I stood over the three Sound teammates, looking down at their unconscious and scroll-less bodies. One senbon each was stuck in their necks, in their knockout points.
Haku’s eyes were wide in shock; he was surprised to see me unharmed, I realized.
I turned towards him and the others. Sakura - a short haired Sakura-, Naruto, Sasuke and Haku were all roughed up a bit, and Sasuke even turned around to throw up blood. When I turned back around to the three Sound nin, Haku was already beginning to heal him.
I wouldn’t kill them. It would not be a very good way to start off my own allegiance to Sound.
Then, I was knocked over. I stumbled, trying to keep my balance, but it was in vain as another force knocked into me, then another, then... a very hesitant fourth. We were all on the ground. Or rather, I was on the ground and every one else was on a dog pile on me. I looked over each of them, whose arms were wrapped around me. Sakura's shoulders were shaking with sobs, Haku was still, Naruto was also crying but not as much as Sakura, and Sasuke was... also still.
"...Now, this is a very unexpected display of affection," I began slowly, wondering where I was going with this. "Will anyone tell me what brought this on?"
"Nee-chan, you b-baka!" Sakura cried, bringing her fist down but accidentally hitting Naruto rather than me. "I thought you were dead! Again!"
I opened my mouth to speak, but then I closed it.
What could I even say to that?
"Tsu-chan," Haku said, muffled by my clothes. "Don't ever go fight someone like that on your own ever again."
I merely closed my eyes.
This was... nice.
But it hurt so much, knowing that I would betray them in a few month's time.
"...So, Sakura, what happened to your hair?"
〰️❇️〰️
“Alright now, maggots!" Anko yelled, getting all of the participants' attention. I looked up at her, scowling; Lord Third's little dog. "Hokage-sama is going to explain the third exam to you. You better listen carefully!" She ordered, spinning around. "Alright, Lord Hokage, they’re all yours." The Hokage stepped forwards, a cordial smile resting upon his old face. It took all I had to not break something at the sight of him.
"All I ask for you, my final request to you heart-to-heart... please, take care of the village. I have a feeling that I will not be alive for much longer, so I do not wish for us to be on bad terms even in my death," he requested. "Just- understand that I need to to watch over the village. Be the protector that I know you are."
...He truly knows nothing.
I looked at him, as his sweet old man demeanor fooled everyone who didn't know about the horrors he's allowed- or at least are too brainwashed to care. I hate him... He's disgusting.
He's a true monster... A true traitor to Konoha.
With that, my feelings of guilt washed away; I was doing the world - the village - a favor by getting rid of him.
