Everyone left the base and came to a clearing.
The rain was still falling. Tsukimi stood in the middle of the clearing, waiting for her opponent to step forward.
The member who had provoked her in the dining hall walked over to face her, his expression dark. The other Akatsuki members gathered around the edge of the clearing.
"Just me!" He stared at Tsukimi, his eyes stubborn. "One on one. If I lose, I'll accept it!"
Tsukimi looked at him and sighed softly. "I made myself very clear in the dining hall. Find a few more people to fight alongside you, or this will just be a waste of time."
He stiffened his neck. "Hmph, stop looking down on me. I don't need to gang up on a girl to beat her!"
"It's not a question of whether I look down on you," Tsukimi interrupted, explaining, "you won't last five seconds against me alone. If the others still refuse to accept it, they'll have to challenge me one after another."
She swept her gaze over the hostile Akatsuki members around her. "Since you think there's strength in numbers, now's a good time to prove it."
Her opponent's face flushed red at her words, partly from the humiliation and anger of being belittled to his face, and partly from the pressure of Tsukimi's Jonin status.
He gritted his teeth. "Fine, you asked for this. Don't go back on your word when you lose!"
A stir ran through the crowd. Although they felt that ganging up on a woman was somewhat shameful, Tsukimi's words had indeed stirred their anger and resentment.
Soon, several equally indignant members walked up beside him, facing Tsukimi with fighting spirit blazing in their eyes.
Tsukimi looked at the angry young men before her, her face expressionless, and