I am a Dancer (Naruto fanfiction)

30: Dominating Rivals

"Hirano, are you from this world?" Shikamaru asked me. "Were you raised in a ninja village?"

I swallowed thickly and stared bravely back at him. "No. I'm not from here, and I wasn't raised in a ninja village."

"Where are you from?"

"I don't remember what's it called."

They all looked incredulously at me. Almost as if to say "Really?" or "You're kidding, right?"

"I don't remember!" I shot back, irritated with their scowls. "I don't remember my family, I don't remember my hometown, siblings, friends, life--nothing!"

"Hey!" Choji warned. "Calm down. We're trying to figure this out." I crossed my arms angrily.

Silence fell over us. No one knew what to say. What were they supposed to say to a dimension traveler? "Does Hokage-sama know?" Ino asked, her face in a deep frown.

"Lady Tsunade and Lord Third do know I'm here," I responded hotly. "Lord Third allowed me to stay once he deemed me 'safe'. Lady Hokage only allowed me to stay once I had complete her exam."

"Is that you?" Hinata asked, pointing to the picture. "It kind of looks like you..."

"I was probably nine at the time," I recalled. "Maybe a little older. But enough of that. What are you guys going to do?" I demanded, looking at the rest.

"Let's solve this whole mess later," Kiba pipped up. "You're our client now, so we need to protect you. Doesn't matter what's your background now, right?"

"Yeah, we'll definitely protect you! So you don't need to worry!" Naruto beamed at me.

"It's all of us, Naruto," Sakura scolded, but smiled nonetheless.

"Right. Thanks, Naruto," I returned. "Now what's this competition about?"

Two days later, I stood in a room full of girls about my age. According to Shikamaru, I was up against 278 girls. We would all compete for the first round, then 150 girls would get selected. After the second round, only one hundred girls would be selected and so on.

The winner of the competition would get a mansion, land, and money. I don't really want that, but whatever. This a mission I have to do.

For the first competition, we were asked about clothing. From noblewomen robes to children's play clothes, we had to examine each article and determine the right answer. Fortunately, I had some experience in the level of clothes, as someone who has danced different themes before.

When the proctors showed us the scores, I was relieved to see I was in the top 150 girls. The other 138 were eliminated.

"I wonder why they want us to identify clothes," I whispered to a random girl.

"Maybe they're looking for a possible noblewoman?" The girl thought out loud, pleased with the thought.

"Maybe."

When the second competition came, we were given a two hour long written exam.

Two full hours.

The test covered everything from geographical facts to political views and even required at least four essays about humanitarian questions. I was tired out. I did my best, but I knew most of them were guesses. I didn't know my geography very well.

When the scores came out, I was a little disappointed to see I was the second to last girl on the top hundred list.

"That was easy!" Other girls boasted proudly. "I could do it in my sleep."

"Same, it's no surprise we all have perfect scores."

The third competition consisted of physical workouts. We were told to run until we couldn't run anymore. ("Run until you drop!" The proctor yelled.)

I may be a ninja, but many other girls were too. They acted like this whole test was a joke. They were always at the top, infuriating me and several others.

I need to win! I thought angrily, pushing past my limits and running as fast as I could.

I managed to land in the middle of the top fifty. The first fifty people to stop running were also eliminated.

I'm still not satisfied with myself, I whined at my reflection in the girls' bathroom mirror. I need to be faster and more experienced than anyone else.

Then in the corner of my eye, I saw something flitting behind me. Afraid and frozen to the spot, I widened my eyes and stared at the mirror. A little ball of light flew past me and through the bathroom door.

I wanted to run away and forget, but my feet refused to cooperate. My legs took me outside and to an elevated area that overlooked the village. No ball of light was around. In fact, I didn't know if I was dreaming or not.

As I leaned against the railing, questions ran through my mind. What do I want from this world? What do I want from myself? Why am I fighting so hard to stay in this competition? Is there a purpose for me to remain in this world?

I stared at the village from the bench I was standing on. "Hey..." I said to no one in particular. "Do I have a home? Do I have a purpose to live? If so...can you take me home?"

No one spoke back.

Overwhelming sadness and pain seized me. Not knowing your background or the people you once knew was both terrifying and inexplicably painful. Memories were important. They created your personality. They made you who you are now.