Warped

Calvary Battles

     As much as Sakura hated swearing, the way Midoriya had won was the biggest asspull she had ever seen. Maybe it was because she didn't like him, as Team 7 managed a ton of those, but it just felt different. The boy that can only injure himself to win -for now- won by using the landmines in the field.

     It was so improbable, so unlikely, and even extreme to think that he could do that. Sakura hated it, hated the fact that he could do it as a knockoff that managed to get this strong under a year. Naruto trained to be a ninja when he was small, using his years and years of experience to demolish his enemies. Yet here there's a pipsqueak that landed himself huge powers and doesn't even have a shred of the amount of determination Naruto had.

     Maybe she was being unfair in her comparison, especially from the different worlds and upbringings factor. Still, for Midoriya to be favored so strongly in this world, having the fate to become a hero everyone looked up to... What about her training for countless years just to be fodder for a breakthrough? Sakura, who was more powerful and experienced than Midoriya, yet her fate was just to die again.

     No, this time had to be different. Sakura wanted to change her fate... Hopefully.

     "You're bleeding, " Hitoshi pointed out suddenly.

      Taking a deep breath and relaxing, she stared at her palms, dug in so deep that blood streamed out. Hands now bloody, she had Hitoshi go through her pouch to grab bandages. Stopping the bleeding, he wrapped it professionally, just like he did so during rough training sessions.

     "Mmn, you've gotten a lot better at this."

     "Only because you forced me to, " he scoffed.

     "Don't be mad, " she pouted, "If you want to feel better, let's just congratulate Mr. #1 on his bandanna."

     "I'm not teasing him."

     "Your loss... And make sure you get our group members."

      As the pinkette walked away, she waved him off, leaving him with the work of finding people. It wouldn't be that hard if he just brainwashed the whole group though.

     "Hey, knockoff, " she greeted him with a grin, hitting him on the back rather hard, "How's member searching going for you? Everyone should want the first place guy cause they should be the best, right?"

     "S-Sakura-san, " he stuttered, looking away.

     "Hey, don't be like that. My group won't target yours, so that gets a lot off your back, right?"

     "S-sure."

     He wouldn't to dare meet her eyes. He looked guilty as he stared at the floor though. Why did he look guilty? No, his eyes glanced at her quickly. She recognized that look too, the one she was subjected to back in her old world. It was pity. Everyone looked like that back then, no matter if they were hero or villain. She hated being underestimated and looked at as if she can't achieve anything alone.

     "Hey, why are you pitying me?"

     Midoriya flinched back, reconfirming her suspicions. 

     Her lips pressed into a thin line as she tried not to snap at him. Sakura was used to it, after all. She had to just recall what she used to suppress her hatred for pity before. 

     Right, that was the belief that she truly was weak.

     Turning away from him, Sakura trampled away her anger and excused herself without a second thought, not even looking back once. She knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to contain her emotions any longer.

     "Sakura, what happened-"

     He stopped when he saw her face, devoid of all light and bordering on hopeless. "Don't talk to me right now."

     A pang hit his heart at being treated so coldly by his friend. Of course, he tried not to feel hurt -It was only natural for all the things on her shoulders- but he couldn't stop the lingering pain. 

     Clearing his throat, he announced, ignoring what she had said earlier, "You'll be the one on top for the Calvary Battle, Sakura."

    "... You're still a twig, Hitoshi."

    "Then it should be?" he then motioned to the other teammates, all brainwashed via his quirk.

    "You, " she stated, "You're the biggest liability, since I prohibited you from using a noticeable amount of chakra."

     He sighed, giving in, "Alright, I'll do it."

    When the game started, Sakura could feel the pressure set in, but hers and Hitoshi's presences rendered mostly unnoticed. Everyone else's eyes were on Midoriya's group with the 1,000,000 point bandanna. 

      Trained in the ninja arts, Hitoshi was able to use those same moves into his puppets, allowing them to snatch points left and right. No one cared about them, it was though no one knew they existed.

      Everything  at first went according to plan, down to the finest detail. Sakura would snatch away the bandanna with her quick, feather touch without the opponent knowing. However, it was obvious that people would soon realize that their bandanna's themselves were missing.

     This was when Neito Monoma came in with his brash and arrogant attitude, who also claimed many bandannas for his own team. He was the one that allowed others to realize that Midoriya's bandanna wasn't the only way to win. His actions were also stupid, making him suffer defeat.

    No, the only way they'd get past would be by throwing themselves into the fray and... Get involved with the biggest three contenders. It wasn't safe, but definitely the best bet if they wanted to keep their points.

     She would propose an alliance for the rest of the duration of the Calvary Battles to Izuku Midoriya. Sakura didn't want to deal with him so soon, but she needed the other teams off her back. Bakugou would stay focused on Izuku because of his personal vendetta, so she'd just have to deal with Todoroki, who just wanted to win.

     Just before Bakugou managed to steal another bandanna from Izuku's team, they barreled on through, making Bakugou's team go back to dodge.

     "Midoriya! I call a truce for now. I said I wasn't going to take any of your team's bandannas and I stand with my words... We'll help you get enough points back to make it into the top four teams... Okay?"

      Hitoshi, who had no prior knowledge nor consent of her actions just sat atop with a horrified expression. "What do you mean truce?"