An Unexpected Friend (Book 1 of the Unexpected Series)

Ch. 21 - Fool Me Three Times, Shame on Both of Us (Chunin Exams Continue)

"I forfeit."

The crowd booed, but Kankuro stood there as if it didn't affect him. Kokoro narrowed her eyes at his behavior and wondered what he was up to. He had shown that he was a proud and skillful opponent. Why would he forfeit when there was an opportunity to show-off? Kankuro made eye contact with her and smirked like he knew something she didn't. Something was off.

Genma announced the next match: Gaara vs. Sasuke. With Sasuke nowhere in sight, there was a big chance he would have to forfeit his match, too. Kokoro balled up her fists and gritted her teeth. Her dad was always late to something without considering how his behavior affected those around him. Whatever his reasons were, he wasn't entitled to wasting people's time. Now, he was messing with Sasuke's career. Not only that, but her match was next. Would he even arrive in time to see it?

As the crowd became louder, Genma held up a hand and announced that Sasuke's match would be postponed until the end. That was quite unusual for a Chunin Exam tournament. Special treatment. Everyone wanted to see the last Uchiha battle to witness his skills. It was complete crap in Kokoro's eyes. There were so many great genin in the village besides Sasuke that deserved their attention.

The crowd settled down and Genma took the opportunity to announce her fight with Enkai Kuragari. Kokoro waited for Kuragari to descend the stairs first before she followed suit. She didn't want to get anywhere close to the guy unless she had to hit him with a punch. His hair was dark-blue and his eyes were a milky white color. He wore a dull green and gray uniform with bandages covering everywhere his clothing did not. He wore his hitai-ate on his forehead and he had a sword strapped to his back. He was taller than Kokoro by a few inches, and his body was slim, almost like it consisted of no muscle.

She stepped out from the building and held her hand out so that the sun wouldn't irritate her eyes. The crowd cheered around her and she felt a sense of anxiety overtake her. She shook out her limbs discreetly and walked towards the center of the battle area. She stood across from him and steeled herself before staring him directly in the eyes. Surprise flew through his eyes before he grinned manically and unsheathed his sword. The sword was long with a curved blade separating from the main blade and sticking out to the side. Upon further inspection, the blade had little spikes covering the entire surface of the sword and it looked pretty lightweight. Kokoro really did not want to get struck by it.

She spotted Haku in the arena seating area and received a smile and a head nod before she heard Genma said, "The battle between Kokoro Hatake and Enkai Kuragari will now begin."

Kuragari wasted no time in attacking Kokoro. Even Genma was surprised as he dodged out of the way of a quick water jutsu. Kokoro jumped to the side and rolled into a crouch. Just as she settled into position, she had to dodge again. After the third dodge, she ran through a series of hand signs, sucked in a breath, and let it go, forming several small bullets of water from the moisture in the air and hurling them at her opponent. Kuragari dodged them all, but her objective was not to hit him. She ran towards him and threw a punch, connecting her right hand with his left shoulder. His body twisted away from her before it rotated towards her and brought with it his sword.

She jumped back and felt something tear through her clothes and cut into her skin. She cursed as she saw a blood stain form on the bandages she wore underneath her clothes. She grew angry at herself for getting so close to him in the first place. She should have factored in his sword when she went running in his direction. She frowned and dodged a quick attack. She pulled out a kunai from her weapons pouch and deflected his attack. Clang after clang was heard as she continued to defend herself from his onslaught.

Eventually, she noticed a pattern in his movements and was able to time his swings. She grabbed another kunai from her pouch and used it to deflect his attack. With her other kunai, she lodged it between the curved blade and the main blade of the sword and pulled, bringing the Kiri genin toward her. She managed to dislodge the sword from his hand and swiped her leg across the back of his ankles. He fell on his back and Kokoro took the opportunity to throw shuriken at him. He scrambled to his feet and dodged all of them except one that lodged into his shoulder. He growled and looked at his abandoned sword before glaring at her. She kept her face neutral and kicked the sword away from her and further away from him.