Second Exam: Blame vs. Accountablity

Neji stood alongside his team and Team 8, looking at their strange foe. Neji activated his Byakugan and began to examine En. He had a large amount of chakra, consistent with many elite jonin he had come across.

But the most concerning feature was its flow throughout his body; it differed from any chakra Neji had encountered. Chakra usually flowed fast and streaked across like lightning strikes, but En's was slow and congested like a muddy river. The chakra congealed at spots before building up before releasing to the next chakra point.

Along with his eyes and ability to control blood at will, it was clear that he belonged to some sort of lost or secret clan with a powerful dojutsu. Neji steeled himself; this opponent shouldn't be taken lightly. He then turned to his teammates and began to give orders.

"Lee use a hit-and-run strategy and attacks sporadically while I approach to keep him off balance; TenTen provide covering fire,"

Neji turned to Team 8: "You three just try to stay out of our way."

Kiba growled, and a trained eye would notice a slight twitch of Shino's eyebrow. Hinata just looked unaffected, accustomed to her cousin's coldness.

Neji darted forward, trying to test his opponent. En swung his glaive horizontally in front of him; Neji effortlessly dodged it by jumping back a couple feet. Neji recognized the weakness of En's weapon; while it had reached reach, once he got past it, it couldn't be used for defense. Neji dashed forward again, focusing his vision on En and looking to predict his strike. En put the glaive low and swung upward in an arc. In a display of impressive acrobatics, Neji leaned forward on one foot and turned underneath the glaive while maintaining his forward momentum. En's eyes widened at the impossible dodge; Neji took the opportunity to close the distance and attempt to land a strike on En and disable his arms. Neji then saw the staff of the alive begin to morph as spikes began to form the side. Neji attempted to dodge the spikes, but due to his low stance and momentum, he got speared in the shoulder by the small blood spikes,

En took the chance to close the distance. As he launched himself forward, he outstretched toward Neji's shoulder. Neji noticed that En's hand was overflowing with the strange congealed chakra. Neji back-stepped away, trying to avoid the unknown attack.

En managed to only scrap two of his fingers across the wound before he was launched back as Neji began to perform

8 Trigrams Palm Rotation

Neji spined rapidly as he expelled chakra and produced a defensive shell around himself.

Once Neji stopped his rotation, he closely examined his injury with his Byakugan. The same congealed chakra was now festering in his wound as he began to feel a strange pressure build in his shoulder; with no hesitation, Neji struck his arm with a gentle fist, dispelling the foreign chakra out of his wound. Neji looked at En, a newfound fear forming for his opponent. He had no solid logic or reasoning behind it, but a deep feeling in his gut told him that if he didn't expel the chakra from his wound, he wouldn't be alive right now."

Tampering the emotion of shock and anxiety, Neji said

"Whatever. You don't let him touch your open wounds; he congeals chakra in his hands and tries to put it in your blood."

En whistled, impressed that Neji found out one of his most deadly techniques

"Man, those eyes are sure something, huh"

Neji ignored En and turned toward Team 8 as he barked orders,

"Attempt to keep him off balance, no matter how strange his powers are. If I can corner him, I can win."

Shino's eyebrows twitched at the illogical use of "I" in Neji's plea for help.

"Fine, but once this asshole is done, you're next," threatened Kiba, fed up with Neji's ego.

Team 8 and Team Gai then began a semi-coordinated blitz on En.

TenTen threw a nonstop barrage of various weapons, varying in type and size. Kiba and Hinata began to use similar tactics to Lee, with Kiba and Akumaru attempting claw strikes at the jumbled En and Hinata keeping most of the attention of En's strikes. With her Byakugan and flexibility, she could keep her distance and avoid surprise attacks from the glaive.

En bemoaned his current situation. While earlier, he could quickly dispatch the Hyuga and Inuzuka, the bowl-cut kid was getting faster and faster in his attacks. Along with the constant projectiles, it made it impossible for him to attack consistently as he put most of his energy into defense. En cursed himself for his incompetence. While it had been almost a decade since he had fought seriously and was outnumbered one to six, he used to be able to fight twice the number of enemies with ease; he would have to start weeding them down if he was to win in a timely manner.

In his musings, En suddenly felt hundreds of tiny bites on the bag of his leg as he felt his chakra begin to be drained, slowing his movement. With all the moving parts of the fight, En almost missed Neji's preparing for an attack behind him. Almost. En cut his wrist on the blade of the glaive, and blood began to seep out.

Neji got into a stance facing En's back

"You're in my field of divination."

Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms

Neji got into his set as the first two strikes successfully landed; as he went to the next set of his technique, he noticed a barrier of blood began to form around En,

Neji, knowing his window of opportunity was limited, began to launch strikes at frantic speed, losing some of their precision but doing damage nonetheless

"4 palms," Neji landed another four strikes on En's back.

"Eight palms,"

"Sixteen palms,"

Neji could barely comprehend his actions as he launched his attacks, trying to land all sixty-four before En's barrier went up.

"Thirty-two palms," Neji shouted the last set of his form, but as he performed his first strike, his hand was blocked by a shell of blood. Neji clicked his tongue. He wasn't fast enough.

The bloodshell around En then began to contort. Sensing danger, Neji quickly performed

8 Trigrams Rotation

The shell exploded, sending fast-flying blood projectiles in all directions. Everyone was able to dodge them, and Neji's technique protected him from the attack.

"Enough" En yelled, his cool and calm demeanor fading into a rage.

En manipulated the blood from his wrist as he began to hit into a whip-light shape, levitating it in the air. Neji and Hinata both noticed the overflowing of the congealed chakra in the blood as they saw En begin to move his hand, and they both yelled in unison.

"Duck!"

Pressure Whip

The blood expanded outward at an ungodly speed and pressure, slicing through trees and rock, toppling them over, and creating a giant dust cloud on the battlefield.

As the dust cleared, everyone was horrified, as time almost seemed to freeze; En was standing over TenTen, whose leg was pinned underneath a tree. He held his glaive over her, prepared to finish her.

TenTen, vulnerable as she began failing frantically trying to unpin her leg

Lee's anguished scream pierced the air as he fervently attempted to open the first gate in a desperate bid to save his friend. Team 8 looked on helplessly, knowing they couldn't reach Ten in time. Meanwhile, Neji sprinted forward, his every move infused with determination as he endeavored to halt En in his tracks.

As En lowered his glaive, a flash of blue appeared in his peripheral

Lightning Release: Powerful Breath

A bolt of lightning crashed into En, launching him into a tree.

Everyone saw Sasuke standing on a branch on one of the few trees spared from the attack, with a blonde girl on his back.

His sudden arrival raised everyone's spirits,

Rock Lee had tears running down his face as he gave Sasuke a thumbs-up

"It is truly the power of youth that brought you here, brave Uchiha; I thank you."

Lee gave a deep bow in thanks, and Neji gave Sasuke a nod of appreciation, his pride not being able to keep back his gratitude

Sasuke jumped down from the tree.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you here, and who's the kid?" asked Kiba

"I suggest we save the questions until after we deal with our enemy," said Shino

Everyone turned their attention to En, who was gingerly getting up from Sasuke's attack. Combined with Neji's earlier strikes and hitting back first into a tree, En's back was on fire, which would no doubt hamper his movements if the fight continued. En looked up, his eyes drawing Chino's attention.

Chino hopped off of Sasuke's back and began to run toward En. Sasuke attempted to stop her, but she slipped out of his grasp,

"Stop, kid, that's guy dangerous" yelled Kiba

Chino stopped several feet before En and looked up at him, her light blue eyes gazing into his soul.

At that moment, En knew that his daughter had finally discovered the truth. En sighed deeply, recalling the events of the last decade of his life and wondering how in the hell he had ended up here.

"What a shitty day," En said as he looked up into the sky

He began to contemplate his options. En had always been a man of opportunity; if the chance presented itself, he would take it. That's the whole reason he decided to help a random lunatic. And now, before him, was a golden opportunity to fulfill a promise he had made years ago.

FLASHBACK 10 Years Ago In the Valley of Hell

En held his dying wife in his arms amidst the destruction of their friends and family while the screams of their newborn filled the air. He placed his hands over the deep wounds on her torso, using his masterful control of their Kekkei Genkai to keep her alive for a few precious moments longer.

She raised her hand and touched his cheek, her black hair sprawled in his lap.

"En, listen to me. I need you to do something."

"What is it, Senri?"

"I need you to give away Chino."

En immediately felt repulsed by the idea. "There's no way I will give up our daughter."

"Shut up and listen to me for once in your life, you dumb man, please," she pleaded.

"But why?"

"Look around us. Look at what we've done to our friends, her family, all to reclaim some lost honor." Tears began to roll down Senri's eyes.

She then gripped En's sleeve with her fading strength. "And I'm scared of what will happen to you when I go," Senri looked at En with light blue eyes filled with tears.

"Please promise me, En, don't let her become you."

"What do you mean?" En asked, choking on tears, already knowing what she meant.

"Bitter and hateful toward the world. I want her to be happy. En, please, promise me."

"I promise, I promise."

Senri closed her eyes and mouthed 'thank you' as she fell back into En's arms.

En sat on his knees, listening to the echoes of Chino's cries through the cavern.

END FLASHBACK

A tear rolled down En's face before he wiped it away with his thumb.

En closed his eyes. He then began to mold the glaive back into his original staff and stashed it in his sleeve. When he opened his eyes, they had reverted to normal; he fished for his pink sunglasses and put them back on his face.

He looked over to the Genin

"It's just not worth the effort."

En turned to Chino, who was still in shock.

"Your mother's name was Senri, and she loved you so much; I'm sorry I failed her and you."

En turned around and began to walk away.

Chino stood there shell shocked as she watched En's back.

"Why" her words came out as a whisper, but she then raised her voice as the question echoed through the trees

"WHY!?"

En paused his leave for a moment, but he continued walking away.

Chino fell to her knees and began to cry, repeating her question repeatedly in murmurs.

Kiba, stunned by the scene, asked

"Are we just going to let him go?"

Shino nodded,

"It appears he had no more intention to fight; if we were to engage him further, it would be foolish.

Neji and Lee rushed to TenTen to free her leg.

Sasuke walked toward Chino, who was bawling her eyes out

Knowing from experience that words do not usually help, he sat beside her, staying silent.

After several minutes, Chino calmed down.

"Do you need to talk"

Chino shook her head

"Not right now."

"Okay, I'll be back. I need to talk to the others."

Sasuke stood up and began walking toward Team Gai and Team 8, who were gathered to evaluate any wounds and recover from the experience.

TenTen approached Sasuke

"Thank you for saving my life; I probably would have been a goner if you didn't show up."

"Don't mention it." not exactly knowing how to accept the gratitude

Lee stepped forward and held his hand out to Sasuke.

"I owe you much more than I can give now for saving my teammate when I could not; anytime you need me, just call the heavens, and I will come to assist you. "

Sasuke took Lee's hand, visibly confused by his offer.

TenTen rolled her eyes.

"To translate this goof means that if you are ever in a pinch, you can count on us. "

"That goes for us, too," voiced Kiba

"And by the way, who's the girl."

Sasuke then explained the events before his arrival to everyone.

"How awful to leave a child alone in a place like this," said Hinata

"What will you do about her," asked TenTen

Sasuke looked over to Chino.

"I'll take her back to my team and protect her until we can hand her over to some proctors."

As they discussed the accounts over the next several minutes, Team 8 made their leave. Just before Team Gai left, Neji made a surprising remark to Sasuke: "Perhaps my initial judgment of you was ill-informed."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk and responded, "That's a weird way of saying thank you."

Neji scoffed and then turned to his teammates, saying, "Let's leave. We've wasted enough time here already." With that, Team Gai departed.

Sasuke then walked in front of Chino and crouched down, offering his back for her to climb on. "You're about to meet my team; I think you'll like them," he said as he and Chino began to leave the area.

Samui and Shikamaru quickly discussed a plan of action.

"He may be immortal, but he is still beholden to his body."

Samui nodded

"So knees, heels, joints, any point that could limit mobility, how long could you do your shadow technique, maybe two to three more times, but he probably won't be held longer than a few seconds. Plus, I have an ace up my sleeve."

"Do you mind telling me"

Shikamaru quickly whispered something to Samui, and a small smile came across her face

"Understood, I'll engage him directly, stay in the back, and provide support when needed,"

Hidan charged wildly at Samui and Shikamaru

"Stop Talking!"

Samui came face to face with her opponent and drew her tanto from its sheath. As the two prepared to clash, she launched a series of rapid, graceful strikes aimed at severing tendons in Hidan's arms. Despite wielding a less-than-ideal weapon, Hidan showcased remarkable skill in kenjutsu, effortlessly parrying each of her attacks.

Shikamaru stayed back as he analyzed Hidan's movements and searched for an opportune time for his shadow possession. This area was perfect, as the shadows from the trees provided him great versatility with his Jutsu.

Seeing an opening, Shikamaru sped his shadow forward, Hidan spotting it began to jump away, but Samui predicted his dodge and swiftly pursued him; she managed to land a strike, leaving a long, deep gash across Hidan's bicep.

Shikamaru retracted his shadow and began to relocate to get a better angle. Hidan dashed toward Shikamaru, but his advance was quickly interrupted as Samui landed a devastating slash to the back of Hidan's knee, toppling him.

Hidan looked at Samui with rage, whose, despite her expression not changing, had an aura of smugness, "You should focus on the opponent in front of you."

Hidan began to get frustrated. If only he had his scythe, these two would already be minced meat. A devilish idea then popped into Hidan's head as he got up and charged at Samui. She performed a piercing thrust with her tanto, expecting it to be blocked, but Hidan put his forearm in and stabbed himself on the blade.

Samui's eyes grew wide in shock; Hidan then took his other arm and landed a strike across Samui's face, making her let go of her blade and fall away. Hidan took the chance to begin sprinting to his weapon; he pulled out Samui's tanto and threw it away off into the woods,

Shikamaru, seeing this, began to expand his shadow, trying to catch Hidan before he could reach his weapon; as Hidan was only a few feet away from his scythe, he froze as his shadow became attached to Shikamaru's.

Samui recovered and saw Shikamaru's control was already fading as Hidan was beginning to regain his body. She looked around for her tanto but didn't immediately spot it in the area. She also realized she couldn't cover the distance between her and Hidan before he broke free. Knowing that this may be the last time they would have him vulnerable, Samui pulled out a kunai and began to perform a technique. She got into a low sprinter stance and began to channel a massive amount of lightning chakra throughout her body.

Lightning Release: Flow Sprint

With a powerful surge of chakra rushing through her legs, Samui moved forward like a bolt of lightning, scorching the grass behind her. Meanwhile, as Hidan broke free from Shikamaru's hold, he suddenly felt a sharp slice in his right heel, followed by an intense surge of thousands of volts of lightning coursing through his entire body, causing him to tense up and collapse to the ground.

Shikamaru stood awestruck at Samui's technique; he followed the trail she left behind. She went a good twenty feet past Hidan and was still crouched, but it was clear she was not one hundred percent. She was breathing heavily and was shaking, a sign she was dangerously low on chakra, the signs he knew because he was going through the same symptoms currently.

Between breaths, Samui said

"I... I missed"

After the electricity passed through his system, Hidan stood up and examined his right heel. The cut was significant, but he could still move, if barely. If it had been any deeper, he probably would have lost his foot. Hidan began laughing maniacally as he limped toward his scythe and picked it up.

Hidan didn't notice the smug expression on Samui's and Shikamaru's faces when he picked up the weapon, but he did notice the glowing explosive tags. Hidan frantically threw the weapon, but he was still caught in the explosion,

Samui and Shikamaru waited with bated breath to see the state of their foe, and to their dismay, Hidan, though injured, was still standing; his right took most of the damage, with his right arm having severe burns across it; he also had a burn scar on the side of his face. The scythe took most of the damage; while still intact, the three main blades were bent from the heat, with the wire portion of the weapon completely broken.

Hidan could almost cry at the state of his beloved scythe. He screamed in rage as he pointed the mangled weapon at Shikamaru and Samui

"You two will pay in blood for this Lord Jashin will..."

Hidan interrupted himself as he felt the movement of the air above. He turned to see Karui coming down with her blade to decapitate him; at the last moment, he managed to avoid decapitation, but due to the angle Karui struck, she was still able to take a limb as she sliced through his left arm, Hidan screamed in pain, and swung his scythe wildly, Karui rolled away, and got into a defensive stance.

Hidan looked at the stump, which was now his left arm; he pointed his stump at Karui.

"Really, are you kidding me" Karui was confused by the casualness Hidan was approaching, losing a limb; Hidan picked up his arm off the ground and stowed it under his shoulder. He then remembered that it would only be a matter of time before more showed up, and while only a few minutes ago it wouldn't have been a problem, his scythe was broken and he was missing an arm. Hidan gritted his teeth accepting his defeat.

"I underestimate you all, but I promise you, one day, you will see the glory of Jashin and become his sacrifice." Hidan then retreated from the area.

"Hey!" Karui shouted as she almost prepared to go after him.

"Don't bother," Samui said as she walked over, clearly exhausted; Shikamaru, instead of walking over, just fell down flat on his butt and leaned against a tree,

"Where's Choji?"

"He's a few minutes away, I patched up his worse wounds, and he was conscious the last time I saw him," said Karui

Shikamaru leaned further back into the tree

"That's good news. Thank you"

Several minutes later, Omio arrived with five proctors. Two immediately went to secure Choji and escort him back. The other three took testimony about Hidan and the fight. Since both his teammates were unable to continue, we would not be able to pass the exam, so he decided to head back with the proctors.

Before he left, he walked over to Samui, who was taking a rest

"Hey, Nara," Samui greeted

"Shikamaru, my name is Shikamaru"

"Shikamaru, well, I'm Samui. Odd to fight side by side but not know each other's name," Samui mused.

"Look, I don't know why you helped us, but you saved my two best friends; I can't thank you and your team enough," Shikamaru got down on the ground and bowed,

Tears fell onto the dirt below him

"Thank you so much."

"Get up, Nara; you were just as much a part in saving your friends as we were."

Shikamaru shook his head

"I doubt that they trusted me, and I let them get hurt,"

"From your testimony, it sounds like your plan succeeded. You went toward the center of the forest to find a backup, and you found us, and the three of you survived; leadership is a difficult thing. And one of the lines you have to walk is knowing the difference in blame and accountability,"

"What's the difference"

"Blame would you saying it's your fault your team ran into that maniac, but accountability is you saying you weren't strong enough to stop him without help; it's about focusing on what you can control, you can't choose your obstacles, but you can choose how prepared you are to face them."

Samui then got up and began to make her way to her team

"If it weren't for you, I doubt I would have survived the fight; for that, I thank you, goodbye Nara."

As she walked away, Shikamaru began searching through his pouch

"Wait"

Samui turned around

Shikamaru threw a pouch at her, and when she opened it, she had Team Ten's coins.

"Consider that payment for your help.

Samui smiled lightly

"You know what? You're pretty cool, Nara."

Sasuke recognized the familiar landmarks, indicating he was close to their camp. He dropped to the forest floor and turned around to ask Chino, "Do you want to get down?" Chino shook her head and said, "No." Sasuke shrugged and continued walking to camp; he didn't mind, as she was so light, it was no inconvenience to carry her.

As Sasuke entered the camp, he was met by the bright smiles of his teammates. "Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura asked, concerned about the length of time Sasuke was gone.

Naruto was sitting by the fire next to Karin. "Yeah, man. We were about to go looking for you. Wait, what's that on your back?"

Chino peeked around Sasuke's shoulder and waved shyly. Sasuke sighed. "It's a long story."