Restoration: Book 1/3

Chapter 24-Finale

On day two, we were tested on our abilities to prepare an animal for consumption, give CPR, build a trap, and treat a stab wound. Kankuro was disqualified because he forgot a few steps in treating a wound.

On the third and final day of the competition, the fifteen remaining participants were taken out of The Program area and led down a few hallways until we were taken behind another heavy iron door.

My eyes widened at the size of the room, but that wasn't the most impressive thing about it. The area was modeled after the forest and was large enough that I couldn't see the end of it from the entryway. I would've thought we were outside if the ceiling had been disguised.

Madara's voice came over an intercom speaker, "Congratulations! You've officially made it to the final stage! Your goal is to be the last one capable of continuing. Whether that means tying up, knocking out, or even killing one another is a choice you must make. The doors will not reopen until we have a victor."

We all looked around at one another with understandable looks of panic, but Dr. Uchiha's voice came again excitedly, "Begin!"

On instinct, I dashed for cover behind the treeline and started sprinting as quickly as possible to put some distance between the other combatants and me. I could hear the sounds of fighting behind me as I ran.

Since I'd been training for twelve weeks, I could run for well over ten minutes but still hadn't reached the other side of the giant room. Various foreign emotions flashed through me while I trekked through the faux jungle. If we were correct and it was Naruto and I connecting, he was also getting glimpses of my panic.

Surely, with an arena this large, the building had to appear very imposing outwardly, which led me to wonder why it's been so hard for the others' parents to locate it.

As I continued to travel for the next hour, I quickly realized that this place was intricate and as close to being outdoors as possible. There were wild animals, winds, and even small streams and ponds.

After a while, I heard the telltale sound of a twig snapping somewhere nearby and stealthily backed into a large shrub to hide. A few months ago, I would've been so anxious that I wouldn't have been able to hear anything but my quick heartbeat, but I'm more composed now, so I tried to quiet my breath as much as possible while I waited to see what'd caused the noise.

I was tempted to use my Byakugan but didn't want to resort to that unless I had no other choice because of the intense exhaustion it causes. After a moment, I sensed a presence behind me and went to spin around, only for someone to tightly clasp their hand over my mouth.

To my surprise, I heard Neji's voice whisper at an almost unintelligible level, "Don't scream."

My eyes widened, but I was quickly distracted as Kisame and Hidan walked into the small clearing in front of the bush we were crouching within.

"We should take Sakura out first since she's the most significant threat right now," Hidan spoke quietly, but we could hear his words clearly.

"I don't know, man. Kiba and Hinata have tracking advantages. Maybe we should focus on them instead."

I swallowed nervously. My breath caught in my throat when both men turned to look near where Neji and I were hidden. The calloused hand across my mouth tightened its hold as they approached, and my heartbeat steadily quickened until Kisame suddenly reached into a bush only two yards from us and pulled out a startled Suigetsu.

The white-haired boy struggled out of his grasp and put some space between himself and the two larger men. It was apparent to us, and likely him, that he was incredibly outmatched.