Naruko cradled the knocked out and bloody form of Yumito, her face stained with tears. She stood up, and picked his unconscious form up, placing him on her back as she planned on heading back to their camp where Sasuke still remained injured.
Snap.
The sound of a twig cracking under the weight of something larger made Naruko immediately tense up, head swiveling to the direction of the sound as her eyes lit crimson.
"Wow there! Calm down! Its okay...I'm here to help..." The man said as he held his hands up in surrender.
Naruko appeared shaken as she took a deep breath, looking the man over with suspicion.
"You're...That guy from the first exams...Kabuto Yakushi right?" She asked, her guard loosened but not yet let down.
"Y-Yeah...I taught Yuma first level medical ninjutsu...I'm only here to help...alright?" He said, slowly walking over to them, the crimson slits in Naruko's eyes fading away and returning to her usual cerulean.
"...Okay. Can you check him?" Naruko asked hesitantly.
"Sure." He said, feigning a smile, and getting on one knee as Naruko set Yuma's body down on the grassy ground.
"Now...Lets see what we got here..." Kabuto said, his hands alighting in a green aura as Naruko watched over the procedure.
"...Huh? That's weird..." He said aloud.
"What? What is it? Is he okay!?" Naruko asked in a frantic manner.
"Y-Yeah, its just...He isn't injured at all?" Kabuto said.
"Huh?" Naruko asked, quickly looking over Yuma's body.
"...You're right...Then why did he pass out?" Naruko asked, bewildered by his lack of damage.
"Probably chakra exhaustion. He'll wake up in a few hours on his own, or I could feed him a food pill and-!?"
"No! He's been through enough!" Naruko said, glaring daggers at the hand Kabuto was using to reach into his pocket and procure a food pill.
"O-Okay...Hey."
"What?" Naruko asked.
"These feet, no matter how you slice it, they aren't normal." Kabuto said aloud, eliciting a frown from Naruko as he poked his finger through the mist like appendage, gasping as his finger came out from the other side.
'Lord Orochimaru...Just what power did you gift this boy?'
Kabuto stared at the three toed shadow-like appendage that now stood in for Yuma's severed feet with morbid fascination. Holding back a grin, he turned to Naruko with as much of a serious expression he could muster.
"He appears to be fine. But I assume your other teammate is not, otherwise he would be here. Would you like me to have a look at him?" Kabuto asked the golden haired prodigy.
"R-Really? B-But what about your teammates?" Naruko asked.
"They all...died..." Kabuto forced out, feigning sadness.
"O-Oh...I see, sorry for your loss." Naruko said, averting her gaze, feeling guilty for even asking the question.
'How gullible.'
"Well, they wouldn't want me to grieve. Anyways, lets go help out your other teammate." Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses.
"Y-yeah, lets go..." Naruko said, now trusting the man.
The two lept into the tree tops soon after, Yuma resting on Naruko's back. Naruko held a look of worry, as she and kabuto traveled to the place she had left Sasuke at.
'Don't worry Sasuke, help is on the way!' Naruko thought to herself, before noticing something shine from behind, catching her off guard.
"What was that?" Naruko asked aloud.
"What was what?" Kabuto asked in confusion at her sudden question.
"Nothing, forget I said anything." Naruko said, thinking she had just been seeing things.
"Okay, if you say so."
And as the two dashed through the forest of death, a quiet individual stalked after them. Following their every move, just as it had been doing from the first step they took into the forest.
Or rather he.
Sai had been ordered by Danzo to keep an eye on Yuma after all.
The boy followed after like a shadow, holding onto a pair of binoculars that would occasionally reflect the suns rays off its surface.
'Yuma...I'm sorry for letting you suffer like that...please...forgive me..'
〰️➿〰️
"-And its like he only has eyes for that goldie, like, What am I? Chopped liver? Seriously, why can't he ever notice me?"
Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head in annoyance as the platinum haired Ino complained about Sasuke's lack of interest in her. He turned to her with a tired and annoyed expression.
"For the last time Ino, I don't care about your stupid crush on Sasuke. Stop being such a drag." Shikamaru said as Ino scowled at him.
"Rude! I didn't want to talk to you anyway!" Ino said, turning her nose up at him.
"Good." Shikamaru said, brushing off her retort.
They walked through the many bushes and tree branches that covered their way and made navigating the forest ever more difficult. It had been a few hours since Shikamaru and his team had found the scroll they needed to pass. As soon as they did so however, they found that getting the scroll they needed was the easy part, finding the tower was the real problem. They had been searching for the tower in the "center of the forest" for what seemed like hours with little to no luck. Seeing as they had no idea in what direction the "center of the forest" was, they had decided to trek on foot and try to find any clues as to which direction they should be heading in.
Ino continued to pout, turning to Choji for validation.
"Can you believe him Choji? You'll listen to me right?" Ino asked with a begging look in her eyes, wanting someone to talk to..
"Um, I kind of want to pass this exam, and I don't think hearing you talk about Sasuke is going to help us with that. Besides, I'm hungry." Choji said with a sorry smile, trying to be nice.
"Humph, you guys are such jerks!" Ino whined, much to Shikamaru's annoyance.
"Well, we have been walking through these woods for hours Ino, we already have the scroll, all we need to do is find the tower." Choji said, trying to get her back on the track to getting out of the forest.
"And how are we going to do that huh!? We've been walking through this forest for hours and with the leeches, tigers and boars trying to eat or kill us, I am going to go crazy!" Ino complained and stomped her foot, earning a pointed glare and hush from Shikamaru, worried her commotion would raw unwanted attention.
Shikamaru sighed as Ino pouted and turned her nose up at him once more. He looked up to see the sun beginning to rise even higher then before, as morning had then became noon. He narrowed his eyes, and turned to the other two.
"Alright, back into the trees. It's too dangerous to be on the forest floor during the day time." Shikamaru said, the other two nodding in agreement as they took to the branches.
As soon as they did so however, they heard what sounded like arguing from a few feet ahead, Shikamaru held out his hand, signalling his team to slow down as they approached the noise. They quietly stalked to the seemingly bickering strangers, seeing an encampment created by a bushel of tree leaves and large plants as cover. When they got close enough, they finally realized who it was as Ino's eyes widened in happiness.
"Why did you let him leave in the first place!?"
"I-I thought he could handle it!"
"Um, guys, maybe you both should-!?"
"Shut up!" The two voices yelled in unison at the third stranger.
Ino ran forward, bursting through the many leaves and grabbing onto the neck of one of the hiding places occupants.
"SASUKE!" Ino yelled in his ear, making him wince, as he instinctively threw her off him.
Ino slammed onto the large branch, much to her, and her teams shock.
"INO!?" Sasuke yelled in shock and surprise, as the rest of her team came into their field of view, hands raised.
Naruko raised a brow as Sasuke frowned at the sight.
"Put your hands down, we're not hostile." Sasuke said.
"You slammed Ino against the branch." Shikamaru deadpanned.
"Give me a break, she surprised me." Sasuke grunted.
Choji walked over to her, helping Ino back onto her feet. Shikamaru reluctantly let his hands down, turning to Naruko and giving her a nod as a greeting.
"Are you okay?" Choji asked Ino as she rubbed her now sore back.
"Yeah, it was my fault. Sorry for surprising you Sasuke." Ino said sheepishly, apologizing to Sasuke with a bow of her head.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the scene, turning back to Naruko as his eyes began to shift down beside her on the branch floor.
"What were you two arguing about anywa-!?" Shikamaru began to say, but stopped upon seeing the body of Yuma.
With a shadowy three toed appendage standing in for his feet.
"...I see...Who did it?" Shikamaru asked, looking at Yuma with pity in his eyes.
"...It was a team from Iwagakure. Apparently they wanted revenge for something my dad did to their family. They kidnapped Yuma when he went out to find herbs and food to treat Sasuke's injuries." Naruko explained, looking at his feet with guilt in her eyes.
"...How long did it last?" Shikamaru asked.
"...I don't know..." Naruko said, holding back tears.
Ino looked at his body with a worried look, looking over to see Sasuke frowning at the sight. A look of guilt gleaming in his eye as he looked at the ground in shame. Naruko noticed immediately, and smiled his way.
"Hey. It wasn't your fault okay." Naruko said, trying to assure him.
An awkward silence was Sasuke's response as he continued to frown at the sight of Yuma.
"Is he going to be okay?" Ino asked worriedly, not liking to see Sasuke frown like that.
"Yeah, he is just unconscious from Chakra exhaustion." Kabuto answered for them.
"Aren't you the guy from the first part of the exams?" Ino asked with a lift of her brow.
Kabuto smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I am Kabuto Yakushi, nice to meet you." Kabuto said, extending his hand out for a shake.
"Where's your team?" Shikamaru asked as he shook the mans hand.
"...They died." Kabuto said, looking at the ground sadly.
"O-Oh...Sorry for your loss." Shikamaru said, feeling bad for having asked.
"Thanks. I can't pass this exam anymore because of it, so I decided to go out and try to help my fellow leaf ninja. Eventually I ran into Naruko and Yuma, and after that I came here to help Sasuke with his injuries." Kabuto explained, smiling at Shikamaru.
"We already have the scrolls we need to pass, but the problem is Yuma. We need help getting him through to the center of the forest." Naruko explained.
"I see...Well we also have what we need. The only problem we have is finding a way to the center." Shikamaru said, Kabuto's eyes lighting up.
"I could guide you all to the center. I have taken this test before and know the way there." Kabuto offered.
"Seriously!?" Ino asked in shock, eyes lighting up with elation at finally having a way out of the hell hole of a forest.
"Yep, so what do you say, team up with us? Help us transport Yuma's unconscious body and we help you get to center, its a win-win." Kabuto said.
Shikamaru smiled and closed his eyes, nodding in agreement.
"Sounds like a plan." Shikamaru said, shaking the mans hand, sealing the deal.
"Finally we have a way out of here!" Ino exclaimed, jumping up and down in celebration.
Shikamaru shook his head at her antics, before smiling and turning to look up at the sun.
'For once I agree with her. Hopefully we'll get out of this forest before sundown. What a drag.'
And so the now enlarged team of ninja from the leaf banded together with Kabuto as their guide.
〰️➿〰️
Sai had been following the team for awhile. He saw Naruko and the rest of Team Seven ally themselves with Shikamaru's team, providing security for Yuma. It had was around noon when his ear piece went off, signalling he was done with his watch. Sai sighed in relief, pocketing his binoculars. He waited for them all to dash out of sight, before coming out of his hiding place.
He trudged onward, his long walk taking around thirty minutes before arriving at a tree. After tapping several spots on the tree, it began to shake, before moving back and revealing a stairway.
He walked down the stairway, touching the wall for the tree to move back into place with a click. He proceeded downward, arriving at the many hallways that made up the labyrinth-like ROOT headquarters.
As he walked down one of the many corridors, a fellow root agent walked past him. Sai continued to walk past the man until...
"How is my little pet project doing?" The "ROOT agent" asked, making Sai freeze in his tracks.
"...His name is Yuma. And I have nothing left to say to you." Sai said, putting up a brave front as he shivered in pure fear.
"Oh? I thought you cared about your brother?" The "ROOT agent" said mockingly.
Sai went quiet.
"You do what I say and I let him live. That was the deal yes?"
Sai bit his lip before forcing out a response.
"...Yes." Sai relented with self disgust.
"Good, now, go to Danzo and act as if I were never here, alright?" The "ROOT agent" ordered.
"...Yes...Lord Orochimaru."
Sai took a deep breath, steeling his nerves, before turning around to reveal that no one was there any more. He breathed a sigh of relief, continuing his walk.
'Coward, you don't deserve Yuma as a friend.' Sai ridiculed himself inwardly as he became riddled with guilt and self-disgust.
He finally arrived at his destination, staring at Danzo's office door with dread. He knocked on the door three times, waiting for a response. After several seconds, he was given a response.
"Come in." Danzo's gruff voice sounded out from within the room.
Sai opened the door, stepping into the lamp lit room. Sitting at his desk was the boogie man of the ninja world himself, Danzo Shimura.
"Report." Danzo ordered, getting straight to business.
"Yuma has lost his feet after several minutes of torture. After his feet were severed however, the same phenomenon that had happened during his battle with Kimmimaro occurred. A jet black corrosive and goo-like acid shot out of his bloody stumps, the force of which was powerful enough to blow off the head of a Iwagakure ninja that stood behind him."
Danzo's eyes gleamed with an unknown emotion, before quickly being snuffed out, not allowing Sai the chance to peer into Danzo and know what he was feeling. Danzo remained silent, as if waiting for Sai to continue.
"After beheading the enemy directly behind him, the black goo lunged forward at the one who had removed his feet as if the liquid had a mind of its own. The torturer from Iwagakure was able to make it to ground level and at a distance where the goo was not able to reach her. She stayed still for two hours until her brother arrived, and thus fled. Yuma's foot is now replaced with a shadow-like appendage, similar to what happened to his new arms."
"Continue." Danzo ordered.
Sai nodded, before finishing his report.
"He fell unconscious, and was retrieved by his fellow teammate. She was accompanied by a medical ninja by the name of Kabuto Yakushi, joining them to heal Sasuke Uchiha who had been badly burnt during the attack by the sands jinchuriki and his siblings. They are now on route to the center tower, having taken the scroll that the team of Iwagakure had procured. I am pleased to report Yuma will be passing the second exam." Sai said, finally finishing his report.
Danzo remained quiet, several awkward seconds passing by as he did so. Sai remained still, not knowing how to break the silence and not wanting to run the risk of accidentally cutting Danzo off he chose to speak. Suddenly, Danzo stood to his feet, and made his way around the desk. Sai immediately stiffened, not knowing what was happening.
Danzo stopped directly in front of Sai, putting his rough old hand on the boys left shoulder. Sai instinctively looked at the floor in fear, not wanting to look into the mans eyes.
"Sai?" Danzo said.
Sai looked up.
And was promptly punched in the stomach, and then knocked onto the floor by a swift fist to the head.
"I gave you express orders to watch Yuma and assure his safety, so tell me Sai, why did you not intervene when he began to undergo torture?" Danzo asked calmly, putting his foot on the young boys head.
"I-I thought it would have impeded your-!?"
Sai was kicked in his side roughly, and then had his face roughly pulled upward by Danzo grabbing his hair in a vice grip, forcing Sai to stare the old mummy in the eyes.
"What would you have done if Yuma were killed by the enemy huh? If you're so worried about it 'Impeding my research', then why not intervene?" Danzo questioned.
"I-I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't know I was supposed to help him, I-I thought I w-was supposed to only observe." Sai said with a stutter, frightened to death by Danzo's sudden outburst of violence.
Danzo scowled, letting go of Sai's hair and calmly walking back to his desk.
"I see, maybe I should have been more clear then. Excuse my outburst, I am unwell today." Danzo said calmly; a stark contrast to the behavior he was exhibiting mere moments prior.
Sai stood up shakily, rattled by the terrifying experience he just went through. He looked at Danzo fearfully as he attempted to muster back up his composure as to not show weakness to the man. He swallowed the bile that shot up his throat as Danzo stared calmly at the boy.
"What is the matter Sai, feeling unwell?" Danzo asked without remorse.
"No sir...I'm fine..." Sai responded in a monotone.
"I see, that's good. You may go now." Danzo said, Sai limping to the door without a word after being given permission to leave.
"Oh, and Sai?" Danzo suddenly spoke, causing Sai to flinch slightly as he turned back to the old man one last time.
"Don't make me have to do this again, am I clear?"
Sai stared into the mans dead eyes in terror, gulping spit that had been sitting in his mouth.
"Yes sir...I understand..." Sai said.
"Good. Now get out." Danzo ordered as Sai hurriedly opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.
Sai walked down the halls of ROOT, his body shaking non-stop. He walked for awhile before stopping. sitting against a wall, he covered his eyes with one hand.
And as he sat there alone, with no one around to care or be there for him...
He cried.
〰️➿〰️
"..."
"..."
Yuma stared into the golden orbs that emanated from the pile of black gunk that was the keeper of his memories. A look of confusion rested on his face as he tried to recall what had led him to returning back to the hall of mirrors that represented his memories within his head.
"Why am I here?"
"You don't remember?"
Yuma lifted a brow, before his eyes widened in horror, and he fell to the ground and clutched at his head as the memories bombarded him without compassion or remorse for his well-being.
"There will be no forgetting this time, Yuma Ito."
"Why not?" Yuma asked in a subdued and shaken manner, hunched over as his body shook, the memory of his torture making him feel incredibly sick.
"You know why."
Yuma opened his mouth, intending on denying the sludges claim, but then looked down in horrific realization.
"That's right. I am your conscious remember, because I am you."
"Why? Why don't I want to forget?"
The sludge remained silent as Yuma continued.
"I was able to force myself to forget mom for the longest, so long that I thought I never had a mom. So why? Why can't I force myself to forget this?" Yuma asked aloud to himself.
"Because its pointless. It would never work."
"WHY!? WHY IS IT POINTLESS!? WHY WOULD IT NEVER WORK!?" Yuma screamed suddenly, his body shaking as he began to hyperventilate, rubbing his toes repeatedly as the memory of them being ripped off played over and over, driving him mad.
"Those toes are not real, you're in your head, they are merely how you envi-!?"
"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Yuma screamed.
"...Because doing so would be weak, and you are tired of being weak."
Yuma stopped shaking, and bit his lip, scowling at the dark abyss below as he clenched his fists.
"Because back then you didn't have a reminder. You didn't have a reminder of your mother, of your insecurities, of your weakness."
"Sh...up..." Yuma grunted through clenched teeth, anger filling him.
"But things are different now, you have grown, not much but you have indeed grown. I know this because you know this. You have something that means more to you then monetary possessions or the lofty dreams of wealth you once hung on to."
"Shut...Up..." Yuma forced out again, still rubbing at his false toes.
"You are sick with seeing Naruko and Sasuke stand upon the pinnacle of strength that grows ever taller. You are sick with always being the weak link. You are sick of always being weak. Their existence is a constant reminder that their is still a level you have yet to reach, a mountain you have yet to climb."
"I SAID SHUT UP!"
"I will not. Why? Because I am you, and no matter how much you sulk in here you know its the truth."
Yuma became silent, trying not to look the sludge in its golden orbs. He cursed beneath his breath and clenched his fists, before looking forward and flinching. The golden orbs were now right in front of him, the pile of sludge now standing directly in front of, mere inches away.
"Grow up. You are sick of always being weak right? So do something about it instead of complaining all of the time. You act as if the world cares for your troubles when in reality you know that is far from the truth."
"Screw you."
"And there you go again, childishly putting up a brave front to escape the truth that you already know and can't escape from. What is this? The thirty -fifth, the forty-ninth, the hundredth? Stop pretending and start staying true to yourself. If you hate the current you then become someone different. I am not Yumito, I refuse to coddle you."The sludge said, its tone harsh but with an air of truth.
"You make it sound easy..." Yuma said.
"The truth doesn't care if its easy or difficult, it doesn't care about feelings, about desires, about anything. The truth is just that, the truth. And right now, I am telling you the truth you already know. So stop running from it. Embrace it."
"How?" Yuma asked the gunk pile.
"You already know how." It said back.
"...Yeah, I guess I do..."
Everything went quiet as Yuma sat down.
"All this time I've been thinking in order to become strong, I must become more like Naruko or Sasuke. But that isn't it, that isn't what I need to do." Yuma said to himself, laying on his back as his body began to dip into the dark abyss below.
"I need to become strong in my own way, without care for what others may think. I am and will always be myself. So what I need to do is obvious." Yuma said as his whole body began to sink into the metaphysical pool of black water forming beneath him.
"Evil is only truly evil if committed without a reason. But if evil is done to help those you care for and love, then any amount of evil can be justified. As long as its done for a purpose greater than oneself."
Kakashi's words from that fateful night echoed throughout the abyss. Yuma smiled as his eyes flashed gold for a brief moment before returning to its usual dull shade of brown.
"In order to protect those I care for, in order to become helpful to mister Danzo, and in order to find my mother I need strength. I need power no matter the method, and no matter the actions, so..."
Yuma's entire body sunk into the murky pool of black beneath him, his body no longer visible as his voice echoed one last time throughout the hall of memories.
"I'll become evil."
〰️➿〰️
Naruko and the others had been traveling for what seemed like hours, much to the annoyance of everyone else. Ino whined loudly, causing Shikamaru to hold his head down in embarrassment at her childishness.
'Please no.' Shikamaru thought in his head as his teammate rudely complained.
"I thought you said you knew the way to the tower!? Why is it taking so long!?" Ino exclaimed in a tired tone towards the sheepishly smiling Kabuto.
"Just because I know the way, that doesn't mean its close by. We're almost there, so please bear with it for a little longer." Kabuto explained.
"Listen to the guy Ino. I'm pretty sure he knows what he is doing." Shikamaru said, trying to placate the pouting girl.
"Whatever, how much farther!?" Ino asked.
"Almost there, just another thirty minutes or so. I promise." Kabuto said with an apologetic smile.
"I hope so, i'm getting hungry..." Choji said, a dribble of drool coming out his mouth as he began to imagine all the food he would eat once he were out of the forest.
"You're always hungry Choji! I just want a bath and some sleep, a girl needs her beauty rest after all. Right Sasuke?" She said, making doe eyes at her crush who remained indifferent to her advances.
Naruko chuckled at their antics before looking towards Yuma's body, which was being carried by Sasuke. Sasuke looked over to his fellow teammate, realizing who she was staring at. He walked to her side, nudging her in the side.
"Hey...He's going to be alright." Sasuke said, trying to cheer her up.
"Yeah, your right...But I still wish I could've gotten there sooner...Then maybe he wouldn't have lost his...You know..." Naruko said, looking at his new feet with guilt.
Sasuke frowned at that, shaking his head at her.
"It wasn't your fault. No one could've predicted this. Besides, if Yuma was awake he'd be telling you 'Don't pity me!', so don't let it bother you. He wouldn't want that." Sasuke said, imitating Yuma's voice, which brought a chuckle out of Naruko.
'Kami her laugh is adorable...' Sasuke thought, holding back a blush.
"Thanks Sasuke. I really needed that..." She said, smiling at him as Ino fumed behind her, crossing her arms underneath her chest and pouting at the ground.
"Whatever..." Ino pouted, making it a point to not look at Naruko for as long as possible.
As the team continued their trek, an uneasy feeling began to worm its way into Shikamaru's stomach. He felt as if something was off, looking at his surrounding warily.
"Hey...Kabuto..." Shikamaru started.
"Yeah? What is it?" Kabuto asked, looking back at Shikamaru.
"Its just...How close are we to the tower now? Shouldn't there be a tone of ninja also making their way to the tower? If we're close enough, surely there would have to be others passing us by or something."
Kabuto narrowed his eyes at that, realizing what Shikamaru was suggesting.
"Do you think...No, but that's-!?"
"GET DOWN!" Choji shouted from behind, pushing Ino down with him as wires shot out from the trees, forcing everyone to follow Choji's lead.
The wires immediately lit aflame, showing that if they had just been a little more late, they all would've been fried to a crisp. Naruko looked over at Yuma's body in horror as his head hit the ground with a thud, Sasuke having had to drop him in order to get down quick enough.
"Yuma!?" Naruko shouted, trying to stand to her feet but was dragged back down by Sasuke.
"Don't you idiot! If you stand up you'll just be fried! Stay down!" Sasuke shouted as Naruko cursed under her breath, looking over at Yuma's body with worry.
The sound of laughter could then be heard as several ninja, all from villages other then Konoha began to rise up from beyond the trees and bushes, staring at the leaf ninja with smirks.
"Well, well, well! Looks like we got a couple of leaf brats fellas! What should we do with them?" One of them asked.
"What else, kill em' of course!?" Another answered jokingly as Shikamaru scowled.
"What do you want!? Our scrolls?" Shikamaru yelled out, wanting to stall for time as he gave Ino a signal and began to extend out his Shadow, using the shadows created by the many wires as cover.
"Hell No! Half of us don't even care about this stupid exam! All we want is payback!" One them answered.
"Why!? What did we ever do to you!?" Ino asked, trying to aid Shikamaru as his shadow stealthily slithered across the forest floor.
"You didn't do anything, but your damn Hokage sure fucking did!" One of them shouted.
"Yeah, he sent a squad that killed my family!"
"He murdered my uncle during the third great ninja war!"
"He is the reason my parents are dead!"
As the group of ninja shouted their hate and disdain for the Hokage, Shikamaru smirked, finally latching his shadow onto one of the men. The ninja immediately slammed onto the forest floor, being forced into the same position as Shikamaru.
Ino took advantage of the surprise and pulsed into the mind of one of the other ninja, pulling out a kunai and pointing it at her neck. All the ninja in the trees and behind the bushes stopped, looking at the two who were now captives.
"Anyone moves and this guy dies!" Ino proclaimed from within the ninja she was now possessing.
Everything went silent as the tide had now seemingly turned. Shikamaru smirked, thinking it all to be over until...
"Do it! They're bluffing!" the ninja who was down on the ground shouted, breaking the thin and tense silence.
"W-What!?" One of the other shouted back.
"They don't have the balls to kill him, after all..." The man started, looking at Shikamaru with a smirk.
"They're just weak little leaf ninja." The man finished as Shikamaru cursed beneath his breath.
"I-I'm gonna do it! I'm warning you!" Ino shouted, not giving up.
"Do it then! Prove your not just a kid!" The guy shouted back.
"Yeah prove it!" Another screamed.
"You can't do it, coward!" Another yelled.
"I-I'm gonna...I'm gonna do it! I'm serious! Three..."
"She wont do it." One of them said with a smirk.
"T-Two..." Ino said, realizing none of them were buying it.
"She is a kid after all..." Another said with a smile.
"O-One..."
...
Nothing happened, as Ino dropped the kunai, switching back into her old body in shame. Shikamaru cursed, realizing they had no more cards up their sleeves.
"Well kids, this sure was fun, but I guess its time we end this! Any last words?" The man asked mockingly, standing back to his feet with a cocky grin.
"...I'm sorry guys..." Ino said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Naruko looked up at the man with a scowl, before her eyes widened. Sasuke noticed her shocked expression, and lifted a brow, before looking over at where Yuma had been before, and opening his eyes wide in shock.
Yuma was gone.
"Nothing? Well then guess its time to-!?"
The man stopped talking, freezing up as a kunai stabbed through the back of his neck, blood dripping off its edge. His body fell to the ground with a thud, and shook a few times before stopping, a look of confusion frozen on his now dead body. Everything seemed to go quiet as the other men were stabbed through the guts by pillars of rock that jutted out without warning, spraying blood and entrails everywhere.
And standing within the jumbled mess of blood, guts and corpses was Yuma, arms thrown back behind him as he seemed to relish the rain of blood that coated his black clothing. Naruko and the others stared in horror at the sight as Yuma slowly let his arms down, and releasing a content sigh.
"Hah...That was very therapeutic..." Yuma said in a relaxed manner that contrasted greatly with the bloody mess behind him he had created.
He turned to the others with a smile, not at all disturbed or bothered by what he had just done.
"Thanks Shikamaru! If you hadn't used your Shadow Possession Jutsu and attached to this guy, I wouldn't have been able to get to them! You're something special you know that!" Yuma complimented and thanked Shikamaru, playfully kicking the dead body's head.
"Y-Yuma?" Naruko began, looking in horror as he continued to smile at them.
"Yeah?" He responded.
"Are you...Okay?" She asked, still not able to grasp what had happened.
"Hm, I don't know, let me see..."
He jokingly poked at himself, and then turned back to her with a smile, chuckling happily.
"Yep! I'm as healthy as I could be!" He chirped.
"...Yuma...Do you know...What you have done?" Sasuke asked, standing to his feet and looking at Yuma with shock and worry.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Yuma said, lifting a brow in confusion.
"Y-You just killed...A bunch of people...and are treating it like its no big deal...That's why he's asking..." Ino said, looking at Yuma with fear.
Yuma tilted his head in confusion, before shaking head at them.
"Oh, that. Yeah, I know. I killed them. I just don't care." He said.
"...You don't...feel any remorse...none at all?" Naruko asked, refusing to believe this person in front of her was Yuma.
"Why should I? It was either them or us anyway." He said with a roll of his eyes, walking ahead, and turning back to them with a frown.
"Well? Come on, we're almost to the tower, I can feel it! Lets go pass this exam guys!" Yuma said cheerfully as the others stared in horror, watching as he practically skipped away, humming contently as he did so.
The others got up, and followed his lead, trudging past the pile of corpses Yuma had created. As they did so, Naruko continued to stare at the seemingly happy Yuma, shock, worry and fear welling up inside her. Yuma continued to hum, as Naruko walked to his side, still in shock.
"Hey Yuma?"
"Yeah?"
""Um...A-Are you okay?" Naruko asked with genuine concern.
Yuma stopped in his tracks, causing everyone else to stop as well. All was silent and still, before Yuma turned to Naruko...
With the happiest smile he had ever had on his face.
"Never felt better!"