The next round of the Preliminaries continued while Suguru observed the Anbu kunoichi's departure.
[Yakushi Kabuto vs Aburame Shino]
"Oho?"
Suguru couldn't help but raise a brow as his gaze was magnetized towards the arena. There, he spotted the four-eyed, ash-grey-haired undercover shinobi of the Hidden Sound.
'Kabuto-senpai didn't choose to forfeit?'
How odd.
—Tap.
—Tap.
—Tap.
The sound of sandals clacking against the stone made the air grow heavy with anticipation. Just as another match neared its beginning, the surrounding genin chattered amongst themselves, discussing the possible victor.
As for Shino's teammates…
"Go get 'em, Shino!"
Kiba's roar was filled with energy. Beside him, Hinata silently cheered her teammate on with an awkward smile.
Suguru even noticed Naruto and Gaara exchange raised brows. Perhaps the jinchuriki pair had sensed something off about the situation, yet couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Meanwhile, Tatsuya and Shikamaru bore a similar disinterest in the upcoming fight.
'Indeed…' Suguru thought upon noticing Akuta and Kakashi's nonchalance.
No genin had noticed the dissonance at the edge of the spectator's area. Perhaps Akuta and the other jounin had, but chose not to bother with it.
Thus, Suguru couldn't help but wonder if it was just him or everyone present.
'Am I the only one currently out of the loop? Or is this Genjutsu an indiscriminate application?'
Feeling his curiosity rising to an all-time high, Suguru made a hand seal.
'Shadow Clone Jutsu,'
A copy of himself burst into existence and flickered after a mere few milliseconds after his birth. The other jounin noticed his actions and raised a few eyebrows.
"Is there something wrong, Suguru?"
Akuta was the one to ask; his idealistic façade exuded that cold, keenness of the eye.
Suguru smiled, his gaze shimmering with a fervent, innocent curiosity.
"I got inspired by the recent battles, so I sent a Shadow Clone to test a few things. Hopefully, I can make progress with the jutsu I've been wanting to invent."
Hearing this, Akuta nodded and went silent. The rest of the jounin seemed to want to ask a few questions of their own, but the next match-up was about to begin.
Suguru also moved his gaze over and observed the unexpected event.
* * *
Shino watched Kabuto with an unreadable gaze hidden behind his glasses. The latter did the same, and the two spent a few moments analyzing each other.
"…"
Suddenly.
"Begin!"
Hayate's voice signalled the start of the battle.
…However, the two did not move.
'…This will be difficult,' Kabuto thought as he reviewed the information he had on the Aburame clan.
His current available repertoire wasn't the best against the insects that Shino could wield. It was highly likely that he would blow his cover if he fought too hard.
'…I wonder why Orochimaru-sama made that decision?'
Although Kabuto found it difficult to collect the information he needed, there was now no need to continue doing so. Orochimaru was already watching from the stands, observing in plain sight.
He could've opted out of the preliminary battles to continue his life as an undercover agent.
'No,'
Kabuto shook his head.
'I'll think about that later.'
Orochimaru would probably explain the reasoning behind his urging in the future. For now, it was enough for him to fight a little harder.
To show that he was still someone who aspired to reach the rank of chuunin — at least, in the eyes of those from Konoha.
'I'll have to take this fight into close quarters,' He thought as he kneaded his chakra, 'But I also need to avoid those insects of his…'
Kabuto's eyes flashed as his muscles tensed.
'I'll have to make this quick,'
But Shino was just as quick, if not faster.
Expecting the Aburame to play the long game, Kabuto's eyes widened when he watched his opponent's body grow into a blur.
'The Body Flicker Jutsu!' He inwardly exclaimed.
And the next thing Kabuto would see was a foot heading straight for his face.
—Swish!
Kabuto tilted his head and pulled his body to the left, feeling the wind of that kick wafting against his skin. His hand moved simultaneously, coated in chakra.
However.
—Crack.
Another fist came flying in from an impossible angle. It slammed into Kabuto's ribs, sending him tumbling.
Yet his hand continued to move, forsaking the possibility of injury.
'Yin Healing Wound Destruction,'
Or in other words, Cellular Activation.
Kabuto's one-handed chakra scalpel cut through the heel of one audacious Aburame Shino and slashed through the wrist of the other, severing muscles and tendons.
All in one fluid strike.
It was clear that Kabuto had analyzed Shino's movements in that split second, acting preemptively to strike back.
Unfortunately for him…
"Huh..?"
A sudden weakness filled his body. It started from the area where he had been hit and was rapidly spreading.
Kabuto moved swiftly — his hands flew towards the wound, slicing through the minute foreign entities that invaded his body with true surgical precision.
"Oh?"
Shino spoke with awe bleeding into his tone.
"That's… impressive."
Kabuto merely replied with a smirk.
Raising his hands, he made his decision. Although the exchange was short, it was clearly beyond what his information entailed. Shino's movements weren't what he expected.
Especially the boy's Taijutsu and Body Flicker Jutsu… Those weren't in Kabuto's files.
Thus…
"I forfeit,"
Luckily, he still made a good show of his own abilities.
Was this a good enough act?
Kabuto glanced at the stands. An imperceptible nod appeared in his vision, and he thus sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, Hayate stepped forward upon hearing his words and seeing his actions.
"…Winner by opposing surrender, Aburame Shino!"
* * *
Suguru tilted his head as he watched Shino snatch a victory against Kabuto.
The shinobi audience near Suguru were drawn to do the same head movement… As if magnetized by the pull of his movements. It compelled them like a siren songstress.
—Tilt.
"…"
Akuta was the first to realize that he had mimicked Suguru's head tilt, and he swiftly came back to his senses. The rest, seeing Akuta shake his head, were also jarred out of their momentary reverie.
"…?"
For a moment, they questioned what they were doing before truly coming to their senses.
They watched Shino and Kabuto return to the stands. The audience then applauded while Kiba and Hinata congratulated their teammate for his victory.
As for Suguru, he couldn't help but glance at the jounin of the Oto-nins standing nearby.
Caught in his gaze, the jounin nodded with a small smile.
'Sensei's way too smug despite standing right next to Hiruzen's clone,' Suguru thought with a superior smugness.
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