Son Goten vs. Kiba Inuzuka.
A wave of whispers immediately rose from the stands.
"That guy with the puppy?"
"Now this should be good. The Inuzuka Clan's Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu is vicious."
Kiba Inuzuka pumped his fist, his excitement scrunching up even the face paint on his cheeks.
"All right! Akamaru! It's our turn."
Only the members of Team 7 wore odd expressions.
Naruto covered his mouth and snickered. "Kiba's always bragging. Looks like he's in for a real treat this time."
Sasuke leaned against the railing and snorted. "Rather than worrying about Kiba, it'd be more practical to worry about whether that dog will end up in a hot pot."
With a little white dog perched on his head, Kiba planted one hand on the railing and vaulted stylishly into the arena.
"Let's go! Let's show him what we can do!"
Full marks for the landing.
"Hey, Son Goten! You keep picking on Hinata!"
Kiba pointed at Son Goten, who was still stretching languidly in the stands, and flashed a pointed canine tooth in an arrogant grin.
"Too bad for you, you're up against me. Before we start, if you get on your knees and beg, I might consider letting you lose with some dignity."
Son Goten rubbed his sleepy eyes and even let out an enormous yawn.
"Ah... we're starting already?"
He scratched his head and glanced at Karin beside him.
"I'll head down and stretch my legs. Be good and wait here. Don't wander off."
Karin nodded obediently and straightened his collar. "Be careful, Goten."
"Don't worry. I'm just playing with a dog."
With his hands in his pockets, Son Goten couldn't even be bothered to walk. He simply jumped straight down from the stands.
His feet hit the ground with a dull thud.
Akamaru, who had been lying on Kiba's head baring his teeth at Son Goten, suddenly bristled all over as though he'd been electrocuted.
"Woof?!"
It was a distorted yelp.
Akamaru slid off Kiba's head and frantically burrowed into his arms, his front paws clinging tightly to Kiba's clothes as he buried his head inside, his rear sticking out and trembling.
"Hey, Akamaru? What's wrong?"
Kiba froze for a moment, then reached down to pull the dog out of his arms.
"Quit messing around! The match is starting! Show some spirit!"
Akamaru refused to come out, letting out pitiful whimpers that sounded utterly aggrieved, like a little mouse facing its natural predator.
"What the hell..."
Feeling embarrassed, Kiba pulled harder, forcibly dragging Akamaru out of his arms and setting him on the ground.
"Stand up straight! Get ready to fight!"
The instant Akamaru touched the ground,
his four short legs flopped out to either side as though they were made of noodles.
Then,
this normally clever, fierce Ninja Dog rolled his eyes back, let his tongue loll to one side, and flopped onto his back with all four paws in the air, playing dead.
He didn't move a muscle.
He even held his breath.
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
What kind of tactic was this?
The playing-dead technique?
"Pfft..."
Naruto was the first to lose it in the stands, clutching his stomach as he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Kiba, what's wrong with your dog? Did he eat something bad?"
A ripple of snickers followed from all around.
Even the normally serious chief proctor, Gekko Hayate, couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching a couple of times, and his coughing grew worse.
"What..."
Kiba's face turned a dark, purplish red.
He crouched down and shook Akamaru desperately.
"Akamaru! Wake up! Stop playing dead! How am I supposed to save face if you let me down now?!"
No matter how much he shook him, Akamaru was determined to remain a corpse. He even stiffened his tail to make it convincing.
As an animal, his instincts were a hundred times sharper than a human's.
The moment that black-haired boy entered the arena, Akamaru had picked up a scent.
Not a smell, but a presence.
It was the terrifying pressure that only a predator at the very top of the food chain could possess.
That's a monster-the kind that eats dogs. If I move, I'll die. I'll definitely die.
That was the only thought in Akamaru's little head.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
At some point, Son Goten had walked up to Kiba. He crouched down and poked Akamaru's rigid belly with interest.
"This dog's really smart."
Son Goten looked up at the bewildered Kiba and offered his sincere praise.
"Seriously, he's much smarter than his owner. He knows who he can mess with and who he can't."
Kiba jerked his head up and glared viciously at Son Goten.
"What did you do to Akamaru?!"
"What could I have done? I haven't even lifted a finger."
Son Goten spread his hands, looking utterly innocent.
"Maybe he thinks I'm a dog lover too, so he wants to entertain me with a special trick?"
As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Akamaru's ears again.
Akamaru trembled even harder, but under Son Goten's hand, he didn't even have the courage to run. All he could do was squeeze his eyes shut and pretend he was a stuffed toy.
"He really does feel nice."
Son Goten's eyes lit up.
"Hey, dog-face, how about lending him to me for a couple of days? I've been wanting a pet. He could fetch a Frisbee for me when there's nothing else to do."
"You bastard! Who are you calling dog-face?!"
Kiba finally exploded. Not only had he been mocked, but his most important partner had been terrified into this state. It was an absolute humiliation.
"Akamaru! Pull yourself together!"
Kiba took a red pill out of his ninja tool pouch and, without a second thought, stuffed it into Akamaru's mouth and firmly pushed his jaws shut.
Gulp.
Akamaru was forced to swallow it. It was a Soldier Pill, a drug that could instantly stimulate chakra and wild instincts, and it took effect extremely quickly.
Akamaru's snow-white fur instantly turned crimson, his body swelled a size larger, and a low growl rumbled from his mouth.
Though an unshakable fear still lurked deep in his eyes, the drug's stimulation temporarily allowed his ferocity to overpower his reason.
"Awooo-"
Akamaru sprang up from the ground, baring his teeth and staring fixedly at Son Goten.
"That's more like it!"
Kiba breathed a sigh of relief, regaining his confidence.
He dropped onto all fours in the hunting stance of a wild beast, his nails becoming as sharp as blades.
"You've made me angry, kid."
"Since you like playing Frisbee so much, I'll throw you like one!"
Chakra erupted from Kiba, whipping up a small whirlwind in the enclosed space.
"Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu!"
Son Goten sighed helplessly at the boy and dog baring their teeth before him.
He slowly stood up and brushed nonexistent dust off his trouser legs.
"All right, then."
Son Goten tilted his head. There wasn't a trace of tension in his clear black-and-white eyes, only an infuriating nonchalance.
"If you want to play, I'll play along."
He raised his right hand and lightly crooked his index finger.
"Come on, puppy. Time to play fetch."
Before you continue