Silent Shinobi (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter Thirteen

Silent Shinobi (13)

Zeri's POV

"....I-it's none of your business, b-brat!" The man managed, putting on a brave front. I shook my head, pleased that I finally had an excuse to attack. "Wrong answer."

In the next second, the guy let out a scream, his hands clawing at mine, which had cut through his body and was sticking out, Tiger Claws dripping with blood. Hinata flinched, her hands going to her ears to block out the noise as she stared at him in horror. I barely noticed, glancing down at the man with no emotion. "If you don't come out," I said, retracting my hand from the man's body harshly, raising my eyes to glare at the trees in front of me. "I'll go there and get you."

The 'man' in front of me disappeared in a poof of smoke, and so did the blood on my Tiger Claws. I stood up, annoyed that the man had decided to run instead. "Coward," I muttered, concentrating some chakra to my hands so my Tiger Claws turned invisible. I turned around, noticing Hinata's pale expression (even paler than her skin) and wide eyes as she stared at me. Ugh, I forgot she was there! And this is the part where she runs away, crying about how I'm a monster. A bitter smile lingers on my lips as I gaze at her.

"Aren't you gonna run away? I might go after you next," I grin maliciously, my pointed teeth visible.

Hinata's POV

Zeri-chan was so strong, I thought, as she suddenly appeared in front of me, kicking the man away. She grabbed him by his shirt, looking very intimidating as she threatened the man. I didn't even manage to react in time as the man leapt towards me! I bit my lip, feeling weak. Why couldn't I be strong?

A loud scream rang through the air, and on impulse I covered my ears, my eyes darting towards Zeri, her hand piercing through the man's body. Even with the blood dripping down her arm, she didn't look fazed in the slightest and surprisingly, I didn't feel scared. O-ok, maybe I was, but I wasn't scared of Zeri-chan, even though she was clearly the strongest here. I felt more relieved since she was the one who had protected me.

The man had disappeared, and I felt ashamed, not realising it was a clone. "Coward," I heard Zeri-chan scoff, before she turned to me, her eyes taking in my expression. "Aren't you gonna run away? I might go after you next," she smirks threateningly. Confused, I shook my head. Why would I run away after she saved me?

Now Zeri-chan looked confused as she cocked her head at me, her smirk fading. "Why not?" I must have looked puzzled, because she narrowed her eyes. "Why are you not running away? Don't bother putting up a bravado because I'll see right through it," she threatened, her eyes flashing.

"U-um," I stammered, and she suddenly appeared in front of me, her ponytail whipping behind her. I flinched, taking a step back as she leaned forward, baring her teeth. "Spit it out, Hinata," she snarled, her eyes turning a dark amber in warning. Just say it, Hinata! I closed my eyes, silently counting to three before I replied her.

"B-because Zeri-chan p-protected m-me, and.... I t-trust h-her," I finally said, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn't dare look at Zeri's expression. I couldn't even believe I said that to her! She must probably think I'm lying, I wondered miserably.

After a while, Zeri still didn't say anything, and I peeked at her expression, and my eyes widened slightly. She was looking away, her eyes still a dark amber but her cheeks were slightly pink-she was embarrassed? I bit my lip, trying to hide my smile. Zeri suddenly appeared on the wooden post, her back facing me. Feeling a stab of disappointment that she was leaving, I expected her to go without saying anything.

"See ya around, Hinata," she mumbled, barely loud enough for me to hear before she disappeared. I blinked in surprise, a soft smile settling on my lips. "Bye Zeri-chan," I whispered, somehow knowing she could hear it.

Zeri's POV

I casually strolled to my squad's meeting place, already not looking forward to the exams. Sure, I liked fighting and stuff but I preferred doing it alone. And I'd rather kill then leave the person alive, which wasn't exactly encouraged in this village. But since when did I follow rules? A tiny hint of a smirk appeared on my lips. At least there was something to look forward to.

"Gah, where the heck is Zeri?!" I rolled my eyes, already able to hear Naruto yelling from where I was. Surprisingly, I didn't hear a response from Sakura, and as I approached them, I could see her looking hesitant and nervous. Great, I scowled. Just what I needed: another unconfident teammate to handle. There was no way in heck that I was going to be some hero during this thing.

Sasuke saw me first, looking up and smirking when he noticed my scowl. "Zeri! You're finally here!" Naruto yelled, grinning at me cheekily. Taken aback, I stared at him. Why was he so happy to see me?

After a while, Naruto started to squirm and his cheeks turned red. "Uh... Zeri?" I blinked, noticing that Sakura and Sasuke were staring at me as well. Narrowing my eyes, I gazed at them. "Why're you so happy to see me?" I said, a scoff in my voice.

"Whaddya mean 'why'? You're our teammate! Of course we're happy to see ya!" Naruto exclaimed, looking shocked and slightly hurt that I'd ask such a thing. Eyes flickering briefly, I scanned the aura around him, not seeing any signs of it being tainted. "Yeah, Zeri. We might not know you very well but you're still our teammate!" Sakura spoke up, smiling at me. Sasuke just smirked, about to ruffle my hair but stopped when my eyes flashed warningly.

My eyes still narrowed, I gazed at all of them silently, not knowing what to say. I didn't trust them, but their words were honest when I looked at their clear auras, so weren't they telling the truth? "....Let's just get this over and done with." I snapped, avoiding their stares.

A wide grin appeared on Naruto's face. "All right!! Man, I'm so excited, I can't wait!" He babbled to no one in particular, walking ahead with a bounce in his step. Sakura trailed after him quietly (for the first time ever) and Sasuke fell into step with me, his hands in his pockets.

As we approached the building where the exam was going to be held, it didn't seem like there were many Genin going to be taking the exam. But I knew that it was the complete opposite when I felt the chakra presence of the others already inside. Great, I thought stonily. Just what I didn't want.

"Oof!" A boy in a green jumpsuit gets shoved backwards, causing him to fall down. A girl with her hair in two buns looks at him in despair, before turning to what seems like two examiners. "Please, you have to let us through!" She begs, but gets the same treatment as the guy earlier. That was pathetic, I sneered. To be begging someone to let you enter. On the wrong floor nonetheless. If I was going to participate in this thing, there had to be worthy people to fight, at least.

"Ouch, that's harsh," someone mutters, and the 'examiner' turns to the crowd, an incredulous look on his face. "Harsh?! Please, the Chunin exams make this look like a walk in the park!" He scoffs. "Chunin are qualified to lead missions, and the lives of your teammates will be in your hands, so you better be enough to take the pressure." The other 'examiner' adds mockingly, looking at the brown-haired girl.

Hearing enough lectures, I appear in front of him. "If you're done wasting everyone's time, release the Genjutsu. And your transformation jutsu," I watch his eyes widen as he stumbles back in surprise. "How did you...?" He trails off, realising that everyone was watching him. Sasuke walks towards us, smirking. "It's obvious. Tell them Sakura, since you noticed it first," he says without glancing at her.

Sakura blinks, looking confused. "Um, y-yeah! Of course I noticed it, this is only the second floor!" I'm sure everyone was totally convinced. (I'm kidding.) Everyone looks confused, whispers echoing in the room. Pathetic, I scoff. How stupid could they get?

The 'examiner' smirks at us, slightly impressed. "Hmph, so you noticed the Genjutsu. Lets see how you handle this!" He darts forward, aiming a kick at Sasuke. Just as Sasuke raises his leg to deliver a kick of his own, the boy in the green jumpsuit appears between them, his bare hands stopping their legs. Not bad, I thought, studying him curiously. The boy had a bowl haircut with ridiculously thick eyebrows, and wore orange leg warmers. I narrowed my eyes slightly, detecting something heavy underneath, but I wasn't sure.

"Hey, what happened to the plan? You were the one who suggested we stay low," A familiar voice joined us, and a scowl appeared on my face as I recognized the voice's chakra. "Oh, it's just you, Naruto." Neji sniffs, clearly wondering why he, the superior. being, is hanging out with Naruto in the first place. That's when I feel his gaze on me, and I turn around and meet his gaze coldly.

"Oh, it's you." I shoot him a look of disdain, feeling amused when his eyes flare up in anger. "Why are you here? I think the exit is the other way," I said in a bored tone, holding back a smirk. Neji glared at me, his pale eyes narrowed in annoyance as he opened his mouth to reply, but the girl with the two buns cut him off.

"Don't talk to him like that," she said patronizingly, and I yawned. "And I care because?" I drawled, a small smirk tugging on my lips when she scowled at me in annoyance. "Just shut up, newbie. Don't think we'll go easy on you," she shot back, a satisfied smirk on her face. I narrowed my eyes at her behaviour, but said nothing. She turned away smugly, thinking she'd won. "Zeri," Sasuke muttered lowly, clearly knowing what I was going to do.
I threw a catlike grin his way, blinking innocently. He turned red, looking away with an exasperated sigh. He should know better by now.

I appeared behind the girl, my legs already aiming a kick at her head. Just before it could collide though, the boy darted between us, both his hands blocking my leg. I knew it, I thought, as the girl turned around abruptly when she felt the gust of air blow past her, the boy was fast. Finally, someone I could look forward to fighting against, I smirked gleefully, lowering my leg.

"Why you-" She clenched her fists, ready to punch me, but the boy held up his hand to stop her. "Lee, what are you doing?" The girl looked agitated, and I couldn't help but bare my teeth at her slightly. 'Lee' turned to look at me, ignoring the girl, his cheeks tinged pink.

"My name is Rock Lee," he introduced himself, bowing slightly. I remained silent for a while before I replied him. "...Zeri," I said, watching him warily as he suddenly grinned, holding out a thumbs-up.

"Please be my girlfriend! I will protect you with my life!" He boomed, his sparkly white teeth glinting and his eyes hopeful. I cocked my head in confusion as I studied him curiously. What was a 'girlfriend'? Hm, if I was his 'girlfriend', then I'd get to fight him, I thought, but then he'd know about my strengths. I scowled, not liking the situation.

After a few moments of silence, I turned towards him, my expression unreadable before I shrugged. "Um, okay?"

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HEY EVERYONE (; hope you like this chapter hehe bet you weren't expecting that >:) there are loads more surprises to come so stay tuned!!! so sorry for the late update >< ill keep my word the best I can but for now remember to vote, comment and fan!! <3