Satoru walked back to where others were, a irritated expression was evident on his face. He scowled while looking at the broken body of the boy he just fought.
Satoru had augmented spartan kicked the genin straight in the chest, shattering his ribs at the moment he surrendered. He body was sent flying and crashed into a wall with a loud thud, and then a pained groan.
Jiraiya observed the boy and concluded that he wouldn't die, despite his chest caving in to an extent. He looked at winner of the round with a serious expression while thinking,
'Although it's common to attack right when someone is surrendering, that attack didn't seem like he wanted to stop him, rather it looked like he was going for the kill.' Jiraiya sighed knowing that Satoeu cannot be disqualified for this because the boy will live.
Jiraiya stared at the broken boy on the stretcher being carried away, 'poor bastard, didn't deserve that!' He looked away and turned to the next two shinobis who will fight in the next round.
Satoeu sat beside Tatsuo while brushing of ash and burnt pieces of his clothes. Tatsuo looked at him and said, "You know, for someone who is such a control freak and always overprepares...you really were caught lacking just right now!"
Tatsuo chuckled while Satoru rolled his eyes, "It's humiliating! The fact that I got caught in a trap like that! I'm the one who makes traps like that and wins. I almost lost to my own tactics!"
"Don't you think that kick was too strong for that guy? That guy went limp and got blown away like a ragdoll from your kick!" Tatsuo said, mistaking Satoru's malice for a miscalculation of strength
"Uhh...yeah. I...didn't have much time to gauge his strength so I went full power." Satoru said, before sighing in relief that Tatsuo didn't understand his intentions behind his actions.
Satoru's irritated look became replaced with a look of worry as he looked at Tatsuo who was enjoying watching Tanaka get his ass kicked by a girl. 'Danzo said...no one will understand people like me...but will you? Will you understand me or will I have to continue hiding behind lies? I really hope I'll get to show you my true sel...'
"FUCK! Did you see that Satoru?! That girl had NO REASON to hit him in the nuts like that! With a stone club no less. People are so shit sometimes, right Satoru?" Tatsuo turned to Satoru who winced after looked at Tanaka holding his jewels in pain
"I'm sure every guy in 50 meter radius felt his pain. On the bright side, he's gay, so he won't need them much anyway." Satoru said before going back to looking at Tatsuo, who laughed and went back to enjoying the match playing out.
'You laugh at my dark jokes, but sympathize when they occur in real life. Back when we would joke about killing the maths teacher for giving us more homework, but would still laugh if I actually stabbed him?
I guess it's still too early for you know about me...about all of me. Enjoy this version of me for now, I'm not sure how long it will last.' Satoru thought, his hair, which covered his eyes hid the constellation of tears on his eyelashes.
He wiped his eyes while sweeping his hair back, hoping that no one saw him.
Tatsuo was ignorant to the storm brewing within the shadowy regions of Satoru's mind. But, there was someone who did. And he was worried, not because Satoru hid his tears, but because he understood the man he was becoming.
---
"Did you see the way Satoru kicked that kid?! He attacked him when he had no intention of fighting back. Did he do it because he was angry for geting caught off-guard? Or...did he do it because he enjoyed it. I'm worried for him Shinichi."
Shinichi glanced at Mitsuki who was clearly disturbed from Satoru's actions. "It could be either for all I know. It's dangerous regardless of which one it is." Shinichi replied while closely looking at his student.
"It seems like he is falling to his darkness faster than it was predicted. We need to talk to him about it before he gets used to that feeling." Shinichi said before taking Mitsuki's hand and left the stadium.
---
Far away from the stadium, in the heart of the village. Three people were urgently walking towards Hokage's office. Homura and Koharu had an anxious look on their face, while Danzo maintained his stoic expression.
They walked towards the hokage office and opened the door to see Hiruzen taking a drag from his pipe and talking to a boy wearing a chunin vest.
Hiruzen looked at their face and sat up straight. "Hey, I'm a little busy. How about you tell your mother I'll be coming home late today? I'll train you after this entire thing done, I promise." Hiruzen said looking at the chunin who groaned before rolling his eyes.
"Fiinnnneeee, you cannot keep getting away with this because of your meeting. You better not break your promise, Dad!" Said the boy before walking out of the room, ignoring the elders standing at the entrance looking at him walking past them.
"He didn't even bother looking at us! These youngsters have no respect for us elders anymore, our future will doomed by these brats!" Koharu said, repulsed by the boy's lack of manners.
"If you had the level of talent he has, even you would have disrespected Tobirama sensei that way. It has always been like this, and it will always will be. Children born with the potential to surpass everyone are always destined to be this way." Danzo said before walking to Hiruzen who listened with disinterest.
"Nah, he's just spoiled brats with unlimited resources. His mother had the great idea of bringing the best teachers from the country to tutor him. Now, he has developed an ego from it, which will be the end of him someday if he doesn't get his act together." Hiruzen said while setting aside his paperwork and then took another drag from his pipe.
"The responsibility which comes from holding that much power knocks out the ego of youngsters by the time they grow up. We grew up the same way, afterall." Danzo replied, his eyes shone while remembering the few memories he held dear.
"Yeah, you're right on that one. We are what we are because we grew up on the battlefield. But, the very reason we lived in war zones was to ensure our children wouldn't." Hiruzen said, then he turned to the other elders, expecting them to speak what they came hear to speak.
"The land of waterfalls has denied all claims on attacking the Chunin exams. They accused us of raising tensions by turning the other nations away from their business." Homura said, after handing over the report from the meeting.
The report contained all the statements made by the leaders of many countries, the more he read the more concerned he got.
"What is this nonsense? Our allies are against us, our enemies are teaming up and threatening to place sanctions on us for things we are not to blame for!" Hiruzen tossed the report on the table before taking another drag from his pipe.
"The other countries think that all those genins which died in the chunin exams were all conveniently mostly non konoha ninjas and that we weren't ever going lose much because the we appointed death sentenced criminals to manage the exams.
Even our allies are worried because they think konoha wants to kill the other village's top talents and make it seem like a frame job on hidden waterfall." Homura completed, the stress lines on his face had intensified ever since the meeting.
The fact that another war could begins at any moment and there is a huge chance that all the other great nations will team up against konoha. They had managed to handle the first war at the cost of two hokages and the support of the neighboring allied countries. But now, it seems like the hokages nor the allied nations will help in the upcoming war.
"The chunin exam was indeed rigged in our favor but...this is insane! How could they assume that we would do this. Who in their right mind would kill their elite anbu members to help children pass the chunin exam, an exam which doesn't even guarantee that the winner will become a Chunin." Hiruzen said, his attention was caught by Danzo who spoke up.
"That mysterious man you mentioned...he could be responsible for this. Our sleeper cells in smaller countries have reported that over the span of decades, the weaker nations had an international company build its colonies among them." Danzo paused for a moment, checking to see if hiruzen knew of it already.
"I know that company, but they are more like a cooperative society than a company. They mostly work for the welfare of war inflicted locations." Hiruzen said while looking at koharu, who confirmed that what he knew was correct.
"Yes, but this company has been helping small village's with education, rebuilding and even...militarization. Our spies have recently noticed that this company has rogue ninjas and people capable of wielding chakra working in it. These people work to train those civilians and make them join their company."
"What could they gain from doing that? All that will do is just cause more conflicts in the world. It would undo everything that they are working for." Koharu said, prompting hiruzen to explain
"More conflicts means that more desperate people who will join their company, thus, making them stronger. They are making an army, a powerful one at that. This company has branches in various countries which basically wrap around the great nations, them building an army which allows them to take control and network around the great nations...if we don't don't take proper actions then all great nations will choked economically."
"We cannot let this company exist for long, if they gain the military strength of a nation, then we have an unstable factor which can cause wars at any moment or cause the death any important individual in the world." Hiruzen sighed before relaxing back into his chair, he swept his hair back and noticed a few were already white in color
"If any important individual like the daimyo can be killed, then the entire world will sink into chaos, markets will be dependent on peddling weapons and Assassins. We will return back into the Era of our predecessors." Danzo said.
"Koharu, Homura focus on calming the leaders in the next meetings, we cannot afford them to do anything drastic during the chunin exams. Our supply of missions and business should not be compromised under any condition.
Danzo...what's your Root ANBU forces condition as of now? I want you lead the forces into these smaller nations and curb their advancements." Hiruzen said, but he didn't expect Danzo, the ever war hungry man to reject his idea.
"The root shinobis are still at chunin level at best. My strongest subordinate, Ichi...lost his arm and his currently being treated. He will be imprisoned shortly after he is stable. We wont be able to deal with this problem with the help of Root anbu, not yet at least." Danzo replied, making Hiruzen frown.
"Your strongest shinobi almost died to genins, and has a vendetta against that boy with brain damage. I told you that bringing in those kind of people into your root was a bad idea.
Those people are irrational and impulsive, they cannot be trusted with the safety of the village. They need help...professional help to deal with problems, not be weoponised with the illusions of safety and love which they will never get." Hiruzen said, disapproving Danzo's idea of the Root anbu.
Danzo grit his teeth in frustration 'One day...one day you will see my ways are not as wrong as you think they are! My root will be the one ensure the safety of Konoha and its people. I will help those children gain a purpose to strive towards.
I will prove that they deserve everything they set their hearts on. I have to do it...because if I don't...who will? They children will be left stranded in the world with no one to tell them it's alright to be who you are! You are loved and wanted!'
Danzo had set his mind to it. Kids like Satoru need the Root anbu, and the root needs kids like him, maybe more than Satoru needs it.