[The Tower - Central Hall]
Getting to the tower was uneventful. With my Observation Haki, avoiding ambushers was child's play. We arrived at the massive central pagoda just as the sun was setting on the second day, beating the time limit with days to spare.
We opened the scrolls.
POOF.
Iruka-sensei appeared in a cloud of smoke, smiling like a proud dad.
"Congratulations, Team 7! You pass the second exam!"
Iruka looked at us. He looked at Sasuke, who was awake now but pale, clutching his neck where the hickey from hell was throbbing. He looked at me, who was perfectly clean, holding a half-eaten apple.
"You guys... look okay," Iruka noted, eyeing Sasuke's bruise. "Usually teams come in half-dead."
"We had good leadership," I smirked, patting Sasuke's shoulder hard—right on the bruise.
"Ow!" Sasuke glared, slapping my hand away.
"You're welcome."
Iruka gave his standard speech about Heaven (Mind) and Earth (Body). I zoned out. It was philosophical filler.
"Okay, you're dismissed," Iruka finished. "You have three days of rest inside the tower before the preliminaries begin. Use them wisely."
*****
[Rest Area - Private Room]
The tower had private rooms for the teams who passed early. We got a simple room with four bunks and a shower that actually worked.
Sasuke collapsed on his bed immediately. The Curse Mark was receding, but his chakra levels were tanked.
Sakura sat by him, playing nurse.
Naruto was bouncing off the walls, fueled by the adrenaline of survival. "We did it! We did it! Ramen time! I'm gonna eat until I explode!"
I sat on my bunk, cross-legged.
"System," I whispered. "[Shop]."
I had points. I had a lot of points.
[Current SP: 34,700.]
"I need something for the Preliminaries," I mused. "Something flashy. Something that screams 'Don't mess with me'."
I scrolled through the [Skill Shop].
[Skill: Rasengan (Base)] - 5,000 SP.
[Skill: Chidori (Base)] - 5,000 SP.
[Skill: Flying Thunder God (Stage 1)] - 50,000 SP.
"Boring," I muttered, dismissing the screen. "Everyone has those. And the teleportation is too expensive right now."
Everything was either generic or overpriced. I didn't need flashy ninjutsu to beat a bunch of Genin. I had Haki, Bungee Gum, and Shamelessness.
"I'll save the points," I decided. "I'll do a massive Gacha pull later tonight when everyone is asleep. Maybe I'll get some legendary panties."
I closed the shop window and lay back, closing my eyes.
"Three days of rest... time to recharge."
*****
[Three Days Later - The Arena]
The break was over.
The remaining teams were gathered in a massive indoor arena. The atmosphere was heavy. The Hokage stood on the balcony, looking old and tired. Beside him were the Jonin instructors.
And in the shadows, disguised as a Jonin, Orochimaru was watching. I could feel his gaze on Sasuke... and me.
A sickly-looking proctor with dark circles under his eyes and a chronic cough stepped forward.
"I am... cough... Hayate Gekko," he wheezed. "Proctor for the... cough... Preliminaries."
"Someone give that man a lozenge," I whispered to Naruto.
"There are too many of you," Hayate announced. "We need to... cough... thin the herd. One-on-one combat. Winner advances. Loser goes home. Or to the hospital."
The electronic board on the wall flickered to life. Names began to scroll rapid-fire.
[Match 1]
[Sasuke Uchiha] vs [Yoroi Akado]
Sasuke stepped up. Even with the Curse Mark pain, he was an Uchiha. He broke Yoroi's arm and piledrived him into the floor with the Lion's Barrage.
[Match 2]
[Shino Aburame] vs [Zaku Abumi]
It was gross. Bugs vs. Air Tubes. The bugs won by clogging the tubes. Zaku blew his own arms off. Again.
[Match 3]
[Sakura Haruno] vs [Ino Yamanaka]
The girls fought. It was a tie. They knocked each other out with a double punch.
"Pathetic," I shook my head. "Ino didn't use the 'assets' I helped her discover."
The board flickered again.
[Match 4]
[Kenji Sato] vs [Kiba Inuzuka]
"ALRIGHT!"
Kiba cheered, jumping over the railing with Akamaru. "Finally! I get to crush the rich boy!"
He pointed a feral finger at me.
"Hey, Kenji! Don't cry when I bite you! Akamaru and I are gonna tear you apart! You might have tricks, but you can't beat wild instinct!"
"Arf!" Akamaru barked, looking tough.
I walked down the stairs slowly, hands in my pockets, looking like I was going for a stroll in the park.
I stepped into the arena.
Hayate looked at us. "Ready? Begin."
Kiba dropped to all fours immediately.
"Beast Mimicry!"
His nails grew. His canines extended. He looked like a feral beast.
"Let's go, Akamaru! Man-Beast Clone!"
POOF.
Akamaru transformed into a clone of Kiba. Now there were two feral beast-men.
"Fang over Fang!"
They spun rapidly, turning into two tornadoes of drilling claws and chakra. They rushed me from both sides, tearing up the floor tiles.
"Die!" Kiba roared from inside the tornado.
I didn't move.
I didn't use Haki. I didn't use Bungee Gum.
I reached into my inventory.
"System," I whispered. "[Buy Item: S-Rank Premium Wagyu Beef (System Quality)]."
[Cost: 200 SP.]
Just as the tornadoes were about to hit me—
I held up a massive, glistening, marbeled steak. The smell was divine. It smelled like heaven for carnivores.
"Who's a hungry boy?" I asked.
SNIFF.
The tornadoes stopped instantly.
The beast instinct overrode the ninja training.
Akamaru skidded to a halt, transforming back into a puppy. He stared at the meat, drooling.
Kiba stumbled, stopping his rotation. "Akamaru?! What are you doing?! Attack him!"
"Arf!" Akamaru whined, sitting down and wagging his tail, eyes locked on the Wagyu.
"He's hungry, Kiba," I grinned, tossing the steak into the air.
Akamaru leaped for it.
"NO! Don't eat it! It might be poison!" Kiba screamed.
While Kiba was distracted yelling at his dog...
I moved.
[Skill: Body Flicker.]
I appeared right in front of Kiba.
"Bad dog," I whispered. "You should have fed him before the match."
[Skill: Armament Haki (Hardening).]
My fist turned black.
PUNCH.
I buried my fist into Kiba's gut.
"GAAAAH!"
Kiba's eyes bulged. He folded like a lawn chair. He flew backward, skipping across the arena floor like a stone on water, before smashing into the wall.
CRASH.
He slumped down, unconscious.
Akamaru caught the steak, landed, and happily started eating it, completely ignoring his fallen master.
Silence filled the arena.
"Winner..." Hayate stared at the eating dog. "Kenji Sato!"
"Too easy," I dusted off my hands. "Next time, bring a cat."
I walked back up the stairs.
Naruto was staring at me. "You... you defeated him with a steak?"
"Every man has a price, Naruto," I sat down. "For dogs, it's beef. For you, it's Ramen. For Sasuke... it's power."
I looked across the arena.
Neji was glaring at me with disgust. Gaara was staring at me with bloodlust.
[System Notification]
[Match Won.]
[Reputation: The Beast Tamer.]
[Shameless Points: +1,000.]
"Next match," I leaned back. "Let's see who Hinata gets."
Author's Note:
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