Waiting Game

Chapter 22

I refused to take my eyes off of him. My skin crawled with paranoia; if I looked away from him even for a second, would I return to... there?

Flashes of a dark, cold room shot through my head. Sometimes I was chained, being suspended from touching a solid surface, sometimes I was left to weep on the cold hard ground. But each memory contained something in common.

Pain.

My breath caught, and it was like I was reminded how much I hated the Hokage all over again.

It was so constricting, to see the man scot free. To see the audacity he had to smirk, even in my presence. The rage, the anger, it was hurting me. Tears sprung at my eyes, and I wanted so desperately to use that pain to shed blood. I was so desperate... I felt it would be freeing to just bring a kunai to my throat. It was so, so tempting...

"Do you forget your place, Tsubaki?" The cold, grating voice of the Shinigami echoed through my head. I shook, trembling, trying to get my panic attack out as quickly as possible, or to just repress it. "My realm may be tempting as you have already suffered through all this world has to offer, but you must stay strong."

'Why?' I wanted to question. I wanted to retaliate to the death god's words, but I knew the one phrase that had been the answer -vague as it was- to my questions.

"Death does not yet accept you, Haruno Tsubaki."

The system was rigged.

Haku placed a hand on my shoulder, leading me to a desk with never ending patience. I looked up at the boy, seeing his solemn look.

He was smart. He could figure out who Ibiki was.

"I see," was all he said, eyes not meeting my own. 'Torturer.'

I watched as papers were passed out to each student, but my eyes never left Ibiki once I sat down. He ignored me, though I could tell that he knew I was there and watching him. I didn't bother with the test; what was the point of passing the Chunin exams if Ibiki was here, when Orochimaru was targeting me? What was the point if I were just to defect from Konoha anyway?

I knew that my patience only had so much. I would snap if I stayed in this wretched village for my entire life, and I could predict that I would eventually be so fed up that I'd leave. In fact, I'm close to doing that right now.

The Hokage knew this, I could guess easily. It wasn't well hidden.

Perhaps that's why he tried to make me loyal to Konoha. With that... halfhearted request for me to protect Konoha. It was his attempt to control me... repulsive. So why on earth would he have Ibiki of all people to proctor these exams...?

Is he trying to chase me away, or is he trying to make me stay?! Or is he just so stupid that he doesn't even realize how horrible he is doing with both?

The last one brought me amusement, and somehow seemed the most likely.

A glint of light reflected off of Kabuto's glasses as he gazed at me in secret. My glare was fixated on the head of T&I, not even bothering to see the stalker. A smirk graced Kabuto'a lips as he adjusted his glasses; it was just great to see me again, and Kabuto would quite enjoy using me to destroy Konoha.

What the little sh*t didn't realize was I knew exactly what he was thinking. I knew how he operated, I knew exactly how his mind functioned.

"Alright, listen up!" Ibiki suddenly barked, bringing me back to plotting his murder. "This is the tenth and final question! But, before I tell you the question there are a few more rules you should be aware of!" My eyes darkened. This was some sort of bluff... after spending a lot of my childhood with the tortured, I knew when he lied. I picked up the cues, and he was just about ready to lie. My eyes narrowed, anger filling me.

How many more lies do I have to hear?

Before he could go on, however, one of the Genin from the Sand entered the room, movements almost unnatural in nature. Ibiki directed his smirk towards the boy, knowing look in his eyes.

"Why are you here this time?" The man asked, eyes squinting in the knowing smile he held. A file was placed neatly on the wooden table, and he leaned back with his hands folded in his lap.

"I hope you found your trip to the bathroom... enlightening..."

I laid on the ground, beaten and bruised, tears beading up at my eyes yet my pride didn't allow the to fall.

"You must have found this session enlightening... enlightening you to never speak if this." A kunai was placed below my chin, and Ibiki brought it up so he could stare me right in the eye. "Well? Swear it, that Naruto will never learn of his parentage."

A scowl twisted at my face, and I spat out my answer.

"What's the point?" I breathed in, raggedly, spite pulling at my being. "It's not like Hiruzen can keep this secret forever!"

In a movement faster than my tired eyes could comprehend, my head was thrown to the side with a red, hand-shaped bruise growing on my cheek. A scowl was brought to Ibiki's face as well, and he brought his other hand -the one with the kunai- up.

"Wrong answer."

And then he brought it down.

The Sand boy looked panicked, but shuffled over to his seat quick enough. Ibiki then addressed the classroom as a whole, cocky smirk hiding the lie he was about to spit out.

"These rules are unique to question ten, so listen very carefully and try not to let them bother you. Very well then... Rule number one; each of you are free to chose whether you take the question." I caught on to the catch easily, as did many others.

"Whoa, what's the catch?" The blonde Sand Genin sneered. "Let's say we decide not to do it. What happens?"

Ibiki worked oddly, pulling rules out and manipulating them to alter one's sense on reality. I bet that there isn't even a tenth question, with the way he's building up for it.

My scowl only darkened.

'What a monster.'

Anko bust through the wall, and everything spiraled downwards from there.