Escape [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 23: Watch Me

Ayuda's P.O.V

Hayate Gekkou walked towards the motionless figure once the smoke had reduced into thin air. Fearing the worst, I followed suit, moving closer to Yushin who was lying flat on his back. His arms and legs were spread widely on the floor. His eyes were closed while his mouth was slightly ajar. Bruises and dark spots that stained his skin and clothes could be seen as clear as a day. There were two arrows stuck in both of his thighs. The last arrow was nowhere to be seen. It was quite obvious that he had fallen unconscious.

I gulped down a lump in my throat. Why is he not moving? He's not dead, right? I didn't know that my last attack was that bad. I also didn't expect to see my ordinary arrow blast off like that.

When Hayate and I reached to his sides, the judge crouched down and inspected Yushin's condition carefully. I heaved a delighted sigh of relief when I detected the small movements of his chest. That means he is still breathing. He is still alive then...

Hayate stood up straight without haste or urgency. His fist flew to his mouth and he coughed twice; the fist partially blocking his cough – and possibly the bacteria – from spreading all over the air. He then directed his gaze to me. His other free hand gestured to me and announced, "The winner of the first match is Ayuda Makino."

"Yaaayy!!" Kaito was the first to scream in exhilaration. He was punching the air with his fists before he suddenly gripped Naruto's collar and shook him back and forth out of excitement, "I told you she can win this! I told you!"

"That was awesome, Ayuda-san!" Rock Lee's voice resonated across the big room. I shifted my attention to him in an instant because he was one of those people who I had never expected that would root for me.

I sent him a 'thank-you' smile to Rock Lee. I then threw some glances at his teammates. Tenten was giving me a smile of approval while Neji, who crossed his arms over his chest, stared at me with an unsmiling look on his face. I could faintly notice the interest that was gleaming in his eyes. I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him.

Two medical ninjas came out of nowhere with a stretcher in their hands. They set the stretcher down on the floor, carefully picked the passed out Yushin and laid him down on the stretcher. They proceeded to take him out of the room without a word.

I jumped to the balcony and landed somewhere near my team. As soon as I got there, I was congratulated by my teammates and Shiori. I had to admit that I was proud, but I tried to stay as humble as I can. All I said was 'thank you' with a genuine smile curving my pale lips.

"Hey," a very familiar voice had caught my attention that instant. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about him... I turned to look at Sasuke, half-expecting that there was a smirk curving his lips. And yes, I was right. He was smirking. But the pain in his charcoal eyes didn't go unnoticed by me. His right hand was already holding onto his left shoulder. That mark...

To be frank, I was still concerned about him. I had the urge to convince him to change his mind before it's too late, but I was already aware that my words wouldn't affect him. This was one of those moments he has been waiting for. He would refuse to forfeit from the preliminary match no matter what. I bet that even if I stood on my knees before him and begged, he would undoubtedly ignore me and my request.

Despite these thoughts that have crossed my mind at the moment, I stretched my lips into a fake smirk. There is nothing I can do now to stop him. All I can give him is my support.

"Are you scared to fight me now, Sasuke?" I said cockily with a fruity voice.

"Hn, it's actually quite the opposite," the ravenette said in response; his smirk has gotten wider than before, "And remember, Ayuda. Yes, you won your match against Yushin, but that doesn't mean that you can defeat me."