𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑲.𝑰𝑵𝒁𝑼𝑲𝑨

|I{•------» [31] «------•}I|

 OOrochimaru's malicious gaze settled on Ruka as he spoke. "Twelve years ago, a second decree was put out. One that involves you, Ruka."

"Me?" Ruka muttered dubiously. None of this was making any sense. Twelve years ago, she had been just a baby. Born on the night of the Nine Tails attack, she was often referred to as the beacon of Konoha by Asuma because of that fact alone.

"The prophecy in all five great shinobi countries informed them that on that very night, the balance of the world would be shifted, and it caused fear among them all," Orochimaru continued, causing Ruka to freeze in shock. "To your grandfather's dismay, the baby in question was you."

"You were born with your great-grandfather's cells, which already frightened everyone, and with the beast that was once feared even more than the tailed beasts." The brunette didn't like where this conversation was going.

Everything she knew about the legendary cat beast that once roamed alongside humans, a weapon used in the Great Shinobi Wars until it disappeared without a trace.

"Do you know what your beloved grandfather did with that beast?" Orochimaru's question filled her with dread. "He sealed it away inside of you to bring power to the Konoha village."

Ruka tore her gaze away from her grandfather, blinking rapidly to bring herself back to reality. She wasn't sure if she believed in destiny. She had never been a fan of the idea that her path was predetermined.

But it seemed that her destiny had been assigned to her.

"Why?!" Kiba's sudden outburst interrupted her thoughts. He had broken away from his team and the crowd of Genin, his jaw set in anger as he glared at the Hokage. "Why do we have to risk our lives in battle?!"

Her eyes softened as she looked at Kiba. Unlike her, he was selfish. He cared more about his own life than others. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, everyone was selfish in their own way, including her.

She knew that the reason he didn't see it as worth risking his life in battle at this moment was that he wanted to live a life with her, the life he had always planned.

After several moments of Shinobi dropping out of the exam, Sasuke let out a violent curse of pain, clutching his shoulder and gritting his teeth.

"Sasuke... you should also quit the preliminaries," Sakura pleaded, her frustration evident in her voice. Tears pooled in her eyes. "You've been acting strange since that man attacked you. Both of you have. You're hurt, Ruka. I can see it. You tremble with every breath. So please, just quit."

Ruka looked at her, at a loss for words. It was a brief moment, but long enough for Sakura's emotions to get the best of her. "Neither of you is in any condition to fight! You've been hiding your pain all this time. No matter what you say—"

Sasuke struck, his hand gripping Sakura's wrist tightly. The pain caused her to gasp, and Ruka could see the anguish on her face. "Stay out of my business," Sasuke seethed, tightening his grip on her wrist, causing her to whimper in pain.

Ruka immediately grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him back, positioning herself between him and Sakura. "Stand down," she commanded, glowering at him.

The two stared at each other in tense silence until their teacher appeared before them. His revealed eye flickered between Ruka and Sasuke before settling on the former.

"You don't look too well. Are you sure

you're okay?" he asked, clearly not convinced by her instant reply.

"I'm fine," she replied curtly, though it did little to convince him.

"Princess Ruka?" a voice called from behind her. She turned to find two chunin nervously bowing as her cold gaze fell upon them. "Sorry to interrupt, but the Third Hokage has asked to speak with you."

She remained silent for a moment, staring blankly at the two chunin until they became flustered under her gaze. Clenching her jaw, she walked past them, ignoring her concerned teammates.