Shorai leaned toward the flickering glow of the surveillance monitors, his silhouette static and tense. On the screen, two figures—former friends—were locked in the desperate, messy throes of a final stand.
"This one... it's a rough, ugly fight," Boar remarked, the plastic of his mask catching the light as he tilted his head. "It makes me wonder what goes on in their minds. Their skills are mediocre at best."
"Indeed," Eagle observed, his voice characteristically level. "But that pink-haired girl managed to avoid the Yamanaka clan's signature jutsu. She possesses a level of latent potential that hasn't been realized yet."
"Neither has experienced much of the real shinobi world," Shorai said, his voice cutting through the hum of the electronics. "Sakura has only recently begun to view herself as a shinobi rather than a spectator. It seems the advice I gave her back in the Land of Waves finally took root."
Boar glanced at him. "Ah, right. Your A-rank mission."
"They're both exhausted. Falling apart," Eagle added, eyes tracking the screen as the two girls rushed each other in a frantic, final blur.
"You probably want your—" Boar began, but Shorai cut him off.
"I want them to prove their own will to themselves," Shorai said firmly. He watched as the two made impact and collapsed, a double knockout written in the dust of the arena.
"Are you dating that Sakura girl in secret?" Boar's tone shifted into a tease.
"Dating? Not a chance," Shorai replied without missing a beat.
"Why not? If it's just dating, why not have more options to find the superior candidate?" Boar asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I got the impression you don't seek intimacy, so by your own logic, there shouldn't be a conflict."
Eagle let out a soft huff. "Are you trying to educate Professor Fox again?"
"I'm curious! It's rare to find such an entertaining person to speak with man-to-man," Boar chuckled. "Well? Fox?"
Shorai rubbed his chin, the porcelain of his mask cool against his fingertips. "You aren't entirely wrong, Boar-san. Logically, if intimacy is restrained, having multiple candidates would be the most efficient path to a suitable marriage. But I've known Ino for quite some time. Our interactions have reached a point where other candidates would simply be... noise. It's too late to restart the search."
He paused as the screen showed the medics moving in. "The loss is meaningless here. They showed their resolve. It was a necessary fight."
"So, no other girls then?" Boar pushed.
"A willful date? No," Shorai smiled thinly behind the mask. "But a circumstantial date can be inevitable."
Boar leaned back, pointing a finger. "You sly fox! Who was the one saying people just justify their selfish behavior? I knew that mask was too fitting!"
"Your ability to jump to conclusions is remarkable," Shorai countered.
"A 'circumstantial date'?" Eagle sounded intrigued. "Explain."
"If you are attracted to women and choose to spend time alone with one—provided it isn't forced, ordered, or otherwise unavoidable—it is a date by my definition," Shorai explained with a shrug. "A date is a matter of willful choice: asking someone out, or arranging time together when you could have avoided it. Which is why, when two people are brought together by circumstance or in a professional setting, that is not a date."
Shorai paused for a moment and added, looking at Eagle, "I want my future companion to trust me completely. That would require reputation maintenance on my part. To avoid conflict, I will have to minimize situations that could be mistaken for these 'dates' with so-called female friends."
"How easy for someone your age to say," Eagle muttered, his voice sounding suddenly hollow.
"I told you, man!" Boar laughed. "This hopeless romantic has too many 'friends.' And it's his own fault."
"Women often divide their emotional needs among different individuals," Shorai added clinically. "From my impression, Eagle-san, you have become their confidante. You provide safety and closeness, but you lack the element required for them to view you as a partner for a serious relationship."
The silence in the room grew heavy. "Yes... now that you mention it," Eagle whispered.
"I told you! You're being used!" Boar barked, though Shorai noticed the smirk beneath his own mask.
"Perhaps," Shorai added, "given our profession, such 'friendships' are something you willfully impose on yourself to keep a distance."
"Something like that," Eagle admitted, turning his attention back to the monitors as the fights accelerated.
The atmosphere shifted as the Sand Genin began their dominant display. Tenten's defeat was swift and clinical. Then, the screen flashed: Nara vs. Tsuchi.
"Shikamaru is an oddity," Shorai remarked. "But when his dignity is on the line, he becomes a different animal. He will find a solution."
Time stretched. The monitoring room felt like a vacuum, isolated from the roar of the crowd below. Finally, the names for the next match scrolled up: Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka.
Eagle and Boar grew noticeably still, their eyes darting toward Shorai, gauging his reaction to the Jinchuriki.
"I know what my friend is," Shorai said calmly, shattering the tension. "You don't need to be this guarded around me."
"How much do you know?" Eagle asked, his voice sharp.
"A mass of intelligent, wild chakra in the form of a Nine-Tailed Fox, sealed by the Fourth. I pieced the clues together through history and confirmed it with the Third himself."
"Simply knowing the truth doesn't make it less of a secret, Fox," Boar warned, though he looked impressed.
They watched the fight unfold—a chaotic, feral exchange that ended in the most absurd way possible.
"W-what just happened?" Boar stammered, leaning into the screen.
"He... he farted," Shorai revealed, a genuine chuckle escaping him.
"Tipping the scales of natural disadvantage with... that?" Eagle sounded genuinely impressed. "Talk about an unpredictable ninja."
The levity vanished as the Hyuga match began. Neji's cold, lethal efficiency against Hinata turned the room somber.
"Her personality doesn't suit being a shinobi," Shorai sighed. "Born into a rigid family as a heiress... it's a heavy weight. I hope she can build the resolve to counter those expectations, or this path will only end in tragedy."
"The uncertain die young," Eagle added with a tinge of melancholy.
The climax of the preliminaries arrived with Lee vs. Gaara. The room went silent as the speed of the match surpassed the refresh rate of the cameras.
"Lee is a bad match for him," Shorai noted. "Gaara of the Desert... he doesn't just fight; he crushes."
"Lee only uses Taijutsu? Like Guy?" Boar asked. "Unless he's learned that technique..."
"He has," Shorai confirmed.
"Reckless. I hope he doesn't end up like you did in that hospital bed. Or worse."
They watched Lee open the Gates, a spectacle of raw, forbidden power. For a moment, it looked like a victory.
"No," Eagle whispered. "Look at the sand cushion."
"Lee's strikes lack lethality," Shorai analyzed. "He hits hard, but he doesn't destroy the internal systems. If he could utilize chakra expulsion punches to bypass that sand armor, the outcome would change. As it stands..."
"How would you fare, Fox?" Boar asked.
Shorai calculated, his mind running simulations that didn't involve the Reality Stone. "With my current skill set... I could bring him to death's door. It would be a test of my speed against the reinforcement of his sand. One mistake, and it's over."
As if on cue, the screen showed Gaara's sand closing around Lee's limbs. A muffled scream echoed through the audio feed.
"Too little, too late," Boar shook his head as Guy stepped in. "That boy might never walk again."
The preliminaries ended in a blur of blood and sound. The door to the room hissed open, and a Cat-masked ANBU stepped in to relieve them.
"Hokage calls for a meeting. We switch now."
—
The trio moved like shadows through the village, arriving at the Hokage's office. Inside, the Third sat behind a mountain of scrolls, his smoking pipe already lit. He activated a sound barrier with a flick of his wrist.
"Shorai... or should I say, Fox," Hiruzen began, a puff of smoke trailing into the air. "You did well. Thank you for assisting Anko and surviving an encounter with... him."
"It was an eye-opening experience, sir," Shorai said, kneeling alongside his squad. "He branded Sasuke with the same mark as Anko-san. How are they?"
"Sasuke is stable, surviving on sheer will. Anko..." the Hokage paused. "She hasn't been herself. Do you have anything to add, Fox? About the treatment?"
"Only the Mystic Palm and basic first aid," Shorai replied steadily. "Unless the jutsu had an uncalculated interaction with the mark, I don't know."
Hiruzen stared into Shorai's eyes, a long, searching look that made the hair on Shorai's neck stand up. "The creator of the method understands it best. I believe you. It is likely the mark's reaction to his presence in the forest."
The Hokage leaned forward. "Now, the reality. The finals are set for August 6th. The village will be flooded with nobles and merchants. No outside missions. You will be our eyes on the ground."
"Lord Hokage," Shorai spoke up. "May I use the intervals between duty to train? I've reached a breakthrough in my Kekkei Genkai. My body needs to adapt to prevent internal damage."
Hiruzen looked at Eagle. "Your thoughts?"
"Boar and I can cover the shifts, sir," Eagle replied. "We can facilitate his training."
"Permission granted," Hiruzen nodded. "Stabilize your control, Shorai. That Swift Release is a vital asset to Konoha. But remember—your duty to the mask comes first. Dismissed!"