"Tenten's taking way too long! I'm fully rested already, I'm gonna keep training and run some more!" Lee complained, squatting impatiently on the grass.
Guy raised a finger and wagged it with exaggerated solemnity. "That's not the right attitude, Lee. Youth is always accompanied by... patience."
"Ohhh! Such a deep and profound saying, Guy-sensei!" Lee was moved to tears. He didn't even know where he'd pulled out a notebook from, but he was already scribbling it down furiously.
Seeing Lee so diligent and eager to learn brought tears of pride to Guy's eyes as well. The two of them went on spouting nonsensical lines and somehow got themselves all worked up emotionally.
Neji couldn't bear to look at the scene any longer. He turned his head away, gaze settling on Kirito nearby. After observing him for a moment, Neji furrowed his brow and spoke up, "Your speed is impressive, better than Lee's even. If you have a unique talent, then becoming a ninja shouldn't be out of reach. Lee can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu either, but thanks to his taijutsu, he got a special recommendation from a jōnin and passed an alternate test to become a genin."
Though his tone remained cold, Neji's words were clearly pointing out a path for Kirito.
He had always resented the Hyuga Main Branch, but to someone like Kirito, also of the Branch Family, he felt a subtle kinship. Of course, someone as pragmatic as Neji wouldn't even bother talking to him if Kirito had truly been the "trash" everyone claimed. But now, Kirito had earned his attention.
Sensing the goodwill behind Neji's words, Kirito gave a small nod. "Don't worry. I have no intention of slacking in my training."
In a world where conflict never ceased, power was the only thing that kept you alive.
"Hmph," Neji snorted softly, but said nothing more.
Just then, a scream pierced the air from the direction of the forest.
The fastest to react was Guy. However, as someone who had lived through wartime, he didn't charge in recklessly. Instead, he released his sensory perception to check for any enemy chakra signatures nearby.
"That was Tenten!" Neji and Lee immediately recognized the voice and prepared to dash forward, but a shadow streaked past them before they could move.
It was Kirito, his Gale Boots activated to full power. In an instant, he vanished into the woods.
He followed the source of the scream and arrived at a dense patch of underbrush.
There, amidst the foliage, was Tenten, completely undressed and slumped on the ground, her bare shoulders trembling slightly as she held a pair of kunai in her shaking hands.
Kirito's eyes scanned the area like lightning. He instantly spotted it: not far in front of Tenten, a long, patterned snake coiled silently, its emerald-green eyes fixed coldly on her as its tongue flicked out, tasting the air.
Tenten's hair stood on end. On instinct, she hurled her kunai at the snake. Under normal circumstances, her accuracy at this distance was flawless.
But with the natural fear girls often had toward venomous snakes, her body trembled uncontrollably.
Both kunai missed.
Her aggressive movement only enraged the serpent. The snake raised its triangular head high, preparing to strike.
Eyes clenched shut, heart pounding so hard she felt it in her throat, Tenten braced for death.
And yet…
Instead of pain, she felt something fall over her, cloth. Reflexively, her fingers clenched and realized she was gripping fabric. She opened her eyes.
"Don't worry."
A gentle, familiar voice whispered at her ear.
It was Kirito.
With a glance, she saw what had happened, the snake that was about to strike her now lay motionless, its head twisted at an unnatural angle. A kunai had pierced it squarely at the seven-inch vital spot. It was dead.
Footsteps rustled behind her, Lee and the others had caught up.
"Tenten!"
Hearing her teammates call out, Tenten finally let out a long breath of relief. Then she looked down at herself, her body still exposed. Though Kirito had thrown his coat over her, much of her skin was still visible.
Despite her usually carefree nature, she was still a girl. Embarrassed and frustrated, she glanced up, only to find Kirito, though facing her, had his head turned respectfully to the side.
But when she saw Lee and the others rushing toward her, she panicked and shouted:
"Stop! Don't come any closer!"
"Tenten!" Lee froze mid-run at her command. Everyone else halted just outside the underbrush.
"It's fine," Kirito called out calmly. "Nothing serious, just a small accident. And Neji, if you're thinking of using your Byakugan right now, I won't forgive you."
"Hmph, what do you take me for?" Neji scoffed. He already suspected what had happened. After all, he knew Tenten had gone to change, and seeing Guy still so composed meant she was in no real danger.
Likely a snake or some insect had startled her, Tenten was notorious for being terrible with those.
Only Lee, the lovable idiot, still didn't get it.
"Tenten! Are you okay? Kirito-kun, what are you two doing rolling around in the bushes?!"
"SHUT UP, LEE!!" came Tenten's furious roar from inside the brush, followed by the frantic rustling of someone scrambling to put on clothes.
The faint scent of sweat mixed with a girl's natural fragrance lingered in the air, subtly intoxicating.
Yet Kirito stood unmoving, expression blank, gaze respectfully averted.
"I'm good now," Tenten announced stiffly once she was dressed again. She even did a quick check of her outfit to be sure everything was in place.
But just as she tried to stand, a sharp pain lanced through her left foot. She lost her balance and collapsed sideways.
"Tenten!" Kirito, closest to her, instinctively caught her. Then he noticed something on the top of her left foot, two small, purplish fang marks.
A snakebite.
He quickly deduced what had happened: during her change of clothes, she must've accidentally stepped on the snake and gotten bitten. Most snakes wouldn't attack unprovoked, but once provoked, especially venomous ones, they were viciously vengeful.
"Ugh… that damn thing bit me…" Tenten gritted her teeth, gripping her foot. A wave of dizziness swept over her. Her teammates rushed over in alarm.
"It's venomous," Guy declared after a glance. "Tenten, don't panic. Regulate your breathing."
The more agitated the victim, the faster the blood circulated, and the quicker the venom would spread.
"What do we do?!" Lee panicked.
"Does your gear have an antidote?" Neji asked Tenten quickly.
"Yes!" she said, suddenly remembering. "Lee, grab my backpack! I think I packed a detox serum!"
Lee dashed to her bag and began rummaging through the items, finally producing an injector with an antidote vial.
But then,
"No!" Guy's face suddenly changed.
He remembered: Lee was terrified of needles. At the hospital, just the sight of a syringe had sent him into a faint.
Sure enough, Lee stared at the needle, eyes wide. Then his face went white.
Crash.
The serum shattered on the ground.
"LEE!!!" Tenten's face went pale, not sure if it was the venom or sheer exasperation. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
Neji gave Lee a long, scornful look, then stooped to check the rest of the medical supplies. "There's only one syringe. That was it."
Kirito sighed quietly.
"Well," he said calmly, "looks like we're down to one option."
<><>---------------------------------------
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters