Prey and predator. Flight and fight. Life and death.
She tried to get her breath under control. The exertion and tension were robbing her of her stamina quickly. In the off chance that the-the monster after their lives hadn’t seen them take refuge in their current location, they needed to be as silent as possible. For once she was actually glad that her team-mate froze up during these kind of situations. No crying, no harsh breath, nothing. The only indication the platinum blonde was still alive was the deathgrip she kept on her right hand.
Yes. In a situation like this, paralyzed silence suited her just fine.
“KARIN!” The way she suddenly shouted her name and almost crushed her hand didn’t.
The redhead snapped her head to the front, renouncing her peeking intentions. She almost wished she didn’t.
“Kukuku… Yesss, good.” She felt her skin crawl as the man slowly descended from a branch above, his body lengthened and curved to an impossible rate for a human being. His tongue slithered out, wet and elongated. Karin thanked all the gods one could pray to that it wasn’t also forked or she may have just wet herself. “That’s what a prey should do. Run. Hide.”
“Get… Get away…” Karin uttered, sounding utterly unconvincing as she felt hot tears start to flow out. Her team-mate was shaking like a leaf in the north wind.
“And ultimately… Submit.” The thing wearing the skin of a human hissed out, a hand in the shape of a claw moving towards her. The sonuvabitch was enjoying every moment.
Karin started hyperventilating again. Dead. They were so dead. Life was flashing through her eyes, a mix of images and sensations.
The start of the Chuunin Exams. The tension as she laid eyes on the crowd.
The mission that brought them finally together as a team. The smell of brimstone.
Their teacher’s satisfaction at passing the graduation test. The taste of the meal they shared.
Meeting her team-mates for the first time, on a day of rain.
Her fourteenth birthday. The melting wax. The family picture.
Mom. Dad. Her aunt. Her uncle. Her cousin…
Her cousin. She gritted her teeth. Where had he gone? The monster said that he had taken him out first. But not him. Not so easily.
He was annoying stubborn in everything he did. Be it fighting, discussing or even that dumb rule of his to not use his family’s heritage. ‘Maybe that killed you?’ No. No, that couldn’t be. ‘Please. Please come back. We’re a team, just the two of us can’t-’ “Naruto…” The claw hand was in her face. “NARUTO!”
“HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!” She froze. Her female team-mate also froze around her hand as the impossible happened.
A blur of black, blue and yellow managed to get the drop on the snake monster, slamming into his right side and sending the fake human slamming into another tree and then through it. As her cousin pivoted and landed on their branch, the ancient tree creaked and crashed to the ground with a deafening roar. The young blonde then turned around, blue eyes wide in concern. “Karin! Shion! Are you alright?!”
“... What the hell took you so long?!” She tried to appear strong but her voice betrayed her relief, and slumping against the tree betrayed the tension that left her.
“Well, excuuuuse me! You have no idea what-!” He gasped as he found himself in a bearhug. Unlike Karin, the priestess slash ninja didn’t have any qualms about showing her real emotions. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes it wasn’t.
“I saw… I saw…!” Naruto actually winced as she strengthened her grip.
“Shion, that hurts…” The blonde priestess gasped and pushed back, suddenly self conscious. Her face was a mess of dirty, tears and embarrassment. Naruto sighed but then smiled. “You saw another of your visions.”
“... Yes.” The platinum blonde admitted but then smiled, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “And never I have ever been so happy about being proven wrong.”
“I can’t say I share that sentiment.” The three team-mates froze and turned around together, on their guard again.
Naruto clicked his tongue. Of course he was still alive, he thought as the man slithered up back another tree, keeping them in his sights. But he grinned as he saw the tears and gashes in his clothes and… Face? Naruto’s eyes widened. There was a face under his face?! GROSS!
“I actually felt that… An impressive feat, for a Genin.” Naruto snorted and tilted his forehead protector up with his right hand, and that’s when Karin noticed what looked like a tattoo snaking down his palm. Her eyes widened. He hadn’t…!
“Well, haven’t you heard? It’s the first time a genin team from Uzushiogakure enters a Chunin Selection Exam!” Naruto bellowed, the stylized whirlpool on the metal shining in the dim light now able to descend after the tree’s felling. “There’s plenty more surprises where that came from, snake bastard! You hurt me and my friends! Prepare to die!”
She tried to get her breath under control. The exertion and tension were robbing her of her stamina quickly. In the off chance that the-the monster after their lives hadn’t seen them take refuge in their current location, they needed to be as silent as possible. For once she was actually glad that her team-mate froze up during these kind of situations. No crying, no harsh breath, nothing. The only indication the platinum blonde was still alive was the deathgrip she kept on her right hand.
Yes. In a situation like this, paralyzed silence suited her just fine.
“KARIN!” The way she suddenly shouted her name and almost crushed her hand didn’t.
The redhead snapped her head to the front, renouncing her peeking intentions. She almost wished she didn’t.
“Kukuku… Yesss, good.” She felt her skin crawl as the man slowly descended from a branch above, his body lengthened and curved to an impossible rate for a human being. His tongue slithered out, wet and elongated. Karin thanked all the gods one could pray to that it wasn’t also forked or she may have just wet herself. “That’s what a prey should do. Run. Hide.”
“Get… Get away…” Karin uttered, sounding utterly unconvincing as she felt hot tears start to flow out. Her team-mate was shaking like a leaf in the north wind.
“And ultimately… Submit.” The thing wearing the skin of a human hissed out, a hand in the shape of a claw moving towards her. The sonuvabitch was enjoying every moment.
Karin started hyperventilating again. Dead. They were so dead. Life was flashing through her eyes, a mix of images and sensations.
The start of the Chuunin Exams. The tension as she laid eyes on the crowd.
The mission that brought them finally together as a team. The smell of brimstone.
Their teacher’s satisfaction at passing the graduation test. The taste of the meal they shared.
Meeting her team-mates for the first time, on a day of rain.
Her fourteenth birthday. The melting wax. The family picture.
Mom. Dad. Her aunt. Her uncle. Her cousin…
Her cousin. She gritted her teeth. Where had he gone? The monster said that he had taken him out first. But not him. Not so easily.
He was annoying stubborn in everything he did. Be it fighting, discussing or even that dumb rule of his to not use his family’s heritage. ‘Maybe that killed you?’ No. No, that couldn’t be. ‘Please. Please come back. We’re a team, just the two of us can’t-’ “Naruto…” The claw hand was in her face. “NARUTO!”
“HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!” She froze. Her female team-mate also froze around her hand as the impossible happened.
A blur of black, blue and yellow managed to get the drop on the snake monster, slamming into his right side and sending the fake human slamming into another tree and then through it. As her cousin pivoted and landed on their branch, the ancient tree creaked and crashed to the ground with a deafening roar. The young blonde then turned around, blue eyes wide in concern. “Karin! Shion! Are you alright?!”
“... What the hell took you so long?!” She tried to appear strong but her voice betrayed her relief, and slumping against the tree betrayed the tension that left her.
“Well, excuuuuse me! You have no idea what-!” He gasped as he found himself in a bearhug. Unlike Karin, the priestess slash ninja didn’t have any qualms about showing her real emotions. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes it wasn’t.
“I saw… I saw…!” Naruto actually winced as she strengthened her grip.
“Shion, that hurts…” The blonde priestess gasped and pushed back, suddenly self conscious. Her face was a mess of dirty, tears and embarrassment. Naruto sighed but then smiled. “You saw another of your visions.”
“... Yes.” The platinum blonde admitted but then smiled, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “And never I have ever been so happy about being proven wrong.”
“I can’t say I share that sentiment.” The three team-mates froze and turned around together, on their guard again.
Naruto clicked his tongue. Of course he was still alive, he thought as the man slithered up back another tree, keeping them in his sights. But he grinned as he saw the tears and gashes in his clothes and… Face? Naruto’s eyes widened. There was a face under his face?! GROSS!
“I actually felt that… An impressive feat, for a Genin.” Naruto snorted and tilted his forehead protector up with his right hand, and that’s when Karin noticed what looked like a tattoo snaking down his palm. Her eyes widened. He hadn’t…!
“Well, haven’t you heard? It’s the first time a genin team from Uzushiogakure enters a Chunin Selection Exam!” Naruto bellowed, the stylized whirlpool on the metal shining in the dim light now able to descend after the tree’s felling. “There’s plenty more surprises where that came from, snake bastard! You hurt me and my friends! Prepare to die!”
Meinos Kaen Present
Shinocracy
Chapter 1 - Fuiinjutsu ain't that cool
Yeah... Now there's like, a looooooooong flashback. Except it isn't a flashback.