Preliminaries: Sasuke's Battle

The electronic screen flickered.

First preliminary match—Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado.

The stands fell silent for a moment before murmurs spread through them. An Uchiha of Konoha—the last one—against an unfamiliar Sound ninja.

Ringo leaned against the railing, the system's scanning interface hovering translucently at the edge of his vision. He was not watching anyone else. He was watching the way Sasuke stepped out.

Something was wrong.

Sasuke's strides were half an inch shorter than usual. His left hand hung at his side while his right gripped his left shoulder, as if he were suppressing something—as if a burning nail had been driven into his shoulder.

The curse mark.

Ringo turned the system scan to maximum. Sasuke's chakra flow was cinched tight by a ring of black markings, like a pipe clamped shut. It should have been three streams of water, but now only one could squeeze through. It had been locked down.

"Detected—curse mark seal—chakra output upper limit restricted to approximately forty percent of normal."

Forty percent.

Ringo gritted his teeth. That bite from Orochimaru had not given Sasuke power. It had given Sasuke a cage, using his own chakra as the lock.

Naruto leaned over the railing beside him, half his body hanging out. "Sasuke! Go get him! Tear that bandaged guy's bandages off!"

Naruto shouted loudly, but Ringo could hear the tightness in his throat. It was not that he did not trust Sasuke. He had seen the black markings still lingering on Sasuke's neck too.

"Match—begin!"

Yoroi Akado moved first.

He was wrapped in something, as though he wore two layers of invisible rubber gloves over his hands. He reached straight for Sasuke, unconcerned with kunai, shuriken, or whatever Sasuke might be holding.

Sasuke sidestepped and slashed at his wrist with a kunai. It hit.

It was useless.

The instant the kunai touched that membrane, the sheen on its metal surface dulled. Its chakra had been drained away, flowing through the blade and into Yoroi Akado's arm like water soaking into a sponge. Sasuke's fingers stiffened for a moment, and he nearly lost his grip on the kunai.

A new line appeared in Ringo's system.

"Detected—chakra absorption—Yoroi Akado ability: absorbs through contact, converts opponent's chakra into own chakra. Analysis complete. Predicted drop: purple fragment, obtainable after battle concludes."

Chakra absorption. He stole your chakra and made it his own.

Sasuke retreated a step and formed seals with his left hand. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

Flames burst forth.

But the fireball was far smaller than usual. It was not because Sasuke lacked chakra. The curse mark was devouring it. Yoroi Akado's chakra membrane wrapped around the fireball's edges and forcibly tore the flames apart as he charged through its center. Fire licked at his bandages, scorching them, but he did not stop.

Sasuke was sent flying by a kick.

He crashed into the wall. A dull thud. Dust rose into the air. Naruto's shout caught in his throat.

Ringo's fingers tightened around the railing. The system's analysis continued. Yoroi Akado's absorption was not limitless. After every absorption, there was a three-second cooldown. The chakra membrane around his palms would thin, like a water film that needed to form again after being pierced.

"Sasuke—watch his hands—after he absorbs, there's an opening in his palms—"

Ringo did not shout it out. Not because he did not want to help, but because Sasuke would not accept it. Ever since they returned from the Land of Waves, Sasuke never let anyone help him up after he was hurt. It was not pride. He was using pain to prove that Orochimaru had not controlled him.

But Sasuke had noticed it himself.

He got to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The Sharingan in his eyes slowly turned—one tomoe, then two. He was watching Yoroi's hands. The chakra membrane was reforming, spreading from the base of his palms to his fingertips, like ice freezing from the riverbank toward the center.

Sasuke did not wait for it to finish reforming.

Yoroi Akado pounced again, both hands reaching for Sasuke's head. Sasuke did not dodge.

He was waiting.

The instant the chakra membrane wrapped around his hair, Sasuke threw himself backward. He fell deliberately, planting both feet against Yoroi Akado's chest. Taking advantage of the gap before the little chakra being absorbed had completely dispersed, he twisted at the waist and flipped behind Yoroi Akado.

Three seconds.

Yoroi Akado's palms were still absorbing the previous wave of chakra. The chakra membrane had not recovered. Sasuke was already in the air.

"Lion—Combo!"

The first kick struck Yoroi Akado in the lower back. A dull impact. Yoroi's body bent forward. The second kick hit his shoulder blade. Bone cracked, and Yoroi's arm dropped limp. With the third kick, the Sharingan caught Yoroi's turning trajectory, and Sasuke drove his foot straight into Yoroi's face.

Yoroi Akado flew away.

He slammed into the wall—the very spot Sasuke had hit earlier. Several more cracks spread across it.

He did not move.

Hayate Gekko raised his hand. "Winner—Sasuke Uchiha."

The entire arena went quiet for two seconds. Naruto was the first to roar, "Sasuke! I knew it!!" His voice echoed through the tower.

Sasuke stood where he was, breathing hard. The black markings of the curse mark spread from his neck to his chin, then slowly receded like an ebbing tide. He turned toward the stands. He was not looking at the spectators. He was looking at Ringo.

He nodded.

Ringo nodded back.

It was a signal. I won this match myself. No synthesis from you, no Nine-Tails from Naruto. This was Sasuke Uchiha's own battle.

"I wasn't trying to take it from you," Ringo said. His voice was quiet, but Sasuke's Sharingan would certainly catch the movement of his lips. "You're stronger than you were before Orochimaru bit you."

The corner of Sasuke's mouth moved. For one second. Then his expression returned to its usual indifference.

"Of course."

He walked off the field. When he passed directly beneath Ringo, his steps paused for a moment.

"For the next match—watch carefully. That Sand ninja is not right. His chakra doesn't belong to just one person."

Ringo froze. Sasuke rarely took the initiative to warn others. Not because he was cold, but because he had once believed no one else was worth warning. Now he had warned him. That meant Sasuke was watching too, observing everyone, not just Orochimaru.

"I know," Ringo said. "One-Tail."

Sasuke did not look back, but a line Ringo had not expected appeared in his system.

"Detected—trust fragment from Sasuke Uchiha. Purple. Automatically collected."

Ringo lowered his head and looked at the new purple glow in his card slot. It had not dropped from battle. Sasuke had given it to him. They had survived the Land of Waves together, and now Sasuke was beginning to trust him.

It weighed more than any purple card he had received before.

The electronic screen flickered again.

Next match—Rock Lee vs. Gaara.

The entire tower suddenly fell silent.

It was as though the air had been sucked away. Ringo looked toward the opposite stands. Gaara sat there, sand flowing automatically around his feet like a waking snake circling him.

His eyes were not fixed on anyone.

Yet everyone knew he was watching everyone.

Rock Lee leaped down from the stands.

He vaulted over the railing and landed directly on the ground, carrying a reckless confidence with him. His heels scraped two pale marks into the stone tiles. He gave Might Guy a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming.

"Guy-sensei! I will prove that hard work can surpass genius!"

Guy was crying. Two streams of tears ran down his face. His fists were clenched against his chest as though he wanted to crush his own heart.

The thick-browed master and student wailed across the entire arena. The other examinees looked at one another in bewilderment. Hayate Gekko coughed and pretended not to see.

Ringo did not laugh.

His system was shaking wildly.

"Warning—detected—One-Tail Shukaku, orange fragment, originating from Gaara of the Sand Waterfall. Continuous drops detected. Recommended distance: maintain over 100 meters. Within 100 meters, moderate risk of chakra erosion. Fragment attribute: tailed beast level. Cannot be collected normally. Requires understanding or defeat to obtain."

Orange fragments drifted across Gaara's body. They clung to him like a shell that did not belong to him, and like skin he could not shed.

Ringo switched the system scan to its most precise mode.

Shukaku's chakra and Gaara's chakra were two separate currents. The parasitic sand protected Gaara, but it was not Gaara's will. It was Shukaku's.

"Lee." Ringo folded his hands, resting his chin on the backs of them. "Don't die."

He knew Rock Lee could not hear him. But those words were not for Rock Lee.

They were for himself.

Because if Rock Lee fell, the next person to face Gaara might be him.

Or Hinata.

Ringo clenched his fist. In his card slot, the orange glow of Boil Release flickered faintly.

It was ready.