Another path

The Swamps - the longest day

< Coucou mes chéris ! I'm finally on a somewhat break so that's good ! This is the final chapter of the third trial and it might be longer than the other ones, hope you don't mind.
Btw, we reached 40k views and it blows my mind ! I can still remember starting this fic almost two years ago and being like « wowie, 30 views ! »
Thank you for the support as always and I hope you keep enjoying the story.
Nothing else to add but that I unfortunately don't own Naruto and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter ! >
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That's... not how it was supposed to go. Like not at all. Of all things- a sigh escaped from Lee's lips. Regardless of how uncharacteristic of him it was to behave like this, he couldn't really help it. The tingling sensation in his left hand up to his chin was still bothering him. The fractal scarring hadn't disappeared in the slightest either and it would probably remain so. An obvious sensitive point that his opponent lost no time in attacking. He had tried to hide but with his current state and- ... well, his personality, Lee had gotten spotted rather quickly (he could at least say it was after dawn, otherwise it would have been really embarrassing). So here he was, fencing a Kitsune off and trying not to lure more summons in the area.

A loud crash in the background alerted him and he lost his focus for a split second. He saw a large cloud of smoke in the distance but didn't dwell deeper into the situation as his attention switched back to his opponent.
However, Lee didn't know the Kitsune. Any of the Uzushio non could have instantly said taken his eyes off the attacker - even for just a millisecond - was a grave mistake. Because what made the Kitsune truly dangerous, more than strength or endurance, were their ungodly speed and agility.

In a flash, Inari was in front of him, his hand grabbing the taijutsu specialist's throat. Deep black eyes widened and a seal marred the tan flesh that wasn't covered by the green jumpsuit Lee had inherited from his sensei.
Inari took three steps back and waited for his target to collapse. A fraction of second was enough for him to realize that the seal hadn't worked as intended. The ink marking seemed to travel along Lee's jaw and "fill" the scars on his left body.

To say the Kitsune was baffled would be an understatement. He couldn't see what could possibly cause such a phenomenon and he felt the reason was a significant issue. His musing was interrupted by te sudden charge of his opponent. He barely avoided the first heavy blow, rolled to the side before parrying the second kick. A third kick landed under his chin and sent him flying a few feet up in the air. Lee went to punch him but Inari caught his fist and round kicked him back down. They both landed almost simultaneously.

Another crash, much closer this time, alerted both of them. A blur was soaring through the air and it was only thanks to honed reflexes that they jumped out of the way in time. The flying "objet" collided with a tree and it stopped it's course. When the smoke cleared, a crumbling sand golem was revealed and they turned around to see who had just defeated it.

Lee immediately recognized the signature red hair of an Uzumaki but it didn't seem to be Higure. He then remembered having seen another Uzumaki earlier during the team vs team matches. What was his name again ? Shun ? No, something with a J...

On the other hand, the Kitsune was standing frozen in apprehension. He knew Jin was a powerhouse and that foreign shinobi seemed to be very similar. Engaging both at the same time would put him at a great disadvantage.
While it was against the rules for the contestants to interact, they could both attack him at the same time without elaborating a plan and thus not really cooperating. And judging from the look on Jin's face, he was perfectly aware of this as well.

A grating sound pierced the silence - the Release Seal. And an eye-bat later-

Lee watched in awe as the black haired Kitsune flew back in the same direction as the golem from earlier. He also collided with a tree but this time flew past it and crashed into several more of them before his progression came to a halt. Lee gazed at Inari attentively, noting how he wasn't knocked out despite the damage. Actually, he still looked rather fine.