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02 || Control

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"Here you go." The kind nurse sitting at the front desk of the hospital says cheerfully, handing me a paper bag containing my prescription. "Take one of these when you plan on using your ability. It'll give you a boost. Don't take more than three in a day, as that could result in further muscle damage."

"Thank you so much!" I accept the bag from her and give her a smile before leaving with Toshiro-sensei at my side. Opening up the bag, I pull out a rectangular bottle with small, pea-sized pills the color of mud.

I pull a face. "These look disgusting."

Toshiro-sensei laughs at my comment. "Don't worry. They're only chakra pills, they're tasteless."

"Chakra pills, huh?" I hum, smiling and studying the contents of the container. "I like the sound of that."

"Hey." Toshiro-sensei stops me in my tracks and urges me to meet his gentle eyes. "I want you to promise me that you'll follow the instructions of that nurse. No matter how tired you are, how exhausted you feel, never take more than three in a day, understand? I don't want to see you in the hospital again."

My heart softens at my teacher's words. It's obvious he genuinely cares about me. Is this what it feels like to have a family?

I nod. "Yes, sensei. I promise."

He smiles at my obedience, and I feel myself smiling back. We walk to the training grounds together where we meet Kono and Mira, who stand, holding a bag of thick, red liquid. As we approach, Mira sees us first, waving in greeting and gesturing to the bag they have in their hands. "One bag of raw, unfiltered blood, fresh from the butcher!"

The bag jiggles in their grip, threatening to spill at any moment. Excitement floods my veins. Finally, I'll be getting somewhere.

"Shall we start right away, or do you guys want to do some warm ups first?" Toshiro-sensei offers us a choice, though probably already knowing which one we would end up picking.

"Let's just get on with Sumi-chan's ability. It's been so long!" Kono says excitedly, Mira and I nodding in agreement.

Toshiro-sensei nods. "Alright. Sumi, you can go ahead and take a pill."

I do as he says and stand still, waiting for it to take effect. Then, almost immediately, a surge of energy takes over my body. My senses snap to attention, my breaths are deeper, and my chakra channels thrum with energy; I feel alive.

"Okay, let's take this slowly." Toshiro-sensei reaches out to take the bag of blood from their hands and opens it a bit, pouring out a handful of the liquid.

I feel it. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel the substance as it pours out of the bag, even as it splatters onto the ground. I reach out to it with a hand, my actions coming to me naturally, as if I was meant to be doing this all my life.

"Sumi-chan!" Mira gasps in surprise, watching me with wide eyes. "Your eyes have turned red."

Taking hold of the blood on the ground, I force it up into the air and manipulate it to take shape. Long senbon needles colored a dark crimson glisten in the light of the sun and float precariously in front of me.

"Good." Toshiro-sensei coaches. "Now throw them at those targets over there."

I do, and the blood needles fly through the air dangerously, whipping towards the targets that stand ten feet away. However, instead of piercing the wood like I'd hoped they would, the senbon lose form as they hit the target, and blood splatters all over the bright red circle that marks the center.

"Not bad! Your aim is perfect." Toshiro-sensei exclaims. Kono and Mira are beaming at my ability, smiling at me encouragingly. "Now, try it again, but try to keep it in form as you hit the target."

The rest of the day goes on like that, with me practicing my ability and Kono and Mira sparring together. Toshiro-sensei goes around monitoring us, giving feedback on our techniques and instructions on how to improve. By the time the sun starts setting, I've already burned through my limit of three chakra pills and joined the others in a circle they've formed on the grass. Breathing heavily, I slouch in the cross-legged position I take in between Mira and Kono, propping my chin up with my hand.

I feel myself dozing off from exhaustion, and just as I close my eyes, something gently tackles me from behind. Lurching forward, my eyes snap open in surprise and I do my best to balance myself as a weight comes to rest on my back. A couple of barks capture my attention.

"Akamaru!" I exclaim, letting the white and brown puppy fall into my arms. I hug him affectionately and tickle his belly. He barks up at me happily. "What are you doing here? Where's your master?"

"Right here." A boyish voice answers.

I turn around and smile. "Hi Kiba."

Inuzuka Kiba. He and I go way back. When I first entered the academy, he sat beside me and quickly proved to be quite a disruptive student (though not as disruptive as Naruto was). Of course, I didn't know him back then, but that didn't stop me from giving him the answer to a question he wasn't paying attention to. Ever since then, we were practically inseparable— at least, until we graduated— and I ended up developing a crush on him. He's rather loud and extremely boyish, always making me laugh and patiently encouraging me to come out of my shell. Younger me had always thought that he perfectly balanced out my quiet, demure personality. Even now, as genin, I still find him very attractive, and not just because he's my best friend.

"Hey, Sumi." He greets. I stand with Akamaru still in my arms and hand him back to his master. "I haven't seen you in a while, what have you been up to?"

I shrug. "Just training. Want to see what I did today?"

When he agrees, I excitedly pull him over to the targets, where blood from my earlier attempts still lingered. "I can't do much because I've reached my limit for today, but look."

Reaching out carefully so as to not overdo it, I manipulate the blood into taking form again and floating it around in the air.

"Wow, Sumi-chan, that's amazing!" Kiba's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as he marvels at my Kekkei Genkai. "And your eyes are red. Have you always been able to do this?"

I nod, feeling my cheeks grow slightly warmer. "I have. But the last time I used it, I ended up in the hospital, so I've avoided it ever since. I got some chakra pills from the hospital this morning though, so I'm able to train with it now. I figure it'll be useful in the exams."

Kiba smirks. "You're participating in the Chunin exams, huh? Guess we'll be up against each other sooner than I thought."

I meet his eyes. "You too?"

He nods, and Akamaru barks affirmatively. "It'll be a challenge, but it'll be fun, too. I'm looking forward to it. Maybe we'll even get to fight each other."

Before I can respond, I lose my grip on the blood I was playing with and slump against the target.

"Woah, hey, Sumi-chan!" Kiba is immediately at my side, grabbing my arms and supporting me as I struggle to hold myself up. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine." I grunt, feeling lightheaded and out of breath. "I just need to rest. Maybe eat something to recharge my energy."

Kiba adjusts my stance, slinging my left arm around his shoulders and holding me to his side so I can lean on him for support. The close proximity and unexpected contact make me blush like mad, so I angle my head downward, hoping that he won't see my pink cheeks. Walking back to where the others are, I look up a bit to see Kono and Mira catching up with Hinata and Shino. We join them in conversation, exchanging stories and laughing together.

"Psst, you guys." Kono whispers, smirking. "Look at Toshiro-sensei."

Everyone turns their attention to where Kurenai-sensei and Toshiro-sensei are talking. Despite the distance between us, I can tell by his body language that Toshiro-sensei's a bit more nervous than he usually is, constantly fidgeting with his hands and rubbing at the back of his neck. I wouldn't be surprised if his ears were turning red.

"Looks like someone's got a crush." Kono remarks, snickering with Kiba. Hinata giggles softly and even Shino chuckles lowly.

"Yeah." Mira says, smirking as she meets my eyes. She takes notice of my hot cheeks and repeats Kono's words. "Looks like someone's got a crush."

"Hey, Mira-chan." Kono calls. "For once, I would like to have a meal with you and not eat yakiniku."

Mira furrows her eyebrows, quickly growing annoyed as he continues to attack her food preferences. "Why are you complaining? Barbecue's delicious, and it's super healthy too! You get meat, veggies, and rice in one meal- try telling me that's not beneficial for your body."

"You get the same nutrients with ramen too!" Kono argues. "Not to mention, the hot, calming broth that ramen comes with."

"You want hot and calming? Stop complaining and drink some tea, you idiot!"

I turn to Kiba and deadpan as my teammates carry on with their pointless bickering. Kiba chuckles, only helping himself to the cooked meat on the grill. Hinata and Shino do the same, watching amusedly Kono and Mira debate animatedly. As I'm about to put some meat in my mouth, my attention is called.

"Sumi-chan! Choose." Kono says rather dramatically. "Ramen or barbecue?"

Mira turns to face me, her eyes begging me to side with her and quickly put an end to this debate. Kono's eyes burn into mine with unwavering determination, utterly convinced that his argument is all kinds of right. I sigh, setting down my chopsticks.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Kono-kun, but I'm going to have to side with Mira on this one." I chuckle as Kono's face falls. "You get more meat with barbecue than you ever get in a bowl of ramen."

"Aha!" Mira exclaims, standing from her seat triumphantly, pointing a finger at Kono, who sulks visibly. "I told you so!"

"It's okay, Kono-kun." Hinata says softly, drawing Kono's attention to her. "I prefer ramen too." She gives him a shy smile, which Kono returns boyishly.

"Oi." A lazy voice drawls from the booth behind me. "Would you guys keep it down?"

The six of us turn to face the neighboring booth, meeting the eyes of Squad 10. While Ino and Asuma give the six of us a polite wave in greeting, Shikamaru slouches in his seat as if he would rather be anywhere else, and Choji is too busy inhaling the meat on the grill to notice our presence.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Shikamaru?" Kiba smirks. "Good to see you haven't changed a bit. Just as lazy as always, huh?"

Instead of replying, Shikamaru rests his chin on his palm to hold his head up, and closes his eyes as if he couldn't be bothered to acknowledge our existence.

Kiba's smirk only grows. "Well, I can't have any of that lazy energy rubbing off on me. Especially since I'm planning to perform my absolute best in these exams."

"Hm?" Ino turns in her seat to face us completely. "Exams?"

"Yeah, the Chunin exams." Kono answers, turning a bit pink when Ino meets his eyes. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Of course, he would react like that to the prettiest girl in our year. How predictable of him. "Are you guys participating, Ino-chan?"

"Way to spoil the good news." Asuma sighs. "Never mind that I brought my team out here to treat them to barbecue with the intention of revealing that to them."

"Huh?" Ino raises an eyebrow. "But that means-"

"Yes, Ino." Asuma pulls out three application forms from his pouch. "I recommended you guys for the Chunin exams."

This gets Choji's attention. "Exams? Didn't we just graduate?"

Ino deadpans. "If you were paying attention, you would know what we were talking about."

"These are the Chunin exams, Choji." She continues. "Exams we take to be promoted to a higher level."

"They're supposedly really challenging." Mira pipes up. "But I suppose they're manageable if you strategize well and train hard enough."

"Ugh." Shikamaru drawls, lazily opening one eye. "Sounds like a drag."

"Nevertheless, you shouldn't let your guard down." Asuma advices. "These exams are not to be taken lightly, and we, Jonins, will not be there to help you. I suggest you all take this seriously.

"People have died in the past exams. Don't underestimate them." He finishes somberly.

The nine of us genin fall quiet. Choji's chopsticks fall out of his grip, and even Akamaru whimpers, noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere. Asuma's words have no doubt made us all rethink our choices to participate.

He seems to notice this, because he's quick to attempt cleaning his mess up. "But don't worry! The fact that your squad leaders recommended you means that they think you're ready for the promotion. All you have to do is train hard and do your best."

It's hard to go back to eating when a bomb like that is dropped, but we all do our best to finish the food anyways.

I collapse to the ground, completely out of breath and low on chakra.

After a week of continuous training, I can now use my Kekkei Genkai in battle. In order to increase effectivity in using my ability, I've been practicing my blood bukijutsu and working on perfecting my technique. What started out as my blood senbon splattering against the target ended in my weapons piercing deeply into the wood, and me being able to form shields with it.

"Good job." Toshiro-sensei says, looking down at me as I huffed and puffed on the ground next to my teammates. "You guys are more than ready for tomorrow."

Toshiro-sensei's words do nothing but encourage us, and as we walk back to our homes, Kono goes on and on about how excited he is and how well he's going to do. I, on the other hand, think back to the commotion we walked into last week. Remembering the chill in the air and the fear that I felt in my body, I feel nothing but nervousness for the exams. I don't know what Sabaku no Gaara is capable of, but I'm not willing to bet my chances against him.

"Sensei..." I say.

"Hm?" Toshiro-sensei responds, looking at me. "What's wrong? You look like you're going to be sick."

He's right. The thought of that blood-infused sand is almost enough to have me hurling my guts out into the nearest bush.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you." My voice is quiet and weak, and I can almost feel myself losing it with how scared I am. "There's this guy..."

"Aww, does Sumi-chan have a crush?" Kono teases. At Kono's words, Mira catches my eyes with a knowing smirk. I shake my head.

"It's about that sand genin." I mutter. "Gaara."

Kono and Mira's faces fall instantly. The mood darkens noticeably, and all the confidence that we built up while training over the past week disappears.

"Hey, hey, what's this, guys?" Toshiro-sensei notices the dark cloud that seems to loom over our heads. "You're supposed to be hyped for tomorrow!"

"Sensei, there's this genin from the sand village." Mira mumbles. Her voice is so soft that we have to lean in closer to understand what she's saying. "His teammates were picking on Naruto and Konohamaru, and when he ordered them to stop and threatened to kill him if they didn't stand down, it felt as though he really would."

"He's got this big gourd full of sand strapped to his back, and Sumi-chan said she could sense blood in it. Most probably the blood of his enemies." Kono shivers. "Not to mention his teammates. They looked pretty skilled too."

"He'd kill us in a heartbeat, without hesitation and without feeling remorse." I say. "I'm almost tempted to back out of these exams knowing that he's participating in them as well."

Toshiro-sensei nods understandingly. "Well, I can't stop you guys from backing out. If that's what you want, then go ahead. It has always been your choice, and it will always be.

"But you've come so far from where you started." He continues. The three of us look up at our sensei to see him smiling down at us fondly. "I'm 100% sure that you guys will ace these exams. I trust in your experience in battle strategy, hard work in training, and perseverance in everything you do. You've all improved greatly, and as your sensei, I could not be prouder of the three of you."

Toshiro-sensei's speech makes my chest go warm and fills me with the kind of confidence one can only get from hearing those words from a teacher. After all, he knows my skills and abilities better than anyone else; this is an elite compliment.

"Alright, sensei!" Kono cheers, completely forgetting about Gaara— for now. "I'm all pumped up for tomorrow! By the time these exams are over, I'll be a chunin, you can bet on that!"

Mira smiles brightly, nodding in agreement. "Me too, sensei. I'll do nothing but my best."

Satisfied at the renewed positive energy of the other two, Toshiro-sensei looks at me. I stare right back at him, giving a determined nod. "Thank you, sensei. I won't let you down."

Smiling, he pats me on the head affectionately and smiles brightly, making my eyes go wide. "You never will."

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