A/N:

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I'm sorry I haven't posted last week. Life got in the way, and it's been hectic. As I will be a full-time student soon, I may not post often. My goal is to finish the Chunin Exams Arc before I do that, however, so as not to leave readers in suspense. Ideally, I'll post chapters throughout the semester during days off (It'll be sporadic updates).

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The good news is that the chapters for the Chunin Exams Arc are almost all written. I just need to revise and polish a few of them. At least, my goal isn't so unattainable.

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The Sacrificed Disciple

-Chapter Twenty Two-

"Look closely at the present you are constructing. It should look like the future you are dreaming."

-Alice Walker

"Again."

I breathed heavily. My arms shook and beads of perspiration trailed down my arms as I slid back into a perfect stance. I held my shaking arms high up and sliced the wooden bokken down. "Ha!" I shouted out.

"Again!"

I slid into position and repeated the motion.

"Again!" Nagomi-sama's voice rang throughout the clearing. The strenuous process endured until black specks clouded my vision. To say that Nagomi-sama was displeased was an understatement. Between training with Emino-sama and the crows, my days were already being taken up. Then when it finally rotated to him, I'm suddenly requested by the Sandaime-sama an hour after he sent Shisui? Shisui. He was going to pay for this. For some sick reason, I thought Shisui found it all to be just one big joke, or. . . He really did just miss me and wanted to hang out. . . I never knew with him.

"Permission to speak, Nagomi-sama?" I heaved out. Water. . . I need water-

"Permission denied. Again. You have ten more to go. After, we will see how quick your reflexes have become since the last time we spared."

The spar came sooner rather then later. After I hydrated myself and engaged Nagomi-sama, I really thought I was doing fine. It wasn't as if Nagomi-sama was engaging with me with all that he got. He was analyzing my fighting style and making sure I engaged rather then him. After a while, he started to push back until I was on the defensive, however. He knocked my bokken out of my hands with an easy jab to my wrist. The bokken landed about five feet away. I did a cartwheel to avoid any swipes, picked it up, and swung it above my head in a rendition of the coin flips I do with my legs to block the oncoming assault to my temple. Kami. He really was planning on knocking me out with that one. I slammed his bokken down to the ground, pressed the bokken vertically to boost off the ground until I was in a horizontal position and slamming my foot against Nagomi-sama's ankle. Got him!

Nagomi-sama stepped back. His bokken clattered to the ground as he looked at me in puzzlement. I was smiling widely. "I got you! I can't believe it-"

"What was that you did there?" He questioned. His gaze dug a hole through my own.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You completely disregarded all the training I knocked into your head to so disrespectfully grab a bokken from the middle?"

He picked up his own bokken from the handle and placed his hand on the middle part of the wooden stick in demonstration.

"If that were a blade, you would've sliced your fingers off," he finished. "So what made you so boldly disregard this rule? Do you wish to insult me?" His gaze narrowed. I struggled for words, realizing what I had done. I didn't comprehend at the time. I wasn't really thinking. I just saw how I could disarm Nagomi-sama in the easiest way and succeed.

I quickly postured myself into a formal bow of apology. "Forgive me, Nagomi-sama." I was disrespecting elders and traditions left and right today, wasn't I? I just did something that would insult any kenjutsu specialist. "There are no excuses."

He gave a low hum. It was in tune to his agitated chakra. "How. . . peculiar," he mused. "Your punishment is fifty bokken katas."

My gaze widened, but I bowed again. "Understood, Nagomi-sama."

Kenjutsu training didn't end until evening. Two and a half hours from when I was originally supposed to leave. Nagomi-sama long left, but I remained placid on the ground. I surged my chakra up and down in a meditative movement, easing the aches and pains along my muscles. I was sore all over. If it wasn't for chakra, I would probably be in the hospital from overexerting my muscles. Was this what Itachi had to go through when he was four? It was almost unbelievable to me that he had finished his training with Kiyoshi-sama. According to Nagomi-sama, he was now with Jin-sama, the elder who specialized in ninjutsu.

All those times when we sparred before. . . I mused.

I shook my head from the thoughts of distant insecurities. They were echoes of the kid mentality that accompanied my cognitive thoughts. Now I felt more aligned— more centered.

When I arrived home, there was a note from kasan saying that dinner was in the fridge. She left for a mission earlier in the afternoon. If I didn't mess up in training, I would've seen her off. Tousan wasn't around either which meant that he was busy at the Uchiha Military Police Headquarters. I couldn't sense Itachi's chakra anywhere near by. He must be with his team.

I sluggishly made my way to take a shower before heading to bed. My mind shut down as soon as I collapsed on the bed. When I came to, it was to the feeling of something stirring next to me. It wasn't a threat, or else I would've slashed at whoever it was. My senses lazily honed in on Itachi sleeping next to me. He must have crawled into my bed in the middle of the night. I peered at him sleepily before I fell back into a comfortable darkness.

My mind snapped awake like an elastic band, already alert and running. I didn't have to rub the sleep away from my eyes. My gaze landed on Itachi, who was in the middle of buckling on his utility belt. "Where are you going?" I blurted out in panic. Another mission? So soon? But where?

Itachi gave me a puzzled look. "I must continue my training with Jin-sama."

I blinked and pushed myself out of bed to look out to the sky. It was about 6 AM. "You've completed your training with Kiyoshi-sama?" I asked. I already knew the answer to that, but for some reason, the silence between us was awkward and tense. I felt the urge to fill it with conversation.

Itachi paused at the door. His gaze flickered to me several times and away as he spoke, "Yes." His voice was quiet before he slid the shoji door open. "Ototo," he began.

"Hm?" I looked to him before pulling on a fresh shirt.

He looked at me strangely. "When I went in search for you yesterday, Shisui-san told me you were requested at the Hokage office. . . Why?"

I paused and looked away. "They were going to overrule Yuki-sensei's decision in having Team 2 wait for the next Chunin Exams and have me enter into the Chunin Exams as an individual," I admitted. "I convinced Hokage-sama not to."

Itachi appeared surprised. He closed the shoji door behind him and stepped closer to me. I stiffened, and he must have noticed it because he didn't come any closer. His gaze saddened. "How did you convince Hokage-sama to change his mind?" Itachi asked instead.

I shifted uncomfortably. "I don't really know." Even I was shell shocked by the turn of events, but I wasn't complaining. I fought for my team, and I will continue to fight for them. Hokage-sama had done it to test me and my willpower, and deep in my belly. . . I knew I passed.

I met Itachi's gaze. "All I know is that I don't want my team to be disbanded. I don't want to be alone. . ."

Danzo's intentions couldn't have been so clearer then that moment. He intended to sink his claws in me. He was already planning it. What would happen if I let him? Looking at Itachi, I knew that I was also capable of such a thing. I would isolate myself. I would break my bonds with my clan and family. I would have no friends. I would just train and train and train. I would be alone. . . with no one to turn to. . . with no option but to kill my entire clan while Hokage-sama so pliantly looked the other way.

And I refused to go down that path. I contemplated the idea that I would. . . which lead to time wasted and irrational fears when I was younger. Danger lurked ahead. I could acknowledge that. I could also acknowledge that the feeling of paranoia never left and for good reason. Danzo had his eyes on me. Shisui must have had a feeling. It was why he took me to the woods, sent whoever was watching us through a loop, just to speak to me after my almost meltdown yesterday. He was putting two and two together that he or the elders lackies weren't the only ones who were observing me.

"Alone?" Itachi repeated. He looked disturbed for some reason. "But. . . ototo," Itachi began. He reached for me and my eyes widened when I felt Shinko's chakra entering the compound, and she was with none other then Yuki-sensei. I honed in on their chakra like a moth to a flame. It felt good to feel them. They were together. Their chakra healthy and alive and happy and together.

"Ah!" I exclaimed. I quickly hurried in getting dressed. "It's Yuki-sensei!" I sent an excited look to Itachi, but for some reason he wasn't smiling or commenting on my exuberance, like he would usually do with fondness. I buckled my utility belt. "You see," I explained with patience. It felt odd that I even had to explain. "Since I've been on medical leave because of severe chakra exhaustion, Yuki-sensei was put back in the active duty roster, but since I convinced Hokage-sama to give Team 2 a chance, he's back!" I pulled Itachi into a quick hug. "I will go meet them at the gate. They don't have to come all the way over here to fetch me. Bye, niisan!"

Itachi followed me, silent and contemplative as he watched me pull on my sandals at the foyer. "Ototo," he addressed.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you avoiding me?" He questioned.

I stilled.

The floorboards began to peel back to reveal broken and mangled arms. They slithered out of the ground, trails of blood in their wake. One of them grabbed me and pulled. I stumbled forward. It felt real. The smell of rotten flesh permeated the entire house. I almost wanted to ask, 'Do you smell that?' I wanted to breakdown and say, 'Do you see it too, niisan?' But I didn't. Terror gripped my heart. I didn't want to face Itachi, for fear of seeing his dead corpse again. A hand pulled and from the tangled limbs poked out a body. Intestines fell and blood smeared. I caught a glimpse of broken ribs. . . My breath caught.

It was Tenma.

He choked on blood. Looked at me with terror, but he said nothing-

I stood up straight and flared my chakra in distress. The image didn't leave. It didn't go away. I closed my eyes and placed my hands over them. I took deep breaths and curled in on myself. Calm. Stay calm. Calm. Stay calm. I repeated the mantra in my head until I could hear Itachi's voice loud and clear. "Asuya! Asuya speak to me. What's wrong?"

I heard a shoji door slam open. "What's going on?" Yuki-sensei's voice filled the room.

"I. . . I don't know. We were talking and. . ."

I gave a short flare of my chakra and felt the dark miasma around me vanish. I looked up, startled. It was gone. I met eyes with Itachi. His eyes were blown in disbelief and worry.

"Niisan. . ." I began.

Itachi's gaze widened. He looked pained, but before I could explain, he was gone in a blink of an eye. He used the shunshin jutsu. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked to the side to see Yuki-sensei. He was kneeling down, eyeing me in confusion. "Bad argument?

I rubbed at my eyes, deactivating the sharingan in the process. Dammit. "It was just a misunderstanding."

Soon enough, Shinko's chakra arrived. She was at the door, looking disgruntled. "What the heck is going on?"

"Ah. We have a team meeting," Yuki-sensei muttered.

She looked to me then to Yuki-sensei. "No. I meant. . . Ugh. Never mind." She threw her hands up in the air. "I saw your twin run past me, so did you guys talk?" She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway.

I felt the corner of my lip tug downwards. "There's distance between us." Just admitting it out loud made my heart clench.

Shinko's gaze seemed to be void of emotion, but her voice was soft— quiet and pained: "That's what happens when you experience things others can't imagine."

The walk to Training Ground Six was serene. Most of its silence filled in by Shinko asking Yuki-sensei questions of where he'd been and why he hasn't come to visit us since Tenma's vigil. Yuki-sensei dodged the questions with ease until we neared our spot. I felt a chakra signature that was buzzing like a live wire. It reminded me of the Jonin with the hornets.

I abruptly stopped in my tracks. "Sensei. There's a kid with bugs," I intelligently called out.

Yuki-sensei threw me an amused look. "That there is, Asuya." He glanced at Shinko. "Due to. . . reasons, Team 2 has been asked to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams."

She looked puzzled. "I thought you said we weren't ready?"

Yuki-sensei scratched the back of his head. "Well," he began. "That was before you two killed enemy Jonin."

Shinko narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze towards the direction of the training grounds. "And. . . The kid with bugs is our third teammate?"

"Yes. Let's not keep him waiting." Yuki-sensei began his trek again.

Shinko and I met gazes before we followed after him. When we came into view, the boy was standing and facing the sky. He looked to be about. . . Shinko's age. He turned when we neared him. His dark brown hair was spiked up and disheveled. He also had tinted goggles resembling sunglasses with a mask over his nose and mouth. His hitai-ate was on his forehead, holding all his hair up and glinting with the reflection of the sun. Strapped behind his back was a small gourd. He was without a doubt an Aburame.

Yuki-sensei was the first to diffuse the silence. "Ah. You must be Aburame Yoji," he stated warmly. "Welcome to Team 2."

The boy said nothing. He just stared at us blankly, or what I presumed was blankly since most of his face was covered. Shinko uncrossed her arms and smiled. At least she was trying to be pleasant. "I'm Inari Shinko. Nice to meet ya!"

"Uchiha Asuya," I greeted. I stepped forward and held out my hand. The boy just stared down at it. I cleared my throat and awkwardly swung my hand up to my head. Weird. "I look forward to having you in our team," I stated pleasantly, scratching my head in the process. I wouldn't put it past Hokage-sama observing our introductions right now. I honestly meant what I said, however. I didn't want to be hostile to a fellow team member. Even if they were chosen by Danzo.

The boy tilted his head, but still, he said nothing. It only affirmed my assumption that this kid wasn't an ordinary clan kid. He was chosen by Danzo for a reason. Most likely, he was part of Root. I found it odd, however. How can a clan kid be part of Root without raising suspicions?

Shinko crossed her arms. "So are you just going to give us the silent treatment forever or?" She dragged out.

Yuki-sensei placed his hand on her shoulder. "It was said in his file that Yoji-kun lost his ability to speak due to a misfortune in the past. he has found a way to communicate through his insects, but it's a work in progress. Right, Yoji-kun?"

Yoji straightened up at Yuki-sensei's explanation and gave two quick nods. Huh. That was. . . adorable. Shinko immediately relaxed. "Oh! Sorry for misunderstanding." She addressed Yoji. She then looked to Yuki-sensei. "So what now?"

Yuki-sensei smiled. "We'll have to work on teamwork. From the ground up." He suggested. "That means Yoji will be sparring with Shinko. Whoever wins, will fight Asuya. After that, we'll self evaluate our skills before you three will spar with me. Got it?" We all nodded.

Shinko and I met eye contact before she followed Yoji towards the middle of the clearing. For some reason she was sweating. It was a hot day out, but I didn't find it to excruciating for her to be sweating already. "Are you okay?" I wondered out loud. She didn't seem to hear me however.

Shinko did the seal of confrontation and Yoji tilted his head. My gaze narrowed when he didn't bow.

Yuki-sensei shifted. "Are you familiar with the seal of confrontation, Yoji-kun?"

He shook his head.

Shinko wiped the sweat off her forehead, frowning. "J-Just do what I did."

Yoji did as he was told and bowed.

My sharingan whirled as I looked to the both of them. Something was not right. Why wasn't he engaging? Why was Shinko looking unsteady on her feet? I focused my senses further. My sharingan scanned Shinko. Her chakra wasn't flaring. Nothing was wrong, but I knew Shinko. . . She was healthy just a moment ago. "Sensei. Something isn't-"

Yuki-sensei was faster then I was. He shunshinned before Shinko and caught her before she face planted on the floor. I ran forward, catching up with ease just as sensei turned her around and checked her pulse. "This is odd. Her breathing is stable. Her chakra is stable. Her heart beat is stable-"

"Wait!" There it was. I knelt down and pushed the collar of her shirt down a little to reveal a bug bite. There was a tiny black bug attached to her skin right next to it. I reached forward and slowly detached it from her collarbone. It's chakra flared and its little legs squirmed in distress. As it did so, another song formed just beside me.

I slowly stood up and turned to him. The bug still between my fingers. "Did you. . . poison her?" I wondered aloud. For some reason, I felt calm when I asked this.

Yoji nodded.

Yuki-sensei narrowed his eyes as he picked up the still unconcious Shinko. "Have you reversed the affects?"

Yoji tilted his head, as if confused by this question. He then shook his head. Yuki-sensei narrowed his eyes. "Do you ave the cure?"

This Yoji had the answer to. He nodded.

"The spar is over now, Yoji-kun. She is not a threat any longer. Reverse the affects of the poison immediately, or you may have serious repercussions for killing a kunoichi of Konohagakure."

Yoji gave a firm nod, stepped forward and lifted a single finger. One bug crawled down his finger and onto her skin. It bit into her skin. Several more did the same thing. Then, the strangest thing happened. The vibrating chakra signatures of the bugs gathered at Yoji's throat, and they moved up and down in a strange, ominous sounding of words: "She. . . will need. . . blood transfusion. . ."

Yuki-sensei did a deep, meditative breath. As if he was withholding the need to lecture. "Yoji. You are dismissed. After I make sure Shinko-chan is safe, I will meet with you and speak to you about the error of your ways. Is that clear?"

Yoji tilted his head in confusion. "We. . . don't. . . understand." My gaze narrowed. The bug between my fingers continued its struggle. Yoji turned to me as his bugs continued to speak for him, "This mission . . . subdue girl. . . We complete. . . mission. . . to the best of our. . . ability."

Yuki-sensei shook his head. "Time is of the essence." He looked to me as he said this before disappearing in a whirl of leaves. I watched the leaves settle next to me and I meditated on the fluttering of the bug's legs against my skin. My gaze flickered to the bug between my fingers and put just the faintest of pressure to hear it scream.

Yoji crouched low. The bugs within him hummed in agitation and hostility. Several crawled across yoji's face as he cradled his head and shook it as if to gather himself. He then looked to me. "Do you feel that?" I wondered curiously, as I observed the distress clear on his emotions. His brows lifted and through the mask, I could see his face contort with anger. Danzo hasn't beaten the emotions out of him fully. "That's what I felt when my first teammate died. That's what I felt when I saw Shinko collapse. You had bugs on us from the beginning. Haven't you?"

I lifted the bug up to peer at it with more attention. The pressure lifted and Yoji straightened himself into a defensive stance. He was waiting for me to make the first move, but that wasn't my intention.

"I saw one mark. It looked like the poisonous bug burrowed into her chakra point. That way I couldn't detect it. Completely untraceable. The other one was to observe us and send signals back to you. Right?" I continued to stare at the small kikaichu. A strange little bug. The chakra within it was almost undetectable unless I looked closely. . . memorized myself to it. These things will never land on me again without my knowing. The question was. . . how long were they on me? "Hold out you hand," I finally asked.

Yoji hesitated. Slowly, but surely he did as he was told. His hand was held by the palm up. I met his gaze before I released the bug on the palm of his hand. I waited for a moment until two more revealed themselves from unburrowing out of my wrist an scurrying into Yoji's palm. I tried not to be disgusted, or show it on my face so as not to upset Yoji.

Yoji took a couple steps back and cradled the bugs in his hand. The one I dropped onto his palm struggled a few times to rotate onto its belly. The other two waited to make sure it was okay before scurrying under his sleeve. Yoji looked back up at me. His face expressionless.

"I've learned a lot about you. Like me, you take the most effective and easiest route for a favorable outcome, such as, subduing your opponent." I observed. My sharingan deactivated as I continued to stare at Yoji. "For you, it's easy to take a life, isn't it?"

Yoji said nothing.

"You think we're the same, don't you? Because you've been chosen to be part of Team 2. " I observed.

Yoji's brows scrunched together. It was a reaction. One that seemed as if his guard up. It was a defensive state. One that hit too close to home. I worded my words carefully in order to see. My assumptions were right. Danzo chose Yoji for a reason. He must know of Yoji's flaws, but in his judgement, he must have reasoned I'd be at ease and comfortable around Yoji and show my secrets. All while he reports back to Danzo. In the long run, Yoji would be crucial initiating me into Root. Danzo underestimated my intelligence, but of course, the only missing factor in his lapse of judgement was that I was way older then five years old.

"That's where you're wrong though," I mused. Yoji's shoulders tensed. He tilted his head and his bugs hummed in a curious manner. His guard has always been down. It was down the moment Shinko and I spoke to him. Danzo's methods were flawed right now. Yoji didn't fully subdue his emotions. . . but he was well on his way there judging from his incomprehension of social norms within Konohagakure. "It's easy to take a life," I repeated. "But its much harder to protect it." I looked to him. "You've never had to protect anything before. . . Have you?"

Yoji hesitated. . .

He shook his head.

I smiled. "Come on. " I waved him over as I turned around. "We're going to the hospital. Man, Shinko's going to be so pissed." I snorted as I walked. "She's definitely going to rip you a new one. You have a lot of learning to do in just two weeks, but I think we can get you into-"

I paused and turned around. Yoji was where I left him, looking for all the worst stunned by the turn of events. He met my gaze through those weird goggled shades of his. He looked like an insect from where I stood. "Well?" I called back to him. "Are you coming or not!?" I shouted. My voice echoed back to me through the clearing. There was the distant sound of caw's. Kagami the Crow must have observed the turn of events up close. Curious little beast.

Yoji stood there for a long moment, and I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't really consider the fact that he might not come at all. The awkward moment and my creeping anxiety halted, however, when Yoji began to trek towards me. My smile split into a grin as I looked up at him. "For a moment there, I thought you weren't going to follow."

Yoji said nothing. As per usual. I looked ahead and internally sighed.

For a moment there, I thought with unease. I wanted to squish that bug out of spite.

A/N:

I know what you're thinking.

'This is the Chunin Exams Arc, yet we have to wait for the next chapter for the Chunin Exams to begin?'

Yep. You're right.

I got caught up in writing the action in the Chunin Exams that I forgot several crucial things to tie together, such as, Asuya defying the warmongers in attending the Chunin Exams as an individual, the rift between Itachi and Asuya, and the introduction of Yoji (This chapter was written in a day because I didn't really know how to introduce Yoji's character even though I've written him in the upcoming chapters already. . .) And some other plot points. Thank you inspiration. Fuck you writer's block.

And if you're wondering, 'Author doesn't write things in chronological order?'

You betcha I don't.

Next chapter: Saturday or Sunday. I haven't decided yet. There's a lot to edit still. One of those two days though.

And yeah. Next chapter is officially the start of the Chunin Exams. Heh.