All characters and story belong to Kohei Horikoshi and Masashi Kishimoto
"This... I resign," Kabuto said with a smile and his eyes closed.
"What the hell!" Bakugo thought. From the first moment he saw Kabuto, he'd suspected him, but Kabuto saving his life had put his suspicions aside. Now, he had the feeling again that something wasn't right with the perennial Chunin Exam repeater. "What are you hiding, you damn four-eyes?"
—But... Kabuto...—Sakura said, confused.
—Pathetic.— Gaara thought, crossing his arms.
"You're..." Hayate said, looking at a notebook where he kept the list of all the candidates. "Cough, cough. Kabuto Yakushi, from Konoha, right?" Kabuto nodded. "Okay, go ahead, you can leave."
"Okay," said Kabuto, turning around and heading towards the exit.
"Tsk," Bakugo muttered, frowning at Kabuto. "Hey, forehead girl. Hold Deku for me for a couple of minutes."
—Huh?— said Sakura, confused.
"I'd ask Sasuke, but he's in a bad way and he'd probably knock Deku to the ground again," Bakugo explained.
Sakura grabbed it by the handle and her eyes widened in shock at how heavy it was. Bakugo headed in the direction Kabuto had gone.
"How can she carry this all the time?" Sakura thought in amazement.
"Where are you going, Bakugo?" Sasuke asked. "Don't tell me you're going to quit too."
"And I'm not going to quit! I need to have a talk with four-eyes," Bakugo replied.
Kabuto was already at the exit door when a strong pressure on his shoulder made him stop and turn his head.
"Where do you think you're going, four-eyes?" Bakugo demanded fiercely. "What the hell does 'quitting' mean? What's going on here?"
The other candidates were far enough away that they couldn't hear the conversation between the two Konoha genin; all they could see were the ash-blond man's angry gestures.
"Bakugo, I'm sorry. My body is too battered to continue. The thing is, ever since the Sound Trio's attack during the written exam, I haven't been able to hear anything in my left ear. Go back to fighting immediately without a break? I can't do that. I don't want to risk my life..." Kabuto explained.
"I don't give a damn about your excuses!" Bakugo said angrily. "How the hell am I supposed to repay you if you're just abandoning me now? I wanted to settle my debt today, and you come at me with this bullshit!"
"Hehe," Kabuto said with an awkward smile and a bead of sweat trickling down his neck. "I already told you not to worry about it. But since we might not see each other again for a long time, I'll give you some advice... Give up on the exam."
"You're coming at me with that too!" Bakugo said angrily, remembering Sakura's attitude just a minute ago. "I'm not a coward like you!"
"This has nothing to do with cowardice, Bakugo. I'm going to be a ninja specializing in medical jutsu. I couldn't stay silent knowing that if you continue, you'll destroy yourself. At least telling you this eases my conscience. Your body hasn't fully recovered from Orochimaru's wounds and the poison," Kabuto reasoned. "You can barely stand. Any doctor in the world would forbid you from fighting."
"Tsk," Bakugo muttered. "Don't underestimate me, four-eyes. Even at less than 100%, I can still kick the asses of all those extras," he said, gesturing to the other candidates.
"It's not just that you're not at 100%. You feel a kind of tingling in your forearms, don't you?" Kabuto asked.
"What...?" Bakugo said, a nervous twitch in his eye as he took a step back. "How...?"
Bakugo was confused and worried that someone knew he'd had a strange sensation in his arms ever since he woke up after narrowly escaping death. He hadn't told anyone.
"Ugh," Kabuto sighed. "Now you're the one underestimating me, Bakugo. I'm proud of my abilities, and it was obvious I'd realize your arms wouldn't hold up much longer if you keep abusing those explosions."
"What do you mean by that, four-eyes?" Bakugo asked, half worried and half scared.
"If you keep using your explosive jutsus, it won't be long before the chakra points in your arms burst. And with that, you'll never be able to move your arms again. You'll be crippled for the rest of your life," Kabuto warned him.
"You're lying..." Bakugo whispered, unable to believe the gray-haired man's words.
Deep down, though, he knew she was telling the truth. In this world, he didn't have his grenadiers and a more mature body to withstand the pressure of the explosions. However, his explosive power had actually increased. The combination of these two factors made his brain accept what Kabuto had said.
"Why would I lie to you, Bakugo?" Kabuto said, raising an eyebrow. "I've resigned, so we're no longer rivals. Lying to you doesn't benefit me in any way."
—…—Bakugo gritted his teeth, not knowing what to say to the genin with glasses.
"Believe it or not, I like you, and that's why I'm giving you this advice. I wish I could heal your arms, but even though I'm above average in medical jutsu, I'm not qualified to restore them to normal," Kabuto admitted. "Well, to be honest, I don't think anyone can. So, the best thing is for you to resign. And once you've recovered, train in other types of jutsu that aren't explosive."
Bakugo stretched out his arms and looked at them sadly for a few seconds. The sadness in his gaze lasted only a few seconds, transforming into a resolute and determined look.
"Nobody asked for your opinion, four-eyes," Bakugo retorted, turning away.
"Didn't you understand what I told you, Bakugo?" Kabuto asked, perplexed.
"Of course I am, I'm not retarded," Bakugo said. "So what if I can't use my arms again? I prefer that to giving up. I still have a lot to do and a lot of guys to blow up."
"You're putting your pride before your health? Don't be a foolish madman, Bakugo," Kabuto said.
"They've taken everything from me. All I have left is my pride," Bakugo replied, staring at the ground. Then he turned his head to look at Kabuto. "I won't give it up for anything in the world."
"Heh," Kabuto said with a smile, hands on his hips. "In the Forbidden Forest, I thought you were dead, and I was wrong. I might be wrong about this too. I hope we meet again, Bakugo," he said, waving goodbye and leaving through the door.
"Damn four-eyes and his stupid advice," Bakugo muttered sulkily.
Bakugo returned with the rest of the candidates, his face serious.
—Bakugo, what did you talk about with Kabuto?—Sakura asked, handing Deku back to him.
"You're welcome. I just called him out on how cowardly he is," Bakugo lied.
—Cough, cough.— Hayate coughed. —Okay, then, does anyone else want to quit?—
"I resign too," said one of Kabuto's colleagues, the guy who wasn't wearing sunglasses.
"Hey, he's also on Kabuto's team," Sakura said.
"Mmm." Bakugo knew something was off, but right now all his concern was Kabuto's warning. He didn't have any more mental space to worry about anything else.
"Misumi," Kabuto's other teammate whispered so no one else could hear. "What the hell are you and Kabuto doing? Have you forgotten Orochimaru's orders?"
"Our mission is complete. Besides, you're still here. So there shouldn't be any problem, Yoroi," Misumi replied. "For someone with your abilities, there shouldn't be. This is your chance to prove your worth, Yoroi. After all, you've always wanted Kabuto's position, haven't you?"
Misumi mimicked Kabuto and headed for the exit. Meanwhile, outside, Kabuto wore a sinister smile.
"I'm sorry, Bakugo, Sasuke. I wish I could stay and play a little longer, but if I did, my old self might get the better of me," Kabuto thought as he adjusted his glasses. "Bakugo already suspects something about me. And it wouldn't be good if I were discovered; I'd lose all my value as a spy. Sasuke... Bakugo... I'm sure we'll meet again. Although, I might have to kill you both next time. That would be a shame... a good game requires good players."