a little deflated, when his answer finally came — low and flat:
"...Mm."
The blond girl's expression softened. She smiled.
"Wait for me."
And with that, she vaulted the railing and dropped into the arena.
With three Kages and tens of thousands of spectators watching, Temari raised her three-star fan, leveled it at Kurotsuchi in the competitors' box above, and called out in a clear, ringing voice:
"Kurotsuchi of Iwagakure — come down and fight!"
The crowd erupted.
The competitors' identities were no secret to anyone here.
This match — second only to the Uchiha heir's — was the one everyone had been waiting for.
The Kazekage's daughter versus the Tsuchikage's granddaughter.
The Sand Princess against the Stone Empress.
"Tch. You've got some nerve, stealing the spotlight."
Kurotsuchi smirked — the grin of someone who liked a good fight — folded her arms, planted one foot on the railing, and stepped off it as lightly as if gravity were a suggestion, landing across the arena from Temari.
Up on the high platform, Hiruzen watched both girls drop into position and turned to the two Kages beside him with an amused smile.
"Now this is a match worth watching."
"I hope neither of you will let the younger generation's fighting get between us."
Rasa glanced at Hiruzen and thought something uncharitable.
The only reason these two are facing each other is because you arranged it, you old schemer.
"The Hokage worries too much. A little sparring between juniors is perfectly natural. Any leader worth their title should be able to watch their student lose without losing face."
Ōnoki gave Hiruzen a calm look, then added:
"That said. My granddaughter is going to win."
Light Release, Heavy Release, Earth Release — and the Lava Release she hadn't even shown yet. Ōnoki genuinely couldn't picture a scenario where Kurotsuchi lost. Her opponent was just a girl who used wind.
"You certainly have faith in her, Lord Tsuchikage."
"Temari is no pushover either."
Rasa gave as good as he got, not deigning to let the provocation pass.
The tension between the two competitors on the field was nothing compared to the tension crackling between the two Kages above it.
Hiruzen watched the pair of them, playing peacemaker with a smile while privately enjoying every second of their bickering.
Both Ōnoki and Rasa, independently and without coordination, thought the exact same word at the same moment:
Old fox.
The moment Naruto's match ended, he bolted straight back to the competitors' waiting room to brag in front of Sakura.
"Hey — where's Sakura?"
"How come she's not here yet?"
He looked around, puzzled, then turned to Sasuke.
"How would I know?"
"...She'll be here soon, probably."
In Sasuke's experience, Sakura was nothing if not dependable. If she wasn't here yet, she was probably handling something more important.
"Sakura-san must be preparing herself for my sake!"
"Sob... my Sakura-san!"
"I will not let you down!"
Rock Lee, who had been doing one-armed push-ups in the corner, overheard Sakura's name and immediately dissolved into floods of passionate tears.
"OH COME ON—"
"Sakura would never like you, you green-spandex watermelon-head!"
The sight of Lee's face set Naruto off instantly.
Sasuke watched Naruto descend into chaos with the green-spandex disaster and said nothing.
In the quietest corner of the room, a figure who barely registered as present watched the whole scene in silence.
Sakura isn't going to like Lee. Or Naruto.
If you want to know why...
Call it a bug's intuition.
(End of Chapter)