Shinobi x Assassin - Naruto fanfiction(COMPLETED)

Chapter 13 : The preliminaries

Akame P.O.V

"Sasuke-san...are you all right?"

Sasuke was panting and his face was deathly pale. I remembered what the man/woman/snake had said before leaving...

'If Sasuke survives it, the power he'll receive will be worthy of him. If he dies, then he was just trash to begin with...'

Please let me not regret the fact that I didn't tell about his curse mark to Kakashi-sensei...

Just as sensei had said...we were going to have a preliminary match before the finals since too many contestants made it past the second round.

The first match was Sasuke vs a sound ninja called Dosu.

Sasuke won...eventually but he had lost control of the curse mark for a while. Kakashi-sensei glared at us with an expression that clearly said, 'explain what's wrong with Sasuke'. The woman, Mitarashi Anko was talking with Kakashi-sensei in hushed tones.

Hopefully she knows how to suppress the curse mark...I could smell it on her after all. Suddenly she clutched at her neck, looked around her frantically and then removed her hand from her neck...pretending as if nothing happened. The place where her hand had been...had a mark similar to what Sasuke-san had at the same place...

Later Sakura had a match with Yamanaka Ino. Both of them lost...

Naruto vs Inuzuka Kiba led to Naruto's victory in a very um... unconventional manner...

Everyone was shocked when they saw Sabaaku no Gaara terribly hurt Rock Lee...it was too thrilling and scary a match.

Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto made it from konoha and Temari, Kankuro and Sabaaku no Gaara made if from Suna.

The final match for the day would be...

Metsujin Akame vs Kariya Mahiro!

I went down and took my place...

Naruto P.O.V

Akame was going to fight with that guy named Mahiro... I have no recollections of him from the first or the second round of the exam!

But I know I can trust Akame to win. Though she doesn't stand out as a genius like that teme Sasuke but she gives a feel that if there is something that needs to be done, she can get it done...

That Kariya looks... normal...

Akame and Kariya had a small staring match where none of them made a move. Both of them willed the other to make the first move. It was as it they were studying each other intently.

Both of them were silent. No energy wasted in talking or making useless moves.

I looked at Akame...I've never seen her look so serious.

Akame fingered her sword's hilt and Kariya was running his finger along the length of his kunai.

Suddenly Akame jumped to the side. Why? Then I noticed it...Kariya was no longer in front of her...he was behind her...

When did he go there? I don't remember him ever moving from the spot!

" Can you see sound? Well... I can..."

He can see sound? What the hell is up with that? Neji had activated his Byakugan and explained how Kariya had literally moved at the speed of sound and...Akame had actually noticed it and dodged it!

Suddenly Akame blocked her chest. Moments later, there was scratches all over her face, hands and legs.

I still didn't see him move! How fast is this jerk?

Akame had noticed my worried glance at me and smiled. She was watching the Kazekage with curiosity.

" It's fine...

I'll easily win this match...

I don't need to show my strength...

I just need to... kill him..."

The next second, Kariya was sprawled on the floor...almost dead and Akame was looking down on him...with a kunai in her stomach.

" Did you think that I'll let you win so easy? You're just my type...so I'm going to defeat you and make you mine...everything goes to the victor."

He let out a low whistle and Akame screamed. The kunai in her stomach expoded...

"Ah...your voice is indeed lovely and...I can use your voice as a source of sound against-"

Akame made a slash in thin air... If she disrupted soundwaves then their effect would get lessened. Kariya smiled but moments later he groaned.

Akame had slowly walked towards him and had held her sword(which she hadn't even removed from it's sheathe) at his neck.

" Why didn't you unsheathe your sword...am I too weak an opponent for you to even bother to do so?"

Akame pulled him up by the arm.

" No. I remove the sheathe only for assassination. You are strong...but the one I want to kill is not you...but if you haven't changed your mind then...I won't be too averse to going out with you... "

Akame and Kariya smiled! I've never seen such things happen before...

Akame and Kariya shook hands and walked out of the battle ground. Akame came and stood beside me as if she didn't just abandon a match...

The proctor Gekko Hayate coughed a bit and declared the results.

" Metsujin Akame vs Kariya results in a tie. Both clear to go to the next round."

Akame and Kariya both winked at each other. Everyone was looking at them with a flabbergasted expression...believe it!

Akame P.O.V

"Kakashi-sensei...are you allright?"

Naruto is the densest in our group but even he noticed that there was something wrong with Kakashi-sensei.

"So...did I miss s-something?"

"You did Kakashi-sensei. Akame fought with some guy from the sound village called Kariya and they tied...and they both qualified for the finals. It was a very weird but a very awesome match, sensei...believe it!"

Kakashi nodded and looked lost in thought. I walked up to him.

Akame: So is Sasuke okay now?

Kakashi : Yes he is. I have sealed his mark...that will withhold the curse mark as long as Sasuke doesn't intentionally break it.

Akame : I see. Did you meet someone... called Orochimaru? You have his scent on you.

Kakashi's eyes widened immediately.

Akame: Other than you, he had his scent on Sasuke, Anko-san and Kabuto-san...

Kakashi : Kabuto?

Akame : Yes. He is a genin from Konoha but he doesn't have a curse mark on him...neither do you...

Kakashi: I see. I just met Orochimaru. He had come to check Sasuke's condition. Keep an eye out to keep Sasuke safe.

Akame: I understand.

With that I walked away. One part of Orochimaru's speech kept ringing in my ear...

'Soon he shall come to find me... For power...'

I'll have to protect Sasuke-san. He is my client. Until I help him have his revenge on his brother Itachi, I can't let him get sidetracked...