Another path

Aftermath

< Ok so that was intense. Hope you're all doing well, the few upcoming chapters are going to be wild ! Am I excited ? Yes, very much so and I hope you are too !
Anyway, thanks for reading as always and hope you'll enjoy ! >
____

A glance at the shinobi gathered in the circular room that was the HQ's first floor was enough to know everyone had had a bad time. Battered and bruised on all limbs, smears of blood and mud on their skin and clothes were proof of their hardships. Yet some of them seemed less exhausted than the others while some looked to be on the brink of collapse.

Mitsuba - who had decided to tag along the Uzukage because why not and Kurama incited her to do so - was seemingly absentmindedly gazing at the list of the remaining contestants.

Unnoticed
Sarutobi Asuma
Uzumaki Tetsuya
Mai Harubana
B
Fū
Hyūga Neji
Hatake Kakashi
Utakata
Nara Shikamaru
Ōtsutsuki Suzuka
Amegami Sakuya
Ōtsutsuki Hakuchō
Total = 12

Survived
Kagetora Megumi
Akatsuchi
Temari
Darui
Uchiha Sasuke
Rock Lee
Uzumaki Tenten
Maito Gai
Maō Enma
Chōjūrō
Kurotsuchi
Uzumaki Kushina
Kitajima Arashi
Omoi
Uzumaki Jin
Uzumaki Higure
Amahō Kayō
Karui
Total = 18

Injured
Senbatsu Muzai
C
Tsuchigumo Hotaru
Kōshu Kyōko
Shayō
Yamanaka Ino
Total = 6

Crippled
Tate Ebizō
Haruno Sakura
Total = 2

Dead
Kōdai Kaito
Ai
Total = 2

Not too surprising in her opinion. She was glad not to have been part of this though. She'd probably have died. Fighting on the frontline wasn't her thing. Neither was hiding. She'd have just walked in onto something and gotten herself in a mess...

The lime haired kunoichi turned around to scrutinize the room and was surprised to find Suzuka right next to her. But that's true she didn't pay attention to her surroundings most of the time... Stil weird how Suzuka sneaked up on her like this. Even weirder was how she was staring at the list. She looked like she was frozen. Perhaps brain dead ? Yeah no... More like her mind was blank.

Tenten arrived right behind them and Suzuka's behavior struck her as odd as well. Suzuka was never... still. She would always be about, checking her environment, moving and staying active. When she reduced her movements, it was a sign of intense fatigue she could no longer hide or of rare moments of rest she allowed herself. But right she was completely unmoving and Tenten was growing worried.

She lightly brushed her fingers against Suzuka's arm and the reaction was immediate. The blond visibly flinched and almost recoiled at the foreign touch. Tenten took a step back and her gaze met her sister's. Wide blue eyes looked into her own with a crazed yet foggy expression. Those eyes- she hated them. Only twice had she seen Suzu with such eyes : the first time was right after Kakashi had told her to keep an eye on Naru right after she'd learnt about the Uchiha massacre and the second time was when Suzu had first seen the third Hokage's corpse. Those eyes were that of Suzuka's sanity collapsing on itself. Tenten was terrified of those because it always felt like if she didn't grab Suzu and pulled her out of this, she'd swallow herself down and drown in her own grief.

Suzuka's expression flickered and next thing she knew, her big sis was hugging her. Since when was Tenten there ? Since when was she there ? It seemed like she'd lost track of time. She'd... absorbed... by a name. She didn't feel glad but something closed to relieved. She had no right to, did she ? That wasn't thanks to her. That was actually her fault. She was responsible of this. She did it. On her own.
And she didn't know why.