Chapter 63: I Was Here First!
The girl with the cream-blonde hair eased the door open one careful centimeter at a time, eyes bright with the particular glee of someone about to pull off a perfect surprise.
The handle turned with the faintest click. The door swung inward with a soft creak — she winced and slowed down even more.
Ino Yamanaka was going to give her best friend the surprise of her life.
She got the surprise instead.
There was Sakura, fast asleep in bed —
— and wrapped around her like a red octopus, limbs thoroughly tangled, was something.
The moment the door cracked open, Sakura's eyes snapped wide.
"Ino?"
She blinked at the girl frozen in the doorway. Ino's expression was cycling through approximately five things at once — shock, betrayal, wounded indignation, a specific flavor of heartbreak — lips pressed tight in a pout that could have leveled buildings.
It had been two days since Team Seven reached the central tower. The Forest of Death ran for a full seven days, and early arrivals were expected to sit tight until the stage ended — hence the dormitories, two to a room, which had naturally meant Sakura and Karin sharing.
"Sakura."
Ino's voice was dangerously quiet. She pointed at Karin.
"Who is that."
Sakura swung her legs off the bed, detached one of Karin's arms from around her waist, found her slippers, and smoothly guided Ino back out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her with a gentle click.
In the room, the moment the door closed, Karin opened one eye.
"Sakura!"
"Who is she!"
"You're sharing a room with her?!"
Ino stared at the pink-haired girl standing in the corridor in her pajamas and felt something combust in her chest.
Unbelievable.
I've never even gotten to share a room with Sakura.
And some complete stranger just — just waltzes in and—
I was here FIRST.
She bit down on the inside of her cheek.
Sakura scratched the back of her head. She had the distinct and inexplicable impression that there were actual flames rising somewhere behind Ino's shoulders. And the feeling underneath that was—
She threw the thought out.
I am a man of iron will who has sworn off all romantic entanglements. I refuse to be derailed by something this ridiculous.
"Ino," she said, with great patience. "Let me explain."
"I don't want to hear it!"
Sakura: ...(°Δ°`)
After considerable effort, Sakura successfully talked Ino down, sent her back to her own room, and returned to bed. She pulled the covers up and stared at the ceiling.
I am, objectively, a girl. Why am I spending energy soothing one girl on behalf of another girl?
It was a question she had genuinely never had cause to consider before. The angle of it was strange enough that she turned it over for a moment before giving up.
Karin's arm settled across her waist again approximately four seconds after she lay back down.
Sakura glanced sideways at her.
I knew she was clingy. I prepared for clingy. She let out a breath. I did not fully appreciate the scope of clingy.
Three more days passed.
The full seven-day Forest of Death stage drew to a close, and the central tower had steadily filled with survivors. The Konoha Twelve had all made it — Karin had been quietly introduced to each of them in turn, guided by Sakura. She'd managed politely with most of them.
Ino, for her part, found fault with Karin at every available opportunity.
Karin, for Sakura's sake, endured it without comment.
That won't last, Sakura thought, watching the two of them from across the room. Karin's too sharp to stay quiet indefinitely. When the real Karin surfaces, things are going to get loud.
She found she was almost looking forward to it.
Now, all surviving candidates stood assembled in the tower's main hall. The jōnin team leaders had gathered on the second-floor corridor overhead. At the center of it all stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, because this was his exam and his village.
Sakura swept the room. The unfortunate Sound Trio — the ones who'd run into Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin — were here too, against all odds.
Hiruzen glanced at the diamond mark on Sakura's forehead. Said nothing. Looked away. And began to speak.
And speak.
And speak.
Sakura's face went neutral. In front of her, Naruto quietly started to yawn.
The jōnin overhead were doing the same politely blank faces. We know, sir. We all know. You could have covered this in two sentences, sir.
"Ahem — Lord Hokage."
A pale young man stepped forward — dark circles under his eyes, a ninja-to on his back, looking like he'd slept approximately never.
Sakura's attention sharpened.
There he is. The protagonist of a whole different story.
"Allow me take it from here."
Hiruzen stopped mid-sentence, worked his jaw slightly, and sighed.
"...Very well. I'll leave it to you, Hayate."
He clearly had more prepared.
Gekko Hayate kept it brief.
"Given the number of candidates who passed, the preliminary round will be single-elimination, drawn at random. Forfeiting does not affect your teammates' advancement." He looked around the room. "Anyone who wants to withdraw — now."
"I forfeit."
Kabuto Yakushi raised his hand without hesitation, calm as someone turning down a second helping of dinner.
A handful of other faces Sakura didn't recognize followed.
Worth noting: of the Iwa delegations, only one squad had made it to the tower — Kurotsuchi's. And Haitsuchi (or whoever) had just raised his hand to forfeit.
Kurotsuchi, at the head of her squad, arms crossed, did not spare him a glance.
Hayate confirmed no further forfeitures and activated the display screen overhead. Names scrolled and cycled and shuffled.
Sakura watched it without much investment.
Let's see. Beyond the Konoha Twelve, we've got two from Iwa, three Sand, three Sound, and a handful of extras. She ran the math. The only person in this room I actually need to take seriously is Gaara. Kurotsuchi's a real opponent, but "real opponent" and "threat" aren't the same thing — put her somewhere she can't keep flying around and she's manageable.
Besides, the old man wasn't going to let her draw Gaara or Kurotsuchi in the preliminaries. Those three — Sakura, Kurotsuchi, Gaara — were the showcases. The sharks dropped in to make the final tournament interesting.
You don't blow the main event on a warmup.
The first match appeared on the screen.
AKATSUCHI vs. KIN
(End of Chapter 63)