When Akai finally woke up, she found herself already wrapped neatly in bandages, with Akito sleeping on the chair next to her, his head leaning on the bed she was laying on.

She pushed herself to sit up, and lifted her right hand. Her wrist doesn't hurt as much, but she still couldn't move it. A week or two, she predicted, until it's back to normal.

"... Akai?"

She turned, and smiled at Akito. "Hey." She whispered, her voice still hoarse.

His eyes widened, and he abruptly stood up. "You're awake!"

She gave him a small grin. "How long I was out? And the next round...?"

"Well... You have been unconscious for about two days, so... the next round of the exam will be held the day after tomorrow."

"Eh? Right after the last day at the forest? Won't we be given a break, tashikani?"

"The proctors predicted that there will be too many participants, so they would have to held a preliminary test."

Akai sighed, "Where is Shin?"

"Waiting for Sakura. I'll get him." Akito said, before he stood up and left the room.

A few seconds after he left, Ibiki walked in.

"How are you feeling?" The jōnin asked her, watching her every reaction. Akai gave him a reassuring smile, chuckling a bit.

"I'm alright, tashikani. Are you worried, Scarface?"

The said man scoffed. "I know you like it." He snapped, and this retort surprised Akai, "Can you tell me how could the Curse Mark disappear?"

Her eyes widened. "It did?!"

The man gave her a nod. "It just went all over your body, glowing and faded away. You were screaming."

"... I don't know..." She muttered, "But is it really gone?"

"Yeah. Be grateful. Even Anko couldn't explain what's happening."

Akai gave him a questioning look, and he scoffed. "Anko has had the Curse Mark for years already. You get it?" She nodded at this, "Then how about you answer my other question instead?" He asked.

"What's with the whole coughing up blood thing? You've been doing it often."

Her eyes widened. "I-It's nothing, tashikani!" She exclaimed, grinning.

Ibiki growled. "Don't give me that, brat. I am an interrogator. You can't lie to me."

Her looks changed, from happy into a serious one. She looked down, and began to play with the bandages around her fingers.

"I'm just overusing my chakra..."

"I'm sure it's more than that, Akai. Just tell me so I can help you."

Akai glared at him, clenching her fists. "You don't have to worry about it. I'm fine."

He huffed, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I hate to say this, Akai. I really do." He said, as he approached the door. He stopped, and grabbed the handle, looking down.

"But your selflessness will be the death of you."

| * | * | * | * | * |

"Did she say anything?" Kakashi asked, looking at his fellow jōnin in curiosity.

"No. She's as secretive as a human can be." Ibiki replied, "Any guess on what she's hiding?"

"From the looks of it, it might be poison. Not a wound, obviously."

"Maybe a sickness?" Another voice asked. The two males turned, to found a certain purple-haired kunoichi standing with her arms crossed.

"What makes you think so?"

"You said that she has been coughing up blood ever since the mission at Kiri, right?"

His eyes twitched. "T-That really... didn't cross my mind..."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You worry too much, Ibiki. She's been through a lot of things lately, but have some faith in her. She's a tough kid."

Kakashi chuckled, "Well, that's a sensei's instinct, Anko. You don't really understand because you were only a replacement."

Anko gave him a flat look. "Admit it, Hatake. You are still worried about your little Uchiha."

The silver-haired man gave his comrades a closed-eyed smile, and turned away. "I gotta go. I have to feed my little duck." He said, before he disappeared.

Ibiki sighed. "I will never believe he has a pet duck."

Anko laughed. "Anyways, I believe that brat will be fine. She has good teammates and great senseis. She can survive through us, what can go wrong?"

Ibiki stayed silent, watching as Anko waved and teleported away.

He let out a huff.

"I doubt it, Anko. Even the greatest shinobi can't fight if it's a sickness."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai was restricted to her bed for the rest of that day so that the nurses could finish their tests and make sure that she was okay.

Needless to say, Akai was miserable.

Not because she was in pain, but because she wasn't used to not being moving. She wasn't used to be stationary for a long period of time and it was killing her. Every once in a while a nurse would walk in and Akai would be trying to sneak out of the bed and the room, and this would lead to a screaming match between the blue haired pre-teen and whichever nurse was there to check on her.

That is until Ibiki walked in the room during one of these screaming matches.

"I don't need to lay in bed anymore, tashikani!! I'm fine, see?!" She said throwing her arms around and jumping around with her back to Ibiki. The nurse sighed heavily, tapping her foot slightly at the shinobi.

"Akai, you need to lay down, just for a little bit longer! We just need to run a few more tests and then you'll be all done, I promise!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME YOU WITCH!!" Akai screamed, and the nurses look turned into a glare, and that's when Ibiki stepped in.

"Akai. That's enough." He said, and Akai slowly turned around with wide eyes, before smiling and scratching the back of her head.

"Ibiki! When did you get here?" She asked.

"I saw the entire screaming match between you and the nurse." He said, and she scoffed slightly.

"It was hardly a screaming match, tashikani. It was more a... raised voice conversation." She said with a laugh, and Ibiki sigh slightly, shaking his head.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He said before nodding his head towards the door. "Come on, I'm signing you out so we can go back for the preliminary round. Go on out, I'll meet you there." He said. Akai jumped up and took off running out the door, but not before sticking her tongue out at the nurse.

Once Akai was out of sight, Ibiki turned towards the nurse and sighed. "Did the test come back with anything?" He asked and the nurse shook her head.

"The tests we get to run came back with nothing, and you took her before we could finish anymore." She said, and Ibiki sighed before shaking his head.

"Thank you anyways." He said, before he left the building, approaching Akai, who was standing at the outside of the hospital.

"Are you ready to go to Shin and Akito?" Ibiki said with straight face, and Akai nodded quickly.

"Let's go, tashikani!!"

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai sat cross-legged, leaning on the metal railings behind her, staring at the two boys in front of her as she spinned her dagger around her fingers. Finally, she let out a groan.

"Is it just me, or the greeting speech is too long, tashikani?" She asked.

Ibiki, who was standing next to her, scoffed and lightly punched her head. "It is for brats like you. Although, it seems like it's not working."

"Actually, Akai, I agree with you." Akito commented, "I want to finish this as soon as possible." he muttered, once again tracing the sheath of his new katana, from the end of the hilt to the tip of the blade, "I can't wait to try this out."

Akai grinned. "Katanas aren't my type. They give too clean a cut. But the blades are good, they're perfect for assasination. And it's not as heavy as my sword, so I think I will have to borrow it for my fight. Is it okay?"

"Of course, but make sure not to make it too dirty, tashikani." Akito replied, using a mocking tone on the last word.

"Are you serious?! Blades are meant to be drenched in blood! And it's not funny!"

Before Akito could retort back, Shin had already beat him into it. "Stop it, you two. Have some mercy. Most of the teams had just arrived this morning. Especially my sister. Don't you realize she has been glaring at you?"

Akai shrugged. "I don't care. I want to fight, that's all."

"You're injured, gaki. You can't even lift your right arm up. And you can only lift a senbon or two with your right hand. How are you supposed to fight like that? Using a katana? I'm sure doing a handsign would already take a toll on your wrist." Ibiki stated calmly, not even looking at his female student.

The said girl growled at him. "My left arm is perfectly fine!

Ibiki shook his head. " I don't think you should continue, Akai. But I can't stop you. Just be careful, you-..."

"And now, our first match!"

All their attention was snapped towards the large screen.

"Haruno Shin vs Naokaze Akito!!"

Shin slowly turned, to meet Akito's eyes, as shocked as he is. "...This can't be real." The Haruno whispered.

Akito shook his head, and cringed. "But it is, my friend."

"You must be kidding me." Akai muttered, "Oi, just get down there, you two! You're lucky you don't get me as your opponent!"

"Haruno Shin and Naokaze Akito, could you please hurry come to the arena?" The jōnin called from below.

Akito grunted. He put his katana back to his side, before he grabbed the railing beside Akai. He climbed up, now standing on the metal railing, his back facing the arena.

"I'll take your advice, Akai. Blades are meant to be drenched in blood." The blonde said, as he jumped backwards, and did a backflip on the air, landing on his feet in the middle of the arena.

"What a dramatic entrance." Akai muttered, before she turned at Shin, "Just get down there, Pinky. I'm sure he won't kill you."

Shin shook his head. "Kami, have mercy." He begged, before he looked at Akai, "Let's hope that I won't die."

With that words, the boy jumped down, and landed swiftly on the ground.

Akai stood up, now looking at the arena, still leaning on the railing. She watched as her teammates walked towards each other, and turned at her.

"Wish us luck, Akai!"

She let out a laugh, waving at them. "I'm not going to cheer on anyone! It won't be fair! Just fight already, you two!"

The boys turned to each other, and bowed.

"Three... Two... One.."

"START!!"

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akito gave Shin a grin, "You know what? I really really want to know how does it feel to be a swordman, like Akai."

Shin sighed, pulling out a kunai. "You're hopeless. Are you obsessed with her or what?"

"E-Eh?! What are you talking about? I-I-..."

The Haruno smirked. "So you like her..."

"S-Shin! Don't you dare tell her!"

"I won't, as long as you win, Blondie!"

Akai narrowed her eyes at the sight of the panicking Akito. "Is it just me, or Shin is embarrassing Akito?"

"I have a feeling that they're talking about you." Ibiki replied, "Just watch. Things are getting interesting."

Akai smirked, flipping a coin in the air and caught it without looking. "... I wonder..." She finished, before he attention when back to the fight ahead of her.

"That's not fair!" Akito said, just before Shin rushed towards him with his kunai raised, only to be stopped by the katana on Akito's side. The two boys had their arms up in the air, their weapons pushing back against each other sightly.

"All is fair, my friend." He said, before pushing against the katana with a lot of force so that they would push back just enough for him to slid back from the embrace. Shin flipped back, landing on his feet and sliding back slightly.

"That's not true." Akito said before he ran at Shin with his katana over his head. The two met in an embrace in the middle, a clashing of their weapons echoing through the quiet arena. For a few moments, they continued to slash and smack their blades against each other, before they leaped away from.

Shin threw his kunai at his teammate, and Akito used his katana to smash it away. The two boys continue to fight with their weapons, the sounds of clashing metals echoing through the arena as people watched in silence.

After a few minutes, they leapt back from each other and starting panting. Akito stood up first, staring at Shin before he started to perform the handsigns. Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger.

"Fire style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Akito screamed out before he took a deep inhale and breathed out a large ball of fire toward Shin. The ball of fire completely covered where Shin would have been standing, but when it cleared, all that was there was a large block of wood.

"Sh*t." Akito said as he looked around the arena for Shin, but was met with a strong kick to the back of his head. Akito slid across the floor of the arena for a small amount, but quickly gathered himself to his feet. Once again, the boy turned to his teammate with a determined look on his face.

"What, scared you're going to lose?" Shin asked Akito in a taunting tone of voice.

"Lose to you? I'd have to be asleep." Akito replied, pulling out his blade and began to swing it around quickly, causing a slight brush of air towards his opposing teammate.

"Or you're trying to keep a big secret to yourself." Shin chuckled slightly before he once again rushed at Akito with a kunai. Akito smirked slightly before thrusting his blade forward, causing the large gush of wind he had been slowly creating to knock Shin back against the ground. Shin flew back slightly, his heading hitting the ground a couple of times as he slid.

"You always act as if you know everything, Shin. Much like your sister." Akito said, and from the side Sakura began to scream.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Shin's sister screamed, and Shin covered his face slightly as he attempted to sit back up from his hit along the ground.

"The witch is screaming and causing my head to hurt more." He said slightly, rubbing his head as his sister screamed back at him.

"IF AKITO DOESN'T KILL YOU DURING THIS, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"I beg you, so I don't have to hear you scream anymore."

"Alright!" Akito said. "Enough. It's almost as if you're stalling, like you don't want to fight me because you know you're going to lose."

Shin glared at the other boy, running at him with shurikens in his finger tips. As he got a little closer, he let the shurikens go. One or two managed to slice through Akito's close and give him a small cut.

With this, the Naokaze placed his hands in the handsigns and once again used the Fire Ball jutsu against his friend. The boy was using his chakra too fast, but he was going to let it show as much as it began to bother him.

The ball of fire missed Shin this time, but that didn't stop Akito from running into the smoke that was forming where the boys began to interact in hand to hand combat. After the smoke disappeared, Shin was laying on the ground, unconscious with small stars flying around his head.

"Since Shin Haruno is no longer able to fight, the winner is Akito Naokaze!"

| * | * | * | * | * |

"Next match: Akai vs Sameshi!"

"Woah, weird name he got there." Akai muttered, looking around, to realize that many people had began to whisper to each other.

"Is it really that strange to have no last name?" She wondered out loud, frowning, "Like, seriously?"

Akito chuckled, throwing her his sheathed katana. "It doesn't matter. Just get down there."

She snickered, catching the katana, not even moving from her seat on the railing. "I want to see him first."

"There he is." Ibiki stated, pointing at the arena.

Akai tilted her head. Her opponent was a tall boy in a dark hoodie, with a katana strapped to his back. He had dark blue hair and black eyes, grinning while looking around.

"Akai, whoever you are! Come down here!"

Akai chuckled, before waving at her team. "A fellow swordman, huh? Would be fun. See you guys later!" She said, before she dropped herself off the railing. Most of the spectators' eyes widened as they watched her figure fall, but soon relaxed when she flipped and landed smoothly at the edge of the arena.

"Now who's the show off? That's more than a mere dramatic entrance." Shin mumbled, fixing his bandages, receiving a laugh from Akito.

Akai walked towards her opponent, who had his back on her. She stood behind him, and lightly tapped his shoulder.

"Yo." She greeted, smiling innocently.

The boy instantly jumped away, mouth agape in shock. "Wh-what-... How-..."

She grinned. A meaningful grin, with her grey eyes locked on his. "Nice to meet you. A fellow katana user?"

He narrowed his eyes. "More or less. Anyways, you look familiar. Your last name?"

She shoved her hands in her pockets. "Tell me yours, then I'll tell you."

"Not gonna happen, little girl."

Akai's smirk grew wider, and she turned at the proctor, giving him a slight nod.

"START!!"

| * | * | * | * | * |

Akai, as always, pulled out her dagger, gripping it firmly with her left hand. Her right hand stayed limp on her side, while her eyes kept watching the boy.

"Left-handed?" Sameshi asked, pulling out his katana, smirking at her.

She laughed. "Maybe."

And with that, she lunged at him. He easily blocked her dagger, but Akai's right hand had already pulled out 3 senbons, and managed to scratch his cheek, drawing out blood. She didn't stop, and instead she turned around, sending a kick towards his head. It was once again blocked, but his eyes went wide when he saw what was on her ninja sandal: thin, almost invisible blades, covering the edges of her soles. It was sharp enough to make a long gash over his arm, giving her the time she needed to jump away.

Shin narrowed his eyes. "Since when did she has blades even on her feet?!"

"Maybe she put it there because of her handicap?"

Sameshi grinned, looking at the red substance. "Not bad. Tricky, but I guess it can't be called cheating. I underestimated you, Akai."

"Ah, don't flatter me." She replied, giving him an innocent smile, "You're not bad, either. One of the best I've met."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't make assumptions. We haven't even spend five minutes here." He told her, pulling out his katana and ran towards her.

Akai grinned, "The way you talk shows everything. You seemed like a person fit to wield Samehada." She replied, blocking the katana from her side with her dagger.

At her words, the boy narrowed his eyes. "That's strange. To say those words... As if you know things about Samehada and the other swords..."

She winked, "I know a lot about it, even its weaknesses. Even more than you do." As her opponent gave her a glare, she shrugged, a smug smile on her face, "Feeling offended?"

He growled. "You wish, gakil!" He yelled, as he kicked her stomach. Akai's eyes widened, while she was thrown to the edge of the arena. She hit the wall hard, blood began to flow down from her head.

"Forfeit. That wound on the back of your head, it could be serious." The boy said, walking towards her.

Akai only looked up, smirking. Pulling out more senbons, she let out a dark chuckle. "Seems like I hit a nerve there, Sameshi. How come you can call me as 'gaki'? I'm sure you're not that much older than me."

His face was filled with shock, as he tightened his grip around his katana. Akai smiled in victory at his reaction, and pushed herself up, still leaning on the wall behind her. Her breath started getting raspy, but this didn't stop her.

"Maybe you're in disguise instead?"

And his face turned into something Akai recognizes very well. Something that she enjoys seeing, no matter how absurd it might sound. The best mix of emotions.

Anger. Confusion. Shock. Suspicion.

"Ah, I see. So I'm right, after all." She stated out loud, "How does it feel? Your secrets were revealed."

She pulled out the katana she brought, hardly in time to stop Sameshi's blade. He was now shaking in rage, his eyes red while he bared his sharp teeth.

"Enough, you insolent brat." He growled calmly, pushing his katana against hers. She was soon defeated, as Akai had to release her katana due to the pressure her wrists got. Sameshi held his blade right in front of her neck, letting out a grunt, "A mere genin wouldn't be able to find that out. You had secrets, as well."

"Bingo!" She cheered, and turned into water, disappearing from his sight. His jaws fell agape, and he almost dropped his sword, as he slowly turned around, to find her standing in the middle of the arena, crossing her arms, her dagger between her teeth.

"Show me what you got, Sameshi! Don't hold back!"

His responses shocked her.

"... Who the hell are you...?" Sameshi asked, "How can you do that?!"

Akai hesitated, whether to tell him the truth or not. But she decided against it. "My special bloodline allows me to have multiple kekkei genkai. Surprised?"

His aura turned dangerous, Akai noted, watching as the dark haired boy picked up her katana. "There's only 3 person in this world who has that kekkei genkai. You couldn't have killed them. Don't lie to me."

She shrugged. "Yet here I am, Ba-ka."

And he snapped. He ran towards her, bringing the two katanas with him. He jumped and came from above, slamming the blades down. One of them caught her shirt, pinning her onto the ground.

Akai smirked, looking at the boy above him, raising an eyebrow. "Calm down, dear Sharky. That's how she used to call you, right?"

He lifted the other blade, and almost stabbed her, but stopped right in front of her face.

"Tell me, who are you." He threatened, "Or I'll scratch that beautiful face of yours."

"Monsters don't have to be pretty. They don't have to be adored. They just have to be strong, or else they won't be accepted anywhere." She replied, "Just like you."

"Shut up." He hissed, but she snickered.

"Gotcha."

She kneed him on his stomach, hard, releasing herself. He let out a shocked yelp, stumbling backwards, almost losing his balance.

And the fight continues. Two katanas against a dagger, their speed was incredible, that almost all the spectators couldn't keep up with their moves. The sound of clashing metals was the only thing that indicate how the two of them wants to win, despite their continuous mockery.

However, it was clear that both of them had managed to land a few hit on each other. Akai's skin was covered in scratches and bruises, much like Sameshi's.

Gradually, their movements slowed down, as their stamina decrease. Akai had went fully into a defensive mode, no longer offensive, while Sameshi kept switching to the front and back of her, continuously swinging his katanas.

"This dude's strength is crazy! Akai looks like she could collapse any time!" Akito exclaimed, glacing worriedly at his teammate, "And here I thought she's the strongest genin in this place!"

"Maybe the boy she fought is just like her," Ibiki commented, "From the way he acts, it's similar to Akai. He seemed to hate her for some reasons."

"Fellow deceivers tends to despise each other." Shin stated, "They both have secrets. Secrets that both of them wants to find out. That's why both of them are so persistent."

Akai turned around, her arms forming an 'X' shape in front of her torso just as the katana was about to stab her. A large gash was formed, dripping out blood, and as she winced in pain, a kick was sent onto her chest. She couldn't dodge, and she was immediately thrown to the side of the arena, creating a small crater.

Sameshi approached her, one of his hand dragged the katana while the other one had the second blade leaning on his shoulder.

She grinned, letting out small coughs, blood dripping down from her lips. "I'm losing, I know." She said, "But I'm not going to forfeit." said the Hozuki, pushing herself back onto her feet. With a kick on the wall, she launched herself at him. He easily stepped aside, avoiding her weak attempt to attack him with her dagger.

Her side was stabbed by one of the blade, and as Sameshi pulled out his weapon from her body, she let out another cough. This time, she fell on her knees, covering her mouth as blood leaked out from between her fingers. Letting out a chuckle, she looked up. "Pathetic, right? It's so unlike the way my late mother fought." She asked, removing her palm, "Do you miss your big sister? Do I look like her, now that I'm dying, just like her in her last days?"

Sameshi's eyes widened. "Y-You..."

Akai smiled sincerely, standing up. "Let's finish this." She whispered softly, staring longingly at the katanas her opponent held, as she put her dagger back to her pocket, "Don't hold back."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she pulled out her last senbons, and ran at him. Sameshi gritted his teeth, leaning aside as her senbons scratched his arm.

And finally, he landed his last blow on the girl, swinging his katana roughly, slashing her stomach. Akai's expression stayed the same, although her eyes held some kind of strange glint, the one that reflected acceptance and disappointment.

As she slowly fell backwards, her opponent surprisingly teleported to behind her, and gently caught her in his arms. Their eyes met, and Akai gave him a small grin.

"D-Don't tell me, you are-..." He trailed off. She only let out a bitter chuckle.

"I guess after all these years, I still can't beat you, huh?" She asked, coughing up a little blood, as she clenched her left fist.

"Don't you agree, Kisame?"

He froze. "A-Akai, I-..."

"Just let me punch you, tashikani."

As those words left her lips, the hit was sent. He dropped her body, as he flew backwards due to the attack. His back hit the wall, but he didn't pass out. He forced himself to sit up, and took a glimpse of Akai's unconscious figure.

He let out a bitter chuckle, before it turned into a laugh. He laughed and laughed, so freely, in a way that indicated how he find his situation amusing. His hand reached up, and touched the new bruise on his face.

"I guess I deserve that, after all." He muttered as soon as he calmed himself down. He stared at Akai once again, with a longing, sad gaze, shaking his head as he stood up.

"I indeed am a horrible uncle. Sorry, Akai."

| * | * | * | * | * |

Da feelz!!!!!!!!! I can't stop fangirling!!!!

And both of us got so many ideas for this book, tashikani! Vote! Comment! Do you think the fighting scene is good? And also, what do you think about Sameshi? Or should I say Kisame? What will happen? Tell us everything - everything that crosses your mind!

See ya!