Tsunade's Rage

"As I expected—just like your friend, you crumble the moment your defense is broken."

Nora's blade sliced through the air, aimed directly at Mizuki's shoulder.

For the first time since the fight began, Mizuki's expression faltered—her eyes widening slightly, not in panic though, instead it was a look of surprise. But it wasn't the attack that caught her off guard. No, it was the fact that Nora wasn't aiming to kill her.

Mizuki quickly brushed the thought aside. There was no time for distractions. Instead, she let a slow, victorious smile creep onto her lips.

"Just like your friend, you fell for it."

A deep red glow emanated from Mizuki as the crimson butterflies surrounding them surged forward like a living storm. Nora's breath hitched. The butterflies were already too close—escape was no longer an option.

[I have no choice.]

The faint steam that had been rising from Nora's body shifted. No longer transparent, it turned red - a sign of life force burning. It was a last resort, a technique that consumed not just blood, but lifespan, stamina, and something far more dangerous—humanity. With every use, the emotions that once felt warm and familiar faded further into the distance, leaving behind nothing but a hunger for pain and a thirst for violence. Shinobi who relied on it too often lost the ability to feel anything but the thrill of combat and the satisfaction of making others suffer.

Nora gritted her teeth, the pain growing more intense with every second. [I don't want to die.] She could no longer tell if it was Mizuki's butterflies scorching her flesh or her own technique eating away at her life force. All she knew was that if she stopped now, she wouldn't survive.

In those few seconds - seconds that felt like an eternity - her entire life flashed before her eyes.

Unlike Hora, she wasn't born into the Arasami Clan. She was an orphan. All she could remember was that one day her parents simply gave her to this stranger who brought her to the Arasami clan. At first, she believed her parents would come back for her. That they would miss her, look for her. But that day never came. She wasn't taken—she was sold.

The Arasami Clan had given her a new name: Arasami Nora. She was placed in a building with dozens of other children, all taken under similar circumstances. They were fed. They were trained. And that was their entire existence.

No play. No bonds. No friendships.

The clan designed small bedrooms, each housing four children, but no group stayed together for long. Every week, they were reassigned, shuffled like pieces on a board. It wasn't random - it was calculated. A deliberate method to sever all emotional ties, ensuring they grew into weapons with no past, no future—only a purpose.

To live for the clan. To die for the clan.

They weren't taught ninjutsu, only taijutsu, kenjutsu, and the technique that burned away their life force. But Nora had been different. Her affinity for wind release was exceptional. The clan noticed. They trained her harder. Gave her privileges the others didn't have. That's why she was here, why she had been at Hora's side. She wasn't just another Arasami soldier.

She was his shield.

Nora had done cruel things. She wasn't a good person. But maybe - just maybe - if she had been raised like a normal child, she would have turned out differently.

[If I survive this… I'll escape.]

The pain became unbearable.

The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the crimson glow of Mizuki's butterflies, closing in.

<<<>>>

The crowd was stunned into silence. The sight before them was mesmerizing—thousands of graceful, glowing butterflies swarming toward the two girls, a breathtaking yet cruel display of power. The entire arena was so quiet that the only sounds were Nora's agonized groans and the sizzling of scorched flesh.

Then, a voice finally broke the tension.

"Stop this! Someone save them!"

But even before the cry rang out, a figure was already sprinting toward the battlefield. This wasn't just any medic-nin—this was Tsunade, the legendary Sannin. Her long blonde hair trailed behind her, brown eyes sharp with focus, the tight robe she wore highlighting her curvy body. Actually, the main reason why other shinobi had not moved was because they knew Tsunade was present. As long as the girls survived, she could heal them. Definitely.

The reason why Nora had lost consciousness was not because of burns being fatal, instead it was thanks to the Uchiha judge. He had placed her under a genjutsu, forcing her body to shut down before she could endure further mental damage. Now, as he separated the two combatants, Tsunade crouched beside Nora, assessing her condition. Her burns were severe, but nothing she couldn't handle.

Then, as she channeled chakra into the unconscious girl, her expression darkened.

[This is…]

Her teeth clenched as she felt the signs of a body pushed beyond its natural limits. The strain, the damage—it was more than just burns. This girl had been forced into a technique that ate away at her very life force. Tsunade's fingers twitched. Her anger flared.

[There's no time for this now,] she reminded herself. [First, I save this kid. Then, Arasami Clan better be ready.]

She was genuinely planning to move against them.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha judge straightened up after confirming that Tsunade had everything under control. He glanced toward the battlefield, ignoring scorched Mizuki who was still on the ground.

"Are you going to come out, or should I declare you the winner like this?"

At first, there was no response.

Then, the earth near Mizuki's scorched remains shifted. A moment later, she emerged, leaping out of the ground completely unharmed—aside from being covered in dirt.

She dusted herself off, her face was the same - indifferent and emotionless. Then, as she turned her gaze toward the unconscious Nora, she clicked her tongue.

"Tsk."

No one, not even Mizuki, knew what emotion had caused that sound. But whatever it was, it didn't feel good.

"The winner is Mizuki Kasai from Takimura Village!"

The moment the words were spoken, the silence shattered.

The crowd erupted into cheers, immediately forgetting the solemn moment from just seconds ago.

"Takimura Village isn't joking around!"

"She's strong AND beautiful!"

"I wonder if the other Takimura kids are just as strong."

"She got lucky. Konoha shinobi wouldn't have fallen for that technique."

"I'd let one of those butterflies scorch me if—"

The last speaker was promptly smacked upside the head by his friends before he could finish embarrassing them all.

"Sensei, Mizuki's gotten really strong. I didn't even know she learned Earth Release," Kaoru finally spoke, snapping out of his excitement. He was chanting Takimura just now, but he finally shifted into analysis mode.

"Mhm", Shin gave a small nod, offering no further comment. Mizuki had picked up a simplified version of the Subterranean Voyage technique—Earth Mole. It wasn't nearly as versatile, as it only allowed her to sink straight down rather than move freely underground, but for her strategy, it worked perfectly. Given her abysmal Earth affinity, learning anything more advanced in such a short time would have been nearly impossible.

"When's your fight?" Sugeru asked, finally free from the infirmary. He had dragged Yuji together with him and managed to catch the second half of Mizuki's battle and was eager to see Kaoru in action.

Kaoru sighed. "Not today. There are too many participants."

There were twenty-one contestants before Mizuki's match, but Kaoru's situation was unique. His previous opponent - Hora - had been deemed stronger than most Chunin level shinobi, leading to an automatic first-round bye. Kaoru wasn't happy about it. It felt like he hadn't earned his place, and skipping a round only added to the frustration.

"I'll probably be fighting tomorrow or the day after, depending on how fast the other matches go."

Typically, shinobi battles didn't last long in most cases it lasted about fifteen to thirty minutes. However, in Genin's case, the fights were expected to be even shorter. Most duels wrapped up in five to ten minutes. Even Mizuki's drawn-out strategy, waiting for an opening while hidden underground, hadn't taken more than five minutes.

"Oh, that's great then," Yuji chimed in, trying to be supportive. "More time to prepare."

Kaoru frowned. "I didn't even know I wasn't fighting until today." He pulled out the tournament schedule from his satchel and glanced over it again.

Then, his expression shifted. "Sorry, guys, I gotta go. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Don't let anyone take my seat."

Before anyone could respond, Kaoru flickered away.

<<<>>>

The moment Kaoru learned he wasn't fighting, he decided to adjust his plans slightly and put his master plan into motion.

Now, he was making his way back to the betting stand, where he had already managed to place a 50k Ryo bet on Mizuki. He had been confident in her victory, but he wasn't reckless enough to risk more.

"I'm back for my share," he declared with a smug grin.

The stand owner immediately recognized him. There were plenty of gamblers, but not many ten-year-olds who could afford to throw down 50k Ryo like it was pocket change. Even fewer were willing to bet on that particular match. The odds had been tight - 1.3 for Mizuki, 1.35 for Nora - meaning neither was an obvious favorite. The old man hadn't wanted to take any risks and had set the odds as safely as possible.

"Alright, kid, let me see your tickets," the man said with a forced smile, hoping, praying, Kaoru had lost them.

But Kaoru pulled out five yellow tickets, each marked with 10k Ryo for Mizuki. The old man grumbled as he checked their authenticity, cursing his bad luck.

"Alright, fine. That's 65k Ryo for you." He started counting the money.

"No need, old man. I'm placing another bet—100k on Itachi Uchiha."

Kaoru's grin widened, already counting the winnings in his head.

The bookmaker stopped counting, his eyes narrowing. "Kid, that fight won't be for a while. Why not place bets on the upcoming matches instead?"

Kaoru pouted, waving a hand dismissively. "Because the odds suck. If I'm gonna bet big, I'm betting safe."

The old man's fingers tapped the counter. He was losing money to this brat, and he needed a way to get it back.

"What if I gave you better odds? Just between us, huh?" He leaned in, lowering his voice.

[Heh. Idiot took the bait.]

Kaoru pretended to hesitate, furrowing his brows as if weighing his options.

"Hmmm… I don't know. Why would you give me better odds unless you think I'll lose?" His voice dripped with suspicion.

The old man waved his hands. "No, no! This is an honest business. If we pulled tricks, the Hokage would shut us down in an instant! Look, I'll prove I'm on your side—"

He leaned over and pointed at the next fight on the schedule.

"The next match is between some kid named Akito and Yamanaka Salko. I'll give you 1.2 for Salko and 2.0 for Akito. That's double your money if he wins! Huh? How's that for generosity?"

Kaoru's eyes lit up—or at least, he made them look like they did. The original odds had been 1.15 for Salko and 1.5 for Akito. This guy was desperate to lure him in.

"Alright then… I don't know who this Akito guy is, but twice my money sounds like a great deal!" Kaoru put on a silly, excited expression, then suddenly squinted, as if getting suspicious again.

"You're not tricking me, are you?"

"Nooo, of course not! So, should I get your tickets ready?" the old man asked, already scribbling them down.

"Fine, I'll trust you this time. I'll place 50k on that Akito guy," Kaoru sighed dramatically. "But if I lose—I won't bet here EVER again!"

"Kid, I can't guarantee anything, but who knows? I hear that Akito has a Kekkei Genkai, or so they say."

Kaoru almost laughed out loud.

[Kekkei Genkai? Now I don't even feel bad about scamming this guy.]

Kaoru forced a cheeky grin as if he liked his chances even more. He grabbed his tickets, stuffing them into his satchel.

[I don't mind acting like an idiot if it means I leave this village RICH.]

By the time he returned home, Konoha's gamblers would be cursing his name.

He turned around about to head back when he saw Mizuki running somewhere with a troubled expression.

**

A/N - 

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Funny enough, I got the idea for Nora's past while watching some dumb movie the other day. The movie was terrible, but hey—it gave me time to think about the plot for Azure Awakening, so it wasn't a complete waste.

Also, don't worry, Kaoru isn't turning into a gambling addict. This is just a one-time thing because, let's be honest, betting on Itachi is basically free money. xD

Character Notes:

Kaoru - Gambler Mode - "Gambling is fun if you are betting on Itachi"

Old Man - Scummer - "Hehe, I'll get my money back and more!"

**