— Yashin Haruno and Shouen, you're next.
— Hokage-sama…
Iruka's worried voice and gaze barely prompted the Third Hokage to offer him a reassuring smile.
His old friend's suggestion had allowed him to see some interesting things about the new recruits; indulging his whim to watch a simple crippled child in action was no problem at all.
Besides, even he couldn't help but wonder how much the once-prodigy born of the civilian clans had recovered.
For his part, Yashin decided to engage in a staring contest with the one-eyed, smiling old man standing beside the Hokage.
It wasn't until the teacher called him again that he finally looked away and decided to stand up.
Seeing his opponent already in the center of the stage, he wondered who the hell he was and why his face looked familiar; however, the mystery surrounding the Shadow Hokage's intentions once again occupied his mind.
…
"What's there to think about? I'm sure that decrepit mummy just wants to find out if the sick dog he once set his sights on is ready to get back on his radar or if he's still a lost cause. I must say, the old man has been quite attentive to you. You should do everything you can not to disappoint him."
…
— Don't disappoint him, huh?
With that murmur playing on his lips, Yashin tossed his montsuki aside and flung it toward the flustered Sakura, standing at the edge of the stage.
He didn't even glance at her. Instead, he busied himself smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his sleeveless kimono while apathetically meeting his opponent's hostile gaze.
"Kaien. Do you remember that name?"
As soon as he stopped, the first attack came in the form of a question.
Yashin merely raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer, much less try to remember who that name belonged to.
He just wanted to end this charade as soon as possible and go home.
He just wanted to get close to Danzo and tear him apart, not caring if he had to use all his chakra and his life to unleash a Cleave powerful enough to end his dog's life.
In the end, the silence only fueled Shouen's rage.
"Answer me, damn it!"
Despite the emotional intensity of his shout, none of the spectators—except Danzo and the Hokage himself—could hear him.
The Third Hokage's questioning glance at his friend—wondering if it was necessary to go so far as to put up a barrier—was met with a brief, disdainful look.
For his part, Yashin tilted his head, wondering what the hell the professor was waiting for to start the fight.
However, the boy's subsequent maniacal laughter finally seemed to start bothering him.
"You don't remember… you don't even remember me, do you? Damn you. Even after everything you did to us, you don't remember us."
"Bratty kid, cut the ridiculous act and get on with it.
One.
Two seconds."
Tears streamed from the boy's incredulous, angry eyes.
That was the exact moment the referee decided to signal the start of the match.
A guttural scream escaped from within him before he charged toward Yashin.
The spectators didn't understand what was happening. First the unnatural silence coming from the center of the field, then the tears, and now Shouen's frantic dash.
Yashin didn't understand it either, but he didn't care to.
Just as the brat leaped to knock him to the ground, Yashin's body blurred, and in the next instant, he appeared a step to the side.
Immediately, he raised his knee.
There was no crunch, but the sight of the boy's jaw dislocating was gruesome enough to make most people look away.
Even before he hit the ground, Shouen's eyes had already rolled back in his head.
…
— Was that…?
The Third Hokage's incredulous voice and furrowed brow stood in stark contrast to his friend's widening smile.
— Yeah. Body Flicker Technique. Impressive for his age, don't you think?
— You know full well that's not what I'm talking about.
Danzo's smug grin widened even further, but he didn't respond.
He wanted his old comrade to see with his own eyes the perfect talent he had discovered for Root.
Just as Yashin turned to walk back to the edge of the field, his supposedly defeated opponent shuddered before slowly getting back to his feet.
…
"Hey, hey, what the hell is going on with this freak? Since when is it normal for a brat to get up like nothing happened after something like that?"
…
While Yashin amused himself by noting that the brat's hair was a common black, completely different from the Uzumaki's red, Shouen wiped the dirt from his face and got moving again.
However, although fury continued to contort his swollen face, this time his attack was far from being so hasty.
His indirect approach—attempting to circle around him—and the kunai blades, imbued with a murderous instinct, that he hurled at Yashin were proof enough that this fight would be very different.
Although at first the pink-haired was able to dodge the throwing weapons with small movements, his limbs soon began to feel heavy.
Shouen noticed it immediately.
The smooth, precise movements had turned into a desperate struggle, barely keeping him afloat.
He didn't hesitate before charging straight at him.
Just as he leaped to slam his fist into Yashin's face, the latter vanished from his spot once more. However, his immediate reappearance was far from as calm as the first.
From a distance, seeing the pink-haired materialize behind his opponent and raise his hand to push him, all while trying to hide his unsteadiness, Danzo let out a soft laugh before shaking his head.
"A body flicker technique without seals that can be used to move extremely short distances. Not even Shisui had demonstrated such a use of shunshin."
The Third Hokage's offhand remark only served to deepen the faint bitterness on Danzo's face.
— Shunshin… Your perspective is wrong. What's impressive isn't his use of the technique, but the level of chakra control he must possess to perform it… Besides, comparing him to Shisui is an insult to the potential he once had.
— …I'm truly surprised. I never thought you'd ever come to value someone so much.
— That's because he was a perfect talent for Root.
— Yes. I've heard that many times, but I still don't understand what you mean by that.
While the pair of old relics chatted animatedly, Yashin continued doing his best to dodge his opponent's attacks.
However, extreme muscle fatigue—the result of too many toxins, lactic acid, and other byproducts accumulated in his muscles—along with nausea, dizziness, and inevitable mental exhaustion, made maintaining that stalemate impossible.
In the end, with his breathing too heavy and his chakra tank drained to the limit, Yashin ended up stumbling.
Shouen didn't miss the opportunity.
Through his blurred vision, the pink-haired barely saw a shadow close the distance before pain lashed his face.
However, the fact that he'd been struck without being able to do anything about it and that he'd fallen on his own butt hurt even more.
Instinctively, he extended his index and ring fingers toward the brat in front of him, but the burning sensation—the result of scraping the bottom of his reserves to draw chakra from outside his body—stopped him from going any further.
Shouen, though he didn't understand what Yashin was trying to attack him with, already had his back covered in sweat.
The look in his eyes, the sudden chill, and the thirst for blood brought countless unpleasant memories to his mind. And with that, his anger and his thirst for revenge resurfaced to take control.
This time, there was nothing Yashin could do to avoid Shouen's reckless charge.
Collapsed on the ground, he didn't even try to defend himself against the barrage of blows that began to intensify.
"Damn you. Damn you. How dare you not remember us? Even though you forced Kaien and me to kill each other. Damn you, how dare you?"
The pain, the tears, and the accusatory words finally shed some light on Yashin's memories.
…
"Kaien and Shouen? Weren't those the bastards you chose to find out if twins really are a bad omen in this world? I'm surprised that the son of a bitch who won is still alive after you messed with his head with that lousy genjutsu you made up."
…
Yashin couldn't answer.
Not because of the blows.
Not because of exhaustion.
Not because of the pain.
He couldn't answer, because laughter choked off any words that might have come out of his mouth.
…
— Danzo…!
The question wasn't asked, yet Hiruzen's furious exclamation was enough for Danzo to understand what he was trying to say.
— … What surprises you? I told you from the start. Yashin Haruno was the perfect ninja for Root.
— You have a lot to explain after this.
— No problem. But let me make this clear: even though Yashin Haruno is now a cripple with no future, I won't allow him to be judged for what he did in the past.
— You… really…
He was speechless.
No matter how much he thought about it, Hiruzen couldn't understand what was going through his old friend's mind.
Still, for the moment, he decided to keep all his complaints to himself and watch the rest of the fight with a frown.
…
Meanwhile, at center stage, Shouen couldn't make sense of what the world was showing him either.
— So that's why you looked so familiar to me. I never expected you to wake up from the coma. I guess I was too soft on you. Still, it's a disappointment—your strength is just as pathetic as ever, even after killing your brother.
…
"I told you. Having a twin brother or sister doesn't affect your strength or talent at all. Although, considering how you waste your time with that annoying sister of yours, I should've let you kill her when that idea first got into your head."
…
— You… you dare to laugh?
— What are you babbling about, brat? Get off me before I kill you, or better yet, before I decide to mess with your brain chemistry again, this time so you'll go after your parents. I'd like to see if I can uninhibit you enough that you'd consider fucking their corpses. Well, you already ate your brother's body, so I don't think that'd be such a big deal.
— …
— Wait, didn't you remember?
Seeing the boy's eyelids wide open to the point where his eyeballs looked like they were about to fall out, Yashin sneered again.
A laugh so ridiculous and satisfying that it seemed to break the sound barrier to reach the ears of all the spectators.
However, he soon grew tired of laughing and being pinned to the ground.
Without exerting any effort, he pushed the boy who was looming over him.
The boy didn't react; like an inert, unstable chunk of stone, he fell to the side and remained there, motionless, cold, and horrified.
He didn't give him a second glance.
Yashin simply stood up and began brushing the dirt off his kimono before walking to the edge of the field.
No gesture of reconciliation, no glance at the teacher acting as referee, or at the Hokage and his somber companion at his side.