Hanako could still feel Shun's tight hold around her neck. Her breathing hitched, becoming shallower each time. She could feel her strength slipping away as her arms fell numb to her sides. She closed her eyes, waiting for the proctor to declare the fight was over.
Hayate's voice echoed in the arena, Hanako relaxed. "Well, I guess the match is over. The winner of the fourth encounter is..."
Takeshi's loud voice interrupted the proctor, Hayate fell silent. "What the hell are you doing, Hanako?!" Hanako opened her eyes slowly, dark blotches stained her vision. From the tip of her eyes she could see Takeshi, leaning against the railing as he yelled at her. "What the hell is wrong with you, Uchiha?!" he repeated. Hanako frowned slightly, trying to cough due to the lack of air in her lungs. But she couldn't thanks to the hand still gripping her throat. "I don't know who you are, but you are definitely not my teammate!" Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line, starting to feel the numbness in them as well. Everything seemed to be floating around her, and Takeshi's voice had become distant. "Hanako would never give up that easily! She's not a weakling!" The Uchiha girl balled her hands into fists with the little strength she still had left. "So tell me," Takeshi continued, his lips had curled up into a mocking grin as his eyes expressed incredulity. "Who the hell are you, weakling?!"
Hanako flexed her knee and kicked away the Shinobi by hitting him in his stomach with all of her strength. Shun let go of her as he grabbed his abdomen painfully. Hanako fell onto all fours as she coughed furiously, her lungs trying to inhale all the air they could. Her vision fell into focus, and she looked up at her teammate with a death glare. "Takeshi!" she snapped at him. "Just you wait until I'm done with him, and then I'm coming at you."
Takeshi flinched and pulled away from the railing, hiding behind a chuckling Kazuki. When she sensed movement, Hanako activated her Sharingan and looked back at Shun. He was standing, looking back at the girl with furious eyes¾his hand still placed over his belly. Hanako launched herself in an attack towards him; she had become quicker and more precise, to the point where Shun could barely keep up with her. He dodged all of her attacks, not letting her land a single hit on him, though, but he didn't have the opportunity to lounge back at her.
In an opening, Hanako managed to land another kick on Shun's stomach, sending him backwards. However, Hanako still needed to find a way to defeat him. She made the hare seal with her hands, recalling what Ko had done in their previous battle. "Raiton: Akari Raimei," Hanako placed her palms on the ground, feeling as a bolt of electricity moved towards Shun and emerged around him, consuming him in the process. She could hear his agonizing screams and she narrowed her eyes, observing him.
When the shock stopped, Shun's body was smoking, heavily burnt. He raised his head and looked at her, making chills run down her spine. His eyes were darkened with hatred. He quickly pulled out a kunai from his pouch, ignoring the serious burns along his arms; and he ran towards her. He ran with the full intention of killing her.
Hanako also produced a knife, holding it tightly in her hands. When Shun stood right in front of her, Hanako froze. He might have had the intention to kill her, but did she didn't have the same intention towards him.
It happened so fast, but for Hanako it was like time suddenly slowed down. She could see Shun approaching her with a killing intent, and she could also see herself pointing the tip of her knife towards him. She didn't move, but he crashed against her knife. She stopped breathing when warm liquid wetted her hands. She looked down and gasped at the large drops of blood staining the floor. Shun's blood.
He leaned closer to mutter next to her ear. "You heard us speaking in the Forest of Death," he said matter-of-factly, as if there weren't a knife stuck in his middle at all. "Talking about a ninja who killed thousands of Iwa ninja, among them Isao's father," he moved closer and lowered his volume. "And also mine." Unconsciously, Hanako remembered all that had happened that night. But why was he mentioning it at a moment like that? Did he know she was there? Did he know she was responsible? The thought of it only made her stomach twist painfully. Hanako closed her eyes tightly. Shun was the one with the knife plunged into him, but Hanako could feel the pain as if it were her. "I am aware someone from Konoha did it," Shun continued. "But I am also sure it was not a Jounin like everyone thinks." He chuckled dryly. "I was there, I saw what happened."
