𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 | 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨 [HEAVY EDITING]

𝟑𝟖 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡: 𝐒𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐯𝐬. 𝐆𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐚

The cheers from around the arena are near deafening. I'm finding it difficult to erase the frown from my face the longer it goes on; I even have to physically stop Sen from clapping because it'd just been too annoying.

"Both of you, to the middle," the proctor says.

Sasuke cracks his neck from side to side, stretching his body out in preparation for his battle. Is it terrible of me to think it'd be funny for him to get humbled by losing this match? Yeah—yeah, it'd be bad.

"He definitely does look like an Uchiha," Sen muses. "Actually, he looks like—"

"Makara," I agree. "So, you remember her, too."

"Of course. She was... a very unforgettable woman." As if pulling up some memory, he rubs the shell of his one ear, frowning. "I didn't know that any of them were still alive until we found out that you were."

"How did you find out I was here, anyway? It's not like there are any Yamada allowed to live in the village, anyway."

"True, but there was a single man who stayed behind. He wasn't a Yamada, but he married one. When his husband died in the last war, and he managed to escape imprisonment, himself, he returned here. He even stayed when the Yamada were exiled, with the shop they started together. And when he heard that a Yamada had returned to the Hidden Leaf, he'd sent word. That was a few months ago. You'd likely met him – he owns a supply shop in the center of the village."

"Oh!" I'd accidentally shouted. "The man who doesn't speak? Him?"

Sen nods. "He'd send us updates every time you entered his shop."

"... I've been there at least four times since I arrived here. Wait, you said he was a prisoner? Is that why... he doesn't speak?" He nods again. "Oh... I think I'd like to talk to him a little after the exams, then. Not that I could have known, but... I feel like I need to apologize."

"That's sweet of you, Kari. I'm sure he'll enjoy his conversation with you as I am. Ah, it looks like the match is about to start."

"Sasuke is strong," I tell him. "Not even because he's an Uchiha, I think. And because of Kakashi-sensei's training, it's likely he got stronger over the past month. But Gaara..."

"But Gaara?"

I shake my head. "He has something inside him, something evil inside him... I'm worried. Not only for Sasuke who has to fight him, but for Gaara, too."

He's already been through so much, I'm thinking, my heart racing. I inhale deeply to try and slow my breathing down. This... this won't end good.

"Begin!"

The proctor jumps out of the way, and in the same second, Gaara has released the sand from his gourd. Sasuke takes a large step back and watches it carefully. The sand shudders around him, quite unlike how I'd seen it move the day before. And then...