All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
"Don't come crying to me about not using the mutt when I sent you to the hospital, you dog-faced bastard," Bakugo warned Kiba for not wanting to use Akamaru during the fight.
"Today I'll make you regret the day you decided to become a ninja, Bakugo." Kiba got down on all fours, in his wild beast attack pose.
—Now, the fourth match...cough, cough, cough.—Hayate coughed. —Kiba Inuzuka and Katsuki Bakugo. BEGIN!—
" I wonder how strong he's gotten since becoming a genin," Kiba thought, striking a beastly pose. "The only thing that's changed about him is that weird sword, and he's not even carrying it. Ha! He might be so weak he couldn't even wield it in a fight."
Bakugo was about to activate his quirk but noticed a tingling in his forearms that reminded him of Kabuto's words.
— You feel a kind of tingling in your forearms, don't you?—
— Tsk. Don't think about that now. —He gave himself a mental order.
"I used to feel sorry for you and was going to finish you off right away. But you're a really hateful guy, so I'll play with you until you're forced to quit," Kiba said with an arrogant smile.
Bakugo was having his own trouble answering Kiba; his head was throbbing with memories of the past.
— Your arms won't hold up much longer if you keep abusing those explosions.—
—Fucking four-eyes. Even when I'm not here you're still messing with me about your crap.—Bakugo thought, hesitant about whether to use his quirk or not.
"Animal Technique! Four-Legged Technique!" Kiba clasped his hands together to perform the jutsu. Chakra oozed from every pore of his skin. His nails and fangs lengthened and sharpened, giving the genin a more animalistic appearance. "Here I come!"
Kiba launched himself at Bakugo with overwhelming speed, surprising him and sending him tumbling to the chest with Kiba's elbow. The impact sent the blond boy sprawling to the ground. But this did him more good than harm, as despite the fall, his shoulder, pierced by Orochimaru and healed by Kabuto, felt no pain whatsoever. This meant he no longer had to worry about the pain that had caused him so much trouble in the Forest of Death.
"Great. If my shoulder doesn't hurt, I might be in better shape than Four-Eyes thinks. Forearms aren't shoulders, but maybe Four-Eyes is wrong in his prediction," Bakugo thought, happily flashing a smile.
"Why are you smiling? Are you a masochist?" Kiba said incredulously.
"I'm smiling at how weak you are. This won't take me long," Bakugo replied, getting up from the ground.
"Grrr," Kiba growled, annoyed.
" Why would I lie to you, Bakugo? I've quit, so we're not rivals anymore. Lying to you doesn't benefit me in any way."
" Tsk. Although he might be right," Bakugo thought, clicking his tongue. "I know I said I didn't care about losing my arms as long as I didn't lose. But is this extra risk worth it? And what will I do later when I have to fight tougher opponents like the eyebrowless guy or the weird-eyed one? I definitely can't use my quirk against this loser."
"Take this!" Kiba launched a smoke bomb in Bakugo's direction.
" This jerk thinks I only know how to use my eyes!" Bakugo thought irritably, closing his eyes to prevent the smoke from damaging his corneas and easily dodging Kiba's attacks using his sense of hearing.
— When he examined your wounds, Kabuto whispered that you were one of them—
—Damn it, not that again. —Bakugo thought, remembering Sakura's words at such a delicate moment.
Bakugo's concentration vanished, and he began to take blows left and right from Kiba. Luckily for the ash-blond, the Team 8 genin's punches weren't very powerful.
When the smoke cleared, although the blows were not very strong, he received a large number of them, so Bakugo ended up very bruised, with a broken lip and eyebrow.
"Hahaha." Kiba laughed, positioning himself a couple of meters away from the blond. "Do you still think I'm weak, Bakugo?"
"Doubt is offensive. They were such weak blows that you make mosquito bites look terrible," Bakugo said, trying to stop thinking about Sakura's words and Kabuto.
"You asked for it, so I'm going to get serious." Kiba took two small black balls from his kunai pouch. "Akamaru!" He threw one ball to his dog, who swallowed it in one bite, and then ate the other.
From the stands, everyone watched the fight with anticipation.
"Kiba is going all out," Kurenai said with a smile.
"It's lucky Kiba listened to us and is taking it seriously. Believe it!" said Naruto, placing his hands behind his neck.
—Bakugo-kun...—Hinata whispered, worried.
"Akamaru has gotten big and red..." Sakura mused aloud. "Do you know what he and Kiba have been taking, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Soldier's Pills. They help increase chakra capacity and stamina. They're called that because they were developed by the military as a stimulant to allow them to endure fighting for three days and three nights without rest. Although it's a double-edged sword, when the effects wear off you end up terribly tired. But considering he'll only fight once today, it's an ideal food to increase his chances of success," Kakashi explained. "Right now, Kiba and Akamaru have at least doubled their chakra."
"But that's terrible!" Sakura said, distressed.
" What will you do now, Bakugo?" Kakashi thought, looking intently at his student.
Back in the fight, the ash-blond raised an eyebrow at Akamaru's new look.
"Didn't you say you weren't going to use the mutt, dog face?" asked Bakugo, who wasn't very impressed with his opponent's and Akamaru's change.
"I've changed my mind," Kiba replied. "GIJIN NINPO! (Beastly Multiplication)." Akamaru took on Kiba's appearance. "SHICKYAKU NO JUTSU! (Four-Legged Jutsu)!"
The two Kibas (the original and the transformed Akamaru) tried to hit Bakugo, but he was no longer surprised by his opponent's speed and was able to dodge it by jumping.
— Soy Kabuto Yakushi. —
—No ! Stop thinking about crap that has nothing to do with the fight!—
— This is the seventh time I've applied.
— Damn! —
— You've exceeded my expectations again, Bakugo. —
— Fuck, fuck, fuck. FUCK!—
—Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatsūga! (crossed fangs)—Kiba shouted
The two Kibas spun around at extremely high speed, each of them positioning themselves on opposite sides to make it difficult for Bakugo to dodge.
" He's like my Howitzer Impact!" Bakugo thought, alarmed. He hadn't expected Kiba to be so strong.
" I'm a little scared to go to the tower alone. There will be multiple teams around it preparing ambushes for people with issues like mine. So I was helping you; I was hoping you and your group would accompany me. If there are four of us, I'll feel more confident in a potential confrontation."
If Bakugo had little chance without his quirk and with his body exhausted, he had even less with his mind elsewhere, losing focus on the fight. All the blond could do was put up his arms as a shield. Obviously, it wasn't enough, and he was sent flying with numerous cuts from the sharp claws of the two Kibas.
Kiba undid his crossed fangs technique upon seeing Bakugo defeated on the ground.
"Well, well. I thought you were going to make it a little more difficult for me. You've been a disappointment even to me," said Kiba, already seeing himself as the winner.
"Shut up. If you don't want me to kill you..." Bakugo threatened, his voice weak. His message was directed at both Kiba and his subconscious.
— I was on my way to the tower to meet up with my companions. But on my journey, I heard some explosions and I became curious about what or who had caused them. I hid in a bush and saw you making the air explode with your hands, but there was no one there.
"Kill me? And how are you going to do it? By falling flat on your face?" Kiba said mockingly.
— That's because I'm a really good hideer. I'm actually terrified. Hehe.—
"I said shut up..." Bakugo insisted again.
— Who knows, maybe I'll take you up on that and ask you for a favor in the future, Bakugo—
"HAHAHAHAHAHA." Kiba laughed heartily. "Do you think a weakling like you has the right to tell me to shut up?"
— This... I resign.—
"Coward..." Bakugo whispered to the imaginary Kabuto in his head.
"Do us all a favor and resign now. You're starting to look pathetic," Kiba said contemptuously.
— I'll give you some advice... Give up on the exam. —
"Never..." Bakugo stood up from the ground, challenging Kiba with his gaze.
"YOU'RE CRAZY! A madman who's fooled everyone into letting you get here! I'll prove to everyone that you're a fraud! That you were never meant to be a ninja!" Kiba shouted, making himself look crazy, not Bakugo.
" Your body hasn't fully recovered from Orochimaru's wounds and the poison. You can barely stand. Any doctor in the world would forbid you from fighting."
— In the end, I'm going to have to use my quirk. — Bakugo thought.
"I'll tell you something no one has told you because you're pathetic! You only got this far because of the heir to the Uchiha clan! Because you're nobody! You're nothing!" Kiba shouted, beside himself.
" If you keep using your explosive jutsus, it won't be long before the chakra points in your arms burst. And with that, you'll never be able to move your arms again. You'll be crippled for the rest of your life."
"I don't care, I can't let this extra talk to me like that and get away with it," Bakugo thought to himself, somewhat numb from his injuries.
"Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted furiously. "Let's finish him off! Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatsūga!" (Crossed Fangs)
Although Bakugo wanted to use his Quirk, he felt too weak to do so. The devastating attack from the two Kibas lasted almost a minute, with Bakugo unable to dodge or stop it. They were simply too fast for his current body. Afterward, Kiba canceled the technique, somewhat exhausted from using it for so long.
Bakugo's face and bare torso were covered in wounds and cuts. It was a miracle he was still standing with so much blood loss, though he nearly collapsed.
"Someone stop the fight! Don't you realize Bakugo can't continue!" Ino shouted desperately from the stands.
—Kakashi-sensei, please. Do something.— said Sakura, with tears in her eyes.
" Should I stop the fight?" Kakashi thought hesitantly.
— In the Forbidden Forest, I thought you were dead, and I was wrong. I might be wrong about this too. I hope we meet again, Bakugo.—
" Why am I so sticky?" Bakugo thought, starting to ramble. "Is all this blood mine? Heh. I survived Orochimaru, but this extra bit is going to be the end of me." He gave a sad smile. But then his eyes widened. He was about to find the missing puzzle piece. "Wait a minute..."
— Your body hasn't fully recovered from Orochimaru's wounds and the poison. —
— ...from Orochimaru's wounds...—
" How did four-eyes know the reptile inflicted my wounds?" His weariness was magically evaporated by the adrenaline coursing through his body. "I didn't tell anyone about my encounter with the reptile, not even forehead girl or Sasuke."
"Examiner. I'm not responsible if you end up dead," Kiba warned Hayate.
" Perhaps I should stop the fight," Hayate thought, observing Bakugo.
— When he examined your wounds, Kabuto whispered that you were one of them—
—Don't tell me you're one of them, Bakugo-kun? One of those who came from another world.—
Bakugo froze. Memories of his conversation with Orochimaru returned after having been partially lost due to his resurrection. He finally understood what his inner self had been trying to tell him. Kabuto and Orochimaru were connected.
"That bastard..." Bakugo whispered, trembling with rage. He clenched his hands so tightly that his fingernails drew blood from his palms.
His gaze, transformed by rage, hatred, and determination, had become that of an untamed beast. Right now, Bakugo was more of a beast than Kiba and Akamaru combined.
"Everything is fine, Sakura," Kakashi assured his student, noticing the change in Bakugo.
—But...—Sakura said, confused.
"Trust me. Bakugo will win," Kakashi said confidently.
"Is this all you've got, Katsuki Bakugo?" Gaara thought, disappointed.
In the fighting area, Kiba expected Hayate to cancel the match. But the examiner shook his head, noticing, like Kakashi, the change in the ash-blond's bloodied face.
"The examiner doesn't like you very much, Bakugo. It seems like he wants me to kill you. Quit right now," Kiba warned him.
Bakugo ignored her words; his mind was elsewhere.
"You asked for it! Gatsūga!" The two Kibas spun around again in the direction of Bakugo.
The mix of adrenaline, hatred, and determination to have a more attainable goal than Orochimaru put Bakugo in a mental state that athletes call "being in the zone." Everything seemed to be in slow motion, so it was a breeze for him to recognize Kiba from Akamaru and strike him with all the pent-up anger and tension, delivering a punch to the jaw that left him unconscious and embedded in the ground.
N/A: Something similar to the fight between Luffy and Bellamy in One Piece happened.
"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up, extra..." Bakugo said, still furious, to an unconscious Kiba.
Akamaru regained his form and barked pitifully at his owner. Hayate quickly inspected Kiba's body and realized instantly that the Inuzuka clan member wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.
—Cough, cough. The winner of the fourth match is Katsuki Bakugo. —Hayate announced between coughs.