Shikamaru hit the ground hard.
For a split second, the impact snapped the air from his lungs. Dust filled his mouth and nose, gritty and choking, and the taste of iron spread across his tongue. His fingers clawed weakly at the dirt, trying to push himself up.
His body didn't listen.
Darkness pulsed at the edges of his vision, closing in with every heartbeat.
Above him, laughter rang out.
"Aww… did I break you already?" Airi's voice floated down, syrupy sweet. "That was fast. I thought the famous Nara brain would last a little longer~"
Shikamaru forced one eye open.
Her silhouette swayed lazily against the sky, hands clasped behind her back like a girl enjoying a walk. The split face was gone now.
She looked perfectly normal again.
That made it worse.
His chest tightened painfully.
"…Get… away from him!" Ino's voice cracked.
A rush of footsteps. The sharp whistle of a kunai cutting through the air.
Airi tilted her head.
The Kunai stopped inches from her cheek.
It hung there, trembling, suspended in midair.
Ino's eyes widened. Her arm strained forward, but the kunai wouldn't move another centimeter.
Seeing that the attack hadn't worked, Ino quickly put distance between them, her kunai still held tightly in her telekinesis as she retreated.
"Oh?" Airi hummed, examining the weapon with mild curiosity. "Telekinesis is exclusive to the Tachibana clan, you know. Mine's just even… better."
With a lazy flick of her fingers, the kunai spun around.
And shot back.
"Ino!" Shikamaru rasped.
She twisted at the last second. The kunai grazed her shoulder instead of her throat, tearing cloth and flesh in a thin red line. She stumbled back with a hiss of pain, clutching the wound.
Airi pouted.
"You dodged. That's cheating."
Shikamaru's ears rang violently, a constant buzz layered with distant voices... sometimes far away, sometimes right beside him—as if dozens of people were whispering at once.
No… stay awake… no… it can't end like this… I…
"Hm~ Oops. He's finally down…" Airi glanced at Shikamaru, then at Ino. She clapped her hands lightly and turned around, strolling into the forest with calm, cheerful steps that caught Ino completely off guard.
"H-Hey, wait… where are you going? What are you planning now?" Ino asked despite the fear clawing at her chest. She knew that question alone could get her killed.
This monster had killed Choji without hesitation, toyed with their minds, and now… it was just leaving? Letting them go? For what reason?
"I've had my fun. And besides, if you don't live, how else would you remember this wonderful performance?" Airi said lightly, her tone almost playful.
"Wouldn't that make it all meaningless? How lame would that be… So remember. Remember everything and live with it."
With that, she vanished into the forest, leaving behind a stunned, pale Ino and a silence that felt heavier than any scream.
--
Airi hummed softly as she moved through the forest, her steps light and carefree, as if she had just finished a pleasant stroll rather than a massacre. The tune drifted between the trees—until another sound cut through it.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
She stopped mid-step.
Slowly, she turned toward the source. A figure emerged from the shadows of the trees—an orange spiral mask catching the dim light.
It was Tobi.
"Zetsu… you really outdid yourself this time," he said, clapping a few more times in exaggerated praise. "It was magnificent. I'm sure Captain would regret not witnessing it himself. This was something else."
Airi tilted her head slightly. Beneath her skin, a subtle ripple passed—like something alive shifting just out of sight. This wasn't just Airi anymore.
This was Obito's first true experiment in soul fusion.
The Zetsu that had merged with her had originally been created from a female White Zetsu body.
Airi herself had also been female. When their souls fused, they didn't overwrite one another... they intertwined, collapsed inward, and reformed into a completely new existence.
Not Airi.
Not Zetsu.
Something born from both.
Zetsu shrugged through her body, the gesture oddly natural. Airi—no, the fused being—stroked her chin in thought.
"So what should we call this? Zetsu Airi? Airi Zetsu?" she mused aloud.
Then she waved a hand dismissively and shook her head.
"Eh, doesn't matter. I've already sorted the whole scene in my head. Next time we can play it for him in HD quality."
"That's awesome!" Tobi said cheerfully, practically bouncing in place. "I wanna watch it again!"
Her lips curled into a faint smile. Without another word, the two figures turned and walked deeper into the forest, their silhouettes swallowed by the darkness until nothing remained but the quiet rustling of leaves.
--
And just like that, time passed.
The second exam in Konoha Village came to an end.
Inside the central tower, eight teams had passed under their respective banners—a total of twenty-four shinobi.
The Snow Hidden Village team cleared the exam as the first group. As their leader, Yugao was invited into the central tower.
Among the gathered jōnin, Yugao stood out slightly. As a young jōnin from another village, her presence was naturally conspicuous.
Below, the twenty-four genin stood lined up in formation.
Within the Konoha ranks, Naruto glanced at the group standing nearby, eyes widening in surprise.
"Hey… it's those guys… and she's even prettier than Sakura-chan and—!"
Before he could finish—
"Mmph! Mm!"
"Idiot!"
Sakura, her short hair framing the scar on her forehead, clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth.
"Don't talk about people like that right in front of them!"
She scolded him angrily, then secretly glanced at Haku with a conflicted expression.
I lost… I seriously lost… She's way too pretty… damn it. Sakura thought bitterly.
She quickly turned to check Sasuke.
Fortunately, Sasuke didn't seem interested in the commotion at all.
The small disturbance drew the attention of the surrounding shinobi.
"What a beautiful girl…"
After noticing Haku, several genin stared in open amazement.
"Tch."
Hearing the whispers, Karin clicked her tongue in mild amusement. She glanced at Haku, dressed in black, long dark hair swaying slightly as he turned in response to her gaze, and felt momentarily speechless.
Why is a guy that pretty…? If I looked like that, maybe Lord would've taken notice of me by now… Tch, damn it. Karin thought irritably.
"Alright, silence!"
A voice rang out from the steps, instantly quieting the room.
After the Third Hokage finished speaking, Hayate Gekkō stepped forward as the chief examiner. He announced that too many candidates had passed the second stage, so preliminary matches would be held—one-on-one battles.
Ignoring the scattered complaints, the qualifiers began immediately.
Yakushi Kabuto withdrew on the grounds of physical discomfort, claiming he didn't want to aggravate his condition. His sudden resignation left Naruto visibly confused.
With Kabuto stepping out, twenty-three participants remained. One person would automatically advance to the next round with a bye.
Soon after, the screen on the wall flashed:
Uchiha Sasuke VS Yoroi Akadō
The two competitors remained on the field while the supervising jōnin and the other genin moved up to the second-floor viewing area, clearing the arena below.
"How does it feel?" Yugao asked with a faint smile after leading the Snow team upstairs.
"It's nothing special. Way too easy. I barely even had fun," Karin replied with a shrug, hands tucked in her pockets, expression bored.
"Hm."
Yugao smiled lightly and said no more.
She knew the Snow team's true strength. For them, this exam was honestly overkill.
Moments later, the first match officially began.
The instant the signal was given, Sasuke vanished.
Before many spectators could even react, he reappeared in front of his opponent, who didn't have time to form a single hand seal. Sasuke's palm struck across the man's face in a sharp blur.
The opponent collapsed unconscious.
Several people winced and instinctively covered their faces.
"Damn… that guy really likes hitting people in the face…" Kankurō muttered darkly, his own cheek twitching in sympathy.
"So… what do you think?" Haku asked softly, watching the black-haired boy return calmly to his team.
"It's hard to judge. That guy wasn't strong enough to push him. Still… for his age, he's definitely impressive," Karin replied, eyes half-closed, not overly invested.
"That isn't the full extent of his strength," Kimimaro said evenly. "If that were all he had, Lord wouldn't favor him."
He still remembered asking his lord once who among them had the greatest potential to become his right-hand man. At the time, the answer had been Tobi. Kimimaro had accepted that without complaint.
Lord Tobi's strength was undeniable—easily among the greatest in the shinobi world.
But the next name he heard had been harder to accept.
As for the one with the most potential… it should be that kid, Sasuke. He still needs tuning, but his talent surpasses all of you.
"Tch… I hate to admit it, but Commander Bones is right," Karin muttered, lips pursed. "That emo kid's got something."
Hinata and Haku both nodded.
Some time ago, Obito had personally instructed them and shared basic intelligence on many matters. They naturally recognized that Sasuke had been trained by Uchiha Obito.
As they continued chatting, the matches progressed one after another.
The second match was Shino's. He seemed distracted for some reason, but he still secured victory in the end.
The third match featured Kankurō, who won decisively.
The fourth match—Sakura Haruno versus Ino Yamanaka—ended in a draw.
"Tch… boring…"
Karin looked down at the arena. Sakura now supported Ino, worry clear on her face as she guided her friend away. Ino looked unusually pale, far from her usual energetic self.
Then came the fifth match.
It was the Snow Hidden team's turn.
The names on the wall spun for several seconds before stopping.
Tenten VS Uzumaki Karin!
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