Central Tower

The tower was a mountain hollowed out from within. The door was made of iron. There were two slots in it. One was engraved with "Heaven," the other with "Earth." A lock. A qualification.

They inserted the two scrolls. The door opened. Slowly. Creeeak—groan—every gear turned. Left behind by the First Hokage. A filter. Those who were unqualified could not open it.

Kakashi stood at the entrance, flipping through Make-Out Paradise without looking up. "You're—late."

Naruto shoved the Heaven and Earth Scrolls inside. The iron door shuddered. It opened. Ringo was the last to enter. As he crossed the threshold, the system shook. All of it shook. The card slots jumped. Light seeped from every crack. Inside the tower were twenty-one people. Chakra overflowed from every one of them. It was saturated.

[Detected: High-density chakra environment. Inside the tower. Drop trigger rate increased by 500%.]

Ringo closed the panel. No. It was because there were too many people. He couldn't expose himself.

The hall inside the tower was absurdly huge. Looking up, they could not see the ceiling. Torches lined the walls. Light dripped onto the stone floor, drop by drop. Others had already arrived.

The Sand Siblings. Gaara leaned against the wall, a gourd on his back. The sand inside it breathed. Hungry sand. Hungry enough to kill. Ringo's senses trembled. The chakra on Gaara was not human. It was a tailed beast. The One-Tail. Shukaku. Its mere presence made the air heavy.

On the other side stood Rock Lee, upright like a tree. Every muscle in his body was taut. Might Guy stood beside him, proud. Youth.

Neji stood by the wall. His Byakugan was open. He had been watching, assessing everyone. Who was worth fighting.

The system shook. It shook once for every person it scanned.

[Detected: Gaara of the Sand Siblings. One-Tail Jinchuriki. Orange fragment. Dropping.]

[Detected: Hyuga Neji. Byakugan. Purple.]

[Detected: Rock Lee. Eight Gates. Gold.]

Ringo shut all the panels. Too much. If he kept looking, the system would be exposed.

The Third Hokage stood in the center of the hall, a pipe in hand. "Only twenty-one of you passed the second exam."

Naruto swallowed. "Twenty-one? That few?"

"You are the elite," the Third continued. "In three days, the third exam will begin with the preliminaries. One-on-one matches. The winners will advance to the final round. The finals will be held one month from now, before the daimyos and leaders of every ninja village."

Sasuke Uchiha clenched his fist. Orochimaru would come. He definitely would. Waiting. Waiting for Sasuke. Waiting for the curse mark. Waiting for when will you come find me?

"Now, if anyone is unwell or believes they cannot continue, withdraw now. This is taking responsibility for yourselves."

No one moved. They had made it here. They could not retreat. Five days. The Forest of Death. Orochimaru. The curse mark. Sound Ninja. Being hunted. Being surrounded. Keeping watch. Campfires. They had traded their lives to stand here. They could not retreat.

"Good." The Third nodded. "The drawing begins."

An electronic screen hung on the wall. Everyone could see it. Names flashed across it. Every flash could reveal your opponent. It could be Gaara.

"First match: Sasuke Uchiha versus Yoroi Akado."

Sasuke's gaze changed. It had come. Not excitement. He had to win.

Ringo watched him. The curse mark sensing card shook in its slot. The curse mark on Sasuke's neck was heating up.

"First match: Sasuke Uchiha versus Yoroi Akado, begin!"

A corridor. An empty corridor. Torches burned on the walls. Dark. Waiting. Ringo walked through it. His senses knew where she was.

She stood before the window. Waiting. Waiting for him. He knew she was here. She knew he would come.

Ringo walked over. Her shoulder shifted slightly. She knew he had arrived. They stood side by side. Close enough for him to feel her warmth. Close enough to hear her breathing. Close enough to see the moon outside the window—a corner missing, waiting to become whole.

"Are you—better?" Ringo spoke first.

"I'm better." Hinata's voice was soft. "The Hyuga clan's medicine is very good. And the steam—the heat—you gave me is still there too."

Ringo looked at her. His fingers rested on the windowsill.

"The steam only stops bleeding. It can't heal injuries. It only keeps the pain away for a while."

"I know." Hinata raised her head and looked at him. Her pale eyes were as clear as a cloudless sky. "But it's enough. Stopping the bleeding is enough. The rest—I'll handle myself."

Ringo said nothing.

"The preliminary draw—if you get matched with me—"

"I won't give up." Hinata cut him off. You already knew the answer. I can stand beside you.

Ringo looked at her and smiled. So that was it. You had always been this kind of person.

"Then what if I get matched with Gaara—"

"I'll cheer for you." Cheer for you. You'll win.

The moon remained outside the window, a corner missing. But it was changing.

"After the preliminaries—" Ringo said. "Let's go look at the moon."

"Okay."

Hinata's fingers moved on the windowsill, drawing closer. Almost touching. Waiting. Waiting for him to move first. Waiting for him to reach out.

Ringo's hand did not move. He still wasn't strong enough. Not strong enough to keep her from getting hurt again.

"Ringo."

"Yeah..."

"Stay alive—in the tower—wait for me."

Ringo turned his head. She was not looking at him. She was looking at the moon. The corners of her lips moved, waiting for his answer.

"Wait for me to come find you."

She smiled. I know. I knew you would say that.

The torch flickered. Time was up. The preliminaries were about to begin.

The hall. The electronic screen was still flashing. Sasuke had already entered the arena. Yoroi Akado stood across from him, his hand glowing. He would absorb Sasuke's chakra. Devour it. Sasuke stood still, his Sharingan open.

Ringo stood in the stands. The curse mark sensing card shook in its slot. The curse mark on Sasuke's neck—kept heating up. Waiting. Waiting for Sasuke to use chakra. Waiting for the battle to reach its peak. Waiting for an opportunity.

The screen stopped. Not him. Not her. It was "Rock Lee versus Gaara."

The tower fell silent.

...Everyone watched. They watched Rock Lee. They watched Gaara. The sand waited. A drop leaked from the gourd. Hungry.

Rock Lee did not move. Might Guy smiled. Proud. Youth. Blooming.

Ringo watched Rock Lee. The system shook. Rock Lee's chakra—the Eight Gates. The Eight Gates were inside his body, waiting to be opened. Every gate was a life.

"Rock—" Ringo murmured. Don't die.

Another drop of sand leaked from Gaara's gourd. Hungry.

The preliminaries had already begun. Every match was about surviving. Surviving until the finals.

Ringo stood in the stands. Steam seeped through his fingers. He was waiting. Waiting for his name. Waiting for the draw. Waiting to stand in the center of the arena.

Could he keep anyone from dying?